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What a year this has been ¡..
tñt
lfll
iLh this summer issue, we
.orptete our first Iull volume
year as a magazine . . . and realize what
an exciting and rewarding year it's been.
The comments we've received from
you have encouraged and uplifted us.
You've... Show more
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_-ii
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*
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#
¡¡
¡a
What a year this has been ¡..
tñt
lfll
iLh this summer issue, we
.orptete our first Iull volume
year as a magazine . . . and realize what
an exciting and rewarding year it's been.
The comments we've received from
you have encouraged and uplifted us.
You've told us that you enjoy the longer,
more colorfully illustrated articles. You've
told us to keep up the good work. You've
told us that this new magazine makes
you feel proud to be an Auggie.
And, now, I'm proud to announce
that Augsburg Now has also received honor
and recognition beyond our own
communiqz The Now received aBrorue
Medal in the 2001 Circle of Excellence
awards sponsored by the Council for
Advancement and Support of Education
(CASE) for periodical publication
improvement. As one of eight awards from
97 entries, Augsburg joins company with
several of the top college and university
magazines in the country And that makes
us feel proud to be Auggies, too.
ln this issue, we present stories
about stretching beyond what is
necessary and expected. The first feature
highlights Augsburg's commitmenr ro
beì.ng a good neighbor and engaging
students in opportunities to learn from
and serve the communitv
The second story is a feature on
focus-two gutsy men who push the
envelope to achj.eve at levels greater than
expected of them. Aaron Cross and Jim
Mastro personify one of our key
messages to prospective students-that
at Augsburg, you are encouraged to
reach farther than you ever thoughl
possible.
For those ofyou online, please take
a moment to consider the questions in
the enclosed survey about services you
would find useful on an enhanced
alumni Web page. The questions can
also be completed online.
Letters to
the editor
Experiencing Cuba
I found the article "Experiencing Cuba" in
I th. ,ecenL issue of Augsb urg Nàw very
gratifying to read. vou. lto.yãbo.rr
Augsburg journallsm students spendÌng 10
days in Cuba interviewlng people is a
wonderful example of how Augsburg's
Center lor Global Education is promoting
understanding between people in the U.S.
and in Latin American countries. ln the
case of Cuba it is particularly lmportant
because governmental sanctions have
made the kind of contact which promotes
Please continue to write to us-about
your thoughts as you read through the
issue, about your comments and
concerns, and about your reactions to the
articles. We'd like to keep in closer touch.
We look forward to continuing this
conversation as rMe enter our second
magazine year, in the 133rd year ol
Augsburg College.
understanding very difficult.
As I live in Wisconsin, I found it
partlcularly interesting that one of the
students had done a comparative study of
farming and the cooperative movement Ìn
Cuba and Wisconsin.
Ww
Out of Africa
Betsey Norgard
-Larry
Glenn'70
reetings from Nairobi. i appreciate
always getting a copy of the
AugsburgNow
G
Editor
-Kanaidza
Abwao'75
We welcome your letters!
Please
write to:
Editor
AugsburgNou
2211 Riverside Ave., CB 145
Minneapolis, MN 55454
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Fax: 612-330-1780
Phone: 612-330-1 18I
Letters fo¡ publication must be signed and include your name, class year, and daytime telephone
number They may be edited for length, clarir¡ and style.
Correction: ln the w¡nter issue on p. 26, we
incorrectly identified the subject of our
alumni profile in the title and caption. lt
should read: Peter Steen-A Model Teacher.
ITTGSBLJRG
Vol. 63, No.4
'r 2OO1
DO YOU VISIT THE ALUMNI
WEB PAGE?
Woulu You LIKE To
Now
'es
sEE ADDTTToNAL
oNLINE SenVlCeS?
g to serve ...
to learn
Norgard
erve in the community is part of an
rcation, and students begin to worle
The Alumni and Parent Relations
'1ty partners Jrom their
Jirst day on
Office would like to hear what you
would find useful on the alumni page
3
Please take a moment to complete the
survey-either on the attached tear-off
<www. augsburg. edu/alumni> and
19
return it byJuly 20. lf you complete
will
by Don Stoner
Augies Aaron Cross and lint Mastro haye
orercome obstacles to excel in their sports,
gain international recognition, and achieve
success in their careers.
card or online at
the contact information, you
Targeting success:
No barriers allowed
tno,o contest for
International and
Off-Campus Studies
be
tments
entered in a drawing for a $50 gift
cértificate from the Augsburg College
20
co*-encement 2ool
Around. the Quad
Bookstore.
Sports
Alumni News
Class l\otes
Auggie Thoughts
administered pro gr am5 except
in
those instances where religion
is a bona Jíile occupational
qualificati on. Au gsb ur g C ollege
is committed to proviiling
r eas onable accomm o d ations to
íts employees and its students.
inside
back
cover
Calendar
On the cover:
Augsburg senior Dereh Schwartz
completed his student teaching at
C e d ar - Riv e r si
de
C ommunity
School. Here, he helps hindergarten
www.augsburg.edu
student Farult Ahmed with an
50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-consumer waste)
assígnment. See story on page
Photo by GregHelgeson.
B.
r
AucsBuRG Now
Vol. 63, No.4
Summer 2001
Features
Augsburg Now is published
quarterly by Augsburg College,
22ll Riverside Ave., Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55454.
Betsey Norgard
Learning to serve ...
serving to learn
Editor
by Betsey Norgard
Lynn Mena
Learning to serye in the community is part oJ an
Augsburg educatiott, and students begin to worh
with community partners from their Jirst day on
Assistant Editor
Kathy Rumpza
Graphic Designer
cdmpus.
William V. Frame
President
Dan Jorgensen
Director of Public Relations and
Communication
Nancy Toedt'94
3
Director of Alumni and Parent
Relations
Opinions expressed rn Augsburg
Now do not necessarily reflect
1SSN 1058-1545
success
Postmaster: Send correspondence,
name changes, and address
corrections to : Augsburg N ow,
Office of Public Relations and
Communication, 22 I I Riverside
Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454.
Augsburg College, øs afflrmeil
in its miss¡on, does not
discriminate on the basis of røce,
color, creed, religion, national or
ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual
orientation, marital status, status
uith regaril to public assistance,
or disability in its education
p olicíes, a ilmi s sions p olicie s,
scholarship ønd loan progrøms,
athletic andlor school
ødministered pro gr am1 except
in those ínstances where religion
is a bona fide occupationøl
qu aliJi c øtio n. Au gsbur g C olle ge
is committed. to provüling
reasonable accommo dations to
its employees and íts stuilents.
by Don Stoner
Auggies Aaron Cross and Jim Mastro haye
overcome obstacles to excel in their sports,
gain internatiot-tal recognition, and achiev e
official College policy
E-maii: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-Ì I8ì
Fax: 612-330-I780
Targeting success:
No barriers allowed
in theLr careers.
f 9
prro,o contest for
International and
Off-Campus Studies
Departments
2
6
23
25
32
inside
back
cover
2O
co*roencement 2ool
Around the Quad
Sports
Alumni News
Class Notes
Auggie Thoughts
Calendar
On the cover:
Augsburg senior Dereh Schwartz
completed his student teaching at
C e dar-
Ny er si de
C ommuniQ
School. Here, he helps ltindergarten
www.augsburg.edu
student Faruh Ahmed with att
50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-clnsumer waste)
assignment. See story on page 8.
Photo by GregHelgeson.
I
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Susan Klaseus is Augsburg's newest
vice presidgnt
byDan Jorsensen
s
usanJ. Klaseus, former associate dean
of external affairs for the Carlson
School of Management at the University of
2004' vislon and the strategies we are
pursuing in its behalf is palpable, and I
look forward to her work and her
Minnesota, has been named vice president
of institutional advancement and
community relations.
President William Frame noted that
Klaseus brings to her new role a strong
background in the institutional
advancement field combined with a firm
grasp of Augsburg's mission and "place" in
leadership," the president added.
Klaseus served at the Carlson School
from 1996-2000, where she was
responsible for all corporate and individual
donor relations, fundraising and
development, as well as media relations,
public and community relations, and
alumni relations. In 2000, she formed her
own consuiting business, partnering with
the communit;z
"We are fortunate to have found an
individual who not only is committed to
bridging the worlds of education,
[Augsburgsl strdtegy includes ø solid
academic exp enence coupled w ith
spintuøl growth and community
s ew ice opp ortunitie t
Å'*ron
l.
KIas eus
government, business, and the not-for-
profit sector, but who also has a keen
sense
of what is needed to form strategic
partnerships to help the College articulate
its vision," Frame said.
"Her enthusiasm for the 'Augsburg
community agencies to serve client needs.
Preyious to her position at Carlson,
she served various executive positions aL
four companies in the financial services'
industry, most recently as a senior rnce
president for Piper Jaffray Companies .
Klaseus said she looks upon
publidprivate partnerships as vital to the
future success of Augsburg's development
and community relations efforts and to
ensure that the College's students have the
best possible educational environment
available.
"l am pleased to see that in Augsburg's
case, this stmtegy includes a solid
academic experience coupled with spiritual
growth and community service
Susan J. Klaseus
opportunities woven into the curricula and
life of the Co1lege," she said.
Klaseus also said she is excited about
Augsburg's location in the city and the role
she believes the College can play in
assisting the Twin Cities in economic
growth and development and muchneeded attention to K-I2 education.
Klaseus holds a Bachelor ofArts degree
from Metropolitan State University, a
Master of Public Administration from the
John F Kennedy School of Government at
Harvard University, and a Master of Arts in
liberal studies from Hamline Universiqr
Currently working part time, she will
assume full-time duties in August.
Herald Johnson elected to head financial aid officers
I
lerald
II1oh,rro,.,
enrollment
MAFAA to head the organization twice.
The MAFAA is the professional
organization of nearly 400 financial aid
officers at postsecondary institutions in
Minnesota who work with students,
educators, policy makers, and others to
ensure that adequate programs of financial
assistance arc avallable to all students
attending Minnesota institutions of higher
services, has
education.
'68, director of
financial aid
and assistant to
the vice
president of
admissions and
Johnson,6g
been elected for
the second
time as president of the Minnesota
Association of Financial Aid
Adminj.strators (MAFAA). He is only the
second person in the history of the
Herald
2
,+UGSBURG NoW
Financial aid in higher education is
often misunderstood, Johnson says,
it is one of the most complex
functions in high education institutions.
"It's like a moving target," he said.
"The variety of funds available all comes
because
with their own
set of rules. And they are
always changing."
Among the blggest changes, he says, is
in the mixture of gifts, loans, and work,
with a shlft to a greater availability of loans
The MAFAA provides training,
workshops, and conferences for
professionals in financial aid, includlng a
Leadership Symposium that has been
recognized natì.onally and serves as a
model program.
Johnson graduated from Augsburg in
1968 and was hired as an admissions
counselor. ln 1969, he became the
College's first (and only one to the present)
director of financial aid.
Summer 2001
Three students are awarded Hognander
Scholarships for music excellence
Lake, Minn., is a
music performance
and composition
major. He has
Lindsay
f
Bonner
Brendan Anderson
composed pieces for
the Concert Band
and a piece for the
Chamber Orchestra
that premiered in
May Two of his
Dan Luedtke
compositions received their international
premiere during the Concert Band's recent
tour [o ]reland. Anderson is a saxophonist
in the Concert Band and an
instrumentallst with Gospel Praise He is
also a member of the Camp Cruisers, and
has arranged much of the Cruisers'
repertoire.
Dan Luedtke, from Warren, Minn., is
a piano performance major and studies
with music professorJill Dawe. He has
participated in the chamber music group
for the last three years and has also
hree Augsburg students were awarded
I
Hognander Scholarships for 2001-02,
the most prestigious award given to music
students.
Lindsay Bonner, from Virginia, Minn.,
is a vocal performance major studies with
Janet Gottschall Fried. Bonner is a member
of the Augsburg Choir, is a vocalist with
Augsburg's Gospel Praise, and performs
with the Camp Cruisers, the house band at
Mall of America's Camp Snoop;z She was
also instrumental in the production of
"Women in Opera," a group of five femaie
student performers who met weekly for
over a year to perfect their singing and
acting skills and their knowledge of opera
repertoire.
Brendan Anderson, from Madison
performed with the Concert and Jazz
Bands. He will participate in a spring
internshì.p with HECUA's (Higher
Education Consortium for Urban Affairs)
City Arts program, taking classes and
working at an arts organization. His
upcoming performances include a 20thcentury music recital in December and a
senior recital in spring 2002.
The Orville C. and Getrude O.
Hognander Family Fund established a
permanent source of scholarship funds to
recognize exceptional music performance
and achievement. The intention of this
award is to attract gifted students,
stimulate current students, and build a
cadre of alumni whose achievement
elevates the reputation of the College and
the music department. Requirements
include a résumé, essay, and an audition of
two music pieces.
Congratulations
to tenured and
newly-promoted
faculty:
Promotions effective September
1
Instructor to Assistant Professor:
Sonja Thompson, music
Assistant Professor to Associate
Professor:
William Green, history
Peter Hendrickson'76, music
Sandra Olmsted'69, chemistry
øc
Gil
Student tour guide
Connie Bishop (left)
answers questions
from the directors of
academic affairs of
15 Norwegian colleges
who visited campus to
learn about Augsburgb
initiatives in higher
education marketing
and international
pro9rams,
EA
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Bridget Robinson-Riegler, psychology
E
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Associate Professor to Professor:
Milo Schield, business administration
and MIS
Frankie Shackelford, modern languages
Tenure granted
Cass Da1g1ish, English
Rebekah Dupont, mathematics
Peter Hendrickson '76, music
Dawn Ludwig, physician assistant studies
Bridget Robinson-Riegler, psychology
Summer 2001
4ucs¡unc ruow
3
Around the Quad
Farewell to retiring faculty and staff
membgfS
by Lynn Mena
!hree laculty members, wilh a
I combined'64 yearsof service to
Augsburg, retired from active teaching at
the end ol this academic year. The Board
of Regents granted all three
emeritus/emerita status in May In
additlon, one staff member, with more
than a dozen years of service to the
College, will retlre thls fall.
Marjorie M. Magnuson
Marj Magnuson came to Augsburg in 1988
as a receptionist for the Center for Global
Education; she currently serves as the
center's admlnistrative assistant. She and her
husband had moved to the area ln 1987
after 12 years of directing a Christian
children's camp/retreat center.
"Neither of us knew exactly what we
wanted to do next," says Magnuson. "I took
some classes, and we both had paper routes
as well as being caretakers in an apartment
buildlng." Meanwhile, she says, her
youngest son registered for a Global Ed
semester program in Cuernavaca, Mexico,
and a newsletter from lhe center announced
a job opening for which she applied and
was hired.
A graduate of a bible college with a
major in Christian education, Magnuson
says she will miss her colleagues and the
leaming opportunities within the
department and the College community.
After her retirement in the fall, her plans are
to take a bike trip in Europe with her
husband, volunteer, and work.
"Ma4 has been the spiritual and moral
center of the Center for Global Education
for the past 13 and a halfyears," says Regina
McGoff, the center's director of marketing
and administration. "She leads by example,
setting the pace by working very hard and
always looklng out for the heart and soul of
our mission. Her presence will be greatly
missed by everyone on our staff."
Last year, the College thanked
Magnuson for her dedication by honoring
her as one of the Outstanding Employees of
Augsburg.
4
,+UGSBURG NoW
Marjorie M. Magnuson
Gordon L. Nelson
Beverly J, Nilsson
Clarice A. Staff'63
Gordon L. Nelson
political setting, hometown lore, or
Gordon L. Nelson, professor of sociologl
and facuity parliamentarian, was flrst hired
relative. He is sharp and dedicated to the
Coilege. We are grateful for his many years
at Augsburg
ín 1967
as assistant professor
of sociology He was granted tenure in
1971, and promoted to associate and full
professor in1977 and 1985, respectivel)¿
He also served as department chair for l0
years, and has
regulaf
taught in the
religion department. Nelson obtained B.A.
and M.A. degrees from the University of
Minnesota, a B.D. and M.Div from Luther
Theoiogical Seminary, and a second M.A.
and a Ph.D. from the University of
Chicago.
"Gordon has a marvelous sense of
humor and a remarkable sense of history,"
says Diane Pike, professor of sociology "He
rarely fails to connect a student to some
a
of commitment."
After retirement, Nelson hopes to
continue [o serve as a member of the
Minneapolis Board of Estimate and
Taxation, he is seeking re-election to the
position in the November municipal
election and was first elected to the
position in 1973.In addition, he expects
that he will continue to work part time in
the district office of Congressman Martin
Olav Sabo '59, as he has done since 1979.
Beverly J. Nilsson
BeverlyJ. Nilsson, professor of nursing,
began her career at the College in1977 as
associate professor. She was granted tenure
Summer 2OOf
in 1980, promoted to full professor in
1990, and has served as department chair
since 1978. She received her diploma in
nursing from the Mlnneapolis General
Hospital School of Nursing, and her B.S.,
M.S., and Ph.D. from the University of
Minnesota.
"Bev has been a colleague, mentor,
and friend," says Sue Nash, assistant
professor of nursing. "What an honor to
have worked side-by-side with her as we
launched the first graduating class of
nursing students here at Augsburg, back in
the '70s, and now to be involved in the
launching of the first graduating class of
the Rochester branch nursÍng students. Bev
has touched my life and helped shape my
career."
Nilsson looks forward to the
opportunity to "savor and enjoy the
choices" ofher future. She says that she
will miss the "good people of Augsburg,"
particularly the nursing students, past and
present, and her colleagues from the
nursing department.
"Over the years, I have experienced a
genuine and most generous spirit of
helpfulness among those of us who work
and study in this place," says Nilsson. "The
people here care about each other, and
demonstrate that caring in large ways and
in small, everyday ways."
Clarice A. Staff '63
'Clarice A. Staff, assistant professor of
social work, has taught at Augsburg since
1995 at her present rank. Although she
was in a tenure track position, she waived
tenure consideration since it fe1l during
the same yeat as her retirement. An
alumna of Augsburg, Staff received her
B.A. in 1963 and went on to earn M.S.
and D.S.W degrees from Columbia
University She served for a time
as
director of Augsburg's M.S.\M program. In
1984, she received a Distinguished
Alumna Award.
Staff has particularly enjoyed working
with the Weekend College and graduate
students. "As adult learners, they bring a
special commitment" she says. She plans
Summer 2001
to retire her alarm clock, and will continue
working on stories related to family
genealogy
"With uncompromising integrity,
Clarice has stood strong and fast for
social justice and for what she believes is
right," says Tony Blbus, associate professor
of social work. "The social work
department, our faculty, staff, and
especially our students, have benefited
greatly from her attention to detail, her
intelligence, and her experience in higher
education, her steady advising, and her
loyal friendship."
An Augsburg teacher celebrates 100
by Maggie Weller'O1
lor today's students, it is not
I uncommon to attend a class taught by
a woman. However, before Anna Manger
began teaching math, there were no
female teachers at Augsburg College.
Manger, who celebrated her 100th
birthday in February, graduated from the
University of Minnesota in 1923 and was
hired by Augsburg as its first female
instructor, teaching higher algebra and
geometryl lt was just a year earlieq in fall
1922, that Augsburg enrolled its first
lvomen students.
Manger recalls the friendly
atmosphere at that time and the fact that
"everyone was interested in everyone
else. "
Manger shared a story about how she
used to walk home after school with
several of her male colleagues. "They were
big and ta1l, so \Me must have looked
funny walking together," she says with a
laugh.
Even after marrying and leaving
Augsburg ín L925, Manger continued to
be involved with the College as part of a
group that worked to help raise money
for scholarships. The group painted and
built "decorative things," including plates,
napkin holders, and stools. While this
group no longer exists, Manger continues
her involvement as a member of the
Augsburg Associates.
Manger's dedication to Augsburg had
a lasting effect on her family Both of her
daughters are Augsburg alumnae who
enjoyed becoming part of the community
where thelr mother had taught.
Manger recently attended her 75th
college reunion and found herself to be
the only attendee. "There are not many of
us left," she says, and tells of how she was
invited to sit with the president of the
university and the dean.
When asked what Manger believes to
be the greatest change at Augsburg
between now and when she taught, she
responds, "There were not so many
students then, so it was not as busy as it is
today"
Her 100th birthday was a festive
affair. Two daughters, eight grandchildren,
and 13 great-grandchildren, as well as
over 300 people, attended the part¡
including a number of Auggies.
"I got loads of lovely cards," Manger
reports.
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Anna Manger, Augsburg's first
female professor; celebrated her
centennial year with family and
friends.
,4ucssunc
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Edor Nelson field to be named
Ã
coach
uesburg College wilI honor ìongtinrc
Edor Nelson by
re-dedicating the outdoor athletic field ln
his honor.
A ceremony to dedicate the lield as
Edor Nelson Field will be held during the
Augsburg football team's home-opener
against St. John's Universily on Saturday,
Sept. 22. Game time for the season-opener
has not been set.
In 1984, the College named the
It : , enct
ï,, urstruclor
:
,ncoacn
outdoor athletic field as Anderson-Nelson
Fleld, in honor of Nelson and longtime
athletic director and men's basketball coach
Ernie Anderson. In Februar¡ the College
dedicated the court in Melby Hal1 in
Anderson's honor.
Nelson earned Augsburg Hali of Fame
honors as both a student-athlete and coach
at Augsburg. As an athlete, he was a multisport star in football, basketball, and
baseball, graduating in 1939. After serving
his country in World War ll-including six
months of imprisonment in a German
prison camp-he retr¡rned to this country,
by Don Stoner
in
1947
, and also served tl-re College
hockey and wrestling coach at times in
the 1950s.
Nelson coached football [or 23 years
(1947-69), flnishing with a 58-118-10
coaching record, the most coaching wins in
school history. He was inducted lnto the
Minnesota Football Ha1l of Fame in 1973.
He coached baseball for 33 seasons (194679), earning MTAC titles seven l¡mes
as
(t947,'48.'59,'61,'63,'73 and'75) and
earning conference coach of the year
honors in I97 5
Nelson was an associate professor in
Ar-rgsburg's health and physical education
department for 32 years, retiring in 1978.
More information on the Sept. 22
event will be sent to A-Club members
during the summer, as well as being placed
on Augsburg's athletic Web site,
<www.augsburg.edu/athletics>. For more
inlormat ion on lhe dedication event,
contact Norm Okerstrom at 6L2-330-I6I6.
.
.,<l.
Edor Nelson '39 in a baseball coaching photo
from the 1950s. Nelson was best known for
leading the baseball and football teams
during his three decades as a teacher and
coach at Augsburg.
earning his master's degree from the
University of Minnesota ín 1947
.
He coached lor three years in
Lamberton, MÌnn., and returned to
Augsburg in 1946, when he was named
baseball coach. He was named football
Don Stoner is sports information coordtnator
Auggie sports wrap for 2000-01
Football
Named to the MIAC All-Conference first
team were defensive linemen Matt
Chappuis and Andy Howard, and offensive
lineman Andy Hansen. SevenLeen seniors
completed their Auggie careers in 2000
wirh. a 25-L7 career record, joining the
graduating classes of 1999 and 2000 as
holders of the best four-season career
record in school history
Volleyball
The team capped the l1-16 season by
winning seven of their last 10 matches,
including a three-game sweep of defending
MIAC champion Bethel. Angie Rieger
earned first team A1i-MIAC honors, and
closecl her Auggie career with a unique
double-double, 1,030 career kills and
1,052 career digs.
Men's and women's soccer
A stretch of six wins late in the year, wlth
Auggie \Momen were able to compete as
team for the first time slnce 1998.
14 freshmen on the roster, marked the
beginnings of what the men's squad hopes
will be a strong showing next fa1l. Joel
Stone, a defender, earned a spol on the AllMIAC first team.
On the women's side, a 7-10-1 markthe best record since I997-and consistent
scoring pr-rnch from both veterans and
newcomers spelled an outstanding
rebuilding season. Brenda Selander was
named to the All MIAC first team.
The men's and women's cross country
teams capped their year with one of their
best finishes in recent years at the MIAC
championship meet. Senior Eric
Bloemendal and junior Chrissy Baune
earned all-MIAC honors.
Men's and women's golf
The men's and women's goll teams
completed split seasons-fa1l and springwith solid efforts. The men's team was third
in the MIAC fall championships, 1ed by the
team's lone senior, Hans Anderson.
With increased nr-rmbers of players,
a
Men's and women's cross country
Men's and women's basketball
The men's basketball team earned a trip to
the MIAC playoffs for the fifth season in a
row, despite late season injunes. Seniors
Tomrny Chatman and Matt Davis earned
first-team AII-MIAC honors. The team was
11-9 in the MIAC.
The women's team's 1l-13 overall and
9-12 mark in the MIAC was Augsburg's
best since l9B4-85. SeniorJaime Kingsley
continued on next page
6
,+ucsBURG Now
Summer 2001
Lucky seven for Auggie wrestlers
Augsburg wins record seventh
national title
w ilLåi;:i::: iîi,*:ïäî:es,'n
g
history, the Augsburg College wrestiing
team won its second consecutive national
championship and seventh title in the past
ll years to highlight the 2000-01 sports
year for the Auggies.
The wrestlers had three individual
national championships and eight Al1Americans. Their 119.5 points was the
sixth-largest total in Division lll history
Defending national champion senior Ben
Bauer became the fifth Auggie in school
history to earn consecutive national titles.
Senior Nik Lewandowski, who became
the fourth Auggie ever to earn four Al1
American honors, claimed the first national
championship of his career with a dramatic
7-5 overtime victory in the 184-pound
final. And, two-time national runner-up
Darin Bertram earned his first national
championship.
Defending national
champion Nick Slack saw his
The wrestlers also excelled in the
classroom, earning a 3.372 GPA with its
distinction of being the fourth highest in
national Division III.
unbeaten streak end in the
I 74-pound championship
match and finished his season
at 29-1, notching a two-
season, consecutive-match
winning streak of 60-the
second-longest in school
history The team finished the
dual season at 16-l and won
the MIAC title for a record
15th consecutive year,
defeating perennial Division 1I
powers North Dakota State
and South Dakota State in the
dual season.
Augsburg's wrestling team shows off their national
championship hardware after claiming the school's seventh
NCAA Division lll national title in the last 11 years at the
2001 NCAA meet.
Sports wrap (continued)
s'
earned a spot on the
.s
AII-MIAC first team,
leading the Auggres
L
È
in scoring,
rj
Q
rebounding, and
blocked shots. A
biology major with a
3.844 GPA, she also
earned Verizon
Jaime Kingsley goes
up for a shot during
.Augsburg's victory
over St. Olaf.
Academic AllDistrict first-team
honors.
Men's and women's hockey
The Auggie men finished in a fourth-place
tie in the MIAC with a 9-6-I record, but
were eliminated from playoffs on a totalgoal tiebreaker. Four Auggies earned firstteam A11-MIAC recognition-freshman Tim
Olsen, sophomores Jaro Cesky and Brad
Holzinger, and senior goalie Ryan
Mclntosh, for the lourth season in a row.
The women's team had its third
consecutive winning season, lncluding a
sweep on the annual trip to the East Coast.
For the second year in a row, forward
Angie Rieger was named MIAC Women's
Hockey Co-Player of the Year and a finalist
Summer 2001
for Natlonal Player of the Year from the
American Hockey Coaches Association.
Rieger and teammate Kristi Brusletto
earned AII-MIAC honors. A three-time AllAmerican, Rieger ended her career holding
steeplechase), and Baune (1500 meter
virtually every school scoring record.
Augsburg's baseball team finished the
season with 20 wins for the first time since
1992. Mike Schwalen, a four-year starter,
was named to the Verizon Academic AllDistrict V College Division First Têam. He
ended his Augsburg career with a .349
Men's and women's track and field
The men's and women's track and field
teams showed dramatic improvement
during the indoor half of the season,
breaking schooi records l6 times. New
records \Mere set by senior Desman Oakley,
who also won the 55-meter hurdles title;
freshman Derik Thaden (55-meter dash);
Mathew Shannon (200-meter dash), Chris
Ohnstad and Teresa Lewandowski (both in
the 600-meter dash); and Chrissy Baune,
who claimed all-conference finishes in the
1,000- and 1,500-meter runs.
In outdoor action, Oakley won his
second straight MIAC 1l0-merer hurdles
title and qualified for the NCAA Division
iII national championships. The men's 400meter relay squad set a school record of
41.99 seconds.
Other all-MIAC honors went to
Chrlstian Dawson (3,000 meter
run). Three other Auggie relay squads set
school records.
Baseball
batting average.
Softball
For the 22nd time in the last 23 years, the
softball team finished the season wirh a
double digit win record, 17-19 overall and
10-12 in MIAC play Shortstop Kristin
Lideen earned second-team recognit-ion on
the Natj.onal Fastpitch Coaches Association
(NFCA) AIl Midwest Region team. She and
pitcher Rachael Ekholm earned first-team
AII-MIAC honors.
For additional information, statistlcs, and
records on Auggie athletics, visit
<www. au gsburg. edu/athletics>.
,4ucs¡unc
ruow
7
L(Àrhín? t o s(rV(...
#
$ffiwwffi ww
w
w
&
ffi
(lrh
by Betsey Norgard
"lt's hard to tell where Augsburg ends, and the community begins."
Laurel True, director of community service-learning
-Mary
¡ n 1872, Augsburg Seminary chose
I vinn.upolis as its new home and
' settled on donated land surrounding
what is now the city's oldest park. Toda¡
Augsburg College boldly proclaims its
urban nature and firmly embraces the
city as a classroom for educating its
students. Augsburg 2004: Extending the
Vision declares that "Augsburg, in fact,
has made its location part of its
curriculum."
In these 100 years, this city location
has helped the College structure an
education that seamlessly integrates
practical experience with a liberal arts
education. The city has become a
iaboratory of unlimited opportunities,
which students begin exploring from
their first days on campus.
Community service-learning is one
of the experiential components of an
Augsburg education. Students learn
from and about the community and
society in which they live by
participating in service experiences that
are integrated into Augsburg courses or
the 100 students at the Cedar-Riverside Community School who
interact with up to four Augsburg students each day who come to the school to teach classes,
These kindergartners are among
assist teachers, and
tutor students.
done as part of other campus activities.
It is an area in which Augsburg has
built an enviable national reputation.
"Service-learning is embedded in
the education, it's not an add on,"
explains Mary Laurel True, director of
community service-learning. "lt's part of
who we are." And, it's clearly a "winwin" situation-both siudents and the
community benefit. It actively engages
Augsburg's mission and motto-learning
that takes place "in the context of a vital
metropolitan setting," and learning that
provides "Education for Service."
chilclren ancl aclults in literacl,, teachlng
classes as llart ol tl-reir courses, ancl
researchir.rg communitl' problems ¡o offer
ana11,5is ancl soluliot-ts.
Tl're Ceclat'-Rive rside Cornrnr-tnity
School is orre of Ar.rgsburg's close
partners. This public charter school-the
onl;' school ln the countr), to be located
r.vithin a high-rlse apartment complexserYes mosil;, Ìmrr-rigrant chlldren in
grades K-8. The 100 children come from
l7 natìons and speak seven different
languages, says assistant clirector
Stephanie Byrdziak. In the past trvo
years, not one of the kinclergarten
chlldren has spoken English as a first
language.
Every da;', the Cedar-Riverside
school children average four contacts
r,r'ith the more than 40 Augsburg
Augsburg junior Kristy Bleichner spends time
each week at Wednesday Night Out taking
neighborhood kids to a gym so that their
parents can enjoy time together.
Highlightecl in this article is jLÌst a
sampling ol the activities and programs
in the community sen'ice-learning
progrâm. ln turn, the sen,ice-learning
program is just one o[ the experiential
components in Augsburg's
Center lor Sen'ice, Work, and
Learning, rvhlch also oversees
stuclents who spend one to three hours
per lveek at the school. Some are
Augsburg science majors teaching
science units, musrc students teaching
piano lessons, educatìorr majors lullilllng
teaching requìrernents, or others tlrtoring
inclividual students ìn math or English
as
a seconcl langr-rage (ESL).
Worl<ing one-on-one helps the CedarRiverside studen[s keep up in class.
"Without Augsburg students, lt u'ould be a
lot more dillicult," sa;'s Malcolm Currle,
one ol the nlne teachers at the school.
r.vouldnt be able to l.rìo\¡e as fast because
o[ clillerences in abìlitìes; some stuclents
u'oulcl fall behind."
The partnership clearly bene[its
both Augsburg and the Cedar-Riversicle
school. For example, the school's
teachers, u'ith assistance lrom Augsburg
facr-rlt¡', have secured a granl for tl-re
school from the Medtronic Fottndatiot-t
that provicles a mobile science
laboratory needed to teach science in
the classrooms, since the school has no
space lor a dedicated science lab. For
Augsburg students, lvorking r'vith
community children provicles rich
experiences and valuable learning
r,r,ithÌn their own str-rdies-and many
students continlle these relationships
alter the ploglam ends.
Also r,vi¡hin the Cedar-Rir,ersicle
neighborhood, Trinity Lutheran Church
(rvhìch rvorships in Hoversten Chapel)
pariners with Augsburg lor Wednesclay
Night Out, a program that brings
together neighborhood parents and their
children for supper donatecl by
community organÌzatÌons and ¡he
College. Augsburg students spend time
after supper taking children to the
People's Center g1'm. leai'ing palenls
free to talk about [arnil1' znd
neighborhood issues.
"1
\
I
'4
a!
interr.rships, career placement,
.nnt[ cooperatrvc cdtrcrt iorr.
CeJrr- RiversíJq
Prrtners
se rvice -learnù'rg prograr.n has
cleveÌopecl paltnershi¡rs rvitl-r
The
ove
r 25
ct'rr-nmunily'
organrzations, prir-l-larily in
Ar-rgsbur g's ou'n Ceclar -Riverside
neigl.rbcrrhoocl. On ar-r1, given da;',
Augsburg stuclents are ir-r nearby
clerrrenlar'y sehools. conimunit;cenle rs, and neighborl-roocl
sllclters. engnged in tutorìng
Summer 2001
Senior Derek Schwartz keeps the attention of his kindergarten class during his student teaching at CedarRiverside School.
,4ucsguRc
f{ow
9
;1
=
a
{
Ì
hall day in groups
I
E
1
i
()
Ë
çä
<
"There is son-rethlng Iabout service-
at nearly 20 sites,
learningì that changes students,"
giving ahnost Ì,500
computer science professor Larry
hours of service.
Raglancl
Primarily located
communlty partners at a recent
around the College,
the projects range
from palnting ivalls
to yard work to
playing kickball
gathering.
told facr-rlty colleagues and
Tl.c ncíll.boif'il, c0lne5
yLurl
u'ith school children.
Tiue highlights the
importance of this,
-
because students
learn that "this is
what Augsburg is;
this is one of the
ways you'll learn
here."
Augsburg junior Nick Leach helps Abshir Mohamud with an assignment
on magnetism and electricity for the science unit Leach taught in the
middle school class at Cedar-Riverside.
Lerrnínt to sqrvc
Augsburg's community sen'ice-learning
program
r,vas
formally organlzed
10
years ago. A goal of the program, says
True, lvho arrived in 1990, is to build
a
continuum of community involvement
for each Augsburg student. It begins
with the Augsburg Seminar (AugSem),
the required lreshman orientalron
course that includes servrce projects
as
part of its curriculum.
The first day of the Augsburg
Seminar is City Service Projects Day,
when more than 300 freshmen spend
a
After Augsburg
Seminar, students
begin to take
courses that embed
service projects in
the coursework, they then become more
confident and ready to work
independently in Lhe comrnunity on
internships or research projects.
Each year, 20-25 Augsburg courses
include a service-learning component.
For example, last year a math class
helped a Cedar-Riverside organization
measure the impact that varying levels
of federal census returns would have on
the amounts of formula grants to the
neighborhood.
One of the goals in Augsbtu'g 2004 is
to engage more of the faculty in servicelearning and to spread rt across as many
disciplines as possible. Faculty benefits
include fresh perspectives and energy that
students brìng back to the classrooms
lrom Lheir community experiences.
Benelits fron-r the sen'ice-learning
experiences are more far-reaching than
the hours committed to service or the
measurable gains in learning.
"A key component lin our program]'
ìs the connection to har,ing an adult
person who cares about you," says
Edison/Project for Pride in Living School
staff person Cathy Nissen. "We try to
make sure in all these partnerships that
our student comes to tour Augsburg
College. Most every student at
Edison/PPL has had at least one
experience in college life at Augsburg
and they know at least one student who
goes there. lt makes sense that they can
see themselves posslbly going to college
in the future."
A special treat lor the CedarRiverside School children is "Kids Come
to Campus Day," during Comrnunity
Sen'ice Week in April. All 100 children
at the school walk the three biocks to
campus, eat in the cafeteria, and meet
people on campus. This year, as part of
the "Share a Story" project, all of the
school's students, teachers, and staff
wrote stories about themselves or their
families and compiled them into a book
that was presented to Dean Chris
Kimball on their i'isit day.
Cours(s
Examples of courses
that include service-learning
Journalism students work in a community settìng and "report" on it.
fii Students in applied math n-rodeled the impact of census data on grâni money in the Cedar-Rive¡side neighborhood.
{f A compuier science class helped Sewarcl Montessori School evaluate and update its computer system.
ü1
l4 Nursing students treat neighborhood residents at the College's lree clinic located in Central Luiheran Church.
iþ Students studying criminology work in organizations dealing with crime and its irnpact, e.g. the West Bank Safety Center.
il History students work in environmental, peace and justice, and won-ren's organizations to study social movements in the past
10
,4ucsnunc ruow
Summer 2O01
to become
o
lp
H
ffi
n
ffi
P
o
ã
Ovcrví(u
teachers, the
ru
E
F
curriculum takes
them through three
phases of servicelearning: exposure
to service-learning
practices and
E
*
education in urban
areas, skill
building to
develop familiarity
H
learning theory
Auysbury lerJs tl.c wr¡
Augsburg has been a pioneer in
community service-learning dating back
to the 1970s, when sociology and
metro-urban studies professor Garry
Hesser directed the experiential
education program, sending students off
campus to learn first-hand about
community challenges and needs. ln
1998, Hesser was honored
nationally by Campus
Compact as a co-recipient
of the national Thomas
Ehrlich award for
internship or
lessons.
Augsburg's most recent grant for
service-learning, bringing a decade total
in grant monies to over a half million
dollars, is from the Council of
lndependent Colleges. Thirteen private
colleges, from the ll3 who applied,
were selecied to participate in "Engaging
Communities and Campuses," a
program that will help colleges
"establish partnerships with community
or ganízatíons [o enhance experiential
in this
Perhaps nowhere at
Augsburg has servicelearning been more
o
o
t
More than 30 courses eachyear
include a service-learning component.
I
All 300+ freshmen spend
I
Over 200 students each year tutor
children and adults in schools, literacy
centers, and neighborhood
organizations in Minneapolis.
3
Six Community Service
Scholarships are offered each year to
support student leaders in service.
t
$5,000 scholarships are available to
AmeriCorps volunteers for full-time
study. (Augsburg is the only college in
the nation to offer this.)
I
A full-time VISTA volunteer at
Augsburg coordinates 30 work-study
students who work after school on the
q
a half day
during orient-at-ion on service projects
while learning about the city.
AmericaReads/America Counts program
ffi A Get Ready program staff person
works with two schools to encourage
low income children, starting in fifth
integrated into the learning
curriculum than in the
Education Department. In
grade, to attend college.
1997, Augsburg was one of
six institutions selected by
the American Association
for Colleges of Teacher
Education (AACTE) to
participate in the Service-
Summer 2001
An overview of community
service-learning at Augsburg
student teaching to
carry out servicelearning enhanced
Community Service, the
Learning and Teacher
Education project
(SLATE). As students learn
coordinator.
and lessons, and
Augsburg alumna Roeshell Lewis'97 (right) is an English as a Second
Language (ESL) assistant at Cedar-Riverside School. She, along with
other staff members, have been instrumental in teaching English to
Suad Salad (left) and helping her adjust to the new experience of
attending school.
. highest recognition
fie1d.
Mary Laurel True (left) is director of
community service-learning. Merrie
Benasutti (right) is tutoring and literary
with service-
fr
Community Service Week each April
ceìebrates and recognizes community
service efforts of Augsburg faculty,
staff, students, and community partners.
H A student-run Link program of more
Tony Pham (middle) shows Augsburg students Allie
Gulbrandson (left) and Christian Shada (right) his story page
in a book presented by Cedar-Riverside School to the College
in the Share a Story project.
than 100 students organtzes events on
campus for neighborhood children and
service projects for students.
4ucs¡unc n¡ow
11
learning activities while addressing
community needs."
Six Augsburg faculty members are
paired with six community partners,
including Cedar-Riverside and
Edison/PPL schools, to extend the
activities of freshmen in city service
projects throughout the entire Augsburg
Seminar term.
The Engaging Communities and
Campuses program is designed "to
o
empower colleges and universities and
community organizations to collaborate
in ways that are new to academe."
o
Ê.
s'
r^
True describes Augsburg's
community collaboration over the years
as being a good neighbor and seeking
to build community "from the inside
out." Byrdziak has begun engaging the
Cedar-Riverside School children in
service-learning with neighborhood
organizations by teaching that "servicelearning is not just a project; it's a way
of thinking and a way of learning." I
Divcrsi t¡ out our froht Àhd
brrl Joors
by Garry Hesser
Those of us who attend Augsburg as students or work
I here have the unique and remarkable pleasure, dayI in und day-out, of living in vibrant anà vital
neighborhoods that reveal just how much of an asset a
multicultural community can be. Cedar Riverside and
Seward give diversity a meaning and reality that is rare to
find an;,.where in the U.S., maybe even in the world. What
a gift and bonus Ìt is!
Often, I get to take visiting candidates for faculty
positions on a walking or driving tour of this area I like to
call "my home town." When I do so, I like to 1et the
neighborhood do its own talking and enticing. Just off the
campus along Riverside Avenue, for example, we have a
virtual United Nations of restaurants reveallng the rich
tapestry of our "Mr. Roger's Neighborhood." From the
Addis Ababa Ethiopian restaurant to Livlngston's Organic,
to the Lucky Dragon Vietnamese and Chinese, dozens of
ethnic culinary
opportunitles
await those who
delight in
exploring the
foods of the
Cedar-Riverside assistant director
Stephanie Byrdziak (left) helps Mohamed
Abdulkadir tell his story to an Augsburg
journalism class.
world.
Over in the Seward neighborhood across I-94 that
abuts Augsburg campus's south side, an equally diverse
group of eating establishments abound, ranging from the
Biue Nile to Moon II, one of our newer coffee houses.
Recently at Moon lI I savored a conversation with one of
my former students who, after living and teaching in the
Ukraine, is now a homeowner in the neighborhood. It was
this same student who, nearly two decades ago, helped me
write a grant proposal that ultimately led to the survival of
the Seward Redesign Community Development
Corporation. Redesign has since played a vital role in
the revival of the central city neighborhoods
surrounding our campus, lncluding the design of the
new light rail station that will be built on the edge of
the campus.
Today, thanks [o the vision of active neighborhood
organizatì.ons, augmented by both Augsburg and
Tiinity Lutheran Congregation volunteers, lhese
communities are thriving. Augsburg's connection to
and involvement in its neighborhood continues to
provide an extraordinary opportunity both for its
students and for those of us fortunate to lÌve and raise
our famihes in this remarkable and unexcelled rainbow
of humanity
Garry Hesser is professor of sociology and metro-urban
studies. The above is excerpted t'rom an article written
Children from the Seward Montessori school visited Augsburg in 1998
when the College announced a scholarship program with the school.
12
4UCSSURCi¡OW
for lhe Lutheran
magazLne.
Summer
2OO1
Targeting success:
NO BARRIERS ALLOWED
by Don Stoner
-fhe D.H. Lawrence poem is
I pro.inently displayed on the case
I rhat holds Aaron Cross'archery
equipment.
You remember the poem as you watch
Cross practice the skills that have earned
him international honors in archery. You
watch Cross concentrate on his coffee can
lid-sized target, which looks so small 70
meters away You watch Cross'eyes,
intense and focused on the task at hand.
He puts the arrow in place and draws
back the bow. At that point, with all the
tension in the world seemingly on the tips
of his fingers, he pauses, relaxes his
breathing. The moment seems like forever.
Then he releases the arrow. ln a fraction of
a second, the arrow arrives at its Largel.
Nearly perfect.
And then you remember he's in a
wheelchair, able to utilize just a fraction of
the physical skills able-bodied individuals
can use, and it doesn't seem to matter.
SELF.PITY
H
I neyer saw a wild thing
sorry for itselJ.
A small bird will drop frozen
deadfrom abough
without ever haying felt sorty
for itself.
Ë
-D.
H. Lawrence
t
tr
1
)'tg
?
I
ï
t72
StalJ photo
Å
Left: Aaron Cross '97 concentrates on the target during a practice session at Mike's Archery shop in 5t. Cloud, Minn. Right: James Mastro '73 battles
his opponent during a match in the 1998 Blind World Judo Championships in Madrid, Spain.
Summer 2001
,4ucs¡uRc
ltow
f3
AUGGIES IN THE SYDNEY PARALYMPICS
ugsburg has
^
l\n:';;3J".'
earned international
acclaim in disabled
sports-Aaron
Cross,
a L997 graduate, and
James Mastro, who
graduated in 1973.
Cross is
consÌdered one of the
top wheelchair
archers 1n the world
and has earned
numerous honors
and records in his
sport.
Mastro, an
Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame
member who lost his
vision while 1n hÌgh
school, has competed
in seven Paraiympics,
in several sports,
"In the first match, a minute-anda-half in, a guy from Austria tried a
stupid throq and the first thing to hit
the ground was my elbow," Mastro
said. "1 tried to continue in my next
match, bul I couldn't raise my arm up
above my elbow. I was just ticked."
For Cross, it was the luck of the
draw, and a quarterfinal meeting with
the eventual gold medalist in head-tohead competition that did hlm in.
Cross was considered one of the
since 1976. The first Paralympic athlete
ever to medal in four different sports,
Mastro has earned 10 medals-five gold,
three silver, and two bronze.
"These games were specifically
developed for athletes with certain
challenges to compete at an Olympic
level," said Cross, who competed in his
second Paralympics last year in Sydne¡
Australia. "Our scores are comparing well
with able-bodied scores. I compete
against able-bodied archers all the time
"l contftete dgainst øble-bodied
archers all the time and beat them ...
Cross'97
but we don't get recognized as m7tch."
-Aaron
and beat them, guys who were on the
U.S. Olympic team and beat them. But
we don't get recognized as much."
In the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney,
both Cross and Mastro were eliminated
earlier than they anticipated. For Mastro,
it was an elbow injury in the first match
of his judo event that ended his
competition.
o
s.
h
!
o
U
favorites in the W1 competition, one
of three levels of wheelchair archery
based on the range of disability of an
athlete. His class consists of athletes
who are quadriplegic, have extremely
limited functÌon in their arms and
legs, or have amputation of three
limbs.
But in the "ranking round," where
archers' individuai scores determine
their spots in the final round of 12
athletes, Cross said he didn't shoot
wel1. As a result, he failed to finish in
the top four, where he would have
earned a first-round bye in the headto-head competition. ln his first headto-head match, Cross smashed the old
world record in l8-arrow competilion,
but lost to Zdenek Sebek of the Czech
Republic, the eventual gold medalist,
in the quarterfinaìs by ¡usL six points.
"lt was just the luck of the draw,"
Cross said. "It was crushing. I had
shot four world records last year, I
had gained back all my national tì.tles
last year, and I missed a fifth world
record by a point."
While falling short of their
Aaron Cross (center of front row) poses with the 2000 U.S. Paralympic archery team before
competition in Sydney. lt was Cross'second Paralympic appearance in his archery career,
14
4UCS¡URC n¡OW
goals
was disappointing, the experience of
being part of the largest competition
for disabled athletes in the world was
Summer 2001
{r
JIM MASTRO_A
certainly a thrill. A crowd of more
than 100,000 people attended the
PARALYM PIC FLAG.BEARE R
openÌng ceremonies, and sellout
crowds were the norm for most
events; a welcome change
considering that Ín compelitions in
the last decade, event organizers
T-o. Mastro, competing in athletics
þ t.,ut always been a natural thing,
I .u.n nlLe, becoming blind
"You walhed up and down
the street ønd people hnew
that you were there
for the Parølympics."
-JimMa,stro'73
between his junior and senior years of
hÌgh school.
He enrolied at Augsburg and
became a member of the wrestling
team, while studying for his education
degree. He earned A11-MIAC honors
twice and won the conference
championshlp at 177 pounds as a
senior. Along the way, he became a
solid amateur wrestler, in spite of hÌs
vision Ìmpalrment. He was a member
of the U.S. team in the World
University Games in 1973 , was a threetime bronze medalist at international
competitions, and became the first
blind athlete to be a member of an
Olympic team, when he was an
alternate on the U.S. Greco-Roman
Wrestling team at the Montreal
Olympics in 1976. He was named to
the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame in
1997.
had to literally give tickets away.
"Australia was great," Mastro
said. "The people were really
friendly. They were as friendly as
their reputation is. They knew
about the Paralympics, knew what
it was for and that it was after the
regular Olympics. You walked up
and down the street and people
knew that you were there for the
Paralympics. The publicity there
was really great, much better than
Atlanta [in 1996ì."
"Europe and Australia have
much more respect for Paralympic
events than we do lin the United
Statesl ," Cross said. "Every single
event in Australia was sold out. ...
The people were amazing.
Volunteers were everywhere. Every
single volunteer I talked to said that
they would rather volunteer for the
Paralympics than the Olympic
Games. The culture matches the
people, as beautiful as you'd
me to determine how hard I would
have to work to do weil. I found that
the guys I was working with didn't
grant me any quarter because I was
blind. They'd throw me into the wall
expect."
like anyone
FlrtiÌtÌittitnrirI
a
o
s,
à
o
L)
James Mâstro, posing for a photo at the 2000
Sydney Paralympics, is one of America's
Paralympics pioneers. He has earned 10
medals and was the first Paralympic athlete
to earn medals in four different sports.
"When I was at Augsburg, I didnt
have to worry about being accepted.
When i was trying out for the
Olympics, I didn't have to worry about
being accepted there, either."
When the Paralympics began to
admit blind athletes ín I976,1t was a
natural draw for Mastro. He competed
in four different sports-1udo,
wrestling, track and field, and goalball
(an on-court team sport designed for
blind athletes). ln addition to his 10
Paralympic medals, he has earned 17
Ìnternational medals in the various
sports.
And in 1996, Mastro was honored
"l found thøt the guys I wøs worhingwith didn't grant me dny quarter
becøuse I was blind. They'd throw me into the wall lihe
anyone else."
Møstro '73
-Jim
"I wasn't able to compete until I
came to Augsburg, when I decided to
go into wrestling," he said. "lt helped
else.
for his years of service by being named
flag-bearer for the United States team at
Lhe Paralympics opening ceremonies in
Atlanta, where he earned abronze
medal in his weight class in judo, and
also competed in track and field in the
shot put and discus.
Judo has become his primary sport
ÆldilÚitililt¡lrrrE
{'
\s
sÂa
S
.a
B
q
J
(left) maintains a hold
on his opponent during the 1998 Blind
James Mastro
\Â/orld Judo Championships in Madrid,
Spain. Judo is similar to wrestling, a
sport Mastro competed in while an
interesting marathon
events, including doing
3,076 pushups in an hour
and bench-pressing an
Olympic bar 1,300 times
in
15 minutes.
At
age 52, Mastro
could be consiclerecl one
of the "elder statesmen" of
the Paralympic
movement, though he
doesn't enjoy that tit1e.
"Our blind judo team, none of them
are young. Most of them are in their later
20s or 30s, and they've competed a 1ot.
They know what it's like to compete, it's
their goal," Mastro saicl. "lt [judo] rnust
keep you young. it's either going to keep
me yoLlng or kill me. The injr"rry I had in
Sydney was my lirst inlury since
Augsburg student, in terms of throws
and intense action.
after wrestling was
dropped from the
Paralympic program
before the 1996
Ë
games.
E
was in Long Beach,
Calif. The Braille
H
¡tc
"When I was
introduced to judo, it
Institute had a
prograln on the
sport," he said. "After
I graduated from
college, I had
wrestled primarily
Greco-Roman, and
that style and judo
are very similar. The
biggest difference is
that you are able to
use the collar in judo.
The throws were
basically the same,
though a bÌg
difference was in
chokes and arm-bars.
It's like wrestling with
your pajamas on."
In order to raise
money for himself
and his family to
travel to major
competltions like the
Paralympics, he has
performed some
,4ucssuRc f{ow
wrestiing in 1973.I've been lucky"
Mastro has also been e pioneer in
his primary profession, teaching. He
became the first blind student to earn
CROSS BECOMES A
TOP WHEELCHAIR
ARCHER
T-or Cross. rrcherv wasn't his irst
þ iou., growlng up rn tne
I Sr . CloLrd, Minn., arer. By age
f
16, he was an accomplishecl biker and
cross country skier, and was
preparing for a spot on a Junior
Olynrpic team. Competing in a
bicycle race in Biwabik, Minn., in
May 1991, he crashed into a support
van. The accident left him a
quadriplegic, with no sensation from
the armpits down.
While rehabilitating at the Sister
Kenny lnstitute, a therapist, who
happened to be a Paralymplc archer,
recommcnded thc sport îs în activity
ln which he could excel, but he
preferred wheelchair track ancl rugby
instead.
a
Ph.D. in physical education in the
United States, and later taught in the
physical education department at the
University of Minnesota. Now he teaches
at Bemidji State University in the health
and physical education department,
including all the adapted physical
education classes.
He is unsure whether he will take
on the Paral)¡mpic challenge again, when
the games go to Athens, Greece, in 2004.
He will compete in the sport's world
championships in 2002.
"I'11 be 56 fin 20041," he said. "At
the world championships in a couple of
years, I will see how my arm is. My arm
right now is about 90 percent back. One
of the things I really enjoy labout the
Paralympicsl is the camaraderie, going
out and busting your butt with people
who understand and enjoy what's goÌng
on. I've gone to a iot of places 1n the
world, met a lot of cool peoPle."
"She gave me three choices o[
sports. She told me I could do
archery, I could do archer¡ or I could
do archcry." Cross 1oked.
While he was in high school, a
close frlend decided to take up
archery, and Cross joined hÌm in
trying out the sport.
"l got into it and we went down
"[My therapist] gave me three
choices of sports. She told me
I could do archery, I could do
ørchery, or I could do
drcherY."
-[6Yçn
Cross'97
to a national shootout in Las Vegas. 1
absolutely fell in love with it," he said
"That summer, I got a letter to try out
for the world team, went overseas for
the first tlme for the world
championships, and came back with
Summer 2001
{
l
't
,¡
sure I was going in the right
my first gold medal. Needless to say,
I'm hooked."
Eventually, Cross was winning
national competitions and gaining
sponsorships, from bow companies,
Target stores, and Mike's Archery, a
store in St. Cloud where he trains.
At that time, he also began to
speak publÌcly about overcoming the
obstacles in his life, a hobby that
eventually led to his current career as
motivational speaker. He speaks for
numerous school groups and other
organizatÌons through his business,
direction."
He was able to keep up his
str¡dies in spite of a schedule that
a
Motivation on Wheels.
Cross graduated from Augsburg in
1997 with a mass communication
degree and credits the school, especially
the Center for Learning and Adaptive
Student Services (CLASS), wÌth much
of his success.
"The CTASS office and the
communication faculty and staff never
had him flying across the country
lor major archery compeliLions,
along wÌth working on internships
and projects with accomplished
motivational speakers.
"I'd leave on a Thursday, shoot
on Friday, Saturday, and Sunda¡ all
day long, come back on a red-eye
flight ai ]:00 on Monday morning.
I'd study on ihe planes and in the
hotel rooms, and be back in class by
eight on Monday morning," he said.
Archery has become a passion for
ln addition to his achievements as a world-class
arche¡i Aaron Cross speaks throughout the country
about overcoming obstacles and maintaining
positive attitude in everyday life.
Cross, who is also an accomplished
bowhunter. He is currently ranked among
the top five archers in the world in the
Wl
class, and
will compete at the world
championships ìater Lhis summer in
Prague, Czech Republic. He is currently
"The CLASS ffice dnd the communication faculty ønd staff ... were
ølwøys a phone call awøy. If I needed something, they were there,
Cross'97
every single step of the wø1t."
-[6vçn
once backed down lor me. They knew
what I wanted to do, they knew how I
was going to do it, and they always
stood behind me," Cross said. "l can't
tell you how many times they bailed
me out. ... They were always a phone
call awa;r lf I needed something, they
were there, every single step of the way.
"Augsburg never babied me. They
put me in my place and they just made
FnfiïtÌnãfDn¡r
the governor for his region on the
Minnesota State Archery Association, a
technicai delegate to the USA Archery
committee, and on the Paralympic Athlete
Advisory board for the United States
a
placed fourth in an individual
competition and fifth overall at the world
championships, leading up to his
experience at the Sydney Paralympics.
He said the level of respect that
Paralympic athletes receive Ìn the United
States has improved, but it's still not at
the leve1 of Olpnpic athletes. Coverage of
the Paralympics needs to improve in
order for the athletes to gain the respect
of the public, Cross said.
"lf we were to get the respect that the
able-bodied team gets, it would be
dÌfferent for me," he said. "Slowly but
surely, it's working. Archery is getting
advanced in this knowledge. For years,
we've been competing against the ablebodied people. They know we're out
there. They're working with us." I
Olympic Committee.
Don Stoner is sports information coordinator.
He competed in his first Paralympics
ìn 1996 in Atlanta, and though he set a
world record in the ranking round, he
finished fourth overall. In 1999, he
Jim Mastro canbe reached at
<lmastro@b emidlistate. edu> and Aaron Cross
at <adron. cro s s@ motiv ationonwhe
els.
c
om>.
TEltE{Érfftilf.rnrtl
ugsburg's First International and Off-Campus
Studies Photo Contest
Over 100 entries were submitted in the inangr-rral photo contest for rnternational and off-campr-rs studies
sponsored by the Office of International Programs and Office of Public Relations and CommunicaLion.
Wlnners were selected rn three categones: Scenic lanclscapes; locai people rn a cross-cultural setting;
and Augsburg students in a host setting. All winnrng photos lvere displayed in Christensen Center dr-rring
International Student Week.
lnchrded here are the first- and second-place winners. To see all the wlnners, visit
<www. augsbnrg. edu/internationaVphotocontest>.
¿z
V
I
I
t-
:L
,.1
i
t.
ffi
ffi
z
ffi
a
ã
tltr
r.A
Ë
þ
F
Scenic landscapes. First place. "Spirit Gifts," Ross Murray'00. Chaing Mai,
Thailand, January 2000. People offer many gifts to the spirit world, and shops
sell ready-made flowers to offer the spirits.
Augsburg students in a cross-cultural setting. First place.
"Café in Rome," Stacy Funk'03. Rome, ltaly, January 2001
Local People in a cross-cultural setting. First place. "La Musica di Firenze,"
Rustin Newburger'01. Florence, ltaly, fall 2000.
18
,4UCSSURC fr¡OW
Summer 20O1
,d.##
Augsburg students in a host setting. Tie for second place. "Tortilla,"
Jennifer Brogger'01. San Jorge, Guatemala, January 2000.
Augsburg students in a host setting. Tie for second place. "Bay
Watche4" Mike Murray'02, Antibes, France, January 2001.
Local people in a cross-cultural setting. Second place. "Young
Girl," Brandon Hofstedt'02. Nueva Vida, El Salvadon fall 2000.
Scenic landscapes. Second place. "Wandering," Nathaniel
Bunker'03. Nice, France, January 2001.
E
Winners of the 2001
lnternational Photo
Contest, from L to R:
Rustin Neuberger,
Stacy Funk,
Nathaniel Bunker,
Kendra Hines,
Trephaena Sylte,
Jennifer Brogger,
Ross Murray.
Not pictured:
Brandon Hofstedt,
Petra Velander, Nellie
Pearson, Amy Funk,
Maria Sieve, Mike
Murray, Tenelle Russ.
Summer 2O0f
,4ucsnunc ruow t9
n[\
nÊ
t-¿ á
The next step ¡n Nicole Warner's music career
is clear-off to New York for study at the
Master of Arts in Leadership graduate Den¡se
Gordon receives her hood from Professor Bev
Manhattan School of Music.
Nilsson.
Dean Chris Kimball congratulates senior Stacy
Sellers as she receives her honor cords.
After receiving his Master of Social Work
degree, Nick Metcalf poses with his proud
family.
Erica Bryan (L) and Allison Heimkes (center) pose during lineup with
admissions director Sally Daniels (R).
COMVTEI\CEVIEI\T
This year's graduating mus¡c majors take their turn
drum during the Commencement Concert finale.
20
,4ucssunc Now
to beat the
I
n/
Summer 2001
President Frame congratulates a new
graduate as he receives his diploma.
On their way to the ceremony, seniors file through the line of faculty, stopping for quick hugs,
their professors applaud their achievement.
as
President Frame addresses the 2001 graduates, their families, faculty, and staff at the
Baccalaureate service.
Music professor Bob Stacke'71 and flagbearer Abby Mildbrand lead the seniors to
the ceremony.
The family of international student Terence
Tam traveled to Minneapolis from Malaysia to
be with him on Commencement day.
Summer 2001
Nursing professor Bev Nilsson (fourth from left) and Rochester program director Rick Thoni
(fourth from right) share the success of Rochester nursing students completing their bachelor's
degrees-the first in the Rochester program.
,¡lucsguRc rr¡ow
21
..LIFT
OFF ON THIS U/ONDERFUL
JOIIRI,{EY WE CALL LIFE"
Excerpts from the Commencement Address
The Hon. Daniel Goldin, NASA Administrator
May 20, 2OO1
I
t is a great privilege
to be addressing you
today. To the
graduating seniors ...
let me start with two
simple words: well
done! Well done, but
not mission
accomplished.
Each and every one of
you is an explorer in
the journey we call life
And, yes, today's
milestone is an
important one. But,
commencement means
a beginning, not an
end. The bulk of this
journey is still ahead
of you.
IUR
NASA Administrator Dan¡el Goldin advised Augsburg's class of 2001
that their college achievement is only part of the journey toward a
"mission accomplished."
...My advice is this: always remember
that life's lessons will not come from the
guy delivering a speech in front of you.
But, they have been developed and
nurtured by the people around you.
Your friends. Your professors. Your
mentors. And, even though you may not
realize to what extent now, life's lessons
come mostly from what I like to call
Mission Control-your family. Especially
your family. And never forget it.
... So go for it. Never deterred by the
fear of failure. In life, having no failures
The Augsburg College Class
554
331
128
59
36
22
is rarely a sign ofperfection, but rather
that your goals aren't bold enough. Find
something you love. Have a dream.
Pursue it. Believe in yourself. Whether it
is in Minneapolis or on Mars-make
your mark.
...So to the Augsburg College Class of
2001 ... Go for launch. Lift off on this
wonderful journey we call life. And
Godspeed to all of you.
Goldin's speech was included in both the
New York Times and NBC Nightly News
in theír roundup of top college
Rozenia Fuller rece¡ves Marina
Christensen Just¡ce Award
ozenia Fuller, a senior youth and
R family ministry major and McNair
Scholar, was selected as the 2001 recipient
of the Marina ChristensenJustice Award.
This award is given each year to the
graduating senior whose communityservice work best illustrates Augsburg's
motto, "Education for Service"
-itself
brilliantly displayed in Marina Christensen
Justice's personal and professional
dedication to the vitalization of urban
communities.
Fuller represents the best blend of
excellence in scholarship and an untiring
commitment to the community. She has
been active at Spirit Church and the
Harvest Preparatory School in North
Minneapolis and serves on the boards of
the Glenwood Ly.ndale Community Center
and Minneapolis Community and
Têchnical College.
An Augsburg student recently said of
her, "I could not imagine an Augsburg
minus Rozenia Fuller. She has helped
make Augsburg the intentionally diverse
community that it strives to be, and she
alone has kept many students of color tied
into this community"
The mother of two
children-
Jeremiah and Rosetta-Fuller lives by the
words she loves to share with them: "Try
to take advantage of the opportunities that
God presents you with." She has helped
homeless mothers locate housing,
developed support groups for junior high
and high school students, and helped with
counsel and spiritual support forjuveniles
in the Hennepin County Detention
Center.
commencement speeches.
of 2O0f
Candidates for graduation
Day students
Weekend College students
Graduate students (Master of Arts in Leadership and Master of social work)
Nursing students in Rochester-the first students completing baccalaureate
degrees in the Rochester program
,4UGSBURC tllOW
Rozenia Fuller'01 is congratulated by
President Frame as she receives the Marina
Christensen Justice Award.
Summer 2O01
)
ll I
From the Alumni Board president's desk ..,
/l
I
^
T
he work of
our
Augsburg
Alumni
Association is
like
a
jigsaw
puzzle-it
has
many parts, and
\Mirh diligenr
work and a bit
of luck, will come together to portray a
memorable picture. Oftentimes, when
working a jigsaw puzzle, you will pick up a
piece and try it in several locations before
you find the right place. Also, you never
throw away apuzzle piece, as you will need
it to complete the puzzle. If you cant find
the exact spot where the piece fits, just set
it aside for a while and work òn another
piece.
So
it is with the efforts of our Alumni
Board. We are always working on the
puzzle. We've tried quite a few pieces this
past year, including:
Alumni gatherings outside of the
Twin Cities
The association organized and sponsored
numerous gatherings of Augsburg alums in
sites near and far: Florida, Anzona,
Califomia, Illinois, Wisconsin, and greater
Minnesota. The intent was to test the waters
for the development of actual alumni
chapters in those areas. Many colleges have
such chapters and it's a good time for
Augsburg to do likewise. Out of those
various efforts, key contacts have been
identified in six locations to continue work
on this concept. In addition, an employerbased alumni chapter is in the works at the
3M Company, thanks to the interest of
several alums who work for that company
This project will take several years to
nurture and develop, but we're convinced
that it holds an important place in the
puzzle.
Alumnijob fair
We sponsored a job fair on the Augsburg
campus this spring \Mith 25 companies
represented who have Augsburg alumni in
key positions for hiring new grads. Job fairs
are not new, but having alumni staff the
booths gave it an extra spark, and students
were most appreciative of the chance to talk
with those present. The alumni also
enjoyed meeting each other and being back
on campus.
Augsburg Day at Como Park
An alumni event geared toward families
took place on May 5 when we gathered at
Como Park in St. Paul with a hearty group
of Augsburg fans. Students were on hand to
provide musical entertainment and a oneact play Parents had a chance to bring their
small childrenfuture Auggies to a Collegesponsored event. Next year w€ plan to
expand upon this pafticular "piece".
All these pieces look like they fit into
our puzzle and are going to sta)¿ The
picture rMe are working to complete is one
of a strong and vibrant Augsburg College
that enjoys broad support from its Alumni
Association. This support can take many
forms; financial, interest, and connections.
The picture is not yet complete. How do
you fit into this puzzle? Think about it.
Thanks to our AlumniÆarent Relations
staff, Nancy (Carlson) Toedt '94, Jeff
K¡engel '93, and l-aura Cichocke for a great
year. Also, thanks to the Alumni Board that
served diligently and creatively this past
year. June starts a new board year. Jackie
I(niefel Lind C69, MAL'94) is slated to
become the next president of the
association, and Andy Morrison ('73) is
president-elect. Seven new board members
have been elected to join our "puzzle party."
Keeping you in touch, in the know,
and in the spirit of Augsburg Collegeyou'll be surprised at what we can do
together!
.
Paul Mikelson'70
President, Alumni Board
.Homecoming 2OO1 to include new events
and a visit from Maya Angelou
¡Fhis
I
I
A
fall
uo-".o--
ing will feature
a talk by Dr.
Maya Angelou,
who is hailed as
one of the great
r4
voices of
Maya Angelou w-ll
present a talk during
Homecoming 2001 in
October.
Summer
2OO1
contemporary
llterature. As
poet, educator,
historian, bestselling author,
playwright, civil rights activist,
producer, and director, Angelou travels the
world, spreading her wisdom and
captivating audiences through the vigor and
sheer beauty of her words and þcs.
Her program, "An Evening with Maya
Angelou," is described as a patchwork quilt
of her life and work. She will appear October
8 at 7:30 p.rn.; more derails will be available
later this summer in the Homecoming
brochure and on the Augsburg Web site.
This year's theme for Homecoming and
Family Week 2001 is 'Augsburg on parade,"
actress,
and several exciting changes are planned. In
addition to Angelou's visit, Homecoming will
now be a full week of activities for alumni,
students, families, faculty, and staff. Some of
the new events this year include a 5K
run/walk for fun or charity along the
Mississippi River; an alumni art show; a
parade around Murphy Park; faculty and
faculty emeriti collaborationlpresentations; a
student variety show and coronation; Umess
Hall floor reunions (hosted by current
student residents); and much more.
4ucsnunc
now
2B
Martin Hl¡nka '99 s¡gns second contract
with
NHHs Washington Capitals
F
lt
s
È
in
s
or the
r".ond y"^.
a row,
o
Augsburg
alumnus Martin
ô'
Hlinka was
L
A.
à
U
a
(J
Martin
Hlinka'99
signed to a oneyear National
Hockey League
contract by the
Hlinka played briefly with the United
Hockey League's Quad City (Moline, Ill.)
Mallards in November, but returned to
finish the season in Portland. He was the
club's top centerman down the stretch,
used often on crucial face-offs by Pirates'
head coach Glen Hanlon, and was the
club's top scorer in the postseason.
A native of Bratislava, Slovakia,
Hlinka played both football and men's
byDons,oner
hockey at Augsburg from 1995-'99. Hlinka
came to America from Slovakia in 1994,
staying with a host family in Farmington,
Minn., and graduating in 1995 from
Farmington High School. He stayed with
the host family all four summers while at
Augsburg, and graduated with a B.A. in
business administration.
Don Stoner is sports information coordinator.
washington
Capitals, the
team announced in Ma;r
The signing was another step on an
incredible progression in professional
B
Ê-
B
Ë
o
À
hockey for Hlinka.
This season, Hlinka started the
campaign as the lone training camp invitee
on the opening-day roster for the Capitals'
top minorleague team, the Portland
(Maine) Pirates of the American Hockey
League. He originally was signed by
Portland to a25-game professional try-out
agreement, but soon after inked a standard
AHL deal that lasted the duration of the
season. In November, Hlinka signed to a
one-year contract wlth the Capitals, and
he was assigned to the Pirates roster.
!
o
a
É
Martin Hlinka (#a1, left) fires a shot during a Portland Pirates home game
in January in Portland, Maine. Hlinka signed his second one-year contract with
the NHL's Washington Capitals organization in May.
Alumna named Aquatennial Senior Queen
o
a
si
A;,'"'åä'
à
Eunice (Kyllo)
Roberts '62 was
named this
ô
U
year's Senior
Queen for the
Minneapolis
Aquatennial, the
lO-day official
civic celebration
Eunice (Kyllo) Roberts
'62 was named this
of the City of
year's Senior Queen for Minneapolis
the Minneapolis
fiuly 13-22). As
Aquatennial.
Senior Queen,
she
will travel to festivals and functions
zà ,4ucs¡unc ruow
throughout the state and region
representing the Minneapolis Aquatennial.
Roberts was nominated by
representatives of Fairview-University
Medical Center in Minneapolis, in
recognition of the more than 1,300 hours of
time she has donated to Child and Family
Life Services as a Watchful Companion. She
also serves as a member of the center's
Volunteer Services Advisory Committee.
Lastyear, Roberts was nominated for
the Friends of Nursing Award by the
nursing staff on the children's unit at
Fairview-UniversitY.
Since retiring from Augsburg Fortress
Publishers, Roberts has dedicated her time
to volunteer work, and is committed to
providing friendship and understanding to
help improve health and welfare in the
communit;r
"We applaud Eunice for her loyahy
and dedication and, especially, her
stamina," says Alex Thwaites, FairviewUniversity volunteer coordinator. "Her
energy, enthusiasm, and dedication are
wonderful motivators for all of us."
Roberts stays connected to the College
by singing with the Masterworks Chorale.
She and her husband, Warren, a retired
University of Minnesota psychology
professor, live in Fridle¡ Minn. They have
lwo sons.
Summer
2OO1
)
l
It
1942
Everald H. Strom, Fergus Falls,
Minn., has been retired for 15
years; he served as president of
the Church of the Lutheran
Brethren for IB years. He has
found retirement to be a very
rewarding experience, and enjoys
giving Bible studies and teaching
part time.
-
o
The Rev. S. Jerome
1949
(Hamberg)'54
Donald Peterson, Burnsville,
Minn., lost his wife of nearly 53
in November;
Donald and their four sons survive
years, Mabel,
her.
Joyce (Gronseth) Limburg
recently moved to Apple Valley,
Minn.; she lived in lowa for 5I
years and taught English in
Parkersburg, lowa, for 25 years.
She is happy to be back home
with family and friends. Sadly, her
husband, Sherm, died in 1993.
Harold C. Roosen, Phoenix,
Ariz., has been doing well since
his 1997 accident, in which a car
hit him after he exited a bus. A
retired elementary school teacher,
he enjoys reading and attending
Shepherd of the Valley Church
Eleanor L. (Ewert)
Hutchinson, Indianola, Iowa, is a
breast cancer survivor and was in
charge of survivors for this April's
Relay for Life event, which was
held in Indianola and sponsored
by the American Cancer Society
and Simpson College.
wedding anniversary in
January. They are both
retired and live in
Duluth, Minn., where
The Alumni Association hosted its
retired in 1990 after serving more
than 38 years with Hennepin
County Welfare; he currently
sewes on the state Department of
Human Services Special Review
Board. Sadly, his wife passed away
1999.
firct
"Augsburg Day at Como Pârk" celebration
in May. Despite rainy weather, the event
Lutheran Church in
brought together alumni and their
Superior, Wis. Having
families, faculty, staff, and students.
served missions to
Augsburg students (pictured above)
Tâiwan and Hong Kong, provided musical enterta¡nment.
he is hosting his sixth
dystrophy. He and his wife, Pat
tour to China in June and will
(Larson) '57, live in Anacortes,
host his seventh the summer of
Wash.,
overlooking Puget Sound
2002. All interested parties can
and
the
Olympic Mountains.
e-mail him at <revelness@aol.com>.
1
Karl Puterbaugh, Eagan, Minn.,
in
celebrated their 45th
Redeemer's Free
1952
1948
Elness and Elaine
Jerome preaches at Our
1951
1944
1954
(where forme¡ Augsburg
instructor, the Rev. Brian Erickson,
is pastor).
956
Bob Lockwood, Minnetonka,
Minn., says he is "back to 99
percent and ready to play golf
again" after recovering from
successful open heart surgery.
Bob Moylan was recently
diagnosed with muscular
1
961
Richard Lund, Edmonds, Wash.,
retired from the daily practice of
diagnostic radiology in 1997. He
is currently a consulting
radiologist for a medical device
company.
a
a
Iìeaching and learning ¡n Vietnam
L
o
(J
by Lynn Mena
For three weeks earlier this year, the Rev Harris Lee '57 and his wrfe, Maryon, traveled from Mrnneapolis to
Vietnam to teach conversational English to Vietnamese students. They traveled with a group of about l5
people and stayed at a hotel in Cao Lanh, located in the southern half of Vietnam. The trip was arranged
through Global Volunteers, an organizatlon based ln Little Canada, Mlnn.
"My wife and I had long talked about taking part rn a
volunteer opportunity such as this," says Lee. "The
experience was very fulfilling; we received such a warm ancl
respeclful receplion from the students. It was a very relaxed
and healthy relationship."
o
a
s
à
!
o
U
The students, all advanced college students str-rdying to be
teachers, doctors, and computer professionals, already had a firm
grasp of the English language, but were eager to enhance their
skills.
The Rev. Harris Lee '57 (left)
traveled to Vietnam earlier this
year to teach English to
Vietnamese students.
"The experíence was very
Jult'illing; we receíved sucLr a
warm and respectful
reception
from the students."
"The students were excited to use English for several reasons,"
says Lee. "Of course, it's an international business language and knowing it helps to find a good job
Br-rt they were also excited to be able to read good books written in Eng1ish."
Lee's
wife, Maryon, stands in the
Vietnamese classroom where they
taught; the experience was arranged
through Minnesota-based Global
Volunteers.
Summer 2001
The sludents had not heard of Minnesota-until the Lees mentioned the Mississippi River. "They
remembered the river from Mark Twain's books," Lee says, chuckling.
A retrred ELCA pastor and stewardship specialist, Lee still does some stewardship work for the ELCA;
he also works as an independent consultant lor churches. Maryon is a retired elementary teacher.
,4ucs¡uncruow
25
Class Notes
968
1964
1
Deanne M. (Star) Greco,
Carol (Torstenson)
John Clawson relocated f¡om
Duane llstrup, Rochester,
Bloomington, Minn., was
appointed to the Board of Ordway
Circle of Stars. As a member of
the board, she will join other
volunteers committed to
supporting the Ordway Center for
Performing Arts.
McCausland, Warner, N.H.,
Minneapolis to California after he
was elected president and chief
executive officer of Lutheran
Social Services o[ Southern
California. He began his work
with LSS of Minnesota in I992 as
director of the public poiicy office.
Minn., was rhe Bntish lournal of
Surgery invited speaker at the
965
recently celebrated several happy
family occasions: a wedding, a
new granddaughter, and a son
starting law school. Carol is a
Title I coordinator for the
Hillsboro-Deering School District
1967
1
in Hillsboro, N.H.
ffi
Marlene (Chan) Hui '74=
Moved by the spirit
o
S.
à
so
Q
ln
1968, a Lutheran missionary approached Marlene (Chan) Hui, then a
studious high school student living in Hong Kong, with an opportunity
to attend college in the United States. The prospect of attendìng a U.S.
college, and specifically Augsburg College, appealed to Hui. Two of her
brothers were already livíng in the U.S., and the idea of belng able to
explore her faith while immersed in academia suited the l8-year-old,
who attended Tiinity Lutheran Church in Bata Lou. Moreover, if she
remained in Hong Kong, she would face limited opportunities to attend
college, due to a shortage in higher education institutions.
adapted to life 1n the U.S. and at Augsburg. She served as chair of the
Foreign Student Group, and was very involved in faith-related activities.
During her first year at Augsburg, she 1lved with biology professor Neal
Thorpe and his famrly She fondly remembers going on family trips and
participating in Bible studies with her host family. Although Hui lived in
the clormitory her second and third years of college, she formed her
iongest lasting friendships with the girls she met during her senior year
while livlng in the Lambda House. Last summer, the lormer residents
reunited in Brainerd, Minn., for four days of reminiscing and catch-r-rp.
1971
David Siedlar, CarlisÌe, Mass.,
accepted a position as a student
Ioan administrator for Brandeis
University in Waltham, Mass.
1973
Rebecca (Nystuen) Berger,
Green Bay, Wis., is director of the
Door County Library
Marlene (Chan) Hui, class
agent for the CIass oÍ 1974,
works as a special education
teacher and Iooks forward to
fulfilling her goal of doing
missionary work in Asia.
Joyce Catlin, Maple Grove,
Minn., married the Rev. Paul
Casey in April at Brookll'n Park
Evangelical Free Church. Joyce is
a second grade teacher at
AlbertviÌle Primary School and
Paul is a part-time worship/music
pastor at Waterbrooke Fellowship
ìn Victoria, Minn.
"Augsburg enriches d
person relig¡ousþ,
spiritualþ, and
academically."
Hui majored in English and elementary education and minored in French; however, her career path
became clear to her during an Augsburg internship. Her first professional experience entailed working
with low-income children. "We seemed to get along well, and it seemed like I could get through to them,"
says
Research Society and the
Association of Surgeons of Great
Britain and lreland in April in
Birmingham, England. He
presented a lecture titled "Should
You Always Believe in What You
Read?" He is associate professor of
biostatistics at the Mayo Clinic.
Õ
by Wendy Elofson
Though the challenge of adjusting to the highly variable weather of
Minnesota was difficult (Hong Kong has a tropical climate), Hui quickly
joint meeting of the SurgicaÌ
Hui. "it was God's plan."
She works with high school
students who are considered moderately to severely mentally lmpaired, ancl she is eager to say that
teaching the students is her favorite part of the job. She recently taught one of her students with Downs
syndrome how to e-mail his father who llves across the country.
Hui has been a special education teacher at Jefferson High School since 1976.
As for the future, Hur and her husband are contemplating an early retirement, which would allow them to
pursue missionary work in Asia. "Retirement doesn't mean that I don't do anything; retiremenl means thal
I can pursue different interests, and do something new and different," says Hul.
Hui was asked to consider being the Class of 1974 class agent. She accepted the
opportunity becanse she saw it as an enjoyable way to give back to the Co11ege. She enjoys relaying
information about Augsburg to people, and seeing former classmates and faculty members. She is very
grateful for her experience at the College. "Ar-rgsburg enriches a person religiousl¡ spirituaily, and
Two years ago,
1974
Sharon (Holt) Garland,
Minnetonka, Minn., completed
her training as spiritual director
from Sacred Ground Center for
Spirituality at the College of St.
Catherine. Her husband, Rick
'75, is a technical trainer for
Northwest Airlines.
1977
William Reyer, Tiffin, ohio,
was
nominated and selected by his
colleagues at Heidelberg Coìlege
to receive the college's
Distinguished Teaching Award for
Faculty for 2000. The award,
established in 1995, recognizes
excellence in classroom teaching,
academic accomplishments,
professional activities, and service
academically."
to the Heidelberg community. A
Wendy Elofson is an information specialist Jor Augsburg's institutional ødt,ancement ot'fice.
member of the Heidelberg faculty
since 1983, he is a professor of
English.
26
.AUCSnunC ruOW
Summer 20Of
)
Eye of the beholder
by Maggie Weller'01
hnagine how clifficult it would be to paint a prcture six feet wide and seven feet tall that would be considered
good enough to be displayed in national exhibits. Now rmagine accon.rplishing that feat with double vislon,
shaking in both eyes, and very httle depth perception.
These are exactly the conclitions that Jon Leverentz is forced to worl< under every day Leverentz has recelved
private instruction at Ar-rgsburg îrom I975-'79 and from 1990 to today
At the age of IB, Leverentz was ln an automobile accident that caused brain stem damage and led to the
dlsabilitìes described above. Surgery to the right thalamus, usua\ used to treat Parkinson's disease, reduced his
shaking but lefi him with double vision and little depth perception.
"I must make intr-ritive judgments regarcling what I perceive as close and what seems to be far away," sald
Leverentz. "For instance, it's hard to get the pen into the ink bottle, but I just think hard about where the middle
of my two r,rews are and then I make it."
Leverentz cuffently r'rsits Augsburg once a week to receive private instructron from art professor Norman Ho1en,
whom he credits for some ol his success. "Norman is a really great guy," he said. Holen has helped him find art
shows, and, "he helps suggest which
galleries I should put my art in."
Jon Leverentz (left) has received
pr¡vate instruction from art
professor Norm Holen (right) at
Augsburg since 1975.
"My worh is my main activity,
and Lts worhmanship is as
important to me now as it was
bet'ore the accídent."
While he admits to enjoying painting the mosl, Leverentz also draws and sculpts.
Despite his disabilities, he insists on doing most of the work himself. "I take pride 1n
tÐ4ng to work wrthout he1p," said Leverentz. "Though I work wrth friends, it is
important for me to have control over my own work. My work is my main activity,
and its workmanship is as important to me now as it was before the accident."
Though Leverentz never graduated, he "took all the studio courses and a couple
more classes," lnc1r-rding socÌologz Leverentz continues to work at Augsburg because
people like Holen are wilhng to heip him when necessâry and because it gives him
access to materials he could not use easily at home, "llke clay and toxrc inks."
Many of Leverentz's pieces, such as this vivid painting
of sunflowers, are exh¡b¡ted nationally.
f 980
The list of Leverentz's exhibits is extensive, and accordlng to Holen, Leverentz's work
is exhibited nationally and in exclusive galleries. Leverentz won the Sister Kenny
Shorv honorable mention in 1986 and 1996.
Catherine (Knudtson)
production goaÌs
for his effgts in
2000. In the
Andress, Rosemount, Minn., is a
senior technical writer at Lawson
Software in downtown St. Paul,
securities industry
he received the
"Cìrcle of
where she has worked for seven
years. "My children are growrng
fast and wll soon be of driving
age!" David is 15 and Carl is 14.
Kathryn Encalada, Isanti,
Minn., recently left her position o[
nearly seven years as director of
Allied Health Programs at Gogebìc
Community College in lronwood,
Mich., to return to the Twin Cities.
Jeffrey K. Jarnes, Bloomington,
Minn., a certified financial planner
with Fortune Financial in
Minneapolis, achieved two top
Summer 20O1
ExcelÌence"
honor; he also achieved "Top of the
Table" honors awarded by the
Million Dollar Round Tâble for his
work in risk management. He and
his wife, Jacqui, have three
daughters: Kristin, Justine, and
Erika.
Jim Rongstad, Woodbury Minn.,
an accountant with Ramsey
County, is on the school board ol
East St. Paul Lutheran School,
where his children, Lexi and
Matthew, attend. He was a delegate
to the Libertarian Natlonal
Convention this past June in
Anaheim, Calif.
1982
Brian J. Anderson was
appointed to a three-year terrn as
editor for the space physics section
of Geophysical Research Letters. He
is a former assistant professor o[
physics at Augsburg and is
currently a member o[ the
principal professional staff ar the
Johns Hopkins University Applied
Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.
He and his wife, Leeann (Rock)
'81, live in Mount Airy Md.
Tammy Cowan, Minneapolis, is
now in her second year as a
physical education teacher at South
High School in Minneapolis; she
was previously an investment
banker for seven years.
Debra (Krueger) Knight,
Bloomington, Minn., was recently
featured in GtyBusiness joumaÌ for
her success as co-owner of Edinabased Career Professionals, a
specialized search firm that
matches recent college graduates
with companies seeking to fill
entrylevel positions.
1
983
The Rev. Valerie de
Cathelineau, Avon, N.Y.,
recently became pastor of St.
Timothy Lutheran Church in
Geneseo, N.Y. She previously
served as assistant pastor of Holy
Trinity in Buffalo, N.Y.
4ucsnunc
now
27
Class Notes
@
1984
As a member of the Augsburg
College Aiumni Association,
you are a very important part
of the College community and
are welcome to receive various
John Ennen, McKinney, Tèx.,
joined Exel corporation in Dallas
benefits including:
7achary.
.
AugsburgNow, the quarterly
College publication
. Bi-annual
letters from your
class agen[, who will keep
you updated on news
.
Tnvitations to Homecoming,
reunions, and other special
events on campus
.
Access to the computer 1ab,
librar¡ and fitness lacilities
.
Access
to Career Services'
alumni
. An alumni directory
containing complete
information on classmates
that is available for purchase
. Volunteer opportunities on
leadership boards and
committees
.
.
a director of customer
development. He and his wife,
Opportunities to participate
in alumni tours around the
This 12-day tour program features flve nights on the
world-famous Norwegian coastal voyage, sailing south
from the "top of Norway" to Bergen.
Thomas L. Terpening, Key West,
Fla., has settled into his new life
and job as advertising composition
and graphic services manager for
Key West Citizen,which is owned
by Cooke Communications LLC.
He is in charge of nine weekly and
one daiþ publication. He misses all
his family and friends in the
Midwest, but sure is glad for the
beautiful weather! You may have
in the March 13,
2001, edition of the Nøtional
Enquirer wirt' the Mercedes he won
in an AIDS Help raffle in Key West.
f986
Lisa Baumgartner, Amherst,
N.Y., received her doctorate in
adult education from the
University of Georgia last August.
She is assistant professor of adult
education at Buffalo State College
in Buffalo, N.Y.
Karl Howg, Hopkins, Minn., is
Legacy scholarships for family
members of students and
chief meteorologist on the new
Fox29News Nine local newscast;
his on-air name is Karl
a
Norway in the summer of 2002.
1985
world
alumni to sludy toward
degree at Augsburg
Join President and Mrs. William V Frame and
Professor Frankie Shackeìford on a journey through
Mary have a 4-year-old son,
caught Tom
TCSOUICCS
. A special tuition discount for
DISCOVER NORWEGIAN
TREASURES AND HERITAGE
as
This tour has limited spaces remaining; please call the
alumni office ar 612-330-1178 or l-800-260-6590 for
more information or to sign up for an upcoming
information session.
country before fulfilling his dream
o[ retuming home to Minnesota.
John Wahlberg,
,
Sr. Paul,
recentþ formed his own company,
Excel Promotions, which is a
distributor of corporate apparel
and promotional items.
her short story "Bent Tiee," was
accepted for publication in the
upcoming antholog¡r Spirit Songs.
1990
Karen Reed,
Atascadero, Calif.,
author of Music is
1989
Laura Netson, Minneapolis,
job in February
started a new
the Master Key,
sigred copies of
her book at a Twin
as a
support consultant at låwson
Software; she previousþ worked
at the University of Minnesota.
Cities-area Bames
and Noble in October. According to
Reed, a music therapist in
Califomia, music is the key to
Gail (Moran) Wawrzyniak,
unlocking the mind closed by
Raleigh, N.C., recentþ had a play
published online at Native
Realities (www.wordcraftcircle.org/
mental illness.
natreaVhome.htm). In addition,
Carla Beaurline, Hopkins,
Minn., is a monthly guest host on
Spring. He worked in
smaller markets across the
1
99r
the QVC shopping network as vice
president of product development
ETIIIÙII¡II:Í.,ÍIITÐ
2001-2002 Alumni Board
meeting schedule
June 19
August 2I
November 20
February 19
April16
Meetings are open to the public
and all alumni are invited rcr
attend. Each meetlng features
ln April, the Alumni Board, the Alumni/Parênt Relat¡ons Office, and the Center for Service, Worh and
Learning sponsored the firct alumn¡ job fair on Gamput which brought togeths morê than 25
companies, alumni, Augsburg seniors, and r€cent grads. The event was the brainchild of Colleen K.
Watson'91 MAt (picfured above with business partner Deb Krueger Knight'82), president of Carcer
Plpfessionals and chair of the Connections Committee of the Alumni Board.
2A
4uCSnUnCruOW
a
guest speaker such as the
president, dean, or other
Col lege adminisl rator. Th is
Ìnformation will be available
online at <www.augsburg. edu/
alumni>.
Summer
2OO1
for ZEVA's Natural Nail products.
Waconia; she was
She is also a dÍsplay adverrising
previously assistant to
the city manager lor
the City of New
Brighton.
represenrarive for the s¿. Paul
Pioneer Press.
Colleen Watson, Mendota
Heights, Minn., was recently
featured in GtyBusinøss journal for
her success as co-owner of Edinabased Career Professionals, a
speciaÌized search firm that
matches recent colìege graduates
with companies seeking to fill
entryìevel positions.
1992
Sharol
(Dascher)
Tyra, Hanover,
Minn., was
recently
interviewed on
KSTP-5 news
and in NurseW¿eh and, HealthWeeh
publications for her work as a
personal success coach.
1
Alumni Chapter key contacts
include:
Los Angeles
Amy Ellingrod'95
Bonnie Bina,
Minnetonka, Minn.,
compieted her master's
degree in health and
human services
administration at St.
Mary's University She
is the clinic
administrator at
ConsuÌtants Intemal
Medicine.
aellingrod@laphil.org
Chicago
Kaydee
Todd Steenson'89
tsteenson@hklaw. com
Sun
Cit¡ Ariz.
Borgie (Rholl) Gabrielson'47
623-972-7206
Washington D.C.
Kari Arfstrom '89
Erica Benson was
recently hlred by
Studio City, a leading
broadcast marketlng
company, as
KArfstrom@aasa.org
writerþroducer/editor.
She was previousþ
Rochester, Minn.
Norman'75 and Kathy (Anderson)
'76 Wahl
Wahl@bethellutheran. com
UPN affiliate in Chicago as
been doing
Maren Lea Carlson,
Pl).rynourh,
Minn., married Steve Combs in
March 2000. She is the business
manager for Dr. Gary L. Carlson in
Minnetonka, Minn.
1994
Susan (Horning) Arntz, Fridley,
Minn., accepted a new position as
city administrator for the City of
Frilrrilit]lrit
'Auggies at the Minnesota
freelance
producing at
Studio City
since October
2000, working
E
on such projects
as the launch of the NBC Saturday
Movie, sitcoms Spin City and
Change oJ Heart, and the
promotion of various Paramount
ffi
movies. As a staff member she will
continue to work on comedy series
and NBC movies and mini-series.
Erica has an extensive background
State Fair
in promotion, having worked at
WHHO-ry rhe WB affiliate in
Don't mrss the new ancl
improved Augsbr-rrg booth at
the Mrnnesota State Fair!
Columbus, Ohio; WTTW-T! the
PBS affiliate in Chicago; and the
UPN network, in addition to her
work at WPWR. She's earned two
Emmy Awards for editìng, and
received six Emmy nominations for
her work.
August 23-Septen-rber 3, 2001
Located in the education
burldrng, the booth will featr-rre
many special events this year,
ìncì ud ing Al Lrmni gat herings.
Stefanie (Murphy)
Guzikowski, Portsmouth, N.H.,
Check out the scheclule online
works at Beaupre
at www.
Relations, Inc., as a senior account
au gsburg.
edu/statefair
lnterested rn volunteering?
Contact the alumni office at
612-330-1I78 or
1-800-260-6590
Summer
2OO1
This past year marked the beginning
of the Alumni Chapter Program, which
was developed by the AIumni
Association to encourage alumni to
organize themselves (either around a
geographic basis or an employment
basis) to reestablish ties, promote the
interests of the €ollege, and to be of
service to its alumni. Above, two alums
enjoyed coffee and conversation at a
gathering in DeKalb, lll.
withWPWR-TV the
writerþroducer/editor. She had
993
Kirk'98
kaydeeklrk@yahoo.com
&
Co. PubÌic
executive. She moved to the East.
Coast five years ago and loves
living by the ocean. She married
Christopher Guzikorvski, a Bosron
native she met through her former
employer American Express
Financial Advisors in Minneapolis.
She is working toward
certification as an aerobics
instructor and enjoys running 5K
and l0K road races and playing
piano and acoustic guitar. She's
had two poems published and
hopes to some day publish a
horror novel. "No kids yet, but a
cat and some fish."
f 995
John Nielsen, Chicago, received
his master's degree in ancient Near
Eastern history from the University
of Chicago; he is currently working
on his doctorate.
1
998
Mark Goetz,
Eagan, Minn.,
married Christine Wilmer earlier
in June.
Eileen Kerr has been named
Champion of Health for her work
with Women's Inte¡narional Sel[reliance Enterprise and her
ongoing advocacy and supporr of
persons of all nationaÌities.
Champions of Heahh honors
individuals, organizations, and
businesses that have gone above
and beyond to improve the health
of their community It is sponsored
by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Minnesota, the Minnesota lnstitute
of Public Health, the Greater
Minneapolis Chamber of
Commerce, and CityBusiness.
r
999
Christopher James Rothe,
Britton, S.Dak., married Jamie
Lea Kyle '00 in May Christopher
is a deputy sheriff in Britton, and
Jamie is working with special
education students at Britton High
School.
2000
Ann Staton, New Hope, Minn.,
was awarded a Siehi Scholarship
from St. John's School of Theology
Seminary where she is pursuing a
master's degree
in theology This
award is in recognition of her
academic performance and
leadership abilities.
Jack Stover, Burnsville, Minn., is
a software engineer (modeling and
simulation and Web programming)
for Lockheed Martin Tactical
Systems in Eagan, Minn.
4ucs¡uRc lrrow 2s
Births/Adoptions
James Kuehl '92 and Sarah
Roy Carlton '83 and his wife,
Mary BumsvilÌe, Minn.-a son,
Christopher Leonard, in May
He joins older brother, Bryan
son, Samuel Walter, in
November. James is a mortgage
bond analyst for Wells Fargo
Mortgage and Sarah is an account
manager lor Portu-Sunberg
Russell, 5. Roy is an accountant at
Ban-Koe Companies in
Bloomington, Minn.
Roger Griffith '84 and Jean
Taylor'85,
Minn.-a
Eagan,
daughter, Emma, in December.
Jody (Anderson)'90 and Mike
Acers'90, Cloquet, Minn.-a son,
Andrew Michael, in August.
He
joins sister Emily.
M. Susan (Noleen) '90 and
Steve
Bianchi, Duluth, Minn.-a
daughrer, Lucienne Elisabeth, in
December. She joins siblings Mario
and Isabel.
(Evans)'95,
Ramsey,
ErcrcTrcTrcTlfi
Minn.-a
Visit Augsburg's online bookstore!
www. bkstore.com/a u gsbu rg
NeHi Christian Preschool and
Daycare.
Marketing.
Todd Cina '93 and his wife, Kari,
Steven Dow'95 and his wife,
New Berlin, Wis.-a daughter,
Lauren Jean in Novembe¡.
Sarah Schaffner, Dubuque,
Þ
Carrie (Skradski) '93 and Tom
Phillips, Big l-ake,
Stephanie N. (Johnson)'94 and
Robert E. Moreno'94, New
Brighton, Minn.-twin sons,
David Emanuel and Daniel
Eliah, inJanuary Roben continues
to work for US Bancorp as a
lowa-a
Mark, inJanuary.
Jennifer (Strickland) '96 and
{3
Minn.-a
daughter, Ashley Elizabeth, in
March. She joins brother Parker,2.
boy, lsaac
Jim Buehler, Lincoln, Neb.-a boy,
certified network administrator and
desktop technology services
engineer. Stephanie is pursuing her
master's degree in early childhood
education and development at
Jared Bartlett, in December.
Xanara Amand '00 and Marc
Stevenson, Bloomington,
daughter,
Minn.-a
Malaya Ãlexis, ln
December.
Concordia University; prior
to the twins'birth, she
worked as a teacher at
a
o
\
ñ
m
!
o
U
A room at the inn for all
by Lynn Mena
As a sociology major at Augsburg, MinamJacobson'69 had been intrigued by the problems of diverse
people lÌung together within the limited confines of a citlz later, as a nurse working in Chicago in a
variety of environments (including a rehabilitation unit, an emergency room, a hospice, and a mobile
unir), she became professionally aware of physÌcal accessibility issues, and how society can adapt to make
places universally accessible. And more recently, she found herself personaþ involved wtth universal
accessibllity when her mother became paralyzed from a stroke and lived with her for nearly five years.
ln lighr of these experiences, Jacobson and her partner, Marian Korth, left Chicago to open a bed and
breakfast in a century-old farmhouse on the outskirts of Cambridge, Wis., with the dream of making their
inn handÌcapped accessible.
The pair opened the Country Comforts Bed 6s Breakfast in May 1998, with plans lo build a 600-square foot
handicapped accessible guest suite. However, their plans were quickly halted when they ran into a snag in
the srare law By Wiscorsin law, bed and breakfasts can have up to eight bedrooms. But bed and breakfasts
were prohibited from adding on to their original house, unless they abided by commercial building codes.
Residential codes, which are far less restrictive and expensive than commercial codes, didnt apply
Miriam Jacobson'69 (right) and her
partner, Marian Korth, added a
handicapped accessible guest suite
to their bed and breakfast inn last
year, and in the process changed
Wisconsin state law.
"IJ we hadbeen intimidated
one bit, we wouldn1have
gotten thís done."
Their problem caughr rhe arrenrion of State Rep. Martin Rel'riolds, who had run into the same building code dilemma when he wanted lo make
changes to his own bed and breakfast. He contacted Jacobson and Korth and encouraged them to take their problem to the state leglslature. He also
conracted fe11ow Assembly Reps. Cloyd Porter and Joan Wade Spillner about sponsoring legisiation to change bed and breakfast bulldlng code
requirements.
Jacobson and Korth appealed to state regulators, but out of fiustration (and fear of losing several advance reservations that had been made for the new
suite) they went forth and completed the addition to state commercial codes. However, they still thought the commercial code requirements were too
restricrive for bed and breakfasts, and they testified at assembly and state hearings on the legislature put together by Reynolds, Porter, and Spillner.
The bill moved quickly through both houses, and in May 2000, Gov Tommy Thompson signed legislation that allows bed and breakfasts in buildings
50 years or older ro expand without having to follow commercial codes. BothJacobson and Korth were present for the bill slgning in Sauk City, Wis.
Shortly thereafter, the Wiscoilsin State lournal featured the pair on its fiont page, and reported that the change in legislation could be "a boon to the
growing bed and breakfast industry," making it easier to make modifications as well as to create inlerest tn converling older homes into inns. Both
"If we had been intimidated one blt, we wouldn'l have
Jacobson and Korth are happy that others won't have to endure the difficulties they faced.
gotien rhis done," Korth told the lournal "Fortunately, we aren't easily intimidated." Jacobson added that the new br11 will be very helpful. "Several
B&Bs rhanked us for helping to change the law"
30
,4ucs¡unc
rr¡ow
Summer 2001
I
)
c
The Rev. Lloyd V. Sand'29,
Lake N4ills, lor,va, clied in March; he
r,r,as 94. Alter completing his B.A.
at Augsburg, he taught high school
for three years; he ¡eturned to
attend Seminary and gracluated in
l9lj. He sened as a rnissionar'f in
Africa fol several years, dedicating
n-ruch of his time to help transcribe
LLrther.S Snrall Catechisnt and The
Biblc into the Gbaya language. ln
1950, he and his rvife, Beryl
(i,r,hom he met and married in
Africa), rvorked with another
couple to establish a Bible school
for the training ol church leaders.
After his retirement in 1974, he
sewed as a r.isitation pastor at
Salem Lutheran Church in lowa.
Alice (Simonson) Solberg'29,
Rolette, N.Dak., died in lr4arch; she
95. For 44 years she taught
music at Perth, Wolford, and
Rolette public schools and taught
piano lessons [or 77 ye:rrs, reliring
on\, last year. She sen'ed as a
longtime church organist, choir
director, and Sunday School
teacher. She also sen,ed as a Cub
Scout, Bo1'Scout, Girl Scout, and
4-H leacler' she received the Silver
r'vas
Fa*'n arvarcl for her ,10+ years of
sen'ice to the Boy Scouts. She also
enjoyecl li'riting a ner,i's colurnn for
the T¿rrtie Motuúahr Star.for rnore
than 40 years.
I
Roald Ovren '37. Elk lr4ound,
Wis., cliecl in May 2000; he l'as
87. A retirecl fanner, he loved
music and sang solos at church,
rveddings, ancl funerals. He rvas
past president ol both the Northern
Lights Barbershoppers ancl Big Elk
Crtek Lutheran Church.
Mentor R. Larsen '49,
Bucl'nrs,
Ohio, died inJanuarl'; he rvas 78.
A veteran of \\\Wl, he r.vorked at
the Ylt4CA for 28 years in Red
Wing, Minn., and in La Crosse and
Mrdison. Wis., bcfore sen ing as
executlve director in Bucyrus for
13 1,s¿¡r. After his retirement from
the Y\4CA, he r'vorked for lB years
at D. Pickling and Co. He
volunteered his time on many
projects and boards, including the
Unitecl Way and the Crawford
County Society for Crippled
Children and Aclults.
Rodney
E.
Anfenson '51,
St. Cloud, lr4inn., died in April; he
r'r'as 71. Prior to retiring in 1993,
he was associate professor at
St. Cloucl State Universitl', rvhere
he taLrght kinesiolog¡; athletic
admir-listration, and racquetball. He
wrote two books. one on
râcquetball techniques and another
on the histoD¡ o[ the Rum River
Athletic Conlerence. ln 1990, he
rvas recognized lor his athletic
inducted into the SCSU Hall of
Fame;
Sidney B. Johnson, Cumberland,
in
1992 he rvas also
inducted into the Bemidji State
Universitl' Hall of Fame.
Sharon (Raivo) Remmen'61,
Los Gatos, Calif., died in December
rlter a trvo-1'ear battle rvith ovarialr
cancer; she rvas 6I. She lvas an
adoptior-r social worker, ancl was
deeply involved with the Christian
Women's Club, the Daughters of
Norwa)', and various other
organizations. She rvas a talentecl
artist, photographer, rvriter,
speaker, and musician ancl suflered
a case o[ rvanderlust; before settling
into the California Bal, A*u, tn.
llved in Hawaii and [ir.e other
states as u'ell as abroad in Eg1pt.
Spain, the Philìppines, and
Malaysia. Even as her disease
aclvanced, she contÌnued her
practice of reaching out to people
in the midst o[ suffering, sending
out l0 carcls and letters a day
Fritz Hadeler'80, Maplervood,
Mlnn., died in March of cancer; he
42. After receiving a bachelor's
degree in pharmacy from the
University of lr4lnnesota, he rvent
on to eern a rnasler's degree in
pharrnacy ancl an lvlBA in
nrarketing. He rvas I marketing
manager in the pharmaceutical
r'r'as
Wis., died in N4arch; he rvas 76. He
rvorked at Augsburg for 22 years,
lirst as a custociian and then as a
buildings and grounds employee.
He retired
in
1989.
Other deaths:
Hazel Willand '39, Minneapolis,
clied in February. She lr'as a retÌreci
teacher and editor.
The Rev. Alfred Weltzin'41,
Viroqua, Wis., died inJanuary
Valdemar Xavier'46, Alberr
Minn., died in April; he rvas
86. He uas a ret¡red education
administrator.
Lea,
Stanley G. Puelston'51,
Minnetonka, Minn., died in March,
he u'as 77. He rvas retired llom
Alexander 6¡ Alexander lnsurance
Company
Lloyd Huesers'52, Minot,
N.Dak., died ìnJanuaryr
Laton "Jack" C. Schwartz'52,
Minneapolis, died in March; he
u,as 72.
Alan Redman '68, Prineville,
Ore,
Daniel Reuss '77, St. Paul, died
in February 2000.
Eclitors note:
At
presstínte, we weïe
saddened to receive notice oJ the death
division of 3M until his cleath.
oJ Chuch
accon-rplishn-rents by beir-rg
Gabñelson'77;
see tlrc JaIl
issrre/or a contplete notice.
i
Send us your news
photos!
and
i.
Please tell us about the news
in
your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Dor-r't forget
yonr
Full name
Maiden name
Class year
or last year attended
Street address
life ,
to sencl photosl
Cìty
ls
zip
State
this a new address? n Yes Ll No
E-mail
Home telephone
F*ol ner'vs ol a death, rvritten notice
n
Okay to publish your e-mail
address
notice , or progran-r
fiom
a
memorial seLvice.
Sencl
Employer
Position
ls spouse also a graduate ol Augsburg College?
Work telephone
n
Yes
n No
lf yes, class
your ner.vs iten-Ls, photos, or
change of acldress b1' ¡.,^i1 to,
Augsbu'g Nor,r, Class Notes,
Augsburg Co11ege, CB 146,
22l l Riverside Ave ., Mrnneapolis,
MN, 55454, or e-mail to
Spouse name
Maiden name
Your news:
<alumni@ar-r gsburg. eclu>.
Summer
2OO1
i
l
is rec¡ttired, e.g. an obìtuar¡ fi-rneral
,4ucsnuRc
luow
31
Each year the graduating class nømes four honored faculty members (one from eøch division) ønd one outstanding
staff person. The following are excerpts from the remarhs of these honorees during CommencementWeehend.
**"/6*
a%tt-,
SOCIOLOGY AND METRO-URBAN STUDIES
HEALTH AND PHYSICAL EDUCATION
"i consider myself to be very lucky to be surrounded by many neat
students. They give me the opportunity to do what I love. Without
all of you, I would not be standing here today .. . Honestly, I think
this is the coolest thing that's ever happened to me."
"At the heart of all forms of Buddhism ì.s the concept and practice .
of 'mindfulness.'Among other things, mindfulness reminds us to
stop endlessly looking for greener grass somewhere e1se. Being
mindful reminds us of the incredible gifts that surround us in the
people and places that we so often take for granted."
ç/Ø*
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND HONORS PROGRAM
(Referring to a story he recounted of a woman who felt the
presence of Jesus standing with her during a difficult time....)
"One way to think about our time together would be... as you go
through various tests and trials (and you surely will), to think
back upon your Augsburg experience, and perhaps in a smal1 way
my experience with you, and to think of the question, 'How
would it be if we stood with you'?"
COMI\/IEI\CEVIEl\trT
/
32
,.4UCSSURC i¡OW
RELIGION
"something that's very important about Augsburg is the role that
tradition can play Tiadition does not have to be constricting or
enslaving; but, in fact, it can free. This is a conviction shared by
many here, and it's what makes Augsburg a fun place to be and a
great place to teach."
DIRECTOR OF THE ROCHESTER PROGRAM
"Beyond a wish for success and happiness, my hope for Augsburg
graduates is that they will be able to lead lives that are filled with
meaning-iives enriched by moments that draw equally on the
mind, the heart, and the spirit. I believe an appreciation of how
these elements of human experience interact to create meaning is
at the core of an Augsburg education."
Summer 200f
)
fhe Alumni and Parent Relations Office would like to enhance the Alumni Web site
I lwww.augsburg.edu/alumni). We want ro know which online services would be most useful to you.
When you return this survey, you are automatically entered in a drawing for a $50 gift certificate from the
College Bookstore if you fill out the contact information at the end. Returl the survey byJuly 20. You may
fill out this same suwey online at the alumni site, but please complete only one survey Thank you!
PLEASE ANSWER EACH OF THE FOLLOWING:
Class yearI am an Augsburg Alumna/us: O yes E no
How often clo you visit the Alumni Relations Web site:
D never visited D once a month fl less than once a month
E
male E female
Below is a list of online services we are considering. Please indicate how often you would use the
following services by circling a number in the column at right:
O=would not use 1=would use occasionally 2=would use frequently
Searchable Alumni Directory
Registered alumni have password-protected
access to a secured database of Augsburg
alumni names and addresses. Would allow
users to update their information online.
Message Boards Organized
Class Year
by Topic or
Class Notes Online
Post your updates on marriages, births, and
promotions online. View notes from other
alums. Class notes would continue to
appear in printed publications.
0
0
t
1
Moderated Chats with Faculty and Staff
Share opinions, debate, orjust talk with a
E-mail Addresses
Lifetime Web-based e-mail addresses (e.g.
yourname@augsburgalumni.net) that let
you check your mail from anywhere you
have Internet access.
2
lan Alumni Reception
Gay Hawthorne Jazz & Poetry Bash
hing of Edvard Grieg: Diaries, Articles,
i, a collection of Grieg's writings in
ianslation, by Dr. Bill Halverson'51
rwegian scholar Finn Benestad)
0
l
2
tdar and is subject to change; please see your
echure-due ín maílboxes later t'ltis summer.
0
l
2
0
1
2
0
I
2
0
I
2
Give your suggestions for online services:
OPTIONAL INFORMATION (required for entering drawing!)
Name
E-mail
Phone number
ìK/1K Run/Walk (for fun or charity)
ning Parade
2
featured speaker.
Career Center
Post résumés for other alums and approved
employers to review. Approved employers
may also post job listings.
lay, October 13
[he park
hing Football Game vs. Macalester
hing AlumniAwards Social & Dinner
¡nions of '1951, 1961,'1976, and 1991
Online Giving
Give to the college with a secured credit
card transaction or make a pledge.
¡sburg on Parade
(J
À,,
Each year the graduøting class nømt
staff person. The following are excer
/@
/
ø/t¿o¿ Qt1/ce
HEALTH AND
PH
"I consider myself to be very lucky to be su
students. They give me the opportunity to r
all of you, I would not be standing here toc
this is the coolest thing that's ever happene<
Lô
¡
cô
a$.
o Hb'E
ú " g
H:
r¡Sq¡Ln
m
(t) Èr (.)
b
S
L^
P"à2.
g.l=
v.Y'ã g=Ø
ro ä.¿ È
-¡ ('Ër
ãø Ð
O
Þ OE+-p^-E
t
COMPUTER SCIENCE
/Nå
U <U<N¿
ANf
(Referring to a story he recounted of a won
presence of Jesus standing with her during
"One way to think about our time togethet
through various tests and trials (and you st
back upon your Augsburg experience, and
my experience with you, and to think of th
would it be if we stood with you'?"
CON/IVIEI\CE
200
32
4UCSBUnC ruOw
/
"Beyond a wish for success and happiness, my hope for Augsburg
graduates is that they will be able to lead lives that are filled with
meaning-lives enriched by moments that draw equally on the
mind, the heart, and the spirit. I believe an appreciation of how
these elements of human experience interact to create meaning is
at the core of an Augsburg educatì.on."
Summer 2001
a
¡¡
I
o
o
Homecoming and Family Week 2001: Augsburg on Parade
October 8-13, 2OO1
Monclay, October
.
.
S
a
Saturday, October 13
B
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
An Evening with Dr. Maya Angelou
Parents Reception
Thursclay, October 11
.
Variety Show and Coronation
o
Friday, October 12
.
.
.
.
Homecoming Chapel Service
Alumni Band & lazzBand Reunion Concert
Hall of Fame Banquet
Auggie 5K/1K Run/Walk (for fun or charity)
Homecoming Parade
Picnic in the Park
Homecoming Football Game vs. Macalester
Homecoming Alumni Awards Social & Dinner
Class Reunions of 1951, 1961,'1976, and 1991
Pan Afrikan Alumni Reception
M. Anita Gay Hawthorne Jazz & Poetry Bash
Book signing of Edvard Grieg: Diaries, Articles,
Speeches, a collection of Grieg's writings in
English translation, by Dr. Bill Halverson'51
(with Norwegian scholar Finn Benestad)
preliminary calendar andis subject to change; please see your
Homecoming
eventbrochure-due in mailboxes later thís sutnmer
JulI
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COLLEGE
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No.2031
PAID
-
Show less
¡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 name
_
Augsburg N ow Class Notes,
Augsburg College, CB 146,
221Ì Riverside Ave., Minneapolìs,
MN, 55'154, or
e-n.raÌ1 to
<alumni@au gsburg.
Fall 2O01
edr-r>.
4ucssunc n¡ow
31
A
o
I
o
¡a
I
o
o
I
'%"*¿-*¿a,,,4.
ctober
2I, 2001, marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of
Bernhard M. Christensen, Augsburg graduate, professor, and
president from l938-62.
Through the work of the Christensen Endowment, the tangible
legacy that has been made possible by
Augsburg alumni and friends, the principles
and commitment of Bernhard Christensen to
academic integrity and Christian community
can continue to shape our vision.
The following excerpts from a column
written in 1976 by President Oscar A.
Anderson eloquently illustrate Bernhard
Christensen's legacy to Augsburg.
A. Quanbech, assistant professor of
-Phílip
religíon
and member of the Chnstensen
Endowment Committee
Bernhard M, Christensen
Bernhard M. Christensen and his wife, Lilly Gracia
Ø-*t
t@o"o*
r. Christensen was president of Augsburg for 24 years and
before that served as a professor here. He, perhaps more
Now, I confess to a presenl and personal uneasiness at this
point. Have I been as dedicated to "the inner pilgrimage" as I am to
than any other person, brought Augsburg College into
the outward progress at Augsburg College? When a1l is said and
the modern era as an accredited American college.
done, have we at Augsburg maintained some peculiarity of the
The book he has written lThe Inward Pilgnmagel, however, is a
powerfui reminder to all of us at Augsburg today that Dr.
heart which imprints those who teach and learn and earn here? Or
Christensen's most significant contribution was to the essentìal
us have amassed, enjoyrng the interest but not replenishing the
spirit of this institution-the essential Christian spirit of Augsburg
principal? Are we content to let the Christianness of Augsburg be
simply an old historical notion rather than a present day reality?
College.
He knew that this college had as its purpose the freeing of the
are we simpiy living off the "spiritual capital" which others before
The real future of this college lies not in a prestigious facult¡
a
mlnd for the rigorous and relentless pursuit of truth. He kneq
briliiant student body, a splendid campus, or a balanced budget
also, that thÌs college required a body, so-to-speak, namely, the
with all the emoluments everyone
physical and programmatic facilities essential to the fulfillment of
its mission. He was, in every way, a builder. But most important of
the nurture of distinctive attitudes toward truth and 1ife, toward
God's good Creation and His beloved human family. It lies in an
all, he will be remembered as a president who was dedicated to the
proposition that a college is essentially spirit-that mind and body
unapologetic bias toward the Spirit of Jesus, whose Living Presence
we have just celebrated at Easter.
function according to inner dictates, that education without
direction is dangerous, that "out of the heart are the issues of life."
32
,4UCSBUnC ruOW
-Excerpts
desires.
It lies beyond
these,
in
Jrom "Augsburg Confesstons," Augsburg Echo,
Apnl 30, 1976.
Fall 2O01
)
o
¡a
t
a,
o
Music
For more information on any oJ these eyents
(unl e s s o t"het'wis e note d), c all 6 1 2 - 3 3 0 - 1 2 6 5
October 13
Homecoming Concert Band and Jazz
Band Alumni Concert
I 1 a.m.-Hoversten Chapel
Theatre
November
Writing the History of Working
2-\1
Our Town
by Thorton Wilder; dlrector, Julle Bolton
Performances: Nov 2, 3, B, 9, t0 at 7 p.m.;
Nov.4andllat2p.m.
-I.1-ornhom-Nelson
Theater, Foss Center
For tlcket information, caII 612,330-1257
October 14
Faculty Recital, Stephen Gabrielsen '63
4 p.m.-Hoversten Chapel
October 23
Riverside Singers and Men's Chorus
Concert
7: 30 p.m.-Hoversten Chapel
David Roediger, Unlversity of lllinois-Urbana
10 a.m., Convocation-Hoversten Chapel
October 2ó
Lecture by Earl Hightoweri on addiction
intervention and treatment coordination
7 p.m.-Hoversten Chapel
For information, call StepUP program,
612-330-t405
Exhibits
For gallery inJormation, call 612-330-1524.
November 6
September l4-October 24
"Sexually Speaking with Dr. Ruth"
"Woodgrain: Vertical and Horizontal,
With and Without Knots"
by Patricia Scott
Gage Family Gallery, Lindell Library
October 25-27
Class
Relations"
Ruth Westheimer, psychosexual therapist
7:30 p.m.-Hoversten Chapel
For information, call 612-330-1124
Opening reception, Sept. 14, 6-9 p.m.
November 15-1ó
Featuring Masterworks Chorale (see story
October B-14
on page 5).
7:30 p.m.-Central Lutheran Church,
Minneapolis
For tickets, call TicketWorks at 612-3433390 or visit www.ticketworks.com
Augsburg Homecoming Art Show
"The lnfluence of Afro-American Culture
on American Music"
William C. Banfield, University of St.
Luther
Paintings, photography, and sculpture by
Augsburg alumni
Thomas
Alumni
Ensemble
7 p.m.-Hoversten Chapel
GaIIery, Chrlstensen Center
l\ovember 9-December 19
November 19
"Seamless: An Exhibition
Augsburg Orchestra Concert
7 p.m.-Sateren AudiLorium
of Paper
Garments"
by Erica Spitzer Rasmussen
Gage Family Gallery, Lindell Library
November 20
Opening receptìon, Nov. 9, 6-9 p.m.
Augsburg Concert Band Concert
September 1B
1
.Advent Vespers
Nov. 30-6 and 9 p.m.
Dec. I-5 and 8 p.m.
Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
For information, call 612-330-1265
December 7-B
1 th Annual Benefit Concert and Silent
Auction, Center for Global Education
7 p.m.-Hoversten Chapel
"Some Leaders are Born Women"
Sarah Weddington, attorney, former
presidential special assistant
7:30 p.m.-Hoversten Chapel
For information, call 612-330-1124
Septenrber 23*24
2001 Christensen Symposium
"Global and Local Neighbors: Christian
Faith across Cultures"
Dr. Lamin Sanneh, Yale University
For schedule, see page 2
For ticket informatlon, call 612-330-Ì159
December 9
Augsburg lazz Ênsemble Concert
4 p.m.-Hoversten ChaPel
December 6
"The Legacy of Matthew Shepard"
Judy Shepard, speaker and activist
p.m.-Hoversten Chapel
Seminars, Lectures, and Films
Minneapolis
or l-800-299-8889
Nov. 16, Convocation
10 a.m.-Hoversten Chapel
B
7 p.m.-Central Lutheran Church,
November 3O-Decernber
Nov. 15, Concert, AugsburgJazz
October
B
"An Evening with Maya Angelou,,
7:30 p.m.-Melby Hall
For tickers: TicketWorks, 612-343-3390,
or www. ticketworks.com
December 10
October 22
Chamber Music Recital
7 p.m.-Satcren Audit orium
"Counting lncidents or Telling Tragedies?
Other Events
October B-14
Homecoming and Family Week 2001
"Augsburg on Parade"
October
B
Diversity Scholarship Day
l0:20 a.m.-Special Chapel service
For information, call 612-330-1 180
Octobe:' 13
5th Annual M. Anita Gay Hawthorne
lazz and Poetry Bash
7 30 p.m.-Tj ornhom-Nelson Theater
For information, call 612-330-1022
:
November 30
Velkommen Jul
I0:20 a.m.-Special Chapel
service
For information, call 612-330-1 180
10:
l5 a.m.-Hoversten
ll a.m.-2
Chapel
p.m., ChrÌstensen Center,
featuring Scandinavian treats and gifts
HOMECOMING & EAMILY \üíEEK 2001
AUGSBURG on
OCTOBER S-14
a
Q.e9ede
Honoring the 2001 Distinguished Alumni
George S. Dahlmarr'72, Burton R. Fosse'44,
Kathleen D. Lake '76, and Neal O. Thorpe '60
Saluting the Golden Anniversary Class of 1951
and the reunion classes of 1951, 1961,1976, and 1991
Looh
for detøils in the special Homecoming
sectíon, pnges
23-25
UGSBURG
A
COLLEGE
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
J211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
PAID
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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
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
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221 1 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
0pinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
lr
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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
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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
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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
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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
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doesn'l seem as complicated, foreign, or hectic
as it appears from the bedroom. My hope [is that
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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
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View more photos and learn more about why Campus Kitchen was nominated
for the youth philanthropy award at www.augsburg.edu/now
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age 77, Herb Chilstrom '54 got an offer he couldn't refuse. The retired ELCA
presiding bishop was invited to serve as interim director of the Linnaeus Arboretum
at Gustavus Adolphus College while its director is overseas for ayear. The transition
from Chilstrom's 50-plus years as pastor and bishop to administrative gardener, he
AI
tells his friends, was easy: "l'm going from tending flocks to tending phlox."
Chilstrom gained an appreciation and love for gardening from his mother, a gardener ahead of her time who, along with her husband, pul organically grown food
on their table. He pursued that interest in retirement when he studied to become a
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master gardener.
"lt turned out to
be one of the most enjoyable educational experiences l've ever
had," he says.
When the Chilstroms moved to a townhome in St. Peter, Minn., Herb volunteered
his services to the arboretum. For seven years he nurtured flowerbeds back to
blooming beauty and created a vegetable garden behind the restored settlers'
cabin-which was a necessity for every settler, as well as his own family, During this
time the arboretum began to restore more than 80 acres back to its native prairie.
Now as interim director, he has enjoyed launching "The Linnaeus Order of
Nasturtiums," a cadre of volunteers who tend the arboretum's flora. lVlostly retirees,
the order has "taken off like gangbusters," Chilstrom says. Despite the initiation,
that is, which requires each volunteer to eat a nasturtium blossom laced with
cream cheese.
"People are almost begging to get into the order," says Chilstrom. He has
recruited 20 volunteers in two months, and all have passed the initiation.
For Chilstrom, this second "calling" also has theological roots. He says that
while Lutherans consider Christ's life, death, and resurrection in the Second Article
of the Creed as the heart of Christian faith, "we may have emphasized it to the
point where we don't appreciate as much as we should the First Article, about creation as the gift of God."
"Being involved in a place like the arboretum," Chilstrom continues, "gives me a
chance to create some balance, to be committed to making this place as beautiful
as it can be in a world that is quite broken, where we don't appreciate the gifts of
nature, and where there's so much desecration of the environment."
It's also a chance for some historical reflection. Chilstrom recounts how so many
settlers, including his great-grandparents, arrived in lVìinnesota penniless and
began breaking up the prairie, with disregard for Native peoples and their land.
"Now when we recapture part of that into native prairie, we are helping people
step back and think about what it was like for Native Americans to live here, how
they survived in that setting, and the beauty of the prairie," he says.
ln sum, Chilstrom says, "lfeel that in my retirement I've been uniquely blessed
to be located in a place like this where I can think about some of these good ihings
that are important to us."
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HfIMECOMING 2OO9
September 28-0ctober 4
Despite the rains and chilly weather, spirits were high at the 2009
Auggie Adventure, as hundreds of alumni, students, faculty/staff,
and friends celebrated Homecoming. 0ueen Jamie Krumenauer
and King Kevin Khottavongsa presided at the football game halftime festivities and cheered the Auggies despite their loss to
Hamline, 38-28. Alums sampled classes from Augsburg professors, met fellow alumni authors, enjoyed their reunions, and
ended the weekend with a bang at the fireworks display.
Fall
2009
13
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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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{Ulli lli E}l
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sweet trad¡t¡ons
Velkommen Jul is one of Augsburg's most popular traditions, a Scandinavìan
welcome to the holiday season. Augsburg alumni and friends look forward each
year to the splendid banquet of sweets and treats provided by the Augsburg
Associates.
Enjoy these cookie recipes that come from the hands and hearts of the
Associates. Some recipes date back generations to family members who
attended Augsburg Seminary in the late 1800s.
JOIN US AT VELKOMIVìEN JUL ON FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4,
BEGINNING WITH CHAPEL AT 10:15 A.M.
COMPILED BY BETSEY NORGARD
Fall
2009
19
{
{
Grandma Rand's Krumkake
1 pt. whipping cream
1 c. sugar
l tsp. vanilla
2 c. f|our
Pinch of salt
1 c. milk
Whip cream until stiff . Add sugar gradually. Mix vanilla and
add flour and salt, which have been sifted together. Add milk
slowly, beating constantly. Bake in krumkake iron, a teaspoon-
ful at a time (no more). Remove from iron and roll immediately.
Makes about 10 dozen.
Fattigmann
Berliner Kranser
Þ
6
6
6
2
6
egg yolks, 3 egg whites
Tbl. sugar
Tbl. cream
Tbl. melted butter
2 hard cooked egg yolks
Il2 c. sugar
2 raw egg yolks
1 c. butter
f
2-712 c. flour (use less)
fat for frying
cardamom seeds
lour
salt
van
Beat egg yolks and whites together until
illa
thick and lemon colored. Add sugar and
Mash cooked egg yolks with fork. Add sugar and
continue beating; add cream and beat
again; blend in butter. Crush cardamom
seeds to powder and add with enough
flour to make a dough f irm enough to roll
work into a wet and pasty mixture. Add raw egg
yolks and mix well. Add butter and mix. Add flour,
salt, and vanilla. Take dough about the size of a
walnut and roll into pencil shape about seven
inches long. Form a ring, overlap ends (like a pret-
Roll thin as paper, cut into diamond
shapes about 5 x
sprinkle with powdered sugar.
*
Augsburg Now
inches. Deep-fry
brown. Drain on absorbent paper and
e,
20
2-Il2
in hot fat 2-3 minutes or until golden
zel). Dip in raw egg white, then into crushed loaf
sugar. Bake a|325 degrees until light brown.
Mom's Rosettes
4,t
I
1
1
I
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbl. sugar
3/4 c. milk (can use whole or skim)
.#
dü
Il4 c. waler
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. f lour
canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
Heat oil in a deepfryer to 375 degrees. (Be sure to
have a thermometer in the oil as you fry the
rosettes and maintain an average of 375.) Put the
rosette iron in the oil as it heats-a hot iron and
oil temperature are most important for crisp
rosettes.
Jule Spritz
{
1 c. butter
1 tsp. almond extract
2-tl2 c. flour
Batter: ln a deep bowl, lightly whip the eggs, salt,
and sugar with a fork, just to mix. Don't overbeat
it. Combine the milk, water, and vanilla. Alternately add 1/3 of the liquid and 1/3 of the flour to
the egg mixture and repeat until all are mixed. lf
the batter isn't smooth, put through a sieve to
remove the lumps.
4 small egg yolks (or 3 large)
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Cream sugar and butter, add almond extract
and egg yolks and beat well. Add flour and
salt. Put cookie dough in cookie press and
press out cookies on cookie sheet. Decorate
Lay out paper toweling on cookie sheets to cool the
rosettes after frying. Have a bowl of sugar for dipping the hot rosette into after it comes off the iron.
with red and green sugar. Bake about 12
minutes at 400 degrees.
A couple of forks will be useful to remove the
rosette from the iron.
With hot oil and hot iron a|375 degrees, and
absorbent cloth or several paper towels ready,
quickly remove the rosette iron from the oil,
quickly shake off any excess oil over the deepfryer,
dab the iron on the paper towel, and quickly
immerse the iron into the rosette batter-not going
over the top edge of the rosette iron-and quickly
return the iron to the deepfryer. After about 15-20
seconds in the oil for a light brown color, gently
remove the rosette from the iron using a fork. Be
sure to keep the iron in the oil heating as the
rosette continues to brown; turn it with the forks to
get uniform browning; and remove from the oil
with the forks and place on paper toweling with
the hollow side down to drain off any excess oil
While warm, dip in sugar. Cool completely and
store in large cookie tin in a cool place. Makes
approximately 36 rosettes.
Fall
2009
21
Ð
perspective
BY JEFF SHTLMAN
I
22
Augsb
s'
Lisa Jack
It was a summer of mood swings
and wide-ranging emotions.
ln May, Lisa Jack found herself on the
cover of the los Angeles Times'Calendar
section. The Augsburg psychology professor had a camera around her neck as
is talk of a Paris showing of the photos
"The majority of students, they enjoy
being engaged and challenged," Jack
said. "l love challenging them and to be
that until two years ago were housed in a
chal lenged. "
basement box, Jack is far less interested
than she was even this summer.
That's because real life suddenly
While Jack's photos have been seen
across the globe and she has been inter-
While the 36 photos of 0bama are
now on display at Occidental, and there
reappeared.
0n July 25, doctors told Jack's
viewed by outlets ranging from The New
York Times to the television show Exfra,
Jack has never heard a word from
mother that she has ovarian cancer. ln
examining her family history, Jack and
Obama or anyone at the White House.
her sister were then told that they are
ings with Obama in recent years, is all
right with that. She understands the job
he has to do and that the photos are
from a long time ago. And she also has
display at a hip West Hollywood art
genetically predisposed for the disease.
And because there isn't a way to screen
for ovarian cancer, the only way for Jack
to protect herself would be to have sur-
gallery.
gery herself.
she sat cross-legged and dressed in
black in the California sun. Her 1980
photographs of now-President Barack
Obama-which were originally published
in
Time magazine-were about to go on
She had become the photographer
she wanted to be at the time she took
those photos when they were both under-
graduates at Occidental College. There
was now enough buzz about her work for
singer-songwriter Seal to check out the
photos. Her photographs captured what
she has described as Obama's youth and
playfulness. And she knew she wanted
some sort of platform."
With Jack needing to help provide
care for her mother in New York and
planning for a significant medical
procedure of her own, Jack was
pictures.
forced to adjust her teaching load
at the last minute. Jack was not
years.
New camera in tow, she spent part of
her summer in North Dakota shooting
photos of professional rodeo cowboys
and the livestock they ride. She began
conversations about some photography
projects. She was excited about rediscovering what she had once thought
would be a career.
"Once I purchased the camera, I went
to practice at the IUniversity of
able to teach an AugSem first-year
seminar and is llmited to one psychology internship course for
upperclass students.
"l was adamant that I teach
this semester," she said. "l have
to have a life. I can't be all cancer all the time. And I love to
teach. I have a class of seniors
and I know them all. lt'll be
fun."
Because while Jack's love
of photography was rekindled
Minnesota'sl Raptor Center," Jack said.
"When I put everything in my computer,
I said, '0h my God.' I didn't lose any
when she unearthed the
nearly 3O-year-old photos of
vision. "
Obama, she still wants to
All was great, right?
Not so fast. Because that part of the
summer seems so long ago.
some new-fou nd perspective.
"lt's an ugly, horrible, heinous disease," Jack said. "They call it the
silent killer. I've done a U-turn into a
cancer activist. But maybe it was the
point in finding those photos, to have
to continue telling stories through
That's why Jack began taking photographs again for the first time in many
Jack, who has had two chance meet-
teach. With an extremely outgoing personality and non-stop
professor
energy, Jack loves the classroom setting.
Fall
2009
23
Mafk
HanSOn calls it a "kicking and
screaming" calling. The son of a parìsh
pastor, Hanson had no interest in follow-
difficult times, ELCA presiding bishop Mark Hanson '68 finds
great joy in his calling and seeks to stay focused 0n Ggd's w3rk in the world.
Even through
ing his father into mìnistrY.
Sure, Hanson went to Union Theologi-
cal Seminary after graduating in 1968
from Augsburg with his wife, lone
(Agrimson) '68, but ihat was onlY
because he received a scholarship to try
it for a year. Even when he f inished up
at Union, Hanson went as far as to stand
in line to regìster to begin graduate
school classes in psychology before he
realized that wasn't what he wanted to
do with his life.
"l ended up going to therapy for six
months to f igure out what was going on
ìn my lìfe," Hanson says. "And it was
only after sìx months of therapy that
realized I was f ighting, for all the wrong
I
reasons, the call to ministrY."
Now, nearly 40 years later, Hanson
f
inds himself as the presìding bishop of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America at one of the most challenging
times since the Lutheran Church in
America, the American Lutheran Church,
and the Association of Evangelical
Lutheran Churches merged to form the
ELCA in the late 1980s.
The nation's financial instability has
led to a downturn in contributions to the
church. The nation's changing demographics have left the ELCA as a graying
organization with ìts strength in parts of
the natìon that aren't growing. And, in
the wake of votes taken at August's
Churchwide Assembly on topics of
human sexuality and homosexual clergy
in committed relationships, there are
many individuals and congregations
pondering whether the ELCA is the place
for them.
And despite the current challenges
"I think that ìn anxious times that
have dimensions of conf lict in them, the
temptation ìs to go into enclaves of likeminded people to both reinforce the convictions one holds with those likeminded people, and often to articulate
that those whom you are not in agreement with are so wrong," Hanson says.
"l have worked to be very connected
relationally.
"ln a culture that is so polarized,
facing the ELCA, Hanson loves his job.
"l f ind great joy in what I do,"
especially around issues of personal
Hanson says, while sitting in his 11th-
morality, and tends to be increasingly
f
loor off ice that overlooks Chicago's
0'Hare lnternational Airport. "I use joy
very intentionally. Joy, for me, has its
source in my faith. I literally f ind great
joy in this call. I told a group of pastors
that I have the best call in the church
and what was fun was that a bunch of
them lìned up to argue with me about
why theirs is better. I liked that."
But Hanson acknowledges that these
times are challenging. And that's why
Hanson has spent-and will be spend-
ing-a
signif icant amount of time engag-
fractious, contentìous, and too often
mean-spirited, can we exemplify in our
witness another way to live-together
and honoring our dìfferences, but in the
context of our unity?"
J
im Arends, a I97 4 Augsburg gradu-
ate and current bishop of the LaCrosse
lWisc.l Area Synod,
saYS one
of Han-
son's biggest strengths as presiding
bishop is his ability to communicate in
general and to listen in particular.
"lt
is going to help, it can't but help,"
Arends says. "He respects you. I don't
ing in conversation, even if the actions
think I've ever seen anything even close
at the Minneapolis Convention Center
to disrespectful. With his authority and
height, he's still able to make people be
make things a little awkward and
u
ncomf ortable.
comfortable and relax around hìm.
That's tough with the height of his collar
and the big cross he needs to wear."
How does he do it? Hanson saYS some
of it is because of what he learned at
Augsburg. Because while there are challenges within the church, there are far
Discovering
in the
Challenges
of leadership
BY JEFF SHELMAN
Fall
't
2009
25
1l
more sign
if
icant issues-poverty, dis-
ease in third-world countries, and health
concerns among them-that the ELCA is
trying to tackle.
"The call for us as Christians is not to
be turned inward in conf lict with each
schools of higher education. We have
great colleges and universities in the
church, but I think Augsburg has really
positioned itself where I would want to
see a college of this church to be."
for work about 80% of the time.
"There are some days when I've gone to
the airport where I've given the United
desk my driver's license and said,
'l forgot
to look, where am I going again?"' Hanson
other and miss this moment to be
engaged in God's work in the world;
And as Hanson progressed from
parish pastor to bishop of the Saint Paul
Area Synod to, now, presiding bishop,
Augsburg gave me that perspective," he
Hanson sees a thread that goes back to
says. "Augsburg always reminded me
that whatever is going on with you,
Augsburg.
will have a lot to do with continuing com-
"My whole life has been shaped by
the intersection of intellectual curiosity,
faith, and how faith and intellect shape
one for a life in leadership," Hanson
says. "The phrase I use for what I got
from Augsburg and Union is an
unquenchable curiosity of faith and life.
I've never stopped being curious. I think
Augsburg fostered that. I'm going to be
free to ask questions and to serve my
neighbor, particularly the one who is
struggling with issues of justice and
munications, building relationships, and
leading a church that has members asking
serious questions about the future. While
the conversations and e-mails aren't
always positive from individuals concerned
about the ELCA's actions, Hanson remains
within your family, within the church,
there is a world that calls you."
That was true in the mid-to-late
1960s when Hanson studied sociology,
and it is true now as Hanson also
watches Augsburg as a parent. Four of
his six children have or currently are
attending Augsburg. His daughter
Alyssa, an alumna of the College, is also
teaching math in the Weekend College
program.
"When lone and I were at Augsburg,
we were invited, encouraged, challenged
to immerse ourselves in the city, CedarRiverside, North Minneapolis, and that
has not stopped," he says. "0ur daughter who is a senior there now has been to
Central America twice. The immersion
and context have grown from the immediate Cedar-Riverside neighborhood to
now the world.
"l'm all
26
over the world looking at
Augsburg Now
says with a laugh. "That's pretty bad. I'm
prepared for where I'm going, but there's a
lot of travel."
That travel, in the upcoming months,
upbeat.
"l
am proud to serve in leadership right
"l lead 70 million Luther-
now," he says.
ans in the world and lead the largest
Lutheran Church in the United States;
around Lake Harriet for Chicago's Edge-
that's just an amazing thing that I am
called into that sort of leadership. lf the
criticism begins to take a personal toll,
then I can no longer be an effective leader.
I think that the gospel is too good news for
me to get so discouraged that I can't, with
brook neighborhood, he's rarely there.
It's tough to be at home when you travel
great passion, proclaim the good news of
Jesus. "
poverty."
And Hanson has plenty of opportunities to be curious as presiding bishop.
While he and lone have traded the area
"We have great colleges and universities in the church, but I think Augsburg has
really pos¡t¡gned itself where I would want t0 see a college of this church t0 be."
rl
I
ï
H
ffi
\t'/ith more than 4,000 students in its undergraduate and graduate programs,
Augsburg College strives to create an intentionally diverse and vibrant community by welcoming students of varied backgrounds and experiences.
For many of the students who come to Augsburg, being an Auggie is a
dream come true because at one time in their lives, the idea of going to college was nearly impossible to imagine.
That's where Admission Possible comes in. This program, which was
founded in Minnesota in 1999 to help low-income high school students get
into college, has brought more than 100 students to Augsburg since its found-
H
ing. Ihis fall, 63 Admission Possible alumni joined the Augsburg community as
first-year students-more than any other private college in the country.
E
tr
Admission Possible made Augsburg possible for these students. Not only
has this program enriched the lives of students and their families,
it has also
benefited the Augsburg community.
Finding Admission Possible
Juventino "Juve" Meza Rodriguez'11 came to the U.S. from
Mexico when he was 15 years old. Unlike his parents or siblings,
Meza Rodriguez had been fortunate to attend school beyond the
sixth grade and, though he did not speak English, he was excited
m
H
m
about continuing his education in a Minnesota high school.
"l come from a low-income working family; my parents and
their parents didn't go to school. My mom made a big push for
education for her children because she wanted us to do something she wasn't able to do," he says.
Meza Rodriguez tested into the ninth grade and began classes
at Arlington High School in St. Paul. ln his neighborhood and in
his family, no one had gone to college. "As kids we always said
we want to be this or that," he says, "but realistically I wasn't
thinking that college would be a possibility for me. And my parents of course didn't think it was an option either."
ln his sophomore year, he dropped out of school, following his
friends who had started working and were making money. "l was
out of school for one week, and I did not enjoy life," he says. He
asked his parents to help him get back into school, and after
that week he appreciated his education more than he had before
"l knew I wanted something more, but I wasn't sure what that
was and I didn't have people around me who had done it either."
With a renewed enthusiasm for high school, Meza Rodriguez
asked a guidance counselor about college. "She told me
I
couldn't go," he says, but she eventually found a program for him
and suggested he apply. That program was Admission Possible.
From the moment he was accepted into the program, Meza
Rodriguez was on his way to college, but he was in unfamiliar
28
Augsburg Now
q F
n
Ð
territory. "When I told my parents that I wanted to go to college,
theyasked how I wasgoingtodo it. I said,'l have no idea."'
Because his parents were unable to support him f inancially
and because they had no experience with higher education, lVleza
Rodriguez says they left many of the decisions about school up to
him. "They would always say, 'Tu sabes lo que haces,'(You know
what you're doing). But I didn't know what I was doing."
Getting to Augsburg
l-lis Admission Possible coach did know what to do to navigate
the complicated and sometimes intimidating landscape of college application. Twice weekly in his junìor and senior years,
lVIeza Rodriguez met with his coach and other students. He prepared for the ACT and learned how to select a college that
matched his interests, complete the admissions applications,
and apply for financìal aid including scholarships.
Admission Possible also encouraged lVeza Rodriguez to make
connections at schools by going on campus visits and attending
education fairs. At one such fair for Latino students, he met Carrìe Carroll, Augsburg's assistant vice president of admissions.
"When I got to Carrie's booth, I told her I had heard about
Augsburg and she started asking me questions. We talked for two
hours," he recalls. "She was very welcoming and showed an
interest in me that other schools didn't bother to show." After
their meeting, Carroll e-mailed lVleza Rodriguez and encouraged
him to apply to Augsburg.
"I applied, and Carrie called my AP coach within six days and
said I had been admitted. I was the flrst student in my AP class
to apply and the first to get accepted."
il
I
I
Carroll says Admission Possible students are attracted to
Augsburg because of the f inancial aid that helps make college
possible for more than 90% of traditional day college students.
Two programs-Augsburg College Access Program (ACAP) and
the Augsburg Promise are aimed at assisting f irst-generation
and low-income students.
ACAP provides a four-year grant for students who have participaled in a college readiness program. The grant covers the cost of
luition not met with federal or state grants for students who are
Minnesota residents, have an ACT score of 20 or belter, and have
cunrulative grade point average of at least 3.25.
lVlore
a
importantly, Carroll says studenls come because ALrgsburg
has made an institutional commitrnent
to providing access for nrany
different types of studenls, to creating an intenlionally diverse cam
pus, and to engaging students in service to the conrmunity. All of
these commitments connect closely to Admission Possible values.
"At Augsburg, we are aware of the obstacles some students
have faced and will continue to face. We value our students." As
Fall
2009
in
29
Meza Rodriguez's case, Carroll says often a student will make
the choice to come to Augsburg, even though they have been
accepted elsewhere, simply because the Augsburg staff takes the
time to get to know them personally.
accessible to anyone, regardless of his or her background or
circumstances.
Beyond admission
onto their campuses." lt has also helped colleges and universities
address much of the stigma that is attached to low-income stu_
Meza Rodriguez says that Admission possible has also changed
campus atmospheres by introducing students who might not have
considered college in the past. ',Ap helps colleges get out of their
comfort zone," he says, "by welcoming more and more diversity
Once students are accepted and begin their college studies, they
still encounter
d
many challenges that can make staying jn school
iffic u lt.
dents, challenging the notion that they are low-achieving or unpre_
pared. ln fact, while the fall 2009 first-year class includes 40%
ln the past, a team of Admission posstble staffers did some
tracking and outreach to their alumni after they had started
college. Most of their assistance had been reactionary, however,
and they were often brought in when a student was in the midst
students of color, the average ACT score and class rank have
of a crisis.
pared for success and dedicated to making the most of their college
This year, Admission Possible has developed a structured col_
remained consistent among Augsburg's incoming classes over the
past four years.
Carroll agrees, adding that Admission possible students are pre_
on their individual campuses.
experience. "These are smart, capable students who work very hard
to succeed. They just need to be taught how to do this.',
Meza Rodriguez is just one example of the motivated and tal_
Ben Pierson is the college coach at Augsburg this year. Having
an office on campus is important because for Admissjon possible
ented students who find a fit at Augsburg through coilege readiness
programs. He received a president,s Scholarship, which recognizes
alumni, "AP" means "help." Students know they will find a caring adult in Pierson as well as a reliable source of information
academic achievement and leadership potential, and he is an
Honors program student. ln his three years at the College, he has
and support.
also been a senator in student government, helped found a Latino
lege program with coaches who work one-on-one with students
Pierson works with Augsburg's director of retention, the
Enrollment and Financial Services staff, admission counselors,
and with the other student support programs. His objective is to
maintain contact with students and help them find the resources
they need before they want or need to drop out.
student organization, and conducted summer research with
President Pribbenow as his mentor and adviser.
This fall Meza Rodriguez is studying poverty, inequality, and
social change in the Metro Urban Studies Term (MUST) through
HECUA, the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs, and
is doing an internship with the Citizens League in St. paul. He
Making dreams poss¡ble
has also organized a group at Augsburgto help connect the more
than 100 Admission Possible alumni who are now enrolled at the
College readiness programs like Admission possible are just one of
College.
When he participates in Commencement, Meza Rodriguez knows
the many ways students find Augsburg and realize their dreams.
But this program benefits more than the students who enroll and
graduate.
Meza Rodriguez and the other Admission possible alumni fea_
tured here set examples for their peers, siblings, and their commu_
nities. Their experiences demonstrate that a college education is
@
30
will be an inspiration not only to members of his community but
to his younger siblings, ages 4 and g, whom he hopes will one
day follow in his footsteps. "My siblings can see that college is pos_
sible. So many people around me can now see that it is possible.,,
he
also
Learn about Adm ission possi ble at www.adm ission possi ble.org.
Read more about the other
Augsburg Admission possible
students pictured here at
wwuaugsburg.edu/now
Augsburg Now
lucky Dirie'13
Houa
lor '13
Farrington Starnes'12
È!
b¡
Fall
2009
31
DEAR FRIEI{tlS,
As I write to report to you on the successful completion to a most extraordinary year of economic challenges, I remain filled
with gratitude for your steadfast support to Augsburg College.
While each week last fall brought more bitter news than the previous regarding our financial institutions, we maintained a
watchful and cautious eye over our students, our revenues, and our gifts. I was so pleased and humbled that through these
difficult months our enrollments remained high, our programs strong, and your giving constant.
During this difficult year, your gifts made an Augsburg education possible for many students who would not have otherwise been able to continue theìr studies. At Augsburg, we are committed to providing the access for these students of differing faiths, cultures, and ethnicities to thrive and to become the
next leaders in creating safe and sustainable communities.
Together, we continue to learn how "We are called to serve our
neìghbor. "
Durìng this past year, as a teaching and learning community,
WE ARE CALLEI}
TO SERVE (lUR NEIGHB(lR
we also explored in many ways what it means to live more sustainably in the city. I was so proud of our students, who pushed the College for changes that made us better stewards of our
gifts and of God's creation. Augsburg is now a leader among educational institutions in the use of renewable energy, in support of alternative transportation practices, and in the adoption of a food composting program.
As we move forward, I ask for your abiding and increased participation and support in the next years as we continue to
work together for a stronger and more vibrant future for our college, and for our students.
S
incere ly,
*
L-
?
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRTSIDENT
32
Augsburg Now
\
Your annual fund gift helps to
1
.., retain talented faculty, like chemistry professor
maintain Augsburg's low
2
...
l4:l
Vivien Feng, and
4
...
keep Augsburg affordable by providing a portion of the academic
scholarships and financial aid received by 90% of day students.
studenUfaculty rati0.
make it possible for curious and talented students to stay on campus
5
during the summer to engage in full{ime research with a faculty mentor.
3
...
provide up{o-date computers and technology services critical to
...
fund student programs and co-curricular activities, like campus
ministry, athletics, internships, and ethnic student services.
6
...
provide the special equipment, safety equipment, and supplies for
our science laboratories.
teaching and learning.
È1.
r,' ,ç $¡
"$,ft..,
t{Ol\¡b^
GIVING IN ACTI(¡NWhat Students and Alumni Say
Nate Johnson '11
Rossing Physics Scholar, StepUP program
Ali Rapp '11
Honors student, "Homemade" blogger
ln Augsburg's unique Honors program, Ali and her fellow students participate in deep discussions about controversial questions. "There's a degree of openness in Honors that you don't
find in other classes," she says. Another way Ali expresses
her-
self is through her blog on Homemade, the site that gives current and future Auggies a sense of what life is really like for
students at Augsburg. "We really get to the heart of issues, and
I'm glad we have that kind of freedom to be ourselves and to be
Junior Nate Johnson has an interest in how things work and
was drawn to the problem-solving part of physics. This year he
was named one of four Rossing Physics Scholars in the nation
by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Johnson grew
up in St. Croix Falls before entering substance abuse treatment
in high school. At Augsburg, Johnson is in the StepUp pro,
gram, a program that is much of the reason why he chose the
College and where he f inds community, support, faith, and discipline. "When I was looking at colleges, every time I went to
genuine."
Augsburg, I felt excited about it," Johnson says, "... other college settings felt daunting."
Your giving supp0rts personal growth in Augsburg's
Your giving supp0rts paths to healthy lives in Augsburg's
Honors program
StepUP program
re
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Shonna Fulford'09
Myles Stenshoel Scholarship
The Augsburg faculty did more
than just teach Shonna Fulford,
a 2OO9 graduate from Perham,
Minn. "They are truly there to
teach you what they know, to let
you discover things you may never
Annika Gunderson '11
have otherwise, and to help you
President's Scholar, world traveler
ln her three years as an Auggie, Annika Gunderson '1 t
succeed in everything you want to do," she says. As the recipient of the endowed scholarship for students pursuing careers in
political science, she also had the opportunity to get to know
has
almost spent more time away from Augsburg than on campus.
This international relations and Spanish major from Winona,
Minn., has studied abroad three times, spending five weeks in
is named. This student orientation leader and Homecoming
queen hopes to return to Augsburg some day, perhaps as a
Cuernavaca, Mexico; a semester in Central America; and
member of the administration.
another semester in Brazil. Gunderson suggests that all students take advantage of the many study abroad opportunities
Your giving supp0rts scholarships endowed to honor
Professor Emeritus Myles Stenshoel, for whom the scholarship
available to Augsburg students. "lt's important to be able to
challenge yourself to go beyond, to experience something unfa-
faculty careers and commitment
miliar."
Your giving supports life-changing experiences thr0ugh
Augsburg's Genter for Global Education
Michele Roulet '10
WEC Student Senate
Michele Roulet found Augsburg at the State Fair. Returning to college
after a two-year degree and full-time work, she enjoys working at her own
pace for "a chance to figure out who I am." The studio art major has
studied abroad in Central America and Europe. She has also found a
niche in the Weekend Student Senate and has served as its president,
making sure that Augsburg's weekend and graduate student voices are
represented on campus.
Your giving supports leadership in Student Government
Fall
2009
35
GIVING IN ACTIflNSupporting Augsburg Chemistry Students:
John and Marvel Yager
John Yager '7 4 was not a typical Augsburg f reshman. Although
born in Minnesota, he grew up traveling in a military family. He
picked Augsburg because his parents were expected to retire in the
Twin Cities; his uncle, Dr. 0. Lewis Zahrendt, was an Augsburg
graduate; and Augsburg's admissions materials were the most
appeal i ng.
It was a good choice. Yager says he considers Augsburg "one of
the most fortunate events of my life as far as my education was
concerned." His goal was medical school and he majored in chemistry and biology.
Yager credits his academic success to what he believes are still
the hallmarks of Augsburg's chemistry department-high levels of
integrity, dedication, and a commitment to achievement-as well
as the dedication of the chemistry faculty-Courtland Agre, John
Holum, Earl Alton, and Arlin Gyberg. Yager also credits his classmates, the "phenomenal group of very bright and hard-working students, who helped me work all the harder."
But even more crucial to his college success was the support
Yager received when his older brother, with whom he was living,
was tragically killed in an accident. ln coping with grief and trying
to decide whether to stay at Augsburg, Yager contacted Rick Thoni,
the director of student advisers, who arranged for housing options
that Yager needed to stay in school and supported him through the
While his first job involved hands-on chemistry, his subsequent
work has taken him into related fields and aspects of immuno-
chemìstry-q ual ity assurance, regu latory affairs, cl in ical trials, and
literature research and publications. He is a patent-holder on a
medical device used in endoscopy.
"l've had great opportunity to really apply chemistry," Yager
says, "to apply the discipline of what I've learned over the years to
a career that has been extremely rewarding personally." He notes
that while he didn't pursue a medical career, his work has contìnually helped people through development of better medical
products.
Yager currently'works for a new company,
Acist Medical
Systems, which manufactures products that help physicians
ing them reach out to me was something l've never forgotten,"
administer the contrast agent used in angiography.
Yager has continually remained connected to the Chemistry
Department and Augsburg. He has lectured in senior seminars,
Yager says.
served as a mentor to chemistry students, and coached students
After graduation Yager took additional chemistry courses and
worked as a pathology assistant at St. Mary's Hospital. While medical school did not become part of his future, in the pathology lab
through the hurdles of f inding their first jobs. He enjoys maintain-
crisis.
"Feeling that connection and that bond to the College, and feel-
he met Marvel, who also worked in the lab and later became his
wife.
Yager turned
to industry and took a position with an immunodi-
agnostics company, researching and manufacturing products that
improve medical diagnostic testing. Thirty-f ive years later he has
worked at all of the major immunochemistry companies in the Twin
Cities and has been on the cutting edge of medical research in
number of start-up companies.
36
Augsburg Now
a
ing this connection and being on campus once in a while.
"l just
feel at home," he says.
John and Marvel Yager value education and have supported
Augsburg chemistry students through the Augsburg College Chemistry Alumni Scholarship. At times, Yager has also been able to
provide an employer match to their funds.
"As my career has advanced and we've looked at our values as a
family," Yager says, "the idea of giving back has been fundamental."
Yager says that for them Augsburg is the natural place to give,
and with the scholarship endowment, the gift keeps giving.
T
2OO8.2OO9 FINAI{CIAt H¡ûHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
Where the Money Goes
7o/o
3o/"
Government grants
3o/o
Equipment
and capital
improvement
2o/"
Other sources
Student salary
5%
\
3o/o
Debt service
\
Private gifts and grants
.3o/o
/utititi"t
t2/"
Room and board
ffi
m
ffi
$34.5
$33.7
$30.5
$26.6
$26.2
$24.8
2009 Endowment Market Value
$23.2
Ï22.7
$23.3
May 31, 2009
$20.0
$26,211,136
As
$r 6.4
of May 31, 2009, we have
annual realized and unrealized
losses of 2I.7% on our endowment.
$r 4.2
$11.5
Our five-year average annual return
on the endowment is .18%, and the
lO-year average annual return is
I.42%.
We are committed to maintaining the value of the principal
gifts and to provide support to the
College in perpetuity.
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
2ît7
2008
2009
Endowment Assets
(in millions)
June
l,
1
995
-
May 31, 2009
Fall
2009
31
llEAR FRIEI{llS,
It is my distinct pleasure to share with you news about the many gifts and contributions made to Augsburg College between June 1, 2008, and May 31,
2009. I am filled with gratitude at the generosity of our thousands of alumni,
parents, and friends who wholeheariedly supported the College during this past
year
of unprecedented economic challenges and uncertainty.
Together, for the benefit of our students and community, we were able to witness many successes and end our year with an operating surplus.
I'd like to
highlight just a few examples.
.
We increased the number of donors who made gifts during the year to a total
4,75L This support went to The Augsburg Fund, student scholarships,
capital projects, and fine arts, athletics, signature programs, and other
important i n itiatives.
of
¡
Perhaps most exciting, especially in a challenging economy, was the success of The Augsburg Fund, our fund for unrestricted gifts for
the College. For the second year in a row, it reached its $1 million goal, surpassing last year's mark for a total of $1,003,210 from
3,400 donors.
¡
Also for the second year in a row, I am proud to tell you
that we received 100% participation in The Augsburg
Fund from the Augsburg Board of Regents, the Alumni
Board of Directors, the President's Cabinet, and-for the
first time-the staff of the lnstitutional Advancement
Division. This was a gratifying sign of commitment from
WE Lfl(lK BACK WITH GRATITUDE
ANIl F(lRWARD WITH EXPECTATION
F()R A YEAR OF CflNTINUED
SUPPflRT FflR flUR STUDENTS
these key groups of leaders.
.
Augsburg also received 619 gifts totaling $387,000 to new or existing scholarship funds. Scholarships are a primary source of financial aid for many students at Augsburg, and we are again grateful for the 334 generous individuals who chose to establish or con-
tribute to these funds,
this new academic year with the largest enrollment and greatest diversity of any incoming first-year class, we look back with
gratitude and forward with expectation for a year of continued support for our students. I thank you for your continued, unfailing support.
As we enter
Sincerely,
JIRTMY R. WELLS
VICT PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
38
Augsburg Now
t¡FEÏIME ûIVI}IG
The following
list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given a minimum 0f $100,000, including
planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
'68 and Tamra Nelson
Ernest+ and Helen Alne
Phillip+'55 and Lynne Gronseth
George
Donald '60 and Violet Anderson
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Barbara Tjornhom
Daniel '65 and Alice Anderson
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Robert'51+ and Carolyn Odegard
R. Luther Olson '56
'54 Nelson and Richard
Nelson
Brian Anderson '82 and Leeann Rock'81
James and Kathleen Haglund
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Hearst Foundation
Beverly Halling '55 0ren and Donald '53 Oren
Earl and Doris Bakken
Loren Henderson
John and Norma Paulson
Loren and Mary Quanbeck'77 Barber
Elizabeth '82 and Warren Bartz
Donald Hennings
Grace Forss
Robert '50 and Ruth Paulson
Glen Person '47
Paul '63 and LaVonne Olson
'63 Batalden
'57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Donald '39 and Phyllis Holm
Harvey
Sidney '57 and Lola Lidstrom '50 Berg
Allen and Jean Housh
Addison and Cynthia Piper
Barbara and Tane Birky
Garfield Hoversten '50
David Piper
Roy'50 and Ardis Bogen
Huss Foundation
Harry and lVlary Piper
John+ and Joyce Boss
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Philip '50 and Dora Frojen'49 Quanbeck
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Kinney Johnson '65
Mark'53 and Jean Raabe
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
James Johnson and Maxine lsaacs
Alan
Bush Foundation
Dean '75 and Terry Kennedy
Curtis and lVlarian Sampson
Carlson Companies
Bruce and Maren Kleven
Ward C. Schendel
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
David and Barbara Kleven
Ruth Schmidt '52
Richard '74 and Nancy Colvin
E. Milton Kleven '46
James and Eva Seed
David and lVìary Brandt '79 Croft
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Rodney
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
John and Martha Singleton
Corporation Foundation
Darrell '55 and Helga Egertson
Rhonda
Tracy L. Elftmann '81
Diane and Philip Larson
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
George
Leland and Louise Sundet
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Winifred Helland '37 Formo+ and Jerome
Formo'37+
James Lindell '46
Dean '81 and Amy Sundquist
Gary'80 and Deanna Tangwall
Jeny and Jean Foss
Jennifer and Richard Martin
P. Dawn Heil
William and Anne Frame
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundatìon
Marie and Larry McNeff
Teagle Foundation
Gerard and Anne lVeistrell
Hoyt '39+ and Lucille lVlesserer
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Robert '63 and Marie Tufford
Michael '71 and Ann Good
Robert '70 and Sue lVidness
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
'84 and Jean Taylor '85
H. Theodore '76 and lVlichele Grindal
Raymond '57 and Janice Grinde
Paul '84 and Nancy Mackey '85 Mueller
Robert Wagner '02
William and Stephanie Naegele
Ronald '68 and lvlary Kay Nelson
Scott Weber '79
Del uxe
Roger Griffith
Spitzer'85 Kwiecien and Paul Kwiecien '86
ice
'74
and Catherine L. B. Schendel
Sill '82
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Gladys Boxrud Strommen '46 and Clair
David Lankinen'88
Strommen'46+
'61 and lVary Larson
Harris '57 and Maryon Lee
Arne '49 and Jean Swanson
R
'52 and Joanne Varner '52 Peterson
'52
lVarkland
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
laylor'78
Robert Wick '81
Every effort has been made t0 ensure that all nanes are included and spelled correctly.
lfyou notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
*
Deceased
Fall
2009
39
PRESItlENT'S CIRCTE
GIFTS RECEIVTD JUNE 1, 2OO8 TO MAY 31, 2OO9
The following
list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously made leadership gifts to the College 0f $1,000 or more in
the 2008-09 fiscal year.
Ruth Aaskov'53
Margaret Clyde
Andra Adolfson
Joseph Cook'89
William '51 and Marolyn Sortland '51 Halverson
Elling and Barbara Halvorson
Peter '70 and lVìary Agre
Walter and Janet Cooper
Jill Hanau
Lois Richter '60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Brent Crego '84
Clarence Hansen'53
Edward '50 and Margaret Alberg
George
Craig Alexander and Roberta Kagin
Sally Hough Daniels '79
'72 and Janet Dahlman
Mark '68 and lone Agrimson
'68
Hanson
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Bartley Davidson '76
Hunt and Diane Harris
Julie Edstrom'90
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Leif Anderson
Judy Thompson Eiler '65
Christopher Haug'79 and Karl Starr
Deloris Anderson '56
Dantel'77 and Patricia Eitrheim
David '67 and Karen Jacobson
Daniel '65 and Alice Anderson
Richard '72 and Tamara Ekstrand
Helen Haukeness'49 and James Ranck
Robert'77 and Katherine Anderson
Brian Anderson '82 and Leeann Rock '81
Fuad and Nancy EI-Hibri
Lisa Svac Hawks '85
Avis Ellingrod
Mark Hebert '74
Catherine and Charles Anderson
Rona Quanbeck'48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Philip'42 and Ruth Helland
Scott'76 and Lisa Anderson
Ronald Engebretsen
Leo Henkemeyer
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
Susan Engeleiter
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Frank'50 and Georgette Lanes'50 Ario
Christine Pieri '88 Arnold and James Arnold '88
Stephen '68 and lVìarilyn lVcKnight '67 Erickson
Donald '39 and Phyllis Holm
Dean '68 and Diana Olson '69 Ersfeld
L. Craig'79 and Theresa Serbus '79 Estrem
Linda Baìley '74 Holmen and Kenneth Holmen '74
Paul Holmquist '79
Richard '87 and Carla Bahr
lVlark and Margie Eustis
Joeì and Alice Houlton
Dorothy Bailey
John '82 and Joan Moline'83 Evans
Kermit '50 and Ruth Hoversten
Robert Barber'56
Allison Everett'78 and Kenneth Svendsen '78
Clarence '41 and lVarguerite Hoversten
Elizabeth '82 and Warren Bartz
Paul '63 and LaVonne Olson '63 Batalden
Barbara Farley
Jane and Patrick Fischer
Allen '64 and Lenice Hoversten
Philip '71 and Patricia Hoversten
Duncan Flann '55
Jerelyn Hovland '63 and Clyde Cobb
Paul '59 and Pearl Almquist
.James
'58 and Beverly Almquist
Jean Hemstreet'68 Bachman and Harold Bachman
Vera Thorson Benzel
'45
'67
Haugen
Dawn Formo
fom'72
Jerome Formo'37+
Joseph Hsieh'61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Birgit Birkeland '58
William and Anne Frame
Andrew Fried '93
Glenda and Richard Huston
Nancy Paulson '70 Bjornson and
JoAnne Digree '68 Fritz and Barry Fritz
Brandon Hutchinson'99
J. Ragnar Bjornson
Buffie Blesi '90 and John Burns
David '68 and Lynn Boe
Leola Dyrud Furman '61
Barbara and Richard Hutson
Karon Garen
Duane'68 and Diane llstrup
John '47 and lrene Jensen
Sidney'57 and Lola Lidstrom '50 Berg
Norman '59 and Delores Berg
John Berg'59
Ann Garvey
and Karen Howe
lVlichael and Barbara Hubbard
Anthony'85 and Traci Genia
Glen'52 and lrvyn Gilbertson
Carol Oversvee Johnson '61
Bruce Brekke
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
Michael Brock
Andrew and Carolyn Goddard
Ruth E. Johnson '74 and Philip Quanbeck ll
lVerton '59 and Jo An Bjornson '58 Johnson
Adam Buhr'98 and Laura Pejsa '98
Alexander '90 and Simone Gonzalez
Danìel Johnson'75
Robert and Brenda Bukowski
lVichael '71 and Ann Good
Gary'74 and lVelody Johnson
Carolyn Burfield '60
Shirley Larson '51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormìey
Craig Jones
Marilyn Saure '61 Breckenridge and
Tom Breckenridge
Charles Bush
Bruce '68 and Lois Hallcock '68 Johnson
Eric Jolly
Paul and Judy Grauer
Cynthia Landowski '81 Jones and Rick Jones
Carrìe and Peter Carroll
Charles and Barbara Green
H. Theodore '76 and lVichele Grindal
Jennifer Abeln
John and Peggy Cenito
lVabeth Saure '58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Janet L. Karvonen-Montgomery and Alan
Keith '65 and Lynn Chilgren
Herbert'54 and E Corrine Chilstrom
David and Kathy Haaland
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Patricia and Paul Kaufman
C. Lee Clarke
James and Kathleen Haglund
Dean '75 and Terry Kennedy
Marion Buska '46
Christine Coury '91 Campbell and Craig Campbell
40
Augsburg Now
Carol Jones
'78 Kahlow and Larry Kahlow
lVontgomery
lVichael Kivley '89
Jellrey'77 and Becky Bjella '79 Nodland
Charles and Ritchie Markoe Scribner
Linda Klas '92
Norma Noonan
James and Eva Seed
E. lVlilton Kleven '46
Roselyn Nordaune'77
Adam '01 and Allison Seed
Elsie Ronholm Koivula '49
Lisa Novotny '80 and lVark Flaten
Phyllis '58 and Harold Seim
Joanne Stiles '58 Laird and David Laird
Richard '70 and Linda Seime
Kalhryn'72 Lange and Dennis Sonifer
Teny'7O and Vicki Nygaard
Leroy Nyhus '52
Ruth Ringstad '53 Larson and lVarvin Larson
Robert Odegard '51+
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Earl '68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen '70 Sethre
Norman '85 and Kim Asleson '84 Okerstrom
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Harris '57 and Maryon Lee
Sandra Larson '69 Olmsted and Richard Olmsted '69
Chad '93 and lVìargaret Shilson
Thomas and Gratra Lee
R, Luther 0lson '56
David Soli '81
Andre Lewis '73 and Kathleen McCartin
Orville '52 and Yvonne Bagley '52 0lson
Earle '69 and Kathleen Kupka '69 Solomonson
Debora and John Liddell
William and Mary 0'lVìeara
Donald '53 and Beverly Halling '55 Oren
Allan '53 and Eunice Nystuen '50 Sortland
Alice Lindell '58 and Gordon '59 Lindgren
Mary Sue Zelle Lindsay and Hugh Lindsay
Beverly Ottum
Arne and Ellen Sovik
Patricia and John Parker
Carolyn Johnson
Dana Lonn
John and Norma Paulson
Robert and Joyce Engstrom '70 Spector
Kathy Lowrie
Robert'50 and Ruth Paulson
Richard '74 and Karen Pearson
Alan Petersen '58+
Harvey '52 and Joanne Varner '52 Peterson
Todd '89 and Amy Steenson
Karin Peterson
Gladys Boxrud Strommen '46
Eugene'59 and Paula Peterson
Corwin and Doris Peterson
Philip '79 and Julia Davis '79 Styrlund
Arne'49 and Jean Swanson '52 Markland
Ron '69 and Jane Petrich
Terry Marquardt'98 and Gary Donahue
Carol Pfleiderer
Jennifer and Richard lVartin
Sandra Phaup'64
Dean '81 and Amy Sundquist
Jeffrey'79 and Melissa Swenson
Nicole Swords '01 and April Leger '02
Jo Anne Sylvester '68 and Larry Dieckman
Gary '80 and Deanna Tangwall
Jean Taylor '85 and Roger Griff ith '84
Paul '60 and Nancy Thompsen
Dick '61 and Jane Thompson
lVlartin Larson
'80
James Lindell '46
Wenona '55 and Norman Lund
Thomas'68 and Carol Batalden '68 Luukkonen
Pamela and Robert lVlacDonald
Philip '79 and Diane Madsen
Kay Malchow'82 and Stephen Cook
Lyle '68 and Susanne Starn
'68
Robert '71 and Cheryl Lindroos
lVìalotky
'72 Marlin
Paul C. Pribbenow and Abigail Crampton Pribbenow
Donald '66 and Margaret fVattison
Karl D. Puterbaugh'52
Donna McLean
Philip '50 and Dora Frojen '49 Quanbeck
lVlark'53 and Jean Raabe
Tara Cesaretti
'97 lVcleod
and
Chrìstopher McLeod '00
Lori Lassi '80 Rathje and Tim Rathje'86
IVarie and Larry lVìcNeff
Clayton '91 and Denise Sideen
Beverly Ranum
'78
'94 McNeff
Meyer and Dennis Meyer'78
John
'62 and Ruth Sather '63 Sorenson
'80 Spargo and Lawrence Spargo
Donald and Annelies Steinmetz
lVìyles
and Eunice Stenshoel
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Ralph and Grace Kemmer '58 Sulerud
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Harold and Maureen Thompson
Eunìce Kyllo '62 Roberts and Warren Roberts
Gordon '52 and Gloria Parizek'53 Thorpe
E. Palmer Rockswold
David and Martha Tiede
Deidre Durand 'BB and Bruce lViddleton
John '68 and Linda Roebke
Frances Torstenson
Robert '70 and Sue Midness
Laura and Martin Roller
Lawrence '69 and Susan Turner
Frances Roller
Peter Turner
Timothy '74 and Deborah Anderson '73 Miller
John'77 and Gail Ronning
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Joyce Schroepfer lVliller '02
Philip Rowberg'41
Gerald '48 and Judith
Betty and Paul Tveite
Julie Lien '82 and Steve Vanderboom
Paul '70 and Barbara Durkee
Gay Johnson
'71
lVikelson
'66 Minear and Spencer
lVlinear '66
Ryan
'59 and Sylvia Sabo
Robert Minicucci
Thomas'59 and Ruth Carlsen '60 Moen
Mark'79 and Pamela Hanson '79 Moksnes
Curtis and lVìarian Sampson
'70 and Dennis Veiseth
Norman '76 and Kathryn Anderson '76 Wahl
Judith and William Scheide
David and Sarah Warch
Thelma lVlonson '41
Carolyn Hanson '68 Schildgen and
Loìs
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
William Schildgen
Ruth Schmidt '52
Jeremy and Tracy Wells
LaWayne
'51 and D. LaRhea Johnson '51
IVlorseth
lVlartin
Alne'65 Schroeder and William Schroeder
lVìary
'76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
John '49 and Arnhild Werket
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
James lVloulsoff
lVlarilee
Paul '84 and Nancy Mackey '85 Mueller
Suzanne Ziemann Schulz '87
Robert Wick '81
Donald Murphy '43+ Ruth lVurphy
John Schwartz'67
Diane Pike and Stephen Willett
Ronald '68 and lvlary Kay Nelson
lnez'59 and Lyall Schwarzkopf
David and Catherine Woìd
Mildred Nelson '52
Erik and Leigh Schwarzkopf
Todd Yeiter
Beverly Omdahl Nelson '55
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Estate of E. lrene Lasseson Neseth '38+
Michael
'08
'71and Bonnie Scott
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
lf you notice an errot please clntact Kev¡n Healy at l-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
*
Deceased
Fall
2009
41
flRGANIZATIflNS
GIFTS RECTIVED JUNE 1, 2OOB TO MAY 31, 2OO9
The following
list recognizes organizations that provided generous gifts to Augsburg College 0f $1000 0r more in the 2008-2009 fiscal year
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Carl & Eloise Pohlad Family Foundatjon
3M Foundation
Halleland Lewis Nilan Sipkins & Johnson PA.
Accenture Foundation
Hazelden Foundation
Al Franken for Senate
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Hennepin County
Charles N. and Florence S. Hensel Education Fund
American Lutheran Church
Huss Foundation
Robins, Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi L.L.P Foundation
Ameriprise Financial
IBM Corporation
The Summit Group
Ameriprise Financial Employee Gift Matching
lnstitute of American Physics
TCF Foundation
Kresge Foundation
A'viands
Lockheed Martin Corporation
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Foundatìon
Bassford Remele
lVìacalester College
UBS Foundation
Beckman Coulter, Inc.
lVarble Lutheran Church
Bonner Foundation
lVat Bandits Wrestling Club
US Bancorp Foundation
Vista De La Montaña United Methodist Church
Campus Kitchens Project, lnc.
The McGee Group
Wabash College
Collegiate lVìarketing
IVlDTA
Data Recogn ition Corporation
Merck Partnership For Giving
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
Deloitte Foundatron
Minneapol is Public Schools
Winthrop & Weinstine, PA.
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
M
Program
FPL Group Foundation, Inc.
nnesota Legislative Society
Minnesota Private College Foundation
i
The New York Academy
Gethsemane Professional & Benevolent Fund
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
GI\4AC.RFC
Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation
E
N 0 FTE D At
The following
Research Corporation
National Trust For Historical Preservation
0f Medicine
Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation
General Mills Foundation
SV
Presser Foundation
S0G
IETY,
SupportingAugsburg's mission intothefuture
list recognizes those members wh0 have documented planned gifts to Augsburg College during 2008-09, becoming charter members of
the Sven Oftedal Society.
Daniel '65 and Alice Anderson
Anna J. Hanson
L. Beth Buesing Opgrand '45
E. William Anderson'56
Rodney E. and Arlene B. (Selander) Hill
John Peterson+
Keith and Beverly Anderson
Lorna Hoversten
Elìzabeth Anne and Warren Bartz
Sherry Jennings-King
Quentin '50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck
Nancy M. (Joubert) Raymond
Oliver Dahl '45
Clair Johannsen '62
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Gladys Boxrud Strommen
Sally Hough Danìels '79
Laura Kompelien Delavie '92
Paul Kwiecien and Rhonda Kwiecien
Robert '65 and Kay Tyson
Avis Ellìngrod
David W. Lankinen '88
fVìary Loken Veiseth
Duane M. Esterly
Luther and Janice Larson
Beverly Gryth
Al
lVlarvin and Ruth Larson
ice Evenson
Allison M. Everett and Kenneth
Svendsen
H
I
'52 Villwock+ and H.
Robert Villwock
Julie (Gudmestad) and Joe Laudicina
Robert Wagner '02
Rev. John and Grace (Nydahl) Luoma
Dr. Scott J.M. Weber '79
Rev. Terry Frovik
Lyle and Susanne lVìalotky
Ann Garvey
Orval and Bernell Moren
James and Corrìne Hamre
Roger lVì. Nelson
42
Gary Tangwal
Augsburg Now
,-t
c0r{sEcuTtvE ûtvtNG
The following
list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years.
lVlarcellus '54 and Thelma Johnson
Rachel Hendrickson '71 Julian and Bruce Julian
George'46 and Jean Christenson '49 Sverdrup
Jennings '51 and lVìary Schindler '48 Thompson
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Allan Tonn '75
Sharon Dittbenner'65 Klabunde and
Sheldon '49 and Margery Manger'47 Torgerson
Consecutive Giving, 25 !€âts 0r nì0t0:
Ruth Aaskov'53
Harold'47 and Lors Black '47 Ahlbom
Kenneth '61 and lVìarilyn Ellingson '62 Akerman
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Raymond and lVlargaret Anderson
Jerome Kleven '58
Frances Torstenson
Catherine and Charles Anderson
Lowell '54 and Janice Kleven
Daniel '65 and Alice Anderson
Elsre Ronholm Koivula '49
Margaret Sateren Trautwein '37
Rebecca Helgesen '67 Von Fischer and
Kristin Anderson
Joan Johnson
l. Shelby Gimse Andress '56
Frank'50 and Georgette Lanes'50 Ario
Stanley'57 and Mary Esther Baker
Archie Lalim '5O
George '61 and lVary Larson
Linda Larson '70 and C. jerry Sells
Harris '57 and lVìaryon Lee
lrene Ppedahl Lovaas'45
Roger'57 and Fern lVlackey
lVlarie and Larry McNeff
Paul'70 and Barbara Durkee '71 Mikelson
Spencer'66 and Gay Johnson '66 Minear
Andrew'50 and Barbara Kolden '50 Balerud
Paul '63 and LaVonne Olson '63 Batalden
John Benson'55
Vera Thorson Benzei '45
Jack'49 and LeVerne Berry
Doris Frojen Bretheim '51
Beth Torstenson '66
Richard Klabunde
'53 Kuder and Calvin Kuder
'60
Thomas Von Fischer
Thomas '63 and Gloria Joyce Wadsworth
David and Catherine Wold
20 -24 year s consecutive
Lois Richter '60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Charles'63 and Lois Luthard '65 Anderson
Julie Teigland '69 Anderson and Gary Anderson
Ray Anderson '49
Hamar'34 and Wanda Severson '40 Benson
Theodore '51+ and Carolyn Berkland
James'49 and Barbara Ekse'48 Carlson
Jeroy'48 and Lorraine Carlson
Thomas '59 and Ruth Carlsen
Thomas and Lonaine Morgan
Birgit Birkeland '58
Linda Carlstedt '63
Mildred Nelson '52
Mary Twiton
Gloria Burntvedt Nelson '43
John and Carolyn Cain
Carl '59 and Kathleen Aaker'62 Casperson
Paige Nelson '74
David '72 and lVlichelle Karkhoff '72 Christianson
Roselyn Nordaune'77
Wayne '69 and Pamela Bjorklund '69 Carlson
Addell Halverson Dahlen '43
Richard '74 and Nancy Colvin
Laverne lVoe '48 Olson and Paul 0lson
Orville '52 and Yvonne Bagley '52 Olson
Joyce Catlin
'73 Casey and Paul Casey
Lester Dahlen '39
Moen
'59 Bosben and Robert
LeVon Paulson
Bosben
Dinter'52
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
lVlarsha
Fred '60 and Janet Engelmann
Roger
Reynold '41 and lVarian Erickson
Ruth Ann Gjerde Fitzke '67
'68 and Dean 0lson-Strommen
'56 and Janet Ose
Patricia Strecker'64 Pederson and Dean Pederson
John '82 and Joan Moline'83 Evans
Marilyn Pearson '76 Florian and Kenneth Florian
Glen Person '47
Edward Evenson'41
Jerome Formo '37+
Robert'68 and Alice Draheim '68 Peters
Harvey '52 and Joanne Varner '52 Peterson
Rachel Rohde '76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist
Leonard '52 and Anabelle Hanson '51 Dalberg
James Ericksen '69
Alan'67 and lVarilyn Albaugh '67 Gierke
Shirley Larson '51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Janet Evenson
Paul and Judy Grauer
David Proctor'63
Raymond '57 and Janice Grinde
Philip '50 and Dora Frojen '49 Quanbeck
James'61 and BettyAnn Redeske
James '68 and Linda Gilbertson '71 Romslo
Olive Ronholm '47
'63 Potratz and Edward
Potratz
Leland '53 and Eunice Fairbanks
Paul '62 and Susan Grover
Sonia Overmoen'62 Gullicks and lVlilton Gullicks
Kenneth '58 and Aldemar Johnson
'57
Hagen
Evelyn Amundson Sonnack '43
Arvin '55 and Twila Halvorson
Herbert '51 and M. Joyce Tallman '52 Hanson
Philip '42 and Ruth Helland
Thomas'57 and Arlene Hofflander
Norman and llene Holen
Allen '64 and Lenice Hoversten
Florence Retrum Hovland'40
Ruth E. Johnson'74 and Philip Quanbeck ll
Donald and Annelies Steinmetz
Wayne Johnson
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
lVyles and Eunice Stenshoel
Duane and Ruth Johnson
Howard'51 and Nouaneta Hjelm
Gladys Boxrud Strommen '46
James '61 and Caroline Holden
Merton '42 and lrene Huglen '42 Strommen
Marvin'49 and Dorothy Quanbeck '48 Johnson
Daniel '70 and lngrid Kloster þ9 Koch
Bradley '63 and Linda Holt
Luther'39 and Helen Strommen
James Kottom '52
Gloria Johnson'51
Grace Kemmer '58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Joanne
lVìarlys Ringdahl
'53 Gunderson and
Charles Gunderson
Arlin Gyberg
lVabeth Saure '58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Edward+ and Shirley Hansen
Sylvia Kleven Hanson '50
Betty Johnson '58 Haas and Charles Hass
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge '50
Marilyn Peterson
'63
Haus and George Haus
lVartín '59 and Sylvia Sabo
Ruth Schmidt '52
James'54 and Ethel Nordstrom '55 Shiell
Arnold '48 and Carol Skaar
'58
Stiles'58 Laird and David Laird
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correcily.
lf you notice an enot please clntact Kevin Healy at 1-800-2/3-06J7 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
*
Deceased
Fall
2009
43
l\4artin Larson '80
Robert '56 and lVary Erickson
'58
Lockwood
David '53 and Janice Anderson '54 Rykken
Scott Daniels '82 and lVlarcia Pape-Daniels
Ann Erkkila Dudero '86
Audrey Nagel '51 Sander
'68 and Janice Bell '70 Schmidt
Brent Lofgren'88
Dann Forsberg'80
Gary
Susan Lageson '77 Lundholm and lVlark Lundholm
Joann Koelln Frankena'72
Kevin '78 and Catherine Rosik '00 Shea
Lynn '50 and lVliriam Hoplín
'50 Lundin
'66 Luoma
Ronald '56 and Christine Munson '56 IVlain
Kristin Settergren '86 l\4cGinness and
Gary and Barbara Glasscock
Glen and Anna Skovholt
John '65 and Gracia Nydahl
Alexander'90 and Simone Gonzalez
Allan '53 and Eunice Nystuen '50 Sortland
Robert and Nancy Granrud
Paulette Nelson '67 Speed and John Speed
Lloyd Grinde'56
David '63 and Karen Henry'64 Steenson
Tito Guerrero
Steve McGinness
Donna lVlcLean
Bonnie Johnson
'67 Nelson and Bryce
Nelson
lll
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Suzanne Overholt'67 Hampe and John Hampe
Dorothy Joy Swanson '51
Jacquelyn Bagley'51 Hanson and Kenneth Hanson
Jelfrey'79 and Melissa Swenson
Karla lVorken '81 Thompson and
Shirley Christensen '75 Nickel and Daniel Nickel
Christopher Haug'79 and Karl Starr
lVìargaret Nelson Foss Nokleberg '48
Carolyn Hawkins
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Rodney'62 and Jane Helgeson
Robert '55 and Karin Herman
Rodney'59 and Arlene Selander'59 Hill
Robert Nordin '64
Jonathan Nye
Thomas Thompson
Kenneth
'83 Ogdie and Al Ogdie
Norman '85 and Kim Asleson '84 Okerstrom
W. Donald '34 and Glenda Olsen
Edith Hovey
Glenda and Richard Huston
Rosemary Jacobson '69
IVìary
0lson
Lawrence'69 and Susan Turner
Jeanne lvl Kyllo '69 Wendschuh and
'74 and Linda Bailey '74 Holmen
Leroy Nyhus'52
lVìaren Lecy
Mark'79 and Janelle Tonsager
Ronald Wendschuh
Donald '89 and Melinda Mattox '91 Wichmann
Janet Cooke '59 Tilzewilz and Donald Zilzewilz
Robyn Arnold Zollner
'80
Kinney Johnson '65
James'64 and Rose Parks
Janet Batalden'61 Johnson and
10-14 years consecutive
Eugene'59 and Paula Peterson
Eileen Quanbeck '46
Dennìs'61 Johnson
Morris '52 and Marjorie Danielson '52 Johnson
Ordelle Aaker '46
Norman '59 and Ardelle Skovholt '54 Quanbeck
Luther'68 and Joanne Kendrick
The American Foundation
Paul '59 and Pearl Almquist
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
E. fVilton Kleven '46
Scott'76 and Lisa Anderson
Stephen '76 and Karen Reinarz
Carrie Kosek'85 Knott and Gerald Knott
Dean'74 and Janet Nelson '76 Anderson
Judith Sandeen'72
Janet Griffith '83 Sandford and David Sandford
Joyce Opseth Schwartz'45
Ronnie'62 and Karen Scott
Kari Beckman '81 Sorenson and Neil Sorensen
La Vone Studlien '58
lVlillard '52 and Dorothy Knudson
Leif Anderson
Duane and lVìary Alyce Krohnke
Scott Anderson '96
Lois Knutson '62 Larsen and Paul Larsen
lVargaret Anderson
Elizabeth Mortensen '56 Swanson and
Annette and Col. Henry C. Lucksinger, Jr.
LeRoy'52 and Carole Anenson
Bill and Anne McSweeney
Daniel '65 and Mary Tildahl '65 Meyers
Charles '63 and IVlary Jo Arndt
Robert '70 and Sue Midness
Mary Arneson and Dale Hammerschmidt
James '88 and Christine Pieri '88 Arnold
Viclor'42 and Rhoda Miller
Susan Hanson '82 Asmus and Kevin Asmus
Ruth Weltzin '45 Swanson and Edwin Swanson
Andrew Moen '87
Dorothy Bai ley
Norman H. Tallakson Charitable Trust
Alan Montgomery and
Lawrence'52 and Jayne Balzer
James Swanson
Jacqueline'80 and John Teísberg
Janis Thoreson '78
Dennis'58 and Doris Barnaal
Janet Karvonen-lVontgomery
Lawayne
'5i
and D. LaRhea .Johnson
'51
lvìorseth
Arlin Becker '88
'73 Becker and Charles Becker
'50 Berg
Adrian Tinderholt '38
Karl Nestvold'54
Catherine Berglund
Wells Fargo Educational IVatching Gift Program
Norma Noonan
Sidney '57 and Lola Lidstrom
Gunnar+ and Mary Wick
Betsey and Alan Norgard
Robert Wick '81
Robert Odegard '51+
Gertrude Ness Berg'51
Andrew '64 and Jean Amland
Pamela Zagaria
Ruth Pousi Ollila'54
Carolyn Berkland
Gary
'65 and Jean Pfeifer '64 0lson
'65
Berg
Anthony and Kathy Bibus
'65 and Jean Blosberg
15-19 years consecut¡ve
Brian Anderson '82 and Leeann Rock'81
Robert'77 and Katherine Anderson
R. Luther 0lson '56
Jack'62 and Nìna Osberg
John '79 and Rebecca Lundeen '79 Aune
-iohn and Norma Paulson
Dennes'57 and Florence Helland '54 Borman
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Willard Botko
Rosemarie Pace
Gary
Ronald and Anna Marie Austin
Daniel '51 and Lois Pearson
Bruce '64 and Nancy Braaten
The Batalden Advised Fund
Donald Peterson'49
Daniel and lrene Brink
Christine Wacker'87 Bjork and Steven Bjork
Rebecca
'63 and lVavis Bjurlin
Davìd '68 and Lynn Boe
Elizabeth Pushing'93
Quentin '50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck
l\4ichael Burden '85
Barbara Hanson
David Christensen'52
Joyce and Walker Romano
lVlorris
44
Augsburg Now
'88 Pfabe and lVìaurice Higgins
'68 Raymond and David Raymond
Roxanne Raunschnot'82 Buchanan and
Jim Buchanan
Eìnar Cannelin
'38
William Capman
Gregory Carlson '74
'65 MacNally and Thomas MacNally
John and Peggy Cerrito
lrene Shelstad Henjum '52
Marie Haf ie
Herbert'54 and E Corrine Chilstrom
Gregory'61 and Kay Hanenburg'62 Madson
Judith Christensen
Jeff Christenson '82
Rand'82 and Kay Kennedy'82 Henjum
Peter'92 and Becky Hespen
Kristen Hirsch '91 Montag and Paul Montag
Janet Niederloh '58 Christeson and
Sylvia Hjelmeland
Carlos Mariani Rosa
John '70 and Lynn Benson '69 Hjelmeland
Julie Magnuson '61 Marineau and Richard
John Christeson
Raymond lVlakeever
Patrick'72 and Nancy lvlarcy
C. Lee Clarke
iohn'81 and Karen Hofflander
Joseph '53 and Connre Cleary
Dean '57 and Jane Holmes
Donald '60 and Ruth Thorsgard '59 Homme
John '59 and De Anne lVartinsen
James'59 and Joanne Horn
Jon '58 and Judith lVlatala
Elizabeth Horton
Phillip '62 and Karen Tangen '63 lVattison
Lillian and Vernon Maunu
Dana Holmes '81 lVclntyre and Vernon Mclntyre '79
Tara Cesaretti '97 lVlcLeod and Christopher'00
Judith Norman '66 Coppersmith and
Norman Coppersmith
Cheryl Solomonson '89 Crockett and
Marineau
Donald '65 and Delores Hoseth
Larry Crockett
0liver Dahl '45
Kermit '50 and Ruth Hoversten
Tom'72 and Karen Howe
Sally Hough Daniels '79
Rhoda lVonseth
Lois Mackey Davis '58
Mark '88 and lVìarya lVlattson
Laura Bower '91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe
'59 Huglen and Erling Huglen
'83 Hultgren
Suzanne Doree
Bruce and Jean lnglis
Julie Edstrom '90
Darrell '55 and Helga Egertson
Judy Thompson Eiler '65
Carolyn Ross
Robert '71 and Cheryl Lindroos
'72 Mar|in
lVlcLeod
Meca Sportswear lnc.
Robert '59 and Mary Lundquist '60 Meffert
'89 lsaak and James
lsaak
Joan and Richard lVleierotto
Jeffrey '80 and Jacqui Jarnes
David '68 and Elaine Melby
Thomas '86 and Susan Miller
David '79 and Amy Eitrheim
'63 Johnson and Charles Johnson
Laurel Jones '69 Johnson and Larry Johnson
Bruce '68 and Lois Hallcock '68 Johnson
Daniel'77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Carolyn Johnson '63
Mark 'BB and Tamie lVlorken
Avis Ellingrod
Douglas'66 and Kathryn Wall '66 Johnson
Kari Elsila and lVlichael Buescher
Glen and Marlys Johnson
Rona Quanbeck'48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Margaret Johnson
Paul '84 and Nancy Mackey '85 lVìueller
Scott '81 and Debra Musselman
Michael Navane
and Lynette Engebretson
Ellen Stenberg Erickson '51
Joan '94 and Mark Johnson
Doris Wilkins
Curtis '84 and Jody Eischens
Dean '68 and Diana Olson
'69 Ersfeld
Martha Johnson
Theodore '68 and lVlichelle Johnson
Duane Esterly'75
L. Cratg'79 and Theresa Serbus
'79
Estrem
'78 Kahlow and Larry Kahlow
Jennifer Abeln
'78
Moren
Edor'38 and Dorathy Nelson
Lany '65 and lVarilyn Nelson
Ronald '68 and Mary Kay Nelson
David '64+ and Johnson
lVlark
Ronald '59 and Elizabeth Miskowiec
Jonathan '78 and Bonnie Lamon
E. lrene Lasseson Neseth '38+
Steven '64 and Rebecca '64 Nielsen
John '68 and Martha Fahlberg
Suzanne Kelley'69
Robert '73 and Linda Nilsen
Karen Faulkner
Benjamin and Christine Kent
James '57 and Shirley Norman
William and Anne Frame
James Kerr
Donald '65 and Carolyn Francis
Richard '69 and Cheryl Nelson
lerry'67 and Pauline
North Dakota Community Foundation
'70 King
Linda King '78
Terry'7O and Vicki Nygaard
Edward '54 and Winifred Nystuen '54 Nyhus
Ann Garvey
Marie Gjenvick Knaphus '45+
Richard '69 and Sandra Larson '69 Olmsted
Barbara Gilbert'81
LaRhae Grindal Knatterud '70
Howard and Bettye Olson
Lorraine Vash '67 Gosewisch and David Gosewisch
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Cedric '61 and Marlys Olson
John '66 and Mary Jo Greenfield
Carmela Brown
Cindy Greenwood '05
Joan Kunz
Beverly Halling '55 Oren and Donald '53 Oren
ith '84 and Jean Taylor '85
H. Theodore '76 and Michele Grindal
Steven '81 and Kathy Grinde
Julia Ose'62 Grose and Christopher Grose
Jean Venske '87 Guenther and Stephen Guenther
Richard '72 and Carol Habstritt
Robert'80 and Lori LaFleur
George '50 and Vivian Lanes
Steven 0'Tool '74
Andrea Langeland
Ervin '56 and Sylvia Moe '59 Overlund
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad'53 Larson
Patricia Solum Park'02
Julie Gudmestad '65 and Joseph Laudicina
John '52 and lvlary Peterson '54 Leak
Roger'50 and Donna Wang'52 Leak
Jacqueline Kniefel Lind'69
Patricia and John Parker
James'67 and Laurie Lindell
Dwight '60 and Marion Pederson
Rosemary and Andrew Link
Dale Pederson'70
Arlene and Gene Lopas
Linda Christensen'68 Phillips and Gerald Phillips
Frovik
Roger Griff
Lucille and Roger Hackbart
Shirley and Hansen
John '69 and Barbara Harden
Robert'83 and Lynne Harris
Burton '72 and Rollie Haugen
Lisa Svac Hawks '85
Dawn Hendricks '80
Gerald '59 and lVaxine Hendricks
Olivia Gordon
'84 Kranz and David
Kranz
'62 Lorents and Alden Lorents
Vicki and Daniel 0lson
Russell '63 and Ruth Osterberg
Robert'50 and Ruth Paulson
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Howard '53 and Vicki Skor'59 Pearson
Leanne Phinney'71 and Mark Schultz
Jack'53 and Darlene Lundberg
James Plumedahl '57
lVlarissa Hutterer Machado '99
Jill Pohtilla
Every effort has been made to ensure that all nanes are included and spelled correctly.
lfyou notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
*
Deceased
Fall
2009
45
lnez Olson '59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Richard '70 and Linda Seime
Drew'87 and lVìolly Privette
Jerry '83 and Susan Warnes 'BB Quam
lVlark '53 and Jean Raabe
Dick '61 and Jane Thompson
Sue Thompson
'85
Nicolyn Rajala '70 and Bill Vossler
John Rask '71
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Gordon '52 and Gloria Parizek '53 Thorpe
lVarlys Holm '57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Charles Sheaffer
Richard '56 and Darlene Thorud
Paul Rensted'87
John '50 and Norma Shelstad
lVlìchael
James'75 and Jude Ring
David '59 and Arline Ringstad
James'63 and Patricia Steenson '65 Roback
Donavon '52 and Ardis Roberts
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist '64
Chad '93 and lVargaret Shilson
l\4ark and Ann Tranvik
Eugene and Margaret Skibbe
Gordon '57 and Karen Egesdal '61 Trelstad
'72 and Nancy Becker '72 Soli
Joyce Engstrom '70 and Robert Spector
Heidi Wisner '93 Staloch and l\4ark Staloch
Ronald '58 and Naomi Stave
lVìerry Tucker
Earl '68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen '70 Sethre
Alan
Philip Rowberg'41
'85 and Rhonda Riesberg '84 Tjaden
Betty and Paul Tveite
Robert'50 and Dee Ulsaker
Joan Swenson Van Wirt '78
Joan Volz
Richard Sandeen '69
Roger'54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Calvìn '51+ and Bonnie lVlartinson '59 Storley
Mary Mether'69 Sabatke and Bruce Sabatke
'68
Sharon and Stephen Wade
Pauline Sateren
Steven '65 and Chynne Strommen
Rebecca and Michael Waggoner
Carol Watson Saunders'68
Philip '79 and Julia Davis '79 Styrlund
Norman '76 and Kathryn Anderson '76 Wahl
Jan Pedersen '68 Schiff and Tom Schiff
John '69 and Stephanie Johnson '71 Sulzbach
Michael '64 and Carla Quanbeck '64 Walgren
Rodney and Elizabeth Schmidt
Kenneth Svendsen '78 and Allison Everett'78
l\4ichael and Leslie Schock
Stephen '76 and Antoinette Laux'77 Sveom
Lois '76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
John '49 and Arnhild Werket
Larry '65 and Muriel Berg '67 Scholla
Brian Swedeen '92 and Teni Burnor'92
Heidi Norman '88 Wise and John Wise
Arvid '63 and Lillian Schroeder
Diana Talcott
Edmund '53 and Rose Youngquist
Roger'62 and Jean Schwartz
Barbara and Eugene Thompson
ALUMNI GIVING BY CTASS YEAR
The following
list indicates the percentage of alumni from the traditional day program in each class year who made a gift during 2008-09
Total participation for all class years, 21%.
7934
1935
1936
r937
1938
1939
1940
T94T
40.007"
50.00%
50.00%
62.50y"
64.7'I"/"
25.00%
52.94%
L949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
37.36"/.
1970
24.37"/.
45.83"/"
24.307"
7994
t7.49y"
1981
7982
L8.97"/.
17.44%
1995
1996
7997
1998
1999
70.73%
13.92%
4.23%
9.72%
10a?
18.4I"/"
17.73"/.
17.42y"
13.46"/.
14.34%
15.69%
2004
2005
5.247"
9.45"/.
Lr.48%
7.58%
43.657"
47.75%
46.O9"/"
I97 4
26.42%
38.31%
36.88%
37.97%
40.76%
7975
24.68%
I976
23.5a%
1991
8.70%
2006
4.78%
I977
24.65%
23.92%
t992
70.o7%
993
ro.7t%
2007
2008
5.56y"
3.05%
48.t5%
1961
45.83%
L962
42.86%
1963
Augsburg Now
29.90ï.
46.4O"/o
19.09%
1958
1959
1960
1947
1948
46
37.447"
30.70y.
4L85"/.
34.357"
1979
1980
I957
t946
1944
34.75%
r
r972
r973
1945
1943
35.
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1984
1985
1986
7987
1988
1989
1990
40.63%
48.44%
38.10%
45.65%
48.72%
L942
i0%
L964
47.27%
33.52%
44.53%
50.86%
197
1978
26.IO"/.
25.,ry"
1
1132%
19.I2"/.
t2.20%
2000
2007
8.37%
2002
2003
8.74%
5A3%
alumni news
,fi,
,ì.
Dear valued alumni ancl friends,
s I write this article, we are passing
;! into autumn, and every year this
', brings a palpable sense of nostalgia and ref lection. This year I have been
considering some of the principles and
ideals I learned while a student and at
Augsburg.
As alumni we are all aware of the
another in our closely def ined lives. We belong to chatting commu_
nities, Facebook, MySpace, and thousands of other digital groups,
which could be argued constitute a community.
We cannot deny that technology has grven us the ability to stay
in contact and have more access to informatlon than ever before,
but the question we need to consider is, are we truly following our
duty and responsibllities of our fellowship in humankind?
Each of us will have a different answer to this question, but none
of us can deny that we are living in a time that needs all of us to
themes of vocation, caritas flove), and the duty to be an active part
of our community. These themes were the foundation of the educa_
actively be involved in the world we live. My call to dutyto each of
you, as alumni, is to take some time to rediscover the communities
tion we received from Augsburg and are stillthe foundation for stu-
in which you belong and consider how you can participate and
make a difference. A great place to start is by examining one
community in which you belong: Augsburg College. As a member of
the Augsburg community, a great first step would be to visit the
dents today.
However, my question is, what does each of these tenets mean
to us today, as alumni? Vocation and caritas are def ined without
much difficulty in our lives. We know that through our education
we are able to work in our various fields and through love have last_
ing and def inable relationships with our fellow human beings. But
in our hectic lives, how do we def ine our community?
The notion of community has gone through some interesting
changes over the years. We used to define community by main fac_
tors of geography and/or common goals and ideals. However, this
has evolved over the years with the advancement of digital capabil_
ities and how we communicate. Today we use Twitter, write brief emails, and compose quick text messages to communicate with one
Augsburg Col lege al umn i relations page, www.augsburg.edu/alum
and go to Get lnvolved. There are many opportunities to get
n i,
involved and volunteers are always needed.
I wish you all happy ref lections in this autumn season.
ù'* &*uDANITL HICKLE '95
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Alumni Board
Augsburg Associates
Campus lfitchen at Augsburg
Alumni mentors
Advent Vespers volunteers
GET INVÍ}NE.D
There's a place for youl
Learn more at www.augsburg.edu/alumni
Fall
2009
4l
.:
alumnl news
0ur 'Uniquely Augsburg' faculty add a special touch to alumni events
Have you ever wondered if those
Þ
costumes at the Renaissance Festival are really accurate? Did you
have any idea how the government's
€
stimulus billwould affect you? Ever
considered what it would be like to
see the ltalian countryside through
the eyes of an art historian?
These and many more are the
opportunities you have when
Augsburg faculty join you in the
Uniquely Augsburg alumni events
and programs. While not everyone is able to come to Augsburg's
campus, a number of professors are bringing the Augsburg experience to areas around the Twin Cities, sharing their expertise and
passions, answering questions, and helping interpret policies and
issues into news you can use.
Michael Lansing, assistant professor of history and director of
environmental studies, talked about the value of hands-on learning
in Augsburg's new environmental studies program. He led the Lake
Minnetonka eco-tour cruise in June, describing environmental
issues of the large lake and answering questions about its ecology.
Phillip Adamo (pictured left), associate professor and chair of
the History Department and director of medieval studies, hosted
lunch in Augsburg's tent at the Renaissance Festival and answered
questions about what's real and what's not. He also led a tour
around the grounds, stopping at a 16th-century lrish cottage
replica to give a glimpse of what life was like then.
When Auggies gathered in August for "Auggie Night at the
Races" in Shakopee, accounting professor Stu Stoller kicked off
the night with a presentation on "The Odds of Winning."
The quarterly Eye-Opener Breakfast Series provides alumni professionals an opportunity to start the day with networking and a
talk by an Augsburg academic. ln April, Economics Department
chair Jeanne Boeh spoke about the stimulus package, how it
affected the economy, and what it meant for most people.
The Uniquely Augsburg concept also extends to travel opportunities. The November tour to ltaly was led by art professor Kristin
Anderson, whose passions include the art, archìtecture, history,
and culture of this region.
Uniquely Augsburg alumni events have succeeded in engaging
alumni in great ways to experience an Augsburg education without
coming to campus. Watch for upcoming events in your area; the
next one may be just around the corner.
Keep up on all alúmnì events at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Journey to the Emerald lsle of lreland
à
Join friends from lhe Augsburg College community for an in-depth journey through lreland. Explore centuries of heroic history, visiting
archaeological sites dating lo S,000 BC. Experience the intense rugged
beauty of land carved from the sea, contrasling with the meticulous
gardens of stately castles. D¡scover the spirit of Celtic Christianity at
ancient monaslic communities where Christianity flourished during the
Dark Ages. Celebrate contemp0rary lrish culture with passion-filled
music and food at local pubs.
The tour departs in early 0ctober 2010 and will be hosted by
Augsburg faculty. A detailed tour brochure will be available in December. To receive the brochure, contact Alumni Relations, 6l 2-330-1
1
73
or alumni@augsburg.edu.
Kylemore Abbey, in County ûalway, the oldest ol the lrish Benedictine abbeys,
is one of the sites on the alumni itinerary in 0ctober 2010.
48
Augsburg Now
The Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings
Continuing the Augsburg Choir's
75th anniversary celebration,
Augsburg is proud to announce that
the Augsburg Choir
recordings from 1949-1979 will
CD versions of
Box 3: Sateren Finale
I972-73: An Ascription of Praise; includes Sateren's composition
by the same name
I974-7ú
Day of Pentecosf; includes Sateren's composition by the
same name
soon be available. These re-mastered historical treasures will be
I975-76: And Death Shall Have No Dominion; visiting director
released as The Augsburg Choir
1977-78: Here Comes Our Kingi includes Sateren's composition
legacy Recordings.
by the same name
ldar Karevold
I978-79: Gloria; includes the title piece by
leland
Lars Edlund
B. Sateren '35
Three boxed sets, each containing five CDs, will be produced:
Box 1: From Opseth to Sateren
1949-50: Augsburg Choir, with Henry P. Opseth conducting.
lncludes Jeg er saa glad, Praise to the Lord, and Song of Mary
I95I-52: includes Sateren's Cycle for Christmas and his arrange-
The Augsburg Cho¡r Legacy Recordings
will add to the richness of
the choral tradition of the past, present, and future. Dr. Bill
Halverson '51 has written a monograph about Leland B. Sateren's
life and career that will be included with the recordings. These
ment of The Sun Has Gone Down
1954-55: includes Sateren's Christmas Canticle
1956-57: includes Knut Nystedt's Cry Out and Shout
recordings will also confirm the historical and continued significance of Augsburg College as a place of preparation for service in
community and church.
The Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings will be available early
next year through the Augsburg College Bookstore. For information
196I-62: includes Sateren's His Compassions Fail
on ordering the CDs, go to the Music Department website,
Not
www.augsbu rg.ed u/m usic.
Box 2: Sateren lntermezzo
1964-65: includes music from the European tour, spanning 400
years of music from Corsi and Bach to Jean Berger
1967-68: Praise to God; includes Sateren's Seek
Not
Cost: $49 per boxed set; $135 for all three boxed sets, plus shipping and handling.
Afar for
Beauty
1969-7O: Thy Truth Within; includes Sateren's composition by the
same name
I970-7I: Make a Joyful Noise; includes Sateren's The Poor
and Needy
I97I-72:
The Redeemef includes Sateren's A Choral Cycle
The Redeemer
co8
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Fall
úrr
2009
49
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alumni news
Experience the beauty and culture of Norway
e
JC
\
Join Augsburg's Center
for Leadership Studies
e
for an educatìonal and
cultural tour to Norway,
The tour includes:
r
Five days in Oslo-located on a fjord, surrounded by hills, and
full of the excitement of a large, cosmopolitan city
.
A journey westward by motor coach through Kongsberg, the his-
June 5-15,2010. This
toric Numedal Valley, and Hardangervidda (the mountain
special ly-designed tour
plateau home of large reindeer herds) to stay in a charming traditional hotel in Geilo
includes visits to Oslo,
Kongsberg, Geilo,
o
A famously scenic train ride to the fjord village of Flåm and a
.
Two nights in picturesque and historic Bergen on Norway's
.
west coast
A journey south by motor coach and ferry to Stavanger, designated "European Capital of Culture" for 2008. Stavanger was the
Bergen, and Stavanger.
While in Oslo, the group
will be hosted
Diakon
cruise on the Aurlands and Naeroy Fjords
by
hjemmet
U n
iver-'
sity College, an Augsburg partner school that
maìn departure point for Norwegian immigrants to Amerìca. After
offers a master's degree
ExperiencethespectacularbeautyofNorway's invalue-based leaderfiordswiththeCenterforLeadershipStudies ship.Accommodations
nextlune'
wiil be on or near campus. Faculty from Diakonhjemmet will lead three morning sessions
to complement the travel, providing an inside perspective and an
opportunity to reflect on what is seen and learned.
an overnight stay, the tour departs for home from Stavanger.
Cost: $3799 (includes airfare, accommodations, in-country travel,
entrance fees during group excursions, tour guides, workshops at
Diakonhjemmet, and 15 meals). Space is limited to 26.
For information about the tour and a PowerPoint preview, con-
tact Patty Park at 612-330-1150 or parkp@augsburg.edu.
Welcome home, 0ld Main bell
augsburg
Augsburg's first 0ld Main building opened in 1 8i4, and until it was razed to build
Sverdrup Hall, its bell called the campus communityto meals and events.
This bell has recently come back to Augsburg, and will find a new place and pur-
pose 0n campus. We're planning a story about the bell in the spring issue of Augsburg
I'low,about its history, its travels, and its return home. Scouring our archives, we haven't
been able to learn much about it, or find it pictured in archive photos.
I)o you rememberthis ()ld Main bell? Please help us learn more about
how and when did
it-where
was it located,
it ring? What do you remember about it?
After the bell served its duty in ()ld Main,
il became part of Augsburg student traditions-participating
in sports and other student activities. What do you
remember-tell
us, even anonymously, if you wish!
E-mail information and stories to now@augsburg.edu or call 612-330-1 181. We invite you to become
part of the "rest of the story" about the 0ld Main bell.
50
Augsburg Now
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5g-Y[:Aft: ftliüNîoil|-$LAlifi
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ß59,
lyngdal, Walter Lundeen
HflMECOMING 2OOg
{g-YF,Aftj ftlîUNï01,f-$LA$$ ûF 1gõg
Front row (L t0 R): Arlene Uejima, Karl Sneider; Row 2 ([ to R): l{ancy (Rolfe) Rolfe-Bailey, Lynn
(Benson) Hlelmeland, Janice (Hawkins) Halvorson, Kristi Holden; Rows 3,4 combined (L to R):
Roberta (Halseth) clausen, J0an (Halverson) Holt, Diana (0lson) Ersfeld, Ardell (Th0rpe) Bengtson,
Ron Holden; Row 5 (L to R): Greg Clausen, Eunice Helgeson, Judy (Johnson Kangas) Lies, pam
(Fredrickson) Gunderson; Row ô ([ to R): Diane (Helgeson) carter, lois (peterson) Bollman, Julie
(Kreie) Eidsvoog, sue (Halvorson) Bjerkestrand; Row 7 (L to R): sharon (Mielke) Eian, shirley (Swee)
Seutter, Alvina (Strand) Skogen, Linda (Stewart) Miller, larry Turner; Rows B, I combined (l to R):
Jacqueline (Kniefel) [ind, Joel Branes, Daryl Miller, wayne carlson, pamela (Bjorklund) carlson,
25- I FA ft, ftElf$l,i0l,f
gLAf,-: 0f rue+
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laurie (Ofstedal) Frattallone, [aurie ([indell) Miles, Sonja Thompson,
Carmela (Brown) Kranz, Kim (0lsen) Melotte, lisa (Rykken) Kasfler
(L to R)
Richard Fenton; Rows 1 0, 1 1 combined ([ to R): ûlen Peterson, larry Matthews, Bruce Mestemacheç
Mike Essen, Bob Bliss, Gary Boen
Fall
2009
51
ass nOtes
c
FlSheldon
Johnson beean in Sepas interim sJperintend
ent at lVleadow Creek (Minn.)
Christian School. He retired in 2000
after 33 years as superintendent of
the lVlonticello School District, and
has since served four prior stints as
an interim superintendent.
Ult.ro.r.
Richard E. Lund, MD, is a retired
radiologist, living in Edmonds, Wash
He and his wife, Ann, have been
married for 43 years and have five
grandchildren. rlxrad@aol.com
tltSusan
Nelson has been teachlne elementary special education for 23 years in ihe Davenport
(lowa) Community Schools. She
coached lhe 1995 and 1999 World
Games Special Olympics lowa tennis
teams and the 2006 National
Games lowa tennis team.
Uf
l!fllon
Uü.r
Hageseth retired in Sepo.itro m his 27 -year
tenure as co-founder and director of
the Counseling and Testing Center at
the University of Wisconsin-La
Crosse. He plans to pursue photography and woodworking, as well as
play tennis and golf, and volunteer
in the community.
Kathy 0lson entered the contest in
September for an at-large seat on
the Waverly (lowa) City Council. She
retired last year as CUNA Mutual
human resources director and
serves on two non-profit boards in
her community.
FSii;:
i'iåi,' H tilì:t
åi^
David Ctoss works at U N IVAC/
UNISYS Cadence Design Systems.
Robert Strandquist has taught high
school English around the world. He
has been a twolime Fulbright
exchange teacher, a scholar at
Oxford and in lreland, and has run
15 marathons. Now he's "tiredno, re-tired."
[arry Turner has raised a family,
retired from the Burlington Northern
Santa l-e Railway, served22 years in
the Naval Reserve, and now enjoys
opportunities to travel and expand
his photography hobby.
]
!
(Johnson) Sullivan
llSharon Ann
lJreceived the "Excellence in
Jacqueline (Kniefel) l¡nd'94 MAt
works at the Airport Foundation
MSP to recruit, train, and recognize
300 volunteers for Travelers Assistance. She completed her Master of
Arts in Leadership degree at Augsburg and has served as Augsburg's
Alumni Board president.
52
Jill (Beck) Burch works at Accenture
Kay (Peterson) Sauck is president
and CEO of Sauck Media Group, a
publishing company that she
founded in 2009 in Fairmont, lVlinn
She launched Womeninc magaÀne
in 2004. ln 2008, after a series of
personal tragedies, she started
Midwest Caregìver, which has now
become Caregiving in Ameñca.
Coming in spring 2010 is a third
publication called MN Rivers.
Bank.
at Best Buy.
Shari Kay (Hackbarth) Hunter completed an MBA at the Unìversity of
St. Thomas and works at Provincial
Karen Jensen works for the State of
Minnesota. After graduation she
look an Oulward Bound course,
found a passion for outdoor adventure, and has paddled around the
world. Five years ago, she lost her
husband, Jim Rada, when he died
while paddling a whitewater river.
Teaching Award" from the California
Council for Adult Education. She is a
kay@sauckmed ia.com
metropolitan ad ult education
¡nstructor at Hope Services, San
Jose, Calif., where she teaches life
skills to over 150 adults who are
developmentally disabled.
O,4ì Mary
Saturday evening lazz
show, Corner Jazz, on KBEM Radio,
after working for 12 years at Minnesota Public Radio.
't
f
(}rjworkshop in music therapy,
lJane (Catlin) Bracken, a firstlgraOe teacher at Cannon Falls
(Minn.) Elementary School, was
selected by her peers as the elementary Teacher of the Year in
Ann Sullivan began host-
Ctl,tnea
Q 2Xt]l
luedtke-Smith organized
a
"lVlusical Play: Learning through
Music," at the Fraser School last
February.
T flJanice Nelson is a new memt l,nu, of the board of directors ot
Southwest lnitiative Foundation in
Hutchinson, Minn. She is an attorney with the law firm of Nelson Oyen
Torvik in lVlontevideo, IVlinn., and
works with real estate, estate planning, elder law, and probate.
Lisa (Rykken) Kastler is program
executive at Youth Encounter and
oversees national and international
traveling ministry teams and weekend events. She has enjoyed opportunities to use her theatre studies in
youth minislry.
Kim Marie 0lsen taught elementary
and middle school and served as
a youth minister. Her husband
retired from active duty in the U.S.
Navy, and they are now settled in
Wisconsin.
Ja nuary.
@'/f-Wanda (Hemphill) Borman has
O¡Þworked, traveled to Europe
and Asia, and ¡s an instructor in the
Eagan Art House and manager of
the Eagan Ad Festival.
Liz (Peterson) Sheahan has worked
at Ministry Home Care, Inc., where
she has created Telly-award-winning
videos on home healLh and hospice
care used in fundraising.
(Strommen) Johnson is
J9'ùco-chairing
f,Andrea
Paul
St.
Children's
Hospital Association's CHAnging
Lives 60th Annual Ball. Proceeds
from the November 21 benefit go to
Children's Hospitals and Clinics of
M in
Kristi (Sanford) Goetsch enjoyed a
wonderful 30-year career in the
Seattle Public Schools from 19691999. Since then she has been
doing volunteer work with the elcierly
and teaching Sunday School.
management consulting firm,
Drakulic & Associates, which currently contracts in the operations
and development areas w¡th Hope
Chest for Breast Cancer.
t
f
nesota.
ÊRev. David Halaas was called
Uìo ,.ru.
as senior pastor at
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church in Williston, N.D.
Church of Christ and Nerstrand
(Minn.) United lVlethodist Church
A group of Auggies from the late 1970s found an occasion to get
together for dinner in Minneapolis last April.
Front row, L to R: Laura (Berg) Nelson '79, Steve Nelson'78, Steve
Wehrenberg'78, Sue (Johnson) Wehrenberg'79, Pam (Hanson) Moksnes
last summer.
'79, Lynn Schmidtke'79; Back row, Llo R: Steve Pheneger, LuAnn
(Johnson) Drakulic spent
$Sue
{22years working at Honeywell, and then left to run her own
Pheneger, Mark Moksnes'79, Tim Gordon'80, Ga¡l (Wagner) Gordon'80,
Karin (Larson) Monson, Greg Monson'79 (in back), Susan Streed
McNaughton, Bill Voedisch. Laurie (Carlson) Voedisch, Chris Geason '78,
Julie (Edson) Geason'79
7 8::'3f,:iii:i:l j;i1Ï,ïñ:;
J
I
Augsburg Now
)
rr
.þ
è
þ
q
Adrienne (Kuchler) Eldridge
Jason, welcomed a son, Hudson lsaiah, on
June 12. She is the program and
lff,¡
V-3.and her husband,
ø
organizational manager at the First
Lutheran Church and Bay Lake
q
Camp. aeke@hotmail.com
Q.flSven
9l.his
OEllir¡am Zien Edgar and Scott Edgar were married on July 5 in St. Louis
U UPark, Minn. Auggies in the wedding party included Molly Rivets'06,
Erlandson has published
fourlh book, Badass
Alia Sheirman'08, Laya Theberge'06, Dayle Vanderleest'04, Peter lindemann
'04, and Karley Kielty'07. Music professors Robert Stacke'71 and Ned Kantor played in the klezmer/jazz band. Miriam is orchestra director at J.F.
Kennedy High School in Bloomrngton, and Scott is completing his master's
degree in counseling and psychological services at St. Mary's University of
Jesus: The Serious Athlete and a
Life of Noble Purpose. Written for
"the most ¡ntense, focused, and
fiercest athletes," the book is rooted
in "Jesus' First and Greatest Commandment and his personal ethos
of radical other-centered love."
Minnesota.
Natasha Hamann is a family medicine physician at Allina Medical
Clinic in Buffalo, lVinn.
flfi.Sarah Huerta'06 MBA and
her
U Uhusband, C¡aig'09, wel-
comed theìr second child, Connor
Brian, on April 24. He joins big
brofher Brady,2-112.
(l
ÇAllison
(Cornell) and Matt
llUBroughton'06 were married
in
a small ceremony on June 27 . f he
couple lives in Hanover, N.H.,
where Malt is a graduate student in
physics at Dartmouth College and
Allison works for the Dartmouth
Medical School Development Offìce.
The photo was taken by Ryan
Bethke'09,
fì
Roper-Batker is the presiÚÚoent uÅo cro of the women's
Foundation of lVinnesota, which she
has served since 2001. She received
a diploma from the Higher Trade
Union College in lVloscow, where she
studied trade union movements.
flLee
Bethany Buchanan married
Micheal Scott, a high
school special education teacher, in
June 2008. A year later they started
Grace Homes-Williston House, a
residential care home for seniors in
lVlinnetonka. After working as a
O.tì
rll.Charles
social worker, Bethany graduated
from nursing school in 2001, and
worked at Fairview University Medical Center and Methodist Hospital
as a medical-surgical nurse prior to
opening the care home. ln 2003,
2004, and 2005 she did month-long
medical mission tours in Nigeria.
Tracy (Glumich) Hovland and her
husband, Erik, have a six-month-old
daughter, Ava.
June (Kirk) Nelson returned to West
Africa 15 months ago, where she
works at the Hopital Protestante in
Ngaoundere, Cameroon, a mission
hospital that trains Christian African
physicians to become surgeons.
Megan Renze has been in Florida for
10 years. She completed her Juris
Doctor degree at the University of
Miami Law School.
O OAaron
Shatol Tyra received a Star Award
2008 from the lVlinnesota Organization of Leaders in Nursing (N/l0LN)
in recognition of her commitment to
volunteering and dedication to influencing health care by advancing
professional nursrng leadership, particularly with the Metro Alliance Education and Service Collaborative for
Expanded Enrollment of Baccalaureate Nurses.
Petrasek married David
Alan Hurley on Oct. 28, 2008,
in Van Nuys, Calif. Paul works at
FedEx and David Alan works at the
VA Medical Center. They traveled to
Disneyland for a honeymoon and
Gabriel directed the
lJ
lJregional premiere of How Can
You Run with a Shell on Your Back
at the Stages Theatre in Hopkins,
lVlinn., in lVlarch. The musical won a
regional Tony award following its premiere in Chicago last year.
Chiho Okuizumi is program coordina-
tor at VH1 Save the lVlusic Foundation in New York City, which provides
access to instrumental music education to children in more than 1,600
public schools across the U.S.
OTPaul
r'l I
live in Avon, Calif.
Q$toucin da
(0lson) Bjorklund
rJ.rJ-works at Vascular Solutions,
I
nc.
employed at the time of her wedding
at Appleton Cardiology Associates in
Appleton, Wis., as a physician assistant. Kevin is a high school math
teacher and head track coach at
Clintonville High School.
Marcy received his MBA
the Carlson School of
Management, University of Minnesota, in 2008 and accepted a promotion to senior internal auditor at
Valspar in Minneapolis. He travels
fl
2Max
U úfrom
widely doing internal audits, including the U.S., Europe, and China. ln
2OO4 he married his wife, Jessica, in
a Celtic mass held in Syracuse, N.Y.
They live in lVinneapolis with their
Persian cat, Eleanor Rigby.
fddam Nugent and Carolina
U T(Chiesa) are living in College
fi
Station, Texas. Adam is studying for
a lVlaster of Landscape Architecture
degree at Texas A&M, and Carolina
is teaching at South Knoll Elementary School.
Bourn works as a promanager with youth
service agencies and the Minneapolis Public Schools on the North Side.
He has run for the Minneapolis Park
and Recreation Board to keep parks
on the North Side safe and pro-
O FBrad
tlilgram
and has moved to Los Angeles.
grammed. He has received the Presidential Service Award for his work
with youth.
(l{¡
(l'fleremy
fl lEm¡ly Nugent'07 MA[, '09 MBA
lJ lis engaged to Nick Loiacano
Jennifer Langman married
Reese in Cameron, Wis.,
on August 9, 2008. Jennifer earned
a master's degree in health science
from Duke University and was
U-LKevin
Anderson adapted one
of his poems into a l0-minute
play, "Jones'n," which was produced
as part of the Bedlam Theatre's TenMinute Play Festival in May.
Uf
Fall
2009
53
prof ile
A Colombian Auggie in
Europe-
Paola Murcia '99
s
,1
È
How did a Latin American Auggie from Colombia end up in
Belgium via Minneapolis and Costa Rica?
Paola lVurcìa has lived in Antwerp, Belgium, for three years
now, working for Dole Fresh Fruit as the banana allocation
assistant for Europe. ln this role, she is the contact person
between the European market for Dole bananas and the production in Latin America.
This journey began in the mid-1990s when another Auggie
from Colombia introduced Paola to Eloisa Echavez, then the
director of Augsburg's Hispanic/Latino Student Services.
Echavez met with Paola's parents when she traveled in
Colombia, and they agreed to Paola's going to Augsburg.
She studied international relations, political science, and
Apart from her work, Paola Murcia '99 enjoys traveling in Europe and had a great view
ol the Thames in London from the london Eye ferris wheel.
French, and graduated in 1999. A year later, she took a posi-
tion in San José, Costa Rica, with Dole, and over the next six
years she was continually promoted and grew in the company
about those subjects," Paola says, "and it's important when
you live abroad that you try to blend in as much as possible.
toward the appointment in Dole's European division.
Also, to be open-minded!"
Shortly after arriving in Belgium, Paola ref lected on how she
felt Augsburg had provided a foundation for this new
When Paola arrived in Europe, for the first time she found
herself in a place where she didn't understand anything at all.
experience.
ln Antwerp, although most people speak English, the language
is Dutch (Flemish). But, since Belgium's off icial languages are
Dutch, German, and French, she could use her French from
Augsburg and fully appreciated the efforts of professor Pary
Pezechkian, who pushed her to master it.
As of now, Paola plans to stay in Europe, working in the
international f ield. She has studied Dutch and is striving to
"l have used what was learned in political
science and international relations to be the professional and the person I have
become," Paola wrote. "As Professor Norma Noonan puts it
better than I could, [she wrote to me,] 'You are living international relations, which is even better than merely studying ìt!
You are living the multicultural experiences that you have had
in all the countries through which you have passed."'
Paola would encourage current students to pay a lot of
attention to history and geography, as well as language.
"There is still an ìmage that Americans don't know much
perfect her French and German. She is also now accustomed to
the continental European winter, and she credits her years in
Minnesota for preparing her for this, as well.
BEÏSTY NORGARD
Shannon Olson works as a marketing
associate within a new type of teaming structure at Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans, called Professional
Office Practìces (POP).
0uincy Osborn joined the athletic
staf f at Ohio University as an assislanI coach in wrestling, after serving
in the same position for Augsburg's
wrestling team.
at an outdoor ceremony along the
Mississìppi River and drove to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon.
Daniel Manley is a police officer in
Glen Ridge, N.J. and saved the life
of a choking baby on the second day
on his job after having recently completed police academy training.
Alia Scheirman began her service in
the Peace Corps in Ukraine al the
fl QTasha Christensen married
l, [tNikolaus Browne on June l3
54
Augsburg Now
end of September.
fi
$Abigail Ferjak, with a major in
U üyoulh and
family ministry, is
beglnning study at Yale Divinity
Graduate College and wants to
explore the possibility of teaching in
a college setting.
Matthew Tonsager has joined the
Elm Creek Associates of Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans as a financial
associate with the organization's
Central l\4innesola Regional [inancial Office.
Of;ATUATI PfiO$f;AMIì
Jeff Falkingham '95 MAL received
favorable reviews from the Sherlock
Holmes Society of London for his
second novel, Sherlock Holmes: In
Search of the Source, released on
January 6, the 155th birthday of
Holmes, The historical f¡ction ¡s set
in l896 in Sl. P¿ul. Read Lhe review
at www.sherlockhol mes.org. u k/pdf/
DM290.pdf.
Send us your news and photos
Please
tell
us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don't forget to send photosl
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
0f program from a memorral service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg
llow
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 14È,2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Full name
Maiden name
Class year or last year attended
ln Memoriam
[arson, Gertrude (Amundson)'35,
Denver, Colo., age 100, on Aug. 3.
Dahl, Jeffrey'74, Cottonwood,
Minn., age 56, on Sept.30.
Street address
Pautz, Richard'37, Minneapolis,
age 96, on July 4. Former athletic
director, director of public rela-
Treichel, Scott G.'76, Webster, Wis.,
age 55, on July 31.
City, State, Zip
tions, Augsburg regent emeritus,
and 7972 Distinguished Alumnus.
Ahlberg, Ruth C. '¿14, Chesterton,
Ind., age BB, on Aug. 25.
Johnson, Edwin 0. '44, Minneapolis,
age BB, on Aug. 16.
larsen, Marguerite (Greguson)'45,
Carlton, Minn., age 86, on July 4.
Strand, Carl '46, Owatonna, Minn.,
age 87 , on Aug. 12.
Wessman, Rev. Willis'48, Topeka,
Kan., age BB, on July 26.
ls this a new address?
O Yes D
No
Olsen, Daniel ,1. '78, Apple Valley,
IVinn., age 53, on May 4.
Mason, WilmaÆom-Ba-Equay (Windy
Woman) '81, Bemidji, Minn., age
61, on Sept.10.
Home telephone
E-mail
Ballot, Sarah (Carlson) '98, Minneapolis, age 33, in early July, in
an auto acc¡dent.
Okayto publishyoure-mail address?
Allegrezza, Genevieve'04, Anchorage, Alaska, age28, on Aug.3.
Employer
Johnston, Hannah (Bratzel)'07, St.
Paul Park, lVinn., age 27, on June
25, of cancer.
Position
OYes trNo
Work telephone
Garstenbrock, Walter '49, Austin,
Minn., age 86, on July 7.
Brown, Orpha (Grimsrud) '50,
Wick, Cheryl '11 PA, Rochester,
IVìinn., age 25, on July 25, of cardiac arrhythmia.
Phoenix, Ariz., and Portland, Ore.,
Druck, Rachel
age 80, on July 27.
Oct.17.
'12, age 23,
[alim, Archie'50, lVladison, Conn.,
age 80, on Aug. 9. 1990 Distin-
Sulzen, Zoya'12, Minneapolis, at
the end of July.
ls spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? O Yes
tr
No
lf yes, class year
on
Spouse's name
guished Alumnus.
Berkland, Rev. Theodore'51,'54
Sem, Grantsburg, Wis., age 80, on
June 20 of multiple myeloma.
Sortland, Rev. Howard'51, Plymouth, Minn., age 86, on Aug. 3.
Balerud, Paul'54, North Platte,
Neb., age 79, on Aug. 5.
Nelson, Judith (0lson) '65, Shell
Knob, lVlo., age 66, on Aug. 29.
Jones-Hermerding, Ertwin'69, Otter
Anderson, Margaret (Klinner), Edina,
Minn., age 86, on June 19, She
lVlaiden name
Your news:
taught home economics at Augsburg and was the widow of Ernie
Anderson'37.
Pedersen, Myrtle Edith, Hudson,
Wis., age 100, on Aug. 12.
Wrightsman, Rev. Bruce, Garnavillo,
lowa, age 75, on Oct. 4, of heart
failure and amyloidosis. He taught
in the Department of Religion and
Philosophy,1960-63.
O
I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Tail, Minn., age62, on Aug. 11, in
a motorcycle accident. 2003 Distinguished Alumnus.
Fall
2009
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To see
other photos of Auggie Eagle around
campus during the week of Homecoming,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
What will Auggie do next?
As part of the Homecoming celebration, Auggie (or a paper
cutout of Auggie from the Homecoming brochure) wandered
around campus and had his photo taken for the online photo
of the week. Here Auggie is studying sociology in the library.
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2009
VOL. 71, NO. 2
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Augsburg Choir, 75 years
Twin sisters, twin dreams Core to compost
Travel
How green is Augsburg? Studying sustainability
page
20 the neig... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2009
VOL. 71, NO. 2
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Augsburg Choir, 75 years
Twin sisters, twin dreams Core to compost
Travel
How green is Augsburg? Studying sustainability
page
20 the neighborhood youth Green planning
Feeding
go
green
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
notes
from President Pribbenow
Generosity and Sustainability
t
his issue of the Augsburg Now offers many
inspiring stories of ways in which our community is learning about and practicing what
it means to live sustainable lives in the city.
I’ve been thinking a good bit lately about why the
Augsburg community has made such great progress
in living out its commitment to urban sustainability,
and I’ve found myself exploring the meaning of the
original motto for Augsburg Theological Seminary
and College, the bold claim found in John 1:14:
“And the Word became flesh.” I’m struck by how
this scriptural promise is both a statement of generosity and of sustainability. Augsburg College practices generosity most authentically when it lives as
the Word made flesh—sustainable, present, rooted,
of service, and faithful.
My teacher, Martin Marty, taught me that colleges
are indigenous communities—that is, they are native
to a particular place, a particular environment, a particular set of values, and practices that define the
institution—and that means something for the way
they live their lives.
What does it mean to think about Augsburg
College as an indigenous community? What does it
mean that the Word has become flesh and lived
among us here?
I lift up for our attention three simple aspects of
Augsburg’s identity—ways in which the Word becomes flesh here and the values we seek to sustain:
• The central focus of our identity is that wherever
Augsburg College is found—here in this neighborhood, in the city, in Rochester, or around the
world—our most authentic work is learning and
teaching. And the wonder of learning is that it involves acts of generosity and sustainability in its
every detail—from teachers who teach what they
love; to students who seek to learn out of curiosity
and passion; to texts that bear the wisdom of the
ages for our reflection; to conversations that help
us pay attention to the Word, to each other, and to
the world; to practices and commitments that help
sustain our environment.
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
• A second aspect of our identity is the way in
which this city, a particular place—much different
now than in 1869—is still a place that demands our
attention and respect and concern. Democracy still
is practiced in this place with our neighbors. Education still happens in this place with learners and
teachers all around us. Engagement and service still
are at the center of our lives with each other in this
place. Sustaining this urban place, this urban environment, is an act of generosity—for our diverse
neighbors, for our diverse selves, for the whole of
creation, now and into the future.
Jeff Shelman
shelman@augsburg.edu
• The final aspect of our identity is our firm grounding in the Christian faith—a confident faith that
frees us to learn, to live, to practice hospitality with
all of our neighbors, to be a force for good in the
world, to affirm our calling as people of faith and a
college of the church, to be God’s people in this
place, and to know that grace and truth abound
where the Word becomes flesh.
www.augsburg.edu
I celebrate the generosity that is Augsburg’s faithful
work in the world—the Word made flesh here, each
and every day. I celebrate the sustainability of our indigenous character, our indigenous work, and our indigenous place. And I recall the concluding words of
John 1:14 that remind us that the Word made flesh
is “full of grace and truth.” Oh, how the world needs
a Word of grace and truth. And here it is!
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
David Warch
warch@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
spring 2009
Features
6
10
12
Augsburg Choir - celebrating 75 years
by Betsey Norgard
16
30
Twin sisters, twin dreams
by Jean Spielman Housh
International Programs Photo Contest
14
20
23
auggies
go green
16 Toward a more sustainable Augsburg
by Betsey Norgard
contents
19 How green is Augsburg?
26
augsburg now
20 Environmental connections: Green starts here
by Jeff Shelman
23 Studying sustainability
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
26 Green Planning
28 Core to compost
Photos and text by Stephen Geffre
30 Feeding the neighborhood youth
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
32 How green is our magazine?
Departments
2
4
5
8
33
36
40
Around the Quad
Auggies on the ice
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
On the cover
We celebrate in this issue all the commitments, changes, and
progress that Augsburg has embraced in learning how to be a
more sustainable college in the city.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
around the
quad
Augsburg receives Carnegie classification
Augsburg was recently selected by the Carnegie Foundation as
one of 119 colleges and universities in the nation to receive the
classification for Community Engagement. This affirms that the
school has institutionalized community engagement in its identity, culture, and commitments. It also affirms that the practices
of community engagement are aligned with the institution’s identity and form an integral component of the institutional culture.
The classification has three categories—curricular engagement, outreach and partnerships, and a category for both engagement and outreach—and Augsburg received the latter,
comprehensive classification.
In a letter to Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow, Jim
Scheibel, executive director of the Minnesota Campus Compact,
congratulated the College on this recognition. Scheibel wrote, “As
a country that faces an economic crisis, and as a community that
witnesses division and strife across the globe, we need students,
faculty, and campuses that are fully engaged. This recognition
says you are doing your part and acknowledges that you are serious about fulfilling the mission of the College.”
Augsburg has included “student engagement” as one of nine
specific academic goals for the institution. The Augsburg Experience signature curriculum requirement encourages direct involvement with people and organizations external to the College,
All first-year students spend an afternoon during September Auggie Days working on
community projects—painting, gardening, cleaning up, or whatever needs doing in the
neighborhood with Augsburg’s community partners.
first-hand discovery and application of knowledge, self-awareness
through reflective and critical thinking, and exploration of what
one is called to do in the world.
Augsburg is a committed partner to particular nonprofit and
educational groups within the nearby urban neighborhoods, including Cedar-Riverside, Seward, and Phillips.
In addition, the College has instituted programs and policies
that support community engagement for the campus community.
All staff members receive two days of paid leave time for community service.
A note to the editor
“I found the ‘Lights, camera, and action’ feature in the fall 2008 Augsburg
Now very interesting. This photograph was taken in the Augsburg Art Studio in the early 1970s during a session of a hands-on class teaching 16mm
filmmaking with synchronized sound. As a student from 1965-1970, I had a
work-study job showing films and doing photography working for Robert
Zeller, who at that time was director of instructional services. He is the
first person whom I recall to have taught a course in film studies at
Augsburg. Warren Hanson, John Mitchell, and Larry Glenn (left to right in
the photo) were all students in the course taught by local filmmaker Paul
Rusten. Warren was a registered student. As John was a faculty member
and I was director of the audio-visual center, we were invited to participate in the class without receiving credit.”
LARRY GLENN ’70
2
Augsburg Now
Brian Krohn—Augsburg’s first Rhodes Scholar
Brian Krohn ’08 arrived at Augsburg with plans of being a film major and eventually became a chemistry
student. In November he was selected as a Rhodes Scholar—Augsburg’s first.
Krohn, a native of Cloquet, Minn., was one of 769 initial U.S. applicants from 207 colleges and universities for this year’s Rhodes Scholars. After making it through an interview process and being selected,
Krohn became one of 32 Americans who will study at Oxford University beginning in fall 2009. There, Krohn
will focus on environmental change and management in order to combine public policy expertise with the
scientific knowledge he has gained at Augsburg.
In the summer of 2006, Krohn began research into new ways to produce biodiesel fuel. He acknowledges that he didn’t really expect to break any new ground, but he wanted to give it a shot.
The combination of Krohn’s research, the teaching of chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg, and
Augsburg alum Clayton McNeff led to the discovery of the Mcgyan Process to produce
biodiesel in a cleaner and more environmentally friendly way.
“For me, Brian’s work on the biodiesel project is a great liberal arts story,”
President Paul C. Pribbenow said. “There’s a connection between a student with a
question, a faculty member, and an alum. They work on a problem and come out with
a response that, in this case, is pretty groundbreaking.
“Brian stands for the well-rounded education that we provide for all of our
students. We’re proud of him and proud that his Augsburg education prepared
him,” Pribbenow continued.
In addition to his work with biodiesel, Krohn is a Goldwater Scholar who was
a founder of the Honors Review, a new journal for student scholarship at
Augsburg. He organized the inaugural Agre Challenge, an event in which teams
were challenged to build a catapult to fling a 20-pound sandbag various distances.
Diane Pike receives the Stewart Bellman Award
Diane Pike, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) and professor of
sociology, is the 2008 recipient of the Stewart Bellman Award for Exemplary Leadership from The Collaboration for the Advancement of College Teaching and Learning.
She was honored in November at The Collaboration’s annual conference.
For more than 25 years at Augsburg, Pike has been recognized for her excellence
as a classroom teacher and as a role model for other faculty members, in large part
due to her ongoing leadership in faculty development workshops, consulting, and summer institutes, and her avid attention to the research literature on the scholarship of
teaching and learning.
Pike’s accomplishments at Augsburg have included re-envisioning the work of the
Committee on Faculty Development, integrating activities for faculty and professional
staff members, and creating dedicated space for student learning and CTL in Lindell
Library. Most notably, however, has been her leadership in the creation of the new
AugCore general education program—guiding the design team work and faculty collaboratives on specific issues, as well as securing a Bush Foundation grant for implementation and work on the course evaluation project. She is the incoming president of the
Midwest Sociological Society.
Spring 2009
3
Auggies on the ice
Tiffany Magnuson—
a star on ice and on the field
If it weren’t for finding cheap hockey skates at a tent sale,
Tiffany Magnuson’s athletic career might have been quite
different than it is today.
“My dad didn’t want me playing hockey. They bought me
figure skates, because my dad didn’t want me messed up
with the hockey guys,” said Magnuson, whose father is a
hockey coach in their hometown of Green Bay, Wis. “They
bought the figure skates for me, and I couldn’t skate in them
because of the toe pick. But my dad always said that I had a
natural hockey stride, and I kept telling him that I wanted
black skates.”
So Magnuson’s mom found her a pair of black skates—
hockey skates.
“My mom always said, ‘Wal-Mart started your career,’
because they had a tent sale at Wal-Mart on hockey skates,”
Magnuson said.
A senior, Magnuson has excelled at two sports during her
Auggie career—hockey and softball—and will leave Augsburg
as one of the top all-around female athletes in school history.
Magnuson finished her hockey career as the school’s second
leading goal-scorer and No. 3 point-producer. She was a
four-time All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
selection.
In softball, Magnuson played three positions—second
base, first base, and pitcher—during last season’s run to the
MIAC playoffs for the first time in program history. A threetime All-MIAC selection, she enters this season with a .379
career batting average as the Auggies leadoff hitter.
Magnuson, a finance major and accounting minor, was recruited to play hockey at Augsburg and she said she chose
Augsburg because it was a small school in a large city. Being
active in back-to-back sports has helped her learn to manage
her time.
“Sports have taught me about leadership, being committed and competitive, about interacting with others, and having to all come together for a goal,” said Magnuson, who
wants to work on the business side of a sports team. “It’s a
family [atmosphere], and for me being away from my family,
it helps me with my life. That’s what I like about Augsburg,
the close-knit atmosphere.”
DON STONER
4
Augsburg Now
auggie voices
Engaging in the big questions
The Lilly Scholars seminar is a place where students can feel
comfortable talking about the big questions in life. Questions
like, Is Christianity the only true religion? What does it mean to
forgive someone? What is God calling me to do?
For Mark Tranvik, associate professor of religion and director of
the Lilly grant program, the seminar is the heart of the year-long
program designed for juniors and seniors who are considering
seminary or graduate study in theology or sacred arts. Once a
month they meet to discuss assigned texts, engage with guest
speakers, and reflect on biblical passages or issues in the
Christian tradition.
Each year, 10 or 11 Lilly Scholars, who receive a $2,100
scholarship, are selected from more than twice that number.
Among the current scholars, the average GPA is 3.75. In addition
to the seminar, Lilly Scholars visit Luther Seminary and can take
courses there.
“There is an ongoing hunger in the intellectual community for
genuine theological conversation among students that the Lilly
Scholar program honors,” says Tranvik, who is also an ordained
minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Creating
a comfortable place for these critical conversations is his goal.
And, he adds, “doubters are welcomed.”
Jenni Pickford, a philosophy and religion major, finds the seminar most valuable for “the openmindedness I’ve gained from
hearing about views that differ from my own.” What she appreciates is that “there are other students out there who are interested
in more than just a grade and do this for the love of learning.”
“The greatest impact for me is the group friendship and discussions that carry throughout other classes,” says religion major
Denise Shuck, a Weekend College senior who is planning to enter
Luther Seminary. “I have a great appreciation for the diversity of
opinions about the topics we’ve discussed.”
Abby Ferjak, a senior, finds it easy to integrate what she does
in the Lilly Scholars program to her youth and family ministry
classes. “It’s important for youth to understand that vocation is
not simply what one might do as a career; but rather, that everyone has many vocations, and [that] they don’t have to wait to fulfill their vocation.”
And that’s exactly what the Lilly Endowment hopes to hear.
Their goal for funding programs in church-related, liberal arts colleges that explore vocation is to nurture a new generation of voca-
In their monthly seminar, Professor Mark Tranvik (above, in blue shirt) seeks to
create a comfortable atmosphere for the Lilly Scholars to discuss and explore
vocation. (L to R) Denise Shuck, Leah Jarvi, Tranvik, Cody Oaks, Allison Streed,
Alexander Garver, Abigail Ferjak, Natalie Sasseville, and Ashley Weston.
tionally-guided leaders—both pastoral and lay—for church congregations. Lilly Scholars are one part of Augsburg’s $2 million
grant program, Exploring Our Gifts, that began in 2002 and is
directed by Tranvik.
Over its six years, Lilly Scholars have included a mix of
younger and older students and have cut across disciplines, for
example, among science and social work majors seeking ways to
combine faith life with their fields.
Last year four Lilly Scholars continued to Luther Seminary (all
with full scholarships), two chose law school, one entered the
Lutheran Volunteer Corps, one is in congregational youth ministry,
and one began graduate study in social work. About half of all
Lilly Scholars have entered seminary.
During their year as Lilly Scholars, the students serve as role
models within the larger community. They develop a portfolio, reflecting on vocation and what they carry with them from the year.
Cody Oaks, a current Lilly Scholar, finds inspiration in
Tranvik’s ability to merge the pastoral with the academic. “He
provides the model of a pastor-scholar I would like to embody in
my own work and call to teach,” Oaks says. He will enter
Princeton Theological Seminary this summer and begin to seek
ordination in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Kyle Zvejnicks, a 2006-07 Lilly Scholar, reflected on community. “The seminar has reminded me of the importance of community in vocation, namely that we need each other. … Just as
much, we don’t come with the same vocation for everyone, but
each with their own, and not for themselves but for others.”
To learn more about Exploring Our Gifts, go to
www.augsburg.edu/lilly.
BETSEY NORGARD
Spring
Fall 2008
2009
5
The Augsburg Choir—
celebrating 75 years
This academic year, the Augsburg Choir celebrates 75 years—a
choral tradition of distinction and excellence.
The Augsburg Choir was founded in 1933, when the Men’s
Glee Club and the Ladies’ Choral Society, who had sung together
on various occasions, voted to unite, under the direction of music
department chair Henry P. Opseth. The first student president of
the choir was a third-year music major and future choir conductor
Leland B. Sateren.
The new choir lost no time in preparing for tours and performances. In 1935, their tour through the Midwest took them more
than 2,000 miles for 20 concerts, including a coast-to-coast broadcast in Chicago with the National Broadcasting System. On their return, they sang a home concert at Central Lutheran Church.
Choir business manager Orville C. Hognander ’36 planned the
tour, plus arranged for a series of 18 Sunday evening radio broadcasts on WCCO radio, the “Hour Melodious.” This program also
was accessible over open channel across the country and brought
visibility to Augsburg, reconnecting many alumni to the College.
In 1946, Leland B. Sateren ’35 returned to Augsburg to join
the music faculty. Following Opseth’s death in 1950, Sateren
was named conductor of the Augsburg Choir.
For the next 29 years, the Augsburg Choir developed its own
distinctive tone quality, musicality, and professionalism under
Sateren. While the choir continued to share the Gospel through
church music, Sateren evolved a more contemporary classical
sound, especially in his own compositions. His passion for
1933
Scandinavian music brought attention to music and composers
relatively unknown in the U.S.
In 1975, the Augsburg Choir’s 40th anniversary tour took
them to Scandinavia. They traveled by boat down the Norwegian
coast, from above the Arctic Circle to Oslo, and sang in the
Trondheim Cathedral.
Leland Sateren retired in 1979, and the direction of the choir
passed to Larry L. Fleming, a noted choral conductor and composer. In his first year, the choir was chosen as the official representative from the U.S. to sing in Augsburg, Germany, at the
450th commemoration of the Augsburg Confession.
Fleming also established Advent Vespers, the College’s annual
1975
Augsburg Choir
is founded
40th anniversary
choir tour
Leland B. Sateren ’35—choir director
Peter Hendrickson ’76—student choir president
and future choir director
Henry P. Opseth—choir director
Leland B. Sateren ’35—student choir
president and future choir director
6
Augsburg Now
The majestic Advent Vespers service each year at
Central Lutheran Church presents Augsburg’s four
choirs, with part of the service sung as a massed choir
of over 200 voices.
holiday program, as a service of music and liturgy, which now attracts up to 8,000 people at its four services and will celebrate
its 30th anniversary in 2009.
Fleming left Augsburg in 1986, and for the next several years
the Augsburg Choir was under the direction of Thomas Rossin.
In 1994, after serving a short time as interim director, Peter
Hendrickson ’76 was appointed the choir’s new conductor. Over
the past decade and a half, he has realized his vision for
Augsburg’s choral program—one that offers distinct choral experiences for all students, including the extended Augsburg family,
with different repertoires:
• Augsburg Choir—a cappella touring choir
• Riverside Singers—women’s chorus
• Cedar Singers—men’s chorus
• Masterworks Chorale—symphonic chorus
All four choirs, as well as an orchestra and liturgical party, participate annually in Advent Vespers. In 2004, for the 25th anniversary,
Twin Cities Public Television recorded the service and won a
Regional Emmy award for the production. The program has been
shown on public television during the holiday season since then.
One of Hendrickson’s passions is language, and to date, his
choirs have sung in more than 15 languages. “We owe it to our
students in the choral program to educate them not only in
Augsburg’s commitment to the Lutheran choral tradition, but also
in creating, through music and language, a better understanding
of other cultures and our responsibility to be world citizens,”
Hendrickson says.
The Augsburg Choir’s March tour this year took them south,
traveling from Nebraska to Texas, and locations in between. Currently the choir is planning next year’s tour, a trip that will take
them to China in 2010.
2009
The Masterworks Chorale marks 15 years
Hendrickson founded the Masterworks Chorale in 1994 as a symphonic chorus of approximately 100 voices, made up of students,
faculty and staff, alumni, and others connected to the Augsburg
community. Unique to a college campus, Masterworks Chorale
presents programs of great choral works and explores new
masterworks.
In 1996, the chorale performed for the first time the entire
Visions from Hildegaard by Minnesota composer Stephen Paulus.
In 1997, it presented the English-language premiere of
Norwegian composer Egil Hovland’s opera, Captive and Free, and
in 2001, the English-language version of Finnish composer and
conductor Kari Tikka’s opera, Luther.
The Masterworks Chorale performs three times per year—at
fall and spring concerts, and for Advent Vespers. A number of
chorale members are Augsburg alumni who sang as students in
Leland Sateren’s choirs.
“The Sateren choir alumni in Masterworks keep the legacy and
spirit of the Sateren era alive,” Hendrickson says. “It’s a wonderful connection for our current students, a passing of the torch, so
to speak, from then to now.”
BETSEY NORGARD
75th anniversary year
For a longer story about choir history with
additional photos, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Peter Hendrickson ’76—choir director
7
it takes an
Auggie
A legacy for promising students
President’s Scholarships recognize students with exceptional academic ability and leadership potential and can provide financial
support up to full tuition for four years. Donors who choose to
endow a President’s Scholarship make special connections with
these students, and those that follow them, one after another, as
they see an Augsburg education made possible.
E. Milton Kleven ’46 taught school in Minneapolis for 33 years
and knows what this means to students from low-income families. He and his family have endowed three President’s Scholarships and enjoy being part of the lives of the students who
receive them, helping them begin their work and careers free
from college debt.
Milt Kleven’s Augsburg story began in a home two blocks from
the College, where his Norwegian immigrant mother and father
raised nine children. Since Augsburg was the college in the
neighborhood, six of the Kleven children attended, with three
completing their degrees.
In 1940, Milt followed his sister Agathe, who had just graduated from Augsburg. Like most students then, Milt’s studies were
interrupted by World
War II, and in 1946
he returned and
finished. Their
brother Luther
graduated in
1950.
Milt graduated with a
major in
mathematics
and a minor in physical education. His strongest
and longest friendships he formed in the Augsburg
A-Club, even though his student job downtown at
the Minneapolis Club kept him too busy to participate in most sports, except for lettering in golf.
Kleven’s Augsburg story has a romantic twist on
a broken leg. In late 1943 he left Augsburg to
enter Navy pilot training. When he suffered a broken leg, he decided to spend the eight-week recovery period back at Augsburg, completing his
math major with Professor George Soberg.
8
One evening in Augsburg’s library, in the basement of Old
Main, he met Dorothy Lijsing, the daughter of a Swedish immigrant father and mother, and she became his wife and partner for
53 years. Dorothy transferred to Gustavus Adolphus College and
graduated there. They were married in 1947.
Soon after graduating, Kleven began teaching mathematics in
the Minneapolis Public Schools. In addition to teaching, he also
served as the teacher representative with Great West Financial on
a voluntary investment fund created following a strike in 1970.
From that experience, he learned a great deal about investments
and wise financial planning that has served him well.
In the 1950s, the Klevens were approached by Sig Hjelmeland
’41, Augsburg’s development director, and asked for the first
time to consider giving back to Augsburg.
“My parents always set aside their tithe,” Kleven says, “and
taught us that giving is a part of our responsibility.”
In 1958, he and Dorothy established a scholarship in honor of
his parents, Magnus and Kristofa Kleven. In its 50 years, more
than 200 Augsburg students have benefited from the financial
support of this scholarship.
During the 1960s, the Klevens continued their philanthropic
support to Augsburg, and for many years worked closely with development officer Jeroy Carlson ’48.
In 2001, when Dorothy passed away, Kleven established a
scholarship in her name. With college costs skyrocketing, he
knew from his large family what a difference a full tuition scholarship could make for students from low-income families, like
those he had taught in Minneapolis.
“That’s the main thing,” Kleven says. “I want to help kids who
have a need, and I want it to be a full scholarship.”
So, the Dorothy Lijsing Kleven Scholarship became the first
endowed President’s Scholarship, and provides a full scholarship
to a student interested in choral music, as Dorothy had been
throughout her life. This endowment was created by Milt and
their four children and families—Bruce and Maren Kleven, David
and Barbara Kleven, Barbara and Zane Birky, and Diane and
Philip Larson.
In 2007, the family created two additional endowed
President’s Scholarships. They added Dorothy’s parents, David
and Florence Lijsing, to the original scholarship for Milt’s parents
and raised it to the level of a full President’s Scholarship.
The third was created in Milt’s name—the E. Milton Kleven
Scholarship for public service, so he can enjoy supporting students with a real financial need who plan to enter public service.
Kleven helped to facilitate two other scholarships. The
Margaret Andrews Scholarship was established by Kleven and his
fellow Trade and Industry coordinators in the Minneapolis public
school system to honor their supervisor, Margaret Andrews. The
Donald C. Carlson Scholarship, through the Normandale Lutheran
Church Foundation, is named for founding pastor Donald Carlson
’42 to support a Normandale member attending Augsburg.
The Kleven legacy also includes major support to capital projects. In 1995-96, the family worked with President Charles
Anderson and gave $1 million toward the construction of
Lindell Library.
Milt founded Kleven Flooring Service, which installed hardwood flooring in houses in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Over
the years, he provided hardwood floors throughout the Augsburg
campus, including the Augsburg Room in
Christensen Center and Augsburg House.
His most recent gift celebrates his over
60-year tie to Augsburg A-Club and close
friendships with Glen Person ’47 and Dick
“Pork Chop” Thompson ’61. Together, as part
of the construction of the new press box on
Edor Nelson Field, the three provided the
funding to name the Jeroy C. Carlson
Hospitality Room in Kennedy Center in honor
of their longtime friend and colleague.
For more information about endowing a
President’s Scholarship honoring Augsburg’s
most promising students, contact Doug Scott,
assistant vice president for development, at
612-330-1575 or 1-800-273-0617.
BETSEY NORGARD
Becky Shaheen ’11
Becky Shaheen is a sophomore from Elk River, Minn., majoring in
vocal music performance and composition, with a pre-engineering
minor. She sings in the Augsburg Choir, Gospel Praise Jazz Ensemble,
and other ensembles. This is her second year as the recipient of the
Dorothy Lijsing Kleven President’s Scholarship in choral music, and
she keeps in touch with the Kleven family.
“Music is my life, and this semester I’ve been able to dedicate
more time than ever before to music. I am finally realizing that being
a musician is possible …
“This scholarship has opened so many doors for me. I don’t have
to worry so much about the financial issues, and it has provided me
with confidence and such an ‘I can do anything!’ attitude.
“When I first met the family, it was like meeting a huge part of my
extended family that I didn’t know about. … A picture of the family
and me taken at the scholarship brunch hangs by my desk, a reminder of the people who are making this journey possible. “
twin sisters
Twin sisters
Twin dreams
“Our Augsburg professors were supportive
and encouraged us to pursue our dream ...”
BETTY BOWERS, MD
Barbara and Betty Bowers knew they wanted to grow up to be
doctors when they were six years old. The twin sisters were born
in Mora, Minn., and graduated from Augsburg in 1972. They attended medical school at the University of Minnesota and graduated in 1976.
“Our family doctor, Dr. Harry Berge, encouraged and supported us in our dream,” says Barbara Bowers, MD, “although
we’d never even seen a woman doctor.”
The Bowers twins were two of George and Opal Bowers’ four
daughters. The family lived in Brook Park, Minn., when the twins
were young. “Our parents raised us to believe that if we worked
hard we could achieve anything.”
Betty and Barbara studied diligently through grade school and
graduated from Forest Lake High School.
“We never took a test without thinking about our goal,”
Barbara explains. “We would not be dissuaded by naysayers.”
Today, Barbara Bowers is medical director of Fairview Southdale Breast Center and Fairview Southdale Hospital Medical
Oncology Clinic.
Betty Bowers, MD, is medical director and an anesthesiologist
with the McGee Eye Surgery Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
10
Augsburg Now
How did two young women from small-town Minnesota make it
through college in the big city?
“We received incredible personal attention and felt cared for
at Augsburg,” Barbara says. The twin sisters found the small
class sizes and nurturing environment a perfect place to study
the sciences.
“Our Augsburg professors were supportive and encouraged us
to pursue our dream,” Betty explains. Although, there was one
science professor who did not give them full credit for their class
work. “He had a special curve for us,” Barbara says. “His attitude
really was indicative of society at the time. It was the late 1960s,
and few women were pursuing careers in science, let alone medicine. But we didn’t lose heart.”
At Augsburg, the Bowers sisters were exposed to different cultures and religions. “Our professors knew us as people, not just
students in the classroom,” Barbara explains. “Rabbi Schwartz
took us to his synagogue and invited us to his home for Seder.”
While it took a lot of hard work to get through medical school,
“We were encouraged by those who meant the most to us,” Betty
says. “Sometimes naive belief serves you well.”
Claus Pierach, MD, a professor at the University of Minnesota
twin dreams
Medical School, recognized right away that the Bowers sisters
were unique. “Not only were they identical twins—they were
equally enterprising.”
Pierach serves on the admission committee for the University of
Minnesota Medical School. “I see and study many applicants, but
I see few students as determined as Betty and Barbara Bowers.”
After completing medical school, Barbara Bowers did her residency at what was then Northwestern Hospital. Pierach worked
closely with Barbara in her internal medicine rotation. “It was no
surprise that she earned the title of chief resident.” It was during
her internal medicine residency at Northwestern Hospital that
Barbara became intrigued by the cancer patients she treated.
“They were strong people, and it really sparked my interest in
medical oncology,” she explains.
Barbara decided to specialize in medical oncology. “At that
time, I thought I’d work in cancer treatment and work myself out
of a job in about 10 years.”
While cancer has not been cured, Barbara has seen significant
advances in cancer treatment and prevention. “We are seeing
more cancer patients live longer. There has been progress in preventing certain cancers through increased patient understanding
of the role diet and exercise play in our lives.”
“As a physician, my role is to partner with patients. To do that,
we need to educate patients, give them the information they need
to make decisions regarding their care, and communicate on the
same wave length—making sure that they know they are the most
important person on our care team.”
For Barbara, caring for cancer patients is where medical science and compassion meet. “I’m a scientist,” she explains. “I
love studying the periodic table. Everything in the universe is up
there except one thing—the heart, the human element.”
Barbara is married to a physician and has two daughters and
a son.
While in medical school, Betty thought she’d become a surgeon. She was the first female surgery resident at Hennepin
County Medical Center. In the fourth year of her general surgery
rotation, Claude Hitchcock, MD, approached her about taking a
six-month anesthesia rotation at the Mayo Clinic. “It’s been a
good fit for me. I’ve been practicing anesthesiology since 1981.”
She’s been with the McGee Eye Surgery Center since 2005.
Betty is married to a physician and has two daughters.
Looking back, Barbara and Betty remember many good times
amid the grueling schedule of medical school. “But we got through
it all by tucking our chins in and working hard,” Betty says.
Both physicians say they have enjoyed tremendous job satisfaction from their careers in medicine. “I would encourage anyone
dedicated to helping people to choose a career in medicine,”
Barbara says. “The medical field is constantly changing and offers
academic challenges, but most of all it is personally rewarding.”
JEAN SPIELMAN HOUSH
Housh is married to Allen Housh, a former Augsburg regent. She came to know
Dr. Barbara Bowers when she was treated for breast cancer in 2004.
Photos submitted by the families and Fairview Southdale Hospital.
“As a physician, my role is to partner with
patients. To do that, we need to ... make
sure that they know they are the most
important person on our care team.”
BARBARA BOWERS, MD
Betty Bowers, MD
Barbara Bowers, MD
Spring 2009
11
International Programs
3
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
2
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2nd place: Katie Woolever
“Looking Through Mada’s
Dwelling”
Northern Namibia
3rd place: Kayla Skarbakka
“Boireann”
County Clare, Ireland
2
Photojournalism
1st place: Emily Hanson
“GDR Shopkeep”
Wittenburg, Germany
2nd place: Tyla Pream
“Festival of San Giovanni–Boy
with Flag”
Florence, Italy
Augsburg Now
3
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Augsburg Now
3
3rd place: Christine Tresselt
“Coffee in the Cloud Forest”
Miraflor, Nicaragua
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sustain. respond. recycle.
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Augsburg Now
“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
16
Augsburg Now
Augsburg had a “Mr. Green” contest,
TOM RUFFANER ’98 might well be the best
candidate. Over the past decade, he has
led Augsburg toward greater commitments in
sustainable living.
Ruffaner has pushed Augsburg to bring about environmental improvements in energy use, safer
cleaning products, and recycling and waste reduction
(starting with a comprehensive Waste Wise audit). He
also helped the College study its transportation
habits and commuting alternatives. And, he has
chaired the Environmental Stewardship Committee
and supported community efforts.
In fall 2007, Ruffaner received an Individual
Achievement Commuter Choice Award, given by Metro
Transit, that recognizes organizations and individuals
for their creative solutions in promoting alternatives
to driving alone. He also served on the advisory committee that helped design the light rail station nearest
Augsburg.
A 1998 graduate in metro-urban studies, Ruffaner
is the custodial supervisor at Augsburg.
A report has just been completed that
measures the College’s carbon footprint.
• Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC)—Five colleges (Augsburg,
Hamline, St. Thomas, St. Catherine,
Macalester) are exploring ways to create
a stronger academic identity that clearly
expresses their shared identity as an
urban institution and centers on the
theme of sustainable urban development. Ideas may include curricular development, community outreach,
research, service-learning, internships,
study abroad, and faculty development.
Students step forward
green vehicles, and become engaged in the political
process.
Augsburg’s chapter of the Minnesota Public Interest
Research Group (MPIRG) began the initial efforts to recycle in the 1970s. Recently, its Environmental Task
Force, along with student groups, has led projects on
campus, including:
• Focus the Nation teach-in—Augsburg joined organizations across the country in setting aside a day to engage the entire campus in conversations on
sustainability.
“MY DAD TELLS ME, ‘DREAMS ARE FREE.
DREAM BIG, IT WON’T COST MONEY.’”
Some of the most exciting projects for sustainability have come from student-led initiatives. Students have researched
alternative fuels, organized teach-ins,
gained student backing to support wind
energy, pushed the College to purchase
—Alex Hoselton ’08
Focus leads to wind energy
My dad tells me, “Dreams are free. Dream big, it won’t
cost money.” I listened and dreamt and acted big by forming an ad hoc organization and, with other students,
started organizing for the Focus the Nation teach-in in
January 2008. The teach-in provided rich liberal arts perspectives to more than 500 attendees and launched momentum towards switching Augsburg’s energy
consumption from fossil fuel to wind energy.
The organizing students petitioned Day Student
Government for a referendum to impose a fee of $14.75
per semester to purchase wind energy. The referendum
passed, with 68% of the vote, and day students now contribute more than $54,000 annually. Contributions from
Weekend College Government and the administration enable us to purchase enough wind power to make
Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus 100% free of fossil fuel
electricity. We have reduced the equivalent in carbon
emissions of taking 26,000 cars off the road or planting
69 square miles of trees each year.
17
The case for a green vehicle
• Wind energy purchase—Both day and
weekend student governments held referendums in which students voted to add a
new student fee to contribute to wind energy purchase. It enables Augsburg to
offset 100% of its fossil-fuel electricity
costs on the Minneapolis campus, making the College one of the largest purchasers of wind power in the state.
• Hybrid security vehicle—When a security
vehicle was due for replacement, a student group pushed for the College to buy
a hybrid fuel vehicle.
• Food services changes—Students initiated the practice of composting food,
saving three-quarters of a ton of trash.
• Environmental history of Augsburg—
The 2007 Environmental Connections
class researched and wrote “From Rural
to Urban: The Environmental History of
Augsburg College 1872-2005,” studying
its relationship to nature, technology,
and humans.
• Trash audit—In order to call attention to
lackadaisical attitudes toward recycling,
a group of students went through twodays’ worth of garbage and showed how
nearly 70% of it was either compostable
or recyclable.
Much work remains before Augsburg can
be satisfied it is consuming only what
Earth can renew. But now, that work is increasingly carried out with greater consciousness of the impact made by personal
choices and practices, both on the self and
on an interconnected and interdependent
global community.
18
Augsburg Now
The green vehicle initiative developed from
the inspiration of Brian Krohn’s biofuel discoveries and my resources as a member of
Augsburg Day Student Government in fall
2008. Almost immediately Reid Larson and
Steve Eichten also committed themselves
fully to the project. Collectively, the four of
us found that our goal was to ensure that our
next Department of Public Safety vehicle was
both a fiscally and environmentally sound investment. After hearing estimates that the
department puts nearly 150 miles daily on
their vehicle, we realized that having either a
biodiesel or hybrid would surely be cost effective. It turned out that a Ford Escape
Hybrid would save the college $30,000 annually by our low-end estimates.
Initially finding little support in the
purchase of a hybrid, the group prepared for
a meeting with President Paul Pribbenow. We
presented him with graphs on two- and fouryear savings, a list of ways that he would be
supporting the Presidents Climate Commitment he had signed earlier in the year, and a
list of colleges, universities, and police departments that all had successfully integrated
hybrid vehicles into their programs. By meeting’s end the president had given us an oral
commitment to the Ford Escape, and said that
John Pack, director of public safety, had also
expressed his support earlier in the day. By
September 2008 the College’s new hybrid vehicle was in use on campus. The Green Vehicle Coalition, as it has developed into, sees
this particular project only as a first step toward many long-term goals.
“THE GREEN VEHICLE INITIATIVE DEVELOPED FROM THE
INSPIRATION OF BRIAN KROHN’S BIOFUEL DISCOVERIES.”
—Jake Quarstad ’10
How GREEN is Augsburg?
how
College initiatives
• American College and University Presidents
Climate Commitment—completed the Greenhouse
Gas Emissions Inventory for 2001-08
• Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities will
collaborate on studying urban sustainability
• HourCar hub on campus
• Discounted transit passes
• Reserved carpool parking
• Fair trade items sold in bookstore
• Purchasing enough wind energy to offset electricity
Student-led initiatives
• Led Focus the Nation teach-in—Jan. 2008
• Proposed and passed extra student fees for
purchase of wind energy
• Friends of the Mississippi River stewardship
• Pushed for green vehicle initiative to
purchase hybrid security vehicle
• Environmental studies major and minor
• Presented at Campus Compact conference
• Fall 2009—Fate of the World i-term class
• Created bike-share program
• Campus Kitchen program and community garden
• Launched composting in dining area
green is
Food service
• Composting program
?
• Gradual move toward trayless dining, starting with Trayless Tuesdays
• Take-out materials—all corn-based and compostable
• Purchase all produce from a five-state region
• Fair trade coffee available in campus eateries
Internal practices
• Double-sided printing on all campus copiers
• All copy paper on campus—30% post-consumer waste
• Ongoing re-use center
• Recycling of cans, glass bottles, plastic, paper, cardboard, and yard waste
• Recycling for appliances, carpets, furniture, batteries, electronics, ink
• Compostable paper towels in all public restrooms
• Changed all faucets and showers on campus to water-saving fixtures
• Energy-efficient fluorescent lamps in public areas, increasing use of CFL bulbs
augsburg
• Moving toward 100% “Green Seal” cleaning chemicals
• Display board and fairs to facilitate public transportation
Environmental studies program
• Paddled the Mississippi River to study environmental and river politics
• Built rain gardens to capture runoff
• Researched and wrote an environmental history of
Augsburg College
• Studied, prepared, and served a healthy, local,
sustainable lunch
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GREEN STARTS HERE
The topic of conversation on this early December afternoon was pumpkin ice
cream, a dessert that summed up many of the conflicts that go along with making environmental change.
In Environmental Connections, the gateway course for Augsburg’s new environmental studies major, history professor Michael Lansing and political science
professor Joe Underhill take an issue and break it down over a semester. In fall
2007, the topic was water. This past fall, a dozen Augsburg students looked at
food and just how it ends up on our plates.
At the end of the semester, the Environmental Connections students had to take
what they learned and plan a menu for a lunch that was served in the
Christensen Center Commons. Nutrition and taste were important to the students.
But so were environmentally friendly practices, the use of vegetables grown in the
Augsburg greenhouse, and supporting local farmers and companies.
And that led to the lengthy discussion about whether they should serve
pumpkin ice cream from Kemps or buy it from Izzy’s, a St. Paul ice cream
shop. The students knew they wanted the Izzy’s because the
ice cream is made with organic products and the
shop uses solar power. But there was the issue with
price. Kemps wasn’t as environmentally friendly,
but the students could get more ice cream at a
lower price.
Because while it’s easy for people to say that they
want to take environmental concerns into consideration when making decisions, the tone sometimes changes when being green is more expensive. In the
end, the class reached a compromise and would get ice cream from both.
“That discussion was everything the class was about,” says Kathy DeKrey, a
first-year student from Bemidji, Minn. “I thought we should have put up the cost
and got just the Izzy’s ice cream.
“A lot of people aren’t willing to put forth the initial costs to make good decisions and that is too bad.”
It was the kind of broad, big-picture thinking that the professors hope comes
out of this interdisciplinary class. Because things like food, water, and energy—
a potential topic for next year—impact so many parts of society, Underhill and
Lansing bring in guest lecturers from departments across campus.
“WHATEVER YOU DO, IT IMPACTS SOMETHING.”
—Peter Klink ’12
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Augsburg Now
BY JEFF SHELMAN
Studying the urban
environment
Here’s what you won’t find in Augsburg’s
new environmental studies major: a windmill suddenly being constructed in the
middle of Cedar-Riverside, repeated trips
to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, and
anything that could be considered rural.
“That’s not what we want,” Lansing
says. “That’s not who we are.”
The term “environmental” is often
equated with rural, with wetlands, and
with ecosystems. But Lansing and Underhill are much more interested in making
an impact on and around campus. After
all, the Mississippi River is only a few
blocks away. There is a Superfund site in
Minneapolis’ Phillips neighborhood because of high amounts of pesticides and
herbicides previously produced there. The
local Sierra Club office is just across
Interstate 94 in the Seward neighborhood.
Students in both the water and the food
classes took the light rail to downtown
Minneapolis to learn about the impact of
St. Anthony Falls. For the initial class, the
falls demonstrated the importance of water
in relation to the creation of energy. Last
semester, the falls taught about the milling
process and the history of Minneapolis.
In addition to being a vehicle for teaching, studying environmental issues in an
urban environment creates opportunity.
“If you’re interested in the wilderness
and studying ecosystem dynamics, this
probably isn’t the right program,”
Underhill says. “But if you want to do
something on human impact, you have to
be where the people are. Humans are having a huge impact so we have to spend
time where the most people are.”
In the water class, the students constructed rain gardens on the Augsburg
campus. The gardens are positioned to
collect water runoff from campus buildings. In addition to adding plant life to
campus, the rain gardens keep runoff
water from eventually reaching the
Mississippi River.
“We are uniquely situated in a city neighborhood and are privileged to have
a variety of opportunities to explore the interconnectedness of urban life
with both human and natural forces.”
—President Paul C. Pribbenow
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Getting students out of the classroom and getting their hands,
quite literally, dirty very much fits into the experiential teaching
Augsburg is known for.
“We want students to be aware of their immediate surroundings,”
Lansing says. “We don’t want to put them in a sealed classroom and
learn about grand theories while ignoring what’s going on around them.”
Changing attitudes
Peter Klink is in his first year at Augsburg after taking classes a year
ago at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. He always had
an interest in the outdoors, but he didn’t really know just how complex food is.
“Most cows are fed corn hay because it gets them fat quicker, but
it’s not as good for people,” Klink says. “But if you stop feeding them
corn hay and feed them grass, the corn industry is hurt. Whatever you
do, it impacts something.”
Klink, who grew up in Stillwater, Minn., found his habits as a consumer changing as the semester progressed. His biggest change—the
result of learning about the environmental cost of transporting food
across country—has been to make a greater effort to buy locallygrown food.
“I want to know where it comes from,” Klink says. “Also, it’s a way
to support local businesses. The way the economy is, I’m all about
supporting local businesses rather than some big corporation.”
Because the Environmental Connections class is a gateway course
and largely for first-year students and sophomores, the students enter
at different points.
“Clearly the most satisfying thing is when they start with no clue
and as the semester goes on, the light bulb starts to come on,” Underhill says.
The environmental studies major—which will feature classes from
a variety of departments on campus—is very much in its infancy at
Augsburg. While the curriculum has been approved and the requirements laid out, simply offering a major doesn’t guarantee student interest.
In addition to providing a base of knowledge, the gateway course
also shows students with interest in the environment some of the
possibilities that are out there, that an environmental studies major
isn’t limited to a job in nature or working as some sort of scientist.
“There’s a lot of green stuff that’s going to be used in the future,”
says Klink, who is going to major in business and at least minor in
environmental studies. “I think there is going to be a lot of opportunities for jobs in that area. There’s wind energy, solar energy, green architecture. To have a background where you
understand that is a key thing.”
And getting students on the path toward
understanding is what the Environmental
Connections class is all about.
22
Augsburg Now
studying
y
t
i
l
i
b
a
sustain
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.
24
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
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SAVE T
October 1-
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Aug
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u/homecom
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www.au
Spring 2009
35
alumni class notes
52Pines, Minn., was selected for
Rev. Arvid “Bud” Dixon, Circle
a 2008 Honorary Award of the Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation for
Peace and Justice, given for long
and significant contribution to the
causes of peace and social justice.
68professor of biology and direc-
Ted Johnson, Northfield, Minn.,
tor of biomedical studies at St. Olaf
College, gave an address, “Students,
New Science Building, and the Liberal Arts,” at St. Olaf’s Opening Convocation, on Sept. 4.
69
Rev. Peter Strommen,
Shakopee, Minn., accepted a
call to Shepherd of the Lake
Lutheran Church in Prior Lake,
Minn., that began on Sept. 1. He
has just completed a long tenure as
the bishop of the Northeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA.
tary children and conversational
English with adults at the Bible
School.
Larry Turner and Robert Storeygard
’76, along with David Tiede, Bernhard Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, attended the
10th anniversary of the Bible School
(Center for Christian Education) in
Martin, Slovakia, a Lutheran school
that educates adult students for
serving in congregations and communities. The “Decade of Miracles”
celebration, July 4-6, included performances from the St. Andrew’s
Lutheran Church choir, Mahtomedi,
Minn., who also performed elsewhere in Slovakia. Participants from
18 U.S. congregations taught Vacation Bible School with 330 elemen-
Peter Agre, Baltimore, Md.,
was awarded the Annual Prize
for Outstanding Contribution to Lung
Research on Dec. 11 at the annual
meeting for the Will Rogers Motion
Picture Pioneers Foundation
(WRMPPF), for his groundbreaking
work in aquaporins and potential
benefits to lung research. He is director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria
Research Institute in the Bloomberg
School of Public Health.
70
77Wash., began as director of
Rev. Arne Bergland, Puyallup,
church relations for California
Lutheran University in September,
acting as a liaison between the university and the church community.
Rod Skoe, Clearbrook, Minn., was
honored in November as a recipient
of a 2008 Torch and Shield, the
highest award presented by the University of Minnesota-Crookston. He
represents District 2, northwestern
Minnesota, in the Minnesota Senate
and has been involved in farming in
Clearbrook, Minn., since 1985.
78Lake, Minn., has been named
Steven Hoffmeyer, White Bear
commissioner of the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. He
served as deputy commissioner and
has been with the bureau since
2002.
In October, Augsburg religion professor Phil Quanbeck II and his wife, Augsburg regent Ruth Johnson ’74, led “An Aegean Odyssey to Turkey and Greece,”
with a group of 23, including seven other Auggies. For 10 days, they traveled and studied the world of the Apostle Paul, Byzantium, and modern-day Greece
and Turkey.
(Back row, men, L to R): Jerry Kleven ’57, Art Rimmereid ’53, Paul Anderson, Jim Weninger ’92 MAL, Phil Quanbeck, Mike Bailey, Tom Stertz, Kirk Gill,
Jim Martenson, David Larson, Larry Turner. (Middle row, women, L to R): Sylvia Hanson ’50, Char Rimmereid ’52, Karen Freeman, Liz Weninger ’92, Julie
Larson, Carmen Clementson, Cindy Martenson, Nancy Anderson, Sally Tonsager. (Front row, women, L to R): Jennie Wilson, Ruth Johnson ’74, Kathy Bailey,
Lynn Stertz, Sue Turner, Alice Peterson, Denise Shuck ’09.
To read about their tour and see photos from
their travels, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
36
Augsburg Now
79Ill., serves as the practice
Brian Carlsen, Buffalo Grove,
87
77
Neil Paulson ran in the Orlando
(Fla.) Utilities Commission race
in December. His photo appeared on
the cover of Runner magazine because he runs without a shirt in all
weather there, which is always tropical compared to Minnesota.
Scott L. Anderson and his
wife, Susan, Minneapolis,
welcomed the birth of John Scott on
Jan. 30, 2007. Scott is an insurance and financial service agent for
Farmers Financial Solutions LLC.
ScottLAnderson38@msn.com
leader of organizational learning at
St. Aubin, Haggerty & Associates, a
strategic HR consulting firm. He recently co-authored a book on business and workforce leadership,
Attract, Engage & Retain Top Talent,
from Author House books.
Leslie (Morland) and Jonathan Carlson moved from Bozeman, Mont.,
back to St. Paul where Leslie has
taken a nurse practitioner job at
HealthEast Clinics.
80St. Paul, Minn., has been apJulie (Petterson) Leslie, West
pointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty
as a parent member to a three-year
term on the State Advisory Council
on Early Childhood Education and
Care. She is a licensed educator
and the director of Augustana Preschool.
82began teaching 11th- and
Karl Spring joined Fox 21 in Duluth,
Minn., in September as chief meteorologist and travels to schools
throughout northern Minnesota to
teach students about meteorology.
Previously, he was chief meteorologist at KBJR-TV in Duluth.
94Sarya, Charlevoix, Mich., reGwendolyn (Christiansen)
ceived her Master of Arts degree in
music education in December from
the University of St. Thomas, with a
concentration in Orff-Schulwerk. She
and her husband, Dave, have a fiveyear-old son, Luke. She teaches K-4
music and movement and fifth-grade
band at Concord Academy in Boyne,
Mich. gwensarya@yahoo.com
Sara Trumm, Chicago, began in October as program coordinator for the
Center for Christian-Muslim Relations for Peace and Justice at the
Lutheran School of Theology. She
had just spent two years in India.
Rick Bennett, Morgan, Minn.,
91tag were married in Hoversten
Kristen (Hirsch) and Paul Mon-
89
Sue Hakes began a two-year
term as mayor of Grand
Marais, Minn., to which she was
elected in November.
Chapel on Oct. 18, with Auggies in
attendance: Velda (Stohr) Gabrielson
’90, Betty Christiansen ’91, Laura
(Ferry) Lee ’92, Brenda Lunde Gilsrud
’91, Liz Pushing ’93, Jennifer Tome
’99, and Aaron Pelaccia ’07. Kristen
is a marketing communication manager at Goodwill/Easter Seals Minnesota, and Paul is in sales and
marketing. They live in St. Paul.
92
Sharol (Dascher) Tyra, received a Star Award 2008
from the Minnesota Organization of
Leaders in Nursing (MOLN) in
recognition of her commitment to
volunteering and dedication to influencing health care by advancing
professional nursing leadership,
particularly with the Metro Alliance
Education and Service Collaborative
for Expanded Enrollment of Baccalaureate Nurses.
12th-grade students in chemistry
and human anatomy in Cannon
Falls, Minn.
Wendy (Shields) and Bradley
Falls, Minn., with big brother, Jackson, announce the birth of Lachlan
Bradley, on March 9, 2008. Brad is
a physician assistant at SMDC
Health System-International Falls,
and Wendy is a stay-at-home mom.
wreiners@frontiernet.net
Rachel Brist is a physician as-
of Bigfork Valley Hospital clinics in
Coleraine and Marcell, Minn.
84in Tromsø, Norway. Tove was
02artistic director for SOS Play-
named a Knight of the First Class of
the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit,
by King Harald V, for the advancement of Norwegian language and
culture in the United States. She is a
peace studies educator at the University of Tromsø and has served for
26 years as dean of Skogfjorden,
Concordia College Norwegian Language Village. Curt began on Jan. 1
as vice president for research and
development at the University of
Tromsø—the world’s northernmost
university vice president. This is a
new position resulting from the
merger of the University of Tromsø
and Tromsø College.
ers, two troupes of pre-teen actors
who perform for elementary and
middle-school audiences, helping
them cope with life. He often writes
scripts based on requests from educators to deal with particular topics.
86Minn., joined UCare health
Heather Schwartz joined the consumer marketing practice of Weber
Shandwick in Minneapolis-St. Paul
as an account supervisor. Previously
she had been a brand public relations director.
Tove Dahl and Curtis Rice live
Frank Gilbertson, Maplewood,
98Reiners ’99, International
01sistant and has joined the staff
plan in November as provider network management director. Previously, he spent 11 years at Blue
Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota,
most recently as senior director,
provider relations planning.
Andrew Bernstrom, St. Paul, is
Katie Lindelfelser’s research as a
master’s degree student at the University of Melbourne (Australia) was
published in a co-authored article,
“Bereaved Parents' Experiences of
Music Therapy with Their Terminally
Ill Child,” in the Journal of Music
Therapy, fall 2008. She is teaching
a music therapy course at Augsburg
this spring semester.
Spring 2009
37
alumni class notes
Rev. Rachel (Oldfather) Stout,
Wadena, Minn., was installed as associate pastor of Immanuel Lutheran
Church in September in Wadena.
Her husband, Ryan, is the new pastor at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church in
New York Mills. They have a son,
Soren.
04
Amanda Engesether is working
with the current city planning
director in Kinston, N.C., and will
take over that position in July when
he retires. Previous to this, she
worked as a planner in Johnston and
Onslow Counties in North Carolina
and completed an internship at the
Urban Design Center in Raleigh, N.C.
Chris Stewart, Lakeville, Minn., became vice president of operations
for BOR-SON Construction in Minneapolis. He will manage all general
construction operations for the company. Previously he was head of Target’s national field operations team.
05
Andrea (Carlson) and Riley
Conway are living in Hershey,
Pa. Andrea is a third-year medical
student at Penn State, and Riley
works at Border Books and is a student in the distance master’s degree
program at Hamline University. They
were married in 2005.
06Marrandino were married on
Maureen Parker and Martin
Oct. 25. Maureen is a board certified music therapist at KSB Hospital
in Dixon, Ill., where Martin is also
employed. He also is a student at
Sauk Valley Community College.
Kasey Yoder, Duluth, Minn., is coowner of Two Guys Pizza in Duluth,
and working 80-hour weeks, doing
everything from menu planning to
becoming a master of the pizza oven.
00Burnsville, Minn., and her
Missy (Carlson) Bakeberg,
husband, Randy, welcomed the
birth of their twins, Cooper Joshua
and Ava Morgan on Oct. 11. Cooper
weighed 7 lbs., 5 oz., and Ava
weighed 5 lbs., 13 oz.
00
Denitza (Batanova) Stevens,
Chandler, Ariz., and her husband, Joel, welcomed their son,
Roman David, on April 26 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
08Sept. 2008-Feb. 2009 in
Jenni Olson volunteered from
Iringa, Tanzania, teaching communications at Iringa College/Tumaini
University.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Anita Raymond ’94 MSW is a 2008
recipient of the fourth annual Shelley Joseph-Kordell Award from Volunteers of America-Minnesota for
service to older adults. She is a social worker for Volunteers of America-Minnesota’s Protective Services
and Geriatric Care Management and
Consultation Services.
05Robertson were married on
Britni Morgan and Jeremy
05Stephen Belde were married
Melynda Kleewein and
on Aug. 1 in Anchorage, Alaska.
Melynda works at New York Life in
Anchorage and coaches hockey for
the Alaska Firebirds. Stephen is a
teacher with the Anchorage school
district and also coaches hockey for
the Alaska Firebirds and the South
High School boys’ hockey team.
Oct. 4 in Crystal, Minn. Auggies in
the wedding party included Kyle
Howard ’04, Jillian Janicki ’04, Jim
Lindell ’04, Nick Collins ’04, and
Tom Delisle ’06. In March they are
moving to Brainerd, Minn., to start a
lawn/cabin care company, Bear
Paw Cabin Care.
95his second book published,
Jeff Falkingham MAL, has had
Sherlock Holmes: in Search of the
Source, a work of historical fiction set
in St. Paul in December 1896. A sequel to an earlier work, Sherlock
Holmes and the County Courthouse
Caper, it’s set in Jeff's hometown of
Browns Valley, Minn., in November
1886. Originally released in June
2007 as a fundraiser for victims of the
March 2007 flood in Browns Valley, it
has raised over $6,500 for flood relief.
Excerpts from both books can be
found at www.cccaper.com. Falkingham now lives in Eden Prairie, Minn.,
and works in advertising for Northern
Tool + Equipment of Burnsville.
38
Augsburg Now
08UST Tommie, Tony Nagorski,
Jen Janda married her favorite
07Henning on Oct. 4 in Red-
Megan Schiller married Brent
wood Falls, Minn. Auggies in the
wedding party included Marrissa
Henry-Mashuga, Maria Belen Power
’07, and Miesha Martin-Freeman
’08. Megan is an administrative assistant in the Automated Clearing
House (ACH) Operations at Wells
Fargo in Minneapolis, and Brent is
an inside sales representative for
Braas Company in Eden Prairie.
They live in Waverly, Minn.
on Aug. 2 in Eagan, Minn. An Auggie, Megan Carlson ’08, was in the
wedding party. Jen works in the
Marketing and Communication Office at Augsburg and Tony attends
the St. Thomas School of Law. They
live in downtown Minneapolis.
augsburg
then
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail to alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news to the
Augsburg Online Community at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip
When today’s Old Main was conceived late in the 1870s, the College
planned for many of the new utilities and comforts of the day—plumbing
with running water and restrooms, steam heat, and built-in electric fixtures. This marked a shift from a campus that was ecologically independent (with a barn housing a horse, cow, and pig) to one that linked itself to
the growing urban infrastructure for water, waste, and energy.
Taken from “From Rural to Urban: The Environmental History of
Augsburg College, 1872–2005,” written by the students in Environmental
Connections and revised by Alex Hoselton ’08 and Alex Ubbelohde ’08.
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Employer
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
In Memoriam
Donald Murphy ’43, Mounds View,
Minn., age 87, on Nov. 24.
Dr. Nancy English ’73, Duluth,
Minn., age 57, on Aug. 8.
Robert W. Johnson ’49, Burnsville,
Minn., age 82, on Aug. 17.
Stacy Sellers ’01, Inman, Neb.,
age 31, on Jan. 2.
Pearson, Wayne ’49, Wildomar,
Calif., age 83, on Dec. 27.
Kerry Affeldt ’05, Wykoff, Minn.,
age 45, on Sept. 21, of injuries
from a motorcycle/auto accident.
Rev. James E. Peterson ’50,
Bloomington, Minn., age 79, on
Sept. 26.
Ronald Lund ’50, Wanamingo,
Minn., age 82, on Aug. 21.
Mary Ann Olsen ’53, Minneapolis,
age 78, on Sept. 18.
Beverly An (Gryth) Villwock ’52,
Charlottesville, Va., age 78, on
Nov. 29.
Mavis (Strand) Hafstad ’54, Eagan,
Minn., age 75, on Aug. 11.
Ahmednur Ali ’10, Minneapolis,
Minn., age 20, on Sept. 22.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Kathleen (“Katie”) Wiltgen ’10,
Winona, Minn., age 21, on Nov.
29, in an auto accident.
____________________________________________________________
Mathew Ackerman ’10, Dallas,
Texas, age 23, on Dec. 7.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a high school student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Spring 2009
39
my
Auggie experience
Richmond Appleton ’09
Environmental Studies
Richmond Appleton is passionate about giving back to his
communities—the Twin Cities and his birthplace of Liberia.
Early in his Augsburg career, he was a biology major and
planned to attend medical school. However, when the environmental studies program began, Appleton knew this was
the path he should take. He became the first student to formally declare the major.
Appleton has overcome a great deal in his life. As a young
boy, he contracted polio and was paralyzed on his left side.
He often had no access to medical care, but his parents took
him to native healers. “There were no social services or hospitals,” he says. “There was nothing to count on in emergencies.” Over time, he recovered the use of his arm and leg.
When civil war broke out in Liberia in the early ’90s, his
family fled to the Ivory Coast. Appleton’s mother was separated from them, and he also lost his father, brother, and sisters for four weeks because he couldn’t run fast enough to
keep up with them. Eventually the family was forced to Ghana
where they stayed in a refugee camp until they immigrated to
the U.S. in 2004.
A desire to make a difference influenced Appleton’s decision to join the environmental studies program where classes
in ecology and biodiversity fuel his interests in social work
and public service. Although he wants to help his country, he
likely won’t return to live permanently. He says Liberia is rebuilding after years of violence and destruction, but that
much remains to be done. “People are sick from the effects
of a polluted environment.”
While at Augsburg, Appleton has been active in the
neighborhood. He chairs the Augsburg Student Activities Council diversity committee and serves as a residence life community adviser. In January, he traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico,
with students from the Scholastic Connections program to learn
about sustainable agriculture practices in Mexico.
Appleton plans to graduate in December and is researching
graduate programs in environmental studies. “I am interested
in public policy in urban areas, conflict management in war
torn countries, community development, agriculture, sustainability, and bio-agriculture.” Appleton plans to study sustainable food production and how it can minimize the human
impact on the environment.
JENNIFER L. HIPPLE, WEEKEND COLLEGE STUDENT
40
Augsburg Now
an
augsburg legacy
Mr. Augsburg still supporting students
Jeroy and Ainy Carlson
Kirsten Bar ’10
In 1958, when Minnesota celebrated its centennial, Jeroy
Carlson ’48 was one of 1,958 state champions honored by the
state. “Jack Dempsey was at the ceremony,” Carlson said,
“and he told us, ‘The greatest asset America has is its youth.’
That’s still true.”
Carlson and his wife Lorraine “Ainy” support Augsburg students through planned gifts because they believe what
Dempsey said. Carlson, known to many as “Mr. Augsburg,”
spent 44 years as a student-athlete, teacher, coach, and staff
member with the College. “I tried to be of help to anyone I
could,” he said.
With a charitable gift annuity, the Carlsons fund a scholarship that supports students who are studying music or physical
education and who demonstrate a commitment of service
to others.
This year’s recipient of Jeroy and Ainy Carlson’s scholarship is
Kirsten Bar ’10, a music therapy major who has worked
throughout her education with people with Hungtington’s disease, dementia, and Alzheimer’s.
“The students and faculty in the music department have a
special place in our hearts for those who have contributed to
scholarships,” said Bar. “For some students, these scholarships make a huge difference from year to year. We appreciate
the financial support and very much enjoy seeing the donors at
our performances.”
After completing her studies, Bar hopes to return to her
hometown of Billings, Mont., to start the city’s first music therapy practice.
“Investing” with an Augsburg charitable gift annuity rather than with a bank gives the Carlsons a locked rate of
return for their lifetimes, and they will be sure that the remainder will go to the scholarship after their death.
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
River Politics
Students in Professor Joe Underhill’s Environmental and
River Politics class travel through Lock 1 on the Mississippi
River. During the class, students study current debates
about the extent of environmental problems, and examine
how those problems are manifested on campus and in our
immediate surroundings. Exploring the issues from a canoe
gives them different perspectives.
Show less
Augsburg
Now
KEYSTONE CONNECTIONS
URBAN LEGENDS
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
SPRING 2007
VOL. 69, NO. 3
Martin Sabo retires
The ending of an era
page 16
P. 21
A PLACE OF THEIR OWN
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
P. 12
P. 26
Editor
Notes
from President Pribbenow on…
Being a ... Show more
Augsburg
Now
KEYSTONE CONNECTIONS
URBAN LEGENDS
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
SPRING 2007
VOL. 69, NO. 3
Martin Sabo retires
The ending of an era
page 16
P. 21
A PLACE OF THEIR OWN
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
P. 12
P. 26
Editor
Notes
from President Pribbenow on…
Being a college in the city
B
ut seek the welfare of the city where I have
sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on
its behalf, for in its welfare will you find
your welfare. (Jeremiah 29:7, RSV)
One particular afternoon last fall, I was shepherded
through the nearby Cedar-Riverside neighborhood
by our legendary community ambassador Mary
Laurel True. She introduced me to good people
whose lives and work intersect with the College. We
sat in one of the four mosques in the neighborhood
and spoke with the elders about peace and the God
of Abraham, about our lives here together, about our
children, and about the world and how frightening
it can be to live with strangers. In other words, we
spoke as fellow humans living together in the city.
I love the city (despite my rural upbringing) and
my recent experiences in our neighborhood lead me
to revisit some of the historical themes that fascinate
me about city life.
My first thoughts go to the role that neighborhoods play in a strong urban life. Though we are a
city, we live our lives in neighborhoods. It is in the
neighborhood where I come face to face with the
challenges and joys of negotiating my life with others. I think of Jane Addams, who made the west side
Chicago neighborhood near Hull-House the sphere
of action for her efforts in the late 19th and early
20th centuries to build a stronger democracy. There
are many of us who still believe her settlement
house idea has relevance for the 21st century. It is
not a philosophical exercise—it is the daily living
with, abiding with, meeting the needs and sharing
the aspirations of neighbors that defined the work of
Miss Addams and her colleagues, and that needs to
define our lives in cities as well.
A second theme about cities is the ways in
which they reflect our abiding pursuit of civilization.
Sir Peter Hall in Cities in Civilization suggests that
great cities have been at the center of artistic growth,
technological progress, the marriage of culture and
technology, and solutions to evolving social problems. Cities are places “for people who can stand the
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Staff Writer
Bethany Bierman
bierman@augsburg.edu
Design Manager
Kathy Rumpza
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Class Notes Designer
heat of the kitchen: places where the adrenaline
pumps through the bodies of the people and
through the streets on which they walk; messy
places, sordid places sometimes, but places nevertheless superbly worth living in, long to be remembered and long to be celebrated.”
Finally, I think of the late Jane Jacobs, the legendary urban theorist, whose The Death and Life of
Great American Cities was a clarion call to arms for
all those who loved the diversity and energy of cities
that was being ravaged by trends in architecture and
city planning. One of Jacobs’ main points was that
the well-being of cities is defined primarily by common, ordinary things, like sidewalks, parks, defined
neighborhoods, and a diversity of architecture styles
and buildings of different ages. These common,
ordinary things, when thought about with the needs
and aspirations of citizens in mind, will create
healthy, sustainable, and vital urban centers. It is not
about spending a huge amount of money, but rather
about a reflective practice of city life—the genuine
work of urban planning.
During my short time here at Augsburg, I have
been challenged to think again about the role of colleges and universities in an urban setting. I am committed to the mutual dependency of colleges and the
city. The paradigm for the relationships between
cities and higher education must be less about
extracting benefits from each other, less dependent
on incidental impact, and more focused on the various resources that can be shared in the pursuit of a
more robust, healthy, and meaningful urban life. I
look forward to our efforts at Augsburg to give substance to this new (but not really so new!) paradigm
of urban citizenship.
Yours,
Signe Peterson
petersos@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Media Relations Manager
Judy Petree
petree@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Interim Assistant
Vice President of Marketing
and Communications
David Warch
warch@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni Relations
Heidi Breen
breen@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published
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Minneapolis, Minn., 55454.
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Now do not necessarily reflect
official College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
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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
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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.
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To make a donation by phone, call Kevin Healy, director of
advancement services, at 612-338-6537 or 800-273-0617.
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You can mail your gift to:
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Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454
For complete information about making a gift,
including the types of giving and giving programs,
go to www.augsburg.edu/giving.
ice. In political science theory, she
studied what it means to be a
civil leader and servant of the
people. A statistics course taught
her how knowledge is used and
how public policy is translated for
the general public. An internship
gave her the chance to work oneon-one with a 46-year-old East
African man, teaching him to
write. She learned how education
is empowerment, and how leaders have a responsibility to
empower their people. Lastly, in
American literature, she studied
what it means to have a voice,
and how in poverty people do
not have any voice.
Her thoughts after graduation
include work with the Lutheran
Volunteer Corps or AmeriCorps,
giving her chances to offer community service and better understand the role of civic associations
in a democracy.
Ana Chilingarishvili graduates this year with a major in
international relations and will
begin law school in the fall. Her
sights are set worldwide, beyond
local and national boundaries. A
native of the Republic of Georgia,
she was 6 years old when the
Soviet Union came to an end and
independence was declared. Her
family endured the civil war that
followed and were fortunate to
receive help from a number of
international organizations.
Chilingarishvili’s interest is in
human rights law, especially children’s rights, so that she can help
others in the same way. She
doesn’t yet know exactly what
that will be, but feels that
Augsburg’s focus on vocation has
helped her prepare for whatever
may develop.
When the Sabo Scholars had
the opportunity to meet Martin
Sabo on campus this spring,
Chilingarishvili was amazed to
hear about the roots of this legislator who has traveled the
world—a tiny North Dakota community and a high school graduating class of three.
— Bethany Bierman and
Betsey Norgard
SPRING 2007 7
AROUND THE QUAD
SPORTS
Auggies win 10th
national title, claim
nine All-Americans
Claiming three individual national
titles and making collegiate
wrestling history for one of its
wrestlers in the process, the
Augsburg wrestling team won its
record-10th NCAA Division III
national championship in the last
17 seasons with a dominating
performance in the tournament,
held in March in Dubuque, Iowa.
With nine All-Americans,
including three titlists and two
runners-up, Augsburg finished
with 135.5 points, 36 points
ahead of second-place Wartburg
(Iowa), the defending national
champion, with 99.5 points.
Wisconsin-La Crosse finished in
third with 92.5 points, Luther
(Iowa) finished fourth with 86.0
points and the College of New
Jersey finished fifth with 46.5
points.
Augsburg head coach Jeff
Swenson ’79 was named National
Coach of the Year by the National
Wrestling Coaches Association,
the sixth time he has earned the
honor in his 25-season career.
After the championships,
Swenson announced his resignation from his coaching position,
in order to focus on his responsibilities as the school’s assistant
dean for athletics and recreation.
Sam Barber, who has served as an
assistant on the Auggie staff for
six seasons, was named the team’s
new head coach.
“We had a lot of ups, mostly,
and a few downs,” said Swenson.
“It’s hard for me when the year
comes to an end because of the
great seniors, but the bottom line
is I’m proud of them as a group.
They really came together in the
last month of the season.”
Augsburg has finished among
the top two teams in national
competition 19 times since 1975,
has finished among the top four
Wrestling head coach Jeff Swenson steps
down after 25 seasons.
Auggie coaches Jeff Swenson (lower) and Sam Barber (upper) watch their team
With a commanding win, Auggie wrestlers captured their 10th national championship in March, with nine All-Americans.
nationally the last 19 seasons in a
row (the only NCAA school in
any division that can make that
claim), and has finished in the
top 20 nationally every season
since 1971 (NCAA from 1983 to
present, NAIA pre-1983).
Augsburg’s Marcus LeVesseur,
a senior from Minneapolis,
became the first Division III
wrestler ever to win four national
titles, and the second college
wrestler ever to finish his career
unbeaten and untied. LeVesseur,
who won Division III national
titles at 157 pounds three times
(2003, 2004, 2005), finished his
senior season at 31-0, and his collegiate career at 155-0, the second-longest winning streak in
college wrestling history. Cael
Sanderson went 159-0 during his
career at Iowa State from 19982002, winning four Division I
national titles.
“It’s unbelievable,” Swenson
said of LeVesseur’s accomplishment, “… no one had ever won
four titles (at the Division III
level), and only two guys have
ever gone through their careers
undefeated. He’s in great company with Cael [Sanderson].”
Junior Quincy Osborn
claimed his first national championship at 141 pounds. Osborn
finished his first season as an
Auggie with a 44-3 record, completing his third national tournament appearance. As a Division I
wrestler at the University of
Minnesota, he competed in
national tournaments in both
2004 and 2005. Osborn is now
104-35 in his college career.
Junior Jeremy Anderson also
earned his first national championship, completing his second
All-American season with a win in
the 157-pound class. Anderson,
who was a national runner-up last
season, finished his junior campaign at 39-2 overall and his 83-5
in his two seasons as an Auggie.
At 133, junior Jafari Vanier
repeated his second-place finish
from a year ago, and sophomore
Seth Flodeen claimed national
runner-up honors in his first
national finals appearance at 125
pounds.
Senior Jared Evans, a threetime All-American, closed out his
career with his second straight
fourth-place finish, and junior
Robbie Gotreau finished his campaign at 41-6 overall. Heavyweight senior Andrew Neumann,
in his second national tournament, finished fifth overall. At
197, junior Wally O’Connor finished eighth.
Augsburg finished with an
11-1 dual-meet record this season. For the third time in the sixyear history of the event,
Augsburg claimed the championship at the National Wrestling
Coaches Association/Cliff Keen
Division III National Duals in
January.
Academically, Augsburg finished 11th among Division III
programs in the NWCA’s academic national rankings, with a 3.283
team gradepoint average. Five
Auggies earned NWCA Scholar
All-American honors—Evans,
Neumann, Paul Bjorkstrand, Josh
Hansen, and Brandon Klukow.
wrestle to a national title.
8 AUGSBURG NOW
—Don Stoner
Jeff Swenson resigns
as wrestling coach
Augsburg wrestling head coach
Jeff Swenson announced in March
that he is resigning his coaching
post in order to focus on his
responsibilities as the school’s
assistant dean for athletics and
recreation.
Swenson, a 1979 Augsburg
graduate, served as head coach of
the Auggies for 25 seasons (198084, 1986-2007), building the
squad into a national small-college
wrestling powerhouse. Under
Swenson’s leadership, Augsburg
won a record-10 NCAA Division
III national championships and
produced a career dual-meet
record of 321-44.
Associate head coach Sam Barber takes
over as head coach.
Sam Barber, who served as an
assistant coach on Swenson’s staff
for six seasons, is taking over head
coaching duties for the Auggies.
Barber has served as associate
head coach for the last two seasons. A 1995 Upper Iowa
University graduate, he served as
head coach for the Peacocks in the
1999-2000 season.
During his Augsburg tenure,
Barber has been a part of three
national championship squads
and two national runner-up
squads, and has coached 46 AllAmericans and 13 individual
Jeff Swenson ’79 retires after 25 seasons, with a national title and Division III Coach
of the Year honors. He shares the moment with his nearly-two-year-old son, Brady.
national champions. He was
named Division III Co-National
Assistant Coach of the Year by the
National Wrestling Coaches
Association in 2006.
In his role as assistant dean for
athletics and recreation as a member of President Pribbenow’s staff,
Swenson supervises the 18-sport
intercollegiate athletics program,
the athletic facilities department,
and the College’s intramural athletic program. Swenson was
named to the position on an interim basis in 2001, and his posting
was made permanent in 2004.
“I look forward to working
with Coach Swenson in the years
ahead,” Pribbenow said, as “we
partner to make Augsburg one of
the finest examples of NCAA
Division III athletics in the country—a college that honors the
connections between academics
and athletics, that celebrates both
sportsmanship and competition,
and that helps our students to
grow as individuals and teammates … I can think of no one
better than Jeff Swenson to lead us
in this vision for intercollegiate
athletics at Augsburg College. His
track record speaks for itself. His
love for the College is unparalleled. And he has the passion,
commitment, and skills to guide
our athletics programs into a
bright future.”
Swenson has been a member
of the Augsburg community for
more than 30 years—as a student,
coach, and administrator. A
national champion wrestler at
Augsburg in his senior year of
1979 with a career record of 10217, Swenson began his coaching
career in his first year out of college, as an assistant coach on John
Grygelko’s Auggie staff. Grygelko
retired in 1980, and Swenson was
named head coach.
Swenson said that two years
ago, he made the decision that he
would step down from his coaching post this year. He said that
focusing on his role in athletic
administration will help him in
his goals to improve every aspect
of Augsburg’s athletic program
among schools in the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
and NCAA Division III.
“For me, this is a cause for celebration. It’s not a sad day. It’s a
great day. I’m able to listen to my
vocational calling and lead the
entire athletic department without
having the coaching demands,”
Swenson said.
As an administrator, Swenson
has led the Augsburg program
through a period of unprecedented growth and improvement. This
year, construction was completed
on the new Kennedy Center addition to Melby Hall, which
includes expanded classroom,
meeting, and locker room space,
along with a new fitness facility
and a new wrestling training facility. Two years ago, a new
SprinTurf surface was installed at
Edor Nelson Field, and a new
seasonal air-supported dome was
installed for the first time this
year over the field.
“I’ve been around Augsburg
since the fall of 1975, over 30
years,” Swenson said. “Augsburg
has shaped me. Augsburg has
made me who I am, and it’s
allowed me to pursue my passion
to be a coach. Now, I have a
greater passion to lead the entire
athletic department as a full-time
administrator. I’ve learned a lot
about leading and coaching by
being the head wrestling coach
here for 25 years. That’s going to
help me as I lead Augsburg athletics into the future.”
“I am proud to know Jeff
Swenson and to be able to honor
his remarkable career as our head
wrestling coach at Augsburg,”
Pribbenow said. “He has accomplished great things with his
wrestling teams—10 national
championships, countless individual titles, team academic achievements, and so on. But perhaps
more than anything, I am proud
of Jeff’s commitment and passion
for that individual student who
needs the guidance, support, and
challenge to be the best he or she
can be—as an athlete, as a student, as a person. Jeff exemplifies
what makes Augsburg the special
and rare place that it is—putting
students first and helping them to
grow to be successful, responsible,
and good people.
“Jeff Swenson leaves a remarkable legacy as the Augsburg
wrestling coach. He has built a
program that will endure as a
shining example of quality and
achievement. Now he has made
the remarkable decision to bring
his skills and passion to bear on
moving Augsburg’s intercollegiate
athletics programs to the next
level of excellence. Surely there is
no one better than Jeff to lead our
athletics programs—both to the
benefit of our student-athletes and
the reputation of the College.”
—Don Stoner
SPRING 2007 9
Augsburg
men’s hockey
head coach
Chris Brown
was named
Minnesota
Intercollegiate
Athletic
Conference
Chris Brown
Coach of the
Year. In his first year as the
Auggies head coach, Brown led
the Auggies to a 12-10-4 record
and third-place conference finish
(9-3-4), as the Auggies clinched
a berth in the MIAC playoffs for
the first time since the 2002-03
season.
Brown returned to Augsburg
last season as an assistant coach
under Mike Schwartz, a position
in which he also served during
the 1996-97 season. After leaving Augsburg in 1997, he was an
assistant coach at Division I
Alaska-Anchorage for three
years, then served as head coach
at Marian (Wis.) for four seasons
(2000-04) and at Hamline for
one season (2004-05).
Brown was also named as
one of 12 finalists for the
Edward Jeremiah Award as the
NCAA Division III National
Coach of the Year by the
American Hockey Coaches
Association.
Aaron Johnson
named MIAC Player
of the Year
Senior forward Aaron Johnson
was selected by MIAC as the
conference Player of the Year in
men’s hockey. A three-time AllMIAC honoree, he also was
10 AUGSBURG NOW
named for the
second year in
a row as a
first-team
selection on
the AHCA/
RBK Hockey
Division III
All-American
Aaron Johnson ’07
squad.
In April, he was selected as
one of two Division III players to
compete in the NCAA Pontiac
Frozen Four Skills Challenge
during Division I men’s hockey
Frozen Four in St. Louis, Mo. He
was also one of eight finalists for
the Sid Watson Award, given by
the AHCA to the Division III
National Player of the Year.
Ed Saugestad
receives Hobey Baker
Legends of Hockey
Award
Former
Augsburg
men’s hockey
coach Ed
Saugestad ’59
was recognized for his
lengthy and
outstanding
service to college hockey with
the 2007 Hobey Baker Legends
of Hockey Award. The award
was presented by the Hobey
Baker Memorial Award
Foundation on May 3 in St. Paul.
Saugestad coached Augsburg
to a 503-354-21 record in a
career that spanned 37 seasons.
Only two other Division III
coaches have amassed more than
500 career victories.
In his 37 years of coaching,
Saugestad took teams to national
postseason play on 10 occasions
(nine NAIA and one NCAA),
winning NAIA national championships in 1978, 1981, and
1982. He was named NAIA
National Coach of the Year after
each of the national championships. He coached 22 AllAmericans at Augsburg.
Saugestad and his Auggies
won Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season titles six years in a
row (1976-77 to 1981-82), and
Saugestad was MlAC Coach of
the Year six times. In 1998, the
MIAC’s playoff championship
trophy was christened as the Ed
Saugestad Trophy.
Saugestad began his Auggie
coaching career while still a student at Augsburg, in 1958. He
graduated with a double major
in physical education and biology in 1959 and went on to earn
his master’s degree from the
University of Minnesota in 1964.
In addition to coaching hockey
for parts of five decades, he also
served on the Augsburg football
coaching staff from 1959-84
(head coach in the 1970-71 seasons); men’s athletic director
from 1981-87; and during his
entire Augsburg career served as
an instructor in the Health and
Physical Education Department.
Saugestad was named the
2002 recipient of the John
MacInnes Award from the
American Hockey Coaches
Association for his contributions
to the growth of amateur hockey
in the United States. In 1996,
the state of Minnesota declared
Feb. 17 as Ed Saugestad Day, in
recognition of his career accomplishments.
Archive photo
Chris Brown named
MIAC Men’s Hockey
Coach of the Year
Sophomore Ed Saugestad (back row, second from left) played on the 1956-57 Auggie
hockey team.
Coach Saugestad studies a hockey pro-
Saugestad’s hockey team captured a
gram during the 1961-62 season.
national championship in 1981.
Weekend College student Tom Gouras uses his food service background as a volunteer in Augsburg’s
Campus Kitchen, a great way for him to meet other students and feel more connected to Augsburg.
The kitchen connection
by Betsey Norgard
“I can begin to see
it take shape.”
Tom Gouras, the Monday
night shift leader at Augsburg’s
Campus Kitchen, is looking at
several pans of fried rice and vegetables, surplus food donated by a
local restaurant through the
Emergency Foodshelf Network.
Alongside them sit other pans of
pork riblets, wax beans and carrots, potatoes, and some melons.
From the donations they
receive, the Campus Kitchen volunteer crew transforms the various components into healthy
meals to be heated, delivered, and
served the next day—to the Brian
Coyle Community Center and
Trinity Lutheran’s Safe Place tutoring program in the CedarRiverside neighborhood, and at
the Minnesota Indian Women’s
Resource Center.
“I call this Chinese medley,”
Gouras says, as he combines several pans of rice and vegetables.
It can be a challenge, as the crew
never knows exactly what foods
they’ll find when they arrive for
the cooking shift. Sometimes, he
says, “what goes into the soup is
interesting.”
Since Augsburg students are
on break, Gouras’ crew tonight is
a group of four students from
Fridley High School with their
teacher, a father with his middle
school son who is doing community service, and Augsburg alum
Bill Ogren ’73. All of them have
become regular Monday night volunteers. Tonight, they cook the
potatoes, chop the melons, and
check out all the boxes of food to
make sure everything is still fresh.
Finally, pans are labeled—protein,
starch, vegetable, and fruit—and
everything is cleaned up to finish
the evening shift.
Gouras is a Weekend College
student who has been volunteering at the Campus Kitchen at
Augsburg since January. His 15
years of experience as a cook and
chef are valuable in the kitchen to
lead the crews of students and
community volunteers.
He entered Weekend College
last spring after two years at
Rasmussen College studying criminal justice. A native of St. Paul’s
East Side, Gouras recites a litany
of blue-collar jobs he’s held—furniture delivery, food service
cook/chef, garbage truck driver,
loading dock worker, chemical
dependency technician, greenhouse hand, and, currently, delivery truck driver for the New
French Bakery.
While at Rasmussen, Gouras
realized that in order to advance
much higher than where he is and
has been, he needs a four-year
degree. He hopes his courses in
psychology and sociology will prepare him for probation work with
the county or state. He’s also open
to possibilities that may develop
during his studies. “I’ve been
asked if I know my calling,” he
says, “and I hope I find it. I’m
open to it.”
After two trimesters in WEC,
Gouras began to understand how
much of the college experience
involves social interaction, and he
wasn’t feeling very connected to
Augsburg. Campus Kitchen
appealed to him because he could
use his food service experience,
and he liked the program’s mission of reaching out to others less
fortunate, making sure they have
hot meals.
Gouras is old enough to be
father to most of the student volunteers, but he enjoys their
enthusiasm, as well as sharing
with them some of his “street
smart” wisdom and common
sense.
Rachel Vallens, Campus
Kitchen coordinator, recognizes
what this does for the program.
“Tom’s cooking experience and
maturity really bring an added
dimension to his cooking shifts,”
she says. “The students look up
to him as someone who knows
what he’s doing and has done a
lot in life.”
Recently, Gouras took on an
additional task. Three days a
week, sandwiches and deli items
are donated from the University of
Minnesota, and when no one else
could pick them up on
Thursdays, he volunteered. It’s all
part of giving back, which is why
Gouras says he’s in the kitchen
every week. Ⅵ
For more information about
Augsburg’s Campus Kitchen, go to
www.campuskitchens.org.
SPRING 2007 11
keystone
courses
Fitting the pieces together
by Betsey Norgard
In architecture, a keystone sits at the top
of the arch and provides the shape and
support to the curved pieces rising to it.
In the Augsburg Core
Curriculum, the keystone is the
final piece that integrates what
students have learned in their
required general education
courses and their chosen major
with everything else they have
done at Augsburg—co-curricular experiences, leadership
development, service-learning,
study abroad, and other areas
of their Augsburg experience.
12 AUGSBURG NOW
First-year day students begin
their Augsburg education with
Augsburg Seminar, a semester
that includes orientation to residence life; development of skills
and strategies they need for success in college; introduction to
the themes of an Augsburg education, including vocation, service, community; and learning
about Augsburg’s neighborhood
and the city. It’s all about transition to college, integration into
Augsburg’s learning community,
and reflection on how they
become responsible learners.
Students learn that a hallmark of an Augsburg education
is intentional reflection on vocation, or what they call the “v”
word. All students study two
semesters of “Search for
Meaning,” which includes critical
conversations on understanding
and discovering one’s own gifts.
The senior-year keystone
course becomes the other bookend. Students synthesize all their
in-classroom and out-of-classroom experiences as they focus
on transition from college to the
community, integration of what
they’ve learned, and reflection on
how they will use their gifts and
knowledge—again, transition,
integration, reflection.
What does it mean to be a
professional in their major? What
does it mean to be a biologist,
accountant, social worker, English
teacher, actor, or whatever?
Because conversations about
vocation are revisited during the
keystone, faculty need to feel
comfortable and confident in
discussing issues of faith and
vocation in this context. A grant
from the Wabash Center for
Teaching and Learning in
Theology and Religion,
“Common Vocation, Distinctive
Callings,” provides funding for
keystone faculty to partner with
religion faculty members.
Together they strategize on content and methods for these crucial conversations.
The vocation focus and other
signature elements of the Core
Curriculum—diversity, the city,
service and service-learning—
distinguish Augsburg’s keystone
from other senior “capstone”
courses. Russell Kleckley, associate professor of religion and
coordinator of keystone seminars, explains that Augsburg’s
keystones are “more intentional
about the educational experience
as a whole, to see how the general education experience has
informed the [major] discipline
and vice versa.”
Diane Pike, sociology professor and director of the Center for
Teaching and Learning, says that
keystones “take the time, with
guidance, to help students figure
out how the pieces fit together
for them.” She says, “We’re
equally serious about the transition from college outward as we
are about the transition to college from high school.”
From the College’s point of
view, the keystones measure how
well Augsburg fulfills its promise
to students. Are they satisfied
with their experience, and do
they feel well prepared and confident in what they know and
will take away with them?
keystone
Psychology majors (clockwise from bottom) Rebecca Lewis, Tiah Colacci, Nghi Ngan, and Peter Chea played a version of the Game
of Life in which the cards required players to discuss some of the bigger questions in life.
the keystone
variations
Most students take the keystone
in their senior year, and most
often in connection with their
major. This past academic year
was the first time all students
have had access to a keystone
course. With a fair amount of
flexibility, departments have created or modified existing courses, or collaborated across departments or divisions to create
classes.
psychology:
the game of life
The psychology keystone is a
good example of a department
capstone course that evolved into
a keystone. All psychology
majors have completed capstone
internship semesters that includ-
ed time on the internship site,
plus time in class, plus papers,
portfolios, etc.
This year, the course changed
to be one-half internship and
one-half keystone, with about
one-third of the total time devoted to issues around vocation. As
part of the Wabash grant, Bridget
Robinson-Reigler, associate professor of psychology, was paired
with Mary Lowe, assistant professor of religion. RobinsonReigler says that she and Lowe
had five or six conversations
about vocation, and that Lowe
helped her plan new activities to
engage her students.
“I was pleasantly surprised
how unbelievably well the students have gotten into [the discussion of vocation],” says
Robinson-Reigler. Early in the
seminar, she offered her own
model of vocation, and by opening herself to them, she set a
comfortable tone for class
discussion.
In what became a popular
activity, Robinson-Reigler introduced an adapted version of the
Game of Life, in which a number
of the play cards were rewritten
with questions relating to vocation. Given this context, students
felt comfortable first answering
the questions themselves, then
opening the conversation to
everyone.
In another session, students
were asked to evaluate the effectiveness of their required liberal
arts courses. Did they work?
Why did Augsburg want them to
study those courses? Some students responded by saying that
without the keystone they never
would have thought about these
SPRING 2007 13
business and
vocation
John Knight, Center for Faith and Learning, encourages business majors to consider how their skills, beliefs, and values will
influence decisions they make every day in the business world.
questions, and this assignment
helped them figure out what
they had learned.
Robinson-Reigler’s psychology keystone is a mix of day and
weekend students, giving the
class a combination of ages and
experiences. While all students
were in the same situation of finishing college and figuring out
what was next to come, some
interesting conversations were
launched in the multigenerational class. One WEC student
said that these discussions
helped her understand her own
daughter better. Some said it
helped them understand and
appreciate the younger day
school population.
Robinson-Reigler confirms
that students are not getting any
less psychology in the new capstone-keystone with the addition
of the vocation conversation;
14 AUGSBURG NOW
they’re just getting it differently.
“I’ve taught this class before,
but I love teaching it now,” she
says. “I enjoy grading the papers!”
keystone-capable
english courses
In their new curriculum, the
English Department doesn’t have
a separate keystone course, but
rather several advanced courses
designed as “keystone-capable.”
Students are required to take one
of these courses as a keystone, for
which extra work is indicated.
Much of that work is selfreflection, and requires students
to consider, for example, their
function as readers and to think
about what is happening when
they read. The nature and depth
of their commitment to reading,
and what, if any, responsibilities
their reading entails.
This reflection is more seamless in some courses than others.
When Professor Doug Green
teaches Advanced Studies in
Language, Theory, and Method,
he integrates reflection and vocation throughout the course, even
for the non-keystone students.
Last year he taught Criticism
and Theory as a pilot keystone
course. Students read Azar
Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran
and wrote about how they
viewed the place of literature in
their own lives and cultures.
They had to respond to questions like, “How has my understanding of ‘self’ (who I am as a
reader, writer, student, English
major, woman or man, and
human being) evolved as a result
of my experiences at Augsburg?”
John Knight, associate director of
the Center for Faith and Learning,
has taught several sections of the
keystone course for the Business
Administration Department, the
College’s largest department. The
course is a collaboration between
the business and religion departments, and he co-taught the day
section with religion professor
Hans Wiersma.
Titled Vocation and the
Meaning of Success, the keystone
objectives include reflecting upon
the ways students have been
transformed by their college experiences, especially in their business major; reflecting critically on
beliefs and values they use in a
diverse world; and reflecting on
Augsburg’s understanding of vocation and a comparison to their
own vocation.
Knight finds that the feel of
the class depends significantly on
the class makeup—the day or
weekend student mix, the mix of
males and females, etc. Weekend
College students, he says, who
bring wider job skills and life
experience to class, showed a
“deep willingness to engage in the
material … and really wrapped
themselves around the [vocation]
issues by the second class.”
Some students are suspicious of
the keystone as being a religion
class and question its relevance to
their future. Knight asks them to
consider the bigger picture of
meaning and purpose in their lives.
What does it mean to be a business
professional? How does he or she
behave? He believes that somewhere down the road students will
understand why they had to take
this course and see the benefits
from it.
creating a life in
the fine arts
Students in music, visual art, and
theatre share a cross-disciplinary
keystone course, Creating a Life
in the Fine Arts.
The syllabus states that the
course will “synthesize recurring
powerful concepts of vocation
with practical tools and realities.”
Students will balance the “development of entrepreneurial skills
with ‘intrapreneurial’ knowledge
and awareness” while preparing
for professional life in the community.
The idea of shared courses
across the arts is not new—several short-term courses have
taken place over the past few
years. What’s new is the infusion
of the larger issues integrating
liberal arts and vocation.
Merilee Klemp ’75, associate
professor of music, led the conversations among arts faculty
around the new Core
Curriculum.
Anticipating the need to create a keystone course, she sought
a Lilly Endowment grant for the
music faculty to explore topics in
music and vocation with a consultant, Janis Weller.
Extending this conversation
to art and theatre faculty formed
the nucleus for the new keystone. It also promoted the
building of a fine arts community among both faculty and students on campus. Weller taught
the course, along with Klemp
(music), Darcey Engen (theatre),
and Tara Sweeney (art).
Critical conversations about
vocation began and ended the
course. These included visiting
guest artists, who spoke about
their roles in the community and
world.
In conjunction with the
Wabash grant, Sweeney was
paired with Lori Brandt Hale,
assistant professor of religion.
They met frequently, and Sweeney
describes the experience, “What I
am discussing in the service of
teaching the keystone is inseparable from what I am learning about
my own vocation and practice as
an artist at the same time.”
Their discussions included
how their religious upbringing or
belief systems affected what and
how they teach, and how they
could challenge and support students to discover their own
authentic voices.
The keystone seniors across
art, music, and theatre were
encouraged to find common
ground. In one exercise, teams of
students were given ordinary
objects, like a chair, and together
asked to consider it from a number of perspectives—how the
object could move or be used
with their bodies, what the visual
elements of the object were, what
kinds of sounds the object could
make.
Practical sessions about being
an artist were also included.
Students practiced networking
with introductions and business
cards, and they had to prepare
artist’s statements and professional
résumés.
Several break-out sessions separated the students into their
respective departments for discussions specific to their fields.
For the most, students resonated with the cross-disciplinary
focus of the keystone. “I think
working alongside artists in
another genre is a rare gift in the
college setting,” said music performance major Nikki Lemire.
Still, she enjoyed working with
her music classmates, however,
and would have enjoyed more
break-out time within her own
department and less full-group
time.
Theatre major James Lekatz
appreciated the practical elements
of the course. Hearing from guest
speakers—practicing artists,
teachers, grants administrators—
made him aware of their involvement in the community and the
different styles they use. He said
the course helped students deal
with removal of the “safety net of
Augsburg,” and taught them how
to use specific skills, e.g., to get
gallery space, to plan a show, etc.
Over the next couple of
years, the keystone courses will
all be evaluated and revisions
made where needed. But no matter what the form or content the
senior keystone courses take,
they will all continue to help students complete an Augsburg
education as effective, informed,
and ethical citizens. And to
become adaptable and resilient—
elements needed for success on
whatever path they choose.
Studio art major Rachel Nelson (top), theatre arts major James Lekatz (middle), and
music performance major Catherine DeVoe (right) explore the properties and possibilities of a stool.
SPRING 2007 15
Above: Martin Sabo smiles to greet a judge as he stands in the
imposing Capitol Rotunda, 96 feet in diameter.
Left (top): In their suburban Virginia home, Sylvia Sabo, Martin’s wife
and college sweetheart, works on a crossword puzzle; her husband
usually tackles Sudoku. According to Sylvia, playing the puzzles is
part of their morning ritual.
Left (below): Leaving Congress means many farewells, in this case to
Pennsylvania’s 12th District congressman John Murtha, as the doors
close in the Rayburn Building elevator.
Right: The transition in leadership begins to seem more real as Sabo
sits in a nearly barren office watching Rep. Nancy Pelosi read the
results for the new Democratic leadership in the House.
16 AUGSBURG NOW
The
ending of an
era
CONGRESSMAN MARTIN OLAV SABO,
Augsburg College Class of 1959, represented
Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District in the
U.S. House of Representatives for 28 years and
became a fixture in the Democratic party. In
2006 he made the decision to retire from
Congress and return to life as a private citizen.
Augsburg staff photographer Stephen Geffre
tagged along on the day Sabo and his staff
vacated the corner office in the Rayburn
House Office Building he had earned through
seniority. Sabo actually spent the last month
of his term in a basement cubicle in Rayburn
HOB, with room enough for him and only one
staff member.
SPRING 2007 17
18 AUGSBURG NOW
Olav
Martin
Sabo
THE ENDING OF AN ERA
Above: Martin Sabo takes a moment to read through the
mail delivered to his desk.
Left (top): After a rainy day, the sun finally breaks
through to illuminate the dome of the United States
Capitol, a stately presence in the nation’s capital city.
Far left: Bonnie Gottwald, Sabo’s scheduler, packs up her
small portion of the D.C. office. She is one of only two
schedulers Sabo has had throughout his 28-year tenure in
Washington, and she echoes the entire staff in saying that
Sabo was always a joy to have as a boss.
Middle left: Each departing representative receives a
lengthy final checklist, to ensure as smooth a transition
as possible.
Left: Martin Sabo’s staff poses on the Capitol steps for
their last official photo.
SPRING 2007 19
THE ENDING OF AN ERA
Above (top): Sabo chats with Kevin Bonderud, who served as his first communications
director, during the office-closing party. Scattered across Sabo’s desk are mementos of
more than two decades in the House of Representatives, including mock baseball cards
with Sabo’s stats on them, photos, ashtrays, and T-shirts.
Above: Back in his Minneapolis office, Sabo takes a few minutes to go through the mail.
The plaques, hanging outside the door, are just a small sample of the honors and awards
that mark the achievements of a long legislative career.
Right: Each successive file drawer marked “empty” means that staffers are getting closer
to having all files reviewed and sorted.
20 AUGSBURG NOW
Auggies at the forefront
General civil unrest swelled across the nation. Detroit was
rioting, and downtown Minneapolis was starting to empty.
College students demanded social change, and colleges
responded with programs centering on the urban crisis.
And, Augsburg College was at the forefront.
Thirty-five years later, thanks to a visionary professor, an
enterprising faculty, and a supportive administration,
Augsburg’s metro-urban studies program graduates leaders
who are making decisions about current issues and future
needs, and planning for livable and sustainable neighborhoods and cities.
Urban legends
by Bethany Bierman
in city planning
It was the late sixties, and American cities were in crisis.
Joel Torstenson’s vision laid the foundation for an urban studies program. His wife,
Garry Hesser is professor of sociology and chairs the metro-urban studies program.
Fran, joins him here.
A program is born
Joel Torstenson came to Augsburg as a history major from west central Minnesota. After graduating in 1938, he worked in education for
Farmer’s Co-ops, earned a master’s degree in history and sociology,
and began teaching part time at Augsburg.
During the war years he joined the peace movement and community organizing. In 1947, he returned to Augsburg to develop its
social work and sociology programs while completing his PhD in
sociology. These programs provided a natural foundation for urban
studies 20 years later.
Torstenson writes in his memoirs, “The more [Augsburg] became
involved in urban affairs, the more we began to ask the question—
what is the appropriate role of a liberal arts college located at the center of an exploding metropolis?”
In 1966, Torstenson used his sabbatical to explore this question.
He visited urban studies programs at East Coast schools. Upon
returning, he wrote a position paper with the rationale and proposal
for a metro-urban studies program at Augsburg.
In order to set this in motion, courses centering on the city were
needed. Torstenson, Miles Stenshoel of the political science department, Orloue Gisselquist in history, Ed Sabella in economics, Ron
Palosaari in English, and other faculty embraced this concept.
In 1968, when Martin Luther King Jr. was killed, the director of
youth programs for the American Lutheran Church, Rev Ewald Bash,
wanted to address the cultural challenges head on. Colleagues
encouraged him to contact Torstenson, who had a reputation for his
pursuit of racial justice and human rights.
“The Crisis Colony” was born from their conversation. Students
lived on the north side of Minneapolis, first in public housing and
later in an abandoned synagogue, while learning from people who
lived and worked in the community. Led by Torstenson, Bash, and
Stenshoel, it grew from an intense summer program, to a semester
program, to the Metro Urban Studies Term, or “MUST,” the first academic program of the Higher Education Consortium for Urban
Affairs (HECUA). Today, MUST is a key element for all urban studies
majors and is one of the premier interdisciplinary experiential education programs in the nation.
Torstenson took his second sabbatical in Scandinavia in order to
explore how to build cities without crisis. Out of this came the
Scandinavian Urban Studies Term, or “SUST,” the second program of
22 AUGSBURG NOW
HECUA. Based at the University of Oslo, students attend seminars,
go on field excursions, and volunteer with various community and
governmental organizations.
“Two unique ingredients contributed to the success of the [metrourban studies] program: commitments from faculty … and the programs offered through HECUA, which became catalysts and capstones for the major,” says Garry Hesser, professor of sociology and
chair of the metro-urban studies program, who was hired in 1977 to
succeed Torstenson.
While the University of Minnesota and other private colleges
established urban studies programs in response to the mid-’60s urban
crisis, most have not survived.
“Augsburg’s is one of the few that has retained faculty and administrative commitment,” Hesser says. “Over the past 35 years there has
been a steady stream of graduates who have become professional
planners, city administrators, elected officials, and citizens serving on
planning commissions, hearkening to the call to public service.”
With monies from the Lilly [Endowment] grant, a spring break
trip to Washington, D.C., has run the past five years, exposing students to vocations in community development and public service. Up
until this year, the group visited Martin Sabo at his office. This year
they met with newly-elected congressman Keith Ellison and his staff.
Many students decide on metro-urban studies majors after the trip.
Here are several stories of careers that have been shaped by the
metro-urban studies program.
Allan Torstenson ’75
Transforming neighborhoods
One of the first graduates of the metro-urban studies program was
Allan Torstenson.
In his first semester at Augsburg, the Dawson, Minn., native took
his Uncle Joel Torstenson’s “Man in Modern Metropolis” course (now
called “Community and the Modern Metropolis”) because it fulfilled a
graduation requirement. “I tried my best not to disappoint him, and
found it to be a fascinating subject,” says Allan.
As a sophomore, he took an Interim course on new towns, which
included meeting with architects and city planners and visiting HUD
officials in Washington, D.C., and Columbia, Maryland. He loved the
trip, but was still unsure of a major. He considered taking a break
Allan Torstenson ’75 speaks to a metro-urban studies class about community
Paula Pentel’s life experiences have informed her work in urban studies at the
development.
University of Minnesota and with her City Council seat.
from school, but when he shared this with his uncle, Joel suggested
the new SUST program, which was being offered for the first time in
1973. That cross-cultural experience was the eye opener he needed
to decide on metro-urban studies.
Today, Allan is a senior planner for the City of St. Paul, where he
has worked since 1980. One of his most challenging and gratifying
projects has been the Phalen Village Plan and redevelopment project.
Through strategic vision, neighborhood involvement, and hard work,
a run-down, auto-oriented area surrounding a failed shopping center
was transformed into a more pedestrian- and neighborhood-oriented
“urban village” with new housing, new jobs, a restructured neighborhood commercial area, a restored wetland, and a new sense of community.
More than just “the guy who wrote the plan,” Allan researched solutions and wrote grants addressing the larger issues. In 1993 he authored
the Phalen Corridor Redevelopment Proposal, leading to the Phalen
Corridor Initiative and affecting much of St. Paul’s East Side.
“The transformation in only a few years has been amazing,”
Torstenson shared with one of Hesser’s classes recently. “A lot of what
I did in this effort was influenced by the urban studies program at
Augsburg. It’s not just about design, but addresses the real problems
neighborhoods deal with to build and sustain socially and economically viable communities.” He also credits the SUST program as a
foundation for many of the project concepts he considered.
Washington Avenue down through the scrap yards … up through
Cedar-Riverside, which in the early ’70s was very vibrant—it was a
fascinating trip through time that I took every day.”
A course she took from Joel Torstensen really resonated with her,
and she abandoned the biology major.
While at Augsburg, Pentel got involved in collective decisionmaking as one of the volunteer coordinators of North Country
Co-op. Pentel also participated in SUST the fall of her junior year.
“What I took back was planning for versus planning with the public.”
Between Augsburg and graduate school in geography at the
University of Minnesota, Pentel interned for the City of Richfield and
became involved in her neighborhood organization. In 1985 she and
her husband moved to Golden Valley, where she continued volunteering in the community, serving 12 years on the Planning
Commission, seven years as chair.
In 2004 there was a vacant seat on the Golden Valley City
Council. Pentel was appointed to fill out the term and was reelected
in 2005. During her tenure, she’s seen considerable improvements in
regard to environmental stewardship, construction of the Luce Line
bike trail, and creation of a vibrant downtown area.
Pentel stays connected to her North Minneapolis roots by serving
as a board member on the West Broadway Area Coalition and being
active at the Hollywood Studio of Dance, a non-profit, parent-managed endeavor.
“To be effective in what I do in my public life, I have to be articulate, informed, accepting, and open. A lot of that I developed at
Augsburg,” she says.
In her professional work, Pentel serves as undergraduate advisor
for the urban studies program at the university. “I help students find
their calling and what interests them.” She is particularly proud of
mentoring Patricia Torres Rey, who became the first Latina woman
elected to the Senate in the State of Minnesota.
Pentel developed and now teaches a course on the urban environment, which examines the urban effects on air, water, and soil. “All
environmental issues have a local component,” Pentel says. “I tell my
students to look at Augsburg’s new low-impact parking lot [on the
east edge of campus]. It’s a great example of a very innovative way to
mitigate pollution from storm water runoff.”
Pentel also continues the Torstenson legacy of hosting an annual
open house for her advisees—about 80 of them. “I tell them, ‘This is
your private college experience.’”
Paula (Brookins) Pentel ’78
Teaching the next generation
It was at Minneapolis North High School that Paula (Brookins) Pentel
’78 began her life-long interest in civic engagement. She witnessed
the unequal distribution of resources while visiting various
Minneapolis high schools with the debate and cheerleading teams,
and also watched “white flight” from her north-side neighborhood. “I
became interested in social justice and wanted to understand and
affect change in how the city works.”
Pentel chose Augsburg because it offered a biology major and
allowed her to commute.
“I rode the bus to and from campus for four years,” she recalls.
“That’s how I really became interested in urban studies—riding down
SPRING 2007 23
Tammera (Ericson) Diehm ’93
Giving citizens a voice
Growing up in Coon Rapids, Minn., Tami Diehm was fascinated by the
“inner city.” Her plan to be a social studies teacher changed when she
took a metro-urban studies class from Andy Aoki her freshman year.
“For me, the program was the perfect way to combine my interests in
people, government, and the urban environment.”
In the spring of her junior and senior years, Diehm interned with
Anoka County, and during her senior year, she examined multicultural
education in Minneapolis public schools for her senior honors project.
Following graduation from Augsburg in 1993, Diehm spent several
years raising three children but kept in touch with her interests through
her appointments to the Columbia Heights Charter and Planning
Commissions. She also kept in touch with Aoki, her adviser.
While discussing her graduate school plans with him over lunch
one day, he asked her if she could do anything, what it would be. Her
answer? Law school, although she thought her three young children
prevented her from pursuing it. Aoki said she owed it to herself to
check it out.
Three years later, in 2003, Diehm graduated summa cum laude
from William Mitchell College of Law, which she attended on full scholarship. She clerked for Justice Russell Anderson of the Minnesota
Supreme Court for one year and currently is an attorney at Winthrop &
Weinstine, P.A. Her practice focuses primarily on land use and real
estate, assisting clients as they seek development approvals from local
government. She also serves as the city attorney for Mendota Heights.
In addition to her legal work, Diehm is serving her second term on
the Columbia Heights City Council, and was elected as council president in 2006. She is also a member of the Economic Development
Authority and the chair of the city’s Housing Redevelopment Authority.
“There was a strong sense that Augsburg students should not only
be an active part of the College community, but also an active part of
the larger community in which the College is located,” says Diehm.
“This desire to ‘give back’ has stayed with me and directly impacted my
decision to run for my position on the City Council. I saw a need in our
community—the need for young families to have a voice in the decision-making process of the city.”
The desire to give back that Tami Diehm ’93 learned at Augsburg has influenced her
decisions to serve in public office.
24 AUGSBURG NOW
“Through my experiences at Augsburg, I realized that I could use
my gifts to serve a need in the world, and thus follow the Christian concept of vocation,” says Diehm. “I have incorporated my ‘call to serve’
into my work—not only by adhering to the highest ethical standard in
the way in which I practice law—but also through a commitment to
providing pro bono legal services to those who would otherwise have
only limited access to legal representation, and by serving my community on the city council.”
These pro bono projects include representing women and children
in domestic abuse cases, volunteering at a legal clinic where she advises
people who are starting new businesses, and assisting with the formation of new non-profit organizations as they work to obtain tax exempt
status from the IRS.
“In both my legal work and my public service I feel I am using my
gifts to serve a need in the world.”
Diehm was named a “Rising Star” by Minnesota Law and Politics in
2007 and one of 15 “Up and Coming Attorneys” in 2006 by Minnesota
Lawyer.
Susan (Horning) Arntz ’94
Managing suburban growth
Susan (Horning) Arntz decided in ninth grade civics that she would run
for president in 2020, with her slogan being “A Clearer Vision.” Her
love of government grew, and she came to Augsburg to major in political science. She learned of the metro-urban studies program in her second year and focused her electives around metro-urban studies courses.
At a rally on campus her sophomore year, Arntz introduced herself
to Hennepin County commissioner Peter McLaughlin, hoping to secure
a summer job. His aide, fellow Auggie Mike Matson ’79, insisted she
begin earlier, and she spent one-and-a-half years working for him.
After graduation, she interned for the City of Shoreview and then
began her professional career in assistant city administrator positions in
Chaska and New Brighton, before becoming the youngest person ever
hired as city administrator in the City of Waconia, where she has
worked since 2001.
“It’s a growing community, so much of what we do requires look-
Susan Arntz ’94 leads the City of Waconia through its growth spurt.
Today’s Students
ing to the future on a daily basis,” says Arntz. “The people having
these conversations may never be here to see these things happen, just
as those before us made decisions that affect us today.”
Arntz says the biggest challenge she deals with is how to manage
the growth of the city, which has increased 25% in six years and
shows no sign of slowing. This requires communication and cooperation with developers, the school board, property owners, and elected
officials.
“I think one of the best things that Augsburg taught me, both from
a faith perspective and also from an educational perspective, was how
to be receptive to all of those ideas and to have a guide for what I
believe to be right.”
As far as running for president, Arntz says, “The longer I serve in
the capacity I am in, the less I’m intrigued by elected office. I can
make an immediate impact on 10,000 people. We can make huge,
positive improvements or small incremental improvements that will
have a greater outcome down the road.”
Arntz earned a master’s degree in public administration from
Hamline University in 1999. In 2004, Augsburg awarded her the First
Decade Award, and she has served on the Alumni Board.
Rebecca Brown ’00
Promoting community development
While her mother, Barbara (Anderson) ’66, is an alumna, it was the
call of the city that lured Rebecca Brown of Appleton, Minn., to
Augsburg.
While at Augsburg, Brown completed five different internships
and off-campus work-study opportunities, from working with a summer youth peace garden for the Seward Neighborhood Group, to
teaching English for the South American arm of the YMCA in Quito,
Ecuador.
After her sophomore year, Brown took a year off to serve with
AmeriCorps in order to truly live in the city. She took the bus every
day from South Minneapolis to her work at an alternative high school
in North Minneapolis.
Brown also participated in HECUA her senior year, teaching
Tomorrow’s Leaders
Sarah Pesola ’07 of Wadena, Minn., chose metro-urban studies because,
“It meant that I could study history, sociology, economics, political science,
and other disciplines as well.”
Pesola participated in SUST and recalls, “My semester in Norway was
amazing. It had a huge impact on me, ultimately changing the way I view
the world.” Pesola will begin to volunteer at a youth homeless shelter in
Berkeley, Calif., through Lutheran Volunteer Corps.
Since a mission trip to Detroit in junior high, Greg Hildebrandt ’08
has felt the pull to work with people living in the inner city. He went on
the D.C. trip with Hesser last year and will participate in the MUST
semester in the fall.
“Students who are in [metro-urban studies] are very passionate about
what they are doing,” Hildebrandt says. “They’ll carry this passion with
them the rest of their lives, whether professionally or through volunteering.”
Plans for the future include using his second major in mathematics to help
with statistics and budgeting within a non-profit as well as tutoring students.
Jeanette Clark ’07 felt a calling into urban ministry even as a student
at Hopkins High School. She chose Augsburg for its metro-urban studies
and youth and family ministry programs.
At Augsburg, Clark served as a campus ministry commissioner and
leadership team member for the Campus Kitchen. In March Clark created a spring-break opportunity, “Go Away Here,” which included service
projects in the local community, visits to neighborhood organizations,
and social outings.
She will begin work at City South Cluster Ministries in South
Minneapolis through Lutheran Volunteer Corps, then plans to begin
Seminary with the hope of serving in an urban congregation.
English and learning about community organizing, agriculture, and
the economy in Ecuador and South America. She spent an additional
seven months in Ecuador on her own, working with rural youth in
agriculture.
“Traveling abroad definitely makes me a better city planner,”
Brown says. “It has opened my mind to varied ways of thinking and
behaving in community. As a city planner, understanding and validating different points of view, opinions, and experiences is critical.”
After graduating from Augsburg, Brown served over three years as
code enforcement and neighborhood coordinator for the City of
Crystal. She earned a master’s degree in city and regional planning
with a specialization in economic development from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill in May 2006.
She now serves as project coordinator for the City of Minneapolis’
Department of Community Planning and Economic Development.
She works in neighborhoods to coordinate commercial redevelopment projects that incorporate public assistance.
As for her future, Brown says, “I see myself in a life of public
service, involved in state-level economic and tax policy in 15-20
years and perhaps an elected office.” Ⅵ
For more information about programs mentioned, go to:
www.augsburg.edu/sociology and www.hecua.org
Travel abroad and internships prepared Rebecca Brown ’00 for city planning.
SPRING 2007 25
T
place
A
of
their
own
Doroth Mayer
by Betsey Norgard
East African women spend time at the East African Women’s Center, established two
he East African Women’s Center in Riverside Plaza near
Augsburg’s campus is a busy place on a weekday morning.
In this two-year-old program of the Confederation of
Somali Community in Minnesota (CSCM), several East
African women sit at sewing machines, practicing sewing
seams in bright fabrics. Others are pressing their fabrics or talking with
a center volunteer. In the next room, behind a glass window, six or
seven small children play actively under the watchful eyes of mothers
and the center’s caregiver in the family childcare room.
In the middle of the activity is center coordinator Doroth Mayer,
often juggling a baby on her hip as she goes about her work. Rarely are
there quiet moments for her in this center she co-created with CSCM’s
executive director, Saeed Fahia.
Since 1994 CSCM has served more than 18,000 Somali immigrants who have settled in Minnesota—the largest concentration in the
country. CSCM provides resources and services to assist Somalis in
navigating American systems and making the transition to living life in
a new culture, while still preserving their traditions. CSCM is funded
by county, state, and federal agencies, as well as a number of
Minnesota foundations. The Women’s Center’s funding has come from
the Office of Refugee Resettlement and local foundations including the
Bush Foundation, the Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation,
Sheltering Arms Foundation, and Wells Fargo.
Within the East African refugee community, young mothers with
children and elderly women who have arrived in the last few years
remain especially isolated, some rarely leaving their apartments to take
English classes, to meet American women, or to learn how to cook and
prepare American food. When CSCM was offered a 2,000-square-foot
location right in the middle of the Riverside Plaza housing complex, it
secured grant money and opened the Women’s Center in February
2005. From the beginning, a family childcare center was an integral
part of CSCM’s plan so mothers would have a safe place to leave their
children and take English language classes, learn to sew, or simply to
do their laundry and daily tasks.
The Women’s Center currently serves 85-100 women and children
every week. Different levels of sewing classes meet three days, morning
and afternoon, with two teachers and six or seven women in each
class. Fabric is provided, and the women learn the basics of how to
sew and how to use sewing machines to make simple items, like
aprons and bags. Some women’s skills are now advanced enough to
make clothing for themselves and their children.
years ago in Cedar-Riverside, for sewing classes, the family childcare center, and other
activities.
A partnership
grows
Augsburg’s partnership with the East African Women’s Center is relatively new. During President Pribbenow’s inauguration week last fall, a
service group from Augsburg spent a morning painting at the center.
One person in the group that day was Augsburg junior Kristen Hoyles,
a youth and family ministry major. After hearing Mayer talk about renovation of the center and how much painting was still needed, Hoyles
made a commitment not only to paint, but to teach two or three of the
26 AUGSBURG NOW
Doroth Mayer
adolescent girls in Girls’ Group
how to paint, so together they
could get the job done. She’s
there on Friday afternoons and
feels she is living out her theology by using her painting experience to help where it’s needed.
“I’m in awe of how grateful
the center has been for something I feel is no big deal,”
Hoyles says.
Mayer adds, “Kristen has no
clue how much she means to us.
She has finished the painting,
and we’ve negotiated a new job
for her—she is becoming our
‘handy person.’ She is starting by
taking on the task of repairing
the center’s tricycles so the little
kids have trikes to use.”
The group that visited the
center also took great interest in
the textile weavings hanging on
the walls, made by Somali
women from yarn donated to the
center.
The weavings represent the
thousand-year-old tradition of
East African “twine weaving,”
originally using grasses and vines
to make wall coverings, horse
blankets, and bags used in their
nomadic cultures. When
President Pribbenow furnished
his new office at Augsburg, he
sought out Somali art, and now
has samples of these weavings
hanging both in his office and in
his home.
The Somali weavings will
Kristen Hoyles, an Augsburg junior majoring in youth and family ministry, volunteers at the Women’s Center, teaching adolescent Somali girls to paint with her.
also be featured on campus as
the inaugural exhibit in the new
Gage Family Gallery, scheduled
to open in August in the Oren
Gateway Center.
A kitchen shower
Mayer, who has worked for
many years in community-based
activities, would love to see more
opportunities for the East African
women to spend time with
American women—she knows
how much the women want to
develop friendships with
American women, learn from
them how to live within
American culture, and share East
African culture with their new
friends.
Mayer sometimes takes
women from the center with her
when she buys groceries for center activities. The women ask
about things they don’t know or
understand and foods they’ve
never seen before.
“Last week at the supermarket, we saw some asparagus,”
Mayer says. “We brought back
several bunches and steamed it.
It was a big hit. Even some of
the little kids in the family child-
care center tried it—cautiously,
but they tried it!”
When the Women’s Center
space was renovated (with the
support of the Bush and Phillips
Foundations and the apartment
complex managers, Sherman and
Associates) a full kitchen was
added at Mayer’s suggestion—
and it has proven to be popular
and very well used. She learned
that giving the women recipes to
try at home was not useful, since
many of them don’t read or
know how to follow recipes. But
learning by observing and then
trying it themselves was the way
to go.
“Once in a while we make
quick bread to give the kids for
snacks,” Mayer says. “We learned
that women wanted to watch us
make it. Then, after we make it
together they tell us they feel
comfortable trying it themselves
at home.”
The popularity of cooking
led to another project initiated
by Augsburg community services
director Mary Laurel True. For
Professor Bev Stratton’s religion
class, in which students carry
out projects that benefit the
community, True suggested the
idea of a kitchen shower for the
Women’s Center.
With a wish list provided by
the Women’s Center to adequately equip their kitchen, the class
sought donations from faculty,
SPRING 2007 27
Doroth Mayer
The Somali yarn weaving hanging in President Pribbenow’s office
East African women enjoyed opening gifts for their kitchen from Augsburg faculty, students,
symbolizes the partnership between Augsburg and the East African
and staff at a “kitchen shower” initiated by Professor Bev Stratton’s religion class.
staff, students, and friends.
Fifteen women from Augsburg
met nearly 20 East African
women at the center, shared
desserts and Somali tea, and gave
them “presents” to open. In addition, cash gifts and Target and
IKEA gift cards were given, to
involve the East African women
in shopping for their kitchen.
Mayer was delighted and
called it a great event. “Mary
Laurel came up with the most
creative way to bring women
together that I’ve seen yet. She is
giving women an opportunity to
share their cultures in a respectful and joyous way.”
Learning to lead
Mayer recognizes that new leadership must grow from the
women at the center. She is
encouraging them to actively
engage in whatever learning
28 AUGSBURG NOW
opportunities are appropriate to
their personal situations and to
develop their leadership skills so
that some day they have the
capacity to run the center that
they call their “home away from
home. “In addition,” she says,
“we need partners in the community who try to understand
what we’re doing … partners
who really get to know the
women and plan together with
them.”
For Augsburg’s part, this
kind of partnership wouldn’t be
possible without its Center for
Service, Work, and Learning,
which establishes and nurtures a
myriad of connections between
the College and its surrounding
neighbors—for tutoring, health
education and fitness, sports
clinics, music lessons, science
teaching in the school, meals
programs, use of campus facili-
Doroth Mayer
Women’s Center.
ties, college preparation sessions,
and so on.
Augsburg partners with
CSCM for two tutoring programs, one of which brings
Somali high school students
directly to campus twice a week
for homework help from students in Augsburg’s Honors
Program. The other program targets elementary and middle
school students for tutoring and
receives snacks from the Campus
Kitchen at Augsburg College
Monday through Thursday.
Already True has ideas for
new projects, especially between
the Women’s Center and
Augsburg’s Women’s Resource
Center.
“We are so fortunate to have
this new center in our neighborhood,” True says. “There is so
much we can learn from each
other, and so many ways we can
work together to enhance the lives
of women in this community.”
Hoyles confirms this, saying
that during her time at the center
she is gaining a stronger sense of
community, and “understanding
that our world isn’t so big.
“I think students who do not
learn about our community are
really missing out,” she says. Ⅵ
ALUMNI NEWS
From the Alumni Board president …
Greetings fellow Auggies,
As I’m sure you’re experiencing, the circle and cycle of life continues unabated this year. It is
particularly noticeable to me this year because of the differences which reinforce the sameness
(apologies and thanks to Dr. Palosaari—you helped me improve my writing skills tremendously and
ensured that the poet in me remains untrammeled, too!). Let me explain …
I’m both a student of and practitioner in the field of human systems dynamics. One way we model the
world is through containers, differences, and exchanges. A container, like Augsburg College, is
described by its differences which make a difference in the world. Then, as critical friends, we can
exchange thoughts about those differences in our mutual container.
One difference at Augsburg I want to bring to your attention relates to Commencement:
• The school year is ending with graduation again—a common experience we alumni share and a tremendously important difference,
that makes a difference in the lives of our alumni-to-be. Please join me in welcoming them into new stages of life as Auggie alumni by
taking a moment to think warm, welcoming thoughts or remember them in your prayers.
• Augsburg has two Commencement ceremonies for the first time in its history—one on May 5 aligns the cycle of life of
traditional day students and physician assistant students on semesters, and one on June 24 aligns with WEC and graduate program
students on trimesters. Please join me in saluting Augsburg’s leadership for recognizing the differences in the cycle of life for different
parts of the student body and responding to provide a better graduation experience.
Another difference I want to encourage you to check out is our Online Community. Go to www.augsburg.edu and click on the Alumni
and Friends link:
• To see up-to-date information on Alumni Relations
• To check out the benefits available to you as alumni (did you know that as alumni you can use Lindell Library? Check out the Alumni
Benefits link!). Read about it on the next page.
• Log in to the Augsburg Online Community where you can search for fellow Auggies, keep the College up to date on contacting you,
make a donation to support Augsburg, or read about fellow alumni. You can even read the minutes of the Alumni Association and its
committees (log in to the Online Community, then select the Alumni Leadership>Alumni Board path).
And finally, as you make a difference in the world, remember to stay in touch. We want to hear from you and we want to be able to
contact you.
• Let us know how you are and what you are doing through the Alumni Relations Office (alumni@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1181).
• Register and visit our Online Community (www.augsburg.edu, click on Alumni and Friends, then Augsburg Online Community). Then
update your profile and search for your fellow classmates.
Go Auggies!
Barry Vornbrock, ’96 MAL
President, Augsburg Alumni Association
We’re off to the races!
Auggie Night at the Races
Canterbury Park, Shakopee
Thursday, August 2
5:30 p.m., picnic • 7 p.m., first race
Complimentary entrance fee; fun for all ages. Space is limited.
RSVP to rsvp@augsburg.edu by July 26.
Alumni Board meetings
Aug. 21, 5:30 p.m.—location to be confirmed
SPRING 2007 29
ALUMNI NEWS
Take advantage of Auggie alumni benefits
Augsburg Legacy
Award
The Augsburg Legacy Award is
available to full-time day
students working toward their
first bachelor’s degree, who are
children or spouses of Augsburg
graduates; siblings of current
Augsburg students; or children
or spouses of current ELCA
pastors. No scholarship
application is required. Students
who qualify for both the Legacy
Award and Regents’ Scholarship
or Transfer Regents’ Scholarship
will receive only one award,
whichever is higher. Renewal is
based on maintaining a
minimum cumulative grade
point average of 2.0, measured at
the end of spring term.
Amount: Minimum $4,000
per year
Deadline: Accepted for
admission by May 1 for fall
enrollment; or Dec. 1 for spring
enrollment
www.augsburg.edu/day/finaid/
scholarships.html
Discount on tuition
for classes
Alumni are offered up to four
courses—one course per
term—at 50% off the current
part-time tuition rate (day or
weekend programs). This benefit
does not apply to alumni whose
enrollment qualifies them for
full-time comprehensive tuition.
Tuition discount must be applied
for in the same academic year as
the course is taken.
The following courses do not
count for the benefits noted:
directed study, independent
study, internships, Summer
School, graduate programs,
study abroad, continuing
education. The following do
meet the requirements for the
benefits noted: fall, winter, or
spring term courses; student
teaching; and partial courses (.50
and .25 education courses use
one of the four benefits). NOTE:
The tuition discount cannot be
applied until after the 10th day
of classes in the specified term.
Book privileges in
Lindell Library
Free Augsburg library cards with
limited services are available to
alumni. Check with the
circulation or reference desks for
further information on how to
obtain a library card.
Augsburg License
Plate
Join the Augsburg Online Community
It’s designed just for you—
• Keep in touch with classmates
• Find out what’s happening on campus
• Send class notes about what you’re doing
• Change/update your address and e-mail
• Update your profile so others can find you
• Make an online gift to Augsburg
It’s fast and easy. Already, more than 500 alumni have registered.
Simply go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni—have you signed up?
If you have questions, e-mail healyk@augsburg.edu.
30 AUGSBURG NOW
Display your Augsburg
connection! Available through
the Minnesota Department of
Transportation
www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/
PlBrochure/CollegiatePlates.htm
Athletic facilities
Augsburg’s athletic facilities are
available to alumni when they
are not in use for special events,
classes, or other activities. If you
plan to come, it’s best to check
first with the athletic facilities
office at 612-330-1504,
especially during the summer.
Schedules are posted outside
of ice rinks A and B (neither rink
is available during the summer),
the gym, and the fitness centers.
Note: Use of the fitness centers is
available only to graduates of the
College. Alumni may use the
racquetball court by signing up
on the posted sheets at the court.
Reservations must be made in
person—no phone reservations
are accepted.
Alumni will be asked for
identification when using the
facilities. An Augsburg ID card
(available in the Enrollment
Center) or an A-Club pass will
expedite your admission.
Alumni using the facilities are
allowed one guest each.
CLASS NOTES
1950
1968
Roger “Bud” Leak, Excelsior,
Minn., was named the 2007
recipient of the Cliff Thompson
Award by the Minnesota Hockey
Coaches Association, at its
banquet in March. The award is
given annually for “long-term
outstanding contributions to the
sport of hockey in Minnesota.”
He helped start the Minnetonka
boys’ hockey program in 1952.
Lois (Hallcock) and Bruce
Johnson, Plymouth, Minn., were
featured in a Minneapolis Star
Tribune article in March about
how families finance education.
All three of their children—Leah,
Thomas, and current senior
Aaron—have attended Augsburg.
1964
Dennis J. Erickson, Los Alamos,
N.M., was awarded the
Distinguished Service to Safety
Award, the highest honor
bestowed by the National Safety
Council, in recognition of
outstanding service in the field
of safety. He has worked for 35
years at Los Alamos National
Laboratory and is scientific
advisor in the New Mexico
governor’s office.
1967
Loren Dunham, Fairmont,
Minn., is retiring from public
school teaching in Fairmont after
39 years in the classroom. He
taught economics, psychology,
American history, and
International Baccalaureate
courses, as well as coaching
tennis and Economics Challenge
and Knowledge Bowl. A former
editor of Augsburg Echo, he says
he feels he was “well-prepared
academically for the many and
various teaching assignments” he
received. dunfritz@charter.net
1969
Matty (Janis) Mathison,
Shawano, Wis., was honored
with the Women’s Sports
Advocates of Wisconsin Lifetime
Achievement Award for 2007. In
1998 she retired from 35 years
of teaching and 25 years of
coaching volleyball at Shawano
High School.
1970
Susan Pursch, Philadelphia, Pa.,
received the 2007 Tom Hunstad
Award (known as the “Tommy”)
at the ELCA Youth Ministry
Network Extravaganza. She has
served as a youth minister and
has coordinated and run
programs for at-risk youth.
Currently she is vice president
for church and community
partnerships at Liberty Lutheran
Services in Philadelphia.
Donald Q. Smith, Portland,
Ore., retired as the publisher and
editor of the weekly Monticello
Times. In October he was
honored with the James O. Amos
Award by the National
Newspaper Association, one of
the highest tributes in
community journalism.
1976
James Moen, Carrollton, Texas,
retired last year from 27 years of
serving as band director in the
Carrollton-Farmers Branch
school district. To honor his
legacy the district named the
new fine arts wing at R.L. Turner
High School after him.
In addition to spending
retirement time with his family,
he works with computers, is a
substitute teacher, and
accompanies students in music
competitions. JLJAMS@msn.com
1977
Rev. Dr. Mark Braaten, Bullard,
Texas, is senior pastor of Our
Saviour’s Lutheran Church in
Tyler, Texas. His first book Come,
Lord Jesus: A Study of Revelation,
was published by Liturgical Press
in January. His second book, on
prayer, is scheduled for
publication in fall 2008.
James M. Strommen,
Minnetonka, Minn., was recently
re-elected president of the
Minneapolis law firm of Kennedy
& Graven, a firm of 36 lawyers
located in downtown
Minneapolis and St. Cloud. He
practices in the area of municipal
franchise, construction, and
utility law.
1978
Rev. Guy Redfield was installed
in November as senior pastor at
Chetek Lutheran Church in
Chetek, Wis.
1980
Carol (Kenyon) Dekker,
Sheboygan, Wis., began as an
administrative and operations
assistant in marketing and public
relations roles at BurkartHeisdorf Insurance in
Sheboygan.
Gary Tangwall, Lake Elmo,
Minn., a senior financial
consultant for the Landmark
Group of Thrivent Financial for
Lutherans in Lake Elmo, has
been honored as the second
highest performer in 2006
among the organization’s 2,500
financial representatives. He is
one of 25 Thrivent representatives
invited to attend the Pinnacle
Leadership Retreat in September
in New York.
1985
Jean Taylor, Eagan, Minn., is
president of Taylor Corporation
in North Mankato, Minn., and
has recently assumed additional
responsibilities as chief executive
officer.
Denise (Rolloff) Tewes,
Lincoln, Neb., announces the
release of her first original CD,
Apple of Your Eye, contemporary
Christian music drawing from
the psalms and reflecting on
some of life’s experiences. She is
choral director at Messiah
Lutheran Church.
denise@denisetewes.com
James Rongstad, Pine Island,
Minn., was appointed in January
to a three-year term on the Van
Horn Library Board. This is the
public library serving Pine
Island. In February he was
appointed treasurer of the Board
of Directors of the Girl Scout
Council of River Trails, serving
southeast Minnesota.
SPRING 2007 31
CLASS NOTES
Responsibility as an adjunct
professor at William Mitchell
College of Law.
1987
Scott L. Anderson married
Susie Wilkey of Coon Rapids on
April 8, 2006. He joined Farmers
Insurance Group and Farmers
Financial Solutions in March.
They live in Minneapolis.
ScottLAnderson38@msn.com.
1998
Brandon Reichel and Shannon
Geiger were married Aug. 28,
2004. They welcomed a baby
girl, Finley Vada, on Jan. 17,
who was 8 lbs., 5 oz., and 21.5
inches long.
1992
Stacy (Shiltz) Abraham and her
husband, Chris, in Milwaukee,
Wis., announce the birth of
Elijah James, on Jan. 26. Stacy
is a teacher in the Milwaukee
Public Schools.
mrs.abraham@earthlink.net
1989
Thomas Stutsman, St. Louis
Park, Minn., founded Stutsman
Realty, Inc. in 1992 and is
celebrating 15 years of business
this year.
1991
Mark Keating and his wife,
Amy, of Edina, Minn., announce
the birth of their third son,
Aidan Howard, on March 14,
2006. He joins brothers Owen,
5, and Carson, 3. Mark is an
account executive at Symantec.
Sharol Tyra, of Life
Illuminations Presentations &
Coaching has qualified for
professional membership and
joined the National Speakers
Association.
1993
Kim (Swanson) Meslow and her
husband, Jeff ’92, in White Bear
Township, Minn., announce the
birth of their third daughter, Hanna
Rose, born on July 7. She joins
big sisters Ally (5) and Kayla (3).
kmeslow@swansonyoungdale.com
Michelle Kay (Wincell) Nielsen
and her husband, William,
welcome the arrival of a
daughter, Lena Kay, on Dec. 10.
They were married in September
2005 and live in St. Paul.
32 AUGSBURG NOW
1996
Scott Magelssen, Rock Island,
Ill., saw publication of his book
Living History Museums: Undoing
History through Performance, by
Scarecrow Press in February. It
treats performance practices and
historiography at living museums
in the U.S. and Europe. He and
his wife, Theresa (Hoar) ’95,
and two-year-old son, Trygg, will
move to Ohio where Scott will
teach theatre history at Bowling
Green State University, starting
in August.
Heidi (Geyer) Ostrander is a
physical education teacher at
Valley View Elementary School
in Columbia Heights, Minn.,
where she teaches the Dance,
Dance, Revolution curriculum.
She was featured on the Fox
Morning Show in February.
Brooke (Manisto) and her
husband, Erik Reseland ’98, in
St. Anthony, Minn., welcomed a
daughter, Adeline, born on Feb. 3.
She joins big sister Elsa, 3.
1994
1997
Will Stute has joined the
Minneapolis law firm office of
Faegre & Benson as a partner in
the Business Litigation Group,
focusing on litigation matters,
particularly commercial fraud.
He also teaches Professional
Astrid Larssen, of Oslo,
Norway, is currently living in
Sydney, Australia, where she is in
the process of finishing up a PhD
in computer science. She has
also lived and worked in Norway
and Ghana since leaving the U.S.
Wendy (Shields) and her
husband, Bradley Reiners ’99
PA, in Prairie Farm, Wis.,
welcomed a son, Jackson
Patrick, their first child, on Aug. 10.
Brad works as a physician
assistant at Luther MidelfortPrairie Farm Clinic.
1999
Aaron Smith and Jill (Pintens)
are proud to announce the birth
of Wyatt Douglas, born May 20,
2006. They currently live in
Tucson, Ariz., where Aaron is a
surgery resident and Jill is a
physician assistant.
With an internship at the White
House, Emily Soeder carried out a
dream and has stayed in
Washington to gain the experince
it has to offer for her future
career choices.
Inside the White House
Emily Soeder didn’t realize how
many statements she would be
researching and fact checking, or
how many definitions of
ordinary words she would be
looking up. But she did know
that she had always wanted to
work at the White House, and
that is exactly where she landed
during her last semester, before
graduating summa cum laude
from Augsburg in December.
She had known for some
time about internships available
at the White House, and during
her senior year worked with Lois
Olson in the Center for Service,
Work, and Learning to complete
and submit the online
application. Several months later,
she was living what was for her
an “amazing experience” as one
of about 70 interns selected for
fall 2006, and one of three in the
Office of Presidential Speechwriting.
“One of the most memorable
projects I worked on was
annotating a version of the
speech the president was going
to deliver to the UN,” Soeder
says. It meant going through it
line by line, ensuring the
factuality of every word and
statement.
When asked how the real
West Wing compared to that of
the TV show of the same name,
Soeder notes that in reality the
West Wing is very small—not
the huge area it seems to be on
TV. In fact, nearly all of the
administration’s staff offices are
not located there, but next door
in the Eisenhower Executive
Office Building.
Beyond her specific duties,
Soeder has learned a great deal
from the contacts with executive
branch staff, as the interns
listened to speakers such as Karl
Rove, assistant to the president,
deputy chief of staff and senior
adviser, and Harriet Miers,
counsel to the president. Her
most exciting “Washington
moment,” she says, came in
November when she met
President Bush the day after
election results came in.
Once her internship ended
in December, Soeder was
fortunate to be appointed as a
confidential assistant to the
assistant secretary in the Office
of Legislation and Congressional
Affairs at the U.S. Department of
Education. Here, she works on
projects, scheduling, and briefing
materials.
Outside of work, Soeder
volunteers as a tutor with
Horton’s Kids, a non-profit
agency that provides services to
children from nearby, lowincome Ward 8 in D.C. The kids
are bused to the Department of
Education once a week for oneon-one tutoring by the
employees.
While at Augsburg, Soeder
was involved with College
Republicans, and has now
become active with Young
Republicans in D.C. To be hired
for political or legislative jobs,
she says, candidates generally
need to show loyalty to a party
or candidate. Campaigning at the
grass roots is a great way to start
building that experience, and she
got a taste of it last fall by
traveling to Ohio and Tennessee
to work on local campaigns.
At this point, Soeder doesn’t
see herself staying in
Washington, D.C., for a long
time. She believes her career
decisions will keep coming back
to a basic question students at
Augsburg are asked to
consider—how am I going to
impact the world in what I do?
She appreciates the grounding
she received in her communications
courses, such as Persuasion, and
the analytical skills and
experience from participating on
the Forensics Team.
For now, she’s enjoying all
Washington has to offer—
politics, history, culture, and the
excitement of being at the center
of it all.
SPRING 2007 33
CLASS NOTES
Wendy (Hoekstra) Vogelgesang
and her husband, David, in
Litchfield, Minn., welcomed twin
boys, August and Ewan, born
three months early on Aug. 1.
They spent three months
growing at St. Cloud Hospital
and Fairview Riverside Hospital
neo-natal intensive care units.
Read their journey at
www.caringbridge.com/visit/wen
dyandboys. They are doing well
now, but everyone has gone
through a lot. Wendy went back
to work as a kindergarten
teacher at Litchfield Public
Schools in January, while David
is a stay-at-home dad.
and 21 inches long. Holly
graduates in June with an MBA
from Augsburg.
hknutson04@yahoo.com
2003
2000
Julia Mensing works at Event
Lab, an event-planning company,
which was recognized for the
second year in a row by the
International Special Events
Society (ISES) with a 2007
Minnesota Star Award in the
“Best Event Design and Décor”
category.
2006
2002
Brendan Anderson, Phoenix,
Ariz., was commissioned by the
Concordia Wind Orchestra in
Irvine, Calif., to write a large
concert piece, The Gift and the
Wise Men, around the theme of
Epiphany, for their orchestra and
guest organist. It premiered in
Phoenix while the orchestra was
on tour in January.
Matthew Chappuis and
Jennifer (Lemke), Apple Valley,
Minn., welcomed their first
child, a daughter, Hattie Romae,
on Aug. 18, weighing 8 lbs., 3
oz., and 21 inches long. He is a
middle school physical education
and health teacher in the
Burnsville School District, and
she is an eighth-grade science
teacher in the Inver Grove
Heights School District.
2004
Rick Dzurik was featured in
March on KARE-11 TV news as a
music therapist working with
hospice patients. With his guitar,
he makes house calls or visits
hospice units to sing music
requested by the patients and
families—one of only a few
certified music therapists in the
Twin Cities who do this.
Anna Warnes and Nathan
Erickson ’03 were married in
August and live in Eugene, Ore.
Both are students at the
University of Oregon; Nathan is
pursuing a doctorate in
sociology, and Anna is studying
for a post-baccalaureate degree
in nursing.
2001
Amy (Stier) Eppen and her
husband, Jeff, in Belle Plaine,
Minn., are proud to announce
the birth of their son, Caleb
Todd, born on Nov. 28. He was
welcomed home by big sister
Courtney, 22 mos. Amy is a
therapeutic recreation
coordinator at The Lutheran
Home: Hope Residence.
34 AUGSBURG NOW
Holly (Ebnet) Knutson and her
husband, Jeremy, in Hugo,
Minn., are the proud parents of a
baby girl, Adelei Marie, born
Nov. 28, weighing 8 lbs., 0 oz.,
India, beginning in the fall. She
is currently employed at
Admission Possible, through
AmeriCorps, where she works
with 34 low-income, first
generation students, encouraging
them to stay in school and
helping them apply to college.
Her work with Admission
Possible was featured in a Star
Tribune article.
2005
Carolyn Herman is a Rotary
Ambassador Scholar and will
continue study of literature at
the University of Hyderabad,
Katie Koch began a new
position in April as the executive
assistant to Joe Dowling, artistic
director of the Guthrie Theater
in Minneapolis.
Graduate Programs
Doris Rubenstein ’93 MAL is
the new director for membership
and development at the Resource
Center of the Americas and
draws on her background in
Spanish, Peace Corps experience,
and living in Puerto Rico and
Ecuador. Her thesis focused on
nonprofit organizations serving
Minnesota’s Latin population.
Jill Boike ’03 MSW joined
Family Innovations in 2005. She
has developed a new
employee/intern training
program and is also working as
an outpatient therapist and
clinical supervisor.
jsalome@comcast.net
Nick Thomley ’06 MBA was
featured in the business section
of the Minneapolis Star Tribune
with a profile of the company,
Pinnacle Services, that he
founded while a sophomore in
college. His high school job of
working with disabled residents
in assisted living led him to start
a company that provides
vocational, residential, and
financial management services to
the elderly and people with
disabilities. In seven years, the
company has reached $7.2
million in revenue.
In Memoriam
Ernest (“Ernie”) W. Anderson
’37, Edina, Minn., age 90, on
March 18, unexpectedly. See
story on page 2.
Henry Erickson Chapman ’40,
Coon Rapids, Minn., age 91, in
Dec. 2006. He was a retired
coach and athletic director from
Proctor (Minn.) Public Schools
and a member of Augsburg’s
Athletic Hall of Fame.
Delbert Rhodes ’41, Renville,
Minn., age 89, in Nov. 2006.
Chester L. Brooks ’42, Duluth,
Minn., age 89, on March 5. He
was a Distinguished Alumnus and
husband of Ebba (Johnson)
Brooks ’42.
The Rev. Robert Erickson
Warren ’46, Edina, Minn., age
82, on Feb. 27.
Fabian C. Carlson ’49, Detroit
Lakes, Minn., age 82, on July 21,
2006.
SEND US YOUR NEWS AND PHOTOS
The Rev. Oliver S. Solberg ’49,
Appleton, Wis., age 87, on Jan.
10. Husband of Viola (Nelson)
Solberg ’50.
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary,
funeral notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146,
2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55454, or e-mail to
alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news to the Augsburg
Online Community at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Rachel M. Stennes ’49,
Minneapolis, age 86, on Feb. 10.
Full name
Arlene Larsen ’49, Tacoma,
Wash., age 75, on Dec. 13. Wife
of Harold Larsen.
Robert Hofflander ’51,
Clitherall, Minn., age 79, on Jan.
29, of myelodysplastic
syndrome. Husband of Dorothy
(Gramling) Hofflander ’50.
Maiden name
John E. Seaver, Sr. ’54,
Edgerton, Wis., age 74, on
Feb. 2, after a long illness.
City, State, Zip
The Rev. James Glasoe Sr. ’57,
Statesboro, Ga., on March 17, of
lung cancer. Husband of Nicole
(Jacobson) Glasoe ’62.
Home telephone
Class year or last year attended
Street address
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Regie S. Huber ’74, Maple
Grove, Minn., on Nov. 1.
Employer
Marlin (“Mike”) Kloster ’53, of
Willmar, Minn., age 77, on
Jan. 20.
Position
Timothy W. Hanson ’88,
Ogilvie, Minn., age 40, on March
18, of injuries from a car
accident.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Work telephone
If yes, class year
Spouse’s name
Maiden name
Your news:
SPRING 2007 35
VIEWS
Celebrating 20 years of leadership
by Kathy Rumpza, ’05 MAL
On the evening of Sat., January 27, approximately
110 alumni, students, and guests gathered to
celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Master of Arts
in Leadership program at Augsburg College. The
keynote address was given by Ryan LaHurd,
president and executive director of the James S.
Kemper Foundation, and former vice president of
academic affairs at Augsburg. His presence was
appropriate because of the significant role he played
in the MAL Program’s inception.
More than 20 years ago, LaHurd was key in
launching a task force to explore graduate options
at the College. After much research and discussion
with business leaders it became apparent that there
was a need in the market for a different type of
program than was currently being offered—the kind
of program that would provide students with the
crucial broad-based knowledge and skills needed
for success.
Enter the era of an exciting program,
differentiated from others by a liberal arts focus
specifically on leadership. It offers solid content with
academic rigor as opposed to a workshop format. The
Master of Arts in Leadership program, started in
January 1987, marked an important turning point for
Augsburg and its entrance into the graduate market.
During its 20-year history, the program has
gone through transformation. While content,
schedules, and support staff have changed, the
signature “leadership model” that forms the basis for
the program remains steadfast. Feedback from
students and faculty has helped to hone and refine
course offerings, and relevant courses such as
Women and Leadership have been introduced.
Another constant is the faculty. Norma Noonan,
professor and director of the MAL program since
1993, notes that although the program has grown,
she and instructors Diane Pike, Tom Morgan, and
Garry Hesser have been teaching in the program
since its inception. She says such loyalty comes
from a simple idea—“faculty just love teaching in
the program.”
Noonan credits much of the recent program
growth to the addition of professional graduate
recruiters, and the fact that the program caters to
“students who seek personal development and
challenge.” The classes are “exiting and very
stimulating,” she says. “We’ve had pinnacle
36 AUGSBURG NOW
Norma Noonan is professor of political science and
director of the MAL program.
experiences in class … students are almost
electrified by some of the discussions.”
As far as alumni and students go, many have
had life-changing experiences. Students often say
that the program has changed their career paths,
and many experience a personal metamorphosis as
well. “People use it to define a turning point in
their lives,” says Noonan. Individuals have been
inspired to start their own businesses, and have
been promoted to vice president or CEO positions.
While it is true that completing the program
has changed personal and professional lives,
Noonan says that “completion is not the greatest
indicator of success.” She quickly adds, “it
emboldens you to take more risks, and brings a
maturity in judgment.” And that seems to be the
more important point.
Although some aspects of the program have
changed over time, it will remain a quality program
that “tries to live the leadership model,” under the
passionate direction of Norma Noonan. Her only
regret: “That I didn’t have the knowledge—what we
read, what we study—earlier in life.”
For information on the MAL Program,
go to www.augsburg.edu/mal
MAL… by the numbers
203
21
22
56
MAL degrees conferred since 1989
MAL graduating class in 2006—the largest yet!
Current MAL faculty and adjuncts
Number of new MAL students in 2006-07
The Oren Gateway Center is coming
Construction on the Oren Gateway Center is
proceeding extremely well. The building should be
ready for occupancy in the beginning of August,
with departments and programs starting to move
in during the middle of August.
Watch for more updates—and mark your calendars
for a grand celebration on October 12!
SPRING 2007
John 14: 1-3
A group of Augsburg students
traveled by train to New
Orleans to spend their spring
break working for Lutheran
Disaster Relief. Students spent
five days gutting and rebuilding
houses affected by Hurricane
Katrina. Here, workers find a
plaque from the Gospel of John
that fell from the attic of the
house in which they were
working. The verse offered a
great source for reflection by
the students.
— Photo by Rachel Olson ’08
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
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AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2008
VOL. 71, NO. 1
inside
auggies
1
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Nursing
Years
of Life-Changing
at the grassroots level Travel that
transforms Clever student + wise professor +
Travel
expert alum = awesome discovery Ready, action,
page
film20
suc... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2008
VOL. 71, NO. 1
inside
auggies
1
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Nursing
Years
of Life-Changing
at the grassroots level Travel that
transforms Clever student + wise professor +
Travel
expert alum = awesome discovery Ready, action,
page
film20
success! Street pastoring in Wales
get
political
Editor
notes
from President Pribbenow
Our neighbors
o
ne of the most compelling moments in the
Christian scriptures is the question asked
of Jesus by one of his disciples: “And who
is my neighbor?” His answer, of course, is
the parable of the Good Samaritan.
For me, the disciple’s question is at the
heart of the mission and vision of Augsburg College—a question that is at once theological, reflecting our understanding of what God intends
for us to be and do, and also educational and
practical, helping us to link our learning with
service.
So, let’s do some theology! Ask yourself—
who is my neighbor? Is it the Somali woman I
met this morning on Riverside Avenue struggling to carry her groceries home from the bus
stop? Or is it the family in the ravines of Cuernavaca, Mexico, who will offer me both refreshments and life lessons when I meet them on a
Center for Global Education trip? Or is it my
classmate, who is struggling with balancing
school with life at work and home, and who
needs my time and comfort? Once the question
is asked, we are compelled, as was Jesus himself,
to answer with stories and parables—stories of
how being educated at Augsburg prepares us to
serve our neighbors no matter when or where
we encounter them. In that way, the question
leads us to think about the links between learning and service.
A central aspect of an Augsburg education is
to nurture and sustain the work of civic engagement—the practices of citizenship, negotiating
our lives together, navigating what political
philosopher and Roman Catholic theologian John
Courtney Murray once called the “intersection of
conspiracies,” his definition of democracy.
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Here at Augsburg, we believe we are called
to serve our neighbor. I am so proud of our
Augsburg community for its abiding commitment to civic engagement, to meeting the needs
of our neighbors—there are abundant examples
of ways in which students, staff, faculty, regents,
parents, and alumni are modeling for all of us
and the rest of the community what it means to
be reflective, productive, and responsible citizens of our campus, our neighborhood, and our
world.
At the same time, I want to challenge all of
us to think at an even deeper level about the
work of civic engagement, to see it not simply as
acts of service and compassion, but also as the
abiding and messy business—the lifelong business—of being educated, of building communities of trust and accountability, and of helping to
create a more just and humane world.
The stories in this issue of Augsburg Now
about the Center for Global Education (CGE)
offer fine examples of how the Augsburg community has answered the question of “Who is
my neighbor?” time and again in parts of the
world where our neighbors are partners in the
work of teaching and learning. We celebrate
CGE’s remarkable legacy and promise in Augsburg’s continuing and common work to serve
our neighbors.
Yours,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
David Warch
warch@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, Minn., 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
a
fall 2008
Features
14
Lights, camera, and action
by Bethany Bierman
A new film major has come of age and now attracts
students from around the world.
augsburg now
19
Get Political!
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Augsburg students got up front and backstage as interns for The
Washington Center at the Republican National Convention.
24
Travel that transforms
by Betsey Norgard
contents
Augsburg’s Center for Global Education reached the quarter
decade mark last year and continues to transform the way
students and participants view global issues and challenges.
29
Annual report to donors, 2007-08
Departments
2
4
6
13
45
56
Around the Quad
It takes an Auggie
Auggies on the Field
Augsburg Voices
Alumni News and Class Notes
My Auggie Experience
On the cover
(L to R) Erik Franzen, Mai Lee, and Ben Krouse-Gagne—three of Augsburg’s interns for The Washington Center at the Republican National Convention—each found unexpected discoveries in the experience.
Editor’s note:
Welcome to Augsburg Now’s new look! If you visited us at the State Fair last
summer or at our Web site lately, you’ve noticed more vibrancy and energy—
with just a touch of edginess. We’re in the city and we’re all about learning
by doing—whether it’s in the classroom, on the playing field, around the
world, or on the floor of the Republican National Convention. Please let us
know what you think, or what you’d like to see in the Now. Auggies are everywhere, and we want to connect with you. E-mail us at now@augsburg.edu or
call 612-330-1181. — Betsey Norgard, editor
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
around the
quad
Regents elected and honored
Five new members were elected to four-year terms on the
Augsburg Board of Regents at the annual meeting of the Augsburg Corporation Governing Board in September. In addition,
Anthony L. Genia Jr., MD ’85, was re-elected to a second fouryear term.
Mark A. Eustis, president and CEO of Fairview
Health Services.
At the board’s fall meeting, outgoing regents were honored for
their commitment, loyalty, and service. Those leaving the board
after serving several years are Michael Freeman and Beverly
(Halling) Oren ’55. Regents who retired after two six-year terms
are Rev. Gary Benson ’70, Ron Nelson ’68, and former board chair
Ted Grindal ’76. In addition, two ELCA bishops completed ex officio terms: Rev. Harold Usgaard, Southeastern Minnesota Synod,
and Rev. Peter Rogness, Saint Paul Area Synod.
Three retirees worked closely with students
Darrell Wiese ’59 has always had a knack
Alexander J. Gonzalez ’90, senior financial advisor
at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Eric J. Jolly, president of the Science
Museum of Minnesota
Gloria C. Lewis, president and CEO of Big Brothers
Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities
Marshall S. Stanton, MD, vice president
for clinical research and general manager
of the cardiac rhythm disease
management business of Medtronic, Inc.
Appointed to three-year terms on the
board, ex officio, are Bishop Craig E.
Johnson, Minneapolis Area Synod of the
ELCA, and Bishop Duane C. Pederson,
Northwest Synod of Wisconsin, ELCA.
To read more, go to
www.augsburg.edu/regents
for finding “diamonds in the rough,” baseball and football players who may not have
put up the big numbers in high school, but
had the potential to shine.
It’s estimated that Wiese, a 1959 Augsburg alumnus, helped to bring literally
hundreds of students to Augsburg over the last several decades
as a recruiter and assistant coach. For his lifetime of service to
Auggie athletics, Wiese was honored with the Distinguished
Athletic Service Award this fall.
“I always had a genuine concern for youth and athletics,
and something always kept drawing me back to Augsburg over
the years,” Wiese said. “I would talk about Augsburg and say it
was a great school with friendly people; they’ll give you a
chance to succeed and get your degree.”
After Wiese had been scouting for talent as a volunteer for
more than 20 years while still owning and operating his family
farm in rural Northfield, Minn., he spent more than a decade as
an assistant coach for both the football and baseball teams.
Several of his football recruits provided the backbone of
the Auggies’ 1997 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title team, the school’s first since 1928. Many of his players were key members of the 2005 MIAC baseball playoff team.
“One of the things that strikes me so much about Darrell is
his ability to identify potential talent,” said former football
coach Jack Osberg, now a football coach and A-Club advancement manager. … “When he recruits, he doesn’t just recruit the
athlete, he recruits the family and gets great connections with
the families and siblings of the athletes he recruits.”
Wiese officially retired from coaching after the 2008 baseball season. A baseball team trophy has been named in his
honor—the Darrell Wiese Most Respected Player Award.
DON STONER
2
Augsburg Now
Retiring faculty and staff, continued
Karen Sutherland, professor of computer science, came to Augsburg in
1999 and retired at the end of the
academic year in May. Often her students would find her in the small lab
in Sverdrup surrounded by computer robots roaming the floor—
AIBO dog robots used for their ease
in teaching basic programming, and
search and rescue robots designed to
stay in communication with each other during emergency situations. They were all part of National Science Foundation
grant research in which Sutherland collaborated.
These projects were at the core of Sutherland’s passion for
improving how computer science is taught to non-traditional
students, including weekend students, immigrants, women,
and first-generation college students. “These students didn’t
relate well to computer science and how we were teaching it,”
Sutherland said. With the grant funding she could do a better
job of both attracting and retaining non-traditional students.
The National Science Foundation CSEMS (Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarship) program
enabled her to offer scholarships to non-traditional students.
She had upper-class students serve as peer mentors to CSEMS
students, encouraging them toward career possibilities in
computer science.
“A number of our young people want to do something to
make this world better,” Sutherland says. “They don’t see how
computer science is going to help that. You have to show
them ways it can, and they have to see how they could make a
difference, a mark.”
Via e-mail, she keeps in touch with many former students, some who have accepted jobs in industry directly after
graduation and others going on to graduate programs.
There is no shortage of plans for her retirement, which
center around gardening and travel. Even her gardening will
keep her near a computer, as she serves as the webmaster for
the Garden Club of Ramsey County. At her lake home, she
serves as a board member of the lake association, working to
promote shoreline conservation and sustainability.
Kenneth N. Erickson ’62, in his
nearly 40-year tenure teaching
physics, allowed students to see just
how vast the world is and just what
is possible.
After one year at Augsburg in
the 1960s, Erickson returned in
1970 and never left. For much of
that time, he held a shared professorship between Augsburg and the
University of Minnesota, cooperating with the University’s
physics and astronomy faculty in grant-funded research.
“As part of the shared appointment at the “U,” I was able
to do a lot of research,” he said. In 1970, Erickson started an
active undergrad research program at Augsburg. In 1991, he
started the Minnesota Space Grant Consortium, part of a
NASA-funded program that provides research and program
development grants to students and faculty.
“His satellite studies and rocket experiments in Alaska,
often involving other scientists from around the globe, gave
his students a window to a much wider and very exciting
world,” said Mark Engebretsen, an Augsburg colleague. “He
helped many of his students catch the excitement of trying to
find out new things about our world.”
The soft-spoken Erickson is reluctant to discuss his
achievements, but colleagues and many former students appreciated Erickson’s teaching and mentoring. Stu Anderson
’78, a current member of Augsburg’s physics faculty and a former student, said, “He displayed the art of an excellent
teacher—to invite students into the voyage of discovery, to
develop an appetite and tolerance for mathematical complexity, and to give students like me the courage to be persistent.”
Matt Broughton ’06, a physics and English major who
was awarded a Fullbright grant called Erickson—who has a
scholarship established in his name—“the best instructor he
had in college.”
Now Erickson is staying busy by growing corn and soybeans and raising cattle on his farm near Cambridge, Minn.
“I haven’t done much physics lately,” he joked.
WENDI WHEELER
BETSEY NORGARD
Fall 2008
3
it takes an
Auggie
New President’s Circle recognizes annual giving
During Homecoming Week, President Pribbenow announced
the creation of the President’s Circle, a new giving society that
recognizes annual gifts of $1,000 or more, at several levels of
support. By recognizing all current gifts, the President’s Circle
shares the Augsburg story among greater numbers of alumni
and donors and builds stronger connections with the College
today.
Within the President’s Circle, one of the top funding priorities of the College is the Augsburg Fund, which provides
support across a range of critical needs of the College. Most
important is the financial support made possible through the
Augsburg Fund that helps the College fulfill its promise to a
richly diverse student body. Financial support makes an Augsburg education possible for more than 85% of its students.
The Augsburg Fund also provides needed support for
current technology to improve teaching and learning, faculty
recruitment and retention, facilities maintenance and renovation, and opportunities for community events and services.
“There’s no other way to give to so many priorities—to
touch the lives of so many students in so many different
ways—than through the Augsburg Fund,” says Jeremy Wells,
vice president for institutional advancement. “It’s giving that
moves Augsburg forward just as it also honors its past.”
The President’s Circle Challenge, through the generosity
of an anonymous donor, will match all increases in gifts to the
Augsburg Fund up to $1,000 for those who become charter
members of the President’s Circle.
President’s Circle members will receive a special pin and a
new, members’ e-newsletter plus invitations to special events
and other benefits offered for support at higher levels.
Sven Oftedal Society honors Augsburg’s legacy
Augsburg’s Heritage Society, which
recognizes donors who have made
a future gift commitment to the
College, has a new name and identity—the Sven Oftedal Society,
named for the second person appointed to Augsburg’s faculty, who
became the College’s third president and chaired the Board of Regents for over three decades.
During the 1870s, vast numThe recognition of donors who
make future gifts to the College
bers of immigrants flocked to
has been named the Sven Oftedal
western and northwestern MinSociety, in honor of Augsburg’s
third president, who saved the Col- nesota. Augsburg’s move to Minlege from bankruptcy, ensuring an neapolis in 1872 placed it closer to
Augsburg education for
the center of Norwegian-American
future generations.
settlement, but by 1877, the College faced a financial crisis that threatened its very existence.
Augsburg was heavily in debt; the region was in an economic
depression.
Sven Oftedal stepped forward to lead a heroic fundraising
effort that saved Augsburg. Oftedal rallied and inspired farmers, merchants, businesses, and churches throughout the
4
Augsburg Now
region to support Augsburg’s mission, an effort securing gifts
from over 30,000 individuals. Augsburg was no longer a
school of a select few—Augsburg truly became a school of the
people.
Exemplifying Augsburg’s commitment to civic involvement, Oftedal established a community newspaper, was
elected to the Minneapolis Board of Education, appointed to
the Minneapolis Library Board, and served as the president of
Augsburg’s board for 36 years. His legacy of service is honored
by Augsburg through the founding of the Oftedal Society to
recognize the loyalty and vision of those who make a commitment of future support to the College.
“By renaming the planned giving recognition society in
honor of Sven Oftedal, we have a wonderful opportunity to
reflect upon the nature of Augsburg’s foundation—its roots,”
noted Jeremy Wells, vice president for institutional advancement, “and to reaffirm that those ideals continue to be the
core of the College and its mission.
To learn more about the Sven Oftedal Society or making a
gift of future support, contact the Office of Planned Giving at
1-800-273-0617 or via e-mail to development@augsburg.edu.
Another million-dollar year!
• The Augsburg Fund, the College’s annual fund, reached its
goal of $1 million—for the third time and the first time
outside of a campaign year—ending the fiscal year at
$1,001,979.
• Important to achieving this goal was the President’s Challenge of $100,000, which resulted in additional giving of
nearly $69,000 in new or increased gifts, triggering a total
of $158,000 in challenge gifts. This was made possible by
Don ’53 and Bev (Halling) Oren ’55 and anonymous
donors.
• During this last fiscal year, a 100% participation rate was
reached with gifts to the annual fund from all members of
the Augsburg Board of Regents, the Alumni Board of
Directors, and the President’s Cabinet.
It’s Augsburg Calling … Mai Yer Vang ’11
Mai Yer Vang was born in Thailand and moved with her family to the U.S. in 1994. When she was in high school, Vang
was introduced to Augsburg on a tour with the Upward
Bound program. “We had a really good tour guide who
showed us everything on campus,” she said.
Vang liked Augsburg’s small campus atmosphere and was
intrigued by a presentation given by Richard Webb, a counselor for Augsburg’s TRiO program, a U.S. Department of Education program that helps first-generation college students
overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to completing
their education.
“My family is on welfare,” Vang said, “but Richard talked
about financial aid and told us that we could go to Augsburg
if we wanted to. He helped us understand that a college education was possible.” In fact, Vang became the first in her
family of eight children to attend college.
She came to Augsburg in the summer, before many of her
classmates, for TRiO’s Summer Bridge program, a five-week
residential program that introduces students to the college experience with classes, academic support seminars, workshops,
and social activities.
As a TRiO scholar, Vang must not only maintain a 3.0
GPA each term, she also meets regularly with her TRiO counselor to discuss her academic progress and financial issues.
TRiO students complete all of their financial aid application
paperwork on their own, an often-daunting procedure many
of her peers delegate to parents. Vang is grateful for this experience because she is now helping one of her older sisters
complete college and financial aid applications.
For two years, Vang has worked as a caller for the Augsburg Fund in Augsburg’s Office of Institutional Advancement.
Through her conversations with alumni, Vang has received
career advice and has learned more about Augsburg traditions
and history. “I learned that Homecoming used to be huge
here,” she said, “and there were a lot more dances and royalty
and parades during the year than we have now.”
To date, Vang and the student caller team have helped
raise more than $114,000 for the Augsburg Fund. To learn
more about the Augsburg Fund and other ways to support
students like Mai Yer Vang, go to www.augsburg.edu/giving.
WENDI WHEELER ‘06
Mai Yer Vang ’11 is one of the
student callers of Phonathon
and enjoys learning about
Augsburg in past years from
the alumni she calls.
Fall 2008
5
Auggies on the field
Jordan Berg: Football, physics, and far more
Division III athletics is more than simply the games. It’s just as much about academics, family friends, and hobbies. Augsburg senior quarterback Jordan Berg understands the importance of balancing.
On the field, the Gaylord, Minn., native is already the most accomplished passer in
Augsburg history, owning single-season and career records for passing touchdowns,
completions, and yardage. Despite starting his college career at Division II MinnesotaDuluth, Berg is on pace to break the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference career passing record of 7,290 yards.
But Berg is more than just a quarterback. He’s also a physics major
with a 3.8 GPA. In his time at Augsburg, Berg has taken classes ranging from chemistry to American Sign Language, and Christian Vocation and the Search for Meaning.
“One of the reasons that Jordan is so successful is his preparedness,” says offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Drew
Privette. “He is prepared on the field, in the classroom, and in his
social life. If we have a quarterback’s meeting and Jordan also has a
big test in one of his classes, he’ll find a way to reschedule the
meeting, so he can take care of his first priority, his academics.”
Berg, a self-described “motor head,” has a variety of other
interests. He restored his own Harley-Davidson motorcycle,
complete with a custom paint job. He designed t-shirts for the
football team. And Berg designed two tattoos for himself and a
few others for his teammates.
“Jordan is a unique blend of character, artist, and student-athlete. He is gifted in each of those areas and it is a joy to work with
such a colorful and outstanding individual,” said football head coach
Frank Haege.
KELLY ANDERSON DIERCKS
6
Augsburg Now
For the full story, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
homecoming
’08
2008 Alumni Awards
DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
LaRhae (Grindal) Knatterud
’70, specialist on aging,
Minnesota Department
of Human Resources
Dennis Kalpin ’61, retired
mathematics teacher and
coach, Alexandria, Minn.
FIRST DECADE AWARDS
Zach Curtis ’98, actor,
artistic director, and
theatre manager
Jeffery Cameron ’96,
intellectual property
attorney, E.J. Brooks
and Associates, PLLC
Save the date for Homecoming 2009—September 28-October 3
For more about Homecoming
and the alumni awards, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2008
7
Grassroots health care
the CENTER CLINIC
Augsburg nursing student Eileen Johnson
confronts poverty and patient needs at the
small, volunteer-run Center Clinic in
Dodge Center, Minnesota.
arty Alemán has a
passion for public
health. She is one
of Augsburg’s Rochester
Campus nursing faculty,
and she believes that
“greater community and social awareness make a better
citizen and a better nurse,
no matter where they
work.”
Thus, it seemed fitting
that she, along with the
Augsburg nursing program,
was chosen by the Center Clinic in Dodge Center, Minnesota, a
small, rural, volunteer-staffed clinic, to receive their Social
Awareness award at their annual appreciation event.
From her office at Olmsted County Public Health, Alemán
coordinates a number of the county’s public health nursing positions. As the Community Health II nursing instructor at the
Augsburg Rochester Campus, she integrates her knowledge of
public health and connections to community health agencies
with the course content to be a catalyst for transformation in the
lives of most of the Rochester Bachelor of Science in nursing
M
8
Augsburg Now
(BSN) students. She loves it. She loves introducing her students
to a side of health care that few of them have ever seen.
Community Health II is Augsburg’s only BSN course with
significant clinical hours outside of the classroom; all 48 hours
must be spent in community health settings. Alemán notes that
about 90% of Rochester BSN students are hospital nurses. “Some
students have only worked in surgery where they see a very limited view of patient care. Community health nursing is not such
a controlled environment,” she says. It stretches and challenges
the students.
Alemán helps students to navigate the challenges of a different healthcare culture and to connect the dots of relevance between their work in a large hospital to social justice in the
community. To that end, she raises questions within the context
of diversity about the uninsured, about poverty and patient
needs upon dismissal from the hospital, and about the community resources to meet those needs. She also encourages students
to consider health issues in public schools such as drug and alcohol abuse, sexual activity, bullying, and obesity.
Clinical hours bring the questions of the classroom into the
realm of experiential knowledge. Students integrate these experiences, comparing them to their currently held beliefs, and seeing things first hand rather than in text. They return to class and
talk about the experiences and how their current belief systems
are being challenged.
For their clinical hours, students may choose from a number
of cultural immersion options or community health settings in
Olmsted County or in the county where they reside. Alemán is
fluent in Spanish, having spent four years early in her nursing
career living and working in Ecuador, and has coordinated and
led immersion trips and home stays for students in Nicaragua
and Guatemala.
It’s obvious that Alemán has a special place in her heart for
arranging student placements in county community health settings. She encourages them to divide their time among a variety
of agencies and clinics. Her students can be found at the Good
Samaritan Medical Clinic, Migrant Health Clinic, Christ United
Methodist Church Health Fair, the county jail, and working with
church parish nurses.
The Center Clinic, directed by Jan Lueth, who is also a public health colleague of Alemán, is a favorite placement for
Alemán and her students. Lueth welcomes the students and describes the clinic as “a small non-profit agency staffed by volunteer nurses, nurse practitioners, and Mayo doctors and residents
that provides family planning and limited healthcare services to
the uninsured and underinsured, many of whom are Latino.”
Some of the BSN students have chosen to continue volunteering at the clinic. One student returned for six months as a
paid staff member. Since the clinic relies heavily on volunteer
hours to stretch their limited revenue, Lueth says their services
are invaluable.
“Social awareness is an important part of our mission at the
Center Clinic,” says Lueth. “We believe that awareness is the
first step toward social change.” Part of the clinic’s motivation
for giving Alemán and the nursing program the Social Awareness
award was that “always their questions and comments challenge
us to clarify what we believe and strengthen our determination
to continue our mission,” Lueth says.
When asked about Alemán’s passion for social awareness,
Lueth says, “only a professional like Marty, who truly empathizes and appreciates the complicated world in which our
clients reside, and the positive effect that nursing students could
experience by exposure to this, would have considered the Center Clinic as a possible clinical site for her students.”
She continues, saying the clinic is “a world where, like a
messy closet, you can make the conscious choice to close the
door, so you don’t have to look at it. But, you still know the mess
is there. … Marty puts her foot in the door, so you have to look,
have to experience the ‘mess’ at least for a moment.”
LIBBY HENSLIN ’06
OPERATIONS AND ADMISSIONS COORDINATOR, ROCHESTER CAMPUS
“Social awareness is an
important part of our
mission at the Center Clinic.
Pictured, right: In her community health
nursing course, Augsburg student Eileen
Johnson (left) is learning from Center
Clinic staff person Ramona González
(center) about difficulties faced by clinic
patients, many of whom are Latinos.
We believe that awareness
is the first step toward
social change.”
Fall 2008
9
awesome
DISCOVERY
clever student + wise professor+ experienced alum =
BY WENDI WHEELER AND BETSEY NORGARD
Brian Krohn (second from right) poses
with the scientists who named the
process (“Mcgyan”—from their own
names) that they hope will revolutionize
the biofuel industry: (L to R) Chemistry
professor Arlin Gyberg, SarTec vice
president Clayton McNeff ’91, Krohn, and
SarTec chief scientist Ben Yan.
A student’s passion for research
Brian Krohn originally came to Augsburg to study film, but
after only one semester without any science classes, this lifelong scientist felt “so deprived” that he officially changed his
major to chemistry.
Even so, he was unsure where the degree would lead
him. “I thought with a degree in chemistry, I
could only be a teacher or a pharmacist,” he said.
Then in the summer of 2006, Krohn received
a grant from Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research
and Graduate Opportunity (URGO) program. It
was support to conduct research, one of his passions. He and his adviser, chemistry professor
Arlin Gyberg, were both interested in biodiesel, so
Krohn set out to find a more efficient way to produce the fuel.
Krohn describes the research process as difficult but exciting. “You have to really dig into the
whole process and read all the literature to join
into the conversation about your topic before you
can figure out what you can contribute,” he said. Whereas
most undergraduate researchers “do what they are told, like
calibrate a machine all day,” according to Krohn, he had more
freedom to explore and experiment.
Eventually his work led to the discovery of a process that
converts animal feedstock to biodiesel. Gyberg advised Krohn
to contact alumnus Clayton McNeff ’91, a chemist and vice
president of SarTec, a company specializing in yucca-based
products and CEO of ZirChrom Separations, a chromatography company. McNeff, his chief scientist at
SarTec Ben Yan, and Gyberg took Krohn’s idea and
created the “Mcgyan” Process (from their three
names), an efficient and environmentally friendly
method that will allow McNeff’s new start-up company, Ever Cat Fuels, to produce more than three
million gallons of fuel per year at a first-of-its-kind
biodiesel plant in Isanti, Minn.
Krohn says it was his research and connections
through Augsburg, not the discovery itself, that
opened doors for him. In fact, he said this opportunity might never have been available if not for
McNeff’s ties to the College.
“It’s almost unheard of that the vice president of research
would sit down with an undergraduate student and his old professor,” he said.
clever student
10
Augsburg Now
wise professor
A professor’s connections to industry
It’s an event, says chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg, that
probably wouldn’t have happened anywhere else in the
world.
He’s referring to senior Brian Krohn’s research, his
relationship with Clayton McNeff ’91, and the partnership
that ultimately yielded the invention of the Mcgyan
Process. Gyberg, who is beginning his 42nd year teaching
at Augsburg, has supervised many student research projects over the years beginning with Richard Olmsted ’69,
the husband of current Augsburg chemistry professor Sandra Olmsted ’69, in the summer following their junior
year.
Krohn began his research by poring over hundreds of
abstracts of research on biodiesel. Eventually he found two
examples of projects that had been somewhat successful,
which had suggested that solid-state strong acids might be
effective catalysts for conversion of plant oils to biodiesel.
Gyberg knew that this material was used as a bonded solid
stationary phase in chromatography, so they attempted a
conversion using a batch process that had been used since
World War II. Gyberg summed up the results: “It didn’t
work.”
Then Gyberg recalled a seminar given four years earlier by McNeff on zirconia-based stationary phases used
for liquid chromatography and the ease with which it
could be bonded with various substances. Gyberg contacted McNeff, and Krohn and Gyberg went to present
their research to McNeff at SarTec Corporation. They
asked for some bonded strong acid zirconia and again
tried a batch process experiment with no success.
“Here is where the confluence of events occurred that
would not likely have happened anywhere else,” said Gyberg. McNeff’s ZirChrom Corporation is a world leader on
zirconia and its properties. McNeff and fellow scientist Ben Yan had
been working on oven-heated zirconia-based high temperature liquid
chromatography. It occurred to McNeff that pressurized, heated, continuous column catalysis using solid-state acidified zirconia might
work—and it did, the very first time. The Mcgyan Process was born.
“It would appear that this is only the beginning,” Gyberg said.
Research continues, with SarTec and Augsburg investigating algae
growth as a feedstock source for biodiesel as well as other reactions
that are possible for new types of biofuels that have not been possible
to synthesize before.
Gyberg is also working on a project with a University of St.
Thomas engineering professor who believes that in three years all
biodiesel will be made using the Mcgyan Process. They are developing a “pickup bed biodiesel plant” that the individual farmer could
use to make his own biodiesel fuel. This would also benefit Third
World countries where jatropha, a weedy bush that grows on noncropland and needs only about eight inches of rain or so a year, is
readily available. Jatropha can produce about five times more plant
oil a year for biodiesel than soybeans, and the Mcgyan reactor is the
only one that can completely convert the oil efficiently and cleanly to
biodiesel with virtually no waste and no pollutants.
Rather than spend his summers on the golf course or on the
lake, Gyberg supervises research because, he says, “It keeps things
interesting and exciting, keeps one up with current science, and
keeps the mind sharp.” He adds, “One of the great pleasures over the
years is using my background and experience to work with students,
some of whom are smarter than I am.” Gyberg says students are fortunate to be able to do research at Augsburg, since faculty there can
spend more time working with students than at large research
institutions.
Above, left: Senior Brian Krohn and chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg explain the Mcgyan
Process, a new, improved method of making biodiesel, at a press conference in March.
Fall 2008
11
awe
som
e
SarTec vice president Clayton McNeff ’91, whose team discovered
the Mcgyan Process, shares the discovery with alumni and friends
during Homecoming in September.
“It can be cost effective and
environmentally friendly—
experienced alum
and it’s portable.”
A chemist on the cutting edge
In March 2008 at a press conference at Augsburg College,
Clayton McNeff became somewhat of a media sensation in
the biodiesel world. He is vice president of SarTec Corporation, and together with his chief scientist Ben Yan, his former
professor Arlin Gyberg, and Augsburg student Brian Krohn,
McNeff announced a discovery they said would revolutionize
biodiesel production and lessen or eliminate the country’s dependence on fossil fuels.
This was the first public announcement of the Mcgyan
Process and the biodiesel fuel it can produce more efficiently,
less costly, and without harmful byproducts than existing
processes. He went on to announce that the group was already successfully producing 50,000 gallons per year at a
pilot plant, and even powering the plant with it. Through a
new company, Ever Cat Fuels, a new large-scale production
plant is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2009 that
will yield three million gallons per year, using non-food
grade corn oil from ethanol plants and free fatty acid waste
products from the current conventional biodiesel industry.
In July the Star Tribune described the Mcgyan production
process as immensely appealing to countries and companies
around the world because “it can be cost effective and environmentally friendly—and it’s portable.” The goal is for farmers to be able to produce the biodiesel they need to run their
farms completely on site. More than 35 countries have contacted SarTec inquiring about the technology.
Algae is a large part of McNeff’s vision. He refers to it as
the “holy grail” of biodiesel production because it can be
grown utilizing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from
12
Augsburg Now
bioethanol and coal-burning power plants, and it can potentially yield enough oil for biodiesel to replace all U.S. petroleum
needs without competing for food crops or cropland. SarTec, in
partnership with Augsburg and Triangle Energy, is pursuing this
research with grants from Great River Energy and Xcel Energy.
McNeff is a 1991 Augsburg chemistry graduate, who pursued his PhD in analytical chemistry at the University of Minnesota. He joined SarTec, the company founded by his parents
where he first worked as a high school student, fostering his
love for science.
In 1995, as he became known for his expertise with zirconia, McNeff co-founded ZirChrom Separations, Inc., along with
Steven Rupp and University of Minnesota professor Peter W.
Carr. Carr has won numerous awards in the field of analytical
chemistry and has been announced as the recipient of the 2009
American Chemical Society Award in Analytical Chemistry.
In 2002 McNeff was awarded the Tibbetts Award from the
Small Business Adminstration’s Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. This award was given in recognition of
McNeff’s achievement in innovation, research, and business
that contributed to the commercial success of ZirChrom Separations.
McNeff considers the success of the experimentation leading to the Mcgyan Process as “serendipity,” but it’s a success
that can extend far beyond their projected goal of three million
gallons per year and be licensed worldwide to companies seeking more efficient and sustainable fuels.
For more information, go to
www.augsburg.edu/chemistry
DIS
COV
ERY
V
Courtesy Glendine Soiseth
auggie voices
Street pastors bring care and
hope to the streets
Glendine Soiseth graduated from Augsburg and Luther Seminary in 2004 with a dual degree—Master of Social Work and
Master of Arts in Theology. She was ready for the challenge of
an international experience and is the supervisor of therapy
services for a fostering agency in Flintshire, Wales. She lives
in nearby Chester, England.
In 2006 Soiseth heard about the three-year-old Street Pastors program and trained as a street pastor leader in Wrexham, Wales. She led her team on patrol once or twice a
month, from around 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Recently, with her
move to Chester, she also serves as a Chester lead street pastor and will alternate patrols and voluntary time between the
two locations.
In September she wrote about street pastor work for a
community ministry blog in Chester. With permission, we’ve
reprinted excerpts from it.
Call
Historically, I have consistently been involved in faith, community, and political organizations, either working with
people, programmes, or the community in developing a
voice and making a difference.
When the St. Margaret’s vicar in Wrexham started talking about Street Pastors during a service, I immediately experienced a ‘call.’ Not a lightning bolt, but it was made very
clear that this (street pastoring) was something I needed to
do. I realized I was being asked to take a leap of faith despite not knowing how the new initiative would take me.
After training and graduation, I was out on the streets
in my street pastor uniform talking and explaining to people, door staff, vendors, police, and emergency personnel
what a street pastor is and does.
Community
When I mentioned to people at the time that I lived in
Wrexham, the response was universal, ‘nothing good comes
out of Wrexham … .’ I knew it would take more than a marketer or one person to make a difference. It would take the
‘Urban Trinity’—police, civic partners, and church—coming
together in agreement on community initiatives and protocols, as a means for it to work.
Glendine Soiseth ’04 MSW/MA Theology dual degree graduate (left), is a social
worker in North Wales and volunteers as a street pastor in an interdenominational church/community initiative with Rev. Trevor Beckett (right).
Street pastors are now recognized, respected, and welcomed in the community by pub/club goers, police, emergency personnel, door staff, street vendors, CCTV, and
visitors. They have witnessed and experienced our commitment, tenacity, unconditional positive regard, and passion
for what we do.
We’ve been accepted as part of their community for not
only sticking it out when it is raining, cold, and miserable,
but, more importantly, for listening, being authentic, and
providing practical assistance—not preaching ‘heaven and
hell,’ but getting back to basics of what it means to be a ‘caring’ community and how diversity can bring together unity.
Hope
I can’t begin to tell you all the stories I have heard on the
street in my role as street pastor. … about the drug dealer,
or the rugby player, or the person we picked up off the road
just before a car came round the corner, or the person who
had been involved in a cult, or the alcoholic, or the soldier.
But they are just stories about people you don’t know. What
I do know is that Street Pastors makes a difference in our
community. I make a difference. We make a difference.
From a human perspective, getting back to basics with
the above is a step in not only providing a community with
hope, but also it can be a difference between life and death
for that person we talk to on the street. … A good deal of
our work is ‘working in the moment where that person
seems to be at that time.’ Street pastoring works. I truly feel
blessed and privileged every time I go out into the street.”
Street Pastors is an inter-denominational church response to urban problems, engaging with people on the
streets to care, listen, and dialogue. For information, go to
www.streetpastors.org.uk.
BETSEY NORGARD
Fall 2008
13
LIGHTS,
CAMERA,
AND
ACTION
BY BETHANY BIERMAN
Augsburg’s film program, based in liberal arts and
giving students knowledge in production, performance,
and theory, attracts students from around the world.
14
Augsburg Now
ugsburg film comes of age
The coffee shop in Christensen is nearly
full, so we grab two empty stools by the
computers in the back. Wes Ellenwood
sits poised on the stool, looking relaxed
in his blue jeans and vintage New York
baseball cap, balancing his coffee between his hands.
“What makes our department
unique is its three tracks,” he explains.
The former NYU professor specializes
in documentary and 16mm film and
was just last year given full-time status,
making him the only full-time film faculty member.
He breezes through the description
as if he’s told it many times before.
There’s the production track (creating
films and videos), the performance
track (acting for the camera), and the
theory and culture track (the analytical
track). “And our faculty are not just faculty—they are professionals and experts
in film.”
Picture, bottom left: For more than a decade, communication
studies professor Deb Redmond has worked with alumni to nurture
the film courses that have grown Augsburg’s film program.
Pictured, below: Auggie Mike Bodnarczuk ’85 built a career in music
video production and has helped other Auggies get a start in LA.
Just then communication professor
and director of the program Deb Redmond approaches with a young man.
“I’m sorry, but may I interrupt?” she
asks. “Matt, this is Wes Ellenwood, who
teaches our production courses. Wes,
Matt is looking at transferring to Augsburg to study film.”
The professors exchange knowing
glances. This is not the first time such
an introduction has been made. In fact,
the film department averages two visitors per week. For a program that officially finished its fourth year, numbers
are exploding. While Augsburg has a
strong history of graduating students
who have excelled in film, it was only
in 2004 that the major was added. It
jumped from one graduate in 2006 to
now nearly 40 students. Five new film
majors transferred in this past semester.
“We’re different from most of the
metro college campuses,” Ellenwood
tells Matt and me, “because there is actual film being shot on this campus.”
He goes on to explain that because
Augsburg students develop an understanding of film, video, television, and
digital media, in addition to being
grounded in the liberal arts, these graduates are better prepared than most to
truly succeed in the industry.
A seed is planted
It was the early ’80s, and every Friday
English professor John Mitchell showed
movies in his class. One student recalls
nearly leaping out of his seat with excitement.
“He really opened up the gateway
for me,” says Michael Bodnarczuk, the
son of Ukrainian immigrants and a St.
Paul Johnson High School graduate. He
Nick Vlchek
A
LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION
had come to Augsburg to study prelaw and to play
soccer. “I got very
involved with politics with my lifelong friend John
Evans … and
Franklin Tawha,
but then started
spending a lot of time with film.”
Bodnarczuk took a 16mm film
course taught by a friend of Mitchell’s
during January term. “After that, I was
completely hooked, and then it became
an addiction.” He took Julie Bolton’s television class and Stan Turner’s class in
newswriting at St. Thomas. Jeroy Carlson found him an internship at KARE11, which turned into a job editing
stories for the sunrise show.
But Bodnarczuk’s passion was
music videos, and how they told a story
in four minutes. Augsburg didn’t have
cable at the time, however, so with the
rise of the MTV boom, he persuaded the
College to invest in a satellite dish for
the top of Christensen Center. He’d
record videos and host a showing on
Sunday nights during dinner, until they
got too risqué and the administration
shut him down.
Beyond the classroom, he made
connections with several people, including Jimmy Jam, Steve Rifkin (editor of
the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy) and
Darrell Brand (cameraman). During college, he directed videos for Twin Cities
music sensation The Jets and spent a
couple days as a production assistant on
Purple Rain.
Following graduation, he worked at
a law firm for a while but just wasn’t
satisfied. He drove to Hollywood in a
Fall 2008
15
Augsburg’s first “official” film grad, Trevor
Tweeten ’06 has won awards for his films
and is now living and working in New York.
yellow Dodge Charger, with about a
thousand dollars in his pocket, moved
in with a friend, and volunteered on an
American Film Institute film. Through
persistence and personal connections,
he eventually started to get work. His
first breakthroughs were as a production assistant on Lionel Ritchie’s “Say
You, Say Me” video and the film La
Bamba, which led to work on Stand and
Deliver.
“It snowballed from there.” Within
two years he was producing his own
videos and commercials such as
Michael Jordan’s Gatorade ads, and
within a decade was running the commercial/music video department of A
Band Apart with co-founders Quentin
Tarantino and Lawrence Bender. While
his Hollywood connections blossomed
and his résumé grew, his Augsburg connections never died.
16
Augsburg Now
Breaking new ground
“Michael [Bodnarczuk] wanted the film
major here desperately,” recalls Redmond. “He contacted us.” Redmond and
theatre professor Martha Johnson traveled to LA to spend time meeting with
him about the idea. This became the impetus for the program.
Courses in film continued to find
their way into the catalog, and when confirmation came from the dean’s office, a
film minor was established.
As more and more Augsburg graduates entered the world of film, momentum for the program continued to grow.
President William Frame visited Hollywood to raise money for the film program, and Bodnarczuk donated
equipment and money for it.
Students like Adam Schindler ’00
and Hanne Anderson ’99 came to Augsburg before the major was established,
but knowing that film was their passion.
Schindler took creative writing
classes, looking to hone his storytelling
ability, and ended up with a communication major and minors in English and
film. “As I continued churning out
scripts, taking broadcast production
courses, film-related J-term courses, I was
approached by a few students about the
possibility of forming a film group.” They
applied for a grant through Student Senate, and, with the help of Redmond, put
together the Augsburg Association of Student Filmmakers (AASF).
“We were pleasantly surprised when
we had 30 or so students show up for our
inaugural meeting,” Schindler remembers.
“It was a very collaborative effort
with all the members chipping in film
ideas, cameras, and loads of time,” says
Anderson.
While he was still a student,
Schindler had a chance to meet Bodnarczuk through a contact in Augsburg’s
Alumni Office. Bodnarczuk extended
Schindler an invitation to intern if he ever
decided to move to LA. Needless to say,
Bodnarczuk was the first person Schindler
called when he made the decision to go
west.
“I hired a lot of Auggies,” Bodnarczuk recalls. “I helped open doors for
them because I knew how hard it was for
me. I think every single one of them has
gone on to greatness. I am very happy for
and very proud of them.”
A distinctive major emerges
“It took years to put [the major] together
because we really wanted it to be interdisciplinary, and truly based in the liberal
arts,” says Redmond.
The application for approval of the
major was submitted during the 2002-03
school year and was approved for fall of
2004. In the past year, Ellenwood has
begun teaching full time, and additional
courses have been added.
Today, first-year film students are not
allowed to take production courses, but
instead start with still photography and
core academic courses. From there, they
take courses in the history of cinema, criticism, and issues in contemporary cinema, which lead into documentary and
acting courses. Students have the opportunity to take electives in areas such as
graphic design, journalism, and art, and
for their lab science requirement they may
take Physics for the Fine Arts.
Robert Cowgill, who spent years as a
dramaturg at the Guthrie and is past performer, owner, and manager of the Oak
Street Cinema, teaches courses in analysis.
Elise Marubbio, an award-winning author
on the representation of Native Americans
in film, teaches courses that cross-list between the American Indian studies and
film programs.
“Our focus is on training students to
recognize within a system like Hollywood
that there are very particular narratives
around groups of people,” Marubbio says.
“Our hope is that film students begin to
realize that when they create a film and an
image of someone, they need to be aware
of the cultural implications.”
Marubbio coordinates Augsburg’s Native American Film Festival. “The combination of things that we’re doing is unique
to Augsburg.”
The program’s first student to officially major in film was Trevor Tweeten
’06. “The whole theory side at Augsburg
was fantastic, between [John] Mitchell
and [Robert] Cowgill,” he says. “There’s a
practical side of it with Deb [Redmond]
and Wes [Ellenwood], but also the heavy
side of theory and history. I think there’s a
good balance … I feel really lucky to have
gone to a liberal arts school and have a
broader understanding of politics and life
and literature and all that stuff.”
Augsburg also brings in adjunct faculty who are experts in their field, such as
Christina Lazaridi, a New York-based
screenwriter whose first screenplay was
nominated for an Emmy. She teaches
screenwriting in the summer.
Beyond the classroom, the program
encourages study abroad and internships.
It is often past graduates who provide the
internships for current students.
“We are growing our own,” says Redmond. “When people come to Augsburg
to study film, they are not committing
themselves to four years, but for life …
We’re growing our own faculty, in
essence.”
“The thing that fits with the mission
of the College is we’re looking for people
with a commitment to a message, particularly using the language of film to tell
their stories,” Redmond states.
One such example is a film by senior film major David Siegfried, who
used still photographs with voiceover to
tell the story of the teaching career of
his grandfather, Augsburg anatomy and
biology professor Erwin Mickelberg. In
his film are photos of Siegfried’s mother
riding her bicycle in Murphy Park as a
young child. (http://davidsiegfried.com/
mycampusfinal.html)
The current crop
“We’re grounded now,” says Ellenwood,
pointing to the fact that there is now a
common place for film students to hang
out, a space shared by communication,
film, and theatre students. Just through
the hallway of faculty offices are the editing suites, then the film studio, and
the “closet” they hope will soon become
the screening room. “Loitering is happening on a regular basis. That’s a good
thing.”
Ellenwood attributes the increased
interest in Augsburg’s film program to
the fact that it is deeper and broader
than most programs. “Without any marketing, students are finding us. Word is
getting out,” he says. Students have
come from as far as Argentina, and now
India. “We need more faculty, space,
and equipment to allow for the increasing number of students.”
“Our hope is to grow donors,” Redmond says. “It can start with supply
items, like an extension cord, then volunteering to take interns, then, if
they’re in the position to hire, to look at
our graduates. Eventually, they can donate larger sums of money.”
At the end of each semester, there is
a screening of student work. The event
is not broadcast across campus, and yet
last semester’s screening filled the TV
studio, with over 100 in attendance.
“That’s an astounding number for us,”
says Ellenwood.
Starting in fall 2007, film students
Film professor Wes Ellenwood, who specializes in documentary and 16mm film,
connects students with film pros in the
Twin Cities for hands-on experience.
Fall 2008
17
were included in the Fine Arts Scholarship program, which awards $3,000 per
year to selected students who have
demonstrated excellence in film. Four
students were awarded the scholarship
in its inaugural year.
This fall Augsburg is launching a
partnership with the highly-regarded
film studies program at Minneapolis
Community and Technical College.
MCTC students will be able to complete
a four-year degree in film studies at
Augsburg, and Augsburg film students
will be able to take courses in the film
program there.
A rich harvest
Students who recently graduated have
enjoyed rubbing shoulders with professionals in the business, just as those in
the early days.
w
Ben Katz ’08, Steven Jacobson ’08,
Trevor Tweeten ’06, and Joe Lueben ’07
all worked on a film accepted into the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film
Festival last year. Matt Goldman, who
has written for Disney and for Seinfeld,
directed the film. “Working with Matt
opened up a lot of doors,” says Lueben.
“It was the first time we’ve taken somebody else’s story, and not our own.”
The four also created a feature film
called “Bits” with a group of Augsburg
alumni, which has been featured on
www.mnfilmtv.org and was screened at
the Uptown Theater in August.
He has freelanced for such organizations as 3M and the University of Minnesota, and worked on a Kid Dakota
music video, on a short film with the lead
singer of Motion City Soundtrack, and
made a 50-minute compilation of clips of
Minnesota-made films.
For his senior project, Katz worked
ho’s who in film alums
with Ellenwood to research the documentation needed for an independent
film. With a 90-page script, he created a
production book with scene breakdown,
shooting schedule, budget, and business
plan, which he then presented to the
writer in LA.
“I love that the program’s grown
with me,” says Katz. “When I started out
[at Augsburg], everyone was excited
about the film program, but the department was not very structured. It’s gotten
better. Once Wes was hired full time, it
changed. It’s a real program now.”
“It’s this current wave of graduates
who will probably be the best ones,” Wes
says of the dozen or so who graduated
this last spring. “They are positioning
themselves to be out in the industry, in
the field; not pumping gas.”
Bethany Bierman formerly worked in the
Office of Marketing and Communication
and lives in Minneapolis.
To learn more about Augsburg’s film program,
go to www.augsburg.edu/film
Michael Bodnarczuk ’85
Owner of Battle Creek Productions. Past president and co-founder (along
with Quentin Tarantino and Lawrence Bender) of A Band Apart, which produced videos for such megastars as U2, Metallica, and Bon Jovi (and in
1999 alone was up for 21 of the MTV Awards).
Adam Schindler ’00
Past assistant to producer Lawrence Bender. Assistant to the executive
producer of Desperate Housewives; current assistant for director Marty
Calner. Semi-finalist in the Academy of Motion Picture’s Nicholl Screenwriting Contest; horror script, “Sundown.”
Garret Williams ’89
Attended graduate school at the American Film Institute; directed Spark,
which received a Best Director Award; selected as one of nine filmmakers for
Fast Track in 2005 on his work on Lost Dog. IFP Blockbuster/McKnight Film
Fund winner.
JoLynn Garnes ’02
Editor of The Fearless Freaks, featuring the Flaming Lips documentary,
winner of the Mojo Vision Award. Has edited videos for artists such as Liz
Phair, Hilary Duff, and Prince, as well as Target commercials, the feature
documentary Summercamp!, and video visuals for Beyoncé’s 2007 world
tour.
Bryce Fridrik Olson ’97
Director of feature films The Caretaker (2008) with Jennifer Tilly and Judd
Nelson, and Be My Baby . Co-produced instructional DVD “OT for Children
with Autism, Special Needs & Typical.”
Hanne Anderson ’99
Emmy nominee for camera editing for her work on Guiding Light; editor for
digital group at Spike TV, and, as a sideline business, co-owns Riveting Productions, a DVD authoring company that works primarily with Comedy Central Records.
Jenny Hanson ’05
Completing graduate work in Austria in a trans-arts program; owns
Sprouted Wolf Productions; teaches film at North Hennepin Community
College and Normandale Community College.
Trevor Tweeten ’06
The first official film major. Won first place at the Oak Street Cinema’s 24hour film festival; recently moved to New York City to freelance; currently
shooting for TLC’s What Not to Wear.
THE PIONEERS
18
Augsburg Now
auggies
In the first days of September, while Gulf Coast residents battled
Hurricane Gustav, more than 45,000 Republican delegates, party
officials, volunteers, and members of the media converged on the
Xcel Center in downtown St. Paul for the 2008 Republican National Convention.
An event as significant as the RNC was not contained, however, to a single site. Across the Mississippi on Augsburg’s campus, students and faculty from 48 colleges and universities met
for a two-week program of the The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars. Because of its commitment to civic
engagement and service-learning, Augsburg was chosen to host
the seminar in conjunction with the convention.
Twenty-three Augsburg students participated in internships
through the program, each working in the preparation and planning stages to learn about the behind-the-scenes efforts involved
with a national convention. Augsburg communication studies professors Robert Groven and Kristen Chamberlain served on the faculty of The Washington Center Seminar.
Three Augsburg students shared their convention experiences—a young Hmong woman who changed her major from premed to political science, a graduate student who entered a state
legislative race, and a politically liberal political science major
who learned that Republicans and Democrats are more similar
than he thought.
l
a
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t
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p
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nter
G
ngton Ce
ashi
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BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
The Washington Center at the RNC
Fall 2008
19
’11
Ben Krouse-Gagne
Getting active in politics
The Washington Center at the RNC
20
Augsburg Now
Though he says he has been involved in politics for a short time—just
two-and-a-half years—Ben Krouse-Gagne has done more than some of
us will do in our lifetimes. He worked on Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer’s Senate campaign, did a summer internship with the Anti-War Committee,
served as a delegate to the 2008 Democratic state convention in
Rochester, Minn., and spends weekends door-knocking for state congressional candidates.
Krouse-Gagne, a second-year political science major who grew up
in Minneapolis’ progressive Seward neighborhood, said he was really always involved in politics because his family, neighbors, and church
community were politically active. Then in high school, he traveled to
the School of the Americas in Georgia, a military combat training school
and the site of frequent anti-war protests. “It really hit me when they
read the names of those killed in the war,” he said, “and one of the names
was ‘one-month-old baby.’”
That experience fueled Krouse-Gagne’s desire to become active and led
him eventually to a summer job at TakeAction Minnesota, where he worked
to educate voters about political issues. “People don’t understand how state
politics affects them,” he said. “A lot of people don’t even know who their state
representatives are.”
His RNC field placement was with the Bloomberg News Service. On the
first day of the convention, he covered the protests outside Xcel Center. “I
knew a lot of the people and organizations protesting,” he said, which gave
him an opportunity to get close to the action. Protestors told him their goal
was to slow down the convention. “Inside, they didn’t even know what was
happening out there,” he said. “It didn’t slow down the convention at all.”
Through conversations with delegates, Krouse-Gagne learned that he had
more in common with Republicans than he thought. “Republicans are just
the same as us,” he said. “They want what we want, just in a different way.”
Krouse-Gagne also became friends with Eric Franzen, another intern
who is currently the president of the Augsburg College Republicans. The
two are working with the Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, with
the help of Augsburg Sabo Professor Garry Hesser, to bring speakers to
campus to further the “Get Political” civic engagement events.
Their goal is to ensure that the Augsburg community is exposed
to multiple perspectives on political issues.
Being at the RNC made Krouse-Gagne want to be a delegate
to the 2012 Democratic National Convention and to become
even more involved in politics. A lot can happen in four years.
’11
Mai Lee
Changing courses
In the Hmong culture, young people often follow the path chosen
for them by their parents. For Mai Lee, a second-year student from
Minneapolis, this meant a career in medicine. Though she had always wanted to study political science, she pushed the idea away
and filled her fall semester schedule with science courses. “I was all
set to take biology and chemistry and 99% sure about majoring in
pre-med,” Lee said. Then she attended the 2008 Republican National
Convention, and that experience changed her course.
Days before the fall semester began, Lee changed her major from premed to political science. “At the convention, I met many people who
gave me good advice about a career in politics,” she said. Lee thought
her family would disapprove of her decision, but she knew she needed
to trust her instincts. “My dad wasn’t too happy,” she added, “but I said
I just knew pre-med wasn’t what I wanted to do.”
Lee said she had always considered herself politically conservative,
but the convention gave her an “up-close look at the Republican Party”
and persuaded her to consider a career in public or government administration. She wants to change the immigrant mindset that government
is “bad” or against them. “I want to help people,” she said, “and show
people that government can be good.”
As a Hmong American woman, Lee acknowledges that she would be
a minority in the public administration world. “There are not many
Hmong women in politics,” she said. “I could change that and make a
little difference if I get involved.”
During the convention, Lee was placed with Fox News as a “runner.”
She ran errands, picked up politicians or celebrities, brought coffee to producers, and did whatever else was needed. “At one point, I had to pass out these
ridiculous Fox News hats to convention delegates,” she said. “If they didn’t
want it, I was told just to put it in their faces.”
Her convention experience not only influenced Lee’s future, it also encouraged her to become a more active citizen. She’s joined the Augsburg College Republicans and says she is watching the news and reading the paper more. “I’m
doing what voters should do,” she said.
While she plans to support John McCain, Lee says she will still not be discouraged from pursuing a career in public service if the presidency goes to the Democrats. “If McCain doesn’t win the election, it won’t be over for me.”
The Washington Center at the RNC
Fall 2008
21
’10
MAE
Eric Franzen
Because I can
Even at the RNC, Eric Franzen felt like he was in the minority. He was
certain that he and another intern from St. Louis, Mo., were the only
Republicans placed with Talk Radio News Service.
As a student in Augsburg’s Master of Arts in Education program,
Franzen is not required to complete an internship. He applied to The
Washington Center program because he said he recently became intrigued by the “reality” of politics. “Politics is real people doing real
things with real consequences,” he said. “It’s democracy in action.” He
felt the convention would provide an opportunity to become part of the
political reality.
For his internship, Franzen covered convention events with a video
camera and then posted interviews and stories on the Talk Radio News website. His most rewarding experience, however, happened after the convention
because he said he finally felt free to have open conversations about politics
with other students at Augsburg. “This campus is very politically liberal,”
Franzen said. “Some of us get a little nervous.”
Franzen is grateful to Augsburg for hosting The Washington Center program because he said it created opportunities for dialogue and has allowed
him to engage with others, including his politically liberal friend and fellow intern, Ben Krouse-Gagne. “I want to push for political diversity and inclusivity
at Augsburg,” he said, “but certain opinions aren’t always included in the discussion.”
In the future, Franzen aspires to hold a public office. He even added his
name to the ballot in the Republican slot for the District 60A state representative
seat. His opponent? Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the 10-year incumbent and current speaker of the House.
Why would a young graduate student put his name on the ballot against an
incumbent in an overwhelmingly liberal district? Franzen answered. “Because I can.”
“No one was running, and I didn’t want to see the office go unopposed,” he
said. “My goal was for voters to have a choice, so I’m doing what I can to give them
that choice.” Though he’s not likely to unseat Kelliher, he’s has been campaigning,
calling voters, and attending events to promote his candidacy. “It’s a lot of work.”
22
Augsburg Now
Paul Nixdorf
In the production of Fiddler on the Roof, Janet
Paone ’83 met John Vaughn, who became her
kidney donor. Here, as Golde and Tevye, they
once again ask, “Do You Love Me?”
The Kidney Kabaret for Janet Paone
BY BETSEY NORGARD
In a summer 2007 community theatre
production of Fiddler on the Roof, Janet
Paone ’83 played Golde. Golde’s husband, Tevye, was played by John
Vaughn, a Northwest Airlines pilot.
Four months later, she underwent
transplant surgery and received a kidney
that was given to her by Vaughn. Paone
remains amazed at how this whole series of events evolved.
Since September 2005, Paone had
appeared in the cast of Church Basement
Ladies, playing Mrs. Vivian Snustad, in
the comedy based on the book Growing
Up Lutheran, by Janet Letnes Martin ’68
and Suzann (Johnson) Nelson ’68.
While Paone had lived with reduced
kidney functioning since birth, it worsened into renal failure, and her doctors
put her on the transplant list.
Paone turned down out-of-town
gigs, and a friend told her about the Fiddler production, a show she had done as
an Augsburg student and loved. When
she got to know Vaughn, he asked about
her illness.
“Oh, I need a kidney,” Paone said
offhandedly.
“Well, you can have mine,” Vaughn
replied.
Paone took this as purely a casual
remark, but Vaughn persisted. He told
her he would contact the clinic. Prelimi-
nary tests showed him to be a potential
match, to be confirmed with a battery of
testing. They became close friends.
Four months later, Paone’s regular
check-up indicated she had reached a
crisis point and would have to start dialysis until a transplant became available.
After Fiddler, she and Vaughn had gone
their own ways, and she thought he
might have reconsidered. She set a date
for dialysis.
But the very next day, Vaughn contacted her with news that he had finally
been able to schedule the battery of
tests. He asked how she’d been. She told
him honestly, and added, “Is that kidney
still available?
“I just started crying,” Paone says.
“The timing was crazy.”
Vaughn was a good match, and on
November 27, after several heart-toheart talks with him, Paone received the
kidney he donated. She says he told her
that the true gift she could give him in
return was her good health.
Paone’s recovery went remarkably
well, and she was back on stage in the
winter, continuing her role as Mrs.
Snustad in Church Basement Ladies 2: A
Second Helping. She and Vaughn have
remained in close touch since.
What Paone now faces are thousands of dollars in medical bills, with
few resources to cover them. A month
after surgery, several friends in the theatre
community began talking about a
fundraiser, and a planning “posse”
formed, including several Augsburg classmates. Katie Koch ’06, assistant to the director at the Guthrie Theater, knows
Paone well and served as coordinator.
The “Kidney Kabaret” played at
Augsburg on April 21, with many actors
and musicians stepping forward to donate
services, time, and talents, which also included technical support for sound and
lighting, and event decorations.
A silent auction offered more than
125 items from theaters, restaurants,
churches, sports teams, and radio stations.
The program acts were all friends,
co-actors, and colleagues of Paone from
past theater productions. WCCO’s
Frank Vascellaro and Dale Connelly,
from Minnesota Public Radio, co-hosted
the evening.
Special guest Dr. Mark Odland,
Paone’s transplant surgeon, was introduced, along with staff from HCMC’s
kidney transplant program. Vaughn was
recognized and lauded for his gift of life
to Paone.
More than $15,000 was donated,
and the Janet Paone Transplant Fund
was set up at U.S. Bank with the help of
Auggie classmate David Young ’82.
Sponsors for the event were Curt Wollan and TroupeAmerica, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and Augsburg.
For more information, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2008
23
Travel
that
transforms
BY BETSEY NORGARD
The Center for Global Education
Amazing. Life-changing. Transforming. Participants are not shy about describing their experiences on trips organized by the Center for Global Education. They seek out opportunities to talk about what they learned, and they want to return. The difference is that they
have not been on casual, sightseeing trips, but reflective travel; and CGE has built a reputation as a national leader in international experiential education.
24
Augsburg Now
Courtesy CGE-Namibia
Courtsey CGE
Social work students from eight colleges spend a
semester learning about social work issues and meeting
social work students in Mexico City and Cuernavaca—
and here, posing next to papayas in rural Morelos.
While the first student seminar in Mexico
took place in 1979, it wasn’t until 1982
when Joel Mugge led a group that officially established the Center for Global
Service and Education. He did this in response to a request from the Lutheran
Church for programs to raise awareness
of international issues.
Mugge developed a new form of international education, basing the curriculum on the educational principles of
Brazilian educator and theologian Paulo
Freire. In this, students learn in a cycle of
three phases. Initially they have direct experience in the local community, listening
to the voices of people not usually heard
in mainstream media, telling their own
stories and stories of their communities.
Then, informed by readings, students reflect on what they saw and heard. Lastly,
as a group, students share their reactions,
discuss issues, and formulate actions to
carry with them. It becomes a continual
process of “learning how to learn.”
CGE’s programs include study and
travel abroad for students, faculty development in global education, and customized
group travel around specific issues or targeted for specific groups. As a result of
these programs, CGE has served as a catalyst in the Lutheran Church for a new understanding of global mission, putting
people from the U.S. face-to-face with
people in local communities around the
world to learn from each other and build
partnerships across faiths. CGE programs
tailored for small businesses have helped
their employees understand complexities
in social, economic, and political issues,
and the development of more responsible
global citizenship.
“The goal is not to simply educate
persons, but to encourage them to pursue
a life of involvement that will ultimately
lead to wisdom,” says Larry Hufford, a political science professor at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas, who has led
numerous study seminars with CGE’s as-
sistance and who finds them spiritually renewing.
During the 1980s and 1990s, CGE
planned travel seminars literally around
the world. Study centers with resident
Augsburg faculty and staff were then established in three locations—Cuernavaca,
Mexico; Managua, Nicaragua; and Windhoek, Namibia. Offices and staff are also
located in El Salvador and Guatemala.
CGE became known for the quality
of learning their travel provided; in 1988
they were hired by the American Society
of Newspaper Editors to organize a seminar for journalists to Central America and
Mexico. CGE has also received Fulbright
grants to organize several group projects.
In 2003, the program was named the National Society for Experiential Education’s
Program of the Year.
In 2001, the position of CGE director
was expanded to include the associate
dean of international programs. The Office of International Programs (OIP) was
created, which, in addition to CGE, includes Augsburg Abroad, the study
abroad office; International Partners, including European institutions in Germany,
Norway, and Finland that have reciprocal
agreements for study with Augsburg; and
International Student Advising, providing
advising and advocacy for international
students at Augsburg.
Students say…
Comments from the “Religion and
Christian Faith” travel seminar to
El Salvador, January 2007
NATALIE SASSEVILLE ’09
“Going on the trip to El Salvador was like getting
stuck in an earthquake—it shook me and all of
my values to the core…Never before have I felt
so inspired or impassioned…”
JOE SKOGMO ’08
“This trip gave me knowledge that cannot be
learned in any textbook, but it is knowledge that
one cannot do without in order to understand the
magnitude of human responsibility, vocation, and
global citizenship. Studying in El Salvador is
simply the greatest practical application for understanding why our vocations matter.”
MICHELE ROULET ’09
“The people of [El Salvador] are our textbook,
and their stories are frightening and funny and
inspiring. To say that everyone comes back
changed is to make light of the experience. People come back enriched, enlightened, and energized.”
OLEE AMATA ’11
“The concept of affecting another human being
by decisions I make made me see the world differently. … As a business major, I want to learn
how I can help be a global citizen when globalization is the enemy to developing countries.”
Fall 2008
25
Courtsey Donna DeGracia
Students training to become physician assistants visited
clinics in Guatemala, learning about healthcare practices
there and presenting health clinics—such as teaching
children about oral hygiene.
INTERNATIONALIZING AUGSBURG
EDUCATION
Shortly after the arrival of new Augsburg
president Paul Pribbenow in 2006, the
College began to focus on internationalizing Augsburg education. OIP launched efforts to integrate study abroad experiences
into the curriculum of all majors on campus, seeking to create a culture shift toward
a more internationalized campus and college experience for students. The goal is a
more seamless relationship between campus curriculum and study abroad. Students
may choose from the semesters abroad offered by CGE or participate in other study
abroad programs approved by the Augsburg Abroad office.
In addition to infusing study abroad
into all majors, CGE has made it possible
for all students—undergraduate and graduate—to have a cross-cultural experience.
For weekend students it means only a oneor two-week course, a shorter time away
from family and work than the semester
program. For graduate students, it means a
short-term seminar that directly links to
their program work or research. For all students, the direct, personal experience in
another culture is carried back into their
lives and work at home.
A VARIETY OF PROGRAMS
Following are examples of programs that
have been designed for specific disciplines or target audiences:
26
Augsburg Now
Social work in a Latin American
context
This semester-long program in Mexico for
social work undergraduate students was
developed within a unique consortium of
eight colleges and universities in South
Dakota and Minnesota—both public and
private. It provides a common experience
for students at schools lacking the resources to create a program of their own.
This experience gives future social work
professionals better preparation to serve
the needs of Spanish-speaking clients in
their home areas.
The social work students live at
Augsburg’s center in Cuernavaca. They
take classes in culture with Augsburg’s
adjunct faculty there, and classes in social
work theory and practice with a visiting
professor from one of the consortium institutions.
In 2006, the consortium was
awarded the Council on Social Work Education’s Partners in Education award for
“advancing education for international
social work.”
Exploring health care in Guatemala
In July the physician assistant studies master’s program became the third graduate
program to offer a study abroad course tailored for its students. Twelve students traveled to Guatemala for two weeks to learn
about indigenous culture, and specifically
to explore health practices and spirituality
in Mayan cultures.
While there, the students visited clinics, learned about deep social and cultural
disparities, and presented programs on
healthcare topics, such as hypertension and
diabetes. They learned and saw how
healthcare practices can be developed with
vastly fewer resources—something which
may serve them well as they seek physician
assistant positions in areas with underserved populations.
Before traveling, the PA students raised
money to buy supplies and materials to
give to the clinics, such as over-the-counter
vitamins and pain relievers, stethoscopes,
blood pressure cuffs, etc.
Lilly vocation seminars
As part of “Exploring Our Gifts,” Augsburg’s grant from the Lilly Endowment for
exploration of vocation, a total of nine
travel seminars have been designed with a
focus on vocation.
Religion professor Bev Stratton has
twice led a vocation-themed seminar—Religion and the Christian Faith (REL 480)—
to El Salvador, where students have studied
how powerfully the faith of the Salvadoran
people has impacted their struggles for social justice. These courses fulfill the students’ keystone requirement—a seminar
generally taken in their last year that pulls
together their total Augsburg experience,
combining the liberal arts foundation with
their in-depth major, while revisiting the
Courtsey Jennifer Hipple
As part of the Hoversten Peace Seminar, an Augsburg faculty, staff, and student group stopped for a photo while
touring the fields of a coffee cooperative in Guatemala.
critical conversations about vocation.
The El Salvador group visited massacre sites, met with survivors, and heard
from leaders such as Bishop Medardo
Gomez of the Salvadoran Lutheran
Church, who spoke about how he sees his
vocation at work in El Salvador. The group
also became immersed in the work and
legacy of Archbishop Óscar Romero, killed
in the civil war in 1980.
The Lilly seminars have given students
both a cross-cultural experience and a
framework to understand how Christian
vocation is part of daily life. Other Lilly
seminars have taken students to Namibia,
Mexico, Nicaragua, and Guatemala.
Hoversten Peace Seminar
Supported by the Hoversten Peace Endowment, this biennial travel seminar for
Augsburg faculty, staff, and students aims
to develop a strong learning community
among participants. Pre-departure orientation introduces the group to each other,
and living and learning together abroad
strengthens their bonds. Upon return, the
group continues to build community
around their common experience by
sharing it with the larger Augsburg community.
In August, 10 faculty, staff, and students—coincidentally, all women—par-
Courtsey Rachel Olson
“I learned how to learn”
Hannah Glusenkamp ’09
Students in the 2005 study seminar to El Salvador studied
the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was killed
while championing the struggle of the Salvadoran people
during their long civil war.
ticipated in the 10-day “Peace and Reconciliation after Conflict: A Guatemalan Perspective.” The women learned about the
history of civil war and the peace accords, heard from leaders with differing
perspectives, and confronted the realities
of the local communities.
The efforts to internationalize the
Augsburg campus are showing results. In
2007-08, a record number of 221 Augsburg students studied abroad.
As their first quarter-century came to
a close, CGE director and associate dean
Orval Gingerich noted in their anniversary publication that “the work of CGE is
unfinished, and is perhaps more important than ever in bringing tools for critical analysis and action and ultimately
hope to a new generation of students,
professors, and global citizens.”
Stay tuned for the next 25 years.
Hannah Glusenkamp is a senior majoring in
women’s studies, with minors in Spanish and religion. At the 2008 Peace Prize Forum at Concordia College in Moorhead, she was selected as
one of Augsburg’s two Peace Scholars, a new
program that strives to develop students leaders
aspiring to careers in world peace issues.
Glusenkamp studied on two CGE programs—“Sustainable Development and Social
Change” in Central America, and “Gender, Sexuality, Politics, and the Arts” in Mexico.
“Both of these experiences challenged,
shook up, and reshaped my values, beliefs, and
world view,” she wrote. “From the first day of
the trip we, the students, were encouraged to reflect on our multi-dimensional selves and to approach education from a holistic standpoint, a
standpoint that incorporates all aspects of our
lives into the learning process.”
At the Council on International Educational
Exchange conference last fall, Glusenkamp and
nine other student panelists were asked to share
the most important thing they learned while
studying abroad. “I thought about the question
for a moment and then realized that my answer
had to be, ‘I learned how to learn,’” she said.
“I learned to become an active participant
in my education. … I learned to be curious and
to ask questions. I can no longer travel to a city
or country without wondering what the healthcare system is and if it benefits the people in
that community, or how the public transportation runs, or how subsidies in the United States
might affect the agricultural practices of the indigenous peoples in that community. … I
learned to question whose voice I am hearing
and whose voice is being left out.
“My experiences and time with the Center
for Global Education … showed me that I am
not just a student of Augsburg College for four
years, but rather that we are all students of life,
with the rights and responsibilities to engage in
the dynamic, liberating, and transformative ongoing process of experiential education.”
Fall 2008
27
TRAVEL SEMINARS
850
sponsored groups CGE has
worked with
25
Celebrating
years of
educating for transformation
by Kathleen McBride, regional co-director for Central America
and adjunct professor, Center for Global Education
Crossing borders and challenging boundaries is a
powerful metaphor for our journey of the last 25
years. It is the title of the first Center for Global
Education publication that documented the collective memory of our first years of work. The
Center’s initial experiences in 1979 included
crossing the Mexican border with students for
short-term educational experiences. Since that
time, thousands of participants have joined the
Center’s travel seminars to Mexico, Central America, the Philippines, the Middle East, Southern
Africa, and [locations in the U.S.].
As educators, we see our role as one that
engages students and participants in the world,
facilitating critical analysis and reflection that
leads to action. We believe that intercultural dialogue and collaboration with decision makers
and historically disadvantaged urban and rural
communities are a way of developing greater
understanding of the power relations in the
world and planting seeds towards more just relations and fair practices. These assumptions
are at the root our pedagogical model.
An expanded pedagogical framework
While the pedagogy of Paulo Freire continues to
be the foundation of our educational process (experience—reflection—action), in recent years
other kindred approaches, including feminist and
indigenous pedagogies, have influenced our
practice and strengthened our analysis. All of
28
Augsburg Now
the numbers
12,000+ travel seminar participants
Center for
Global
Education
SEMESTERS ABROAD
300
colleges, whose study semesters are arranged by CGE,
including institutions in the U.S., Germany,
Canada, and Norway
1,900
semester program participants
COUNTRIES VISITED
40+
in Mexico, Central America, South
America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, the Middle
East, India, Southeast Asia, China, and Hong Kong,
and the U.S.
CGE FACULTY AND STAFF LOCATIONS
9
Minneapolis
16
Mexico
9
Nicaragua
1
El Salvador
2
Guatemala
8
Namibia
And, millions of stories shared, hearts touched, and
perceptions changed over 25 years across the globe.
these pedagogies place significant emphasis on
learning in community. For Freire, learning in
community is one of the foundations of liberating
education. Historically, learning in community has
been a fundamental characteristic of indigenous
teaching and learning, though underrepresented
in traditional educational systems. Similarly, feminist pedagogy upholds learning in community as
central to educational processes that gives voice
to all people, particularly women, whose experience and voice have oftentimes been silenced.
Concepts of autonomy and empowerment that are
key to feminist and indigenous scholarship have
informed our methodologies and expanded our understanding of the world and of the educational
process. Our efforts to foster ongoing critical
analysis of power relations in the world are
grounded in a practice of intercultural dialogue
and experiences that continue to break open new
understandings of the world, leading us to a
deeper analysis that continually informs our
teaching.
Ongoing challenges
While our role has become clearer with regard to
our niche in the field of transformative education,
we still face significant challenges. As we facilitate
participants’ reflections on educational experi-
ences and encourage the exploration and implementation of action steps, we are confronted with an institutional challenge if we are in fact going to
continue to practice what we teach. To fully engage
the circle of praxis with the goal of transforming society, follow-up to participants’ experience as they
return to their home communities is essential. How
do we, as an institution, provide a space for participants and students to fully engage the circle of
praxis upon their return? How can we facilitate the
exploration of actions steps in participants’ home
communities? …
The Center for Global Education’s work today
continues to be the fruit of dialogue and reflections
with staff and resource people from over a dozen
countries and hundreds of students and participants
from the United States who have inspired our work,
shaped our analysis, challenged our language, and
informed our worldview. We are excited to be engaged in an educational process that will continue
to be refined and changed in the coming years by
new generations of staff and participants engaged in
transformative education.
Excerpted from Global News & Notes, Summer
2007; 25th Anniversary Issue: “Building a Just
and Sustainable World: Educating for
Transformation”
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
2007-2008
Fall 2008
29
DEAR FRIENDS,
I write with a deep sense of humility and gratitude for your remarkable support of Augsburg College.
When I received the call to serve as the 10th president of Augsburg College, I enthusiastically accepted,
filled with a sense that God intended my life’s work to intersect with Augsburg’s mission and vision. I give
thanks every day for the opportunity to serve this special college. I am impressed by the deep commitment so
many individuals show toward Augsburg and its important work in the world. This annual report is a reminder to all of us of the importance philanthropy plays in the life of our college, and in the lives of our students. On their behalf, thank you for your generosity.
Our common work here at Augsburg calls us to be good stewards of the many gifts and resources we’ve
been given. Each year, thousands of alumni, parents, and friends make gifts not to the College, but through
the College, directly benefiting the many students we
serve. These students either embark on, or continue,
their vocational journeys here at Augsburg, and the
WE BELIEVE WE ARE CALL
many gifts we receive on an annual basis directly imTO SERVE OUR NEIGHBOR
pact their experience—in the classroom, on campus,
and in our neighborhood.
We have a new and bold way of stating the vision
of Augsburg College. It is this: We believe we are called to serve our neighbor. It is a vision statement that resonates deeply with the legacy and promise, the commitments and values, and the aspirations and reality of
our college. It is a statement that confirms our strong conviction that faith, learning, and service are at the
very heart of our identity as a college. I am especially grateful for the faculty and staff of the College who live
out this vision in educating our students.
To continue to live out this vision in a very real and meaningful way, Augsburg College needs your abiding and increased participation and support. I ask each of you to join me as we work together to secure a
strong and vibrant future for our college, and for our students.
Sincerely,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRESIDENT
30
Augsburg Now
ED
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2007-08
Six new regents
elected to board
Six new members were elected to fouryear terms on the Augsburg College
Board of Regents at the annual meeting
of the Augsburg Corporation in October
2007. In addition, Michael Good and
Jennifer Martin were re-elected to second
six-year terms. New members: Andra
Adolfson, business development director
of Adolfson & Peterson Construction,
Inc; Rolf Jacobson, writer, educator, and
associate professor of Old Testament at
Luther Seminary; Ruth E. Johnson, MD ’74,
consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic and assistant professor of medicine at Mayo
Medical School. She was recognized as a
Distinguished Alumna of Augsburg in
1996; Stephen Sheppard, former CEO of
Foldcraft Co; Joan Volz ’68, private practice attorney specializing in mediation;
Bonnie Wallace, scholarship director,
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior
Chippewa.
Garry Hesser appointed new
Sabo Professor
President Pribbenow announced the appointment of Garry Hesser, professor of
sociology and director of the MetroUrban Studies program, as the College’s
first Sabo Professor of Citizenship and
Learning. His work in this new role lays
the groundwork for the establishment of
an endowed Martin Olav Sabo Center
and chair.
As the Sabo Professor, Hesser’s activities include collaboration with the
Center for Service, Work, and Learning
concerning student engagement and
leadership, and development of events,
Students from the organic chemistry and analytical chemistry class labs paused to thank Augsburg donors John ’74
(chemistry) and Marvel Yager for their gifts that support scholarships for chemistry majors. Their $10,000 annual gift is
fully matched by John’s employer, Beckman Coulter, and has provided $80,000 over the past four years to support chemistry students.
programs, and lecture series that promote civic engagement and build community outreach.
Hesser has taught at Augsburg since
1977 and is recognized as a pioneer in
experiential education. In 1997 he received the Thomas Ehrlich Award for
leadership in service-learning, and in
2004 was named the Minnesota Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement
and Support of Education.
The Sabo Center in Citizenship and
Learning is the culmination of nearly 20
years of fundraising and advocacy by the
friends and colleagues of Martin Sabo ’59
that celebrates the College’s commitment
to education for democracy.
Metro-urban studies director and professor Garry Hesser
(right) was appointed Sabo Professor of Citizenship and
Learning, honoring the legacy of retired Congressman
Martin Sabo ’59 (left).
Fall 2008
31
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2007-08
Two Augsburg giants
are mourned
Within one month of each other last
year, Augsburg lost two of its most wellknown and longstanding faculty.
Joel Torstenson ’38,
professor emeritus of sociology,
died on October
18, 2007, at the
age of 94.
So much of
Augsburg’s identity today as a college of the city stems from Torstenson’s
work at Augsburg. He founded the sociology and social work departments, and
the metro-urban studies program. He
developed urban programs in Minneapolis that launched HECUA (the
Higher Education Consortium for
Urban Affairs) and that led to the work
of our Center for Service, Work, and
Learning, including Engaging Minneapolis, which requires all students to
connect with the city in their studies.
Torstenson graduated from Augsburg in 1938. He went on for his master’s and doctoral degrees at the
University of Minnesota in history and
sociology. In 1947, Augsburg president
Bernhard Christensen invited him back
to Augsburg, even while still completing
his PhD, to develop programs in sociology and social work.
Torstenson’s deep commitment to
social issues led him to explore and
work in farmers’ cooperative movements, rural community life, churchlabor relations, racial justice and human
rights, and urban studies, especially
studying the question of the role of a
32
Augsburg Now
liberal arts college in a metropolis.
Torstenson’s memoir, Takk for Alt: A Life
Story, opens a window into his life’s
work and thought.
Leland Sateren ’35,
professor emeritus of music, died
on Nov. 10, 2007,
at the age of 94.
Sateren graduated from Augsburg in 1935, and
for the next 10
years attended graduate school at the
University of Minnesota, where he was
music director at the KUOM radio station. After public service during World
War II he returned to Augsburg, and
four years later he became chair of the
Music Department and director of the
Augsburg Choir. He retired in 1979.
His work includes more than 400
choral pieces he composed, and he was
passionate about Scandinavian choral
music. Sateren introduced the work of
many Scandinavian composers to American choral directors.
Among Sateren’s many notable accomplishments are premieres of works
with the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra and a commissioned piece at the
United Nations to commemorate the
20th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Sateren was the first recipient of the
F. Melius Christiansen Memorial Award
for choral directors. In 2002 he was
awarded the Weston Noble Choral Directors Award. He was also honored
Home economics graduates from 1950 to 1970 honored the memory of their mentor, teacher, and friend Ruth Segolson,
who served as chair of the Home Economics Department. Following her death in 1980, a fund was established to provide a
special gift in her memory. In November, on behalf of all former home economics majors, Jerilyn Hovland Cobb ’63 presented a tea service to the College, pictured here as it was first used at the Augsburg House reception honoring convocation speaker Jane Fonda. (L to R) President Pribbenow, Abigail Pribbenow, Dora (Frojen) Quanbeck ’49, and Philip
Quanbeck Sr. ’50.
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2007-08
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton held a campaign rally at Augsburg on
February 3, just prior to the “Super Tuesday” primaries. With one day’s notice, Augsburg
staff, along with her campaign team, readied Melby Hall for the lively Sunday afternoon
event that drew nearly 5,000 people, plus local and national media.
with the St. Olaf Medal, presented by
King Olav V of Norway, and received
two honorary doctorates.
Sateren’s impact on the many hundreds of Augsburg students who sang in
his choir was remarkable. Peter Hendrickson ’76, director of choral activities
and current conductor of the Augsburg
Choir, studied with Sateren. A number
of other Sateren choir alumni currently
sing in the Masterworks Chorale at
Augsburg, directed by Hendrickson.
$100,000 Class of 1957
Endowment Fund
Congratulations to the Class of 1957
alumni and their spouses for establishing the Class of 1957 Endowment Fund
in celebration of their 50th class reunion. Their commitment and loyalty
help ensure that Augsburg can meet the
needs of its future students, especially
Jane Fonda presented the 2007 Koryne Horbal Lecture in November, sharing her
thoughts on the importance of beginning the “third act” of her life as she celebrated
her 60th birthday.
in areas of financial aid, program support, enhanced technology, and student
support services.
The endowment was jumpstarted
through the generosity of a class member who provided matches for all gifts
up to $50,000, challenging fellow classmates to participate at all levels.
Augsburg is grateful to the Class of
1957 for creating this important legacy
during their milestone year to honor
their Augsburg education. The foundation provides for today’s and tomorrow’s
students. It keeps them connected to
the traditions and heritage of the College as they craft their own legacies and
ties with students who come after them.
Spirit of Augsburg Award
Beverly Nilsson, professor emerita of nursing, taught at Augsburg from 1977 to
2001, serving as department chair from
1978 until her retirement.
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60, a leader in the
Peace Corps, Job Corps, and in rural
community health programs; presently
works to advance the integration of
medical care and mental health care in
Washington State.
Distinguished Alumnus Award
Jim Pederson ’56 former legislator in the
Minnesota House of Representatives
and Dept. of Public Safety.
2007 Homecoming Awards
The First Decade Award
Jasmina Besirevic-Regan ’97 dean of Trumbull College, one of Yale’s undergraduate residential colleges.
To read more about the 2007 Alumni
Awards, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2008
33
2007-2008 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
Where the Money Goes
3%
5%
3%
Government grants
Other sources
3%
Debt service
Equipment
and capital
improvement
2%
Student salary
6%
4%
Private gifts and grants
Utilities
12%
Room and board
20%
47%
Salary and benefits
Financial aid
74%
Tuition
21%
Other
$34.5
$33.7
$30.5
2008 Endowment Market Value
May 31, 2008
$33,692,461
As of May 31, 2008, we have annual realized and unrealized losses
of 3.4% on our endowment. However, last year’s annualized return
was over 16%. Our five-year average annual return on the endowment is 6.21%, and the ten-year
average annual return is 5.39%. We
are committed to maintaining the
value of the principal gifts and to
provide support to the college in
perpetuity.
$26.6
$24.8
$23.2
$25.4
$22.7 $23.3
$20.0
$16.4
$14.2
$11.5
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Endowment Assets
(in millions)
June 1, 1995 – May 31, 2008
34
Augsburg Now
$26.7
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
DEAR FRIENDS,
As we begin our 140th academic year, it is truly my pleasure to share with you the many gifts and contributions made to Augsburg College between June 1, 2007, and May 31, 2008. Even more important than the thousands of gifts received, however, are
the thousands of generous alumni, parents, and friends who made these gifts.
This past year, my first at Augsburg, was an exciting one. Following on the heels of the successful Access to Excellence campaign, a great deal was accomplished for the benefit of our many students. With deep gratitude, I would like to highlight much of
the success we accomplished together.
• We were blessed to receive over 9,000 gifts last year from more than 4,600
donors. The support and generosity of these individuals make a direct and
positive impact on the lives of our students in many ways. These gifts went to
support the Augsburg Fund, student scholarships, capital projects, the fine
arts, athletics, signature programs, and many other important initiatives.
• One exciting highlight from this past fiscal year was that the Augsburg
Fund, our fund for unrestricted gifts to the College, topped the $1 million
mark for only the third time ever and the first time outside of a campaign
year. Our result of $1,001,978.91 was a 10% increase over the prior fiscal year.
We received 5,143 gifts from 2,763 donors to reach this goal.
• Several key groups also came together last year in support of Augsburg College through their philanthropy. I am so proud to inform you that we received
100% participation to the Augsburg Fund from the Board of Regents, the
Alumni Board of Directors, and the President’s Cabinet. This type of support
from these three groups of individuals demonstrates the type of commitment
to this institution by its various groups of leaders.
• Augsburg also received 853 gifts totaling $756,094 to new or existing
scholarship funds, including the establishment of 12 new endowed
scholarships. Two additional scholarships were also funded at the
presidential level, bringing our total of President’s Scholarships to
three. Scholarships are a primary source of financial aid for many deserving students at Augsburg, and we are again grateful that hundreds
of generous individuals have chosen to establish or contribute to these
funds, directly benefiting our student learners.
YOUR SUPPORT AND
GENEROSITY MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN THE
LIVES OF OUR STUDENTS
• The College also completed its first year of residency in the new Oren Gateway Center and its first fully-operational year in the
new Kennedy Center. These two new facilities, direct results of the generosity shown in the last capital campaign, have made a
positive permanent impact on the life of this institution. Students now directly benefit from new residence halls, state-of-theart classrooms, athletic and wellness facilities, and important gathering and meeting spaces.
As we enter yet another year with great anticipation of what the future will hold for our college, and our students, we look back
with tremendous gratitude for the many blessings we have been given. We are most grateful for each and every gift we receive
and I thank you most sincerely.
Sincerely,
JEREMY R. WELLS
VICE PRESIDENT FOR INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
Fall 2008
35
LIFETIME GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given a minimum of $100,000 (since 1980),
including planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
Ernest+ and Helen Alne
Charles and Ellora Alliss Education Foundation
Oscar+ ’38 and Leola+ Anderson
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Earl and Doris Bakken
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Barbara and Zane Birky
Roy ’50 and Ardis Bogen
John+ and Joyce Boss
Donald Bottemiller
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
Bush Foundation
Carlson Companies
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
Shirley Cherkasky
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
David and Mary Brandt ’79 Croft
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Jerry and Jean Foss
William and Anne Frame
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundation
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Phillip+ ’55 and Lynne Gronseth
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Stephen ’70 and Margaret Gundale
James and Kathleen Haglund
Hearst Foundation
Loren Henderson
Donald Hennings
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Donald ’39 and Phyllis Holm
Allen and Jean Housh
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Robert Hoversten
Huss Foundation
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Kinney Johnson ’65
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Bruce and Maren Kleven
David and Barbara Kleven
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
David Lankinen ’88
Diane and Philip Larson
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
James Lindell ’46
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Marie and Larry McNeff
Gerard and Anne Meistrell
Hoyt+ ’39 and Lucille Messerer
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
+ Deceased
36
Augsburg Now
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
William and Stephanie Naegele
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
George ’68 and Tamra Nelson
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Robert Odegard ’51+
R. Luther Olson ’56
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
John and Norma Paulson
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Glen Person ’47
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Addison and Cynthia Piper
David Piper
Harry and Mary Piper
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Alan Rice
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Ward ’74 and Catherine Schendel
Ruth Schmidt ’52
James and Eva Seed
Rodney Sill ’82
John and Martha Singleton
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
Leland and Louise Sundet
Dean ’81 and Amy Sundquist
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
P. Dawn Heil Taylor ’78
Teagle Foundation
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Scott Weber ’79
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
ANNUAL GIVING
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2007 TO MAY 31, 2008
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who generously gave a minimum of $1,000 in the 2007-08 fiscal year.
3M Foundation
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Accenture
Kate Addo
Andra Adolfson
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Aegon Transamerica Foundation
Peter ’70 and Mary Agre
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Charles and Ellora Alliss Education Foundation
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
The American Foundation
Ameriprise Financial
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Deloris Anderson ’56
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Kim ’73 and Nancy Kerber ’74 Anderson
Leif Anderson
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
I. Shelby Gimse Andress ’56
James ’88 and Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold
Carla Asleson ’91
Al Assad
The Aston Group, Inc.
Avaya Communication
B R Direct Marketing, Inc.
Dorothy Bailey
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Stephen ’67 and Sandra Batalden
Estate of Abner B Batalden
Tracy and Janel Beckman
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Samuel ’97 and Melissa Wieland ’97 Bergstrom
Daryl and Marylee Bible
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Robert and Lynda Bisanz
Nancy Paulson ’70 Bjornson and J. Ragnar
Bjornson
Stephen ’74 and Janet Blake
Buffie Blesi ’90 and John Burns
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Boeing Company
Kevin Bonderud ’79
Amy Bowar ’97
Thomas ’78 and Julie Bramwell
Marilyn Saure ’61 Breckenridge and Tom
Breckenridge
Heidi Breen
Bruce Brekke
Kyle Brown ’88
Adam Buhr ’98 and Laura Pejsa ’98
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Marion Buska ’46
BWBR Architects
Cargill Foundation
Laurie Carlson ’79 and William Voedisch
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Carolyn Foundation
James and Kimberly Cassens
John and Peggy Cerrito
Shirley Cherkasky
Keith ’65 and Lynn Chilgren
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
David ’72 and Michelle Karkhoff ’72 Christianson
Harlan ’57 Christianson
C. Lee Clarke
Jerelyn Hovland ’63 and Clyde Cobb
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Joseph Cook ’89
Walter and Janet Cooper
The Cotswold Foundation Trust
Brent Crego ’84
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Sally Hough Daniels ’79
Bartley Davidson ’76
Dow Corning Corporation Matching Gifts
Downey McGrath Group, Inc.
Karen ’81 and Charles Durant
Beverly Durkee
E.A. Sween Company
Julie Edstrom ’90
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
ELCA
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
Elftmann Family Foundation
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
Avis Ellingrod
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
The Eppley Foundation For Research, Inc.
Edna Kastner ’42 Ericksen
Dennis ’64 and Mary Lou Ervin ’64 Erickson
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
Alice C. Evans
Barbara A. Farley
Jane and Patrick Fischer
Dawn Formo
Jerome Formo ’37
Jamie Fragola
William and Anne Frame
Andrew Fried ’93
Laurie ’80 Fyksen-Beise and William Beise
Estate of Charles T. Gabrielson
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundation
Anthony ’85 and Traci Genia
Glen ’52 and Irvyn Gilbertson
Hugh ’58 and Kay Lemmerman ’60 Gilmore
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
Estate of Richard Irving Gisselquist
Gerald and Susan ’76 Glaser
Global Impact
GMAC-RFC
Andrew and Carolyn Goddard
Goldman, Sachs & Co
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Gopher Wrestling Club
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Roger ’61 and Barbara Milne ’60 Gordon
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormley
Paul and Margot Grangaard
Robert and Nancy Granrud
Fall 2008
37
Paul and Judy Grauer
Greater Twin Cities United Way
Charles and Barbara Green
William and Judith Green
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Stephen ’70 and Margaret Gundale
Margaret and Gunderson
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Patrick ’78 and Debra Haar
Mark ’77 and Naomi Hall
Halleland Lewis Nilan Sipkins & Johnson P.A.
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51 Halverson
Clarence Hansen ’53
Anna Hovland ’58 Hanson
Skylar ’01 and Jennifer Hanson
Estate of Russell I. Hanson and Viola M. Hanson
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Robert ’83 and Lynne Harris
John H. Harris III Memorial Foundation
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
David ’67 and Karen Jacobson ’67 Haugen
Dorothy Haugen
Helen ’49 and James Haukeness
Lee Hawks ’84
Lisa Svac Hawks ’85
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Raymond Henjum ’55
Leo Henkemeyer
Hennepin County
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Bruce ’90 Holcomb and Caroline Vernon
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Homeland Foundation
Elizabeth Horton
Joel and Alice Houlton
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Clarence ’41 and Marguerite Hoversten
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Philip ’71 and Patricia Hoversten
Joseph ’61 and Mei Shen Hsieh
Michael and Barbara Hubbard
Hubbard Broadcasting Foundation
Joseph and Linnea Daigle Hudson
Alvin John and Ruth Huss
Huss Foundation
Mohamed Hussein ’03
Glenda and Richard Huston
38
Augsburg Now
Brandon Hutchinson ’99
Barbara and Richard Hutson
IBM Corporation
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Imation Corporation
Mary and Tony Jacobson
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Bruce ’68 and Lois Hallcock ’68 Johnson
Carol Oversvee Johnson ’61
Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Estate of Louisa Johnson
Kinney Johnson ’65
Merton ’59 and Jo An D. Bjornson ’58 Johnson
Craig Jones
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Jennifer Abeln ’78 Kahlow and Larry Kahlow
Cheri Hofstad ’85 Kamp and Thomas Kamp
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Mary Ann Kinney ’04
Cody Kirkham
Michael Kivley ’89
Linda Klas ’92
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Jason Koch ’93 and Heather Johnston ’92
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Kopp Family Foundation
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Martin Larson ’80
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Julie Gudmestad ’65 and Joseph Laudicina
Bernadine and Sidney Lee
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Andre Lewis ’73 and Kathleen McCartin
James Lindell ’46
Gaye and Stephen Lindfors
Mary Sue and Hugh Lindsay
Dana Lonn
Stanley ’56 and Gailya Ludviksen
Wenona ’55 and Norman Lund
John ’65 and Gracia Nydahl ’66 Luoma
Pamela and Robert MacDonald
Janet Mackenzie ’90
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey
Philip ’79 and Diane Madsen
Kay Malchow ’82 and Stephen Cook
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Norman ’57 and Gayle Engedal ’57 Matson
Donald ’66 and Margaret Mattison
Donna Demler McLean
Christopher ’00 and Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod
Marie and Larry McNeff
Merck Partnership For Giving
Merrill Lynch
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Deidre Durand ’88 and Bruce Middleton
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Dennis ’67 and Christine Miller
Gerald ’57 and Frida Mindrum
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Minnesota Hockey Coaches Assoc.
Minnesota Private College Foundation
Jeanette Mitchell
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Thelma Monson ’41
Alan Montgomery and Janet KarvonenMontgomery
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Sharon Mortrud
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Dylan ’97 and Wendy ’96 Nau
Gordon Nelson
Mildred Nelson ’52
Robert ’44 Nelson and Helen Johnson-Nelson
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen
Norma Noonan
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Jane Huseby ’65 Norman
Shirley and James ’57 Norman
Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53+ Nyhus
Oak Grove Lutheran Church
Robert Odegard ’51+
Richard ’69 and Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted
Donald Olsen ’60
Bruce L. Olson ’71
Dean Olson ’00
R. Luther Olson ’56
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
Beverly Ottum
Patricia and John Parker
Subhashchandra ’75 and Annette Hanson ’74 Patel
John and Norma Paulson
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Richard ’74 and Karen Pearson
Glen Person ’47
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
Corwin and Doris Peterson
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Karin Peterson
Ron ’69 and Jane Petrich
Sandra Phaup ’64
Jay Phinney ’79
Presser Foundation
President Paul C. Pribbenow and Abigail
Crampton Pribbenow
Project Consulting Group
Karl D. Puterbaugh ’52
Linda Hanwick ’64 and John Putnam
Lois Quam and Matthew Entenza
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Lloyd ’63 and Linnea Raymond
RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation
Donald F. and Mary Sue Zelle Reed Fund
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Stephen Rivard and Christine Jett-Rivard
Eunice Kyllo ’62 Roberts and Warren Roberts
Frances Roller
Olive Ronholm ’47
Philip Jr. and Margaret Rowberg
Philip Rowberg ’41
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Audrey Nagel ’51 Sander
Judith and William Scheide
Ruth Schmidt ’52
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Charles and Ritchie Markoe Scribner
Milan ’48 and Marian Sedio
James and Eva Seed
Phyllis ’58 and Harold Seim
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Shepherd of the Glades Lutheran Church
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Chad ’93 and Margaret Shilson
Michael and Pamela Sime
Russel ’50 and Virginia Thompson ’50 Smith
Neal ’57 and Judy Fosse ’61 Snider
Steven and Pamela Snyder
David Soli ’81
Earle ’69 and Kathleen Kupka ’69 Solomonson
John ’62 and Ruth Sather ’63 Sorenson
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Arne and Ellen Sovik
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Gary ’68 and Jeanette Stangland
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Todd ’89 and Amy Steenson
Donald and Annelies Steinmetz
Myles and Eunice Stenshoel
Jeffrey ’82 and Peggy Stoks
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
M. Douglas + and Solveig Swendseid
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Elizabeth and Kenneth Tankel
P. Dawn Heil Taylor ’78
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
TCF Foundation
Jacqueline ’80 and John Teisberg
Paul ’60 and Nancy Thompsen
Harold and Maureen Thompson
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Richard ’61 and Jane Thompson
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans
David and Martha Tiede
Christine Toretti
The Toro Company
Allan ’75 Torstenson and Frances Homans
Frances and Joel ’38+ Torstenson
Todd Tourand ’99
Gordon ’57 and Karen Egesdal ’61 Trelstad
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Peter Turner
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Betty and Paul Tveite
F. Clayton ’72 Tyler and Jackie Parker ’76
Cherryhomes
UBS Foundation
Morris ’42 and Grace Ulring
US Bancorp Foundation
Ruth Usem
Catherine Van Der Schans
Julie Lien ’82 and Steve Vanderboom
Mary ’70 and Dennis Veiseth
Peter and Linda Vogt
Frank ’69 and Wendy Wagner
Robert Wagner ’02
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Martha and Steven Ward
Colleen Watson ’91 and Mary McDougal
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
John ’49 and Arnhild Werket
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
The Whitney Foundation
Mary and Gunnar Wick
Robert Wick ’81
David and Catherine Wold
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
Ziemann Insurance Services, Inc.
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
Fall 2008
39
CONSECUTIVE GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years,
as indicated by the number in parentheses. (Gifts received since 1980)
3M Foundation (25)
Ordelle Aaker ’46 (11)
Ruth Aaskov ’53 (29)
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell
Agrimson (16)
Harold ’47 and Lois Black ’47 Ahlbom (29)
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg (11)
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist (10)
Charles and Catherine Anderson (28)
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson (29)
Deloris Anderson ’56 (17)
Elizabeth Manger ’53 Anderson and Delbert
Anderson (10)
Kristin Anderson (10)
Leif Anderson (10)
Margaret and Raymond Anderson (11)
Margaret Anderson (10)
Ray Anderson ’49 (21)
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson (16)
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson (10)
Theodore ’48 Anderson and Eliazbeth
Hibbeler-Anderson (10)
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson (12)
LeRoy ’52 and Carole Anenson (11)
Frank ’50 and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario (28)
Elyce Lundquist ’58 Arvidson and Marvin
Arvidson (22)
John ’79 and Rebecca Lundeen ’79 Aune (17)
Dorothy Bailey (14)
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker (29)
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz (10)
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden (15)
Gerald ’56 and Nancy Baxter (10)
Hamar ’34 and Wanda Severson ’40 Benson (12)
John Benson ’55 (29)
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45 (25)
Gertrude Ness Berg ’51 (15)
John Berg ’59 (17)
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg (10)
Jack ’49 and LeVerne Berry (27)
Anthony and Kathy Bibus (10)
Birgit Birkeland ’58 (22)
Gary ’65 and Jean Blosberg (11)
David ’79 and Peggy Boots (12)
Bruce ’64 and Nancy Braaten (12)
40
Augsburg Now
Heidi Breen (15)
Daniel and Irene Brink (13)
Michael Burden ’85 (14)
Carolyn Burfield ’60 (10)
Marion Buska ’46 (19)
Daniel ’61 and Faith Carlson (11)
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson (29)
Laurie Carlson ’79 and William Voedisch (11)
Roger ’54 and Dorothy Carlson (10)
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson (19)
Wendell ’63 and Grace Carlson (10)
Linda Carlstedt ’63 (29)
Joyce Catlin ’73 Casey and Paul Casey (27)
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson (11)
Peggy and John Cerrito (10)
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E
Corrine Chilstrom (12)
Judith Christensen (10)
Paul ’59 and Gloria Christensen (11)
Jeff Christenson ’82 (10)
Janet Niederloh ’58 Christeson and John
Christeson (11)
David ’72 and Michelle Karkhoff ’72
Christianson (20)
Joseph ’53 and Connie Cleary (11)
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin (28)
Donald and Janice Conrad (18)
Laura Bower ’91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe (10)
Oliver Dahl ’45 (11)
Addell Halverson Dahlen ’43 (18)
Lester Dahlen ’39 (29)
Leonard ’52 and Anabelle Hanson ’51 Dalberg (28)
Sally Hough Daniels ’79 (10)
Lois Mackey Davis ’58 (10)
LeVon Paulson Dinter ’52 (22)
Hans ’56 and Donna Dumpys (21)
Linda Lundeen ’74 Dunn and Douglas Dunn (14)
Julie Edstrom ’90 (12)
Ruben ’45 and Thelma Egeberg (10)
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65 (10)
Curtis ’84 and Jody Eischens (10)
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim (10)
ELCA (21)
Elftmann Family Foundation (14)
Avis Ellingrod (13)
Valborg Kyllo ’54 Ellingson and Phillip
Ellingson (15)
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor
Emerson (15)
Mark and Lynette Engebretson (10)
Fred ’60 and Janet Engelmann (20)
James Ericksen ’69 (27)
Reynold ’41 and Marian Erickson (19)
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld (15)
Alice C. Evans (10)
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans (22)
Leland ’53 and Eunice Fairbanks (22)
Marilyn Pearson ’76 Florian and Kenneth
Florian (26)
Jerome Formo ’37 (27)
William and Anne Frame (12)
Esther Oleson ’54 Freund and Norman
Freund (11)
R. Mark Frey (10)
Andrew Fried ’93 (11)
Marilyn Elness ’53 Froiland and Philip
Froiland (17)
Terry ’67 and Pauline Frovik (10)
Ann Garvey (10)
Alan ’67 and Marilyn Albaugh ’67 Gierke (29)
Donald ’60 and Nancy Gilberg (14)
Rachel Rohde ’76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist (19)
Borghild Gisselquist (10)
Gary and Barbara Glasscock (11)
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez (18)
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean
Goplerud (28)
Lorraine Vash ’67 Gosewisch and David
Gosewisch (10)
Paul and Judy Grauer (27)
Douglas Green and Becky Boling (10)
Cindy Greenwood 2005 (10)
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal (22)
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde (29)
Steven ’81 and Kathy Grinde (11)
Paul ’62 and Susan Grover (27)
John and Laurie Grygelko (12)
Fern Hanson Gudmestad ’41 (26)
Sonia Overmoen ’62 Gullicks and Milton
Gullicks (22)
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
Marlys Ringdahl ’53 Gunderson and Charles
Gunderson (21)
Arlin Gyberg (29)
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard
Gyllstrom (27)
Mark ’77 and Naomi Hall (20)
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51
Halverson (10)
Arvin ’55 and Twila Halvorson (28)
Edward and Shirley Hansen (24)
Sylvia Kleven Hanson ’50 (12)
John ’69 and Barbara Harden (11)
Evelyn Green ’49 Harris and Edward Harris (12)
Betty Johnson ’58 Haas and Charles Hass (28)
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr (13)
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge ’50 (25)
Burton ’72 and Rollie Haugen (14)
Marilyn Peterson1963 Haus and George Haus (27)
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland (21)
Gerald ’59 and Maxine Hendricks (10)
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman (10)
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans (29)
Jean Magnuson ’57 Hicks and David Hicks (10)
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill (12)
Helen Sigvald Hjelmeland ’41 (12)
Sylvia Hjelmeland (11)
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander (20)
James ’61 and Caroline Holden (21)
Norman and Ilene Holen (20)
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes (10)
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt (28)
James ’59 and Joanne Horn (10)
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth (10)
Robert ’67 and Jane Hosman (23)
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten (29)
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten (11)
Edith Hovey (15)
Florence Retrum Hovland ’40 (21)
Joseph ’61 and Mei Shen Hsieh (19)
Glenda and Richard Huston (17)
Bruce and Jean Inglis (12)
Rosemary Jacobson ’69 (14)
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes (11)
Bruce ’68 and Lois Hallcock ’68 Johnson (11)
David ’64 and Karen Johnson (10)
Doris Wilkins ’63 Johnson and Charles
Johnson (12)
Duane and Ruth Johnson (21)
Glen and Marlys Johnson (10)
Gloria Johnson ’51 (20)
Janet Batalden ’61 Johnson and Dennis ’61
Johnson (13)
Joan ’94 and Mark Johnson (14)
Kinney Johnson ’65 (18)
Laurel Jones ’69 Johnson and Larry Johnson (13)
Marcellus ’54 and Thelma Johnson (10)
Martha Johnson (10)
Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II (21)
Kenneth & Lillian Ysteboe ’51 Ose
Ervin ’56 & Sylvia Overlund
Theodore ’68 and Michelle Johnson (12)
Wayne Johnson ’58 (26)
Helen Johnson-Nelson and Robert ’44 Nelson (13)
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander (28)
Jennifer Abeln ’78 Kahlow and Larry Kahlow (11)
Cheri Hofstad ’85 Kamp and Thomas Kamp (11)
Richard ’69 and Cheryl Nelson ’70 King (11)
Cody Kirkham (11)
Sharon Dittbenner ’65 Klabunde and Richard
Klabunde (22)
E. Milton Kleven ’46 (11)
Jerome Kleven ’58 (12)
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven (24)
Leo Klohr and Judy Occhetti-Klohr (12)
LaRhae Grindal Knatterud ’70 (12)
Millard ’52 and Dorothy Knudson (13)
Daniel ’70 and Ingrid Kloster ’69 Koch (11)
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49 (28)
James Kottom ’52 (23)
Joan Johnson1953 Kuder and Calvin Kuder (26)
Joan Kunz (10)
William ’52 and Edith Kuross (11)
Sigrunn Kvamme ’53 (18)
Robert ’80 and Lori LaFleur (16)
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird (26)
Archie Lalim ’50 (28)
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes (14)
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells (23)
John ’52 and Mary Peterson ’54 Leak (13)
Roger ’50 and Donna Wang ’52 Leak (12)
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee (25)
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell (10)
James Lindell ’46 (27)
Rosemary and Andrew Link (10)
Robert ’56 and Mary Erickson ’58 Lockwood (16)
Brent Lofgren ’88 (17)
Irene Ppedahl Lovaas ’45 (15)
Jack ’53 and Darlene Lundberg (11)
Susan Lageson ’77 Lundholm and Mark
Lundholm (19)
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey (24)
Marie Hafie ’65 MacNally and Thomas
MacNally (12)
Margreta Magelssen ’72 and David Hallan (23)
Richard ’55 and Mary Mahre (10)
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main (10)
Raymond Makeever (10)
Michael ’65 and Lynne Marcy (10)
Carlos Mariani Rosa (10)
Julie Magnuson ’61 Marineau and Richard
Marineau (10)
John ’59 and De Anne Martinsen (12)
Michael McCully (12)
Kristin Settergren ’86 McGinness and Steve
McGinness (19)
Donna McLean (22)
Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod and Christopher
2000 McLeod (10)
Marie and Larry McNeff (28)
Meca Sportswear Inc (11)
Joan and Richard Meierotto (11)
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers (17)
Erwin ’54 and Carolyn Ryan ’56 Mickelberg (10)
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness (19)
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson (28)
Victor ’42 and Rhoda Miller (12)
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen (10)
James Mondo (10)
Alan Montgomery and Janet
Karvonen-Montgomery (10)
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan (26)
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51
Morseth (20)
Mildred and Van Mueller (24)
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller (12)
David Narr ’94 (11)
Bonnie Johnson ’67 Nelson and Bryce Nelson (25)
Edor ’38 and Dorathy Nelson (12)
Gloria Burntvedt Nelson ’43 (26)
Larry ’65 and Marilyn Nelson (13)
Mildred Nelson ’52 (29)
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson (12)
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen (10)
Erika Staub ’51 Niemi and Wayne Niemi (17)
Timothy ’82 and Jane Nohr (10)
Margaret Nelson Foss Nokleberg ’48 (21)
Norma Noonan (14)
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust (20)
Roselyn Nordaune ’77 (28)
Betsey and Alan Norgard (14)
James ’57 and Shirley Norman (11)
Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation (19)
Jonathan Nye ’72 and Wendy Worner (17)
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard (10)
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53 Nyhus (16)
Steven O’Tool ’74 (10)
Fall 2008
41
Maren Lecy ’83 Ogdie and Al Ogdie (19)
Norman ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom (18)
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69
Olmsted (12)
W. Donald ’34 and Glenda Olsen (20)
Bettye and Howard Olson (16)
Laverne Moe ’48 Olson and Paul Olson (22)
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson (28)
R. Luther Olson ’56 (11)
Vicki and Daniel Olson (10)
Kristen Olsrud ’80 (11)
Laurie Nelson ’79 Orlow and Steven Orlow (19)
Jack ’62 and Nina Osberg (18)
Jim ’64 and Rose Parks (20)
Arnold ’52 and Betty Paulson (12)
John and Norma Paulson (11)
Daniel ’51 and Lois Pearson (22)
Dale Pederson (10)
Glen Person ’47 (23)
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson (21)
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson (29)
Rebecca Arvold ’88 Pfabe and Maurice Higgins (14)
Jay Phinney ’79 (29)
Leanne Phinney ’71 and Mark Schultz (11)
Jill Pohtilla (10)
Presser Foundation (12)
David Proctor ’63 (22)
Elizabeth Pushing ’93 (14)
Jerry ’83 and Susan Warnes ’88 Quam (10)
Dagmar Dahl Quanbeck ’36 (29)
Eileen Quanbeck ’46 (15)
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck (12)
Quentin ’50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck (15)
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe (12)
Larry and Beverly Ragland (16)
James ’61 and BettyAnn Redeske (12)
Donald ’53 and Donna Erickson ’54 Reimer (10)
Robert and Gail Rice (17)
Pamela Birdsall ’75 Richard and Jerry Richard (10)
Donavon ’52 and Ardis Roberts (12)
Eunice Kyllo ’62 Roberts and Warren Roberts (17)
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82 (10)
Marion Roe ’50 (12)
Frances Roller (11)
Joyce and Walker Romano (11)
Olive Ronholm ’47 (29)
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist ’64 (10)
Philip Rowberg ’41 (10)
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo (29)
Audrey Nagel ’51 Sander (16)
Pauline and Leland ’35+ Sateren (11)
Maryls Harkman ’54 Schmidt and Leonard
Schmidt (11)
Ruth Schmidt ’52 (29)
Michael and Leslie Schock (10)
Joyce Opseth Schwartz ’45 (26)
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz (13)
Inez ’59 and Lyall Schwarzkopf (29)
Ronnie ’62 and Karen Scott (20)
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime (12)
Charles Sheaffer (10)
John ’50 and Norma Shelstad (17)
James ’54 and Ethel Nordstrom ’55 Shiell (28)
Chad ’93 and Margaret Shilson (11)
Nora Anderson ’83 Sillerud and Jon Sillerud (16)
Patricia ’67 and Elmer Sitkin (10)
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar (29)
Glen and Anna Skovholt (14)
Evelyn Amundson Sonnack ’43 (27)
Angeline Rolland Sorenson ’50 (25)
Susan Lindberg ’70 Sorenson and Earl
Sorenson (11)
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland (16)
Naomi Christensen ’81 Staruch and Steven
Staruch (26)
Ronald ’58 and Naomi Stave (12)
Ruth Framstad Steen ’43 (10)
Donald and Annelies Steinmetz (29)
Myles and Eunice Stenshoel (10)
Hannah Mehus Stensvaag ’38 (29)
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo (11)
Calvin ’51 and Bonnie Martinson ’59 Storley (10)
Beverly and Thomas Stratton (14)
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46 (13)
John ’81 and Heidi Strommen (13)
Luther ’39 and Helen Strommen (26)
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen (29)
Steven ’65 and Chynne Strommen (10)
La Vone Studlien ’58 (20)
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud (29)
George ’46 and Jean Christenson ’49 Sverdrup (27)
Dorothy Joy Swanson ’51 (18)
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
James Swanson (19)
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92 (13)
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson (16)
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
42
Augsburg Now
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48
Thompson (29)
Karla Morken ’81 Thompson and Thomas
Thompson (13)
Richard ’61 and Jane Thompson (10)
Sue Thompson ’85 (10)
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe (13)
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen
Thorsgaard (11)
Richard ’56 and Darlene Thorud (10)
Adrian Tinderholt ’38 (28)
Michael ’85 and Rhonda Riesberg ’84 Tjaden (10)
Allan Tonn ’75 (28)
Mark ’79 and Janelle Tonsager (19)
Sheldon ’49 and Margery Manger ’47
Torgerson (23)
Beth Torstenson ’66 (28)
Frances and Joel ’38+ Torstenson (15)
Mark and Ann Tranvik (11)
Margaret Sateren Trautwein ’37 (23)
Gordon ’57 and Karen Egesdal ’61 Trelstad (16)
Trinity Lutheran Congregation (10)
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner (10)
Betty and Paul Tveite (12)
Beverly Gryth ’52 Villwock and H. Robert
Villwock (21)
Rebecca Helgesen ’67 Von Fischer and Thomas
Von Fischer (12)
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl (10)
Michael ’64 and Carla Quanbeck ’64 Walgren (14)
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw (11)
Scott Weber ’79 (12)
Charleen and Donald Weidenbach (27)
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91
Wichmann (16)
Mary and Gunnar Wick (16)
Robert Wick ’81 (22)
David and Catherine Wold (12)
E. Lorraine Yokie (22)
Edmund ’53 and Rose Youngquist (10)
Janet Cooke ’59 Zitzewitz and Donald
Zitzewitz (11)
ANNUAL REPORT 2007-08
ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS YEAR
The following list indicates the percentage of alumni in each class year who made a gift to Augsburg College in 2007-2008
(day program, undergraduate alumni).
Total particiaption for all class years, 22%
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
40.00%
50.00%
50.00%
62.50%
64.71%
25.00%
52.94%
40.63%
48.84%
38.10%
45.65%
48.72%
48.15%
45.83%
42.86%
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
47.27%
33.52%
44.53%
50.86%
46.40%
37.88%
37.36%
45.83%
43.65%
47.75%
46.09%
38.31%
36.88%
37.97%
40.76%
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
35.10%
34.75%
30.70%
41.85%
34.35%
29.90%
24.37%
24.30%
26.10%
25.51%
26.42%
24.68%
23.58%
24.65%
23.92%
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
19.09%
17.89%
18.97%
17.44%
18.41%
17.73%
17.82%
13.46%
11.32%
19.12%
14.34%
15.69%
8.70%
10.07%
10.71%
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
10.73%
13.92%
4.23%
9.72%
11.48%
7.58%
12.20%
8.37%
5.43%
8.14%
5.28%
9.45%
4.78%
5.56%
Fall 2008
43
THE 2007-2008 AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
BOARD OF REGENTS
2007-2008
Andra Adolfson
Dan W. Anderson, Class of 1965
Rev. Gary E. Benson, Class of 1970
Jackie Cherryhomes, Class of 1976
AUGSBURG ALUMNI
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
2007-2008
Michael O. Freeman
Dr. Anthony Genia, Class of 1985
Michael R. Good, Class of 1971
H. Theodore Grindal, Class of 1976
Norman R. Hagfors
Lew Beccone, Class of ’98 MAL
Jodi Harpstead
Buffie Blesi, Class of ’90, ’97 MAL, president
Richard C. Hartnack
Chad Darr, Class of ’04
Rolf Jacobson
Dale Hanka, Class of ’60
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson, Class of 1974
Calvin Hanson, Class of ’98
Dean Kennedy
Daniel Hickle, Class of ’95
Dean C. Kopperud
James Kline, Class of ’01
André J. Lewis, Class of 1973
Lee Anne Lack, Class of ’67
Jennifer H. Martin
Julia Mensing, Class of ’00
Marie O. McNeff
Joyce Miller, Class of ’02, ’05 MAN
Dr. Paul S. Mueller, Class of 1984
Jamie E. Smith, Class of ’04 WEC
Ronald G. Nelson, Class of 1968
Carolyn Spargo, Class of ’80
Beverly Oren, Class of 1955
Jacqueline Teisberg, Class of ’80
Paul C. Pribbenow
Jennifer Tome, Class of ’99
Rev. Peter Rogness, ex-officio
Barry M. Vornbrock, Class of ’96 MAL
Stephen Sheppard
Philip Styrlund, Class of 1979
Emily Anne Tuttle
Rev. Harold Usgaard, ex-officio
Joan Volz, Class of 1968
Rev. Norman W. Wahl, Class of 1976
Bonnie Wallace
FEW COLLEGES ARE AS WELL POSITIONED
A S A U G S B U R G T O S AY, T H I S I S O U R W O R K —
WE ARE CALLED TO SERVE OUR NEIGHBORS.
—DAVID TIEDE, BERNHARD CHRISTENSEN PROFESSOR OF RELIGION
AND VOCATION, AND FORMER PRESIDENT OF LUTHER SEMINARY
www.augsburg.edu/giving
1-800-273-0617
44
Augsburg Now
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
June 2008
Alumni and friends,
am writing this article on the same day
as commencement for hundreds of graduates of the Augsburg for Adults undergraduate and graduate programs. When I
was an undergraduate, Weekend College
was still in its infancy and the College did not yet offer master’s degrees in any subject area. Look how far we have come
over the last 20 years—Augsburg is now a force in education
for adults in undergraduate programs in Minneapolis and
Rochester and six programs for graduates.
Wow! Who would have thought?
Well, thankfully for all of us, so many brilliant people had
the foresight and perseverance to make it a reality. As alumni,
we benefit from all that the College is and will become. Why?
Because regardless of when we graduated, our degrees gain
value as the College increases its visibility through the accomplishments and success of its programs, professors, and students. If you are like me, you place a great deal of value on
your degree from Augsburg. Take care of it, nurture it, and invest in it through participation and giving. The students of
today will one day bring greater value to it.
With the close of the school year in June, my tenure as
your president also came to an end. I am grateful for the opportunity to represent the alumni and have had a tremendous
amount of fun. I turn this column over to a wonderful new
leader, Joyce Miller, who will represent you with vigor and
passion.
i
Good luck to you all and take care,
October 2008
Alumni and friends,
utumn is a season of great beauty. During this time, the Midwest becomes
transformed into a menagerie of colors. This transformation within nature is a
metaphor for the educational experience of
an Augsburg alumnus/a and current student. Liberal arts
courses nurture the growth of human talent and promote a
sense of metanoia, defined as embracing thoughts beyond one’s
present limitations. The menagerie of fall colors can represent
the uniqueness of individuals and the intentionality of embracing diversity within our daily lives.
Augsburg College promises an education like no other.
This promise addresses the following three areas:
a
• To have a special regard for each other—This statement entails having respect for everyone’s unique talents, core values, and cultural traditions.
• To provide an educational experience like no other—Education involves exploring a deeper understanding of faith
and the search for meaning, developing a global perspective, engaging work within the community, and finding
new ways of knowing to promote purposeful living.
• To seek opportunities to develop—This promise promotes
an expanded view of the world, stresses appreciating differences in others, seeks connections, sustains open dialogue,
and prepares to lead in this complex environment.
We can certainly look at these statements and realize how our
education at Augsburg has played a role in the discovery of our
meaningful career paths in the world.
As I begin my presidency of the Alumni Association, I
promise to use my leadership gifts to align the work of the
Alumni Board with the mission, vision, and promise of the College. The Alumni Board members are committed to support the
College’s vision—We believe we are called to serve our neighbor—through involvement in service activities, action projects,
and campus events to enhance the work of the College.
As alumni, stay connected by attending upcoming events
such as Advent Vespers, athletic activities, theatre productions,
or other alumni events. Or just simply keep in communication
with us. Stay connected wherever you are! Looking forward to
a great year.
Sincerely,
BUFFIE BLESI ’90, ’97 MAL
OUTGOING ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
JOYCE P. MILLER ’02 (BSN-ROCHESTER), ’05 MAN
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Fall 2008
45
auggie reunion
Alumni from more than six decades gathered with their classmates.
Class of 1958
Reunion Attendees:
James Almquist, Elyce (Lundquist) Arvidson, Robert
Bagley, Dennis Barnaal, Vernon Berkness, Elaine
(Nelson) Bernards, Birgit Birkeland, Doris (Johnson)
Deml, Dale Evavold, Hugh Gilmore, Byron Golie, Mabeth (Saure) Gyllstrom, Aldemar (Johnson) Hagen,
Kenneth Hagen, Anna (Hovland) Hanson, Betty
(Johnson) Hass, Philip Heide, Carl Hellzen, Ruth
(Thorsgard) Homme, Jerome Kleven, Gwen (Johnson)
Krapf, Joanne (Stiles) Laird, Gary Lange, Gordon Lindgren, Alice (Lindell) Lindgren, Marilyn (Troy) Manley,
Lydia (Dyrlid) Moe, Faye (Brenni) Moen, Wallace
Oien, Roger Olson, Magne Olson, Alfred Reesnes,
Ronald Stave, La Vone Studlien, Grace (Kemmer)
Sulerud
Class of 1968
Reunion Attendees:
Ruth Aaskov, Ann (Larson) Anthonisen, W. Bruce
Benson, Priscilla (Platt) Berg, Joel Bjerkestrand,
David Boe, Donald Britt, Margaret (Engel) Catlett,
Janet (Braaten) DeGaetano, John Eckberg, John
Fahlberg, Douglas Frisk, JoAnne (Digree) Fritz, Mary
(Michaelsen) Garmer, Jane (Eidsvoog) Gisselquist,
James Gisselquist, Kim Gudmestad, Lynn Gunderson,
Pamela (Fredrickson) Gunderson, Ione (Agrimson)
Hanson, Theamarie (Loberg) Harriday, Leif Hartmark,
Claudia (Melvie) Hartmark, David Heidtke, Donald
Horner, James Hoseth, Gerald Jensen, Carole (Braud)
Jensen, Theodore Johnson, Bruce Johnson, Herald
Johnson, Frank Lawatsch, Pamela (Pilcher) Lawatsch,
Janet (Letnes) Martin, Suzann (Johnson) Nelson,
Charles Niles, Perilyn (Brown) Olsen, Kathryn Olson,
Miriam (Cox) Peterson, Richard Quenemoen, John
Roebke, James Romslo, Judith (Anderson)
Schaubach, Jan (Pedersen) Schiff, Carolyn (Hanson)
Schildgen, Gary Schmidt, Kathleen (Nyquist) Schornstein, Clair Severson, Myrna (Jorgenson) Sheie, Jo
Anne Sylvester, Constance (Ackerson) Wanner, Patricia (Korogi) Wehr, Mary (Timm) Zimmerman
46
Augsburg Now
homecoming
AN EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER
SEPTEMBER 22-27
Class of 1983
’08
Reunion Attendees:
Amanda Barrick, Mary (Thureson) Belden, Mary
(Yurick) Bennett, William Bullock, Kevin Erickson,
Mark Hassenstab, James Haugen, Les Heen, Scott
Henderson, Annette (Walen) Hokanson, Miriam (Gisselquist) Jensen, Karina Karlen, Paul Kuehn, Pamela
(Brakke) Lanning, Susan (Hackbarth) Lundquist,
Daniel Nayman, Stephen Nayman, Karsten Nelson,
Allison (Larges) O’Day, Timothy Olson, Mary (McNevin) Saari, Janet (Griffith) Sandford, Nora (Andersen) Sillerud, John Singh, Diane (Wood) Sponheim,
Christine (Nelson) Swanson
Class of 1998
(Left to right)
August Negele, Erick Agrimson, Adam Buhr, Laura
Pejsa, Angela (Loew) Reichart, Wade Johnson, Andry
Andriambololona-Jercich, Phil Berglin
Fall 2008
47
auggie
alumni news
Meet Kim Stone …
DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI AND CONSTITUENT RELATIONS
At the end of August, Kim
Stone joined the Division of Institutional Advancement as director of alumni and
constituent relations.
Stone came to Augsburg
from the University of Miami,
Coral Gables, Fla., where she
was executive director of
alumni programs and was responsible for the overall management and implementation of
a comprehensive alumni relations program. She served as a liaison to various university offices and departments to further the
mission of the University Alumni Association and to enhance
the relationship between the alumni and their alma mater.
Her experience there includes recruiting and engaging
alumni volunteers to participate in alumni programs and
events, preparing and administering annual budgets for the
alumni programs office, and supervising a team of nine alumni
professionals.
Previously, Stone was at Nova Southeastern University in
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., as director of alumni relations and coordinator of alumni programs. In these roles she managed the strategy of the Alumni Annual Fund and other university
fundraising efforts. Stone organized and coordinated alumni
Homecoming activities, was responsible for all alumni (90,000
worldwide) communications, and oversaw and supported the
Alumni Council Board to enhance growth of the NSU Alumni
Association.
She earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication,
with an emphasis in public relations, at Minnesota State University, Mankato. She also has a master’s degree in international
business administration from Nova Southeastern University.
Stone grew up in St. Paul and is excited to be back in the
Twin Cities serving the members of the Augsburg community.
She looks forward to engaging Augsburg alumni and constituents through strategic programming, effective communication, and volunteer development.
To contact Kim Stone, call 612-330-1173 or
1-800-260-6590, or e-mail stonek@augsburg.edu.
48
Augsburg Now
Augsburg license plates
Display your Augsburg connection! Augsburg license plates
are available through the Minnesota Department of Transportation.
www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/PlBrochure/CollegiatePlates.htm
Alumni e-mail for life
Sign up for Auggie alumni e-mail for life. Contact Alumni
Relations at alumni@augsburg.edu to request an account.
The service is provided by Google Apps.
Augsburg offers test prep courses
Studying for the LSAT, GRE, or GMAT? Check with Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity
Office (URGO) for courses offered throughout the year at a
very reasonable cost. Courses are open to current students,
alumni, and others in the Augsburg community.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/urgo and select Test Prep for
the ongoing schedules of classes.
Get Involved. Volunteer!
Would you like to be part of an exciting group of people who
love Augsburg as much as you do? Volunteering is a great
way to stay connected to the College and other alumni, and
there are many ways to get involved.
Join with fellow Auggies and help engage others to be part of
the Augsburg experience. Augsburg Associates, Alumni
Board, Advent Vespers, reunion committees, mentors, and
Campus Kitchen are just some of the available opportunities.
Let us know where your interest lies—call Pat Grans at
612-330-1329 or e-mail gransp@augsburg.edu.
augsburg
then
Trinity Lutheran celebrates 140 years
Augsburg College owes much of the reason for its presence
in Minneapolis to Trinity Lutheran Congregation. In 1871,
when the fledgling Augsburg Seminary was near bankruptcy
in Marshall, Wisconsin, Trinity pastor Ole Paulson led a
committee to secure the land, materials, and funding to establish Augsburg in Minneapolis, as the city was envisioned
as a future center for Scandinavian-American culture.
In 1896 Trinity Lutheran Congregation built a new
church on the edge of Augsburg’s campus, which served as
the venue for many Augsburg events over the years. This
building fell victim to the construction in 1966 for the I-94
freeway.
The altar painting that hung in that church, painted by
Norwegian artist Markus Grønvold, was copied from his
painting in St. John’s Church in Bergen, Norway, and
shipped to Minneapolis. When Trinity’s church was razed,
the painting was placed in storage. It now hangs in Hoversten Chapel, which has been Trinity Lutheran Congregation’s worship home for a number of years.
1963 Augsburgian
In Memoriam
Sateren, Leland B. ’35, Edina,
Minn., age 94, on Nov. 10, 2007.
Samuelson, Mary ’49, Brighton,
Minn., age 81, on July 12.
Aamodt, Bradford O. ’65, Plymouth,
Minn., age 75, on Feb. 13.
Schmidt, David Hans ’85, Phoenix,
Ariz., age 47, in October 2007.
Kruse, Una (Lee) ’38, Sunnyside,
Wash., age 91, on Sept. 25, 2007.
Calderwood, David ’50, Birchwood,
Minn., age 81, on Sept. 18, 2007.
Gruidl, Daniel J. ’93, Trophy Club,
Texas, age 45, on Aug. 3, 2007.
Torstenson, Joel ’38, Minneapolis,
age 94, on Oct. 18, 2007.
Howells, Richard ’52, Bloomington,
Minn., age 78, on April 10.
Longmire, Linda (Nelson) ’67, Kronenwetter, Wis., age 63, on July 29,
of cancer.
Quanbeck, Vardon M. ’40, McVille,
N. Dak., age 86, on Dec. 24.
Lundeen, Donovan T. ’53, Northfield, Minn., age 77, on June 7.
Brooks, Chester L. ’42, Duluth,
Minn., age 89, on March 5.
Skogsbergh, Samuel P. ’53, Hayden,
Idaho, age 77, on Aug. 25, 2007.
Smith, Rev. Louis C. ’42, Riverside,
Calif., age 86, on Sept. 5, 2007.
Rykken, Franklyn “Lindy” ’56,
Roseau, Minn., age 78, on May 2.
Jensen, Rev. Louis F. ’48, Dubuque,
Iowa, age 87, on June 24.
Oliver, Rev. George “Jim” ’60, Baraboo, Wis., age 76, on Feb. 15, following complications from surgery.
Henjum, Arnold E. ’49, Morris,
Minn., age 82, on March 5.
Hoffman, H. Wayne, Bloomington,
Minn., age 82, on July 3.
DeVrieze, Jerry D. ’64, Midland,
Mich., age 66, on June 30, of multiple myeloma.
Baumbach, Cynthia ‘70, Lake City,
Minn., age 60, on July 1.
Orpen, Julie Ann (Hoel) ’76, St.
Peter, Minn., age 53, on June 15, of
breast cancer.
Quanbeck, Beth Marie ’76, West
Des Moines, Iowa, age 53, on Nov.
12, 2007.
Lumbar, Dean ’81, Edina, Minn.,
age 46, on Jan. 7, at home of complications from colon cancer.
Brusletten, Nancy (Raaum) ’84,
Shakopee, Minn., age 45, on Dec.
28, of cancer.
Bedard, Mark T. ’95, Hudson, Wis.,
age 34, on Nov. 9, 2007, of injuries
incurred on police duty.
Feuer, Aaron ’07, unexpectedly in
April.
Eriksen, Rolf, Minneapolis, age 84,
on Nov. 7, 2007, Augsburg’s first
varsity soccer coach in 1970.
Eklof, Edgar, Golden Valley, Minn.,
age 80, on Dec. 1, Music Department faculty during the 1960s.
Hoel, Mathilda, St. Paul, age 95, on
July 13, former registrar’s office and
food service employee.
Fall 2008
49
alumni class notes
50
Phebe Hanson was lauded at
an event in March commemorating International Women’s Day
and her 80th birthday. Readings by
female poets and screenings of a
short documentary about Phebe
were featured, honoring her many
years as a mentor to other writers.
56
Rev. James Parks is serving
until June 30 as an English
teacher in the ELCA’s Global Mission
Department in a Lutheran High
school in Kocise, Slovakia. His wife,
Rose Ann, and their three children
are planning trips to visit him and
travel in Eastern Europe during the
year. Previously he served an interim
ministry in Outing, Minn., for several
months, and traveled, including a
van trip to Alaska.
Lute Olson, head coach of the
University of Arizona basketball team, announced his retirement
after 24 years. His career there includes 23 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, 11 Pac-10 titles,
four Final Four appearances, and the
1997 national championship.
Judith Reynolds has recently
retired from the Kenosha (Wisconsin) Public Library after 37 years
of employment as a librarian.
57
67
Robert Goodrich has joined
Timber Creek Golf Course in
Watertown, Minn., as a golf pro, with
43 years of teaching experience.
59
Darrell Wiese retired from
Augsburg after a longtime career as assistant coach in baseball
and football.
60
Margaret (Homme) Hiner is retired in Phoenix, Ariz., where
she has been since 1961 working as
a recreation leader, substitute
teacher, 4-H leader, and mother. At
Augsburg, she played on the 195657 Auggiettes basketball team and
has fond memories about how
Coach LaVonne Peterson “let a kid
who loved sports and basketball be
on the team.”
Lowell “Zeke” Ziemann is still working and loves his job as an agency
compliance officer with Park Avenue
Securities in Scottsdale, Ariz.
61nis in the Northland
James Holden has written Ten, a history
of boys’ high school tennis in Minnesota, covering its 75-year history
with chapters about champions,
prominent coaches and families, dynasty teams, and more. To learn
about the book, go to www.jimholden.com.
Dennis Kalpin has stepped down as
head football coach at Alexandria
(Minn.) High School after 17 years
there. His total coaching career, all
at the secondary school level, is 47
years.
50
64
Augsburg Now
65
66
Larry Hoff completed his third long-distance journey across the USA
using no motorized vehicles. Over the summers of 2006 and 2007,
Larry canoed and bike-portaged from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. In
2002-2003 he hiked the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, a “life-changing”
event. In 2004 he bicycled approximately 10,000 miles around the
perimeter of the USA. Before retirement in 2000, Hoff was teacher and assistant principal at Superior High School in Wisconsin.
Carleen (Nordin) Tjader recently retired after teaching
third grade for 23 years in the New
Richmond (Wis.) school district (before and after a “15-year maternity
leave” to raise her children). Each
year her classes have adopted a
manatee in Florida, plus made a
quilt containing squares made by
each student. She looks forward to
traveling with her husband, Mike;
spending time with her grandsons;
volunteering at church; and trying
her hand at writing.
69
Diane (Helgeson) Carter completed a 21-year career teaching seventh-grade English in the
Hudson (Wis.) Middle School and in
retirement plans to use her time for
gardening and travel. She and her
husband, Jim, have two children—
daughter Kirsten, who also is a
teacher, and son, Matthew.
72
Tom Haas continues to work at
Park Nicollet Clinic in Minneapolis, where he recently stepped
down after a decade in department
chair leadership roles. He has now
had more time to spend at the family lake home, continue collecting
jazz and classical LPs, and more seriously resume playing his trumpet.
Jacqueline (Wolhart) Harvestine
completed her first year as a fulltime Master of Divinity student at
Luther Seminary.
Kathy (Seim) Tilderquist, a business
teacher, was selected in January by
her co-workers as “Teacher of the
70
Earlier this year, along with their spouses, five Auggies in the Class of
1970 who lived together in a house on campus celebrated the 40th
anniversary of their becoming roommates. They continue to meet once a
month for lunch as well. (L to R, back row: Lynn [Benson] Hjelmeland ’69,
Terry Nygaard ’70, Phil Walen ’70, John Hjelmeland ’70, Paul Mikelson ’70,
Barbara Harden, and John Harden ’70. Front row: Vicki Nygaard, Teri Walen,
and Barbara [Durkee] Mikelson ’71.
Year” at Cannon Falls (Minn.) High
School. She began as a math
teacher, but has taught in the business department since 1987. She
wrote the curriculum for many
courses and has taught students on
equipment ranging from manual
typewriters to modern computers.
has earned 10 medals and was the
first to earn medals in four different
sports. He is a professor of professional and physical education at Bemidji State University and was the
first person in the U.S. with a visual
impairment to earn a doctoral degree
in physical education.
73
74
Jim Mastro, a pioneer in athletics for the blind, was honored
with the 2008 Medal of Courage
award from the National Wrestling
Hall of Fame and Museum in Stillwater, Okla. As a Paralympic athlete, he
Rev. James Arends, pastor at
Prince of Peace Lutheran
Church in LaCrescent, Minn., was
elected June 7 to a six-year term as
bishop of the La Crosse (Wis.) Area
Synod in the Evangelical Lutheran
72
Ronald Johnson, principal at
Hutchinson (Minn.) High
School, was named in February as
the 2008 Minnesota High School
Principal of the Year. He is also a
candidate for the National High
School Principal of the Year, to be
announced at the 2009 National
Association of Secondary School
Principals (NASSP) convention in
February. He will join other state
honorees at the Principals Institute
in Washington D.C. this fall.
74
Scot Davis was honored as
Wrestling USA magazine’s
2007 Coach of the Year. This year
he won his 800th varsity career
coaching victory, the most career
wins of any wrestling coach in U.S.
history. He has been at Owatonna
High School for 21 years, leading
10 “Top 25” nationally-ranked
Owatonna teams.
ber of the Minnesota Baseball Association.
high school principal at Rugby High
School for the past 11 years.
77
81
Rev. Mark Braaten recently
published his second book,
Prayer as Joy, Prayer as Struggle, by
Liturgical Press. It studies prayer
through biblical and personal stories, and explores prayer as both a
gift and struggle. His first book, in
2006, is Come Lord Jesus: A Study
of Revelation. He is senior pastor at
Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in
Tyler, Texas, a bilingual congregation
worshiping in English and Spanish.
Kurts Strelnieks recently joined Associated Commercial Finance, Inc.,
in Eagan, Minn., as their Minnesota
market manager.
78
Dennis J. Meyer was named
the first chief marketing officer at Ellerbe Becket, a global design firm. He will be based in their
Minneapolis office and serve on the
firm’s leadership team to develop
and execute its global marketing
strategy and implement the firm’s
vision.
Naomi Williamson opened a new
restaurant, Sanctuary, on Washington Avenue in Minneapolis.
79
77
Heidi (Leaf) Haagenson has
published a book, The Tenney Quilt, which tells the story of a
quilt with 700 signatures created
in 1928 in Tenney—Minnesota’s
smallest city of six people—as a
fundraiser for the local dance hall.
She is the special projects coordinator at Ridgewater College in
Willmar, and is married to David
Haagenson ’76.
79
Phil Madsen and his wife,
Diane, own and operate a
truck used to transport expedited
freight, traveling the 48 states and
Canada. Read their stories from
the road at www.successfulexpediters.com
Church in America (ELCA). He will
be installed on October 18.
gion Coach of the Year, and the Big
Ten Coach of the Year.
Phil Lundin was named the men’s
cross country and track and field
coach at St. Olaf College. Since
1986 he has coached at the University of Minnesota, including the last
13 years as head men’s track and
field coach. In 2003 Phil was named
U.S. Track Coaches Association
Coach of the Year, the Midwest Re-
Bill Nelson, manager of the Dundas
(Minn.) Dukes amateur baseball
team and part of that team for over
30 years, was inducted into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of
Fame in September 2007. He has
also served as head baseball coach
at Carleton College and has been executive director and a board mem-
Linda Sue Anderson played the
part of Miss Prism in Pendulum Theatre’s production of The Importance of Being Earnest earlier
this year at the Loading Dock Theatre in downtown St. Paul.
David Cherwien directs the National
Lutheran Choir, which dedicated its
May 3 concert to the memory of Leland Sateren ’35 and performed five
of his works.
Debra (Mercier) Peters earned a Certified Management Accountant designation in April 2007. She is a
finance manager/controller for Pella
Windows and Doors and lives in
Bloomington, Minn.
David Zwingel has been named the
2007 North Dakota Secondary Principal of the Year by the North
Dakota Association of Secondary
School Principals, with sponsorship
also from Met Life. He has been the
Rev. Richard Buller was elected
chaplain of the Minnesota
House of Representatives by its
members on March 10. He is pastor
at Valley Community Presbyterian
Church in Golden Valley and a
member of the board of the Greater
Minneapolis Council of Churches.
His son, Peter, is a sophomore at
Augsburg.
Pamela Crowell began on July 1 as
the new vice president for research
at Idaho State University in
Pocatello. Previously she was the associate dean for research and graduate education at Indiana
University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science.
Janna (Wallin) Haug and her husband, Rev. Arden Haug, have accepted an assignment to Bratislava,
Slovakia, where he was called as regional representative to Europe for
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America’s Division for Global Mission. Janna accompanies him as the
associate in that position, along with
their two sons, Vitali and Alexei.
Dr. Erik Kanten was named the 2008
Family Physician of the Year by the
Minnesota Academy of Family
Physicians (MAFP). He practices at
the RiverView Clinic in Crookston,
Minn., and at clinics in Fertile and
Red Lake Falls. He also sees students at the University of Minnesota,
Crookston, on campus.
Dana (Holmes) McIntyre traveled to
China in fall 2007 as head coach of
one of two female Special Olympics
basketball teams from the U.S. for
the 2007 World Games in Shanghai.
She has been a recreation therapist
at Minnesota Extended Treatment
Options.
82
Jane Maland Cady joined the
McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis in April as international program director and will oversee
McKnight’s grantmaking in Asia,
Africa, and Latin America.
Fall 2008
51
alumni class notes
87
Deanna Germain published a
memoir, Reaching Past the
Wire, about her 18 months serving
as a nurse in Kuwait and Iraq, which
included time as chief nurse in the
Abu Ghraib prison following the revelations of abuse and violence.
Tammy Johndro-Pressley was named
director of external communications
at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, Ill. Previously, she was manager of business development at
Provena Mercy Medical Center in
Aurora, Ill.
Karen Reed received an Award for
Superior Accomplishment in December from the Department of
Mental Health of California. She is a
music therapist at Atascadero State
Hospital and was commended for
her plan to lower restraints, seclusion, and lengths of stay in restraints
for people in the Mentally Disordered Offender program by over 50
percent.
Devoney Looser’s book, Women Writers and Old Age in Great Britain,
1750-1850, was published by Johns
Hopkins University Press in August.
Go to www.press.jhu.edu/books/
title_pages/9473.html. Devoney currently serves as president of the
Midwest Modern Language Association, a non-profit organization of
teachers and scholars of literature,
language, and culture, and will preside at its meeting in Minneapolis,
Nov. 13-16.
Bruce Smith began teaching physical
education to sixth through twelfth
grades and high school Spanish, in
addition to coaching B-squad football, at LeRoy-Ostrander (Minn.)
School in September.
88
Melanie Herrera opened a
franchise in Apple Valley,
Minn., of Butterfly Life Fitness,
which focuses around solutions for
fitness, weight loss, and healthy living for women. Melanie was Augsburg’s first female All-American
athlete.
Anne Panning’s collection of short
stories, Super America, was published in October. The New York
Times Book Review said, “[It] radiates infectious optimism … Her enchanting Norahs and Alices, Tobys
and Theos drag you effortlessly into
their very American lives … ."
89
Rev. La Andriamihaja, pastor
of Jordan New Life Church in
North Minneapolis, helped launch
the “Jordan New Life Hub” to help
residents identify social services.
The project is a partnership sponsored by the ELCA between suburban and urban congregations to
bring volunteers together.
Geoffrey Gage was named in September 2007 to the University of St.
Thomas Board of Trustees. He is
founder and president of the Geoffrey Carlson Gage marketing and advertising firm.
52
Augsburg Now
94
Brad Klein and his wife, Lanica (Lynch) ’95 proudly announce the birth of their identical
twin boys, Noah Addison and
Micah Andrew. They were born on
July 1, 2007, shortly after Brad
and Lanica celebrated their 10th
anniversary on June 21. Brad is a
senior systems analyst at the ELCA
Board of Pension, and Lanica is
public school librarian turned stayat-home mom for the near future.
lanicak@att.net.
94
95
Dan Werner and his wife,
Shayne Hamann, welcomed
the birth of their twin sons, Drake
and Dylan, born on May 10, 2007,
who are on their way to becoming
future Auggie football players, like
their dad.
97
Tracy (Holloway) Drier and
her husband, Thane ’99, announced the birth of their son,
Caden August, on March 15, 2007.
He joins big brother Tristan, 3.
Michelle (Strauss) Ohnstad returned
to work after being a stay-at-home
mom and has two positions—head
librarian at La Jolla Country Day
School and library media specialist
at Pacific Ridge School. She is also
co-editor of the AIM Library & Information Staffing Bulletin Blog.
Rachel (Roth) Erkkila is the registrar
for the Des Moines (Iowa) Area Community College. Previously she was
registrar at Dakota County Technical
College in Rosemount, Minn., and
Walden University in Minneapolis.
Mark Lorenzen and Dawn Van
Tassel ’95, St. Louis Park,
Minn., welcomed their first child,
daughter Julia Grace Lorenzen, on
Aug. 2, 2007.
91
Carla Beaurline, founder, cohost, co-producer, and account
executive of “Around Town” Media,
won the Twin Cities Media Network
Diamond Award for TV Personality of
the Year. In addition, she won TV
Sales Person of the Year. “Around
Town” airs on Metro Cable Network
Channel 6 in Minneapolis.
Tom Ross is the new associate head
coach-defense at Hanover College in
Hanover, Ind.
92
Larry Anderson published a
book, Raptured Alive: Return
of a Prodigal Son, in September
2007 and writes music for his
gospel band.
Gregory Stohr was named vice president of sales at Transtar Autobody
Technologies in Brighton, Mich., a
manufacturer of automotive refinish
and bodyshop repair products.
Sharol Tyra, of Life Illumination presentation and coaching, was elected
to serve a two-year term on the Minnesota Board of Directors of the National Speakers Association.
94
Jennifer (Feine) Hellie ’04 MAL
accepted a position as development coordinator at Lake Wapogasset Lutheran Bible Camp in
Amery, Wis. Previously she worked
as an admissions counselor and academic adviser at Augsburg.
95
Noelle (Hallblade) Epp was
named as marketing communications specialist in October at
Professional Services Marketing,
Inc. in New Brighton, Minn., and will
focus on copywriting services.
Dave Manka was named assistant
volleyball coach at North Dakota
State University in February.
96
Scott Magelssen and his wife,
Theresa (Hoar) ’95, live in
Bowling Green, Ohio, with their son,
Trygg Magelssen, born in 2005.
Scott teaches in the graduate theatre program at Bowling Green State
University and published a book in
spring 2007 about living history museums. Theresa teaches first grade
at Powell Elementary School in
North Baltimore, Ohio.
98
Aaron Cross and Katrina
Grimsey were married, after
15 years of friendship, first in the
United Kingdom and then in the
U.S. on July 6, 2007. Aaron is a
motivational speaker and received
Augsburg’s First Decade Award in
2005. They live south of London.
aaron.cross@motivationonwheels.com
99
Lisa Nos-Tollefson married
Mark Tollefson in December
2006. Lisa and Mark welcomed
the birth of Taylor Elizabeth on
Nov. 20, 2007.
Dr. Martin Richards was featured in
the Hudson Star Observer in July
about the geothermal heat pump
system he had installed at his home.
He expects to use only one-tenth of
the liquid propane gas that he used
last year without the pump. He is an
emergency room physician at
United Hospital in St. Paul, at the
Baldwin (Wis.) hospital and emergency rooms in Regina and Hastings, Minn.
98
99
Chris and Jaime (Kyle) ’01
Rothe moved last fall to
Rochester, Minn., with Kennedy,
2, and AJ, three months old.
00
Kathleen (Lindquist) Blilie and
her husband, Eric, welcomed the birth of Erin Catherine,
three months early on June 15,
2007, weighing 2 lb., 9 oz. She
joins big brothers Andrew and
Alexander and is loved by her
uncle, Orville Lindquist ’96.
Philip Berglin was named the
2006 Minnesota Businessman of the Year as a top U.S. business leader successfully integrating
business and financial success. In
March 2006 he traveled to Washington, D.C., to receive the award, attend a breakfast with President
Bush, and begin to meet over a
three-month period with Minnesota
legislators. He works at the Rum
River Lumber Company in Coon
Rapids.
Stacie (Ferrazzo) Chiodi and her
husband, Ron, welcomed the birth
of Cyrus Samuel, on February 5,
born in Bennington, Vt.
Tom Ruffaner was presented the Individual Achievement Commuter
Choice Award by MetroTransit
Rideshare in November for promoting commuter benefits and alternate
modes of transportation.
99
00
Jennifer (Crego) and Chad
Carls welcomed their fourth
son on July 10, 2007. Nicholas
Isaac joins brothers Tommy, 5,
A.J., 3, and Brock, 2. Chad is getting his administrative license (in
education) and Jen is home with
the boys.
00
Trena Bolden Fields and
Jerome Fields ’01 announced
the birth of their daughter, Kayla
Lee, born Aug. 18, 2007.
Jill Ruprecht was married to
Joseph Camp on Sept. 2,
2007 in Macomb, Ill. They currently
live in Chicago.
00
MacAdam Gordon and Nicole
Robertson were married on
November 10 in Minneapolis. He
works as an insurance agent at Ray
Smith Insurance in Plymouth, Minn.
01
Hilary English Crook married
Jacob Seljan in Duluth, Minn.,
on September 29, 2007. The wed-
ding party included Emily Crook ’07
as maid of honor, Eilidh Reyelts ’06
as personal attendant, and DJ
Hamm ’08 as usher. Also in attendance were Auggies Nancy English
’73, Ann Bostelmann Webster ’96,
Karin (Sabo) Mantor ’86, Julie Sabo
’90, and Martin Sabo ’59. Norwegian professor Frankie Shackelford
also attended. Hilary is an attorney
working at Thomson West in Legal
Sales, and Jacob is vice president of
the Risk Analytics Department of US
Bancorp. They live in Minnetonka.
Jessica (Norman) Hafemeyer opened
a law firm in Faribault, Minn., on
August 1, 2007, Ibeling Hafemeyer,
Ltd. The practice includes family
law, bankruptcy, and estate/probate
law. www.ibelinghaemeyer.com.
Angie Rieger was named an assistant hockey coach at Hamline University. She has also been chosen to
join the Whitecaps, Minnesota’s first
professional women’s hockey team.
Nicole (Warner) Simml, currently living in Frankfurt, Germany, performed a recital of 20th-century
American music last November at
the American Consul General’s residence in Markkleeberg.
02
Amy Carlson has completed
the surgical technology program at Saint Mary’s University of
Minnesota and has accepted a surgical technician position at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in
Minneapolis.
Lindsay (Bonner) Pavelka directed
the Galveston Island Children’s Chorus last year from September
through December. In summer
2007, she developed and directed
Summer on Stage, a children’s performing arts camp with the east-end
theatre company in Galveston. She
is an arts educator, voice instructor,
and actress in the Galveston area,
where she lives with her husband,
Matthew.
Zac Schnedler began last fall
03as a school/guidance coun-
selor for grades 7-12 in the Braham
(Minn.) school district.
Fall 2008
53
alumni class notes
Sara Willcut is in her first season on
the Minnesota Swarm Performance
Dance Team as well as teaching
dance, coaching dance teams, and
taking classes. She recently
launched Ascending Star Dance, an
online dance magazine, and helped
form the Ascending Star Dance
team, which performs at semi-professional football games in the MidAmerican Football League. She also
volunteers with her teams for Feed
My Starving Children.
04
Kelly Chapman graduated
magna cum laude from the
Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, Calif.
She is the winner of a full scholarship to attend the International Koefia Academy of Haute Couture and
Art of Costume in Italy. She is currently studying Italian in preparation
for her study.
Abbey Payeur is a sixth-grade integrated language arts and social
studies teacher at Oak View Middle
School in Andover, Minn. In May she
was honored as one of the 20 recipients of the Teacher Outstanding Performance (TOP) awards, presented
by the Anoka-Hennepin School District. She was also one of four winners of a $1,000 grant for a project
at her school, plus a cash award.
Laura Simones completed the Ford
Ironman Florida 2007 triathlon last
fall, placing 872 out of the nearly
2600 participants and 18 of 68 in
her division. In addition she completed the Triple By-Pass in Colorado (100+ miles with three climbs
over 10,000 ft.) and then biked
back to Minnesota.
05
Michael Howard is a communications specialist at the Minnesota House of Representatives.
michaelhoward10@gmail.com
Jeremiah Knabe received a Master of
Divinity degree from Princeton Theological Seminary on June 16.
Rebecca Welle ran the New York
Marathon last fall, finishing 4422 in
the field of 40,000 runners. She cut
about six minutes off her previous
personal best, finishing in 3:31:56.
54
Augsburg Now
07
Aaron Dowzak and Emily Hull
were married on Sept. 1,
2007, and moved to Port St. Lucie,
Fla., where Aaron is director of
youth and family junior and senior
high at Immanuel Lutheran Church,
and where they will love happily ever
after.
Christianna Schmit is interning in
music therapy at University Hospitals, Case Medical Campus, in
Cleveland, Ohio. Her supervisor and
their music therapy program were
recently featured in the “Making a
Difference” segment on NBC Nightly
News.
01
Marie and Brent Odenbrett ’02
welcomed the birth of Emma
Louise Marie on Oct. 19, 2007.
02
02
John Goodale married Crystal
Thompson at St. Peter’s
Lutheran Church in Swanville,
Minn., on July 28, 2007. Crystal is
a 2004 graduate of the University
of Minnesota’s Carlson School of
Management and is employed at
Graco, Inc. in NE Mpls as a channel marketing specialist. John is
employed as an account executive
at Novus Print Media in Plymouth.
They live in Maple Grove, Minn.
03
Nicolas Thomley ’06 MBA was featured last fall in Twin Cities Business
and honored in January in their
2007 Small Business Success Stories as the co-founder (at age 19) of
Pinnacle Services, Inc. This company, which has grown rapidly, provides services to people with
disabilities, including help in finding
housing and employment, in-home
care, etc.
She works during the day at the
Center for International Health at
Regions Hospital. Her husband,
Rev. Tchanong Hurh, is pastor at
House of God Trinity Christian
Church in St. Paul.
Frank Huebner and his wife,
Elizabeth, announced the
birth of their son, Andrew, on July
13, 2007. They live in New
Prague, Minn.
Tim Wahl and Lisa Uehling were married on Aug. 18, 2007, in Rochester,
Minn. They live in Minneapolis
where Tim teaches math at Rosemount High School and Lisa works
in the Technology Leadership Program at Target headquarters in Minneapolis.
Katie Winter began in Sept. 2007 as
a reporter for the Pipestone County
Star in Pipestone, Minn.
Graduate Programs
Jeff Falkingham ’95 MAL was a finalist in the Young Adult Fiction category of the Independent Book
Publishing Professionals Group
2008 Next Generation Indie Book
Awards for his book, Sherlock
Holmes and the County Courthouse
Caper. The book was originally published by Beavers Pond Press of
Edina, Minn., in September 2001
and re-released in June 2007, with
all proceeds going to flood victims in
Jeff’s hometown of Browns Valley,
Minn. www.cccaper.com
Jim Addington ’93 MAL was named a
“Facing Race Ambassador” by the
St. Paul Foundation for the work he
has done over many years and
through the Minnesota Collaborative
Anti-Racism Initiative that he and
his late wife, Imani-Nadine Addington, founded in 1995. Jim has
helped more than 20,000 people at
churches, colleges, and public institutions to understand and dismantle
racism.
Heather Reeve ’00 PA has been a
physician assistant at the ELEAH
Medical Center in Elbow Lake, Minn
.
May Mua ’01 PA has partnered with
Dr. Phua Xiong to establish Quik Urgent Care Clinic, the first Asian
American privately-owned and operated urgent care facility in St. Paul.
Danny Storm and Sarah
Schultz ’04 were married in
Hoversten Chapel on Aug. 2.
Danny is an audit/tax accountant
with Denny Hecker Automotive
Group and Sarah is a child protection social worker with Hennepin
county in Minneapolis. They live in
Brooklyn Park, Minn.
Alissa Abelson ’06 MSW welcomed a
baby girl, Madilyn Gwen, on July 21,
2007. She lives in New York and is a
social worker at FEGS in downtown
Manhattan.
Gwen Nordahl ’07 PA joined the Battle Lake Clinic in Battle Lake, Minn.,
as a physician assistant in October.
Send us your news and photos
03
Emily Gerard and her husband, Craig Maus, welcomed
their daughter, Caroline Mae, on
Feb. 8.
04
Julie Andert and Jeremy Nelson ’05 were married on Oct.
20 in Pax Christi Catholic Community Church in Eden Prairie, Minn.
Wedding party Auggies included
Kiera Peterson ’04, Rebeca Welle
’05, Joshua Remme ’06, Tyler
Kraft ’06, and Joseph Wessbecker
’04. Julie works in human resources at West Side Community
Health Services, and Jeremy works
for Comcast in Sales and Marketing. They built a home together in
Blaine.
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an
obituary, funeral notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail
to: Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146,
2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55454, or e-mail to
alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news to the
Augsburg Online Community at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Full name
Maiden name
Class year or last year attended
Street address
05
Jamie Ann Johnson married
Christopher Kerestes in
Grand Teton National Park in
Wyoming. They live in Newark,
Del., where Jamie is pursuing a
Master of Public Administration
degree at the University of
Delaware and an associate degree
in nursing through Delaware Technical and Community College.
Chris is a research assistant and
PhD candidate in electrical engineering working to improve solar
cells for solar energy.
City, State, Zip
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Home telephone
05
Paul Raukar and Chelsea
Haxton welcomed the birth
of their son, Evan Tyler, on May
30, 2007, born in Virginia, Minn.
Paul is a self-employed business
owner. praukar77@hotmail.com
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Employer
Position
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
If yes, class year
Spouse’s name
Maiden name
06
Ryan Adrian-Hendrick Rivard
and Kristin Gulbrandson announce the birth of their daughter
Nora Lucille Rivard, born Dec. 31,
2006. They live in Evanston, Ill.,
where Ryan is a student at
Chicago-Kent College of Law.
riss23@gmail.com
Sara Holman married David
06Nash on July 26 in Wisconsin
Your news:
Dells, Wis. They currently live in
Omaha, Neb., where Sara is a
copywriter for THT Designs and
David is a medical student at
Creighton University.
Fall 2008
55
my
Auggie experience
Patrick Flood ’08
B.S., social work, with a minor in religion
Patrick Flood, a 2008 graduate, reflected on his four years at
Augsburg…
“During opening convocation in 2004, the freshmen marched to
the chapel as professors lined the path, clapping and welcoming
us. They didn’t know us yet but they were there to support us.
After four long years, many of those same professors once again
lined up on Commencement day, clapping and congratulating us
on a job well done. I couldn’t have imagined on that first day
what the impact of this would be.
How I became an Auggie: It was important for me to stay in the
ELCA family, since my mother is a Lutheran pastor. Attending a
small private liberal arts college in an urban setting also appealed to me. (What really sold me, however, were Augsburg’s
skyways and tunnels that make life much more comfortable in
the dead of winter!)
Augsburg highlight: During my junior year I had an opportunity to
study abroad by taking a spring semester course—Social Work in
a Latin American Context—through the Center for Global Education (CGE). The program was centered in Cuernavaca, Mexico
and focused on experiential learning, global perspectives, and
social and economic justice. During the semester I took a Spanish language class, three classes in social work, and completed
an internship at Las Palomas, a local nursing home. … I learned
a lot about the differences between our cultures. In Mexico it’s
much more traditional for the elderly to be cared for by their children; they become part of the nuclear family structure. The number of elderly in nursing homes is much lower than in the U.S.
The Augsburg impact: Conversations with professors and students had a very positive influence on me. My religion class with
Professor Mary Lowe challenged my thoughts and beliefs. Her
enthusiasm rubs off on students and pushes them to think critically and analytically about the Bible and how that can translate
into bigger issues.
Next steps: Although I am a social work major, I was a student
worker in Augsburg’s Institutional Advancement office for four
years. I learned about the importance of giving back to the community through philanthropy and stewardship. Because of those
experiences and one-on-one mentoring, I’m interested in pursuing an entry-level job in development. Wherever life takes me, I
feel well prepared for the journey, thanks to Augsburg.
INTERVIEWED BY JENNIFER L. HIPPLE, WEEKEND COLLEGE STUDENT
56
Augsburg Now
CAROLYN AND DALE ’60 HANKA are firm believers in free enterprise
and entrepreneurship, a fact that’s reflected in their successful careers. Carolyn was a university marketing instructor; Dale was a financial planner and bank president. Together they owned and managed a
title company.
Now retired, the couple is acknowledging the importance of
Augsburg College to their success by establishing an endowed scholarship.
“We thoroughly appreciated our time as students at Augsburg
College. The College gave us so much—small classes, individual attention from professors, and the opportunity to learn teamwork and
leadership.
Today the College is still a very special place. Faculty and staff
challenge students to grow in academic achievement as well as in
personal relationships. The College’s vision that “we are called to
serve our neighbor” is vital to the college community, the community
“The College gave us so much—
small classes, individual attention
from professors, and the opportunity
to learn teamwork and leadership.”
around Augsburg, and the world we live in.
When we decided to acknowledge the importance of Augsburg in
our lives by establishing the Dale and Carolyn Hanka Business Scholarship, Augsburg provided us with the ideas and counsel that made it
easy through a charitable gift annuity. Not only does it establish a
scholarship, but we receive income and tax benefits.
The best benefit? Knowing that scholarships make an Augsburg
education possible for so many students.”
YOU HAVE A VISION FOR AUGSBURG.
P L A N N E D G I V I N G C A N M A K E I T A R E A L I T Y.
Become a member of the Sven Oftedal Society at Augsburg by making a gift through your will, trust, life insurance, or other
planned gift. There are many ways to give a gift that will last a lifetime and make a difference for Augsburg students.
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Watercolor
Taking advantage of the beautiful fall colors along
the Mississippi River, art professor Tara Sweeney
took her beginning watercolor class down along the
St. Paul shoreline.
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
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Augsburg
Now
COMMENCEMENT 2007
INTERNATIONAL PHOTO
CONTEST
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
SUMMER 2007
VOL. 69, NO. 4
Diggin’ Dinos
in Murphy Square
page 6
P. 4
P. 7
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Augsburg
Now
COMMENCEMENT 2007
INTERNATIONAL PHOTO
CONTEST
A P U B L I C AT I O N F O R
AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS
SUMMER 2007
VOL. 69, NO. 4
Diggin’ Dinos
in Murphy Square
page 6
P. 4
P. 7
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Page 2
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Notes
from President Pribbenow on…
Staff Writer
Bethany Bierman
bierman@augsburg.edu
Design Manager
Kathy Rumpza
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Class Notes Designer
Students at the center of our lives
I
t is the end of July as I pen these Notes for the
summer 2007 issue of Augsburg Now, and we
have just concluded our summer orientation
for more than 400 incoming first-year
students, the Class of 2011. I am as energized
as always by the sense of wonder and hope that
comes with an incoming class of college students!
At the other end of the continuum, you will
find in the following pages the stories and images
of our two 2007 Commencement ceremonies—the
first early in May for our day undergraduates and
our physician assistant graduate students; the
second late in June for our weekend
undergraduates and the other five graduate
programs (nursing, social work, education,
leadership, and business administration). All
combined, we graduated more than 900 new
Auggie alums this spring—what grand
celebrations we enjoyed!
I have been thinking a lot about this
continuum of student experiences—and have
enjoyed some rich and important conversations
the past several months with the Augsburg
community about how we might better honor the
centrality of students to our life as a college.
It is, above all, about the promise we make to
our students. Let’s call it the Augsburg Promise. As
students come to us, no matter their prior
experience or background, we regard them as:
Photographer
As they enter the College—as undergraduates or
graduate students—we engage them in missionbased academic and social experiences that
prepare them for meaningful work and service in
the world. In the classroom, on the playing fields,
in the residence halls, on stage, and in the
neighborhood, students enter a teaching and
learning community that prepares them to make a
living and to make a life in the world.
And as they leave us, our students remain at
the center of our lives as graduates whose lives
and work are emblems of this college’s aspirations
and commitments. We expect them to have gained
an informed vision of the world, focused on
discovery and appreciating difference. We prepare
them for intelligent understanding, full of curiosity
and a commitment to dialogue. And we offer them
remarkable opportunities for relevant experience,
learning to apply what they have learned and lead
others.
Students are at the center of our lives. There is
no more energizing and engaging work. And there
are few places that do it as well as Augsburg
College. It is the Augsburg Promise, a promise we
strive to keep each and every day.
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Faithfully yours,
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services,
CB 142,
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
• Gifted—a gift to us and the world, to be cared
for, educated, and nurtured,
• Called—on a vocational path that we will help
them discern and navigate,
• Accountable—persons of responsibility
and integrity.
Signe Peterson
petersos@augsburg.edu
Media Relations Manager
Judy Petree
petree@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President
of Marketing and
Communication
David Warch
warch@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni Relations
Heidi Breen
breen@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published
quarterly by Augsburg College,
2211 Riverside Ave.,
Minneapolis, Minn., 55454.
Opinions expressed in Augsburg
Now do not necessarily reflect
official College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Paul C. Pribbenow, president
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
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Summer 2007
4
Contents
Features
4
2007 International Programs Photo Contest
Selected winners of the seventh annual student photo contest for
international study programs showcase the experiences of students abroad.
6
An “Auggieasaurus” in Murphy Square
by Betsey Norgard
7
Senior Jen Janda created the “Auggieasaurus” as Augsburg’s entry in the
Science Museum of Minnesota’s Diggin’ Dinos project.
7
Commencement 2007—May
Nearly 400 students in undergraduate semester programs
and the Physician Assistant program received their diplomas in May.
10
Commencement 2007—June
In the College’s first Commencement focused on programs in the
trimester schedule, undergraduate and graduate students who studied on
weekends and evenings received their degrees.
Departments
10
On the Cover: “Auggieasaurus” is one of
about 50 dinosaur statues decorated and
displayed by local businesses and organizations
as part of the Science Museum’s 100th-year
anniversary project, Diggin’ Dinos. Studio art
major Jen Janda created Augsburg’s entry.
2
3
13
inside
back
cover
Around the Quad
Supporting Augsburg
Alumni News
Calendar
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
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Page 4
AROUND THE QUAD
NOTEWORTHY
Social Work Student
of the Year
Lisa Luinenburg ’07 was named
Social Work Student of the Year
by the Minnesota Chapter of the
National Association of Social
Workers (NASW) for her
“outstanding scholarship and
service to the community.” She
graduated in May with double
majors in social work and
international relations.
Physician Assistant
program earns
national award
Augsburg’s Physician Assistant
program was recently awarded the
2007 American Academy of
Physician Assistants’ Constituent
Organization Award of
Achievement for a high school
curriculum project developed in
2005. With the help of the
Minnesota Academy of Physician
Assistants (MAPA), the PA faculty
developed a program to educate
high school students about the
role of a PA, increase the diversity
among PA providers, and provide
health education and hands-on
learning.
In May 2006 and 2007,
Augsburg hosted high school
groups on campus who
participated in interactive
educational activities on how
diseases, specifically HIV and
other sexually transmitted
infections, can spread, as well as
how to administer a neurological
exam and take blood pressures.
Current PA students and recent
graduates helped with the
teaching.
2 AUGSBURG NOW
Nou Chang ’09 joins
Minnesota’s Future
Doctors
Junior Nou Chang participated
this summer in Minnesota’s Future
Doctors, a program to explore the
medical profession that is
sponsored by the University of
Minnesota and Mayo Medical
School. Over three summers, it
aims to increase the number of
Minnesota minority, immigrant,
and rural physicians by helping
these students develop academic
skills, an understanding of
medicine, and an appreciation for
serving in an underserved
community.
Chang, a biology and English
major with a religion minor,
immigrated with her family to
Rochester, Minn., from Thailand
in 1988. She also is the recipient
of a Jay and Rose Phillips Family
Foundation Scholarship that
awards potential student leaders
who intend to dedicate a portion
of their lives to community
service. She works with homeless
Hmong refugee children, ages 612, in partnership with the
Southeast Asian Community
Council, and hopes to create a
center where the homeless
children can participate in
culturally-based programs.
Rick Thoni retires as
WEC celebrates
25 years
As Weekend College celebrated 25
years in May, the program’s
founder, Rick Thoni, prepared to
retire from the College in June,
after 35 years of service.
Mia Bothun, WEC student body
president, spoke at the 25th anniversary
celebration on behalf of WEC students,
urging them to become more involved
in building greater community.
Rick Thoni, with his wife, Linda, listened
as President Pribbenow announced the
creation of the Richard J. Thoni Award
for a graduating WEC student that
Thoni joined Augsburg in
1972 as a part-time psychology
professor and counselor in the
Student Affairs Office and went on
to fill such roles as associate dean
of students, acting vice president
of student affairs, vice president
for research and development,
director of Weekend College, and
vice president for enrollment
management.
On May 17, students, faculty,
staff, and alumni of Weekend
College gathered to look back on
a quarter century. President
Pribbenow commented that the
number of stories from faculty and
staff of being asked to help
students get an education clearly
demonstrates the organic nature of
how WEC grew, beginning with
the student at the center.
He also commented on the
commitment of Rick Thoni and
others in WEC who didn’t merely
launch the program, but threw
themselves into the work of
meeting students’ needs.
would honor him “in an abiding way.”
Don Gustafson, professor of
history, applauded WEC students
and described the rewards of
teaching in WEC—meeting
students who bring different
experiences, perspectives, and
commitment to class.
In Thoni’s honor, President
Pribbenow announced the
creation of the Richard J. Thoni
Award, which will be given
annually to a graduating WEC
student whose actions,
commitments, and future
aspirations most profoundly
demonstrate a commitment to
Augsburg’s motto, “Education for
Service.”
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SUPPORTING AUGSBURG
The Kennedy Center—
filled with Auggie spirit
On May 4, the dedication of the Kennedy Center, the three-story
addition to Melby Hall, brought together Augsburg alumni, donors,
regents, faculty, staff, and students in celebration of Augsburg
athletics, fitness, and health and physical education.
Greco-wrestling champion Alan Rice
President Pribbenow expressed gratitude to
was greeted by President Pribbenow
the family of former regent James Haglund
in front of the Alan and Gloria Rice
and his wife, Kathleen, whose gifts provided
Wrestling Center, a state-of-the-art
the spacious, new fitness center bearing their
training facility for Augsburg’s
family name.
championship team and GrecoRoman wrestling.
President Pribbenow (second from left), together with President Emeritus William
Frame (left) and lead donors Dean ‘75 and Terry Kennedy, cut the ribbon to showcase
the new training, fitness, locker, classroom, and hospitality facilities.
The Lute Olson Hall of Champions highlights and celebrates the accomplishments of
The open entryway provided a great gathering place for
the many Auggie student-athletes across 18 men’s and women’s intercollegiate sports.
the Augsburg community to celebrate the dedication.
SUMMER 2007 3
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2007 International Programs Photo Contest
FIRST PLACE
“Mysterious Ireland”
Anthony Porter ‘07, Wicklow, Ireland
SECOND PLACE
“Cliffside: Bonsai Overlooking Tea Hills”
Ryan Treptow ‘07, Munnar, Kerala, India
THIRD PLACE
“Beneath African Skies”
Krista Costin ‘08, Ada-Foah, Ghana
LANDSCAPE
4 AUGSBURG NOW
HONORABLE
MENTION
“Eiffel Tower“
Laura Henry ‘07,
Paris, France
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PHOTOJOURNALISM
SECOND PLACE
“Untitled”
Jennifer Oliver ‘07, Chiang Mai, Thailand
FIRST PLACE AND BEST IN SHOW
“Pilgrims and Three Oceans Converge at Sunrise”
Ryan Treptow ‘07, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu, India
THIRD PLACE
PORTRAITS
“The Boat Keeper”
Allison Hutterer ‘07, Rabat, Morocco
SECOND PLACE
“Lumbini Woman”
Ryan Treptow ‘07, Bijapur,
Northern Karnataka, India
FIRST PLACE
“Las Hermanitas” (“The Little Sisters”)
Megan Schiller ‘07,
San Lucas Toliman, Guatemala
SUMMER 2007 5
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ugsburg senior Jen Janda has
been “Diggin’ Dinos” this
summer—not on an
archeological dig in Egypt, but
in downtown St. Paul. It’s part
of the “Diggin’ Dinos” summer celebration
honoring the 100th anniversary of the
Science Museum of Minnesota. Beginning
Memorial Day weekend, 53 dinosaurs were
placed around the streets of St. Paul, mostly
downtown, and seven in the parks of
Minneapolis as part of their 150th
anniversary celebration.
Much like the Snoopy statues a few years
ago, these dinosaurs have been painted by
local artists. Until Labor Day, Janda’s 4.5 feet
tall by 8 feet long, 80 lb. dinosaur will live in
Murphy Square, Minneapolis’s oldest park,
located in the heart of Augsburg’s campus.
When the College joined the project,
Janda was selected as Augsburg’s designer by
the art faculty. In keeping with the overall
theme, she named the dinosaur
“Auggieasaurus.” All the statues were painted
during the Diggin’ Dinos Paint-Off at
RiverCentre in St. Paul, just before Memorial
Day weekend.
“My idea for the Auggieasaurus was to
incorporate Murphy Square’s history
into a ‘map’ of the various
activities that go on in the
Page 8
park each spring and fall because of its
location in Augsburg College’s campus,”
Janda says. Around the base of the statue,
she inscribed:
Murphy Square Celebrating 150 Years,
1857-2007 “From cow pasture to
community center” The Dinosaur
of Minneapolis Parks
The activities she depicts on the
Auggieasaurus are:
• Runners—The Auggie cross-country team
runs around Murphy Square every fall.
• A biker—Minneapolis has many biking
commuters who travel through the park
area every day.
• A picnic scene
• A student reading Murphy Square, the
College’s literary and arts journal
• Kayaks, representing Minnesotans’ love of
the outdoors
The four legs of the Auggieasaurus are
designed to represent the Minneapolis
skyline, Augsburg campus, Seward
neighborhood, and the University of
Minnesota.
On Sept. 9, all the statues will be
auctioned off to benefit the work of the
Science Museum of Minnesota in its next
century.
Janda is a senior in the Honors Program,
with an art studio major. During the summer
she is working on a project to illustrate a
book for children in hospitals to help them
understand medical treatments
and surgery. She also works as
a graphic designer in the
Marketing and
Communication Office.
• A Somali family, representing the rich
cultural diversity of our neighborhood
• Frisbee players
• The Campus Kitchen van that delivers
meals in the neighborhood
A
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lives in murphy square
by Betsey Norgard
and Judy Petree
page design by Jen Janda ’08
A Paint-Off took place in downtown St. Paul
as local artists created dinosaurs to be placed
around the city, all in honor of the Science
6 AUGSBURG NOW
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traditional day undergraduates and master’s program in physician assistant studies
commencement
Jeanette Clark receives Marina Christensen
Justice Award
Jeanette Clark, a senior graduating with a double major in metrourban studies and youth and family ministry, was selected as the 2007
recipient of the Marina Christensen Justice Award. Each year, this
honor is presented to the graduating senior who best exemplifies
Augsburg’s motto, “Education for Service.”
Clark, a President’s Scholar, participated in the Honors Program as
well as Concert Band. At Augsburg, she held numerous leadership
roles, including serving as a campus ministry commissioner, resident
adviser, and leadership team member for the Campus Kitchen at
Augsburg College.
As a Spanish minor, Clark spent a semester in Cuernavaca,
Mexico, through Augsburg’s Center for Global Education, where she
worked for a pre-school and after-school program.
This past year, Clark created a spring break opportunity for
students staying in Minneapolis, called “Go Away Here.” In order to
show students opportunities in the city, it included service projects,
visits to neighborhood organizations such as the Sierra Club and East
African Women’s Center, and social outings.
The award recipient must have demonstrated a dedication to
community involvement as characterized by the personal and
professional life of Marina Christensen Justice, who reached out to
disadvantaged people and communities.
— Jen Winter ’07
Senior Jeanette Clark was honored with the Marina Christensen Justice award from
President Pribbenow for her work in the community and on campus.
May
2007
SUMMER 2007 7
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Eboo Patel, founder of the Chicago-based Interfaith Youth
Core, in his Commencement speech, described the “faith line”
that separates religious pluralists, who seek tolerance and
cooperation, from the religious totalitarians.
excerpts
from the
commencement address
“The Faith Line: On Building the Cathedrals of Pluralism”
Eboo Patel
… In his new book, Peace Be upon You,
Zachary Karabell writes: “If we
emphasize hate, scorn, war, and
conquest, we are unlikely to perceive
that any other path is viable … ”.
Hate, scorn, war, and conquest
sounds like a pretty good summary of
our newscasts; it certainly seems like
the dominant narrative of our times.
And the soundtrack of violence these
days appears to be prayer—in Arabic,
in Hebrew, in Hindi, in various
inflections of English.
There are many who are eager to
divide humanity along a faith line:
Sunnis vs. Shias, Catholics vs.
Protestants, Hindus vs. Buddhists.
I believe there is something else
going on. I believe that the faith line is
indeed the challenge of our century,
but it does not divide people of
different religious backgrounds. The
faith line does not separate Muslims
and Christians or Hindus and Jews.
The faith line separates religious
totalitarians and religious pluralists.
A religious totalitarian is someone
who seeks to suffocate those who are
different. Their weapons range from
suicide bombs to media empires. There
are Christian totalitarians and Hindu
totalitarians and Jewish totalitarians
and Muslim totalitarians. They are on
the same side of the faith line: arm in
arm against the dream of a common
life together.
A pluralist is someone who seeks to
live with people who are different, be
enriched by them, help them thrive.
Pluralists resonate with the Qur’annic
line, “God made us different nations
and tribes that we may come to know
one another.” Pluralists are moved by
the image of the Reverend Martin
Luther King Jr. marching together with
the Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel in
Selma. Pluralists love the words of the
poet Gwendolyn Brooks:
We are each other’s business
We are each other’s harvest
We are each other’s magnitude
and bond…
We pluralists far outnumber the
totalitarians. What if we let ourselves
imagine? What if we began building?
What if every city block were a
cathedral of pluralism; every university
campus; every summer camp and day
care. There would not be enough
bombs in the world to destroy all of
our cathedrals.
Read the full Commencement Address at
www.augsburg.edu/commencement/
patel.pdf
President Emeritus Charles S. Anderson (right), who led the
College from 1980-1997 during a period of significant growth,
received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree.
Maria Belen Power is the third in her family to
graduate from Augsburg. She poses here with
sister and brother Ana Gabriela ’05 and Camilo
Jose ’02, and their uncle, Dennis Power, from
White Plains, N.Y. The three grads are from
Managua, Nicaragua, where their mother,
Kathleen McBride, is the Center for Global
Education regional co-director for Central
America and adjunct professor.
8 AUGSBURG NOW
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As the graduates process down the street lined with faculty, hands are shaken, hugs exchanged, and high-fives given.
m”
Theatre arts professors Darcey Engen ’88
Physician Assistant program director Dawn
(second from left) and Martha Johnson (second
Ludwig places the master’s hood on Huong
from right) pose with grads James Lekatz (left)
Timp, one of the 31 newly-graduated PA
and Justin Hooper (right).
students.
President Emeritus William V. Frame, who retired last year from
Augsburg, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
degree, and was lauded for his work in sharpening the mission
of the College.
SUMMER 2007 9
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The flags of the Commencement procession represent the countries of Augsburg’s graduating students.
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weekend, evening, and graduate programs
commencement
Faculty line both sides of the street as
graduates march through them on their
way to the ceremony.
June
Nursing Department chair Cheryl Leuning takes a photo of instructor
Pauline Utesch ’05 MAN (right) with graduates in the Bachelor of
Science nursing completion degree program.
Roberta Kagin, associate professor and director of the
music therapy program, shares a graduation moment
with her daughter, Julia (Metzler) Mensing ‘00, who
serves on Augsburg’s Alumni Board and received her
10 AUGSBURG NOW
MBA degree.
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Angela Brand receives first
Richard J. Thoni Award
In honor of his retirement from Augsburg,
the Richard J. Thoni Award was established
earlier this year. It was awarded for the first
time on June 24 to Angela Brand, a social
work major.
Beyond the required 240 hours of public
service volunteer work Brand completed for
her major, she also provided parenting
instruction and visitation supervision to a
working mother in Chisago County. She
facilitated and organized meetings to ensure
that the transportation needs of clients at
the Chisago County Social Services office
were met.
Additionally, Brand developed an
evaluation of the youth-oriented services
provided by Chisago County Social Services.
The county is currently following up on her
recommendations to ensure that youth are
better prepared for their transition into
adulthood.
During his or her time at Augsburg, the
award recipient must have demonstrated a
dedication to the kind of community
involvement characterized by the personal
and professional life of Richard J. Thoni,
who until his retirement in June 2007,
served as a tireless advocate for higher
education at Augsburg.
— Jen Winter ’07
Social work major Angela Brand is the first recipient of the Richard J. Thoni Award, established in honor of the
retiring Weekend College founder and given to a weekend student committed to service in the community.
Dean Barbara Edwards Farley places a doctoral hood on
Srividya Raman, who received her master’s
Martin Marty, retired University of Chicago professor and
degree in social work, spoke on behalf of the
historian of religion, who was awarded an honorary Doctor
Class of 2007 and told how, after receiving a
of Humane Letters degree. In his Commencement speech,
business degree in India, she realized her
he gave suggestions about learning to live life as a process,
passion was in “doing something different that
not a product, continually questioning and testing.
was closer to [her] heart.”
A future college coed straightens the tassel of her mom’s
mortar board following Commencement.
More than 50 graduating students and their families from Rochester were able to leave the driving to
Augsburg and relax on their way to and from the Commencement ceremony.
SUMMER 2007 11
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Page 14
Going to college with your mom
With more classes than ever offered in Weekend College, more
students are finding out what it’s like to attend college with their
parents. The Clark and the Spargo families are two who have had
more than one generation attend Augsburg simultaneously. Jeanette
Clark and her mother, Mary Simonson Clark, both graduated in the
spring. The Spargos have three family members graduating from
Augsburg this year and next. According to Clark, “Augsburg’s
graduate programs and Weekend College facilitate adult learning and,
therefore, increase the prevalence of multi-generational students in
families.”
The Clark family went through four commencements this past
spring. There were so many that Mary referred to their graduation
schedule as: “It’s a weekend, who needs a robe?” Jeanette graduated
from Augsburg with a Bachelor of Arts degree in youth and family
ministry and metro-urban studies on May 5. Mary graduated from
Luther Seminary with a Master of Arts in theology on May 27. Mary’s
other daughter, Marie, graduated from the New School of
Architecture and Design in San Diego, Calif., with a Master of
Architecture on June 16, and Mary received the other half of her dual
degree, a Master of Social Work, from Augsburg, on June 24.
Concerning being coeds together, Mary said, “I needed to learn
how to be on the same campus with my daughter without either of
us interfering with each other’s schedules.” Jeanette added, “To be
honest, I had some small anxieties when my mother started college at
Augsburg. It just doesn’t fit the norm to go to college with your
mother.” But both assert that not only did it work, but that the family
grew closer because of it. Jeanette claimed, “I think it was really good
for both of us to have others in our family who were going through
the stress of homework, tests, etc. at the same time. I think this really
promoted understanding.”
Jeanette Clark (left) who graduated in May, shares graduation joy with her mother,
Mary Simonson Clark, who completed dual master’s degrees at Luther Seminary and
Augsburg College. For more on Jeanette, see page 7.
The Spargos had three members attending Augsburg last year, and
all three participated in Advent Vespers. Antonio graduated in May
with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics and secondary education.
Carolyn, mother to Annika and Antonio, graduated from Augsburg in
1980 and will complete the Master of Arts in Leadership program
next year. She says, “It’s been fun to have some of the same professors
my kids have.” Annika, who will graduate next year also, with a
Bachelor of Arts in music and education, adds, “Although there are
several of us on campus, we all have our separate programs which
allow us to maintain some individuality.” Continuing, she says, “I
think the neatest thing about being a family of Auggies is that I have
seen and met so many different people from different departments at
the school whom I normally would not know.”
— Jen Winter ’07
the class of 2007—956 graduates
May 5, 2007—semester programs
31 Master of Science, Physician Assistant Studies students
409 Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Science
440 Total graduating
June 24, 2007—trimester programs
234 Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science
172 Weekend College
52 Rochester
10 United/Unity/Mercy Hospitals
20 Master of Arts, Education
26 Master of Arts, Leadership
15 Master of Arts, Nursing
178 Master of Business Administration
43 Master of Social Work
516 Total graduating
An MBA degree was also awarded posthumously to Shika Addo,
a student in the program, who died in April 2006.
12 AUGSBURG NOW
ALUMNI NEWS
From the
Alumni Board
president …
Greetings fellow
Auggies,
Well, a year has come and gone.
My time as president of the
Alumni Association is at an end.
My hat is off to all the wonderful
folks on the Alumni Board and
to the faculty and staff at
Augsburg. They’re a great group
dedicated to Augsburg and her mission.
As I handed off the president’s role to Buffie Blesi, we had a great
strategic planning retreat in June to define our new objectives.
I’m excited to report to you that our focus areas for 2007 include:
• Augsburg Stewards—Connect with the Augsburg Stewards and
build our Auggie Pride!
• Career Development Program—support Augsburg’s efforts
around Career Development for (soon to be) alumni;
• Gateway—participate in the opening of the Oren Gateway
Center and ongoing activities there
• Vespers—support the annual Advent Vespers programming
• Awards Committee—honor Auggies each year who have done
amazing things in service to the world and Augsburg’s mission
• Augsburg Now Advisory Committee—provide input and advice
to the great group of folks producing the Augsburg Now
• Affinity Groups—build connections with other groups at
Augsburg
• Fundraising—help build Augsburg’s strength through support
of the Annual Fund
Centennial
Singers perform in
the Twin Cities
The Centennial Singers, a male
chorus of Augsburg alumni and
friends, will present a series of
concerts this fall in the greater
Twin Cities area.
The chorus was formed in the
early 1990s of former Augsburg
Quartet members to revive and
continue singing the gospel
quartet tradition. Since then,
they have toured both to Norway
and the Southwest U.S. twice.
Fall Concerts/Appearances:
Fri., Sept. 28, 7 p.m.
Faith Lutheran Church,
Staples, Minn.
Sat., Sept. 29, 7 p.m.
Salem Lutheran Church,
Deerwood, Minn.
Sun., Sept. 30, 4 p.m.
Cambridge Lutheran Church,
Cambridge, Minn.
Sat., Oct. 6, 7 p.m.
Christ the King Lutheran Church,
1900 7th St., New Brighton, Minn.
Sat., Oct. 20, 7 p.m.
Calvary Lutheran Church of
Golden Valley,\
7520 Golden Valley Rd.,
Golden Valley, Minn.
Benefit—Wilderness Canoe Base
Sun., Oct. 21, 4 p.m.
Colonial Church of Edina,
6200 Colonial Way, Edina, Minn.
Sat., Oct. 27, 7 p.m.
Community of the Cross
Lutheran Church,
10701 Bloomington Ferry Rd.,
Bloomington, Minn.
Sun., Oct. 28, 4 p.m.
King of Kings Lutheran Church,
1583 Radio Dr.,
Woodbury, Minn.
Sat., Nov. 3, 7 p.m.
Minnetonka Lutheran Church,
16023 Minnetonka Blvd.,
Minnetonka, Minn.
Sun, Nov. 4, 4 p.m.
St. Michael’s Lutheran Church,
9201 Normandale Blvd.,
Bloomington, Minn.
You are invited and encouraged to participate. Please contact the
Alumni Relations office.
All my best to you and your family as the cycle turns and we
start another year.
Barry M. Vornbrock ’96 MAL
President, Alumni Board, 2006-07
SUMMER 2007 13
CLASS NOTES
1950
1969
Frank Ario, Minneapolis, was
featured on the Minnesota Public
Radio show, Midday on May 18,
in a program, “Two Minnesotans
Touched by WWII; Two
Strikingly Different Stories.”
Royce Helmbrecht, Austin,
Minn., is principal at Lyle
Community School in Lyle,
Minn., a small school of 240
students recently named by
Newsweek in the top five percent
of high schools in the nation.
1952
Robert R. Hage Sr., Hector,
Minn., was entered into the
Minnesota High School Football
Coaches Hall of Fame on April
21. He is the former football
coach at Hector High School.
Rev. Orville Olson and his wife,
Yvonne (Bagley), Excelsior,
Minn., celebrated the 50th
anniversary of his ordination. He
is currently a pastor at Mount
Calvary Lutheran Church in
Excelsior. Gifts will be given to
the Timothy Olson Memorial
Scholarship, honoring their son.
John R. Hubbling, St. Paul,
Minn., received the Max Hecht
Award from ASTM International
Committee D19 on Water. The
committee cited Hubbling for his
outstanding service and
advancing the study of water. He
is laboratory manager for
Metropolitan Council/
Environmental Services in St.
Paul, and also serves on ASTM
International’s international
committees on waste
management, and quality and
standards.
1970
1967
Gerrie Wall (Neff), Rapid City,
S. Dak., retired in May, after a
five-decade teaching career, from
Western Dakota Technical
Institute (WDTI) in Rapid City,
where she has taught in the
general education department for
the last 18 years. At this year’s
commencement ceremony, she
received the Distinguished
Service Award from the school,
and is the first faculty member to
be honored with its highest
award.
Mary (Tweeten) Gladwin,
Pocatello, Idaho, has retired after
21 years in education. She taught
in Cottage Grove, Minn., and
was the media specialist at Grace
Lutheran and Hawthorne Middle
School in Pocatello, Idaho.
physical education and aquatics
in the Glynn County (Ga.)
schools. She was also principal
horn with the Coastal Symphony
of Georgia and played in other
bands and small brass groups. At
Augsburg, she played in a brass
group named Neophonic Brass
with Mike Savold, Bob Stacke,
Johnny English, and others, and
would love to continue playing
brass music.
1982
Les Heen, Maynard, Minn., was
recently appointed president and
general manager of Pioneer
Public Television in Appleton.
He and his wife, Barbara
(Westerlund) ’89, have two
children, Chris, 9, and Erik, 6.
Barbara (Mattison) Lagrue,
Lamberton, Minn., has recently
moved back to the Midwest,
with her husband, Paul. For
many years, she taught adaptive
14 AUGSBURG NOW
John Sheehan, Lakeville, Minn.,
has been named boys varsity
basketball head coach in
Lakeville South High School. For
seven years he was an assistant
coach with the Lakeville North
girls team.
1997
Jasmina Besirevic-Regan,
Hamden, Conn., and her
husband, Matt, welcomed their
second daughter, Lejla, on June
14, 2006.
Rev. Scott M. Ludford, Hayward,
Wis., was installed as senior
pastor of First Lutheran Church
on January 21, after serving at
Concordia Lutheran Church in
Superior, Wis., for eight-and-ahalf years.
1987
Jody Abbott was recently named
senior vice president and chief
operating officer at North Kansas
City (Mo.) Hospital to provide
direction for upper management
in the areas of nursing services,
support services, and facilities.
Previously, she worked at
Hillcrest Medical Center in Tulsa,
Okla., in a similar position.
1992
1975
1993
Rev. Judith Bangsund, San Jose,
Calif., is pastor, along with her
husband, Rev. James Bangsund,
at Timothy’s Lutheran Church.
She graduated in nursing, served
with her husband in Tanzania for
several years, and became
ordained.
Join the Augsburg
Online Community
• Keep in touch with
classmates
• Find out what’s happening
on campus
• Change/update your address
and e-mail
www.augsburg.edu/alumni
CLASS NOTES
1999
Cheri Johnson, Minneapolis,
received a $25,000 McKnight
Artist Fellowship for Writers,
through the Loft Literary Center,
in creative prose. She has
graduate degrees in English from
Hollins College and the
University of Minnesota and is a
regular participant in the English
Department Homecoming
Reading and Career Night.
2000
Sara M. Quigley, St. Paul, Minn.,
graduated on May 27 from
Luther Seminary with a Master
of Divinity degree. She is the
youth director at St. Stephen
Lutheran Church in White Bear
Lake, Minn., and hopes to
become ordained in the ELCA.
Jennifer Rensenbrink, and her
husband, Adam Miller,
Minneapolis, welcomed twins, a
boy and a girl, at Fairview
Riverside Hospital on June 9.
Rowan Charles weighed 5 lbs., 2
oz.; and Anneke Rensenbrink
weighed 4 lbs., 14 oz.
certified nursing assistant/
environmental aide at Fairview
Southdale Hospital in Edina,
Minn.
2003
Natalia Pretelt, Roseville, Minn.,
was mentioned in the Money
and Business section of the Star
Tribune on April 15 for her role
as a loan specialist with the
Minneapolis Consortium of
Community Developers. She is
involved in microlending and
small loans to help immigrants
and others start businesses.
Jonathan Fahler, has studied
since 2004 in the Master of Arts
in Medical Sciences program at
Loyola University Chicago and
was recently admitted to medical
school at Des Moines University
College of Osteopathic Medicine.
John Tieben, St. Louis Park,
Minn., received his medical
degree from the University of
Minnesota on May 4. Tieben and
his wife, Danielle (Slack) ’04,
will live in Duluth, where he will
serve a three-year family practice
residency in the St. Mary’s/Duluth
Clinic Health System, St. Luke’s
Hospital, and the Duluth Family
Practice Center.
Options, a volunteer mentoring
program that connects with atrisk kids, ages 10-14, in the
Twin Cities through biking and
running. See blog photos at
bolderoptions.org.
2005
Brooke Dornbusch received a
Master of Arts in counseling
degree in May from the
Assemblies of God Theological
Seminary in Springfield, Mo.
Mark Simmonds, placed fourth
in the 120-kilogram GrecoRoman class at the 2007 USA
Wrestling Senior World Team
Trials. He is a damage
controlman third class (DC3) in
the U.S. Navy, operating out of
the Mayport, Fla., Naval Station
and is a member of the Navy’s
wrestling team.
2006
Lauren Falk, Eden Prairie,
Minn., has started her own
portrait/wedding photography
business, Lauren B. Photography,
with on-location photography of
weddings, portraits, and events
in the Twin Cities metro area.
Graduate Programs
Jeff Falkingham ’95 MAL, Eden
Prairie, Minn., donated his
services to author a 2007
commemorative edition of his
earlier book, The County
Courthouse Caper, recounting the
history of his native Browns
Valley, Minn. The publisher,
Beaver’s Pond Press, has donated
1000 copies for the city to sell as
a fundraiser for its Long-Term
Flood Recovery Fund.
Dietrich-Swanson Wedding
2004
2001
Emily Waldon, Salem, Mass.,
recently joined the Harvard
Vanguard Medical Associates at
its Cambridge internal medicine
practice as a physician assistant.
She received a master’s degree
from Northeastern University in
Boston. Formerly she was a
Max Langaard, Oakland, Calif.,
was recently featured in an
article titled, “Teaching
Leadership through Coaching.”
The article is focused on the
Sports-4-Kids program centered
in the Bay area inner city
schools. The program attempts
to help children become not only
healthier but also to learn what it
takes to lead.
Laura Simones, St. Paul, has
biked from Boulder, Colo., to
Minneapolis with Bolder
Hannah Dietrich and Nathan Swanson ’05,, Lincoln, Neb., were
married on June 8, in Luverne, Minn. The wedding included several
Auggie students and staff, including Sadie Dietrich ’09, Lynde
Kuipers ’08, cross-country and track coach Dennis Barker, Marcia
Gunz ’05, Anna (Ferguson) Rendell ’05, Kyla Rice ’05, Tim
Stowe, and Janeece (Adams) Oatmann ’05. Jeremiah Knabe ’05
also served as an officiant at the wedding. Hannah is a doctoral
student at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln, and Nathan is
pursuing a job with Lincoln Public Schools.
SUMMER 2007 15
CLASS NOTES
SEND US YOUR NEWS AND PHOTOS
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary,
funeral notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146,
2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55454, or e-mail to
alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news to the Augsburg
Online Community at www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Full name
Maiden name
Class year or last year attended
Street address
City, State, Zip
In Memoriam
Larsen, Norman ’34,
Morristown, Minn., age 97, on
June 12. He was a member of the
Athletic Hall of Fame.
Woolson, Gladys (Oudal) ’34,
Minneapolis, age 92, on May 9.
Knudsen, Rev. Richard I. ’37
Sem, Minneapolis, age 95, on
July 10.
Gilseth, Margaret (Chrislock)
’40, St. Charles, Minn., age 88,
on June 10. She was a
Distinguished Alumna.
Framstad, Rev. Waldemar ’41,
Marinette, Wis., age 87, on June
14, after a lengthy illness.
Ahlberg, Rev. G. Harold ’42,
Valparaiso, Ind., age 86, on June 4.
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Home telephone
Stolee, Magdalene (Gronseth)
’42, Kenyon, Minn., age 87, on
June 11.
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
Employer
Position
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
If yes, class year
Spouse’s name
Maiden name
Your news:
16 AUGSBURG NOW
Estness, Borghild ’43,
Minneapolis, age 92, on July 8.
She served as a recorder in
Augsburg’s Office of the Registrar.
Gronseth, Luther C., Sr., ’43,
Apple Valley, Minn., age 86, on
June 23.
Lindahl, Burton J. ’50, Wayzata,
Minn., age 82, on May 22.
Bakken, Rev. Hardis C. ’52, San
Pablo, Calif., age 97, on May 5.
Thompson, Robert D. ’52,
Bloomington, Minn., age 81, on
June 29.
Pundy, Eileen “Dolly” ’59,
Minneapolis, age 69, on May 4.
Peterson, Rolf ’61, University
Place, Wash., on April 24.
Heimbigner, Marlene (Hanggi)
’65, Olympia, Wash., on Jan. 15.
Timmons, Peter ’74, St. Paul,
age 63, on June 16, from
pancreatic cancer.
Ness, Sheela Jo ’86, Plymouth,
Minn., on July 4, of injuries from
an auto accident.
Galland, John H. ’93, Durango,
Colo., age 56, on May 18, in an
auto accident.
Hope, Jared ’00, West Concord,
Minn., age 28, on May 8 of
injuries from an auto accident.
Neitzel, Daniel Kurt ’06, Eden
Prairie, Minn., age 27, on
June 11.
Ward, Sister Agnes, CSJ, on
April 10. She taught classical
languages at Augsburg in the
1960s.
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CALENDAR
For music information, call 612-330-1265
For theatre ticket information, call 612-330-1257
For art gallery information, call 612-330-1524
SEPTEMBER
September 10
Seventh Annual Scholastic
Connections Gala and Dinner
Celebrating the scholarship/
mentorship program and the four
ethnic services programs
Free and open to the public
6:30–8:30 p.m.—East Commons,
Christensen Center
Info and reservations: 612-359-6480
or scholar@augsburg.edu
September 24-25
2007 Christensen Symposium
Everyday Life in the Light of the
Gospel
Rolf A. Jacobson, associate professor of
Old Testament, Luther Seminary.
Free and open to the public.
September 24, “Why Do You Weep?
Sadness, Grief, and the Gospel”
7 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel
September 25, “How Can I Keep
from Singing? Laughter, Joy, and the
Gospel”
11 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel
September 27
Theatre Artist Series
From Augsburg to the Guthrie
Theater
Katie Koch ’06, stage manager and
executive assistant to Joe Dowling,
Guthrie Theater
9:40–11:10 a.m.—Tjornhom-Nelson
Theater
September 14–October 26
Glass from the American-Swedish
Institute and Its Local Influence
Gage Family Art Gallery, Oren
Gateway Center
Opening reception: Friday, Sept. 14,
5:30–7:30 p.m.
Artist Presentation: To be announced
September 14–October 26
Reweaving a Life
Prints by Alejandro González Aranda
and baskets by women weavers of
Tlamacazapa, Guerrero, Mexico
Christensen Center Art Gallery
Artist Printmaking Demonstration:
Friday, Oct. 12, 8:30–10:10 a.m.
Artist Presentation and Reception:
Friday, Oct. 12, 3:30–5:30 p.m.
September 18
Theatre Artist Series
Technical Direction at the
Guthrie Theater
Craig Pettigrew, assistant
technical director
9:40–11:10 a.m.—
Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
September 20
Featured Artist Presentation
A Life in the Theatre
Peter C. Brocius, artistic director,
Children’s Theatre Company
7 p.m.—Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
October 17
Many Voices: Bold Visions
Convocation Series
Peter Bisanz, film director,
documentary One
10 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel
NOVEMBER
November 2–11
Life is a Dream (La vida es sueño)
by Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Directed by Martha Johnson
Nov. 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, and 10 at 7 p.m.
Nov. 4 and 11 at 2 p.m.
Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
OCTOBER
October 8
Theatre Artist Series
Working in the Theatre
Buffy Sedlacheck, literary manager,
Jungle Theatre
12:10–1:10 p.m.—Tjornhom-Nelson
Theater
October 8–13
Homecoming 2007
See www.augsburg.edu/alumni for
information
October 11
Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet
November 14
2007 Koryne Horbal Lecture
Anne Pedersen Women’s
Resource Center
Jane Fonda
“My Life’s Lessons about Sex and
Gender”
10 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel
November 30
Velkommen Jul Celebration
10:15 a.m.—Chapel Service,
Hoversten Chapel
11 a.m.—Scandinavian treats and
gifts, Christensen Center
October 12
1957 50th Anniversary
Celebration
Homecoming Convocation
Homecoming Luncheon
Campaign Completion
Celebration and Oren Gateway
Center Dedication
Dept. of Sociology 60th
Anniversary Celebration
November 30–December 1
That All May Have Light
28th Annual Advent Vespers:
A service of music and liturgy
5 and 8 p.m. each night
Central Lutheran Church,
Minneapolis
For seating envelopes,
612-330-1265
English Alumni/ae Reunion
and Reading
October 13
1967 40-Year Reunion
Picnic in the Park
Football game vs.
University of St. Thomas
Auggie Block Party
SUMMER 2007
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An Augsburg Mural
Augsburg’s history is celebrated in the mural across
the Barnes and Noble Augsburg Bookstore windows
at the new Oren Gateway Center. Artwork by
photographer Stephen Geffre.
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2010
VOL. 72, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
StepUP program Environmental literature
Travel
10 reasons to come back Coach Mark Matzek
®
Commencement
2010 Exploring Our Gifts
page
20
on
Stage
Editor
Bets... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2010
VOL. 72, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
StepUP program Environmental literature
Travel
10 reasons to come back Coach Mark Matzek
®
Commencement
2010 Exploring Our Gifts
page
20
on
Stage
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
notes
from President Pribbenow
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
A new mission statement and Commission Augsburg
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
o
ver the past two years, the Augsburg community has been engaged in a lively and rich conversation about our character and identity.
Augsburg last modified its mission statement nearly
20 years ago, and although much that defines
Augsburg’s distinctive identity as a college of the
church in the city has remained constant, there also
have been some remarkable changes. The expansion
of nontraditional undergraduate programs, several
new graduate programs, campus sites in Rochester
and Bloomington, significant work around the world,
and continuing initiatives to meet the needs of diverse students have combined to make Augsburg a
more complex and, I would argue in addition, a more
innovative and faithful college.
Given the reality of Augsburg’s current missionbased work, the College community explored together
how we might state our mission in such a way as to
affirm our abiding values and commitments, while
also to articulate how the College’s circle of influence
and impact has expanded. The result of those explorations is a wonderfully nuanced and meaningful new
mission statement, enthusiastically adopted by the
Board of Regents at its spring 2010 meeting.
Augsburg College educates students to be informed
citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The new mission statement begins
with a bold claim of our aspirations for our students
as we send them out to live their callings in the
world. As citizens, stewards, thinkers, and leaders,
Augsburg graduates bring their education and experience to bear in all aspects of their lives and work.
The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community, committed to intentional diversity in
its life and work. This important statement of our selfunderstanding is an explicit reference to our values as
a participatory community—very much in line with our
Lutheran Free Church heritage—dedicated to the
common work of educating all of our students. At the
same time, we reaffirm our abiding sense of the im-
portance of intentional diversity—diversity of experience, background, and thought—that is supported by
our theological, academic, and civic legacies.
An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in
the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the
faith and values of the Lutheran Church, and shaped by
our urban and global settings. This closing sentence
lifts up our core values: excellence across all academic programs, the particular gifts of our Lutheran
faith, and the central role that our place in the world
plays in the education we offer.
The circle has been widened to reflect how
Augsburg embraces its distinctive role in higher education. I could not be more pleased with the participation of the entire community in crafting this new
mission statement.
As we move into the next academic year, I am excited to announce an opportunity for all Augsburg
alumni and friends to learn more about how our mission sets in place a clear map for our future. Beginning this fall, we will launch Commission Augsburg, a
series of conversations that bring together those
across the country who care about Augsburg to explore three strategic pathways for Augsburg’s work in
the years ahead:
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
(1) We will create and sustain a culture of
innovation and excellence.
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
(2) We will help all of our students to succeed.
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Jeff Shelman
shelman@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
(3) We will tell Augsburg’s story in word and deed.
ISSN 1058-1545
Please watch for opportunities to gather and to
learn more about the key initiatives the Augsburg
community intends to pursue in order to live out its
mission and to honor its distinctive saga as a college of the Lutheran Church. Your perspectives will
help shape Augsburg’s future.
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
a
summer 2010
7
12
16
Features
24
contents
20
27
augsburg now
7
12
16
20
24
27
Commencement 2010
A step in the right direction
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
10 reasons to come back to campus
by Jeff Shelman
Learning from the environment
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Nine years on the mats
by Jeff Shelman
Making connections
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Departments
inside
front
cover
On the cover
Tessa Flynn ’05, community engagement manager and teaching artist with the
Children’s Theatre Company, is one of the theatre alums who talks about making
connections and the importance of those connections to their life after Augsburg.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
2
4
6
33
36
40
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
around the
quad
A project of steel
Not many senior projects require countless hours spent shaping steel with a hammer
and finishing it with sandpaper and steel brushes. But Josh Davis’ project wasn’t
like most. For more than two years, Davis spent the vast majority of his free time
working to construct a full suit of armor. The project, which was on display during
Zyzzogeton—Augsburg’s celebration of student research and creative activity—was
featured both in the Star Tribune and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The suit is made out of sheet steel of varying thickness and includes 20 individual pieces, many of which are smaller pieces riveted together, that fit like a puzzle to
form the complete armor. Each leg, for example, is 13 separate pieces of steel,
some of which were placed on top of each other to increase strength.
Building the suit required Davis to
shape the steel with a hammer—pounding heated steel over or into a form to
produce the required curves—while
using a pattern specially developed to fit
him. Davis also made each of the buckles and straps on the suit.
To call it a labor-intensive process
would be an understatement. After originally keeping track of the time on the
project, Davis stopped when he reached
1,000 hours, the equivalent of 25 weeks
of eight-hour workdays.
“The hardest part is finishing it,”
Davis said. “I can rough out a form in an
hour or two, but fine-tuning it, sanding
out the hammer marks, and making the
Josh Davis’ suit of armor took two years and
hinges and buckles took a long time.”
painstaking work to construct.
Dal Liddle receives NEH
summer research stipend
Dal Liddle, associate
professor of English,
received a National
Endowment for the
Humanities summer
stipend for travel to
London to test a hypothesis he’s been
formulating.
Liddle, whose research focuses on Victorian
literature, is spending three weeks in England poring over the private archives of the London Times
and the early Victorian holdings of the British Library. Using Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, editorial articles from British papers, and Brontë’s Jane
Eyre, he will try to test whether current theories
about the historical development of technology
will also fit the way British literature developed
between 1800 and 1850. What if literary history
turns out to change in some of the same ways that
technological history changes? Could the history
of novels and poems show some of the same patterns as the history of steam engines, microchips,
and jet airplanes?
“I'm taking a big chance,” he says about his
research question. “There’s a big disprovability
factor here, but if I’m wrong I want to prove it.”
NewsNotes
The Nursing Department launched a three-year
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Augsburg’s first
doctoral degree, that prepares nurses for advanced
practice and leadership in transcultural and community/public health nursing. The DNP is a cohort program that begins in the fall.
David Tiede, retiring after five years as the Bernhard
Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, has
accepted the interim presidency of Wartburg
Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.
Two new summer camps are bringing young people
to campus. Two week-long film camps in July bring
high school students together to work with 16mm
film, teaching them techniques for scripting, directing, and editing.
The Minnesota Debate and Advocacy Workshop
brings middle and high school students together
with the state’s top coaches in a two- or three-week
institute.
The deaths of two retired faculty are noted.
Robert Herforth, professor emeritus of biology, died on
June 18. He is remembered as an extraordinary zoologist who remained very much engaged in current research throughout his life.
Rosalie Clark, who taught in the Social Work Department from 1979 for more than a dozen years, died in
January 2009. She brought perspectives on American
Indian issues to faculty and students and encouraged
social work graduates.
AUGSBURG NEWS SERVICE
2
Augsburg Now
Three faculty members retire from the classroom
Julie Bolton—Theatre’s “artist-educator”
Curt Paulsen—Social work professor, mentor
Paul Grauer—Coach, mentor, teacher
Thirty-five years
ago, Julie
Bolton, a professional actor, was
hired part time
to teach acting.
She soon became full time,
added courses,
hired faculty, and began to build a theatre
arts program, which she then chaired for
12 years, plus four more years when it became a new department.
Building on her connections in Twin
Cities theatre, Bolton both pushed students to get internships in the theatre
community and helped them explore vocations in theatre. And, she brought theatre
artists to campus to work with students.
She hired faculty whose varied expertise
helped create a comprehensive, professional theatre arts program within a liberal
arts education.
Bolton reflects with pride and gratitude
on the collaboration in the mid-1980s
that helped bring about Augsburg’s black
box theater in Foss Center, with the support of President Charles Anderson, Dean
Ryan LaHurd, and donors Barbara
(Tjornhom) ’54 and Richard Nelson.
Bolton considers herself an “artist-educator” and has used her theatre knowledge in the docent tours she gives at the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts. “If we are
looking at Rembrandt’s Lucretia,” she
says, “I introduce similar themes in
Shakespeare’s epic poem Lucretia or
Hamlet’s soliloquies.”
In addition to expanding her role as a
docent, Bolton also looks forward to
spending time as grandmother to her five
grandchildren.
Social work professor Curt
Paulsen often
sang to himself
on the way to his
classrooms—just
one indication of
the joy he received every day
in teaching. “Just as I have pushed my
students,” he explains, “they have also
pushed me, and I’m grateful for it.” He
found continuing satisfaction in the “joint
enterprise of reaching great understanding.”
Paulsen taught both undergraduate and
graduate students in the Social Work Department and, together with his wife,
Cathy, taught a personality theory course
to graduate students in the leadership
program. He has also taught in the Religion Department and Honors program.
Paulsen enjoyed most working with students who weren’t functioning to their
ability. With respect, and in an atmosphere of intellectual rigor, he pushed
them to their point of real reaction, with
high expectations, helping them not only
to learn, but to grow as people. It meant
facilitating a process where students
moved from answers to questions.
Paulsen always considered liberal arts
and crossing disciplines as “just the beginning of lifelong learning.” For him, “To
gain a real understanding of human beings, one must go to the poets and to
great literature.”
Paulsen now anticipates more time for
photography, reading, gardening, and for
his family—Cathy, their two daughters and
husbands, and four grandchildren.
Paul Grauer says
that even after
31 years,
Augsburg has always been “exactly where I
wanted to be.”
He served long
stints as coach,
athletic director, and instructor, and he lists
a whole series of strong relationships, high
points, and changes that kept it interesting.
A big change is the continual improvement of athletic facilities that has made it
more likely that recruits will choose
Augsburg—early in his tenure he recalls
one hockey recruit who told him that
Augsburg “had no curb appeal.”
In addition, the continual development
of the Health and Physical Education Department that now includes exercise science can prepare students for varied
careers in teaching, fitness, and training.
Grauer recalls 1997–98 as “a special,
magical year,” when four Auggie teams—
football, men’s basketball, men’s hockey,
and wrestling—won conference championships and went to national playoffs, resulting in a wrestling championship and a
hockey Frozen Four appearance.
Among the high points was the celebration in 2007 of the 35th anniversary of
Auggie varsity women’s sports, some of
which pre-date the Title IX era. Grauer prepared and submitted early reports for Title
IX that “showed we had to pay attention to
equality,” and which spurred further expansion of women’s sports.
Grauer will always remember the friendships, the colleagues, and the continual
growth he’s seen both with the coaches and
student-athletes in their training, resiliency,
and good sportsmanship in a very competitive athletic conference.
Grauer now looks forward to having more
time to play his trumpet—especially at
Augsburg in the brass ensemble.
For Auggie sports news and schedules,
go to www.augsburg.edu/athletics.
BETSEY NORGARD
Summer 2010
3
auggie voices
Exploring Our Gifts—
looking back over 8 years
In 2002 Augsburg received a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to integrate a theological understanding of vocation into
the life of the College over a five-year period. In 2007 the grant
was renewed for $1 million to cover an additional three years. As
of summer 2010, the funding from the Lilly Endowment has
ended. The College has now established the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning in order to sustain a number of the programs of
the Lilly Endowment grants and to support new initiatives on
vocation.
Mark Tranvik, associate professor of religion and chair of the Religion Department, was director of Exploring Our Gifts. He reflects
about the impact of Exploring Our Gifts on Augsburg’s curriculum
and experience.
Q: Why did Augsburg apply for the Lilly Endowment grant?
A: We should be clear that the Lilly Endowment grant didn’t introduce vocation to Augsburg College. Augsburg began as a seminary,
and it had a sense of calling embedded into its DNA. Throughout
much of its history, students, faculty, and staff came to the College
out of a deep sense of calling. They saw their work here as an expression of what God wanted them to do with their gifts and talents. I think some of that sensibility was lost at a lot of our church
colleges during the 1970s and ’80s, Augsburg included. But the
idea of vocation never went away, and the Lilly Endowment money
provided the school with an opportunity to bring new energy and
imagination to the concept. In other words, it was natural for
Augsburg to apply for the grant, given our heritage.
Q: Why do you think the Lilly Endowment grant has been successful?
A: The group who worked on the original application, led by Carol
Forbes, Academic Affairs, and Bruce Reichenbach, Philosophy Department, did a wonderful job in making sure the proposal “fit”
with the culture at Augsburg. Instead of “top-down” planning, they
made sure to solicit proposals from a wide variety of groups on
campus. They received more than 30 proposals for projects and
were able to whittle that down to 16. When the money actually arrived to fund the projects, a campus-wide conversation had already
been going on for some time. In my mind, the genius here is the
way this is consistent with the ethos of the school. Augsburg is a
college deeply rooted in the traditions of the Lutheran Free
Church, and the egalitarian spirit of that church still pervades this
community.
4
Augsburg Now
Professor Mark Tranvik directed Exploring Our Gifts, Augsburg’s Lilly Endowment program
to explore vocation.
Q. Didn’t a lot of schools receive Lilly Endowment grants? What’s
distinctive about Augsburg’s?
A: The Lilly Endowment’s initiative on vocation was incredibly
generous. More than 80 colleges and universities, many of them
church-related, received grants. And to no one’s surprise, the
grants seemed to work especially well at Lutheran schools. This is
because the theology of vocation was developed in new ways by
Martin Luther and the other reformers in the 16th century. Those
places that trace their heritage back to the Reformation found it
easier, in general, to talk about vocation on their campuses.
One of the distinctive things about Augsburg is the way the College has been willing to integrate a theological understanding of
vocation into its core curriculum. This has been one of the fruits of
our discussion about vocation on campus. All Augsburg students
are required to take two religion classes that have vocation at the
center—Religion 100 and 200, Christian Vocation and the Search
for Meaning I and II, respectively. Furthermore, all students are
asked to think about vocation again in their senior seminars. So,
you could say that vocation serves as the “bookends” for the
Augsburg educational experience. And we also hope that students
will be asked in other classes to think about their sense of calling.
Of course this will happen, but it’s more dependent on the inclination of individual instructors.
Q: What about the specific vocation of ministry? How has the grant helped students
who are thinking about working in the church?
A: One program of the grant that has worked well in this area is the Lilly
Scholars. Every year, 10 juniors or seniors were chosen to take part in a fullcredit seminar dedicated to thinking theologically about vocation and receive
a scholarship from the grant. The main prerequisite for the course is to be interested in studying about vocation in-depth. And some of these students do
not sense a calling in the institutional church, which is fine. But over half of
the participants (about 50 over the eight years) have decided to study theology after receiving their degrees at Augsburg. This is one important way the
College continues its long tradition of developing leaders for the church.
Q: It is especially important for colleges to document their successes. Is there
evidence that the programs of the Lilly Endowment grant have actually made a
difference?
Purpose: To integrate a theological understanding of vocation
into the life of Augsburg College
Programs 2002–2010
Total participants
Alumni mentoring
Student vocation assessments
265
1,962
International exploration
263
Lilly Scholars
82
Church leader development
100
Lilly Interns
54
Youth Theology Institute
~125
Orientation, Augsburg Seminar
2,600
Forums
2,450
Till & Keep journal (copies)
Vocatio Chapel
3,600
~3,600
Interreligious dialogue
471
Courtesy photo
A: Augsburg has been fortunate in that it was selected, along with Luther
College and Augustana College of Rock Island (both of whom also had received Lilly Endowment grants), to participate in a study by the Wilder Foundation that assessed how effectively vocation had been integrated into these
schools. The results were gratifying. They showed significant progress made in
helping students view their lives through the lens of vocation. For example,
students who had exposure to Lilly Endowment programs were more likely
(50% to 23%) to see their life as a “calling,” with a sense of purpose, than
those who were not exposed to the grant. Furthermore, 91%
of the class of 2007 reported that their understanding of vocation deepened while at college. Go to
www.augsburg.edu/cfl to read the full study.
Exploring Our Gifts—Augsburg’s
Lilly Endowment grant program
Q: The Lilly Endowment grant on vocation seems to be strongly
rooted in the Christian tradition. Yet Augsburg also stresses the
importance of diversity and the acceptance of people from a
wide variety of faiths and backgrounds. How do you answer
those who suggest that this stress on vocation is done at the expense of diversity?
A: That’s a great question and one that many of us have
struggled with during the time of the grant. I think I would
answer it on two different levels. First, the emphasis on vocation is a way in which we are trying to be faithful to our
mission statement and its claim that Augsburg will be
“guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran Church.”
We are a college of the church, and that is nothing about
which we should be ashamed.
As one of the Lilly vocation seminars, students in the Religion and the Christian Faith course in 2005
Second—and this is the point that is often misundertraveled to El Salvador to study the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero and to explore the depth of
stood—I would argue that our Christian faith and emphasis
Christian vocation in daily life there.
on vocation do not lead to exclusivity and the formation of a
community of the like-minded. Jesus spent a good deal of his ministry breaking down walls and crossing so-called “forbidden” boundaries.
In a similar vein, I would argue that an emphasis on diversity naturally flows from our Christian faith. We are not diverse in spite of being
Christian. Rather, we are diverse because we are Christian. Now this can make life messy, especially for those who insist on nice boxes with
neat straight lines. But as Christians we gladly welcome the “world” to our campus and the plurality of faiths and beliefs that come with it.
We promise we won’t “coerce” anyone to be Christian (as if that would work!), but we do ask that a respectful and public discussion on faith
occur. And we also insist that both sides be open to be challenged and changed.
Summer 2010
5
it takes an
Auggie
StepUP® parents are grateful for support to students and families
When Maureen and Harold Thompson realized their daughter Anne
was not going to graduate from high school with her friends, they
were devastated but not surprised. They knew that something was
wrong and that their daughter needed help.
Anne went into treatment for drug and alcohol addiction and
then began attending daily recovery meetings. During this second
phase of her recovery, she worked hard to complete her high school
graduation requirements. Anne impressed her teachers and others
with her hard work, and her parents thought the situation was
under control. This sense of security and relief quickly faded when
they discovered that Anne had relapsed.
Anne returned to treatment, this time at the Hazelden Center for
Youth and Families, where she learned about Augsburg College and
the College’s StepUP program for students in recovery. Anne entered StepUP in 2004 and graduated from Augsburg in 2008. She
is now a graduate student in higher education and student affairs
at the University of Connecticut.
“We feel that StepUP has allowed our daughter to attend college, continue with her recovery, and experience college life. Anne
has learned to deal with the stresses of projects, schedules, papers, and exams while developing a safe and solid support network. She worked hard in class, and she has worked hard on her
recovery. We don’t think this could have happened anywhere else.”
Maureen and Harold remain thankful for all that Augsburg did
for their daughter and continues to do for other students. That’s
one of the reasons they consistently support the StepUP program,
The Augsburg Fund, and more. “The StepUP program reinforces
the belief that each program participant is accountable. They are
accountable to themselves, to their peers, and to the StepUP staff.
We believe that the program provided an environment that allowed
Anne to blossom and grow, and allowed our family to heal.”
“We believe that the program provided an
environment that allowed Anne to blossom
and grow, and allowed our family to heal.”
“StepUP allowed me to go to college,” Anne says. “College is
hard for students in general, but students in recovery have all the
same challenges that others have and more. This program allowed
me to have a ‘traditional’ college experience, which would otherwise be unavailable.”
Maureen also noted, “It has been often said that someone with
an addiction impacts at least four other people. We believe that
StepUP not only helps the student, but it also helps the family,
and for that we are eternally grateful.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Courtesy photo
Maureen and Harold Thompson are
proud parents as their daughter, Anne,
graduated from Augsburg and the
StepUP program in 2008.
6
Anne speaks to a campus group about
her experiences at Augsburg and in the
StepUP program.
Augsburg Now
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THE TRADITIO
MORTARBOARD TASSELS
There is no official color for bachelor’s degree tassels. Thus, Augsburg
chose maroon and gray, and all undergraduate students wear this tassel.
Tassels for graduate students are different. In 1895, the Intercollegiate Commission was established to standardize academic dress and to prescribe specific colors to represent different fields of
study. This was the last time academic dress has been updated.
Augsburg has six fields of post-baccalaureate study, each with a different color: business—drab;
nursing—apricot; social work—citron; leadership—white; physician assistant studies—green; and education—light blue. Augsburg graduate program students and faculty all wear the colors of their fields.
‰
‰
DOCTORAL DRESS
The academic dress worn today
has its roots in the 12th and 13th centuries when most
scholars were clerics in monastic orders. Today’s doctoral
robe is based on monastic robes; the hood, originally a
cowl, was used to keep the head warm before indoor heating. Robes were formerly all black, but now institutions
choose their own colors, and all official doctoral robes
have three velvet stripes along the bell-shaped sleeves.
Today, professors wear either an Oxford cap (the square
mortarboard) or a Cambridge cap (the decorative, beretlike caps).
This robe belongs to Nathan J. Hallanger, special assistant to the vice president of academic affairs. The four-foot
doctoral hood is scarlet with blue trim, signifying a PhD
from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.
‰
DRUM In 1991, music professor Robert Stacke ’71, a professional drummer,
began to lead the procession of graduates through Murphy Square to Melby
Hall. In this now-beloved tradition, faculty line the street and congratulate their
students as they walk by. In 19 years, Stacke has never missed Commencement
and has only once dropped the drum.
Summer 2010
7
THE TRADITIONS
HONOR CORDS Though a variety of colored cords and stoles show up on students’
shoulders at Commencement, two cords are officially given by Augsburg to undergraduate
students. Students who have earned a grade point average of 3.6 or higher are candidates
for Latin honors, shown by their maroon and gray cords. All students who have completed
the requirements of the Augsburg College Honors program wear gold cords. Other cords indicate that the student has completed a departmental honors project.
THE CROSS
In 1988, Professor Emeritus Norman Holen created the cross used in Chapel and carried in Augsburg ceremonies.
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8
MACE The mace, like academic regalia, also originated in the Middle
Ages. First used by medieval European
bishops who were not allowed to carry
swords into battle, the mace was useful as an armor-splitting weapon. By
the 16th century, the mace was converted into a symbol of authority and
was embraced by colleges and universities as a ceremonial icon. At Augsburg,
the mace is carried into all official
College ceremonies by the president of
the Faculty Senate.
Professor Emeritus Norman Holen
created Augsburg’s mace in 1970,
which, until 1988, was laid on a table
during events. Holen was then commissioned to create a stand for it.
MASTER’S HOODS
Like tassels, the hoods given to
master’s degree students have specific meaning. The
main color of the 3.5-foot hoods is black, and they are
lined with the colors of the college conferring the degree. The hood’s trimmings are three inches wide and
correspond to the field of study. For example, the master’s hood shown here is given by Augsburg College
(maroon and gray) in the field of nursing (apricot).
commencement
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MAY 1, 2010
PRESIDENTIAL CHAIN OF OFFICE
‰
OTHER COLORS
Augsburg
College’s Chain of Office represents the president’s authority to head the university, and is worn by President
Pribbenow at ceremonial functions such as Commencement. The chain is in fact not a chain but a maroon ribbon
that suspends a medal imprinted with the College seal.
The colorful stoles worn by African
American students are made from a material called Kente
cloth, which originates in Ghana, West Africa. The cloth was
woven by the Asante people of Ghana and was exclusively
made for Asante kings and queens.
Now the stoles are given to members of the Pan-Afrikan
Student Union (PASU) as a way to denote their fraternity and
to connect them with their past.
TEXT AND PHOTOS
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
commencement
JUNE 27, 2010
GRADUATES, FAMILIES, FACULTY, AND
GUESTS CELEBRATE 2010 COMMENCEMENT
MAY 1 COMMENCEMENT
416 undergraduate day students and physician assistant
graduate students
Speaker—Governor Tim Pawlenty
Honorary degree—Father Fernando Cardenal, SJ, educator and activist, Nicaragua
Marina Christensen Justice Award—Jessica Spanswick
Jessica Spanswick graduated with a major in international relations
and a minor in peace and global studies. She has been a Sabo
Scholar in civic engagement, a Hoversten Peace Scholar, a Peace
Prize Forum Peace Scholar, and a Lilly Scholar. Locally, she has
worked with grass-roots organizations on environmental issues and
has tutored Kenyan and Somali immigrants in a neighborhood program. Spanswick studied abroad in Namibia, and while there she
worked on HIV/AIDS events and water rights issues. The Marina
Christensen Justice Award honors a student who has demonstrated a
dedication to community involvement as characterized by the personal and professional life of Marina Christensen Justice, who
reached out to disadvantaged people and communities.
JUNE 27 COMMENCEMENT
492 weekend/evening and Rochester undergraduate students, and
graduate students in business, education, leadership, nursing,
and social work
Speaker—Congressman Keith Ellison
Honorary degree—Peter Heegaard, founder of Urban Adventure
Richard J. Thoni Award—Michele Roulet
Michele Roulet graduated with a major in studio art and a minor in
religion. In immersing herself in student life at Augsburg, Michele
provided leadership, community spirit, hospitality, and innovation
within the adult programs. She served as Weekend College Student
Senate vice president and president and as a student commissioner
in Campus Ministry. Her leadership created the First Word gatherings, an on-campus faith community for adult students. In the wider
community, she has worked with programs to combat hunger. The
Richard J. Thoni Award is given to a weekend student who exemplifies the spirit of community involvement demonstrated by Rick
Thoni’s career at Augsburg.
To view slide shows and a video of Governor Pawlenty’s commencement address, go to www.augsburg.edu and click on the YouTube icon.
commencement
IT’S ALL ABOUT FAMILY AT AUGSBURG
Jeff and Suzi Burt and their daugher, Crystal Studer,
graduated together, all receiving nursing degrees.
Studer is a nurse at the hospital in
Austin. “Augsburg’s been great,” she says.
“It’s made me a more well-rounded nurse,
and the faculty is phenomenal.”
A little more than a year after Suzi and
Crystal began, Jeff returned to the program.
“Mayo is in the process of going bachelor’sonly for RNs,” Jeff says. “If you have an
[associate’s degree in nursing], you'll be required to go back. I just thought it was the
best thing to do.”
All three say there are benefits to having family members in the program at the
same time. Suzi and Crystal were frequently in the same class, and since they
also live across the street from each other
in Blooming Prairie, Minn., they were able
to share textbooks. They have also encouraged and motivated each other as they
worked to balance work, school, and family.
“As a married couple, it’s nice to be in
the same thing because you know what
each other is going through,” Suzi says.
While excited to finish, all three found
the program both rewarding and beneficial.
“It’s been better than I thought,” Crystal
says. “In your first two years, you learn a lot
of skills. In these two years [at Augsburg],
you learn why we do what we do. The content has all been really useful, and it has
inspired me.”
JEFF AND SUZI BURT AND
CRYSTAL STUDER
CAROL DEMULLING, SARAH
DEMULLING, AND HEATHER DEKOK
Jeff Burt was the first member of his family
to enroll in Augsburg’s nursing completion
program. He was working at the Mayo
Clinic when he began taking classes at
Augsburg in 2000. He stopped about
three-quarters of the way through the program to allow his wife, Suzi, to enroll in a
two-year nursing program at Riverland
Community College in Austin, Minn.
In fall 2008, Suzi Burt and Crystal
Studer, one of the couple’s daughters, enrolled at Augsburg, largely because of Jeff’s
positive experience.
Carol Demulling and her daughters Sarah
Demulling and Heather Dekok all ended up
in Augsburg’s business administration program for the same reason—they all knew
the education they had wasn’t going to be
enough.
While all three have positions at Mayo
Clinic and the two daughters have two-year
degrees, they wanted more opportunities for
advancement.
“When I started work in the ’70s, you
could have a high school education and work
your way up,” Carol says. “To make moves
Families have always been a big part of
Augsburg—second- and third-generation
Auggies, Auggies following the paths blazed
by older siblings, and couples who met at
Augsburg and inspired their children to
attend.
The June 27 Commencement, however,
featured a new twist: two families of parents and children from Augsburg’s
Rochester campus graduating together. The
first is a mother, father, and daughter, all
earning bachelor’s degrees in nursing. The
second featured a mother and two daughters who studied business administration
together.
Carol Demulling (center) and her daughters Sarah
Demulling (left) and Heather Dekok (right) graduated
with business administration degrees.
now, you need education.”
Her daughter Heather was a little more
blunt. “I graduated with a two-year degree in
business in 2005,” she says. “And I realized
that a two-year degree doesn’t do anything.”
They all say their Augsburg education
has been practical from the beginning.
Dekok works in the international office at
Mayo Clinic, and what she has learned
about different cultures has been immediately applicable.
“I work in an office full of women,” she
says. “Some of the countries we deal with,
they frown upon women in the workplace.
You realize why you get some of the attitudes that you do at times.”
Carol developed a complicated spreadsheet for a class project that is still being
used by members of her office in the evaluation of grant proposals.
As they finish at Augsburg, they’re
happy to have experienced college together
and appreciate the people they met through
the process.
“I didn’t really realize until the last two
trimesters how many relationships we’ve
built here,” Carol says. “People in the
Mayo system, people at IBM. I’ve really enjoyed that and getting to know these people. We all have something in common.”
JEFF SHELMAN
Summer 2010
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Augsburg Now
step
in the right direction
A
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Editor’s note—In order to be respectful of the students in
the StepUP program, their last names are not used.
StepUP students wear purple cords when
they graduate from Augsburg.
GOING TO COLLEGE
was never a part of Emily A.’s future plans.
She dropped out of high school and eventually
got her GED. When she first heard about
StepUP®, she was in her late twenties and living in a sober house in St. Paul.
“I thought my time had passed,” Emily
said. “College was one of the mountains I just
wasn’t going to climb.”
But she called Augsburg and made an appointment with Patrice Salmeri, StepUP program director. “All the time she was talking to
me, I was saying, ‘Yeah, yeah. Sounds great,’
but I had no intention of applying.”
Then she met Chris Belbeck ’06, an admissions counselor and a StepUP alumnus. “He
asked me, ‘What are you waiting for?’ and he
wasn’t taking no for an answer.” So before she
left campus that day, she had started filling
out an application.
Four years later, Emily graduated with honors from Augsburg this spring. “I didn’t have
any goals when I was using,” she says. “But
StepUP has taught me that I have amazing
drive and potential.” Without StepUP, Emily
says she doubts she would have even tried
going to college.
Since 1997, the StepUP program has
helped students in recovery from addiction to
alcohol and other drugs learn similar lessons
about themselves. To date, more than 400
students from across the nation have participated and have maintained an 85% abstinence rate while in the program. They are
successful in sobriety and in the classroom,
earning a collective 3.2 GPA at Augsburg.
For many StepUP graduates, the thought of
going to college was at one time unimaginable—never mind staying sober in school and
getting good grades. But the StepUP community has given many students in recovery the
opportunity to contribute to society in ways
they never thought they would.
(Photo at left) Emily A. ’10 and Tyler P. ’11
The community is the program
Several colleges and universities sponsor 12-step meetings and
provide academic support or counseling services for students in
recovery. But StepUP goes further by offering chemical-free housing for students in what they refer to as a collegiate recovery
community.
“The community is a safe place where you feel supported,”
says Scott Washburn, the program’s assistant director. The students guard and protect the safety of the community by holding each other accountable.
While they are involved in StepUP, students meet individually with a StepUP counselor each week. They are required to
attend two 12-step meetings per week and to maintain an active working relationship with a sponsor. Students also attend
a weekly StepUP community meeting where they hear from
outside speakers, discuss program business, share service opportunities, and celebrate even the smallest of victories.
“Getting an A on a math test or just making it to the first day
of class, those are chances for us to celebrate,” says Salmeri.
“The little things really make a difference.”
Achieving success—in sobriety, academically, and in the community—is part of the StepUP culture. “We build positive community norms that are geared toward succeeding, growing, and
doing well,” Washburn says. “That’s why it’s different. That’s why
it works.”
The other component of StepUP that makes it stand out from
traditional recovery programs is that the program is constantly
shaped by student input. In particular, students serve on the leadership team, which meets regularly with staff to share what is
happening in the community and to keep the program moving in
the right direction.
“The students really take initiative to make changes
for the better in the community,” Salmeri says. This
mature partnership, where staff and students work
together, gives students the confidence to develop
into leaders. Salmeri adds, “I can see the potential
in them, and it is our role to help them realize it
within themselves.”
A perfect fit
The idea for StepUP began when two students at Augsburg
approached Don Warren, the former director of Augsburg’s
Summer 2010
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Center for Learning and Adaptive Student
Services (CLASS), to ask for his help. The
students shared with Warren how being in
college was difficult for them. They struggled not only with the usual day-to-day challenges of college life but also with staying
clean and sober.
Warren turned to Dave Hadden, then
the educational and vocational liaison at
Hazelden, for his help. Washburn, who
worked with Hadden at that time, said
Hadden had developed an educational and
vocational packet for patients coming out
of treatment “to get them thinking about
their direction in life,” Washburn says, but
they didn’t have a college to recommend.
In fact, Washburn says, “We would discourage young people from going to college straight out of treatment. We told
them they needed a year of sobriety first
and a really solid foundation.”
Warren and Hadden’s idea for a residential program that would offer counseling and support proved to be just the
foundation students needed to transition
from treatment to college. In the fall of
1997, 23 students moved into Anderson
Hall to begin college and the StepUP program. Thirteen years later, the program
serves 72 students who live in Oren Gateway Center, a chemical-free facility that is
also home to the StepUP staff offices.
Washburn believes the StepUP program
and its students have flourished at Augsburg
due in part to the values shared by the program and the College. “Augsburg’s culture
is about providing access and helping all
kinds of students get the support they need
to be successful,” he says. “That’s perfect
for students like ours.”
Also, as a private liberal arts college of
the ELCA, Washburn says the Augsburg
community is open to conversations about
spirituality. In 12-step programs, students
learn to rely on a higher power or a God of
their understanding. “We work really hard
with students to help them define their
meaning and purpose …” Washburn adds.
14
Augsburg Now
Students receive a medallion when they
complete the StepUP program.
Part of that purpose is being of service
to others, another value in line with
Augsburg’s mission. “We help students
find a vision and see that no matter what
they do, they can make a difference in the
world,” Washburn says. Making a difference means being of service to the community—not just the StepUP community
or the recovery community but at
Augsburg, in the city, and throughout
the world.
Success through service
Being a part of the StepUP community
helps students maintain sobriety because
it gives them a chance to help others.
Being “of service” is an essential component of any 12-step recovery program,
whether it is by sponsoring others, sharing
in meetings, or even making coffee.
Tyler P. has learned that success in college can come through helping others, not
just from studying. After he faced serious
consequences from his drug use, Tyler entered treatment at Hazelden. One of his
friends from treatment, the only one he
knew who had stayed sober, was in
StepUP. Tyler saw that the young man was
a good student and that he wasn’t getting
high or drunk. For Tyler, that kind of life
was hard to imagine.
He enrolled at Augsburg in 2008 and
now participates in the StepUP community, sharing his experience with other
men as a sponsor. “I’ve earned more As
through being of service to others than
when I white-knuckled it for eight hours
cramming for a test,” he says.
In recovery, Tyler has seen students
transform their lives. “I’ve seen guys go
from not being able to sweep the floor
when they first get sober to being able to
run meetings, get on the dean’s list, and
participate in life.”
And Tyler’s life has also been transformed. “I was not an all-star student in
high school, but I’ve found a lot of success here.” He’s been on the dean’s list
for three semesters and has developed a
network of sober friends. Most importantly, Tyler says being a part of the community has given him the chance to
practice the principles he’s learned in his
recovery program.
A new way of living
Salmeri says StepUP also helps students
learn that they are leaders and role models, not only for other students in recovery
but for all members of the Augsburg community. Students can serve in formal leadership positions in StepUP, in student
government, as a member of residence
life, or by participating in athletics. But
many also become role models to their
peers simply by becoming the people they
were meant to be.
When Julia G. first learned about the
StepUP program, she had only been sober
for a few weeks. As time passed and she
neared the six-month mark of her sobriety,
the minimum requirement for acceptance
into StepUP, Julia realized that going back
to college was possible for her.
While in the program, students in
StepUP are required to live on campus.
This meant that Julia, who had been living
in a sober house where she was the
youngest resident, would now be the oldest
woman in her residence hall.
For the first month, Julia says she felt
out of place because of the age difference.
“I thought I was unique because I had more
life experience,” she says. “I judged the
other girls.”
Eventually Julia began to realize she was
more like the other students than she had
thought. “We all had different experiences,
but we also had something very important in
common.” That sense of belonging helped
Julia form “intense, involved relationships”
with the other students. “For the first time
in my life, I was a trustworthy person. It
meant a lot to me that the other women
looked up to me.”
Today Julia has a degree, a career she
calls “fantastic,” and a relationship with her
nine-year-old son. And she’s stayed sober
for seven years. “I really turned into myself
at Augsburg,” Julia says. “StepUP showed
me that anything is possible.”
Moving in the right direction
Over the years, StepUP has provided a safe,
supportive community for hundreds of students. The program has allowed them to
achieve the goal of college graduation while
also staying clean and sober—a goal that
was at one time overshadowed by their addiction. And the confidence students gain in
StepUP keeps them going in the right direction after they move on from Augsburg.
Witnessing this achievement is a great
joy for Salmeri and the other StepUP staff.
“The privilege of my position as director is
to witness the growth of each student as
they experience the transition into mature
adults,” she says.
For 10 years, Salmeri says her dream job
was to work for Augsburg in the StepUP program. “After eight years of working here, I
can still say it is my dream job. I feel honored and humbled to work with the students
and their families.”
“I am your biggest fan”
Every year the StepUP program celebrates the accomplishments of its graduates—
those who have completed their studies at Augsburg as well as those who have
completed their residency with StepUP and will move off campus. The StepUP graduation ceremony is a special time set aside to recognize the outstanding achievements of the StepUP students and for the Augsburg community to hear their
inspirational stories.
The theme, chosen by the students on the StepUP leadership council, was “I am
your biggest fan.”
These are sentiments shared by Patrice Salmeri, StepUP program director, at this
year’s ceremony:
“… let this statement sink deep into your soul. Write it on a rock. Etch it
on a tree. I am your biggest fan. I am rooting for you all the way. And it has
been this way since your first contact with the StepUP program. Through
the ups and downs, the difficulties and celebrations, life’s twists and
turns—I am your biggest fan!
Your legacy here at Augsburg and the StepUP program has already been
left, and it is more than enough! Whether it was a kind word you said or
being a consistent friend in another’s life, you may never know. But each
of you has left their mark on this place and it is forever changed because
of your presence.”
A tradition at the StepUP graduation is for a student to read from “The Awakening,”
an anonymous poem about recovery. This is an excerpt from the poem:
You learn that, for the most part, in life you get what you believe you deserve …
and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything
worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is
different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that
in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline, and perseverance. You
also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.
Summer 2010
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So try to jog your memory bank and answer this question:
Just when was the last time you were on the Augsburg campus? And we’re
talking about really being on campus. You know, park the car, get out, walk
around, go into a building. Because giving a little wave when you see the
sign atop Mort as you cruise down Interstate 94 doesn’t count.
Has it been a year? Two? Five? That’s all right. We’re not going to judge.
Everybody is busy, you don’t always get to Cedar-Riverside, we get that.
But we also know that sometimes you just need a little inspiration. And
that’s why you need to keep reading. Because while you only need one
reason to come back to campus and remember the role that Augsburg
played in shaping your life, we’re going to give you 10. So stop by, check
the place out, see how much it has changed.
And be an Auggie.
10 reasons to come back to campus
BY JEFF SHELMAN
16
Augsburg Now
1
0
OREN GATEWAY CENTER
If it has truly been a while since you’ve been on campus, well, this
is Augsburg’s new front door. Located on Riverside Avenue, the
Oren Gateway Center is the newest building on campus. The multipurpose building has classrooms, residences, offices, meeting
rooms, and common spaces. And if you want to learn about alumni
programming, our Alumni and Constituent Relations folks are
located on the third floor.
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2
Campus model
Yes, we know the Augsburg campus has a new look
to it. But it isn’t a finished product either. In the
lobby of Oren Gateway Center is a model that depicts what Augsburg’s campus master plan looks
like. You can see where the planned Center for Science, Business, and Religion will go. Once that is
built, Augsburg’s urban campus will have green
space from 20th Avenue to Kennedy Center.
3 GET SOME GEAR
Let’s be honest, that Augsburg sweatshirt in your
closet is looking pretty grungy, isn’t it? We can fix
that. The Augsburg bookstore in Oren Gateway Center
has many ways for you to show off some Auggie pride.
A hat for the golf course? Check. A sweatshirt for fall
weekends? Yep. Cool workout gear for the gym? We’ve
got that too.
Gear
Summer 2010
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4
EAT
The food available on campus is no longer how
you remember it. It isn’t mass produced and boring. It actually has, you know, flavor. The folks at
Nabo, in Oren, will make a fresh sandwich or salad
right before your eyes. There’s also homemade
soup and even sushi. At the A-Club Grille in the
lower level of Christensen Center, the options
range from burgers to chicken sandwiches to
wings, and fresh fries are an option. Our choice?
We love Nabo’s Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (left).
You’ll just need a few extra napkins.
5
VELKOMMEN JUL
On the topic of eating, who doesn’t need some
sweets as you head into Advent? Stop by campus on
Friday, Dec. 3, and take part in the Augsburg tradition that honors our Scandinavian heritage. And if
anybody can make treats the way your mother and
grandmother did, it is the Augsburg Associates, a
group of volunteers who support the College.
6 Athletic events
For each of the past two years, Augsburg has
been the most improved athletic program in the
MIAC, and teams are making the playoffs with
much greater frequency than ever before. Why
not load up the family and watch some of our
student-athletes show their Auggie pride? Our defending national champion wrestling team takes
on rival Wartburg in the Battle of the ’Burgs on
January 18, 2011. There’s a home football game
each Saturday in September. Other schedules
can be found at www.augsburg.edu/athletics.
18
Augsburg Now
8
7 Christensen Center
We know how you work. You have a
meeting somewhere in Minneapolis, it
ends, and you proceed directly to Starbucks or Caribou. Right? If you’re near
campus, why don’t you stop by Christensen Center? It’s a little different
than last time you were here. Cooper’s
will brew you up some good java and
you can get a wi-fi password at the
info desk. And you might meet some
current Auggies.
Art on
campus
There’s the Gage Family Art Gallery in Oren Gateway
Center. There’s the Christensen Center Art Gallery.
And there’s also a student gallery on the main level of
Christensen. Stop by, see some of the cool stuff from
local and Augsburg artists in the galleries and across
campus. Exhibit information can be found at
www.augsburg.edu/galleries.
9 DAILY CHAPEL
There are days when you just need a little reflection,
a reminder of what is really important. At Augsburg,
there is time set aside to do just that. On Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:20 a.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:20 a.m., a 20-minute
chapel service is held during the academic year.
While daily chapel is considered a given by Auggies,
it is very much a rarity for liberal arts colleges. Stop
by and take a break from your busy day.
10
Homecoming
If you are only going to make one
trip to Augsburg in the next year,
make it for Homecoming weekend,
Oct. 15-16. Among the highlights is
the expanded Taste of Augsburg
prior to the football game against
Concordia Moorhead. After the
game with the Cobbers, stick
around for the Auggie Block Party
and see old friends and classmates.
Summer 2010
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BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
College students who take a literature course expect to do a lot of reading. But few who
register for a course titled “Environmental Literature” would imagine being asked to go
camping, wear the same clothing for a week, or borrow someone’s book and not return it.
A student wouldn’t expect this—unless he or she had taken a course from Colin
Irvine, associate professor of English and environmental studies. In order to encourage
his students to experience the literal and literary landscape more deeply, students in
Irvine’s spring semester course found themselves taking on some creative challenges.
In addition to reading books and taking exams, students were asked to observe a spot
in nature and note its changes over time, learn to identify Minnesota’s birds, wear the
same outfit for one week, spend 24 hours in the great outdoors, and go “off the grid” for
an entire weekend.
The point of these unusual assignments was to challenge students to move outside of
their comfort zones. “I wanted, as Thoreau suggested at the outset of Walden, to wake
them up to help them see their world—not the distant world connected with wilderness
but the one they inhabit daily—as being connected to a dynamic, ultimately dangerous
living, evolving world. I wanted them, in short, to feel challenged, unsettled, unsafe,”
Irvine says.
“It’s a risk when you put these kind of things in the syllabus, but I got away
with it.”
On the following pages, students share some of their blog and journal entries about Irvine’s challenges.
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only
the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to
teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
HENRY DAVID THOREAU, WALDEN
20
Augsburg Now
BECOME A BUDDING
phenologist
(pun intended)
Select a plot of land and visit two
to three times a week. Spend time
in your place observing, recording, and reflecting on what you
find, hear, note, and think.
SPRING IN THE CITY
It seems as if my professor was right in his recommendation to visit our sites
twice a week. If I had followed his advice, perhaps I would be able to better appreciate my hillside. Where I stand right now, I am unsure as to how much has
changed and how drastically so. The snow is slowly receding into an indistinguishable brown mass of diamond dirt. Wildlife can be heard through the dripping trees
as well; the chattering squirrels, the squawking crows, the cooing mourning doves.
Something that strikes me as I stand here is the indescribable sense of movement
I feel from my site. The water from the once frozen crack in the concrete dam is
now a dull trickle on the hill. In the right moment, a flash of sun bounces off of
the stream and hits my eye.
This sharp glint always jars me awake from my hypnotized state; I feel a bit
silly admitting this, but I often lose myself in the sight of the hillside. It’s as if all
of the attempts of description are fruitless as my words hold no candle to the majestic power of nature. The subtle movement of the water almost gives the land a
pulse. With each trickle of the stream, the surrounding leaves shift and rearrange.
The grass sways above the mud’s restless state and the flow of the dirty water
draws me in; it’s almost as if the pulse of the hillside is acting as a siren. The
movement in the grounds suggests a voice; a voice that beckons me to join with
the land. To see my plot of land move, so see it breathe, this is an experience I
have never had before.
DAVE MADSEN ’11
THISONE’SFOR
the birds
Learn to identify the birds of Minnesota by their physical
characteristics and by their calls.
MARCH 1, 2010
I’m so pleased that now I know what a cardinal
sounds like—a great mystery of my life, solved!
There are three of them—two males and a huge
female—that frequent my mulberry bushes and
the neighbor’s tree, but somehow I’ve never made
the connection before that they’re the ones whose
song I wake up early to on work days. I’ve been late
more than once on my way to the coffee shop; I can’t
help but pause and watch them hop and flutter from
branch to branch, circling each other in some birdish
dance that I suspect is carefully organized, though I
can’t tell what they’re doing.
The downside of my new bird watching discovery is
that I can’t whistle. When my dad would take me hiking
as a little kid, I was constantly fascinated by his ability
not only to identify birds by their calls but also to repeat
them, and I’ve tried my whole life but never learned how
to do the same. When I was five, I remember writing a
list of things I had to learn how to do: zip zippers, cartwheel, snap my fingers, raise one eyebrow, tie my own
shoes, and whistle. The cartwheel and the whistle have
never been checked off.
DALEY KONCHAR FARR ’13
Summer 2010
21
GOINGOFF
the grid
Go off the grid for three days—a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Though there are
many reasons tied to this course that I am presenting you with this challenge,
here are four of the most important: first, when we are plugged in, we are often
tuned out to the natural sights and sounds specific and central to this course’s
focus on landscape; second, when we are off the grid, we are more inclined to
sync with those around us, an important consideration given the emphasis in this
course on communities; third, unplugging means consuming less and thus preserving/conserving more; fourth (though not finally), much of today’s communications-based technology reinforces the idea that having instant access to
information in small bits represents progress.
Jessica was determined to go off the grid one weekend, but she was waiting
for important news from her family. She received the call and then checked
her e-mail to find a message from her graduate school program, which required her to log on and register for classes. She didn’t make it entirely off
the grid—she didn’t call anyone and checked e-mail only twice a day. She
wrote, “But I know, deep down, that this doesn’t count.”
GOING OFF THE GRID: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (EXCERPT)
I have become entirely trapped in our mechanized society. The demands
placed on me are not the be-all and end-all of the world, but it is easy to define them as such. This being said, I do not completely resent the technology I have allowed to enter my life.
My family has always been very close, and even now, as a senior in college, my parents call me at least three times a week to check in. I do not resent their phone calls, but I relish the contact I have with my family, it
helps me feel connected to them. In the same way, some close friends that
do not go to school here talk to me via various types of communication. It
helps to keep us together when we cannot be physically together. I think
there is a danger in setting aside the people we are physically present with
for those who are distances away, but there is also a danger in shunning
people we could be communicating with for those that are closer. I don’t
think technology is evil; it, like everything else, can be used poorly and
abused. The key is to use it wisely.
I would like to try to go off-grid some other time, because there is no way
to understand how to truly utilize technology if we don’t know what life is
like without it.
JESSICA FANASELLE ’10
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the
mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are
useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”
JOHN MUIR
22
Augsburg Now
Bear Grylls
HASGOT NOTHINGONYOU
By the end of spring break, spend 24
uninterrupted hours in Minnesota’s
great outdoors.
3/21 IT’S FREEZING!!
We didn’t anticipate these temperatures. The night dragged on, freezing temperatures resulted
in tossing and turning and shivering all night. I think we all learned a valuable lesson—it’s impossible to share a mummy bag. 24 hours later and the land seems unchanged except for the
layer of frost that confirmed the freeze. It seemed like time froze along with the water in the
bottle outside of the tent (note: always take the time to tuck the water bottle UNDER the tarp
INSIDE the tent). It was hard to fully appreciate the hours without sun. No sleep, the shivers,
numb toes, sounds like initiation criteria. It’s amazing how a few hours of pain and uncomfortable conditions can change how you feel about the outdoors, I’d been winter camping twice before but this was definitely more of a challenge. We may have underestimated the amount of
preparation and anticipation that was needed but by morning it didn’t matter.
MATIE MINASIE ’11
CAN I BORROW
your book?
Borrow Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit from someone—perhaps a
stranger—and then convince that person to let you give the book away to someone else.
I USED TO BELIEVE
I used to believe, before coming to Augsburg, that ‘try’ was a useless word. I used to believe that if something couldn’t be accomplished fully, successfully, it wasn’t worth much. I used to believe
that everything I did meant only what value could be found in final
products.
I think my journey away from this belief has taken place slowly
over the last four years but it seems perfect and fitting to me that
this Environmental Literature class, with its challenges, has come
at the end of my Augsburg education. The challenges of this curriculum represent everything I was wrong about before coming
here. Education, growth, things of beauty and worth are rarely born
from end products. Trying to spend 24 hours outside, trying to
spend a week not planning outfits each morning, trying to memorize Minnesota birds, trying to find a copy of Ishmael that someone
would let me borrow then give away, trying to spend hours writing
outdoors in the bitterness of February, these attempts taught me
more about myself and the world around me than easily succeeding ever could have.
Some of the challenges I completed, some I completed creatively, and some I failed but I don’t feel that any taught me less
than another.
Find all the Environmental Literature
challenges at www.augsburg.edu/now
One of the best examples of all this, I think, was the challenge
to find a copy of Ishmael to borrow and give away. In my search, I
learned who around me had read the book and wanted to talk
about it when I’d finished (though none from that group still had
the copy they’d read), who wanted to borrow it from me when I was
done, and what it would mean for me to give up a book that had no
intention of coming back to me in physical form. Now I understand, in a way I didn’t before, that a conversation with my father
(who will receive Ishmael from me) about the book is worth more
that the book’s long life on my shelf.
When I couldn’t find a copy of Ishmael from anyone I knew, I
ended up making a trade for the book at a used bookstore in St. Paul.
“Ishmael?” the girl behind the counter said as she handed it
over, “this book will change your life.”
Having finished reading it, I know she was right but that she
may not have understood entirely what she was saying. The book
has changed my life, to be sure, but the journey to find it and the
conversations that will come are life-changing things as well. We
do not grow through successes, final products, and exams but
through journeys, challenges, and trying things once, twice, or fifty
times without fear of the result.
MOLLY BUDKE ’10
Summer 2010
23
MARK MATZEK
It was spring 2007 and Mark Matzek ’05 couldn’t sleep. He was 25
years old, had just finished his first full year of teaching mathematics at Apple Valley High School, and suddenly was faced with a significant life decision.
Ever since deciding to become a high school teacher, Matzek’s
goal was to return to his hometown of Ellsworth, Wis., coach his
nephews on the wrestling mat, and teach math to his nieces. With
only two coaches over the past 60 years, Ellsworth had become a
wrestling power in Wisconsin, and continuing that interested Matzek.
But Matzek was also an Auggie. The three-time All-American and
two-time national champion had spent two years as a part-time assistant coach at his alma mater.
So, three years ago Matzek had to make a choice. A math position
opened in Ellsworth and plans would be made to make him the
coach-in-waiting. At the same time, Jeff Swenson retired as
Augsburg’s wrestling coach, the assistant coach was promoted, and
Matzek was offered the full-time assistant coach position.
“I kept waking up thinking Augsburg was the right choice,”
Matzek says.
Turns out it was.
BACK ON TOP AT NO. 1
Fast forward three years and Matzek doesn’t have some of the worries
that many 28-year-olds have. He doesn’t worry about whether that promotion is really going to happen. He doesn’t fret about that next job.
And he isn’t in that wondering-what-is-next mode that seems to go
along with that time of one’s life.
24
Augsburg Now
Nine years on the mats
BY JEFF SHELMAN
Fresh off a Colorado vacation filled with mountain climbing,
Matzek couldn’t be more comfortable with where he is. And for good
reason. Sitting in his Kennedy Center office, Matzek has two pieces of
serious hardware within arm’s reach. The first is for the NCAA Division III wrestling national championship that Augsburg won in March.
The second is for Matzek being named Division III Coach of the Year.
“There is no ‘what’s next’,” says Matzek, the youngest coach to
ever win a Division III title. “This is where I want to be. It’s Augsburg. This is the premier small wrestling school in America. This is
a dream job.”
And this winter, the Augsburg wrestling program truly became
Matzek’s program. With former coach/program architect/athletic director Jeff Swenson ’79 simply a spectator, Matzek led the Auggies
to one of its most successful seasons in school history.
The Auggies simply didn’t lose. A team with great balance,
Augsburg was perfect in dual meets; it won every tournament it entered and the Auggies closed the season by winning their 11th national championship in the past 20 years. It was a season that
included dual meet victories over the teams that finished both first
and second in the Division II championship and a drama-free Division III national championship in which Augsburg clinched the
title before the championship matches began.
While there were certainly questions about whether Matzek
would be able to keep the Augsburg wrestling program at the same
level—the fact that he looks both younger than his age and
younger than some of his wrestlers didn’t help—there is little
question now.
“I couldn’t be happier for Mark; they got the monkey off their
back,” Swenson says. “You win one and then you don’t have to answer the question any longer. And I couldn’t be happier that I had
nothing to do with it.”
Matzek says he didn’t feel pressure to win that first title, but he
also knows that there were people nationally who expected a misstep.
“If Augsburg was ever going to falter, it was going to be the last
two years,” he says. “And we finished second and first.”
BUMPS ALONG THE WAY
It was a little more than two years ago when Swenson walked into
Matzek’s office and asked him to serve as the program’s interim
coach. It was the end of July, the school year was less than six weeks
from starting and Matzek was handed the keys.
“Was I prepared as well as others in the nation? No,” Matzek says.
“But I didn’t want it to go outside the Augsburg family. I didn’t really
know what I had agreed to until I went home and told my wife.”
The next eight months were a blur for Matzek, who at times was
just trying to stay a step ahead of his wrestlers and make it to the
next day.
Because in addition to leading the Auggies, he was also part of the
way through a graduate program at Concordia-St. Paul, a program
that was much more manageable when he was an assistant coach.
“I had three full-time jobs,” he joked. “I had Augsburg, I had my
master’s program, and I had my wife. Our guys would study and I’d
be there working on my homework at the same time.”
Summer 2010
25
MARK MATZEK AT AUGSBURG
2001-05: Student-athlete
Two individual national championships
Three-time All-American
The team won two national titles and
had two runner-up finishes.
2005-2008: Assistant coach
Augsburg won the 2007 national
championship and finished third in
both 2006 and 2008.
2008-09: Interim head coach
Team rose to No. 1 in the national
rankings and won the National Duals.
2009-10: Permanent head coach
The Auggies completed a perfect season,
winning every dual meet and tournament.
Augsburg won its 11th Division III national championship in the past 20 years.
Matzek was named Division III Coach of
the Year.
The Auggies finished second at the
NCAA championships.
While athletics may not be as cutthroat
at the Division III level as it is, say, in the
Big Ten, contests are still scored and it isn’t
intramurals.
“I didn’t want to just hold on and be a
bridge from one coach to another,” Matzek
says. “I wanted to win the title for those
guys. It was a year of extreme highs and extreme lows for me. I was learning to manage
all of the different guys, manage personalities and figure out that not all athletes were
like me when I was in college.”
Matzek was certainly more than just the
guy to get Augsburg by. The Auggies defeated rival Wartburg, won the Division III
National Duals, and entered the NCAA
Championships ranked No. 1 in the country.
“I knew we didn’t have as good of a tournament team as we did a dual meet team,”
Matzek says. “We had a couple of injuries,
and we had a couple of matches that didn’t
go our way. After the first day I knew it was
going to be tough.”
The Auggies finished second, but
Matzek did enough to ensure his future as
Augsburg’s head coach. While the search
26
Augsburg Now
committee did bring in two outside candidates to interview for the position, Matzek
was hired.
“Given the circumstances, he did a
great job,” Swenson says. “We were a
lowly-ranked team and he took us to the
No. 1 ranking and a second-place finish.
There was a real strong assumption with
the committee that he had done a good
enough job.”
IN THE RIGHT PLACE NOW
While Matzek has been a head coach for
only two seasons—and only one season in
which he knew the job was really his—he
has impressed the guy who is both his boss
and the architect of the Augsburg program.
“I think Mark has become a quick expert at preparing his teams for competition,” Swenson says. “I think he gets it. I
believe he has taken the Augsburg system
and tweaked it to have Mark Matzek’s
name on it. He’s done it by having a keen
sense of what athletes need.
“He’s a lot closer in age to his
wrestlers. He knows how it feels to go
through this. He’s really in tune to when
the guys need to be pushed, need a day
off, need rest.”
Like anyone in a new job, the second
year was easier for Matzek than the first.
He had a better understanding of what the
job entailed, there were fewer surprises,
and he could learn from both high points
and challenges of his first year.
And when the Auggies reached the
NCAA Championships, Matzek knew the
work had been done.
“I don’t want to sound cocky or arrogant, but we expected [the national championship], we expected to win it,” he says.
“It wasn’t a real surprise.”
While Swenson was happy for Matzek,
Matzek was happy for his boss.
“It was big for Augsburg wrestling to
win it without Jeff in the wrestling room, it
was a big relief for him and the search
committee,” Matzek says. “They took a
chance and it worked out.”
And, as a result, Matzek is exactly
where he wants to be.
m
c
Making Connections
making
connections
In theatre, as in life, finding success is often about who
you know. But knowing the right people isn’t enough. In order
to build the foundation for a thriving career in theatre, students
need to form and maintain connections with the people and
the places that make up the “theatre scene.”
Perhaps this is one of the most important lessons that Augsburg
theatre students learn. Through participation in AugSem, the
Artist Series, internships, and by attending some of the hundreds
of productions staged throughout the Twin Cities every year, stu-
dents are challenged to go away from Augsburg, and sometimes
outside of their comfort zones, in order to make connections in the
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
theatre community.
Summer 2010
27
CONNECTING
TO THE CITY
From the beginning of her Augsburg education, Tessa Flynn ’05 says she was encouraged to get involved in the city. A theatre
arts and mass communication major, she
was particularly interested in the role of
theatre in the public school system. She
was fortunate to land an internship with the
Children’s Theatre Company following her
sophomore year, an opportunity that served
as her introduction to critical literacy in the
classroom.
The Children’s Theatre’s Neighborhood
Bridges program was started in 1997 by
Jack Zipes, fairy tale scholar, and the Children’s Theatre Company artistic director,
Peter Brosius. Using a variety of mediums such as theatre arts, storytelling, and creative writing, students work through issues in their
lives and develop critical thinking and communication skills. “It’s like
a little poison, this whole critical literacy thing,” Flynn says. “It gets
in your system, and your teaching is forever changed.”
Before Flynn’s last year of school, sociology professor Garry Hesser
encouraged her to get involved with the Project for Pride in Living college house in the Phillips neighborhood. She lived there with other
college students and tutored middle school students from the community. “I saw that my students needed to break a cycle of violence and
poverty, and I became even more convinced that theatre could be an
important part of that process,” Flynn says.
“Being in the city, you get to have the Guthrie and so
many other theatres as an extension of the classroom.”
KATIE KOCH ’01/’05
Now Flynn is the community engagement manager and a teaching
artist with the Bridges program at Children’s Theatre. She works with
students in grades 3–8 and has 22 classrooms where she spends two
hours a week. Flynn says the Bridges program engages multiple learning styles and allows students to recognize their individual skills.
“When I see students shine in Bridges, who in other areas of the
school day are thought of as low-achieving or who hide in the shadows, I am convinced that this is important work.”
Flynn says she is grateful for the opportunities she had at Augsburg. “I don’t know if I would be where I am now if not for the encouragement of faculty to get involved in the city.”
28
Augsburg Now
Katie Koch ’01/’05 also made many
connections in the city that led her on
a circuitous path—from campus to
downtown Minneapolis to New York and
back to Augsburg with a few more stops
in between.
Koch started out as a music major,
but when her high school drama
teacher took a position as stage manager at Hey City Theatre, longtime
home of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Koch
was given an opportunity to assist him.
She worked as the assistant stage
Katie Koch ’01/’05
manager and as an actor in Tony n’
Tina’s Wedding at Hey City for three
years while she was in school. “I would be in Augsburg Choir
with my hair in pin curls,” Koch said, “because I literally had
to go straight from rehearsal to the theater.”
She says it was the advice of Sonja Thompson, a piano instructor and vocal coach at Augsburg, that finally convinced
her she could leave the music department. “She said, ‘You’re
doing all this work in theatre … you don’t have to be a music
major,’” Koch says.
Instead of declaring a new major, Koch left school to stage
manage the next show at Hey City, Smokey Joe’s Cafe. She
then became an assistant stage manager for the Minnesota
Opera, went on to work with Glimmerglass Opera in
Cooperstown, N.Y., and freelanced as a stage manager from
Milwaukee to Miami. Eventually she came back to Augsburg
and completed a degree in theatre.
Koch, who was by then a theatre veteran, found herself in
the classroom with younger students. “It was interesting to be
tossed in with a group of young, eager students,” she says. But
she formed relationships with students and even became a
mentor to some. “It was exciting to watch such a talented
group of artists learn and get ready to begin their careers.”
After school, Koch worked at the Ordway Center for the
Performing Arts until a friend encouraged her to respond to a
posting for the assistant to the director of the Guthrie. She
went through several interviews including a very brief interview
with Joe Dowling who, she says, asked her mostly about the
professionals she’d worked with in her career. “I guess he’d already made the decision to hire me,” she says. She’s worked
with Dowling now for three years.
Koch maintains connections to Augsburg, sometimes serv-
“I knew my experience at Augsburg
wouldn’t end after graduation.”
LEE FISHER ’06
Summer 2010
29
Justin Hooper ’07 (left) and Michael Kelley ’05
ing as a guest lecturer and hosting Augsburg student groups who
visit the Guthrie.
“A huge advantage for Augsburg and the theatre department
is the city,” Koch says. “Being in the city, you get to have the
Guthrie and so many other theaters as an extension of the classroom.” She adds that anytime she gets a chance to talk to
Augsburg students, she tells them to take advantage of the opportunities to see high-quality performances in the city. “I say
you need to sit in the seats and watch … this is your
practicum.”
GOING BEHIND
THE SCENES
Each year many aspiring actors come to Augsburg hoping to
make a name for themselves onstage. And while many do just
that, they also sometimes discover and develop their calling to
work behind the scenes by getting involved backstage.
This was the case for Lee Fisher ’06, Michael Kelley ’05,
and Justin Hooper ’07. All three were very talented actors who
performed in a variety of roles while at Augsburg, but each one
also learned a lot about his craft while working on the technical
side of shows.
Fisher, who has taught English and directed the theatre program for five years at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in
Plymouth, says that being a stage manager was an important
part of his education. “When I was behind the scenes, it wasn’t
30
Augsburg Now
about me. As an educator that has been very helpful,” he says.
“Success happens when the focus is on what the students need
and how I can help them.”
Today he directs two major productions a year and frequently
draws on his connections with Augsburg theatre faculty for advice
about organizing shows. He’s sought out professors Michael Burden ’85, Martha Johnson, and Darcey Engen ’88 for help on developing a curriculum and organizing a show, and he says he wouldn’t
be able to do what he’s done without their help.
Fisher also stays in touch with education and English faculty
who were instrumental in his education because he values the professional connections. “I knew my experience at Augsburg wouldn’t
end after graduation,” Fisher says. He adds that his Augsburg professors continue to be sources of guidance and friendship.
“That commitment to bringing in outside artists puts
Augsburg one step higher than other college programs.”
JUSTIN HOOPER ’07
Kelley and Hooper also had eye-opening experiences working
backstage at Augsburg. Kelley says he came to college wanting
to be a professional actor but became interested in other career
possibilities after working in Augsburg’s scene shop for four
years. And Hooper says his experience was all-encompassing because he worked on- and offstage. “There was always a lot of
good discussion,” he adds, noting that theatre majors tended to
spend a lot of time together and to continue their classroom
discussions outside of class. “You see that everything in theatre is so connected.”
Hooper is grateful for the opportunities he had to work with
and get to know guest artists while he was a student. “In theatre, it’s all about who you know,” Hooper says. In addition to
meeting professionals through faculty connections, he and all
theatre students work with actors, directors, and designers from
the community on Augsburg productions. “That commitment to
bringing in outside artists puts Augsburg one step higher than
other college programs.”
The connections they made while studying theatre at
Augsburg have contributed to their busy and sometimes complicated professional careers. Since graduation, they have
acted in and directed shows, painted and designed sets, and
written original and adapted works. They’ve been from
Winona, Minn., to Acadia, Maine, and back. And now, in addition to maintaining their day jobs, the two are putting their
blood, sweat, and tears into managing 3AM Productions, a
small local theatre company.
At 3AM, Kelley says they draw on their connections with
other artists in the community to create unique and multidimensional productions. “We want every show to be something people aren’t used to seeing,” he says. He adds that
they strive to provide a well-rounded “big theatre” experience
to the patrons who are supporting their small theatre. “I
think it’s what we do well.”
During and after college, Steen worked in the box office at the
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. An actor friend there suggested she become a dramaturg, and eventually she went to Columbia to pursue an MFA.
“When students see other actors on the great stages of
this city, they can read their bios and see their training,
and that helps them see how to get from Augsburg’s
stage to another.” CARLA STEEN ’91
Because she had very little experience in the “creative side” of
theatre, Steen says her MFA was an immersion experience. “I said,
‘Oh, so this is how all this works.’”
Today Steen says it is interesting to come back to Augsburg because as a student she wasn’t really involved with the theatre department. She has taught and been a guest lecturer at the College,
and she tries to see at least one production a year.
Steen says theatre students in the Twin Cities are fortunate because of the opportunities to meet and see high-quality actors, directors, and artists. “When students see other actors on the great
FINDING YOUR STAGE
It takes more than theatre majors and faculty and staff to
stage a production. Often many non-majors get involved in
theatre in college but don’t end up in “the business” until
later in life.
Carla Steen ’91 is one student whose path to professional
theatre went through the English and history departments at
Augsburg.
As a first-year student, she ran the light board for Julie
Bolton’s production of Macbeth—with a set designed by Burden (then a graduate student at the University of Minnesota)
and starring Engen as Lady Macbeth. But that was the end of
her participation in theatre at Augsburg as a student.
Instead, Steen, who has worked at the Guthrie for 12
years as a dramaturg and publications manager, studied literary criticism with English professor Doug Green and worked
on a senior honors project under his direction. She also researched Shakespearean history and sources for her history
senior seminar taught by Richard Nelson, now professor
emeritus.
“In many ways, that was the beginning of me thinking
that research for theatre was an interesting thing I could do,”
Steen says.
Carla Steen ’91
Summer 2010
31
“We hire people because they are active
and are creating their own work, not waiting for someone … And they also have
some other passions that aren’t about
theatre.” JENNI LILLEDAHL ’87
Jenni Lilledahl ’87
stages of this city, they can read their bios and see their training, and that
helps them see how to get from Augsburg’s stage to another.”
Another student who played a minor role at Augsburg and went on to a thriving
career in theatre is Jenni Lilledahl ’87. As a student, Lilledahl took courses with
Ailene Cole, now professor emerita. “She seemed like she lived and breathed theatre and was completely consumed with passion for the forum,” Lilledahl says.
“She influenced me as an artist, and I always admired her from a distance.”
Though Lilledahl took courses to obtain a minor in theatre, she felt the need to
study in a more lucrative field. “I remember hearing voices saying, ‘You have to
pay the bills and have a reliable income.’” Lilledahl majored in communication
and public relations.
After graduating and working in corporate public relations, she decided to try
the “comedy thing,” so she started taking improvisation classes and met her future
husband, John Sweeney. Eventually she jumped off the corporate ladder so that
she and Sweeney could pursue their dreams, and the couple moved to Chicago
32
Augsburg Now
and worked at The Second City.
Then in 1997, along with Mark Bergren, the couple bought the Brave New Workshop from its founder,
Dudley Riggs. “John and I had three or so years of experience in theatre but had a lot more business experience,” Lilledahl says. “I guess we were sort of the
oddballs of the theatre community, but Dudley appreciated that we could manage the business as well as the
artistic side.”
As the current co-owner of Brave New Workshop
and executive director of the Brave New Institute,
Lilledahl oversees the theatre’s school, which reaches
more than 150 students a week, and she conducts improvisation workshops around the country. She is also
on the board for Gilda’s Club Twin Cities, an organization that provides emotional and social support for
families impacted by cancer.
Lilledahl returns to Augsburg at least once a year to
speak in chapel. Often her advice to students, which
she says is based on years of seeing who gets work and
who doesn’t, is to get as much stage time as they
can—wherever, whenever, and however—and to have a
life outside of the theatre.
“We hire people because they are active and are
creating their own work, not waiting for someone,” she
says. “And they also have some other passions that
aren’t about theatre.” Lilledahl adds that an actor’s experiences outside of theatre help them bring life to a
script and creativity to the stage.
And perhaps that is what makes all these alumni
successful.
At Augsburg students are trained as actors, directors, and technicians, but they also learn how to become involved in their community as artists and as
informed citizens. They understand that making connections is important to their careers and to their
personal lives as well. They’re encouraged to explore
many aspects of theatre, to develop their craft, and
to work and learn at Augsburg and in the city.
More than blocking and movement or scene study
and character analysis, these are the lessons that
will stick with them as they make their mark on the
world’s stage.
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear fellow alumni,
ummer is in full swing, and that means one thing—
lots of activities to enjoy with our families. Nobody
celebrates summer quite as well as Minnesotans, and
at Augsburg we are no exception. The Alumni Board has a
number of family-friendly events planned for 2010 and
2011, and we hope you’ll join us!
The annual Auggie Day at the Races, held at Canterbury
Park on August 5, usually attracts more than 700 Augsburg
alumni. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to enjoy an evening together. If you didn’t get to it this year, we hope to see you at Canterbury next year.
Another summer favorite is the Minnesota State Fair. When you attend the “Great
Minnesota Get-Together” this year, be sure to visit the Augsburg booth in the Education Building and tell us what you’re up to these days.
Believe it or not, Homecoming is just around the corner—October 10–16. This
year’s events feature something for everyone, including continuing education classes,
Auggie Author Book Signing, alumni concerts, 5K fun run, football game against the
Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers, and much more. Don’t forget to stop by the Alumni
Board booth at the Taste of Augsburg to learn how to get involved. This fun event has
been expanded with more carnival-style booths for a great time for the whole family.
The mission of the Alumni Board is to connect alumni with the College to enjoy
the events, friendships, and company of fellow Auggies. Each year the board has a
planning session to ensure that we support our mission to provide great, compelling
programs that renew and sustain your interest in Augsburg. Some ideas for this year
include an expansion of the Uniquely Augsburg series, similar to June’s Dead Sea
Scrolls event at the Science Museum that featured Professor Phil Quanbeck II; networking events; volunteer opportunities; lectures featuring Augsburg’s beloved faculty; and more.
Augsburg was a gateway to the future for us as students. Now, as alumni, we put
the lessons we learned from Augsburg’s unequaled education into action every day.
Thanks to the life-altering experiences we share because of our alma mater, those of
us on the Alumni Board work hard to unite the alumni of Augsburg College.
Enjoy the rest of the summer! I look forward to seeing you at the many alumni
events.
s
Sincerely,
Welcome, new Alumni Board
members!
At its June meeting, the Augsburg College Alumni
Board welcomed four new members who will
serve three-year terms.
Tracy Anderson is a third generation Auggie. She
graduated in 1995 with a major in communication
and a minor in business administration. Tracy attended Augsburg as a post-secondary student,
studied as a day student, and completed her degree in Weekend College. She is a realtor with
Edina Realty in Edina, and looks forward to networking with alumni and becoming involved in the
Augsburg community.
Christopher Ascher, a 1981 graduate with a major
in finance and minor in psychology, played on
Augsburg’s soccer team and is an A-Club member.
He is senior vice president and a branch manager
for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Bloomington.
He enjoyed meeting more than 80 alumni as host of
the January alumni winetasting event.
Sarah Grans is a youth and family ministry graduate from 2001, also with a minor in psychology.
She is director of outreach and faith formation at
St. Peder’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis. As a student she was active in Campus Ministry and was co-commissioner during her
senior year. She wants to give back to Augsburg
and reconnect alumni in meaningful ways.
Sharon Mercill graduated with a bachelor’s degree
in nursing in 2009 in Rochester and is currently a
student in the Master of Arts in Nursing program.
When she attended an Alumni Board meeting for a
study project and enjoyed connecting with other
alumni, she decided to become more involved and
join the board. She is the RN study coordinator of
breast cancer research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
JOHN STADLER ’07 MAL
PRESIDENT OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Summer 2010
33
auggie
alumni news
Eye-Opener Breakfasts
and Speaker Series
Are you looking for an opportunity to hear from Twin
Cities business leaders? Are you interested in a chance to
network with fellow Augsburg alums? Well, Augsburg—
through a pair of programs—has opportunities for you.
The Eye-Opener Breakfast Series is for Augsburg
alumni who want to network and learn from either a business leader or an Augsburg professor. The Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series provides opportunities for
students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to hear from
high-level business executives.
Here’s a look at the first speakers of the next academic
year for both programs with dates to mark on your calendar.
President Pribbenow and members of the Alumni Board celebrated with graduating day program
seniors at their reception in May. (L to R) Rob Wagner ’02, John Stadler ’07 MAL, Holly (Ebnet)
Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA, President Pribbenow, Dale Hanka ’60, Dan Hickle ’95, and Jennifer Carlson ’91.
Eye-Opener Breakfast Series:
The first event of the 2010-11 academic year
will be held on Thursday, Sept. 30. In addition to
breakfast and networking, attendees will hear
from Nate Garvis, former vice president of government affairs and senior public relations officer
for Target Corporation. Garvis will present his
thoughts on innovative ways to share the work of
building prosperous communities. Other EyeOpener Breakfasts will be held in 2011 on January 25 and May 10.
The Eye-Opener Breakfasts are held at Town
and Country Club in St. Paul, from 7–9 a.m. The
cost is $5 person, which includes breakfast.
RSVP by September 27 at
www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series:
Richard Davis, CEO of U.S. Bank, will be the featured speaker for the first event of the academic
year on November 18, at 5 p.m., in Sateren Auditorium. Additional events will be held on February 3 and April 7, 2011. The speaker series is
free and held on campus.
34
Augsburg Now
2010 Augsburg graduates were excited to join the Alumni Association as they celebrated their
achievements at the Senior Reception. (L to R) Lisa Yankauskas, Rosine Johnson, Brenna McHugh,
and Barbara Simmons.
go es
i
g
g
u
a
Ruth A. Schmidt ’52—Distinguished alumna and educator
Ruth Schmidt, the first female
president of Agnes Scott College, benefactor to Augsburg’s
Women’s Resource Center, and
Distinguished Alumna, died on
May 24 in Decatur, Ga.
Schmidt graduated summa
cum laude in 1952 with a
major in English and minors in
Spanish and library science.
She continued to study Spanish, earning master’s and doctoral degrees, and taught Spanish at the high school and college
levels, including at Wheaton College and the State University of
New York at Albany. After her appointment as dean of humanities
at SUNY Albany, she went on to become president of Agnes Scott
College in Decatur, Ga., until her retirement in 1994. She remained active in retirement through travel, international development work, women’s social justice issues, and peace initiatives.
Her legacy at Agnes Scott includes establishment of study
abroad programs, and increased diversity among faculty and
students.
Professor Emerita Ruth Aaskov ’52 was a classmate of
Schmidt’s, and they became lifelong friends. As students, both
were close to Anne Pederson, their English professor and mentor.
When Augsburg established the Women’s Resource Center in
2000, it was named in memory of Pederson and funded by a generous gift from Schmidt.
0
1
0
2
G
N
M
O
HOMEC
e it!
2010
c
n
e
i
r
e
exp
Block off your calendar for the weekend of October
15–16 and return to campus for Homecoming 2010’s
fun-filled festivities.
The Homecoming Convocation kicks off the weekend on Friday, Oct. 15, when First Decade, Spirit of
Augsburg, and Distinguished Alumni Award winners will
be recognized. Professor Emeritus Philip Quanbeck Sr.
’50 will provide the keynote remarks at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon.
A number of Augsburg Experience lifelong-learning
sessions are scheduled for Friday afternoon. In addition, the Auggie Author Book Signing and reading will
take place prior to the Welcome Back Banquet.
If you come to Saturday’s football game against the
Concordia Cobbers, plan to get to campus long before
the 1 p.m. kickoff. The day begins at 9:30 a.m. with the
Come back for Homecoming
October 10–16
family-friendly Anderson Hall Homecoming 5K Fun Run,
and campus tours are available from 10 a.m. until
noon. Three hours prior to kickoff, the Taste of
Augsburg in Murphy Square will feature carnival-style
booths operated by student groups, alumni, and local
restaurants. In addition to carnival-style food, there
will be games, inflatable bounce houses, and fun for
the whole family.
Back by popular demand is the Auggie Block Party
(in Parking Lot K, between Melby Hall and Riverside
Ave.) following the football game. Join alumni, students,
and friends for food, entertainment, and camaraderie.
Join fellow Auggies and music lovers after the Block
Party for a celebration concert in Hoversten Chapel
honoring Professor Stephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for information.
Summer 2010
35
alumni class notes
Stan Nelson, Andover, Minn.,
Jerilyn (Bjugstad) Wibbens,
43was selected as one of the
67Mukilteo, Wash., founded the
World War II veterans whose service
would be honored by flying them to
Washington, D.C., at no cost, to visit
the World War II memorial. Stan is
the last survivor of four Navy officers
from a landing craft that participated
in the D-Day invasion in June 1944;
he still attends annual reunions.
Northwest Nordic Ladies Chorus,
based in Everett, Wash., to keep
singing the Norwegian songs she
learned in her family and to learn
songs from the other Nordic countries. They regularly perform at
Scandinavian events and senior
centers.
Vera (Peterson) Rachuy, West-
Peter Agre was honored in
52brook, Minn., a retired
70June, along with four other
teacher, discovered a love and talent
for painting that began during a prolonged and severe winter when she
started to sketch her and her daughter’s dogs.
graduates of Norwegian Lutheran
colleges, with the “Going Viking”
Award by Norway House in Minneapolis. The award recognizes the
contributions of Norwegian Americans to the region.
Rev. Darryl Torrin, Cedar Falls,
66Iowa, retired on July 1 after
serving for 39 years in active parish
ministry. For the past 13 years, he
has served at St. John Maxfield
Evangelical Lutheran Church in rural
Denver, Iowa, where a retirement
celebration was held on June 6.
Alvina Strand Skogen, Eppen, N.D.,
is serving a two-year term as president of Western North Dakota
Synodical Women’s Organization
(Women of the ELCA).
David Siedlar received the “Model Worker Award” from the Communist
71Party, City of Huaian, Jiangsu Province, China, in April, which was published in the party newspaper.
Michael Good, Raritan, N.J.,
71president and CEO of Sotheby's
International Realty Affiliates, LLC,
and chair of the Augsburg College
Board of Regents, was named to the
Inman 100, a list of the top 100
most influential leaders in real estate
for 2009 by Inman News.
department at Lake Superior College
in Duluth. She has a master’s degree in business administration from
the University of St. Thomas, a master’s degree in education from College of St. Scholastica, and a
graduate certificate in educational
computing and technology from
University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Kathy (Langemo) Dugdale, Su-
72perior, Wis., was named director of the business services
Annette (Olsen) Hustad, Glenwood,
Minn., is “Lena” in the comedy
singing duo, “Tina and Lena,” along
with Susan “Tina” Edwards. For 25
years, they have entertained audiences in the Upper Midwest and farther with music, humor, and fun.
With degrees in music therapy and
music education, she taught K-12
music for 10 years. In April they performed at the Lifestyles Expo in
Alexandria.
Lois (Wennen) Larson, White
80Bear Lake, Minn., was named
to a one-year appointment as interim financial aid director at
Metropolitan State University in
Minneapolis, effective Feb. 1.
Joan (Maland) Mussa was re-
81cently named senior vice presiParticipants in the Master of Arts in Leadership study and cultural tour of Norway in June pause for a group photo
in the mountain resort town of Geilo. Twenty-eight Augsburg faculty, alumni, students, and friends of the College
took part in the customized MAL program done in conjunction with Diakonhjemmet University College in Oslo,
Augsburg experts on Norway, and CrossingBorders travel company in the Twin Cities. Pictured are Ruth and
Raymond Burgau; Paul ’65, Priscilla ’65, David, Karen, Andrew, Lynnsey, and Erika Fieldhammer; Professor
Douglas Green; John Grafstrom and Carol Sime ’73; Pete and Glenda Holste ’05 MAL; Lucinda Hruska-Claeys
’10 MAL; Paul ’80 and Rebecca Kilgore; Professor Lynn Lindow; Roger and Linda Nielsen; Angeline and Jeanne
Nelson ’09 MBA; Professor Norma Noonan; Patty ’02 MAL and Warren Park; Tawni Reller; Professor Linda
Stevens; Professor Barbara West.
Look for more about the MAL experiences in Norway at www.augsburg.edu/now
36
Augsburg Now
dent for donor engagement,
advocacy, and communications at
the United States office of World Vision, one of the largest relief, development, and advocacy organizations
in the world. Her responsibilities include overseeing the work of all private fund raising, government
relations, advocacy, internet, publications, and additional communication functions. She and her
husband, Mohammed, and their
three children live near Seattle.
Tessa Flynn, Minneapolis, ap-
05peared in the Frank Theatre
Daniel Werner and Shayne
95Hamann, Little Canada,
Minn., announce the birth of their
daughter, Savannah, born on Feb.
20. Savannah joins her twin brothers, Drake and Dylan, age 3.
Monica Fitzgerald, Washing-
Ryan Carlson BA ’96 and BS ’02 and his wife, Lauren, St. Paul, an-
96nounce the births of identical twin daughters, Adelaine Elizabeth and
Isadora Louise, on Feb. 14. Addy and Izzy join brother Quin, 4 1/2. The family lives in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Ryan is an engineer
for Seagate.
Karen Reed, Atascadero, Calif.,
82ton, D.C., is director of CIO
90was appointed program direc-
University and the deputy director of
the IT Accessibility and Workforce
Division in the General Services Administration’s Office of Governmentwide Policy. In 2009 she was
selected as a member of the Council
for Excellence in the Fellow’s Program of the Partnership for Public
Service, which focuses on servant
leadership.
tor in January at Coalinga State Hospital, the newest state mental health
hospital in the California Department
of Mental Health. She formerly
served 18 years as a registered
music therapist at Atascadero State
Hospital. She continues to represent
forensic psychiatric music therapy
treatment at the national and regional music therapy conferences.
Tim Asgrimson, Edina, Minn.,
Anthony Patton has published
83was recently named the chief
91his second novel, Unfaithfully
financial officer of Kraus-Anderson
Cos., where he has worked since
2007 as assistant chief financial officer. For 16 years prior to that he
provided tax, auditing, and consulting services to the company.
Yours, a love story in which he explores how hard-working couples
can achieve happiness and success
in the time it takes to watch a great
movie.
Sharon (Fairbanks) Romano,
Minneapolis, has served as director of the Department of Indian
Work of the St. Paul Area Council of
Churches for the past year.
87
Kristin Eggerling, Hallock,
89Minn., is a freelance writer
and has served on the board of Conservation Minnesota. A recent article
on StarTribune.com featured her
family’s outing to view the giant jack
pine in Lake Bronson State Park.
Nnamdi Okoronkwo, Minneapolis, an
assistant city attorney with the City
of Minneapolis, was appointed in
April by Governor Tim Pawlenty to a
four-year term on the Council on
Black Minnesotans.
Luann Roth, Columbia, Mo., has
been appointed as education coordinator of the Mizzou Advantage, a
collaboration of five programs of excellence at the University of Missouri. She will facilitate
interdisciplinary curriculum and
courses for these five areas. She has
been an instructor in the English Department and is completing her doctorate in American film and folklore.
Heidi (Wachholz) Boll,
Minneapolis, was named vice
president of sales for the Northeast
Region of Allianz Life Insurance
Company of North America. She
joined the company in 2001 and
has held several positions within it.
94
Lori (Langager) Higgins, Blaine,
Minn., became president of the
MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce
in the Twin Cities in May. She has
worked for the chamber since February 2009 and became its first female chief executive officer.
Kari (Schroeder) Prescott, Minneapolis, took a new position as representative for Minnesota to the
American Podiatric Medical Association in Washington, D.C., and will be
kept busy with the current healthcare debate issues.
Matthew Gooding, Sun Lakes,
95Ariz., graduated from a medical assistant program and is currently looking for and interviewing
for jobs.
Carye (Johnson) Bye, Portland
company’s adaptation of Kafka’s
Metamorphosis, which ran at the
Open Eye Figure Theatre in Minneapolis during April. She is also on
the board of the theatre. (Read
more about her on p. 28).
Jessica (Norman) and Eric
01Hafemeyer welcomed Kristen
Marie on February 22. Kristen joins
big sister, Lauren, 3.
Christina (Boe) Anderson,
04Blaine, Minn., and her husband, Michael, welcomed their new
daughter, Charlotte Marie, on Feb. 25.
Chad Darr and his wife, Krista, welcomed a son, Hayden James, on
May 5.
Miranda Nelson, Chicago,
06began the clinical psychology
PhD program at the University of
Illinois at Chicago last fall. She plans
on specializing in pediatric neuropsychology and will graduate with
her doctoral degree in 2014.
Dan Morlock, St. Paul, is site
97Ore., is owner of Red Bat
07leader of a before- and-after-
Press, a print and design company.
She wrote and illustrated a book,
Hidden Portland: Museums &
Collections, in 2010 with Bedouin
Books.
school child care program for the
Roseville school district called
Friendship Connection.
Ted Schultz, Bloomington,
98Minn., started a new position
as activities director at Minnetonka
(Minn.) High School on July 1. He
had served for six years in the same
position at Bloomington Jefferson
High School.
Adam Erickson, Chanhassen,
00Minn., was appointed busi-
ness banking officer at Anchor Bank
in Eden Prairie. Prior to this he was
a business relationship manager for
Wells Fargo Bank.
Maureen O’Shaughnessy was featured as a music therapist on
WCCO-TV about her work with autistic children at Fraser Child and Family Center.
Molly Shortall recently completed
her master's degree at Manhattan
School of Music. She has been in
New York City for two years and
works as a house musician at a
large church in Brooklyn. This summer, she's singing the role of Second
Lady in Die Zauberflöte.
Summer 2010
37
Colonel Steven Charles ’76
receives Legion of Merit
On May 1, Colonel Steven Charles ’76 received the Legion of
Merit, the highest award not received for valor, which is
awarded for “exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.”
While Charles’ 30-year military career began in 1977 as a
navy pilot, he received the Legion of Merit for his work as program manager from 2001 to 2007 in the 87th Air Force Element, and air director of joint operations, Air Force Element,
U.S. Army Forces Command, 87th Battle Command Training
Division in Birmingham, Ala.
The citation states, “In this key leadership position, Colonel
Charles served as project officer for nine major exercises and
15 Command Post exercises preparing over 30,000 Army
troops for Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and the
Global War on Terrorism.”
His duties included training the soldiers how to call in close
air support. By teaching soldiers how to talk to Air Force support, how to call in for help, and what protocols and information they needed, they could quickly be rescued, saving their
own lives and those of other ground forces. He also developed a
successful Train the Trainers program that provided understanding of joint operations within the modern battlefield.
During his military career, Charles served two cruises aboard
the USS Constellation where he had more than 200 carrier
landings. He was chosen to become a Navy A-4 adversary pilot
and graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School. He
Rikki Starich, Lexington, Ky., was recently appointed assistant director of
annual giving at Transylvania University in Lexington. In May she completed her Master of Education in
higher education administration/
institutional advancement.
Andrew Sinko, Blaine, Minn., a
teacher in Spring Lake Park, Minn.,
has been accepted to a University of
London doctoral program.
Zac Wooten, New York, received his
master’s degree from New York University and continues to express appreciation for the support of faculty
at Augsburg.
A.J. Hau and his brother, Chris,
10from Fort Collins, Colo., were
signed by the Colorado Eagles
hockey team. They both advanced
through the Northern Colorado
Youth Hockey and Colorado State
University hockey programs.
Christopher Stedman gradu-
08ated with a master’s degree in
theology from Meadville Lombard
Theological School of Chicago.
38
Augsburg Now
Jens Olsen and Heidi Le will spend
the 2010–11 academic year in
Vietnam on Fulbright English Teaching Awards.
Courtesy photo
alumni class notes
Colonel Steven Charles ’76 (left) received the Legion of Merit, presented to him in
Birmingham, Ala., on May 1, by Brigadier General David W. Puster.
crossed to the Air Force and was an instructor in both the
F-111 Aardvark and the F-117 Stealth Fighter. In 1990, he appeared on national television as one of the two pilots flying a
Stealth Fighter during their unveiling.
He left active duty in 1991 and joined the Air Force Reserves before joining the 87th Division. He retired from the military in 2007 and is now a Boeing 767 pilot for Delta Air Lines.
BETSEY NORGARD
Graduate Programs
Sarah Resor ’06 MAL and Eric
Johnson, both of Robbinsdale,
Minn., were married Feb. 27 in Oak
Ridge Conference Center.
Mike Bilden ’07 MAL, St. Louis Park,
Minn., is coordinator of the new
Adult Degree Completion Program in
the College of Business and Economics at University of WisconsinRiver Falls. He has served as
director of continuing education at
North Hennepin Community College
and director of adult and graduate
admissions at Augsburg.
Larry McGraw ’10 MBA, Owatonna,
Minn., has been appointed senior
vice president and chief credit officer of Home Federal Savings Bank
in Rochester. Previously he spent
eight years at United Prairie Bank in
Mankato, Minn.
Hector Matascastillo ’10 MSW is
using his own experience and gift of
compassion to help veterans when
they return from war.
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Olsen, W. Donald ’34, Sioux Falls,
S.D., age 99, on Dec. 20.
Nelson, Gordon A., ’54, Cloquet,
Minn., age 77, on April 9.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
Paulson, Dr. Eric ’38, Spokane,
Wash., age 92, on March 6.
Wolden, Gerhard ’56, Minneapolis,
age 82, on April 5.
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Shebeck, Ethel (Sinner) ’38,
Richfield, Minn., age 93, on November 14.
Welch, Robert ’58, Burlingame,
Calif., age 73, on March 28.
Ronholm, Olive ’47, Golden Valley,
Minn., age 84, on March 9.
Peterson, Robert ’49, New London,
Minn., age 83, on April 8.
Schmeltzer, George W. ’61, Minneapolis, age 70, on March 31.
Faue, Jeffrey L. ’68, Belle Mead,
N.J., age 64, on April 15.
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Bolstad, Nan (Haraseth) ’69, Jefferson, Ore., age 63, on March 2.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Metz, Rev. Richard G. ’74, Sisters,
Ore., age 63, on May 13.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Arney, Claudia (Odegaard) ’78,
Clarkdale, Iowa, age 74, on
April 17.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Davis, Gerald ’51, Litchfield,
Minn., age 82, on April 21.
Haugan, Joan ’80, Spring Lake
Park, Minn., age 80, on Feb. 14,
2009.
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Stenvig, Charles Selmer ’51,
Sun City, Ariz., age 82, on
February 22.
Thayer, Nancybeth (Sedgwick) ’80,
Hermantown, Minn., age 49, on
June 30, 2006.
Schmidt, Ruth A. ’52, Decatur, Ga.,
age 79, on May 24 (See story on
p. 35)
Reinhart, Laura Jane ’82, Livermore,
Calif., age 49, on January 2.
Hegland, Dagny (Quanbeck) ’50,
Brandon, S.D., age 81, on
March 17.
Johnson, Esther ’50, Minneota,
Minn., age 80, on April 15.
Johnson, Rev. LeRoy ’50, Richland,
Mich., on January 11, 2009.
Kjos, Edwin ’54, Abbotsford, Wis.,
age 85, on March 31.
Therres, Emmaline (Schlueter),
Chaska, Minn., age 66, on April 2;
former faculty member.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Summer 2010
39
my
Auggie experience
By all accounts—his own included—sophomore Gottlieb Uahengo
had a difficult first semester at Augsburg College.
Making the move to Minneapolis from his home in Namibia meant
many changes. He missed his family and friends and got sick five
times from the food. He was introduced to Mountain Dew and the effects of over-consumption. “I didn’t sleep for several days,” he says.
And when he witnessed his first snowfall, a fellow student asked
him, “Are you alright? You look disturbed.”
Uahengo is a Legacy Scholarship student. His father graduated
from the University of Minnesota and came to work in Augsburg’s
Physics Department while his wife, Fredericka ’90, completed her
degree in education. Gottlieb was actually born at Fairview Riverside
Hospital but lived most of his life in Oshakati,
Namibia, where his father is a pharmacist and
his mother serves as the rector of Ongwediva
Teachers College.
When it came time to apply for college,
Uahengo’s father said, “I’m sending you
to Augsburg.” Because Uahengo wants
to be an engineer, his father wanted
him to study in a small school
with a good physics department.
“My father holds professors
[Mark] Engebretson and [Jeff]
Johnson in high esteem,”
Uahengo says. “He told
me I would get more out
of my education at
Augsburg than at a
large, public
university.”
His father also told him to be prepared for the challenge of college
life. “He said the best way to overcome adversity is to become part of
the community, to take a leap of faith.” And that’s exactly what led
to a better second semester and a successful first year at Augsburg
for Uahengo.
Greg Holker, Augsburg’s men’s soccer coach, said Uahengo
looked frightened and overwhelmed when the two first met last summer. “I wasn’t sure he would amount to much as a soccer player because he seemed frail physically and psychologically,” Holker recalls.
After a tentative start, Holker says the first-year player definitely
made an impact on the team. “He scored a big goal against Buena
Vista and took off in training from that point on,” says Holker. “He
sought out improvement and soaked up as much information as he
could. Rarely do I see a person that determined to learn and learn
quickly.”
Rebekah Dupont, whom Uahengo calls his mentor, says he displayed the same tenacity in his academics as on the soccer field.
Dupont worked with him in Augsburg’s North Star STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program. He participated
in the calculus workshop, a class in which students work together on
challenging problems. He also got involved in a research project,
something not many first-year students take on.
“Gottlieb has very high expectations for himself, and I think this
made adapting to so many new things all at once a challenge,”
Dupont says. “As he feels more comfortable and confident, those
high expectations and strong work ethic will serve him very well.”
In addition to conducting research during the school year, Uahengo is working on a summer project with another student and professor Ben Stottrup of the Physics Department. This fall he will be
an officer with Augsburg’s International Student Organization and
will continue to play soccer. He also hopes to compete on the track
team as a sprinter in the spring term.
“When I set my mind to something, it’s hard to sway me,”
Uahengo says. “I am always looking for a way to be engaged.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
40
Augsburg Now
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augsburg legacy
Joyce Young
“I value the impact of my Augsburg education on my life and career … That’s why I am giving
back through naming Augsburg as owner of a life insurance policy. Augsburg’s gift planning team,
along with my financial adviser, showed me the great benefits.”
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Courtesy photo
Augsburg Choir tours China
The Augsburg Choir and the choir from Guangxi
Provincial Normal University in Guilin, China, pose for a
giant group photo during the choir’s trip through China.
For the choir’s China blog and photos, go to
www.augsburg.edu/music.
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
inside
FALL 2010
VOL. 73, NO. 1
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Meet Martha Stortz Exploring separate worlds
Travel
Celebrating our success Healthcare symposium
Augsburg
annual report Coach Greg Holker
page
20
go
auggies!
Homecoming ... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
inside
FALL 2010
VOL. 73, NO. 1
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Meet Martha Stortz Exploring separate worlds
Travel
Celebrating our success Healthcare symposium
Augsburg
annual report Coach Greg Holker
page
20
go
auggies!
Homecoming 2010
Editor
notes
from President Pribbenow
w
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Coming Home
e celebrated Homecoming this year in
grand fashion, welcoming more than
1,000 alumni, families, and friends at
events during the week.
I am mindful of the many ways in which coming home to Augsburg has meaning for alumni and
those of us on campus. We all share in common
this place and the experience that continues to
shape our lives in the world. And when we “come
home,” we mark just how powerful those connections and shared experiences are to our personal
and common callings in the world.
So what does it mean to come home to Augsburg?
First, it is quite literally a homecoming to this
place in the heart of Cedar-Riverside and Minneapolis, this campus home we have inhabited
since 1872 when our Norwegian-American ancestors first settled here.
Homecoming seems especially meaningful this
year as our campus community is engaged in a Commission on Campus Space and Master Planning—
exploring together what it means that we are in this
urban setting and what our aspirations are for the future of Augsburg’s campus. During this year, we will
plan for new buildings, landscape, and the responsible use of space. And we also will consider what it
means that we are here in Cedar-Riverside, this
neighborhood we share with various neighbors. How
best do we honor our role as neighbor here?
Second, homecoming also marks our return to a
community, a gathering of those who share our commitments to education for service.
There are clear distinctions in the nature of this
community over time. We are much larger—we now
count more than 4,100 students and 650 faculty
and staff. We offer a wider range of academic programs—from our traditional day program to adult
undergraduate and expanding graduate opportunities. We are increasingly diverse—in ethnic and religious background, in age and in socioeconomic
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
class, and in so many other ways. But at its core it
is still Augsburg, a community grounded in offering
a superior educational experience for all students
that focuses on the intersections of faith, learning,
and service.
Augsburg is one of the most hospitable and welcoming communities I know, a place that believes
deeply that access to education demands of us a
commitment to justice for all God’s creatures.
Finally, you come home to a mission, a character,
and a set of values that abide over the years. Here, we
still celebrate the Word made flesh. Here, we still
share with our immediate neighbors an immigrant
sensibility, the belief that education is at the core of
a healthy neighborhood and democracy. Here, we still
work together to ensure that all deserving students
can receive an Augsburg education. Here, we still
help each other discern our vocations and gain the
skills and knowledge to live them out in the world.
In the work and lives of our alumni, we have remarkable stories of how this distinctive Augsburg
mission has made a difference in the world over
the years. For those of us who are the current stewards of Augsburg’s mission, I urge you to listen to
the stories of our alumni for they are our “epistles
to the world,” our parables of what an Augsburg
education means. You will be amazed by what they
have accomplished.
I hope those of you who came to Homecoming
were able to meet our current students, because they
are the most powerful statements of our mission, our
aspirations to make a difference in the world. They
are remarkable signs of what we can look forward to
as Augsburg seeks to live out its mission to educate
students who are “informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
Welcome home to Augsburg!
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
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Augsburg College
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E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
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Fax: 612-330-1780
fall 2010
Features
12
18
26
contents
22
12
18
22
26
29
29
augsburg now
On the cover
Auggies are awwwe-some! With boomsticks in hand,
Auggies cheer on the football team at Homecoming.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
Homecoming 2010
She loves being an Auggie: Meet Martha Stortz
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
The Sabo Symposium:
Understanding healthcare reform
by Betsey Norgard
Celebrating our success
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Annual report to donors, 2009–10
Departments
inside
front
cover
2
9
10
11
43
48
52
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggies on the course
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
around the
quad
Partners in the park
New Board of Regents members elected
Murphy Square, the three acres that sit squarely in the middle of
Augsburg’s campus, is the oldest park in the city of Minneapolis.
It was given to the city by Edward Murphy in 1857, when he platted “Murphy’s Addition.” At that time, however, this first
city park was quite far from the small settlements
in St. Anthony and Minneapolis, and for 20
years or more the park served mostly as cow
pasture.
As Augsburg grew, the park became more
and more surrounded by the College and incorporated into college life and traditions.
Homecoming parades have flowed
around it, science contraptions
have been launched in the annual Agre Challenge, tents have
held formal receptions for commencements and inaugurations, and many games of
Frisbee, grills of hotdogs, and
hours of sunbathing have taken
place in the park.
On October 16 at Homecoming, a formal partnership with the
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board was celebrated in which
Augsburg assumes responsibility for the maintenance of the park.
The partnership serves as the foundation for further cooperative
efforts and engagement with the park board as Augsburg moves
forward with campus master planning, including a proposed
sweeping green landscape across campus.
At their fall meeting in September, the Augsburg Corporation
Governing Board elected four new members to the Augsburg
Board of Regents, and re-elected three members to second terms.
Elected for first, four-year terms are:
Cynthia Jones ’81
Toby Piper LaBelle ’96
LaJune Thomas Lange
Rev. David Tiede
Cynthia Jones ’81, Senior
Technical Advisor for
Nuclear Security, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission
Toby Piper LaBelle ’96,
Senior Vice President,
Northland Securities
LaJune Thomas Lange,
Judge (retired), Fourth
Judicial District of
Minnesota
Rev. David Tiede, Interim
President, Wartburg
Theological Seminary;
Bernhard M. Christensen
Professor Emeritus of
Religion and Vocation
Elected to second, four-year terms are:
Richard C. Hartnack, Vice Chairman, Consumer Banking, U.S.
Bancorp
André Lewis ’73, President (retired), RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation
Rev. Norman Wahl ’75, Bethel Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minn.
Christensen
Symposium 2010
On October 3, Gracia Grindal ’65
presented the life and legacy of
Bernhard Christensen, “Devoutly
Would He Teach.” On October 4,
the symposium continued with
the inauguration of Martha
Stortz as the Bernhard M.
Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation (see page 18).
Read Grindal’s address at
www.augsburg.edu/now.
Bruce Rowe, groundskeeper, begins his day beautifying Murphy Square.
2
Augsburg Now
NewsNotes
Urban Scrubs camp on campus
Augsburg joined with HealthForce Minnesota, Fairview Health
Services, the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, and the University of
Minnesota to host a five-day Urban Scrubs camp. Students in
grades 9–12, many from the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood,
lived on campus and explored opportunities in healthcare fields.
Commission Augsburg focuses on mission
At its 2010 spring meeting, the Augsburg Board of Regents
adopted a new mission statement for the College. Following
two years of conversation about the character and identity of
Augsburg, the new mission statement incorporates many
changes that have come about in the past 20 years, including nontraditional undergraduate programs, graduate studies, a campus in Rochester, global study programs, and
continuing initiatives to meet the needs of diverse students.
The new Augsburg College mission is:
“Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens,
thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community
that is committed to intentional diversity in its life and work.
An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts
and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the
Lutheran Church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.”
During this year, Commission Augsburg will present a series
of conversations across the country for alumni, parents, and
friends to learn about how the Augsburg mission sets a clear
map for the future of the College. Watch for opportunities to
meet and hear from President Pribbenow and others from
the College. To learn more about Commission Augsburg, go
to www.augsburg.edu/president/initiatives/Commission.pdf.
To learn more about events in your area, contact the Alumni
and Constituent Relations Office at alumni@augsburg.edu
or 612-330-1085.
Augsburg in the rankings:
• The Princeton Review—one of 152 schools named “2011 Best in the Midwest,” based on excellent academic programs, visits to the schools, and
reports from students.
• 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with
Distinction—115 colleges honored for commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.
• “Cool Schools,” Sierra magazine’s 2010 rankings of colleges’ sustainability efforts. Augsburg placed number 102 in the top 162 schools across
the nation.
• Washington Monthly magazine’s 2010 rankings of best master’s universities in the nation, based on contribution to public good in three areas: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), producing
cutting-edge research and scholarship, and community service.
Augsburg placed 71 of 100.
Grant to support low-income students
The Travelers Company selected Augsburg to participate in the Travelers
EDGE program, a five-year initiative that focuses on recruitment and retention of low-income students of color from the St. Paul public schools.
Augsburg was one of a small number of colleges selected for the program
because of its success in recruiting students from underrepresented
populations.
Pillsbury United Communities Award to Augsburg
Pillsbury United Communities in Minneapolis gave its President’s Leadership
Award this year to Augsburg College for “outstanding contributions to the
Brian Coyle Center and the entire community.” The award especially recognizes MBA student projects, service-learning, community engagement, and
initiatives with the Social Work Department.
Gordon Nelson’s death is mourned
Professor emeritus of sociology Gordon Nelson died
on July 6 following complications from a stroke.
He taught in the Sociology Department, including
serving as chair of the department, from 1967 to
his retirement in 2001. For decades he was a DFL
activist, elected city official, and an aide to U.S.
Rep. Martin Sabo. A memorial service was held in
Hoversten Chapel on September 11.
Welcome, Class of 2014
The first-year, Class of 2014, is one of the most diverse in Augsburg’s history.
419 first-year students
Composition—41% students of color, 43% first-generation college students
Gender—185 male (44%), 234 female (56%)
Geography—351 Minnesota residents, plus 17 other states and 10 countries
Total Augsburg student body—4,109 (2,132 traditional day students, 1,057
weekend undergraduate students, 920 graduate students)
Fall 2010
3
“Gabe” retires after 47 years
When asked how he prefers to be addressed, music professor
Stephen Gabrielsen ’63 always responds, “My friends call me
‘Gabe.’” After 47 years on the music faculty, “Gabe” is retiring in
December. At Homecoming in October, many former students,
friends, and colleagues celebrated his work and legacy at a tribute
concert.
In 1963, while still a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, Gabrielsen received an invitation from Music Department
chair Leland Sateren to return to teach in Augsburg’s Music Department. Since then, Gabrielsen has also served as College organist
and has played organ for chapel every day, which Pastor Dave Wold
figures must add up to more than 5,000 services.
Gabrielsen was at the organ for Augsburg’s first Advent Vespers
service in 1980, and missed only two services in the 30 years
since. He fondly recalls that first Advent Vespers service, which succeeded in creating what he and others had hoped for—an unusual
spiritual experience through music and liturgy. “From the somber
dark of Advent, the service grew to brilliant Christmas light, and
down again to peacefully and quietly end … it was just magic.”
A new organ for the chapel
A high point during Gabrielsen’s tenure at Augsburg was the installation of the Dobson organ in the new Hoversten Chapel in the fall
of 1988. “The building of our wonderful organ in the chapel would
have to be a MOST exciting [highlight],” he says. “I will always be
thankful that the Augsburg Associates financed the organ. They
gave me free reign (within reason) to choose which stops would be
in the organ. Every organist ought to have such an opportunity!”
During the inaugural year of the new organ, Gabrielsen initiated a
series of concerts called “Organ Plus” that featured musician colleagues and friends. Because the series grew so popular, Organ Plus
became an annual event for the next decade.
Gabe’s teaching innovations
David Cherwien ’79 recalled at the celebration concert that he and
other students often would arrive for one of Gabrielsen’s music
classes and find a canon
written out on the blackboard. The class would begin
with all the students singing
in parts.
Music professor Merilee
Klemp ’75 also remembers
those canons as one example
of how “Gabe was great at
making music real, whether
he was teaching theory or
President Paul Pribbenow congratulated
history—it was just his pracStephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63 as he received
tice of making music.”
the Spirit of Augsburg award at Homecoming.
4
Augsburg Now
Stephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63 has played the organ for daily chapel since Hoversten
Chapel opened in 1988.
What may be the most vivid in many students’ memories of
classes with Gabrielsen, however, were his dreaded “drop the needle” music repertoire tests, which he created as a way to bolster
students’ knowledge.
Serving the church as organist
Gabrielsen is a fellow of the American Guild of Organists and studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany, as
a Lutheran World Federation scholar. For 50 years he served as
church organist in seven metro area Lutheran congregations, including 10 years each at Holy Trinity in Minneapolis and Calvary
Lutheran in Golden Valley. In addition, he often played recitals and
dedicatory concerts when congregations purchased new organs.
Music therapy professor Roberta Kagin was one of many former
students and colleagues who offered personal notes to Gabrielsen at
the tribute concert. She reflected on the 36 years they shared
neighboring offices in Music Hall. The tribute she read to
Gabrielsen described the care, devotion, and mentoring that he
pays to each of his students. “Years after a student graduated, and
we tried to track them down,” Kagin read, “we would always say,
‘Gabe will know’—and you not only remembered the students, but
also knew their spouses and children.”
At Homecoming Gabrielsen was also honored with the Spirit of
Augsburg award (see page 15). In fact, his entire family shares the
spirit of Augsburg, as Gabrielsen’s wife, Kathleen ’79, and their two
children, Buffy ’89 and Joe ’91, have all attended Augsburg.
Gabrielsen grew up in Norwegian communities, where his father,
a Norwegian immigrant, was a Lutheran pastor. Many know that
Gabe will now have time in retirement to search out and tell more of
the Ole and Lena jokes for which he is legendary. Uff da.
BETSEY NORGARD
Embedded with the National Guard
Augsburg’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship collaborates with
the Minnesota National Guard to offer opportunities for student
journalists to spend a week embedded with the Minnesota National
Guard during training exercises.
Jenny Avery, a senior majoring in English with a concentration in
creative writing, went to the field each day with the soldiers to
identify stories, shoot photographs, and conduct interviews. This is
one of many examples of students enjoying personal experiences in
their learning.
A New Universe
Courtesy photo
by Jenny Avery ’11
24 May, 2010
I had never seen anything
like it before. The split second of each fiery explosion
was almost disturbingly
beautiful as the smoke dispersed into fluffy clouds of
ash. Each moment-long eruption took at least 45 minutes
to prepare for, which is a
generous estimate to say the least. Little did I know that so much
preparation would go into a task that one could miss with a blink
of an eye.
Our van had been driving for about 20 minutes across the
grounds where these sorts of exercises are held before we actually
found the specific land that this particular event was holding. We
parked a ways away though; the remainder of our journey we arrived by foot. I, the four other journalists involved in this embed,
and Specialist Cassinos soon enough found the company we were
told to meet with. A group of maybe 12 men were grouped near
one of the bunkers on top of the hill.
When we first laid eyes on the land spread out in front of us, all
that could be seen was a plain of grass, a small little hut off in the
far distance, and mounds of dirt and sand in between the outstretch of land from the bunkers and the cube-shaped building.
About 15 to 20 minutes after we found the National Guardsmen at
the bunkers, four enormous M113 vehicles started slinking their
way towards us, making their way down the steep hill.
We watched as these gargantuan machines lined up in one row
facing the hut across the way. The back ramps from each of them
slowly lowered themselves to the ground. Emerging then from each
vehicle were 13 soldiers, preparing themselves and their equipment for their upcoming mission.
I watched as a large, collective group jogged over to the heavilysanded portion of the landscape. Essentially, the mission was to
set off the explosions on the land, and eventually inside the house.
As the preparation continued, Lieutenant Matthew Sullivan explained to us the layout of what was about to come.
“So basically what they’re going to do is breach the mine field
here ... breach the wire opposite below, and then breach into the
house. And there’s different levels. There’s gaul stage, block stage,
and run stage, and for a training scenario it’s gonna be a little
slower than what it would be in real life ... a real life operation. A
real life operation, we’d be rollin’ in, throwin’ their targets. Boom.”
Being such a great distance away from the company below, it
was difficult to distinguish what the soldiers were doing precisely,
but I got the gist that they were planting the explosives in the field
and waiting for the cue to detonate. At some point I even saw a
few men crawling across the dirt pit, possibly simulating how one
may have to keep hidden in a real circumstance.
“… You might wanna cover your ears,” a soldier pointed out.
Taking his advice, I temporarily put down my camera and pressed
my inner ears with my index and middle fingers.
Suddenly I saw a gigantic orb of orange flame burst out from the
ground, and a moment later a thunderous rumble shook my entire
body. My chest for two seconds felt like it had two hearts inside of
it, and then it was all over. Puffy mushrooms of smoke wafted into
each other from the aftermath of the explosion. I watched in awe
as the cushiony-looking matter spread into thin swirls, eventually
disbursing itself evenly to blend back in with its invisible counterpart called air. Around me I overheard conversations from small
groups, hearing the words but not registering what they were saying. I was too engulfed in the explosion and the rush that it gave
me to even want to try and understand the clearly spoken English
emitted from their mouths.
Suddenly I saw a gigantic orb of orange flame
burst out from the ground, and a moment later a
thunderous rumble shook my entire body. My
chest for two seconds felt like it had two hearts
inside of it, and then it was all over.
After the first or second explosion I was able to relocate to the
lower bunker, the one closer to the wrecking site. The soldiers in
that spot were just as lively if not more so. We cracked jokes about
Monty Python and discussed laundry mishaps; for that spot in time
we weren’t students and soldiers, we were just people.
To read more of Jenny Avery’s story, go to
www.augsburg.edu/democracy/videos.html
Fall 2010
5
500 years ago in the old
church buildings, pilgrim
paths, and road markers.” He says that while
he went there as a
Lutheran pastor, part of a
Lutheran Church with all
its modern trappings, he
came back with a much
better understanding of
the formation of the early
Lutheran movement.
“Those monks started
Andrew and Sarah Wilson completed the 1,000-mile
reading the Bible in a
pilgrimage that Martin Luther made to Rome in
new way that differed
1510. They presented “Here I Walk” as Augsburg’s
Founders Day lectures in November.
from the institutional
church’s way,” he says.
Wiersma’s “Here I Walk” experience caused him to reflect upon
Luther’s own experience. Luther’s 1510 pilgrimage brought him to
Rome, where he was scandalized by the conduct of clergy and the
religious commercialism. Wiersma understood that Luther’s long
journey back to Germany would have given the monk a long time to
think over and talk about what he witnessed in Rome. Seven years
later, he posted the 95 Theses, igniting the Reformation.
BETSEY NORGARD
Andrew Wilson
Scholars of the Reformation gain deep knowledge by studying the
writings of Martin Luther, but for Hans Wiersma it also became experiential when he spent four days walking in the footsteps of
Luther’s pilgrimage to Rome 500 years ago.
Just before fall semester classes began, Wiersma joined the
project “Here I Walk,” led by Andrew and Sarah Wilson, two
Lutheran ecumenical scholars, who retraced the entire 1,085-mile
route walked by Luther from the monastery in Erfurt, Germany, to
Rome. Wiersma walked with the Wilsons for 66 miles, from Erfurt
to Coburg.
Wiersma had met Andrew Wilson at a conference, and what resulted for Wiersma was a fortunate convergence of his disciplinary
interest in Reformation studies, his research focus on the early
Luther and the Augustinian monks who followed him, and
Wiersma’s undergraduate background and continued interest in
documentary filmmaking.
The modern pilgrims followed the old pilgrim routes, sometimes
spotting stone route markers from the 16th century. They followed
the traditional rules of pilgrimage—prayers, scripture reading,
chores, and conversation. “It gave me a sense of how 16th-century
monks traveled,” Wiersma says, “and what it felt like.” He enjoyed
the absence of modern distractions. As it was for the early monks,
lodging could be found each night, with bigger towns conveniently
spaced a day’s walk apart.
What Wiersma brought back was an “appreciation of how much
Europe is built on its past. It’s still easy to connect with Europe of
Religion professor Hans Wiersma joined the “Here I Walk” pilgrimage during its first four days, from Erfurt to Coburg, Germany.
6
Augsburg Now
Courtesy photo
Here I walk ...
Augsburg stands up
When Taylor Foster heard that one of her
friends had been assaulted because of his
sexual orientation this fall, she decided to
turn her anger into something positive. Her
Facebook event, titled “Stand Up Against
Hate,” was the beginning of a show of support that took Foster, and perhaps others in
the Augsburg community, by surprise.
In her Facebook posting, Foster wrote:
As an Auggie and a member of the GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender] community, I am outraged at the fact that these acts are being
committed at such a diverse and accepting place
as Augsburg. For, “The Augsburg experience is
supported by an engaged community that is committed to … intentional diversity in its life and
work.” Intentional diversity is the key part in that
statement. We need to make a statement that we
are not going to tolerate hateful acts at Augsburg.
We need to make it known that it is okay to be who
you are …”
Foster created the event expecting only
her close friends to join. Just two days after
she posted it, more than 600 people had
responded to show their support. President
Pribbenow, faculty and staff, and alumni
across the country joined students and
donned a specific color of the rainbow each
day of the week of October 4.
Students held a rally and prayer service
and a march for equality on campus. Several
local media outlets came to campus to interview Foster. “All of this attention and support
was beyond my wildest dream,” she says.
In his weekly update to the community,
President Pribbenow wrote about the
events. “This past week was especially difficult for our campus community because
of the hateful and hurtful acts of some individuals. These actions were contrary to
everything we value in honoring one another, as clearly stated in our mission. I’m
very proud of our students who took the
leadership in standing up for and demonstrating their support for the values we
share as a community.”
Foster says she feels members of the
GLBT community now have a better
understanding of how many allies are at
Augsburg. She also believes the week of
awareness-building activities helped allies
and others see how GLBT people face discrimination in their lives.
Most importantly, Foster says she hopes
the Stand Up Against Hate event will continue to reinforce the message that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated at
Augsburg. “I was more than thrilled to see
Augsburg come together as a community
and stand up against hate. It made me
proud to be an Auggie.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Fall 2010
7
Exploring separate worlds
On an October afternoon when icy winds and rain interrupted an
unusually mild autumn, 15 Augsburg students and their professor
donned boots, opened umbrellas, and took a stroll down
Minneapolis’ Park Avenue.
The group began in the Grand Hall of the American Swedish Institute, a Gothic mansion on the corner of Park and 26th, which
once was the home of Swan Turnblad. Guided by Nina Clark, ASI’s
director of programs and exhibits, they walked toward Franklin
Avenue, learning about other historic homes where some of the
city’s wealthiest families lived in the early 20th century.
The students learned that many of the homes still standing are
occupied by social service agencies that serve those without
homes, people facing addiction and mental health issues, and immigrant families.
This expedition was just one of the ways students were able to
see the juxtaposition of poverty and wealth in the city. In “Separate
Worlds: Comparing Homelessness and Affluence in the United
States,” associate sociology professor Tim Pippert hopes to help students understand the variables of economic and housing stability.
Through a combination of readings, speakers, and involvement
in service projects, students learn about housing, financial stability, social networks, and the trend of increased homelessness in
the United States. Hearing many different viewpoints, Pippert believes, will help students recognize and appreciate the reasons behind the increasing gap between the wealthy and the poor.
Students will also hear from a variety of speakers throughout
the semester, helping them to better understand the people and
the issues. Youth and family ministry major Justin Daleiden says,
“City council member Cam Gordon came into our class so we
could discuss how homelessness is affecting our very neighborhood. Hearing these speakers from our city makes the subject a
little more palatable.”
“Being accepted to Augsburg was one of the
best things that has ever happened in my life, and
when people ask where I’m from, I say that I’m
from Augsburg because this really is my home.”
In addition to classroom work, these students are actively involved in the community by volunteering at places such as Peace
House and Secure Waiting. Perhaps their biggest connection is
with St. Stephen’s Human Services, whose mission is to end
homelessness.
“We’re beyond the classroom … in all sorts of arenas that this
city offers,” Pippert says.
These outside experiences help students relate what they are
learning in the classroom to real people and present-day issues.
8
Augsburg Now
Some of the homes of Minneapolis’ wealthiest families now serve as social service
agencies. The Sumner T. McKnight mansion at 2200 Park Avenue is home to American
Indian Services.
“I think this is a great example in which we are able to learn about
a specific topic and serve the community at the same time. I think
more courses should incorporate some kind of service work like
this one,” Daleiden says.
Veronica Berg, a sophomore social work major, has a particular interest in Pippert’s course—before she came to Augsburg last fall,
Berg was homeless. She says the class has given her insight into aspects of homelessness that she didn't encounter because of her age
and the paths she chose. “I feel validated in this class, learning that
my experiences haven’t been that strange and reading about individuals who have walked some of the same paths as me.”
Berg says she is grateful for the support of faculty and staff at
Augsburg and also for the opportunities she has received in college. “Being accepted to Augsburg was one of the best things that
has ever happened in my life, and when people ask where I’m
from, I say that I’m from Augsburg because this really is my
home,” Berg says.
For their final projects, students will compare the differences—
social and physical—between the lives of the affluent and people
who are without homes. Pippert hopes that through this course,
students will develop a deeper understanding of how increasingly
stratified American society is and think about ways to mitigate
what he sees as a damaging and unjust trend.
KATELYN DANELSKI ’13 AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
Auggies on the course
Ladies of the links lift the team
There was a time not all that long ago when simply getting enough
players to field a complete team was a challenge for the Augsburg
women’s golf program. As a result, the on-course performance of
the Auggies wasn’t where it might have been.
Johanna Frykmark (left below) and Stef Zappa (right below)
have changed that. The two seniors have brought stability, seriousness, and increased levels of success to Augsburg’s women’s golf
program. They have both been All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) selections, both have shown great im-
provement on the course, and both will graduate at the end of this
semester after three-and-a-half years on campus.
“Without them, our team wouldn’t be anywhere near where we
are now,” coach Ted Vickerman says. “They’ve really changed the
mentality to where we want to do our best. We’re beating teams.”
The two take pride in how the program has changed during their
tenure. “Our first year, we were last in the conference, but we had
fun doing it,” Zappa says. “Everybody’s improved. Both of us have
had five or six stokes (average per round) of improvement.”
At the MIAC championship meet—her final collegiate event—in
early October, Zappa became the first Augsburg women’s golfer to
earn multiple All-MIAC honors, finishing seventh, the highest-ever
finish for an Auggie at the MIAC championships.
Johanna Frykmark finished in 25th place and joins Zappa as
the second of three Auggie women’s golfers to record 25th-orbetter finishes in three MIAC meets.
Both appreciate their time at Augsburg and the role golf
has played in their Auggie experience. “My first year was
pretty rough,” Frykmark says. “I had a hard time fitting in
and I missed home a lot. I’ve changed so much as a person since I came here. The golf team was a big part of
that; they were my second family when I got here.”
After completing her degree in international
business and business management, Frykmark
hopes to find a position with an international company that does business both in the U.S. and in
her native Sweden.
Zappa is on her way to becoming a teacher,
spending this semester student-teaching
first- and second-graders at Barton Open
School in South Minneapolis. She’s also
helping to coach volleyball at Minneapolis
South High School.
While that’s a heavy load, Zappa wasn’t
going to walk away from the golf team.
Zappa—who had a hole-in-one on her 20th
birthday during a tournament at Carleton—
didn’t practice with the team as often this
fall as she would have liked. Instead, she
practiced in the evenings and remained one
of the team’s top golfers—that is, on a team
much more stable than before Zappa and
Frykmark arrived on campus.
JEFF SHELMAN is the former director of media relations in the Marketing and Communication Office.
Fall 2010
9
auggie voices
Coach Holker becomes an Auggie
Greg Holker knows that his class ring from Gustavus
Adolphus College is in a box at his house. And he’s pretty
sure he knows where his diploma is.
But that is it. Those are the only tangible things the
Augsburg men’s soccer coach has left from his time both
as a player and as an assistant coach in St. Peter, Minn.
Holker openly admits he didn’t think that was going to
be the case when he took over the Auggie program in
2004. His goal was pretty simple: make Augsburg respectable, win some games, and put himself in position to
become the next Gustavus coach.
“I had a five-year plan,” he says. “I thought I’d be here
three years and I’d be out.” But something happened
along the way to mess up those plans—Holker became
an Auggie.
“The institution has evolved significantly over the six
years I’ve been here and I’ve changed as well,” Holker
says. “I started to embrace the institution and our work.”
He also had success. In 2006 Holker led Augsburg’s
men’s soccer team to a 13-victory season and a first-ever
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoff
berth. In 2008 Augsburg reached the NCAA tournament for
the first time in school history and reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Loras College in two overtimes.
This past spring, however, brought out the truest example
that Holker had genuinely become an Auggie. When the
head soccer coach position at Gustavus opened, Holker was
approached about the job and spent a day in St. Peter.
Before the search moved any farther along, however,
Holker pulled out of consideration.
And this year, following a record-breaking season for
men’s soccer, Holker was named MIAC Coach of the Year,
and sophomore Chad Gilmer was named MIAC Player of
the Year. The team won the MIAC playoff championship
and advanced to the national tournament for the second
time. It won the first round, but lost to the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater in the second round.
“At the end of the day, this is where I want to be,”
Holker says. “I like being in the city and I like that there’s
a very true identity here. I think I’m 100% in love with
what this institution does. Seven years ago, this was a job.
Now, it's a part of me.”
And now he’s an Auggie.
JEFF SHELMAN is the former director of media relations in the Marketing and
Communication Office.
10
Augsburg Now
it takes an
Auggie
The student Phonathon—Dialing for Augsburg dollars
ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT, alumni and friends of Augsburg
might receive a call from a student who is working
to secure donations to The Augsburg Fund.
We asked some of the student callers to share their
experiences and knowledge with our readers.
COMPILED BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Chris Fleming ’12
Psychology/Sociology major, Spanish minor
First year as a student caller
Q. What would you like students and
alumni to know about giving back to
Augsburg?
A. When you do become an alum, remember that while you were in school someone
made a way for you to get through college.
Remember to always give back to the community that gave to you. I know we all say,
“Well I will come back to visit and volunteer my time,” but sometimes you must go
beyond. If you dig deep to give a few dollars to support another student, they will
be able to give back when they graduate.
It’s a domino effect.
Elisabeth Clemans ’11
Pa Dao Yang ’11
Social work major, psychology minor
Has been a caller for four years
Sociology major
Has been a caller for four years
Q. Why should alumni and friends support
The Augsburg Fund?
Q. What have you learned about Augsburg
through this work?
A. I am a recipient of financial aid at
Augsburg, so I want to thank all the
alumni, parents, and friends who give to
The Augsburg Fund. It’s really important
for students like me because every gift increases the percentage of alumni who
give back. That makes the College more
reputable and helps me get a job after I
graduate!
A. What I have learned while working at
The Augsburg Fund is the importance of
keeping the alumni updated on Augsburg.
For example, I talk about the new Oren
Gateway Center or speak about events
such as the chocolate tasting event at the
History Center. It’s fun to talk to alumni
about what is happening on campus and to
listen to them speak about their
experiences.
Ember Russell ’11
Elementary education major
Has been a caller for two years
Q. Have you had any especially memorable calls?
A. I was talking with a lady who had studied elementary education. It was really interesting
to hear how much the Education Department has changed! She gave me amazing advice on
what to do when I graduate. I really enjoyed the call, and she made her very first donation
to The Augsburg Fund!
Fall 2010
11
homecoming
go
12
Augsburg Now
auggies!
experience it!
Fall 2010
13
taste of augsburg
14
Augsburg Now
2010 alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni
Robert Hanson ’68
A distinguished
teacher in bio-organic
and medicinal chemistry researche at
Northeastern University.
“Our three Augsburg wisemen were [Earl]
Alton, [Courtland] Agre, and [John] Holum,
and their gifts to us were: inspiring us to
go far, preparing us with the intellectual
and emotional skills to do that, and a dedication to service.”
Don ’53 and Beverly
(Halling) ’55 Oren
Owners of Dart
Transit, a transportation company
nationally-recognized for leadership, innovation, and promotion of safety for its drivers.
“You can choose a career in business and
still contribute to society, and you can
make a difference.” … “We met here, and
that outweighs all other benefits the school
had to offer.”
First Decade Awards
Morgan Davidsen ’00
Internationallyawarded filmmaker
who recalls a special
moment on the soccer
field before a match
after just hearing he had the lead in the
next theatre production.
“Thank you for being part of the greatest
picture of my life.”
“Augsburg gave me a place to listen and it
taught me how to listen.”
Stephen Gabrielsen ’63
College organist,
music professor, and
mentor to hundreds of
students and alumni
for 47 years.
“My delight in being chosen is more significant when I consider all the people who
could be standing here—dozens and
dozens of students who have helped me
become what I am.”
Nicolas Thomley ’06 MBA
CEO of Pinnacle
Services, a successful
company now employing 600 people;
Marine Corps veteran,
political candidate, and world traveler.
“I’ve chosen to live an unconventional
life—for me, it’s about pursuing my
dreams, doing what I’ve wanted to.”
Jack Osberg ’62
Retired head football
coach, teacher, and
mentor who brought
the football program to
its best season in history and continues to feel the spirit of
Augsburg shape his life.
“The spirit of Augsburg moves through its
people.”
Athletic Hall of Fame
Richard Spratt ’74
Congratulations to the alumni who have
been inducted into the Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame:
Social worker dedicated to connecting
people with community resources; adjunct
instructor in Social
Work Department.
Jean Taylor
Respected corporate
CEO and leader; former
Augsburg Board of Regents chair. Learned at
Augsburg how to listen
to what her life tells her and about values
she holds.
Spirit of Augsburg Awards
• John Beatty ’91, wrestling
• Reed Boltmann ’88, football/baseball
• Jeff Dainty ’90, baseball
• Brian DeClercq ’81 (posthumously), men’s
hockey
An African proverb says, “If you want to
walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk
far, walk together.”
• Natasha Hamann ’99, volleyball/women’s golf
• Ann Knutson Brovold ’74, gymnastics
• Astrid Larssen ’97, women’s soccer/women’s
track and field
For the bios and more information about this year’s
alumni award winners, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
• Tom Weidner ’84, football
• Don Wichmann ’89, wrestling
Fall 2010
15
Augsburg dedicates
Ed Saugestad Rink
During Homecoming 2010, Augsburg officially
named its main competition rink in honor of Ed
Saugestad ’59, the coach who led the Auggies to
national prominence in men’s ice hockey during his
storied career. At the Oct. 16 ceremony,
Auggies were able to see the changes that took
place in the arena in preparation for the dedication.
One change in the rink that fans will notice during the season was the addition of three murals depicting the Saugestad legacy as well as the history
of men’s and women’s hockey at Augsburg College.
Saugestad began his coaching career during
his senior year, 1958, and coached the Auggies
until 1996, compiling a 503-354-21 record. His
Auggies won Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (MIAC) titles six straight years (197782), qualified for national tournament play 10
times, and won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship
in 1978, 1981, and 1982. He coached 22 AllAmericans during his Augsburg career. Saugestad
was named NAIA National Coach of the Year three
times and MIAC Coach of the Year six times.
16
16
Augsburg Now
ed saugestad ’59
augsburg hockey
Augsburg Men’s Hockey
Augsburg Women’s Hockey
Augsburg College has had a long history of excellence in men’s
hockey. The Auggie program dates to the mid-1920s, as one of
the early entrants in MIAC play. The Auggies won state titles in
both 1927 and 1928 coached by future U.S. Hockey Hall of
Famer Nick Kahler.
After not fielding teams from the late 1920s to the late
1940s, the program finally was reestablished under coach Ed
Saugestad, who actually began his head coaching duties while still
a student at Augsburg in 1958. Under Saugestad, the Auggie program thrived, winning MIAC titles six years in a row (1977-82),
while winning National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) national titles in 1978, 1981, and 1982. The Auggies
have made appearances in national tournaments seven times in
school history (five NAIA, two NCAA).
After Saugestad retired, Mike Schwartz was named head coach
in 1996, and he led the team to conference regular-season and
playoff titles, and a berth in the NCAA Division III national championships in the 1997-98 season. Schwartz compiled a 124-11030 record during his Augsburg coaching tenure, and teams he
coached made appearances in the MIAC postseason playoffs six
times. Chris Brown was named the program’s head coach in 2006,
and he has led the Auggies to MIAC playoff berths in three of the
last four seasons.
In 1995, Augsburg College made history by establishing the first
intercollegiate women’s hockey program in the Midwest. The
Auggies were one of the dominant teams in the early history of
women’s hockey in Minnesota, winning Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season titles in 1998-99 and
1999-2000, and the conference playoff title in 1999-2000.
In 2000, the Auggies made history again, qualifying to compete in the first Division III women’s hockey national championship series, the American Women’s College Hockey Alliance
tournament in Boston against Middlebury (Vt.). Over the first 15
seasons of Augsburg’s women’s hockey history, the Auggies have
a 171-177-30 all-time record.
A total of 150 players have competed as part of the Augsburg
women’s hockey program in its first 15 seasons, all under head
coach Jill Pohtilla. Pohtilla finished her career third among all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III women’s
hockey coaches in career victories and 20th among all collegiate
women’s hockey coaches in victories. Michelle McAteer was named
the second head coach in program history in 2010.
Hockey murals by Stephen Geffre
Fall 2010
17
She loves being an Auggie…
Many who make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela today
take a scallop shell from the beaches of Galicia, where St. James is
buried, to commemorate their journey. The shells served as the medieval equivalent of a water bottle for travelers and became a symbol of the route. Martha Stortz, however, did not keep a souvenir
when she made the pilgrimage.
At the occasion of her inauguration as the Bernhard M. Christensen
Professor of Religion and Vocation, Augsburg gifted her with a shell
and a painting of the apostle James by Peter Brandes [background].
Brandes calls St. James the “pilgrims’ apostle.”
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
18
Augsburg Now
Meet Martha Stortz
Shortly after she settled into her new home in Minneapolis, Martha
Stortz (she prefers to be called Marty) did four things: she became
a member of the Seward Co-op, she joined the Midtown YWCA,
she took her bicycle in for “retooling” at the Hub, and she took
herself on walking tours of the Seward, Longfellow, and Downtown
East neighborhoods.
And those activities, along with a genuine love for the city and
an infectious enthusiasm for Augsburg’s mission, are what make
her a true Auggie.
Stortz came to Augsburg this summer as the second Bernhard
M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation. She succeeds
David Tiede, who retired and subsequently took a position as interim president of Wartburg Theological Seminary.
The Christensen Chair holds multiple responsibilities including
teaching in the Religion Department, serving as counsel to the
president and Board of Regents, and chairing the advisory council
for the Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning. Furthermore, the
chair plays a fundamental role in the interpretation and advancement of Augsburg’s institutional vocation, its calling as a college.
Stortz says she is honored to be at Augsburg and excited about
her role in the College’s work. “I was quite taken with everything
that you’re doing,” she says. “I love this city. This is a college in
and for and with the city.”
Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow says Stortz’ appointment affirms Augsburg’s vision and direction. “I am grateful
for the experience and wisdom Professor Stortz brings to this important position, and for the leadership she will provide as we continue to explore what it means to be a Lutheran college in the
city,” he says.
Stortz served as a member of the core doctoral faculty at the
Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., and taught for 29
years at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. She is an acclaimed scholar, teacher, and leader in the realms of the church,
academia, and society at large.
Her interest in the Christian pilgrimage has been an important part of Stortz’ personal and scholarly life. She has hiked
part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Way of St.
James, in Spain. She and a colleague have also joined two
groups—one in El Salvador and another in Mexico City—as they
explore post-modern “pilgrimages” through educational immersion experiences.
Though some might question her move from California to
Minnesota, from theological education to higher education, and
from seminary to college, Stortz feels as though she’s called to
be at Augsburg and to bring her connections, an eagerness to
share the College’s story with the community, and a commitment
to her position.
She believes that her experience in circles of theological education and religion and education will bring some meaningful
connections to Augsburg. “I’m very enthusiastic about what’s
going on here, and I think my key role is to make sure everyone
knows what is going on.”
“I’m eager to communicate Augsburg’s vision and its sense
of a living and lively tradition that is engaged with the city, the
community, and the world. I’ve been a writer, speaker, and
teacher, and I would now harness those gifts in service of the
College’s vocation.”
When questioned about her decision, Stortz says, “I say to
my friends, ‘You don’t know the Twin Cities, you don’t know how
exciting it is to have colleagues in other disciplines and how vibrant those multidisciplinary conversations can be, and you don’t
know Augsburg.’”
Fall 2010
19
Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation Inaugural Address
EXCERPTS FROM MARTHA STORTZ’ INAUGURAL ADDRESS,
“LOCATION, LOCATION, VOCATION”
“Tell me the landscape you inhabit,
and I will tell you who you are.” —Jose Ortega y Gassett
However much we claim space, making it our own, space also claims us,
telling us who we are.
Location shapes identity and gives the people who inhabit it a distinctive vocation or calling. Like the Irish monks, we too live accordingly. I want to look at three dimensions of Augsburg’s
location—physical, historical, and spiritual—and probe how it shapes
a vocation or calling that is distinctive to this College.
Physical location
… Augsburg is a college in, with, and for the city … [its] urban location is now central to the College’s identity. The Christensen
Center and Memorial Hall do not square off an academic quadrangle; rather, the space between them opens to a public park. The
plan for the new Center for Science, Business, and Religion …
does not feature a closed quad; rather, it imitates the freeway. As
the freeway enables crosstown traffic between the cities, so this
new building opens to the neighborhood; it invites cross-campus
traffic and cross-disciplinary conversation.
Historical location
The College was founded by the Free Church Norwegian Lutheran
immigrants who settled in the Cedar Riverside area in the mid1800s—and never forgot that they’d been strangers in a strange
land … Consonant with that history, the College has welcomed the
various immigrant groups that make up this neighborhood: Hmong,
Somali, Ethiopian, Eritrean. Moreover, Augsburg consistently saw
itself as an institution of higher learning that provided access and
excellence to students who simply couldn’t pay higher fees of other
private schools. At times when it would have made more financial
sense to go after wealthier families and their children, Augsburg
elected to be faithful to its historic base.
Spiritual location
A tradition is not a museum piece, but a lively argument with the
past, and throughout its history, Augsburg has loved a good fight.
Incarnation and the neighbor stand as signal emphases of this tradition, the first witnessing to the fact that God entered the human
condition—to the max.
At its best, Lutheranism is a tradition that has always leaned
into the neighbor, always learned from the neighbor, and always
looked to the neighbor to supply that unexpected bolt of grace that
makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).
The Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning
In the spring of 2002, the Lilly Endowment, Inc.
awarded Augsburg College a $2 million grant to
expand the College’s commitment to connecting
faith and learning. As a result, Augsburg developed and implemented the Exploring Our Gifts
program. After four years of successful programming (2002-2006), the Lilly Endowment awarded
Augsburg a generous sustainability grant, matched
by the College, to help support the project for an
additional three years (2006-2009).
As a direct result of the success and positive
impact of Exploring Our Gifts, Augsburg College is
committed to continuing this important work beyond the life of the Lilly grant. To this end, the
College has created the Augsburg Center for Faith
and Learning (ACFL) to embody and build upon
the convictions at the heart of Augsburg’s educational mission:
“… to educate students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and
responsible leaders.”
The work of the Augsburg Center for Faith and
Learning is guided by the lessons of Bernhard M.
Christensen, president of Augsburg from 1938 to
1962. Christensen taught that:
• Christian faith liberates minds and lives
• Diversity strengthens vital communities
• Interfaith friendships enrich learning
• The love of Christ draws us to God
• We are called to service in the world
The Center’s work focuses on three areas of activity:
1. Student and alumni engagement—Supporting
discovery and development of talents and gifts,
discernment of vocation, and exploration of calling
2. Faculty and staff leadership—Developing curricular and programmatic offerings to guide the
theological exploration of vocation
3. Public witness and outreach—Promoting
Augsburg’s leadership in the pursuit and realization of individual and institutional calling
For more information about the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning, or to read the full inaugural address and other presentations from the 2010 Christensen Symposium, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
20
Augsburg Now
Sammie Guck, Christensen Scholar
WHEN SENIOR SAMMIE GUCK sees another Christensen
Scholar on campus, she greets them with a simple but reverent, “Scholar.”
“It’s just our way of acknowledging each other when we
are out in the world,” Guck says.
Guck is one of 10 students involved in the Christensen
Scholar program. Named for Bernhard Christensen, Augsburg’s
president from 1938 to 1962, the year-long seminar helps students explore the Lutheran concept of vocation and define their
own calling.
Every year 10 junior or senior students are selected for
the Christensen Scholar program, which is sponsored by the
Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning. The heart of the program is a monthly three-hour seminar devoted to texts drawn
from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Authors include biblical
texts, Augustine, Luther, and Flannery O'Connor. Topics can
range from religious pluralism to the art of prayer.
A philosophy major and religion minor, Guck says she appreciates the discussion-based seminar and the free exchange of ideas that happens among the scholars. “It’s not a
professor saying, ‘Let me tell you what you should know.’”
She adds that the scholars, who represent several different
faith traditions, are very respectful of each other’s ideas and
backgrounds. “It’s a great environment to share and explore,”
she says.
Guck says she is having a “senior year vocational crisis.”
She met with religion professor Mark Tranvik, who leads the
scholar seminar, to discuss the idea of vocation. “I grew up
Catholic, so I have a different understanding of vocation than
the Lutheran concept,” she says.
Together Guck and Tranvik explored different ways that a
person of faith can live out his or her vocation. “I realized
that vocation doesn’t have to be one set thing, it can always
be changing,” she says. Guck was considering graduate
school but does not think she will begin immediately after
graduation. Instead, she is looking into other ways that she
can express her vocation through a career in editing or publishing.
Whether she’s pursuing her master’s degree or working in a
publishing house, two things are fairly certain for this Auggie.
One—even after she graduates from Augsburg, she will continue
to discern what her vocation is and how to make it a part of her
life. And two—if she sees another Christensen Scholar walking
down the street, they are sure to greet each other with the brief
acknowledgement of the conversations they had at Augsburg.
21
Augsburg Now
Fall 2010
21
Understanding
healthcare
R E F O R M
BY BETSEY NORGARD
On March 23, 2010, President Obama
signed into law the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act. It’s complex, difficult-to-understand legislation and is the
product of an extremely contentious
political process.
On October 15, at its fifth public policy
forum, Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning hosted a forum to decode
and discuss the challenges and opportunities this legislation presents for Minnesota
and the nation—that is, how the current
healthcare system will change. The symposium was moderated by retired U.S. Rep.
Martin Sabo and presented speakers who
are leaders in the healthcare field.
Donna Zimmerman, senior vice president of government and community relations at HealthPartners in Minneapolis,
addressed the overall scope of the law and
focused on the impact of provisions concerning changes to insurance coverage.
“It is a major task to think about how
to explain this major piece of legacy legislation our Congress has passed,” Zimmerman said. “I’ll try to demystify this big
bill, and focus on what’s important for us
in Minnesota.”
Her presentation explained various
provisions of the act that have already
taken effect or are being phased in
shortly; for example, extension of benefits
to dependent children up to age 26,
adding more preventive care without costsharing by consumers, and prohibition on
insurance denial to children under age 19
for pre-existing conditions.
Dr. Sanne Magnan, commissioner of the
Minnesota Department of Health, spoke
about changes to health care itself and the
interface with Vision Minnesota, Min-
Demystifying the new healthcare legislation was the focus of the Sabo Center Public Policy Symposium on October 15.
Panelists were (L to R) Martin Sabo ’59, moderator; Donna Zimmerman, HealthPartners; Dr. Sanne Magnan, Minnesota
Department of Health; and Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60, Community Health Innovations, Inc.
nesota’s reform passed in 2008. Her message was that the federal reforms will not
have as radical an effect in Minnesota as in
some states because Minnesota’s quality
and delivery of health care are already consistently higher than in many states.
She spoke about how Minnesota is coordinating with federal initiatives to influence
how health reform is implemented, “so that
we can build on the innovative strategies
Minnesota has been doing as well as learn
from other states who have been doing
health reform.”
She compared provisions for reform in
the new federal law with similar provisions
in Vision Minnesota and showed how a
number of them are already being implemented in this state.
Magnan also explained that much of the
difficulty in enacting reform stems from how
the current healthcare system was set up.
The incentives and payments for health care
are made to doctors and providers for treatment of illness, and not for promotion and
maintenance of health. Payment is made for
office visits, hospitalization, tests, procedures, and drugs, rather than for better
management of chronic disease, prevention,
and promotion of wellness.
Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60, president of
Community Health Innovators, Inc. and assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, spoke about his
longtime work to seek reform in the healthcare delivery system to provide everyone
with easy access to a team of healthcare
professionals who can provide comprehensive care at lower costs.
Amundson offered a vision of the optimal healthcare model (see next page) that
focuses on a team approach to ongoing, primary care in clinics, which includes clinical
care as well as services in other areas that
affect health. These clinics or “medical
homes” must then be part of, or connected
to, a system that includes specialty-care
and hospital and emergency services.
Sabo Center Public Policy Symposium
2010 Healthcare Reform:
What Will It Mean for You (and the Nation)?
October 15, 2010
Panel Participants:
DONNA ZIMMERMAN, Senior Vice President of
Government and Community Relations,
HealthPartners
DR. SANNE MAGNAN, Commissioner, Minnesota
Department of Health
DR. BRUCE AMUNDSON ’60, President, Community Health Innovations, Inc., and Assistant
Professor, University of Washington School of
Medicine
MARTIN SABO ’59, Moderator; U.S. House of
Representatives, 1978–2006
HEALTHCARE
22
Augsburg Now
To see the slides from these presentations and
view the video of the symposium, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
E
BY DR. BRUCE AMUNDSON ’60
What is ideal healthcare delivery?
The recent health reform legislation primarily focuses on
helping more people
get health insurance
and on addressing
some insurance injustices. It does not
systematically address delivery system reform—how you receive health care—but elements of the act
do support ongoing reform efforts. To understand this, you must have a clearer picture of
what clinical and healthcare leaders see as a
“reformed delivery system” and what we
have been working towards—for years.
Within the past few years a growing
agreement has emerged on what an optimal
delivery system should look like, both to be
able to provide excellent and comprehensive
care and to reduce costs. These are the key
elements:
First, your health care must be anchored by primary care clinicians—physicians (family practice, general internal
medicine, pediatricians), nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. This ensures
that you have a personal ongoing relationship with a clinician who is the “general
contractor” for your health issues and who
is your trusted partner.
Second, you should be part of a clinic
or system that provides a “medical home”
with your primary clinician. Your medical
home must serve as the first stop for ANY
health issues that arise, short of critical
emergencies.
Further, your medical home should have:
• An electronic health record to ensure immediate access to your history for all who
treat you wherever they are located
• More convenient access to your clinicians—same-day appointments, expanded
hours, e-mail to your clinicians
• Management of all referrals to specialists
and other services you may need, ensuring
coordination and avoiding duplication
• Systematic management of common
chronic diseases
• Case management for people with complex and/or multiple health issues including monitoring of prescription drugs
• Healthcare teams to expand clinical competency and services
The emergence of primary care teams is one
of the most important developments in recent years. I would describe the “optimal primary care team” as comprised of:
• Primary care clinicians (physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants)
• Mental health clinician
• Social worker with family therapy skills
• Nurse case manager for patients with
complex conditions
• Chronic disease care nurse
• Patient educator
• Pharmacist
• Physical therapist or massage therapist
Research has shown that with this range of
skills a clinic or medical home can competently handle 80% or more of the health
problems that it receives. It can care for
the whole person and meet total needs.
This is a radical change, but examples of
this model now exist across the country.
The third component is that every clinic
or medical home must be part of an organized system of care that includes most specialty physicians, hospital and ER services,
and other important services. If not within
the same organization, at least there must be
formal ties and relationships between the
medical home and these other elements of a
comprehensive healthcare system.
Because our human condition is complex, people are affected by physical issues,
mental health problems, family dysfunction,
substance abuse, environmental exposures—
and often a combination or all of the above.
Clinical care is, therefore, also very complex
if it is going to be relevant to the person’s
needs and holistic in its aims. The combination of knowledge and skills represented in
the optimal team described above brings the
healthcare delivery system closer in alignment with human needs, with the foundation
being “relationship-based” (versus “diseaseoriented”) care.
The reform legislation recognizes the
work by clinicians and leaders in defining
what we seek as health reform goals. While it
does not fundamentally change the current
healthcare delivery system, it supports clinician-led reform by:
• Recognizing the role of primary care clinicians and increasing financial support for
training them
• Providing bonus payments for care management of Medicare and Medicaid enrollees when needed
• Providing financial incentives for establishing organized systems of care
• Expanding wellness and preventive coverage in insurance plans
• Funding research on the clinical effectiveness of various treatments
• Creating a Center of Innovation
The legislation is not radical. It builds on
our current private insurance and delivery
systems. It may not be able to address cost
issues, but it does represent a huge step
toward ensuring universal insurance coverage and a more effective delivery system. It
also must be seen as a move to narrow the
gap between healthcare “haves” and “have
nots.”
While there’s an immense amount of
work ahead, it’s critical to understand that
for clinicians and most healthcare leaders,
there is no turning back. The whiff of something better, a humanizing system, is in the
air and a national reform process is underway. I could not be more hopeful.
Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60 is president of
Community Health Innovations, Inc. in
Shoreline, Wash.
Fall 2010
23
Reflection by Adam Spanier ’12, film
and English major
Reflection by Khalid Adam ’12,
economics major and Sabo Scholar
I do not plan on becoming a doctor, a
pharmacist, or anything else in the
medical field, and I
am no expert regarding topics like
health insurance.
Yet, the new healthcare system will affect me and everyone else
in this country.
In today’s tense political climate of rumored complete government takeover, socialized medicine, and “death panels,”
misinformation consumes the media. This is
precisely why it is important to sift out all of
the ridiculous rumors and myths of the new
healthcare bill in order to find some truth
and understanding. And this is precisely
why events like the Sabo healthcare symposium are important.
As a Sabo Scholar, but perhaps more
importantly, as an ill-informed citizen, I attended the Sabo healthcare symposium.
Fortunately, the symposium panelists were
all qualified experts of health care; there
was no dumbing down or oversimplification
of the topic as is evident on the 24-hour
news channels. There was a bit of information I did not fully comprehend; however, I
can safely admit that I walked away from
the symposium knowing much more about
the topic.
Fortunately, it’s comforting to know that
the very people I will directly depend on for
my medical needs were involved in this discussion—doctors, nurses, health professionals, and other people involved in the medical
field participated in the symposium.
Events such as the Sabo healthcare
symposium are exactly what this country
needs right now. We need to stop arguing
and have more conversations. Similar events
are important because it will bring us together to better understand complex topics,
and it will allow us to make more informed
decisions in the future.
So just why has
health care spending gone out of control in the U.S.,
consuming nearly a
sixth of gross domestic product
(GDP) spending in
2008? Liberals say
it’s the health insurance companies’ greed
and the government’s inability to contain
costs and to regulate the employer market
for health insurance.
Meanwhile, conservatives argue that it’s
too much regulation, citing the growing
budgets of government welfare programs
like Medicare and Medicaid. They also cite
overuse of healthcare resources as the main
problem, making the problem of health care
a “volume-control issue.” Despite these differing viewpoints, a few observations are
unarguably universal:
• The science of health care has advanced
rapidly in the last 60 years, which has affected prices of medical inputs.
• The increased health costs, outpacing
growth in GDP, have adverse effects on
the economic outcomes on industries
with large percentage of workers with ESI
(Employer Sponsored Insurance); this results in the loss of output and a de facto
loss of jobs in those industries.
• The current trend in the growth of per
capita GDP spent on health care is unsustainable in the long term.
Health spending in the U.S. has increased
dramatically in the course of the past 50
years, from $27.5 billion in 1960 to
$912.6 billion in 1993, and to a mind-boggling $2.4 trillion in 2008. It is projected to
reach $4.3 trillion by 2017.
To read more of Adam’s paper from his
research on healthcare costs, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now.
Reflection by Phong Le ’13 PA
As a first year physician assistant (PA)
student, I’m usually
busy studying and
spending any spare
time with my family.
Thus I’m afraid to
admit I’ve not kept
up with the latest
news. I attended the 2010 healthcare reform symposium hoping to gain a better understanding of the reform and how it will
impact my future as a PA.
According to the HealthPartners presenter, the reform will increase insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans. Thus,
demand for care will greatly exceed the supply of doctors. In addition, there is also
pressure to find a high value but low cost
delivery system. According to Dr. Bruce
Amundson, these factors have led to a consensus of a team approach in which PAs
and nurse practitioners (NPs) will largely fill
the demand gap while still able to keep
costs low.
I was feeling pretty good about my job
prospects as I listened to the presenters.
However, numerous questions began to
emerge as I thought beyond graduation.
How far will the trickle-down effect from
doctors to PAs and NPs to nurses to healthcare technicians go to increase care volume
while decreasing cost? Will money dictate
the quality or type of care I provide? Will I
be forced to choose between quantity and
quality daily?
I left the symposium with more questions than answers. One thing I do know for
sure is that the reform will happen whether
we like it or not, and I believe that any
movement toward increased access to care
is great. However we should proceed with
caution and responsibility to ensure we
don’t compromise the quality of care in the
process. This drives me to stay informed
and involved so that, hopefully, we PAs as a
group can help to shape and guide this inevitable health reform.
HEALTHCARE
24
Augsburg Now
Celebrating our
SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
At Augsburg College, we don’t have a lot of traditions.
Sure, we have Homecoming every year, and we’ve marked the
holiday season with Advent Vespers for the past 30 years.
But there’s no annual canceling of classes so that students can go to a local park to hear bands and eat bratwurst.
President Pribbenow doesn’t trade places with a student for a
day every year. And though we have some important athletic
rivalries, none are so longstanding that the matchups attract
fans far and wide.
There is one thing, however, that Augsburg has done quite
well for a long time: we are very adept at the Lutheran Scandinavian practice of not boasting about our accomplishments.
Now, after years of celebrating achievements with an occasional internal announcement or a round of applause during daily chapel, we’ve decided it is time for our practice of
humility to change.
Fall 2010
25
Shift in expectations
In the past, Augsburg’s tendency toward humility has kept our students from applying
for national scholarships or to graduate
school. But that trend is changing, thanks
in part to the work of one woman—Dixie
Shafer.
As director of Augsburg’s office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO), Shafer gives pep talks, takes
her trademark green pen to students’ personal statements, and shepherds them
through the often daunting graduate school
application process.
For a small, private college, Augsburg
has an impressive résumé of national fellowships and scholarships. In 2010 alone,
four Augsburg students were awarded
Fulbright scholarships, bringing the total
to nine awardees in the last four years,
and Augsburg was recently named to The
Chronicle of Higher Education list of top
Fulbright-producing schools. Five students
received Gilman scholarships for the
2010-11 academic year, and in 2009 one
Augsburg student became the seventh
Auggie to receive a Goldwater scholarship.
And in 2008, lest we forget, Augsburg
added its first Rhodes Scholar to the list of
student achievements.
Shafer’s work involves helping students
conduct faculty-led research during the
summer and school year, advising on the
graduate and professional school application process, and helping students apply for
fellowships and national competitions.
In general, Shafer says she sees students
who don’t believe they can be competitive
at a national level. “I rarely meet a student
who thinks that,” she adds. “We have a
pretty humble group of students.”
But she acknowledges the slow cultural
26
Augsburg Now
Dixie Shafer, URGO director, holds a “bouquet” given to
her by Brian Krohn ’08. Krohn fashioned the flowers
from drafts of his Rhodes application essays.
shift in expectations. “We have more students applying for national fellowships and
more receiving them, and that allows others
to know that they can do it.”
Not just for elite schools
Katie MacAulay ’08 was one of the humble students Shafer typically meets. In her
junior year, she was studying abroad in
Argentina and read a story about two
Augsburg students who received Fulbright
fellowships.
“I had assumed it was a fellowship of
the elite schools, one in which a smalltown, Midwestern girl with a relatively average résumé would be of little
competition,” she says. But the article in-
spired MacAulay, and she made an appointment to meet with Shafer on the day
she returned to Augsburg. “Dixie handed
me the Fulbright information book and
told me to decide whether or not I was serious about applying. As she put it, ‘Once
you start, there’s no turning back.’”
MacAulay says her desire to apply was
motivated out of curiosity to test her beliefs about Fulbrights being only for students from “prestigious” schools and to
challenge personal feelings of inadequacy.
“Dixie helped me realize that, although
I maybe didn’t feel like I had the background, I certainly had the foreground.”
Through the application process,
MacAulay says, “I realized that your socioeconomic status and upbringing don’t
play as large of a role in defining who you
are and what you become.” That insight
inspired her to stop feeling inadequate in
comparison to others and gave her the motivation to challenge her own boundaries.
In November, MacAulay completed a
10-month grant as a Fulbright English
Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Terengganu,
Malaysia. She says it has been the best
experience of her life and a gift that will
continue to benefit her in the future.
“I am of the opinion that you can never
have too many options. Be realistic about
yourself, but don’t doubt your own uniqueness and abilities,” MacAulay says. She encourages other Augsburg students to apply
for national fellowships and programs and to
challenge their own ideas about being competitive at a national level.
Educating the whole person
Tina (Quick) Sandy ’08 is another student
whose path was guided by Shafer’s counsel and by the gentle insistence of a few
determined history professors. A first-generation student who says she almost didn’t
come to Augsburg, Sandy is in her third
year at William Mitchell College of Law in
St. Paul.
At the end of her second year at
Augsburg, Sandy saw a poster advertising
the URGO summer research program. This
program provides a stipend and housing
for students who spend 200-400 hours of
their summer conducting research under
the supervision of a faculty member. To
apply to the program, students must submit a research proposal. Sandy was reading the poster just days before the
application was due.
She had been taking a history class
from Michael Lansing. “He pulled me
aside one day and asked if I had consid-
Tina Sandy ’08 is a third-year student at William Mitchell
College of Law.
ered a history major,” Sandy said. So she
went to Lansing about the summer program, and the two of them drafted her
proposal.
That summer Sandy researched the history of the Ku Klux Klan movement in the
Midwest, a project that led her specifically
to document Klan activities in 1922 in
Minneapolis. Throughout the entire project
she worked closely with Lansing, especially on writing her final report.
“He totally changed my ability to
write,” Sandy says. “His red pen shaped
my experience, and it served me well.” As
a law student, Sandy says she feels much
more confident in her writing abilities
than some of her classmates who did not
receive the same direction and support in
their undergraduate programs.
In her third year of college, Sandy
began considering her plans beyond college with the encouragement of Lansing,
history professor Jacqui deVries, and political science professor Joe Underhill.
Sandy was considering law school. “We
discussed her potential and then rallied
the wagons to get her to think about her
options,” Lansing said.
He recalls that perhaps he tried to be
too persuasive at times. “We wanted to
see Tina set her sights wide because we
knew that she had the potential to go to
any institution. We wanted to see that for
her because we knew that she could really
shine.”
“There were a lot of opinions in my ear
about what I should do,” Sandy says.
That’s when she went to visit Shafer. “She
threw a lot of different ideas at me …
ideas that opened my mind.” But Sandy
says she had a “gut feeling” about law
school.
She wanted to stay in Minnesota to be
close to her family and to her future husband, fellow Auggie Sama Sandy ’08. Because the law school application process
requires significant time as well as money,
Sandy opted to apply to one school only,
something most students are encouraged
not to do.
The easy part was making the decision;
the application process was another story
altogether. She needed to study for the
Law School Admission Test (LSAT), pass
it, and submit the necessary application
materials, including several letters of recommendation and a personal summary, by
the deadline. This she did while taking
classes, working, and trying to have something of a social life.
Sandy says Shafer was by her side
through the entire experience. “She really
ended up being my encourager and sidekick.” As a first-generation student, Sandy
appreciated the support of someone who
knew the process but also understood her
own personal background.
As Tina Sandy’s story illustrates, both
faculty and staff can be instrumental in a
student’s success. Lansing says that as a
professor, he feels that he is called to educate the whole person. “I think that’s the
point of a small college, thinking of a
young person not just as a student but as
a person becoming who they are. You want
the very best for them.”
Discovering and meeting
challenges
Melissa Robertson ’10 is another first-generation student who benefited from the
support of faculty who saw her potential
and persuaded her to go outside of her
comfort zone. Their encouragement
helped her meet the challenges of college
and discover new opportunities.
Robertson’s first year of college presented the common challenges of balancing school work and social life. She
struggled, and her grades reflected that.
But in her second year she became more
serious about school as she focused on
the natural sciences and mathematics.
As she got to know her professors, they
saw promise in her and directed her to
study and research opportunities. “Dale
Fall 2010
27
28
Augsburg Now
school, work, and personal issues, Robertson says there were many times she
wanted to give up and put off graduate
school for a year. “But I told myself to
keep on with the help of mentors, friends,
family, and counseling support. I thought
if I didn’t get in to any programs or didn’t
like the places, at least I would have
tried.”
She applied to five programs, both master’s and doctoral in biostatistics and biology, and she was accepted to all five.
Currently Robertson is studying on a full
scholarship in the molecular biosciences
program at Montana State University in
Bozeman.
From first day to
graduation day
There is more to student success than
national scholarships and fellowships. For
some students, whether they are 18 or 38
years old, the greatest achievement is simply to have arrived at Augsburg. In fall
2010, Augsburg welcomed the largest
first-year class and the largest graduate
school class in the College’s history.
Within this student body is the potential for many stories of students who overcame the odds to get to college and to
obtain a degree. Augsburg has an impressive history of assisting students who
might not otherwise be successful in college—first-generation students including
children of immigrant families, students in
recovery from addiction, students with
cognitive disabilities as well as physical
disabilities, and nontraditional-aged students who are returning to college to complete a degree.
Rich Osborn is an older-than-average
student who found success through
Augsburg’s weekend program. At the age
of 69, Osborn completed his first bachelor’s degree and was one of the oldest
Augsburg for Adults students to graduate.
Read his story at http://bit.ly/djx2nN.
Not only is Augsburg attracting a larger
student body—the College is keeping students and helping them persist to graduation. Augsburg can boast an impressive
86% retention rate in the day college program from fall 2009 to fall 2010. That is
an increase of 3% from last year and significantly higher than the national average
of 73% for four-year private colleges and
universities.
All of this success is reason for Augsburg
to celebrate and to share the stories of student success. Whether it’s the announcement of another Fulbright recipient, a
National Science Foundation grant, or publication in a scholarly journal, these stories
serve as inspiration and motivation for other
Auggies to pursue their goals.
Melissa Robertson ’10 is completing a master's degree
in molecular biosciences at Montana State University.
Kelly Gorham/MSU
Pederson and Matt Haines suggested I
think about biostatistics, a field that
would combine biology and math. I knew I
would have to go to graduate school, but
at that point I hadn’t even thought about
it,” she says.
In the summer before her junior year,
Robertson participated in a short-term
study program to examine the biodiversity
and environmental politics of New
Zealand. She also conducted research
with biology professor David Crowe in the
URGO summer research program.
“I was new to that type of research, but
I was ready and willing to learn,” she says.
“David was a very good mentor, always
willing to help and always told me when I
was doing a great job.”
The URGO program presented a new
challenge for Robertson, who says she was
shy and had extreme anxiety about giving
presentations. “Giving reports about my
research in front of my fellow URGO people during roundtable discussions was
awful for me,” she says, “and I didn’t
even want to think about the final oral
presentation.”
But working with Crowe gave Robertson
the confidence in herself as a scientist and
a scholar. Shafer recalls the change she
saw in Robertson throughout the summer
and her enthusiasm about presenting her
research in a graduate school interview. “To
see her go from this quiet girl who could
barely talk with other students to graduate
school … what an accomplishment.”
Robertson continued her research with
Crowe during the academic year and also
began, with Shafer’s help, the process of
applying to graduate school. Between
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
2009-2010
Fall 2010
29
DEAR FRIENDS,
This past year has been an extraordinary one for Augsburg College. Despite continued challenges in the economy, through the generosity and good work of the entire Augsburg community, we closed the fiscal year with a
solid financial performance and entered the 2010-2011 academic year with a record number of students in
our day, weekend, and graduate programs.
While these achievements are significant, it is your ongoing and steadfast support for the education of our
students that is most gratifying. As a college, we believe we are called to serve our neighbor, and I am humbled by and grateful for the
Augsburg alumni, family, and friends who join with us in pursuing this calling.
Our new mission statement—adopted last spring following two years of rich conversation across the
Augsburg community—makes a bold statement of our aspirations for our students: We educate students to be
informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
Never in the history of this institution has the world had a greater need for future leaders with these abilities. And never before have your gifts been more important to ensuring that this education remains within
reach for our growing and increasingly diverse community of students.
As we continue to live out our mission and provide a uniquely Augsburg education—an education defined
by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by our Lutheran faith and values, and shaped
by our urban and global settings—I ask for your abiding engagement and support. Your gifts make possible an
educational experience like no other—one that challenges our students to recognize and live out their individual callings and, through those efforts, make a lasting difference in our world.
Sincerely,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRESIDENT
30
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
2009-2010 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
Where the Money Goes
5%
Government grants
6%
Other sources
4%
Debt service
2%
3%
Equipment
and capital
improvement
Student salary
4%
3%
Private gifts and grants
Utilities
12%
Room and board
44%
24%
Salary and benefits
Financial aid
73%
Tuition
20%
Other
$34.5
2010 Endowment Market Value
May 31, 2010
$28,641,248
$30.5
$28.6
$26.7
$26.6
As of May 31, 2010, we have annual realized
and unrealized gains of 14.65% on our endow$23.2
ment. Our five-year average annual return on
$20.0
the endowment is 1.20% and the 10-year
average annual return is 1.18%. We
$16.4
are committed to maintaining
$14.2
the value of principal gifts
and to provide support to the
$11.5
College in perpetuity.
1995
$33.7
1996
1997
1998
1999
$26.2
$25.4
$24.8
$22.7 $23.3
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Endowment Assets
(in millions)
June 1, 1995 – May 31, 2010
Fall 2010
31
SCHOLARSHIPS
Gratitude
On April 25, nearly 300 people, including donors, faculty, staff,
and scholarship students gathered to celebrate gifts from the
Augsburg community that make an Augsburg education possible
for many students. Donors enjoyed the opportunity to meet the
students who receive their scholarships.
During 2009-10, 716 gifts to scholarships totaled over
$529,000. Eight new scholarships were started last year:
• L. Gracia Christensen English Scholarship
• Inez Olson Schwarzkopf English Scholarship
• Hazel Stoeckeler Art Scholarship
• Judith (Olson) Nelson Health and Physical Education Scholarship
• Jorgensen Sethre general scholarship
• Dr. Lowell and Janice Kleven Scholarship for pre-medicine
• Leonard and Winifred Leifgren Scholarship for students of color
• Jerome and Winifred Formo Music Scholarship
Simple Gifts
Peter Miller graduated in May 2010 with a major in English and is
the son of an ELCA pastor. He is now studying at Luther Seminary.
Here are excerpts from his talk at the Scholarship Brunch on behalf of scholarship students.
It is truly a gift to honor student success, engaged scholarship,
and active citizenship knowing that each of these simple components is intertwined in my own story. This is a story about how simple gifts transform a community into a simple reality.
… When I was a child, I used to love to listen to my mom play
the dulcimer. She would play “Simple Gifts,” an old Shaker hymn
while my brother and I would run around in the yard.
’Tis a gift to be simple, ’tis a gift to be free; ’Tis a gift to come
down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in a
place just right, It will be in the valley of love and delight. When
true simplicity is gain’d, To bow and to bend we shall not be
asham’d, To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning and
turning we come round right.
As I recall my mom singing this song and my brother and I turning and turning until we were dizzy, I have come to value the message in these simple words.
We celebrate the success of students because simple gifts are
freeing, liberating, and life changing. Getting into college is a big
deal and it changes you. As students are groomed in success, simple gifts allow us the freedom to engage fully in what we are learning and to develop into the leaders we ought to be, in a college
that is just and right. With an Auggie-assemblage of strong leaders,
32
Augsburg Now
we continue to
build a neighborhood and a city of
love and delight.
And we, too, have
an opportunity to
invest in true simplicity where all
people bow and
bend and never
are ashamed.
Simple gifts
spark the cycle toward a simple reality. I have seen the
spark of a simple
gift in the eyes of
first-year students
Peter Miller ’10 spoke on behalf of students at the
as they acknowlScholarship Brunch.
edge that Augsburg offers them more financial aid than any other school. And I
have seen this simple reality come to life when a former scraping,
struggling business major takes a few philosophy and religion
classes and gets all 4.0s. I have watched it in a group of interfaith
friends who never stand still long enough to watch the paint dry,
whether they are doing service projects at a mosque down the
street, a local church, or a nearby women’s center.
That spark, that simple gift that I saw as an orientation leader,
ignites a question—how do I become a part of this simple reality?
But that was the spark in my eye, too, in the trust that somehow
my family and the Augsburg community would help me afford a
meaningful education and turn my gifts and theirs into something
simple and beautiful. I had to turn from procrastination to participation in simple things like interfaith dialog, global carbon emission regulations, and ending poverty in Minnesota by 2020.
I didn't say it was easy. I said it was simple. It is painting with a
broad brush, or like we did at the mosque, with rollers and a taste
for new colors. This is a simple reality.
Ultimately, I believe the simplest gift is who we are and how
we spend our time—the time to sing a song in the springtime,
study hard, write a thank-you note, share a story, paint, or spare
some change.
I want to thank you all for your simple gifts and the countless
hours you have given to Augsburg, for bowing and bending to the
needs of this community and providing the spark for so many to be
a part of this story. Together, we are a simple reality.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Scholarships for religion, campus ministry, and youth and family ministry
The Augsburg community continues to keep the College’s roots as a seminary strong as
it provides scholarship support to its students. More than 11% of the value of Augsburg’s endowment supports scholarships for students in religion, campus ministry, and
youth and family ministry—a total of 36 scholarships (12% of the total number).
Kou Lee is majoring in music and plays flute in the
Augsburg Concert Band, the Augsburg Symphony Orchestra, and a woodwind chamber ensemble. His plans after
graduation in 2011 are to pursue a graduate degree in
music composition that will prepare him for a career as an
orchestral director in a university—and hopefully return
to Augsburg some day as a faculty member. He has a
Hognander Scholarship for 2010-11.
The scholarship brunch brought together nearly 300
donors and students to celebrate gifts from the Augsburg
Community.
A number of donors and recipients of these scholarships gathered at the Scholarship Brunch: (seated, L to R) Carl
Vaagenes ’50, Ruth Vaagenes, Dora (Frojen) Quanbeck ’49; (behind them, L to R) Jessica Fanaselle ’10, Sarah Korbel
’12, Emily Wiles ’10, Peter Miller ’10, Morris Vaagenes Jr. ’51, Professor Karl Jacobson, Professor Hans Wiersma,
Whitney Holman ’10, Philip Quanbeck Sr. ’50, Harris Lee ’57, Ivory Phung ’13, and Maryon Lee.
The Sven Oftedal Society exemplifies the legacy of this early Augsburg president
whose leadership and commitment to the growth of Augsburg Seminary secured the
financial future of the College. By reaching out to those who shared Augsburg’s vision
of providing an education not only for its immigrant Norwegian preachers, but also for
everyday people—teachers, farmers, and neighbors in the city growing around
Augsburg—he ensured that Augsburg’s students would become responsible citizens
and leaders in whatever they chose to do.
Planned giving offers a variety of possibilities to provide significant financial benefit to the College while also providing continued income to its donors. Donors and their families can plan with their financial advisors and the College to determine what kind
of gift plan (cash gifts, securities, stocks, and others) can be designed to recognize the donor’s commitment to the College and
still serve their own financial needs. Planned gifts can be made outright or deferred into the future. For many alumni, families,
and friends who are grateful for the education and experience of Augsburg in their lives but have no heirs, planned giving can
help them ensure future students receive that same education.
Fall 2010
33
I ’ M A N A U G G I E — The Augsburg Fund
Your gifts to The Augsburg Fund help to ensure that Augsburg College can continue to support students and give them the opportunity to
make the world a better place. What makes you an Auggie? Why do you give? Make a gift and share your story at www.augsburg.edu/auggie.
Alex Gonzalez ’90
What makes me an Auggie?
I’m an Auggie because of athletics and being a member of the
football team. A lot of the close friendships I have are from
sports, and I love to bring my kids back and see the games. And I
met my wife here—you can’t get much more important than that!
Beyond that, faith is a big part of what makes me an Auggie.
What I’ve learned at Augsburg, I have carried forward with service to the world through my congregation and in the community.
Why do I give?
Augsburg has been such an important part of forming who I am,
and I want to give back. Serving as a regent is a small way of
helping to ensure that this institution continues to make an impact on other people’s lives.
I give because I think it’s important to support the unique
Augsburg experience. An Augsburg degree has a specific intention behind it—of service to the community. It’s a holistic foundation to approaching life in the world.
34
Augsburg Now
Maria Mitchell Helgerson ’07
and Erik Helgerson ’06
What makes us Auggies?
We were both drawn to Augsburg by the feeling of community
and the opportunity to know people and to be a part of something. We loved our four years here and the relationships we
built. We want to keep them going, and we’re so grateful to the
Young Alumni Association for helping us do that.
Why do we give?
We give to Augsburg because we know colleges can’t function
just on tuition, and we know that our gifts will be used to better
the community and to make a place that is important for others.
Augsburg meant a lot to us personally, and giving back helps
give opportunities to other students.
I’M AN AUGGIE!
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
LIFETIME GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College, living and deceased, who have generously given a minimum of $100,000,
including planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
Anonymous (5)
Helen and Ernest† Alne
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Catherine and Charles Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Oscar† ’38 and Leola† Anderson
Leona Radman Antholz ’41†
Clarette† ’29 and Luther† ’29 Arnold
Earl and Doris Bakken
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Barbara and Zane Birky
Carl Blegen†
Roy ’50 and Ardis Bogen
Joyce and John† Boss
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
Bush Foundation
Carlson Companies
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Oliver Dahl ’45
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Tracy Elftmann ’81
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
Raymond Erickson ’50†
Malcolm† and Maybelle† Estrem
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Jerome ’37† and Winifred Helland ’37† Formo
Jerry and Jean Foss
Julian Foss ’30†
William and Anne Frame
Paul† ’42 and Maxine† Fridlund
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundation
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Lynne and Phillip ’55† Gronseth
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
James and Kathleen Haglund
Dale ’60 and Carolyn Hanka
Hearst Foundation
Loren Henderson
Donald Hennings
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Orville ’36† and Gertrude Lund ’36† Hognander
Donald ’39 and Phyllis Holm
Allen and Jean Housh
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Lester Hoversten†
Robert Hoversten
Huss Foundation
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Kinney Johnson ’65
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Bruce and Maren Kleven
David and Barbara Kleven
E. Milton Kleven ’46 and Dorothy Lisjing ’47† Kleven
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
Roy† and Eleanor† Krohn
Harriett Kurek†
Paul ’86 and Rhonda Spitzer ’85 Kwiecien
David Lankinen ’88
Diane and Philip Larson
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
James Lindell Sr. ’46
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Marie and Larry McNeff
Gerard and Anne Meistrell
Hoyt ’39† and Lucille Messerer
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Gay Johnson ’66 Minear and Spencer Minear ’66
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
William and Stephanie Naegele
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
George ’68 and Tamra Nelson
Ida Nelson†
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Clifford and Martha Nylander†
Robert Odegard ’51†
R. Luther Olson ’56
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
John and Norma Paulson
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
George† and Elizabeth† Pennock
Glen Person ’47
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Addison and Cynthia Piper
David Piper
Harry and Mary Piper
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Alan Rice
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Ward C.Schendel ’74 and Catherine L. B. Schendel
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
James and Eva Seed
Rodney Sill ’82
John and Martha Singleton
Glen and Anna Skovholt
David Soli ’81
Paul† and Lorene† Steen
Genevieve Stelberg†
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen and
Clair Strommen ’46†
Conrad Sunde ’15†
Leland and Louise Sundet
Dean ’81 and Amy Sundquist
Helen Sverdrup†
Johan Sverdrup†
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
P. Dawn Heil ’78 Taylor and Jack Taylor†
Teagle Foundation
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Andrew Urness†
Robert Wagner ’02
Scott Weber ’79
Robert Wick ’81
Elsie Wildung†
Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL and Glenn Fuller
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
35
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2009 TO MAY 31, 2010
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously made leadership gifts to the College of at least $1,000.
Founders Society ($100,000 and above)
President’s Council ($5,000 - $9,999)
Anonymous (1)
Donald ’53 and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Dean ’81 and Amy Sundquist
Anonymous (1)
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Stephen ’74 and Janet Blake
Bruce Brekke
Karim El-Hibri ’08 and Carley Meinert
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
O. C. Hognander, Jr.
Michael and Barbara Hubbard
Eric Jolly
Craig Jones
Cynthia Landowski ’81 Jones and Rick Jones
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Gay Johnson ’66 Minear and Spencer Minear ’66
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Jeffrey ’77 and Becky Bjella ’79 Nodland
Lisa Novotny ’80 and Mark Flaten
Donald Olsen ’60
Karl D. Puterbaugh ’52
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Philip Jr. and Margaret Rowberg
Marilee Alne ’65 Schroeder and William Schroeder
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Kurt Schwarzkopf
Charles and Ritchie Scribner
Gloria Steinem
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Regents’ Fellows ($50,000 - $99,999)
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Alvin John and Ruth Huss
Regents’ Society ($25,000 - $49,999)
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Estate of Gertrude Larson ’35†
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Estate of Myrtle E. Pedersen
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Estate of Olive Ronholm ’47†
Hazel Stoeckeler
President’s Executive Cabinet
($10,000 - $24,999)
Anonymous (2)
Andra Adolfson
Richard ’72 and Tamara Ekstrand
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
Matthew Entenza and Lois Quam
Philip and Jean Formo
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
James and Kathleen Haglund
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Hunt and Diane Harris
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Douglas ’66 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Esther Johnson ’50†
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Marie and Larry McNeff
Allan Nelson
Norma Noonan
Glen Person ’47
Paul Pribbenow and Abigail Crampton Pribbenow
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Eunice Kyllo ’62 Roberts and Warren Roberts
Philip Rowberg ’41
Judith and William Scheide
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Jean Taylor ’85 and Roger Griffith ’84
Dick ’61 and Jane Thompson
Frances Torstenson
Robert Wick ’81
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
36
Augsburg Now
President’s Society ($2,500 - $4,999)
Anonymous (2)
Deloris Anderson ’56
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Robert and Mary Crosby
Oliver Dahl ’45
Mark and Margie Eustis
Anthony ’85 and Traci Genia
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Lisa Svac Hawks ’85
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Allen and Jean Housh
John ’47 and Irene Jensen
Carol Jones
Cynthia Ellman ’80 Kneisl and Gregory Kneisl
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Thomas and Kathy Langdon
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Andre Lewis ’73 and Kathleen McCartin
Donald ’66 and Margaret Mattison
Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod and
Christopher ’00 McLeod
Dennis ’78 and Bev Ranum ’78 Meyer
Deidre Durand ’88 and Bruce Middleton
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Beverly Omdahl ’55 Nelson
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
R. Luther Olson ’56
Mary and William O’Meara
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Sandra Phaup ’64
Curtis and Marian Sampson
John Schwartz ’67
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Betty and Paul Tveite
Jeremy and Tracy Wells
David and Susan White
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
President’s Associates ($1,000 - $2,499)
Anonymous (3)
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Robert and Kristine Ackerman
Kate Addo
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Craig Alexander and Roberta Kagin
James ’58 and Beverly Almquist
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Leif Anderson
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Sheila ’05 and Lee Anderson
I. Shelby Gimse ’56 Andress
Frank ’50 and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Ann and Kenneth Ashton-Piper
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
John Berg ’59
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
Daryl N. Bible
David and Nancy Bieging
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Kathryn and Jim Bishop
Buffie Blesi ’90 and John Burns
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Thomas ’78 and Julie Bramwell
Alan Braun
Marilyn Saure ’61 Breckenridge and
Tom Breckenridge
Michael Brock
Richard Brustad
Aimee Brynildson ’69 Trechok-Peters and
Wayne Peters
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Adam Buhr ’98 and Laura Pejsa ’98
Robert and Brenda Bukowski
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Marion Buska ’46
Christine Coury ’91 Campbell and Craig Campbell
Timothy Campbell
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Carrie and Peter Carroll
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
John and Peggy Cerrito
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Judith Christensen
C. Lee Clarke
Margaret Clyde
Joseph Cook ’89
Pamela Herzan ’81 Crowell and Dring Crowell
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Sigrid Kvenberg ’48 Daniels
Christopher and Britt Dougall
Linda Lundeen ’74 Dunn and Douglas Dunn
Karen ’81 and Charles Durant
Beverly Durkee
Julie Edstrom ’90
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Judy Thompson ’65 Eiler
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Avis Ellingrod
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Susan Engeleier
Dennis ’64 and Mary Lou Ervin ’64 Erickson
Stephen ’68 and Marilyn McKnight ’67 Erickson
Duane Esterly ’75
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
Allison Everett ’78 and Kenneth Svendsen ’78
Jennifer and Dean Eyler
Barbara Farley
Carol Fier
Duncan Flann ’55
Bill and Carmel Fogerty
Dawn Formo
William and Anne Frame
Andrew Fried ’93
Leola Dyrud ’61 Furman
Barbara and Frederick Gaiser
Timothy and Kristin Gamrath
Susan Gangsei ’76 and Gerald Glaser
Ann Garvey
Glen ’52 and Irvyn Gilbertson
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
John and Carolyn Goddard
John and Donde Goldfine
Ellen and Merrill Golliet
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Roger ’61 and Barbara Milne ’60 Gordon
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormley
Paul and Judy Grauer
Charles and Barbara Green
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51 Halverson
Clarence Hansen ’53†
Robert ’83 and Lynne Harris
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
David ’67 and Karen Jacobson ’67 Haugen
Gloria Hawkinson
Mark Hebert ’74
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Raymond Henjum ’55
Bruce Holcomb ’90 and Caroline Vernon
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Paul Holmquist ’79
Elizabeth Horton
Phoebe Hough
Jessica Houlding
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Philip ’71 and Patricia Hoversten
Jerelyn Hovland-Cobb ’63 and Clyde Cobb
Tom ’72 and Karen Howe
Katherine Hoyland Barnett
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Barbara and Michael Hubbard
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Brandon Hutchinson ’99
Deborah Hutterer ’99 and Gary Erickson
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Rebecca John
Bruce Johnson ’68
Carol Oversvee Johnson ’61
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Mark Johnson ’75
Merton ’59 and Jo An Bjornson ’58 Johnson
William and Patricia Kelly
Michael Kivley ’89
Linda Klas ’92
Michael Klutho and Jill Manske
Elsie Ronholm ’49 Koivula
Carmela Brown ’84 Kranz and David Kranz
Robert Kyle
Kathryn Lange ’72 and Dennis Sonifer
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Martin Larson ’80
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Patrick ’88 and Beth Lilja
Brent Lofgren ’88
Dana Lonn
Wenona Strandlie ’55 Lund and Norman Lund
Thomas ’68 and Carol Batalden ’68 Luukkonen
Marissa Hutterer ’99 Machado
Mark Mahowold
Kay Malchow ’82 and Stephen Cook
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Donna McLean
Jan and William Mershon
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Joyce Schroepfer ’02 Miller
Eileen and Grant Mitchell
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Thelma Monson ’41
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Sharon Mortrud
Van and Mildred Mueller
Mildred Nelson ’52
Wedel Nilsen ’45
Robert Nordin ’64
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53† Nyhus
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Bruce L. Olson ’71
Lisa Bradshaw ’79 Olson and Joseph Black
Wanda Warnes ’56 Olson and Ted Olson
L. Beth Buesing ’45 Opgrand
Jack ’62 and Nina Osberg
Beverly Ottum
Patricia Parker
John and Norma Paulson
Barbara Petersen
Corwin and Doris Peterson
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Karin Peterson
Ron ’69 and Jane Petrich
Carol Pfleiderer
Jake and Katrina Phillips
Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck and Philip ’50 Quanbeck
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Laura and Martin Roller
Frances Roller Rockey
Kevin ’91 and Amy Ronneberg
John ’77 and Gail Ronning
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Milo and Cynthia Schield
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Milan ’48 and Marian Sedio
Harold and Phyllis Seim
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Michael and Pamela Sime
David Soli ’81
John ’62 and Ruth Sather ’63 Sorenson
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Royal C. Steen
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Todd ’89 and Amy Steenson
Donald† and Annelies Steinmetz
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Sonya Steven
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Leland and Louise Sundet
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Jo Anne Sylvester ’68 and Larry Dieckman
Christine Szaj
Harold and Maureen Thompson
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
37
Dolores Thornes
David and Martha Tiede
Beth Torstenson ’66
Carol Trotter
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Peter Turner
Catherine and Albert Van Der Schans
Julie Lien Vanderboom ’82 and Steve Vanderboom
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth and Dennis Veiseth
Peter and Linda Vogt
Joan Volz ’68
Robert Wagner ’02
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Ronald Wahlberg ’70
Douglas and Janet Watsabaugh
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
John ’49† and Arnhild Werket
Diane Pike and Stephen Willett
Patrick Wiltgen
William Wittenbreer
David and Catherine Wold
Joyce Leifgren ’64 Young
Lowell ’60 and Margery Ziemann
ORGANIZATIONS
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2009 TO MAY 31, 2010
The following list recognizes organizations that provided generous gifts to Augsburg College of $1,000 or more in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
3M Foundation
Accenture Foundation
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Ameriprise Financial
Amgen Foundation
A’viands
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
F.R. Bigelow Foundation
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Bonner Foundation
Bush Foundation
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
CollegeNet
Data Recognition Corporation
Dow Corning Corporation
Drusilla Farwell Foundation
Ecolab Foundation
Sherry Lou Engebretsen Memorial Fund
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Faegre & Benson
Fairview Hospital Alumni Association
H.B. Fuller Company
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
General Mills Foundation
GMAC-RFC
Gray Plant Mooty & Bennett
Gray Wolf Ranch, Inc.
Hearst Foundation
Highland Prairie Speech and Debate Booster Club
HJ, Inc.
Hognander Family Foundation
Huss Foundation
Nilan Johnson Lewis
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Kentron Foundation
Kettering Foundation
James G. Lindell Fund of the St. Paul Foundation
Mary T. Inc
McGough Foundation
McKnight Foundation
Merck Partnership For Giving
Minnesota Private College Foundation
Minnesota Debate Teachers Association
Minnesota Department of Revenue
Ms. Foundation for Women, Inc.
My Sports Dreams, LLC
Network for Good
The New York Academy of Medicine
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Northwest Area Foundation
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation
Play-More Travel, Inc.
PLH Foundation
Presser Foundation
Running All Over Addiction
Schwab Charitable Fund
Sheltering Arms Foundation
St. Paul Public Schools
Surdna Foundation, Inc.
Target Foundation
Target Community Relations
TCF Foundation
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Foundation
Twin Cities Orthopedics Foundation
US Bancorp Foundation
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
Janet Watson Donor Advised Fund of the Women’s
Foundation of Minnesota
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
Wells Fargo Bank
Winds Of Peace Foundation
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
Zapevent, LLC
S V E N O F T E D A L S O C I E T Y , Supporting Augsburg’s mission into the future
The following list recognizes new members who have documented planned gifts to Augsburg College during the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
Anonymous (3)
Mr. Joseph Black and Dr. Lisa Olson
Oliver Dahl ’45
Roger L. Fisher
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Donald J. and Sonja S. Hagestuen
Rodney (Rock) A. and Jane M. Helgeson
Allen and Jean Housh
38
Augsburg Now
Lorna L. Hoversten
Esther Johnson ’50†
Gertrude Amundson ’35 Larson†
Karla Krogsrud Miley
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Myrtle Pedersen
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Paul Rensted ’87
Olive Ronholm ’47
David G. Soli
Hazel Thorson Stoick Stoeckeler
Robert E. and Margaret H. Twiton
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Bill Wittenbreer
Lisa Zeller ’81,’89 MAL and Glenn Fuller
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
CONSECUTIVE GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years.
Consecutive Giving, 30 years or more:
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Harold ’47† and Lois Black ’47 Ahlbom
Kenneth ’61 and Marilyn Ellingson ’62 Akerman
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Raymond and Margaret Anderson
Kristin Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Catherine and Charles Anderson
I. Shelby Gimse ’56 Andress
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Andrew ’50 and Barbara Kolden ’50 Balerud
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
John Benson ’55
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
Doris Frojen ’51 Bretheim
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
James ’49 and Barbara Ekse ’48 Carlson
Linda Carlstedt ’63
Joyce Catlin ’73 Casey and Paul Casey
David ’72 and Michelle Karkhoff ’72 Christianson
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Leonard ’52 and Anabelle Hanson ’51 Dalberg
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
James Ericksen ’69
Ruth Ann Gjerde ’67 Fitzke
Alan ’67 and Marilyn Albaugh ’67 Gierke
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Marlys Ringdahl ’53 Gunderson and
Charles Gunderson
Arlin Gyberg
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Cynthia Hanson ’66
Betty Johnson ’58 Haas and Charles Hass
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Howard ’51 and Nouaneta Hjelm
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Gloria Johnson ’51
Marcellus ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Jerome Kleven ’58
Elsie Ronholm ’49 Koivula
William ’52 and Edith Kuross
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey
Marie and Larry McNeff
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Mildred Nelson ’52
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Laverne Moe ’48 Olson and Paul Olson
Roger ’56 and Janet Ose
Glen Person ’47
Robert ’68 and Alice Draheim ’68 Peters
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
James ’61 and BettyAnn Redeske
Arthur ’53 and Charlotte Kleven ’52 Rimmereid
James ’68 and Linda Gilbertson ’71 Romslo
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
James ’54 and Ethel Nordstrom ’55 Shiell
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Evelyn Amundson ’43 Sonnack
Donald† and Annelies Steinmetz
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Allan Tonn ’75
Sheldon ’49 and Margery Manger ’47 Torgerson
Frances Torstenson
Beth Torstenson ’66
Rebecca Helgesen ’67 Von Fischer and Thomas
Von Fischer
25-29 years consecutive
Frank ’50 and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Jack ’49 and LeVerne Berry
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
Leland ’53 and Eunice Fairbanks
Marilyn Pearson ’76 Florian and Kenneth Florian
Paul and Judy Grauer
Paul ’62 and Susan Grover
Sylvia Kleven Hanson ’50
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge ’50
James ’61 and Caroline Holden
Rachel Hendrickson ’71 Julian and Bruce Julian
Sharon Dittbenner ’65 Klabunde and
Richard Klabunde
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Joan Johnson ’53 Kuder and Calvin Kuder
Martin Larson ’80
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Irene Ppedahl ’45 Lovaas
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Gloria Burntvedt ’43 Nelson
Paige Nelson ’74
W. Donald Olsen ’34† and Glenda Olson
Bettye and Howard Olson
Patricia Strecker ’64 Pederson and Dean Pederson
Janet Griffith ’83 Sandford and David Sandford
Joyce Opseth ’45 Schwartz
Luther ’39 and Helen Strommen
George ’46 and Jean Christenson ’49 Sverdrup
Jacqueline ’80 and John Teisberg
Margaret Sateren ’37 Trautwein
Thomas ’63 and Gloria Joyce Wadsworth
Gunnar† and Mary Wick
David and Catherine Wold
20-24 years consecutive
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Julie Teigland ’69 Anderson and Gary Anderson
Charles ’63 and Lois Luthard ’65 Anderson
Ray Anderson ’49
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Hamar ’34 and Wanda Severson ’40 Benson
Theodore ’51† and Carolyn Berkland
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Mary Twiton ’59 Bosben and Robert Bosben
John and Carolyn Cain
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Addell Halverson ’43 Dahlen
Scott Daniels ’82 and Marcia Pape-Daniels
LeVon Paulson Dinter ’52
Fred ’60 and Janet Engelmann
Reynold Erickson ’41†
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Edward Evenson ’41
Rachel Rohde ’76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Sonia Overmoen ’62 Gullicks and Milton Gullicks
Kenneth ’58 and Aldemar Johnson ’57 Hagen
Arvin ’55 and Twila Halvorson
Herbert ’51 and M. Joyce Tallman ’52 Hanson
Carolyn Hawkins
Rodney ’62 and Jane Helgeson
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Norman and Ilene Holen
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Florence Retrum ’40 Hovland
Wayne Johnson ’58
Ruth Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Duane and Ruth Johnson
Marvin ’49 and Dorothy Quanbeck ’48 Johnson
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Daniel ’70 and Ingrid Kloster ’69 Koch
James Kottom ’52
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Lois Knutson ’62 Larsen and Paul Larsen
Robert ’56 and Mary Erickson ’58 Lockwood
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
39
Brent Lofgren ’88
Susan Lageson ’77 Lundholm and Mark Lundholm
Lynn ’50 and Miriam Hoplin ’50 Lundin
John ’65 and Gracia Nydahl ’66 Luoma
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
Kristin Settergren ’86 McGinness and
Steve McGinness
Donna McLean
Victor ’42 and Rhoda Miller
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Bonnie Johnson ’67 Nelson and Bryce Nelson
Shirley Christensen ’75 Nickel and Daniel Nickel
Margaret Nelson Foss ’48 Nokleberg
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Robert Nordin ’64
Jonathan Nye
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53† Nyhus
Maren Lecy ’83 Ogdie and Al Ogdie
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Ruth Pousi ’54 Ollila
Mary Olson
John ’62 and Nina Osberg
James ’64 and Rose Parks
Daniel ’51 and Lois Pearson
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Donald Peterson ’49
David Proctor ’63
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Norman ’59 and Ardelle Skovholt ’54 Quanbeck
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Stephen ’76 and Karen Reinarz
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Judith Sandeen ’72
Gary ’68 and Janice Bell ’70 Schmidt
Kari Beckman ’81 Sorenson and Neil Sorensen
La Vone Studlien ’58
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
James Swanson
Ruth Weltzin ’45 Swanson and Edwin Swanson
Dorothy Swanson ’51 Swanson
Janis Thoreson ’78
Robert Wick ’81
Pamela Zagaria
15-19 years consecutive
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
James ’88 and Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold
John ’79 and Rebecca Lundeen ’79 Aune
Ronald and Anna Marie Austin
Dorothy Bailey
The Batalden Advised Fund
Christine Wacker ’87 Bjork and Steven Bjork
Morris ’63 and Mavis Bjurlin
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Daniel and Irene Brink
Michael Burden ’85
David Christensen ’52
Joseph ’53 and Connie Cleary
Judith Norman ’66 Coppersmith and
Norman Coppersmith
Ann Erkkila ’86 Dudero
Avis Ellingrod
40
Augsburg Now
Valborg Kyllo ’54 Ellingson and Phillip Ellingson
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
Dann Forsberg ’80
Joann Koelln ’72 Frankena
Gary and Barbara Glasscock
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Lloyd Grinde ’56
Richard ’72 and Carol Habstritt
Suzanne Overholt ’67 Hampe and John Hampe
Jacquelyn Bagley ’51 Hanson and Kenneth Hanson
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Burton Haugen ’72
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Edith Hovey
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Rosemary Jacobson ’69
Janet Batalden ’61 Johnson and Dennis Johnson ’61
Morris ’52 and Marjorie Danielson ’52 Johnson
Luther ’68 and Joanne Kendrick
Carrie Kosek ’85 Knott and Gerald Knott
Millard ’52 and Dorothy Knudson
Duane and Mary Alyce Krohnke
Annette and Henry Lucksinger, Jr.
Bill and Anne McSweeney
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Mark ’88 and Tamala Morken
Karl Nestvold ’54
Norma Noonan
Betsey and Alan Norgard
R. Luther Olson ’56
Gary ’65 and Jean Pfeifer ’64 Olson
John and Norma Paulson
Rebecca ’88 Pfabe and Maurice Higgins
Jay Phinney ’79
Leanne Phinney ’71 and Mark Schultz
Elizabeth Pushing ’93
Quentin ’50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck
Barbara Hanson ’68 Raymond and David Raymond
Joyce Romano and Walker Brents
David ’53 and Janice Anderson ’54 Rykken
Audrey Nagel ’51 Sander
Ronnie ’62 and Karen Scott
Nora Anderson ’83 Sillerud and Jon Sillerud
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Paulette Nelson ’67 Speed
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Diana Talcott
Karla Morken ’81 Thompson and Thomas Thompson
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Mark ’79 and Janelle Tonsager
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Michael ’64 and Carla Quanbeck ’64 Walgren
Jeanne Kyllo ’69 Wendschuh and Ronald Wendschuh
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Janet Cooke ’59 Zitzewitz and Donald Zitzewitz
Robyn Arnold ’80 Zollner†
10-15 years consecutive
Anonymous (2)
Ordelle Aaker ’46
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Leif Anderson
Dean ’74 and Janet Nelson ’76 Anderson
Scott Anderson ’96
Margaret Anderson
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
LeRoy ’52 and Carole Anenson
Charles ’63 and Mary Jo Arndt
Mary Arneson and Dale Hammerschmidt
Susan Hanson ’82 Asmus and Kevin Asmus
Lawrence ’52 and Jayne Balzer
Dennis ’58 and Doris Barnaal
Arlin Becker ’88
Catherine Berglund ’73 Becker and Charles Becker
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Gertrude Ness ’51 Berg
Andrew ’64 and Jean Amland ’65 Berg
Carolyn Berkland
Warren ’69 and Carolyn Bey
Anthony and Kathy Bibus
Gary ’65 and Jean Blosberg
Dennes ’57 and Florence Helland ’54 Borman
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Willard Botko
Bruce ’64 and Nancy Braaten
Roxanne Raunschnot ’82 Buchanan and Jim
Buchanan
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Einar Cannelin ’38
William Capman
Gregory Carlson ’74
John and Peggy Cerrito
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Judith Christensen
Orla Christensen ’56 and Joan Englund
Jeff Christenson ’82
Janet Niederloh ’58 Christeson and John Christeson
Wayne ’63 and Bernadine Christiansen
C. Lee Clarke
Connie Arndt ’96 Clausen and Andrew Clausen
Cheryl Solomonson ’89 Crockett and Larry Crockett
Laura Bower ’91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe
Oliver Dahl ’45
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Lois Mackey Davis ’58
Suzanne Doree
Hans ’56 and Donna Dumpys
Julie Edstrom ’90
Doran Edwards
Judy Thompson ’65 Eiler
Curtis ’84 and Jody Eischens
David ’79 and Amy Eitrheim
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Kari Elsila and Michael Buescher
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Ellen Stenberg Erickson ’51
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Lois Hofstad ’58 Esselstrom and Michael Esselstrom
Duane Esterly ’75
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
John ’68 and Martha Fahlberg
Karen Faulkner
Marvin ’74 and Lana Felderman
William and Anne Frame
Terry ’67 and Pauline Frovik
Ann Garvey
Barbara Gilbert ’81
John ’66 and Mary Jo Greenfield
Cindy Greenwood ’05
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
Steven ’81 and Kathy Grinde
Julia Ose ’62 Grose and Christopher Grose
Katharine Kuchera ’84 Gruber and Craig Gruber
John and Laurie Grygelko
Jean Venske ’87 Guenther and Stephen Guenther
Lucille and Roger Hackbart
Shirley Hansen
Wayne ’68 and Lois Batalden ’69 Hansen
John ’69 Harden and Barbara Hoganson
Robert ’83 and Lynne Harris
Lisa Svac ’85 Hawks
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Gerald ’59 and Maxine Hendricks
Dawn Hendricks ’80
Irene Shelstad ’52 Henjum
Rand ’82 and Kay Kennedy ’82 Henjum
Peter ’92 and Becky Hespen
Kristen Hirsch ’91 Montag and Paul Montag
Sylvia Hjelmeland
John ’70 and Lynn Benson ’69 Hjelmeland
John ’81 and Karen Hofflander
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Donald ’60 and Ruth Thorsgard ’59 Homme
James ’59 and Joanne Horn
Elizabeth Horton
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Tom ’72 and Karen Howe
Rhoda Monseth ’59 Huglen and Erling Huglen
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Bruce and Jean Inglis
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Doris Wilkins ’63 Johnson and Charles Johnson
Bruce Johnson ’68
Douglas ’66 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Glen and Marlys Johnson
Margaret Johnson
Carolyn Johnson ’63
Martha Johnson
Karen Johnson
Theodore ’68 and Michelle Johnson
Joan ’94 and Mark Johnson
Karen Johnson ’66
Suzanne Kelley ’69
Benjamin and Christine Kent
James Kerr
Richard ’69 and Cheryl Nelson ’70 King
Linda King ’78
Carmela Brown ’84 Kranz and David Kranz
Joan Kunz
Rob ’80 and Lori LaFleur
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
Andrea Langeland
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Julie Gudmestad ’65 Laudicina and
Joseph Laudicina
John ’52 and Mary Peterson ’54 Leak
Roger ’50 and Donna Wang ’52 Leak
Jacqueline Kniefel ’69 Lind
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Rosemary and Andrew Link
Arlene and Gene Lopas
Olivia Gordon ’62 Lorents and Alden Lorents
Jack ’53 and Darlene Lundberg
Randall ’76 and Susan Lundell
Marissa Hutterer ’99 Machado
Marie Hafie ’65 MacNally and Thomas MacNally
Gregory ’61 and Kay Hanenburg ’62 Madson
Raymond Makeever
Patrick ’72 and Nancy Marcy
Carlos Mariani Rosa
Julie Magnuson ’61 Marineau and Richard
Marineau
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Robert ’71 and Cheryl Lindroos ’72 Martin
John ’59 and De Anne Martinsen
Jon ’58 and Judith Matala
Phillip ’62 and Karen Tangen ’63 Mattison
Lillian and Vernon Maunu
Dana Holmes ’81 McIntyre and Vernon McIntyre ’79
Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod and
Christopher ’00 McLeod
Meca Sportswear, Inc.
Robert ’59 and Mary Lundquist ’60 Meffert
Joan and Richard Meierotto
David ’68 and Elaine Melby
Robert Nelson ’44 and Helen Johnson-Nelson
Ronald ’59 and Elizabeth Miskowiec
Jonathan ’78 and Bonnie Lamon ’78 Moren
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Scott ’81 and Debra Musselman
Michael Navarre
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Edor ’38 and Dorathy Nelson
Larry ’65 and Marilyn Nelson
E. Irene Lasseson ’38 Neseth†
Erika Staub ’51 Niemi and Wayne Niemi
Robert ’73 and Linda Nilsen
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Edward ’54 and Winifred Nystuen ’54 Nyhus
Richard ’69 and Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted
Dean Olson ’00
Howard and Bettye Olson
Vicki and Daniel Olson
Cedric ’61 and Marlys Olson
Donald ’53 Oren and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Russell ’63 and Ruth Osterberg
Steven O’Tool ’74
Ervin ’56 and Sylvia Moe ’59 Overlund
Patricia Solum ’02 Park
Patricia Parker
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Howard ’53 and Vicki Skor ’59 Pearson
Dwight ’60 and Marion Pederson
Dale ’70 and Patti Pederson
Cynthia Peterson
Linda Christensen ’68 Phillips and Gerald Phillips
James Plumedahl ’57
Jill Pohtilla
Drew ’89 and Molly Privette
Jerry ’83 and Susan Warnes ’88 Quam
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Nicolyn Rajala ’70 and Bill Vossler
Paul Rensted ’87
James ’75 and Jude Ring
David ’59 and Arline Ringstad
James ’63 and Patricia Steenson ’65 Roback
Donavon ’52 and Ardis Roberts
Thomas ’86 and Susan Rogers-Miller
Frances Roller Rockey
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist ’64
Philip Rowberg ’41
Thomas Ruffaner ’98
Mary Mether ’69 Sabatke and Bruce Sabatke
Richard Sandeen ’69
Donohue ’56 and Marilyn Sarff
Pauline Sateren
Carol Watson ’68 Saunders
Michael Schock and Leslie Baken
Larry ’65 and Muriel Berg ’67 Scholla
Arvid ’63 and Lillian Schroeder
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Charles Sheaffer
John ’50 and Norma Shelstad
Eugene and Margaret Skibbe
Alan ’72 and Nancy Becker ’72 Soli
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Heidi Wisner ’93 Staloch and Mark Staloch
Ronald ’58 and Naomi Stave
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Bonnie Martinson ’59 Storley
Steven ’65 and Chynne Strommen
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
John ’69 and Stephanie Johnson ’71 Sulzbach
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Kenneth and Jane Syverson
Paul ’87 and Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio
Barbara and Eugene Thompson
Dick ’61 and Jane Thompson
Sue Thompson ’85
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
41
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Richard ’56 and Darlene Thorud
Michael ’85 and Rhonda Riesberg ’84 Tjaden
Mark and Ann Tranvik
Mary True
Merry Tucker
Betty and Paul Tveite
Charleen and Donald Weidenbach
John ’49† and Arnhild Werket
Lyndon ’65 and Diane West
Heidi Norman ’88 Wise and John Wise
Edmund ’53 and Rose Youngquist
Robert ’50 and Dee Ulsaker
Joan Swenson ’78 Van Wirt
Joan Volz ’68
Sharon and Stephen Wade
Rebecca and Michael Waggoner
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Lois Wattman ’76 and Douglas Shaw
ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS YEAR
The following list indicates the percentage of alumni from the traditional day program in each class year who made a gift during 2009-10.
Total participation for all class years, 21%.
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
42
33.33%
66.67%
50.00%
20.00%
52.94%
25.00%
33.33%
29.63%
31.03%
31.25%
32.50%
38.89%
34.62%
47.73%
34.85%
42.39%
Augsburg Now
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
35.62%
43.10%
49.46%
46.67%
36.59%
35.71%
44.44%
43.40%
55.56%
56.07%
36.17%
46.67%
35.17%
38.71%
32.09%
33.94%
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
31.63%
35.07%
34.60%
27.96%
20.32%
26.29%
26.30%
22.88%
24.01%
21.57%
21.55%
20.91%
23.19%
21.40%
16.67%
17.87%
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
16.29%
14.91%
13.91%
13.33%
13.10%
10.00%
12.61%
11.86%
12.18%
10.00%
11.33%
9.58%
10.71%
10.18%
6.98%
9.91%
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
12.18%
9.76%
11.29%
6.97%
4.69%
10.91%
7.64%
10.55%
5.43%
10.41%
7.53%
5.93%
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear fellow alumni,
A
ugsburg has a time-honored tradition each year
called “Homecoming.” Homecoming is a time of renewal—renewal of friendships, college experiences,
and meeting new alumni while taking in the festivities of
the week.
The Augsburg Alumni Board is proud to be part of this
and other events. The year 2010–11 is the year of bringing our alumni closer to the College. Our board members
understand this as many of the members of the Alumni Board spent their formative
years with the College, creating new friends that have passed the test of time.
Part of the Alumni Board’s mission is to promote connections among alumni
throughout the year. The board sponsors or participates in many of the events that
bring alumni together. Some of these are:
• Alumni awards that recognize Auggies who have made significant contributions in their fields of work and to the community, who have given service to
the College, and who exemplify the mission and spirit of the College.
• Social and business networking opportunities
• Educational and enriching speakers
• Fun events that promote engagement, such as the Auggie Night at the
Races at Canterbury Park that attracts more than 700 alumni and family
members each year.
These are a few examples of how your Augsburg Alumni Board works for you to bring
fun and enjoyment to your extended college experience. The board continues to look
for ideas to expand our mission of reconnecting alumni to the College, and we
would welcome your feedback on programs you feel would help fulfill our mission.
This year promises to be fun with new traditions and events for all. We invite you
to pass on the message to recent alumni and alumni from years past. We all have
an opportunity to extend our college experience past Commencement. Best wishes
to you all as you rekindle your relationship with Augsburg College.
Sincerely,
JOHN STADLER ’07 MAL
PRESIDENT OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Alumni get involved!
Is it your New Year’s resolution to reconnect with old
friends, network with other Auggies, and have fun?
If so, join fellow Auggies at the following alumni
events in 2011.
Auggies Give Back: Feed My Starving Children
Packing Session
Saturday, January 15, 2011
9–11 a.m., Coon Rapids, MN
Eye-Opener Breakfast
featuring Mark Eustis, CEO, Fairview Healthcare
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
7 a.m., Town and Country Club, St. Paul, MN
The Augsburg Centennial Singers Concert Tour
February 8-20, 2011
California and Arizona
Student and Alumni Networking Reception
Thursday, February 10, 2011
5:30 p.m., Oren Gateway Center
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series
featuring Michele Volpi, CEO, H.B. Fuller
Thursday, April 7, 2011
5 p.m., Sateren Auditorium, Music Hall
For more information on these and other alumni
events go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Save the Date!
Homecoming 2011
October 17–23, 2011
Reunion Classes
50th reunion—1961
40th reunion—1971
25th reunion—1986
10th reunion—2001
If you would like to help
make your reunion a success,
contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for updates
and reunion information.
Fall 2010
43
auggie
alumni news
Auggies Give Back: Student
philanthropy at Augsburg
Executives share expertise in speaker series
A popular trend in colleges across the nation is also taking Augsburg by storm—
current students are giving back to
Augsburg while they are still students.
The Alumni and Constituent Relations
student group, the Augsburg Stewards,
are at the forefront of Augsburg’s wave.
Under the direction of Amanda Storm, associate alumni director,
the Stewards host a variety of events and activities to engage and
educate students on how their experience at Augsburg is funded.
Philanthropy Week, the first week in March, is a week-long
awareness event that gives the student body an opportunity to participate in a variety of philanthropic activities that include voting
where their donations go and posting how they give back to their
community. There is a scavenger hunt on campus for a particular
donor, with clues given about that donor and why they give back.
These activities help students understand that while their tuition funds a major part of their education, the generosity of
Augsburg alumni and friends also plays a significant role in their
experience.
New this year, students will have an opportunity to directly give
back to fellow students through the “Feed the Pig” class gift challenge. All students receive a piggy bank and are encouraged to
“feed the pig” their loose change throughout the semester. The
money raised will benefit current Augsburg students through a
scholarship awarded at the Scholarship Brunch in April. Think it
can’t get any better? The class with the highest rate of participation will win a class party at the President Pribbenow’s home.
auggies
GIVE BACK
Alumni artists—call for submissions
Augsburg Alumni Juried Show 2011
The Augsburg art galleries are pleased to announce an exciting
opportunity for alumni to show their artwork in a juried exhibition
featured in both the Gage Family Art Gallery and Christensen
Center Art Gallery opening in early August 2011.
Each artist may submit up to three images. The submission
deadline is June 24, 2011; notifications of acceptance will be
sent out July 12. For more information about the Augsburg
Alumni Juried Show, go to www.augsburg.edu/galleries or e-mail
gallery@augsburg.edu.
44
Augsburg Now
The Clair and Gladys Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series,
launched in December 2009, brings major business leaders to the
Augsburg campus to share their insights and expertise. Speakers
during the past year include Alex Cirillo, vice president of 3M
Foundation (now retired) and past president of 3M Canada; Chris
Policinski, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes; and Richard
Davis, chairman, president, and CEO of U.S. Bancorp.
The next speaker in the series will be Michele Volpi, president
and chief executive officer of H.B. Fuller. He will speak on Thursday, April 7, at 5 p.m., in Sateren Auditorium, Music Hall.
The series is co-sponsored by Augsburg’s Corporate Relations
Office and the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful
Work. Each presentation provides opportunities for alumni as well
as students, faculty, and staff to hear unique insights into the current business climate and trends from a national or global corporate leader.
Augsburg Choir
Legacy Recordings,
1949-1979
As part of the Augsburg Choir’s
75th-anniversary celebration, CD
versions of remastered historical
recordings of the Augsburg Choir from
1949–79 are available as the Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings.
A monograph about Leland B. Sateren’s life and career written by
William Halverson ’51 will be included with each order.
The three boxed sets, each containing five CDs are:
• From Opseth to Sateren (1949–1962)
• Sateren Intermezzo (1964–1972)
• Sateren Finale (1972–1979)
Cost: $49 per box (five CDs); $135 for all three sets (15 CDs), plus
shipping and handling.
To place an order, go to www.augsburg.edu/music/saterenCD.html
or call the Augsburg College Bookstore at 612-359-6491. For more
information, call 612-330-1265.
Call for nominations for
alumni awards
The Augsburg College Alumni Board seeks
your assistance in identifying members of
the Augsburg community to be considered
for recognition.
Please take a few moments to consider
those who might be honored for the following awards. Your nominations and suggestions are critical in helping to build these
important programs to celebrate the accomplishments of the Augsburg community. The awards will be given at the
Homecoming 2011 Convocation on
Friday, October 21.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Awarded to Augsburg College alumni in
recognition for significant achievement in
vocation, for outstanding contribution to
church and community, and for a life that
exemplifies the ideals and mission of
Augsburg College. Augsburg alumni (graduates and non-graduates) are eligible.
First Decade Alumni Award
Awarded to Augsburg College graduates of
the last 10 years who have made significant progress in their professional achievements and contributions to the
community, and in so doing exemplify the
mission of the College: to prepare future
leaders in service to the world.
Spirit of Augsburg Award
Honors Augsburg alumni or friends of the
College who have given exceptional service
that contributes substantially to the well
being of the College by furthering its purposes and programs. Alumni, friends, faculty and staff, and groups who have served
the College are eligible.
To make a nomination, contact the Office
of Alumni and Constituent Relations for a
nomination packet at 612-330-1085 or
alumni@augsburg.edu.
The deadline for award nominations is
March 4, 2011.
Members of the Young Alumni Council posed with TC Bear and Auggie Eagle at Young Alumni night at the Twins
game in July, with more than 100 attending. (L to R) Rob Wagner ’02, Andrew Johnson ’07, Holly (Ebnet) Knutson ’03,
’07 MBA, Amanda Rueb ’09, and Teresa Barnhill ’08.
Young Alumni Summer Series: 2010
From baseball to a brewery tour, Augsburg Young Alumni have it going on! The Young Alumni had another awesome season in 2010, with more than 600 Auggies attending any of the six events held
throughout the season, giving Auggies great opportunities to catch up with former classmates and
meet new friends.
The Young Alumni program is an initiative supported by the efforts of outstanding Young Alumni
volunteers, dedicated to providing dynamic social and enrichment opportunities for their Auggie
classmates, while keeping them engaged with their alma mater.
Join Professor Phil Adamo on a journey to the Emerald Isle
Join friends from the Augsburg College
community in early May 2011 for an indepth journey through Ireland with Phillip
Adamo, associate professor and chair of
Augsburg’s History Department, director of
medieval studies, and experienced study
tour leader.
Professor Adamo looks forward to returning to Ireland with a group of alumni and
friends, May 2–12, 2011. Explore centuries of heroic history including sites dating to 9,000 B.C. and experience the
intense rugged beauty of land carved from
the sea contrasting with the meticulous gar-
dens of stately castles. As director of medieval studies, Adamo enhances the tour
with his special knowledge of the historic
significance of Celtic Christianity and how
Ireland’s ancient monastic communities
flourished during the Dark Ages. The tour
also celebrates contemporary Irish culture.
To receive a brochure and registration
form, contact the Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations at 612-330-1178
or alumni@augsburg.edu. Registration is
open and spaces are filling—please note
that last year’s Italy trip sold out and had a
waiting list.
Fall 2010
45
60-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1950
Front row (L to R): Shirley Dahlen, Angeline (Rolland)
Sorenson, Marjorie (Wilberg) Hauge; Back row (L to R):
Edward Alberg, Philip Quanbeck, Raynard Huglen,
Robert Paulson
go
auggies!
50-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1960
Front row (L to R): Marjorie (Moland) Wendt, Ramona
(Pedersen) Settergren, Ruth (Carlson) Olson, LaVonne
(Gravgaard) Iverson, Phyllis (Redenbaugh) Ose, Fay
(Quanbeck) Matsunaga, Lois (Richter) Agrimson, Phyllis
(Raymond) Berge, Carol (Johnson) Casperson; Row 2 (L
to R): Linnea (Wacker) Whipple, Marlene Studlien,
Nancy (Garland) Erickson, Carol (Hawkins) Svanoe,
Dorothy (Larson) Henriksen, Phyllis (Dahlmeier) Fering,
Ruth (Carlsen) Moen; Row 3 (L to R): Dwight Pederson,
Dale Hanka, David Hanka, Stan West, Arden Flaten,
Byron Schmid, Myron Carlson; Row 4 (L to R): Clayton
Paulson, Bruce Amundson, Gerald Johnson, Lowell Ziemann, Jack Anderson, Dennis Glad, Richard Berge, Don
Gilberg
Philip Quanbeck Sr. ’50 was the keynote speaker at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon, and reflected on
“Then and Now, and Now and Then.”
“It seems to me that when Augsburg College is doing its proper work, it is well
aware of its past, but it’s looking not only backward, but forward. Perhaps there
is in our future something new, and we should be looking for it.”
46
Augsburg Now
40-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1970
Front row (L to R): Sandy Swanson Mathisen, Bonnie Risius, Marjorie Tietz Peterson, Donna Hillesland Eastman,
Nikki Rajala, Paulette O. Odegaard, Steve T. Johnson,
Chris Flom Duncan, Karen Dohlen Johnson, LaRhae
Knatterud; Row 2 (L to R): Barbara Ingvalson Anderson,
Lynne Framstad Payne, Dawn Hofstad Stromman, Tim
Strommen, Susan Olson Williams, Barbara Ellefson Ditty,
June Gandrud Perrizo, Julie Thompson Lipelt; Row 3 (L to
R): Gloria Wohlers Hatchinson, Mary Buss, Linda Larson,
Lynn Anderson Haanen, Andrey Olmstead, Cheryl King,
Gary Benson, Pam Jurdy Juul, Marilyn Hass Krambeer;
Row 4 (L to R): Linda Munson Wahlstrom, Judy Benson
Madsen, Sue Lindberg Sorenson, Janet Call Ulvin, Kathie
Gildemeister Erbes, Timothy Toso, Paul Mikelson; Row 5
(L to R): Joyce Engstrom Spector, Mark Francis, David
Ulvin, Terry Nygaard, John Hjelmeland, John Eidsvoog;
Row 6 (L to R): Ray L. Hanson, Jane Cornelison Van
Brunt, Dennis King
25-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1985
Front row (L to R): Nancy (Mackey) Mueller, Jean Taylor,
Terri (Swanberg) Stoner, Shelly Johnson, Carmen
(Elandt) Reibel; Back row (L to R): Ron Winterhalter,
Norm Okerstrom, Jay Myers, Clay Gustafson, Rebecca
(Melgaard) Newton, Kathleen Kuross, Lisa (Erickson)
Gustafson
At the Homecoming Welcome Back Banquet, John Eidsvoog ’70 played
his own arrangements of several popular selections. He has a master’s
degree in jazz composition and has played piano and synthesizers for
numerous movies, TV shows, and CDs. In the ’80s, he was the musical
conductor and pianist for many popular entertainers, including Andy
Gibb, Jaye P. Morgan, and John Davidson. In recent years, Eidsvoog has
worked in music preparation with his wife, Julie ’69, as a composer, orchestrator, and arranger. They currently work with such artists as Burt
Bacharach, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, Michael Bublé,
and Elton John. Eidsvoog’s CDs are available at the Augsburg Bookstore.
Fall 2010
47
alumni class notes
50to move when his home in
Rev. Lloyd Kallevig was forced
Wadena, Minn., was destroyed by a
tornado in June.
61retired teachers who shared
Dennis Kalpin was one of the
their memories in the country
schoolhouse at the Douglas County
(Minn.) fair in August. His career included 40 years of teaching, 47
years of coaching football, plus basketball, softball, track, and baseball.
62Hancock, Mich., and her husAlice (Heikkila) Kinnunen,
band, Eldon, have spent 18 years in
retirement working in Reynosa, Mexico, each winter, building homes for
the poor, distributing goods, helping
with medical care, schooling, etc.
64Minn., retired from the
Rev. Marv Repinski, Austin,
Methodist ministry six years ago,
and is currently serving as interim
pastor at Lansing Methodist Church,
his fifth interim appointment. He
also teaches world religion at Riverland Community College in Owatonna, and serves on the board of
the Austin Symphony Orchestra.
70years with Wells Fargo Bank.
Dakota Synod Assembly of the ELCA
for 30 years of ordained ministry.
David Ulvin, Edina, Minn., served as
the senior commodore for the 2010
Minneapolis Aquatennial. He retired
from teaching music in the St. Paul
school system and now invests in
multi-family residential real estate.
77fessor and chair of the English
Paul Sedio retired after 36
73
Marti Lybeck’s dissertation on
female homosexuality in Germany was named the State University of New York best dissertation in
queer studies last year. She teaches
history at University of WisconsinLaCrosse.
Rev. Gary Wollersheim was reelected to a third six-year term as
bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod
of the ELCA. He serves as co-chairman of the Illinois Council of
Churches and chairman of the Region Five ELCA bishops.
76N.D., joined the staff of
Rev. David Halaas, Williston,
Lutheran Social Services of North
Dakota last summer and works from
its Minot program office. He was
honored by the Western North
Department at Heidelberg University. He is a member of the Tiffin
Glass Collectors Club and he volunteers at the Tiffin Glass Museum,
giving tours and providing information about the glass production.
80Woodbury, Minn., received a
Judy (Carson) Houck ’10 MSW,
Hartford Scholarship in social work.
She and her husband, Lee ’78, await
their first grandchild in January.
Kevin Kuntz joined TopLine Federal
Credit Union in Maple Grove, Minn.,
as senior vice president of sales and
service. Most recently, he was senior
vice president and director of relationship banking at TCF Bank.
52Annabelle (Hanson) ’51,
Rev. Len Dalberg, and his wife,
Solvang, Calif., were honored by
their 4 children and 11 grandchildren on their 60th anniversary at a
seaside restaurant family dinner. Len
is a visitation pastor at Bethania
Lutheran Church in Solvang in his
retirement.
ence and Health at the university
while completing her degree. She
and her husband are blessed with
three adult sons and a daughter-inlaw, all in the metro area.
88board of Caring Bridge.
Janice Aune serves on the
82
Diane (Peterson) Kachel,
Woodbury, Minn., received
her Master of Biological Science degree from the University of Minnesota in April 2010. For the past
four years, she has been assistant
director of the Center for Lung Sci-
89English at University of Mis-
Devoney Looser, professor of
souri, was recently featured in the
university’s research magazine, Illuminations, about her book project, a
63summer to celebrate the completion of a water well that provides
75Class of 1975 have been getting together during the year, espe-
clean drinking water to the village of Okigwe. She is active in the Fullerton Sunrise Rotary Club, which received funding from the Rotary Foundation for the project. She is an associate professor of communications
at California State University-Fullerton and has also taught in Belize as
a Rotary teacher. “It was an enlightening and gratifying experience!”
cially at Advent Vespers and the Auggie Night at the Races. Here, they
enjoy a potluck dinner last summer at Brenda (Hoppes) Cattadoris’
house in Brooklyn Park, Minn. (L to R) Jo Koester, Jennie Hakes, Shirley
(Christianson) Nickel, Brenda (Salberg) Peterson, and Brenda (Hoppes)
Cattadoris.
Carolyn E. Johnson, Fullerton, Calif., traveled to Nigeria in the
48
Bill Reyer, Tiffin, Ohio, is pro-
Augsburg Now
Since reconnecting some years ago, several women from the
97her husband, Justin, Blaine,
99Danielle, Maple Grove, Minn.,
01last summer on Cape Cod. (L to R) Erica Huls, Stacy (Waterman) Newton,
Minn., celebrated the birth of their
daughter, Lauren Reese.
welcomed their first child, Ella Lorraine, on December 14, 2009. Mark
is a juvenile probation officer for Hennepin County and an assistant football
coach for Osseo Senior High School.
Emily (Brinkman) Waldon, Laura Waldon, Sara Thedinga.
Jennifer (Coyle) Rhoads and
Mark Joseph and his wife,
The “Fifth-Floor Girls” from the Class of 2001 enjoyed a mini-vacation
02band, Taher Omar, Brooklyn
04Blaine, Minn., and her hus-
Center, Minn., welcomed a baby
girl, Scarlett Susan, on July 6.
band, Michael, welcomed their new
daughter, Charlotte Marie, on
Feb. 25.
Minneapolis, welcomed their daughter, Lauryn KyJune, on June 11.
073,000-mile bike trip on his
Leah (Spafford) and her hus-
02ter Sølvei Mareta on May 24. She is welcomed by big sisters Lillian and
Signe (Hillestad) and her husband, Aaron McKie ’05, welcomed daugh-
Ellenora.
biography of two 19th-century
British sister writers, Anna Maria
and Jane Porter. The article cites
Devoney as “one of the nation’s
most respected scholars of British
literature and women’s writings.”
Will Schroeder joined Kemin Food
Technologies in Des Moines, Iowa,
as research and development director. He founded and led Blue Sky
Creamery and ice cream start-up
business.
93Tell You a Story,” was shown in 97football coach at Osseo High
Amy Rice’s exhibition, “Let Me
the Central Lakes College Gallery in
Brainerd, Minn., during September.
She is the founder of Spectrum ArtWorks, Minneapolis.
95as vice president, employee
Paul Martin was recently hired
care and center services at the Lincoln National Corporation’s Lincoln
Employer Market’s Group Insurance
team.
Jim Osberg married Jennifer Oberlag
in Hot Springs, Ark., on Sept. 4. He
is a sales rep for Medtronic; they live
in Wayzata, Minn.
Derrin Lamker has been head
School for six years. In a recent interview he credits Augsburg coach
Jack Osberg ’62 as teaching him the
most important lessons of learning
how to build relationships with his
players.
99her husband, Kevin, Vadnais
01
Nicole Warner recently opened
the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra’s season as mezzo-soprano soloist
in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. She is the
co-winner of the 2010 Bel Canto Chorus Regional Artists competition.
04a member of the USA
00husband, Larye Pohlman ’98,
Rev. Melissa (Moyle) and her
Brett Cease completed a
bike that he named Tranquility, as
he traveled from New York City
through the Northeast and Canada
on his way home to Bemidji. Go to
www.homeinthewoods.wordpress.com.
Stephanie Malone was hired by CaringBridge as development officer.
Karen Lohr, Flagstaff, Ariz., is
Women’s Sled Hockey Team and
plays in Phoenix on the Coyotes sled
team. She has been a hall director
at Northern Arizona University.
Leah (Holloway) Rudeen and
Heights, Minn., welcomed the arrival
of their third son, Drew Alexander,
on Feb. 26. Drew joins big brothers
Zachary (5) and Grant (3).
Christina (Boe) Anderson,
06who made his onstage debut
Dan Ryan was sworn in as a Rogers,
Minn., police officer in September.
He is a member of the Army Reserves and served time in Iraq. He
completed the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
Steve Herzog is a musician
at the 2010 Fringe Festival in Minneapolis, playing the role of Rick in
“Hollywood Hot!” with the LAB Theater. Previously, he held long-term
engagements with the Mall of America and Carnival Cruise Lines.
08band, David Lange, announce
Kasi (Clauson) and her hus-
the birth of their daughter, Rubi
Mae, on July 6. Kasi is the new head
coach for Augsburg’s women’s
swimming and diving team.
Fall 2010
49
alumni class notes
Running for Joe—an inspiration
Running for Joe … it’s what powered Dan Vogel
through his sixth marathon, one of the most
grueling in the country—the Equinox course
around the University of Alaska campus in Fairbanks. Through 4,000 feet of elevation change
on wooded ski trails and up and down a steep
gravel road with potholes and loose shale, Vogel
ran. It was a on a covered root only two miles
into the race where he rolled his ankle, but kept
running through the pain, the inspiration of Joe
moving him on.
Joe was Joe Vogel, Dan’s cousin who died
last summer after a two-year battle with cancer.
“Why am I doing this?” Dan wrote in the blog
that followed Joe’s last year. “Because I BELIEVE. Joe’s ability to never take life for granted
and make the most out of every day is what inspires me as I train and prepare for this race.”
Dan Vogel graduated from Augsburg in
2005. He ran cross country and track and majored in marketing. Several
quick experiences in the
business world
taught him,
though, that
sales and marketing—even when
his team earned
record-breaking
revenues—were
Dan Vogel ’05 honors his cousin Joe
not for him.
at www.runningforjoe.weebly.com
09sang under her stage name,
Anna Dybdahl, who formerly
Arianna, recently released a new
single, “Fields of Gold,” on iTunes.
Go to www.annadybdahl.com.
and educator who founded a company, Jesenia Morales LLC, to work
with women in small start-ups. She
also teaches non-traditional students as an adjunct faculty member
in the business department at National American University.
07Hodgdon ’04, announce the
Andrea (Slack) and Clint
birth of their daughter, Elizabeth
Idelle, born May 24. They live in
Savage, Minn.
08Sandy were married on July
Cristina (Quick) and Sama
Graduate Programs
10award as an English Teaching
Laura Schoen ’09 MSW married
Jeremy Liila on March 27 in Minneapolis. She works at Meridian
Services.
Augsburg Now
Jesenia Morales ’08 MBA is a
Naomi Muellner joined Portfolio Recovery Associates in Norfolk, Va., in
July as vice president, Bankruptcy
Services.
Jody Giza ’04 PA joined Lakewood
Health System as a physician
assistant.
Assistant in Malaysia this year.
06coach, strategist, accountant,
BETSEY NORGARD
Bethany Hellerich received a Fulbright award as an English Teaching
Assistant in Indonesia.
Nou Chang received a Fulbright
50
“I learned quickly after being hired by
Augsburg cross country and track coach Dennis Barker that I work much better with people
in person,” Vogel says. “My friends and family
recognized that I had a passion for helping
people improve their lives, whether in athletics, school, or life in general.” And Joe’s story
on CaringBridge made him realize that
“there’s much more to life than working a boring job and earning money.”
So, as he says, he left his formal attire and
skyscraper cubicle and found a perfect fit with
the AmeriCorps VISTA program in Fairbanks at
an at-risk youth drop-in center. There he hosts
a radio show with his youth clients as guest
DJs who also tell their stories, and he started
music lessons with donated instruments.
“At the same time,” Vogel says, “my heart
is still in Minnesota with my friends and family.” I can’t wait to pick up where I left off
back home and look for a similar job helping
at-risk youth in Minneapolis.”
Running for Joe was indeed powerful
enough to get Vogel through the Equinox
marathon, injured and exhausted and into
25th place out of 370 runners. “Had I not ruined my ankle,” he says, “I was shooting for a
top-10 finish under 3:30:00.” Although he
has a personal best of 2:49:47 for a road
marathon, he’ll look for that same goal in the
next trail marathon he runs for Joe.
Kim Stone, director of alumni and
constituent relations, and her husband, Jason, welcomed their son,
Evan, on July 24.
24. Auggies in the wedding were
groomsmen Greg Hildebrandt ’08
and Derek Francis ’08; bridesmaids
Katie LaGrave ’08 and Halen (Haley)
Bower ’08; usher Bryan Ludwig ’08;
personal attendant Bethany George
’11; and singers Andrew Johnson ’07
and Maria (Mitchell) Helgerson ’07.
Send us your news and photos
In Memoriam
Oliver C. Severson ’31, Minneapolis, age 100, on November 4,
2009.
Amy Ruth Schmidt ’54, Waterloo,
Iowa, age 78, on June 14.
Signe (Berg) Halverson ’36, Dallas, Wis., age 95, on July 25.
Clayton Brandt ’57, Richfield,
Minn., age 78, on November 19,
2009.
Ethel (Sinner) Shebeck ’38, Langford, S.D., age 93, on November
14, 2009.
Sandra (Solseth) Hopkins ’59,
Golden Valley, Minn., age 71, on
May 16, 2009.
Gerald Person ’39, San Diego,
Calif., age 93, on June 27.
Richard M. Olson ’59, New Hope,
Minn., age 79, on October 17,
2009.
Reynold M. “Eric” Erickson ’41,
White Bear Lake, Minn., age 89,
on January 22.
Lowell Formo ’41, Meza, Ariz., age
91, on August 20.
Mary Lou (Heusser) Wesley ’41,
Seattle, Wash., age 90, on October 6, 2009.
Agnes (Mortensen) Mosling ’48,
age 87, on January 3.
Elizabeth “Betty” (Westphal) Peterson ’48, New London, Minn., age
83, on June 25.
Dr. Ordean L. Torstenson ’63,
Madison, Wis., age 69, on July
20. He was faculty member in
the Department of Family Medicine at University of Wisconsin
and named Pediatrician of the
Year by the American Academy of
Pediatricians. Distinguished
Alumnus, 1999.
Clarence C. “Pete” Hansen ’53,
Lakeville, Minn., age 78, on January 12.
Duane Myrin ’53, St. Cloud,
Minn., age 79, on February 13.
Ints Busevics ’54, Minneapolis,
age 80, on August 9.
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
James Dahlager ’71, age 60, on
July 31, 2009.
Paul A. Green ’51, Roseville,
Minn., age 82, on January 7.
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
David Lyle ’64, Sun Prairie, Wis.,
age 68, on June 9, 2009.
Russell Manthie ’49, St. Ignatius,
Mont., age 81, on December 4,
2009.
Carol (Watson) Schweizer ’50,
Minneapolis, age 81, on
January 8.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
Stanley Spangenberg ’64, Lake
Jackson, Texas, age 67, on August 24.
Robert C. Carlson ’50, Sioux Falls,
S.D., age 84, on August 18.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
Rev. Orville K. Anderson ’64, Sioux
Falls, S.D., age 68, on August 1.
Robert Lehman ’49, South
Williamsport, Pa., age 84, on
July 5.
John Werket ’49, Sun City West,
Ariz., age 85, on June 4. He was
a world champion speed skater
and competed in the 1948,
1952, and 1956 Winter
Olympics. Distinguished Alumnus, 1972.
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Kay (Schiller) Trapp ’76, Shoreview, Minn., age 55, on May 10,
2009.
Katharine (Bushell) Durr ’80, Hillsborough, N.J., age 48, on February 3.
Steve Nelson ’81, Cottage Grove,
Minn., age 50, on January 4.
David R. Schroer ’89, Shoreview,
Minn., age 44, on February 12,
2009.
Pamela (Tevlin) Christensen ’92,
Plymouth, Minn., age 53, on October 6, 2009.
Patrick D. Schmid ’95, South
Range, Mich., age 41, on
August 29.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Employer
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Michelle Hollie ’07, MAL student,
Minneapolis, on August 8.
____________________________________________________________
Matthew Gill ’09, Castle Rock,
Colo., on September 18, 2009.
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Fall 2010
51
my
Auggie experience
A pilgrimage to find my college mentor: Professor F. Mark Davis
gether in the classroom (including a course in his specialty, Chaucer)
and in department meetings (I was a student appointee to faculty
meetings). He and his wife, Kay, once hosted Nancy and me in their
south Minneapolis home at a gathering of English majors. He even
had made the one-hour trip by car to Monticello to visit our hometown and meet my parents.
More amazing than finding him after months of occasional
searches was the discovery of his home in retirement in Silver
Spring, Md., just weeks before my five-day visit to the same area.
One evening, I determined, could be devoted to meeting with my
mentor whom I had not seen since the early ’70s.
Mark was waiting outside the entrance to his building in their
sprawling retirement community. The professor I knew when he was
nearing 38 (I was 22) appeared somewhat like the man in the 1970
picture that carried. For the next hour and a half, the four of us sat
in their apartment, reflecting on careers, family
and grandchildren, travel, what we read today,
retirement activities, people from Augsburg we
mutually knew.
There were parallels in our lives: We both have
sons in the San Francisco Bay Area. We chose
our retirement cities to be near grandchildren.
We have downsized from larger, single-family
homes to urban housing complexes. We reflected, with personal satisfaction, on our working lives—college professor and dean of students
In 1970, Donald Q. Smith ’70 invited his mentor, English
Davis (right) and Smith, both now retired, were reunited
Department chair F. Mark Davis, to his parents’ home in
when the former student successfully searched for his
(Mark), weekly newspapering (Don) and K-12 edMonticello, Minn.
advisor and visited him in suburban Washington, D.C.
ucation (Kay and Nancy).
Time didn’t permit reminiscing about the courses we shared at
And then came vital help from a most unlikely source: a financial
Augsburg ... or how a former English major and a professor later aprecruiter combing a list of alumni in the Northwest. We had a friendly
plied their studies in different pursuits. Nor did we reflect on the frevisit for an hour in a downtown Portland hotel, which ended cordially,
even though I revealed that our estate planning directs an educational quent campus turbulence during the ’60s from protests against the
Vietnam War to the necessary demands for justice and equality by
gift not to Augsburg but rather to the foundation of the shared high
school of my wife, Nancy, and me. That was acceptable to David Ben- both black Americans and women.
As a gift, I brought a Wright-signed copy of Driving to Vernonia for
son, who then asked: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Davis. In the fictional “Vernonia,” Edmund’s search for mentor
“Yes, find Mark Davis!” I abruptly responded.
Richard Vickerman was (in the author’s words) “awkward, suspenseThat he did, querying a contact at Augsburg I had not tried. First
ful and tinged with risk.” Not so for me. Rather my personal (and
to come to me from Benson was a chronology of Davis's educational
successful) drive to find Mark Davis was easy to do, without risk, and
degrees and positions. That led to an e-mail to his undergraduate
fulfilling.
school in Tennessee (Bryan College), which forwarded my e-mail to
him. Within days, an e-mail arrived from my one-time professor.
DONALD Q. SMITH ’70
Davis, who had come to Augsburg as English Department chair in
Former editor and publisher of the Monticello, Minn., Times; he lives in Portland,
1968 when I was a junor, expressed delight at the contact. During
Ore., where he occasionally writes “Don’s Column”-like pieces as if he still has a
his first two years in Minneapolis, we spent considerable time tonewspaper deadline. He can be reached at donaldqsmith@yahoo.com.
Courtesy photos
“Who in your life do you consider your mentors?”
Oregon author George Wright’s inquiry to me came from his own
experience of locating a long-lost store manager who had once befriended him. Twenty-five years later, a search by Wright led to a reunion and frequent luncheon meetings. Pondering the importance of
positive influences, especially in one’s early years, gave Wright a plot
line for his 2009 book, Driving to Vernonia.
I recently followed the lead of Wright’s protagonist, Edmund
Kirby-Smith, whose search for his mentor takes him to a small Oregon town. I sought an important teacher in my life: Augsburg College
English advisor Professor F. Mark Davis.
Finding Davis was no small challenge. Internet searches were
fruitless. No Augsburg contacts I made were helpful. A letter to another retired English professor revealed that Davis when leaving Minneapolis became a dean of a small, unidentified college in the East.
52
Augsburg Now
an
augsburg legacy
Hazel Thorson Stoeckeler
“While I’m not an Auggie by degree …
I know Augsburg makes such a difference
for so many students. Through my
charitable gift annuities, I know my gifts
will make a difference for future Auggies,
and I receive added financial security.”
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
City Service Day
On the day before fall semester classes began,
first-year students contributed more than
1,500 service hours by cleaning, painting,
gardening, and helping out in the community.
Here, a student works at In the Heart of the
Beast Theatre.
Show less
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AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2010
VOL. 71, NO. 3
inside
out of the
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Peace Prize Forum 2010
Lutefisk and a legacy In the neighborhood
Travel
Learning t... Show more
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:29 AM Page 1
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2010
VOL. 71, NO. 3
inside
out of the
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Peace Prize Forum 2010
Lutefisk and a legacy In the neighborhood
Travel
Learning to learn Pursuing an ideal education
page
20
Connecting
the dots for good IGNITE program
box
Auggies
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:29 AM Page 2
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
notes
from President Pribbenow
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Multiply your mind by giving it away
Photographer
a
Webmaster/Now Online
s this issue of Augsburg Now illustrates, the
Augsburg community is engaged in many efforts and initiatives that are best characterized as innovative—or “out-of-the-box,” as they’re
called here. In fact, I believe deeply that there is
something about Augsburg and its mission that
lends itself to this sort of entrepreneurial spirit,
this willingness to try new ways of doing things in
service to our students and neighbors. Just think of
the last 30 years of new programs at Augsburg—
the Weekend College; the expansion to seven graduate programs; the Augsburg campus at Bethel
Lutheran Church in Rochester and at St. Stephen
Lutheran Church in Bloomington; the Augsburg
Core Curriculum ––(AugCore), with its expansive
framework for educating students in the liberal arts
and in the world; the CLASS office, providing support for students with learning differences; the
StepUP program, meeting the needs of students recovering from addictions; and the list goes on and
on. All examples of how Augsburg is on the leading
edge of providing an excellent education in new
and innovative ways.
I’ve recently been reading literature on helping
organizations to embrace and sustain a culture of
innovation—that is, to create organizational cultures that are constantly looking for new and different ways to do things, to make products, to deliver
services; to save souls, educate students, heal the
sick. Recently, I happened upon the writing of
Mark Federman, a Canadian scholar whose writings on innovation include this provocative suggestion: “Multiply your mind by giving it away.” And
Federman means exactly what he says—be generous, be charitable, give instead of always taking.
Because when you are generous with your mind,
with your knowledge and education, you help to
create organizations and neighborhoods and agencies and churches and schools that are marked not
by the scarcity of the world but by the abundance
of what’s possible when generosity of mind and
heart and spirit is our guiding principle.
How will you give away your mind in the communities and organizations you serve? I constantly find
examples of such generosity of mind right here in
the Augsburg community, and you’ll see them in
the stories featured here. For example, I’m struck
by the ways in which staff member Brian Noy and
his many colleagues who run our Campus Kitchen
program are illustrating this generosity of mind and
spirit. In addition to the ongoing preparation and
delivery of 2,000 meals a month they serve to our
neighbors in Phillips and Cedar-Riverside, they
have focused our attention on the important role
that food plays in our lives—as sustenance for our
bodies, as fellowship for our community, as politics
and economics in our neighborhood and world.
They have multiplied their minds by giving them
away to all of us. And the results are staggering—
a community garden on the edge of campus that
brings together neighbors and students and children, a Farmers Market that brings organic farmers
from across the region to campus, composting of
leftover everything in the cafeteria, and so much
more—abundance through generosity.
The gift of an education, an Augsburg education, calls all of us to this generous undertaking of
multiplying your mind and knowledge and experience by giving it away so that it serves God’s abundant intentions for God’s people and world. That is
the sort of innovation that is at the heart of
Augsburg’s mission and vision. I’m proud to share
in this significant work.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Jeff Shelman
shelman@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
au
w
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spring 2010
Features
10
14
6
10
14
10th annual International Programs Photo Contest
2010 Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Lutefisk, a log cabin, and a 50-year legacy
by Betsey Norgard
17 auggies
out of the box
20
34
20 Pursuing an ideal education
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
23 In the neighborhood
contents
by Jeff Shelman
28
augsburg now
Departments
2
5
8
9
37
40
44
Around the Quad
Auggies on the ice
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
25 Learning to learn—without any A, B, Cs
by Jeff Shelman
28 Connecting the dots for good
by Bryan Barnes
31 IGNITE-ing Auggie spirit
by Betsey Norgard
34 The Bod Pod
by Betsey Norgard
36 Out of the box partnerships
by Rebecca John
On the cover
It’s impossible to arrange many of the programs, people, and
partnerships at Augsburg neatly into a box. With their creative
perspectives and unique features, the stories here show how
Augsburg often looks and acts “out-of-the-box.”
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 4
around the
quad
Auggies win 11th national wrestling title
With eight All-Americans and three national runner-up individuals, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed its 11th
NCAA Division III national title in the last 20 seasons in March
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Augsburg finished with 110.5 points, 10 points better than
second-place Wisconsin-La Crosse’s 100.5. Defending national
champion Wartburg (Iowa) was third with 83.5 points, Coe
(Iowa) was fourth with 76.0 points, and Delaware Valley (Pa.)
was fifth with 50.5 points.
In his second year as Augsburg’s head wrestling coach, Mark
Matzek ’05 was named Division III National Coach of the Year
by the National Wrestling Coaches Association—and at age 27,
is the youngest head coach to ever win a Division III wrestling
national title. Augsburg assistant head coach Jared Evans ’07
was named National Assistant Coach of the Year by the NWCA.
“It was nine individual efforts that created this team national
championship,” Matzek said. “I’m proud of each and every one
of the guys who wrestled, and I’m proud of each and every one
of the guys in this program.”
The final session of the tournament completed a unique first
for the Auggies—the first time Augsburg has won a national
title without an individual national titlist. The feat has occurred
just twice before in the 37-year history of the Division III championships.
Have you seen the new signs?
The new LED “Augsburg” atop Mortensen Hall now serves as a
beacon to commuters who pass by on Interstate 94 and as a marker
of Augsburg’s location. To read more and see a video of the
construction, go to the “Auggie Sign” page on Facebook.
Photo by Caleb Williams
Auggie wrestlers, students, families, and friends
celebrated Augsburg’s 11th national championship.
2
Augsburg Now
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Augsburg receives five Fulbright awards
In the past weeks, three Augsburg students, one faculty member, and the
Center for Global Education have all been notified that they have received
Fulbright awards for next year.
May graduates Jens Olsen and Heidi Le will both teach English in
Vietnam during the 2010-11 academic year. Bethany Hellerich, a 2009
graduate who is spending this year as a member of the Lutheran Volunteer
Corps, will teach English in Indonesia. All three have plans to further their
education after their year abroad, as Olsen will apply to medical school, Le
has deferred admission to pharmacy school, and Hellerich is interested in
a public health graduate program.
Seven Augsburg students have been awarded Fulbrights over the past
three years and the College has been recognized as a top producer of winners. Hellerich said Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity office (URGO) deserves credit for working with students and
pushing them to believe that they can have success.
“I’m just fortunate that [URGO director] Dixie Shafer exists and magical
things happen when she works with you on your application,” Hellerich
said. “She’s very helpful with giving good and detailed feedback.”
English professor Colin Irvine will spend the next academic year traveling the length of Norway as a Fulbright Roving Scholar in American Studies.
Courtesy photo
College mourns the death of faculty
Professor Don Steinmetz, who
taught in the Languages and
Cross-Cultural Studies Department for 41 years, died of an
apparent heart attack on Dec.
28. He was 71. His son, Erik
Steinmetz, is a member of
Augsburg’s Computer Science
Donald Steinmetz
Myles Stenshoel
Department faculty.
Don Steinmetz served as chair of the department and taught
courses in German and Spanish. He also taught Chinese and linguistics within the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities consortium.
Professor Emeritus Myles Stenshoel died on March 26 following
a short illness. He taught at Augsburg for 28 years and continued
to teach part time in retirement. In 1965 he came to Augsburg and
established the Political Science Department the following year. His
interests were in politics and religion, and he was deeply committed to social action.
Also mourned is Neal Thorpe ’60, former faculty member and a
Distinguished Alumnus, who died in Vancouver, Wash., on March 3.
Jens Olsen and Heidi Le
Colin Irvine
In this role, Irvine will prepare presentations on American studies topics and visit schools across Norway to provide opportunities for Norwegian
teenagers to learn about the United States. Based in Oslo, he will likely give
between 250 and 300 presentations across the country.
“I’ve always been interested in the possibility of working or teaching
overseas,” Irvine said. “This roving scholar program was perfect.”
In addition, the Center for Global Education also received its fifth
Fulbright-Hays Group Project award and will host a four-week curriculum
development program for teachers during July and August in Namibia.
Editor’s Note
The last issue of the Now had a story, “Augsburg’s first
travel to Egypt.” Alas, we have received a note from social work Professor Emerita Edwina (Eddie) Hertzberg,
who tells us it isn’t so.
“In 1979, for the January Interim, the College sponsored a course, Social Services and Public Policy in a Developing Country: Egypt, 1979,” she writes. “I was the
faculty instructor, assisted by former adjunct professor
Nagwa Farag and two of her colleagues from Helwan
University in Cairo. My request to Professor Farag
had been that we get as close to Egyptian people
as possible so that our experience include the
depth that only such engagement can provide.
Eleven students, Augsburg and St. Olaf,
from a variety of disciplines, participated in
the month-long program. … [I]t was a remarkable educational and life-impacting
experience for us all, students and faculty alike.”
Spring 2010
3
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around the
quad
Yi started out the semester in the back of the room, about as far
away from me as possible. He showed relatively little interest; his
homework and test grades were poor. Yet when I called on him he
responded with reasonable answers. Like others hiding in the
back row, Yi had potential; he just needed some personal attention and prodding. I took to writing notes on his homework encouraging him to move forward and talk to me. One afternoon he
appeared in my office, and we talked for an hour about many
things—about the class, how he came to United International
College (UIC), and his goals. Eventually he closed the office door
and wanted to talk about the injuries his uncle experienced in
Tiananmen Square in 1989. But the fear was still too great and
he left. Yi did move forward, began to interact with me, and soon
his work, tests, and comments improved remarkably. He began to
enjoy thinking philosophically.
Through a special arrangement, Augsburg made it possible for
me to teach philosophy during the fall semester at UIC in Zhuhai,
China. In three classes I was privileged to work with 120 bright
Chinese students. A new, English-medium liberal arts college on
the mainland, UIC is an experiment to provide a more Western
style of education to the Chinese. China is dramatically changing
as it attempts to educate its population, and UIC is one of eight
brand-new universities built in Zhuhai in the last 10 years.
“I told my students that part of my mission was to
corrupt them, to move them from the passive state
of being excellent note-takers and regurgitators of
teachers’ PowerPoints to being able to think and
question for themselves.”
In Introduction to Philosophy we read Plato’s Apology, where
Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth by getting them to
question those in authority who claimed that they knew when they
really didn’t. I told my students that part of my mission was to corrupt them, to move them from the passive state of being excellent
note-takers and regurgitators of teachers’ PowerPoints to being
able to think and question for themselves. By the end of the term
over half of the students were engaging me in the classroom discussion, raising questions and objections and making the class
their own.
Courtesy photo
Philosophy, religion, and Chinese food
Professor Bruce Reichenbach with students (from left) Daisy, Serena, and Charlene enjoy
noodles and discussion after class in Zhuhai, China.
My Philosophy of Religion students and I would walk down to
the student canteen on Friday for lunch and conversation. Jiang
sat next to me and between bites of noodles asked, “Do you really
believe in God?” Teaching Philosophy of Religion provided both a
challenge and opportunity, as both the students and I looked for a
common ground of understanding between our two cultures and
worldviews. Once the initial barriers of passive learning were put to
rest, the classroom boiled with discussion, questions, challenges,
and good humor. Here, too, the students would linger. Tony periodically stayed around for an hour, his phenomenology book in hand,
to inquire how Heidegger would view these ideas. Self taught in
philosophy, he was eager to connect the course ideas with his own
reading.
Three Augsburg students and four recent graduates, serving as
teaching assistants, also joined the UIC community, providing
cross-cultural connections that will continue to develop as students and faculty visit each other’s campuses in the years ahead.
At the end of the term two of my classes took my wife and me to
Chinese restaurants to show their appreciation. We toasted friendship and a wonderful semester as we affirmed that we all liked philosophy and Chinese food.
BRUCE REICHENBACH
Professor of philosophy
4
Augsburg Now
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Auggies on the ice
Chris Johnson—A third-generation hockey star
Chris Johnson certainly has an impressive hockey pedigree.
Chris is the son of Mark Johnson, a member of the fabled “Miracle on Ice” 1980 U.S. Olympic team, a pro hockey star, and coach
of the 2010 U.S. Olympic women’s silver-medal hockey squad.
He’s the grandson of “Badger” Bob Johnson, one of the greatest
coaches in American hockey history—who also happened to attend
Augsburg for a year before transferring to the University of
Wisconsin. And his siblings all played hockey on various teams.
But Chris Johnson has also made a name for himself as a leader
of the Auggie men’s hockey team. A native of Verona, Wis.,
Johnson had a terrific career as an Auggie, scoring 41 goals with
74 assists for 115 points in his 104-game career. He had a goal or
assist in 15 of Augsburg’s 27 games this season, including seven
multiple-point efforts.
Johnson’s squads reached the MIAC postseason
playoffs in three of his four seasons, including two
with him as team captain. He earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
honors all four seasons and All-American
honors last year.
Off the ice, Johnson will also be remembered as a top hockey
player. He’s a member of Augsburg’s Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee and has helped lead hockey ministry and Bible-study
groups of student-athletes. He’s also worked with the Herb Brooks
Foundation’s “Rink Rats” program, teaching hockey skills to students from the Seward Montessori School. Johnson is a finance
major with a 3.4 GPA.
“Hockey was everywhere when we were growing up, in a good
way, not in a pressure way,” Johnson told columnist Rachel Blount
of the Star Tribune in a January feature. “We all got to play at the
same high school as my dad. He taught us that even though we
might have a last name that helps, it doesn’t matter if you don’t
work hard. But he also told us that at the end of the day, it’s all
about having fun.”
This season was a special one for the Johnson family.
Since the U.S. women’s hockey team was based at the
Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., prior to the
Olympics, Mark—who took a leave of absence from his
job as coach of the University of Wisconsin women’s
hockey team to lead the Olympic squad—had ample opportunities to be with his son in the Twin Cities. Mark
attended several of his son’s games at Augsburg, and
the two met weekly for dinner and father-son bonding.
In a “Profiles of Excellence” feature on the
CollegeSportingNews.com website by Rich Mies in
January, Chris Johnson said that his experience at
Augsburg has been a positive one. “I’ve received a great education here,” he said, “and
I cherish the relationships I’ve made here
with teammates, coaches, teachers, and
friends. I’ve grown up a lot while I’ve
been here.”
He also said he may consider
following in his father’s and
grandfather’s footsteps and
coach hockey someday.
DON STONER
Spring 2010
5
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 8
International Programs
1
Photo
Contest
Portraits
1st place: Matt Anderson
“Soccer at Le Sacré Coeur”
Paris, France
2nd place: Sandra Meyer
“Yes”
Managua, Nicaragua
3rd place: Dan Thewis
“Friday at Al-Azhar Mosque”
Cairo, Egypt
Landscape/cityscape
1
1st place: Norah Thompson
“Villa Joyosa, España”
Madrid, Spain
2nd place: Malena Thoson
“Municipal Dump”
Managua, Nicaragua
3rd place: Elizabeth Robinson
“Work Will Set You Free”
Berlin, Germany
Photojournalism
1st place: Dan Thewis
“Cairo at Midnight”
Cairo, Egypt
2nd place: Norah Thompson
“El niño en Madrid”
Madrid, Spain
6
Augsburg Now
1
3rd place: Sandra Meyer
“Nonchalant”
Managua, Nicaragua
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 9
3
2
3
3
2009
2
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
2
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auggie voices
How girlfriends do theology
“Doing Theology with Girlfriends,” or DTwG as it is known, is
not your typical Bible study.
Sonja Hagander, associate pastor at Augsburg, started DTwG
because students told her they wanted a Bible study on campus.
“But you can’t always call it a ‘Bible study,’” Hagander says,
“because that means it’s difficult or boring or only for people
who already understand the Bible.”
So DTwG gives women at Augsburg a chance to connect, to
support each other, and to relate their own life experiences to
scripture. This group of girlfriends gathers once a month to share
stories of their lives and to “do” theology.
The idea for DTwG came as Hagander reflected on how she
loved spending time with her own girlfriends and on the importance of relating to other women. When the group gathers each
month, one woman shares a story from her life. The others then
share their own feelings and memories related to the story.
Hagander chooses a reading or two from the Bible, which the
women use to dig deeper into their experiences. Finally, they ask
how what they’ve learned might change their daily lives or the
way they practice their faith.
On the last Monday in January, one student talked about what
it means to “truly experience” nature as she related the story of
her family’s vacation in Denali National Park. “I sat there for
hours, looking out for miles, reflecting and praying and trying to
figure out my place within God’s beautiful creation,” she said.
8
Augsburg Now
Hagander passed out copies of Psalm 23, and the girlfriends
identified their own green pastures and still waters. For one, a
late-night jog around the lakes in Minneapolis was a way for
her to connect to nature. Another experienced the majesty of
creation while watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.
Then Hagander asked the group to examine the dark and destructive side of nature using Job’s account of a fire-breathing,
stone-hearted leviathan. This led to a discussion about the
massive loss of life caused by the earthquakes in Haiti. One
woman marveled at the faith that kept some people alive as
they waited for days to be pulled from the rubble of destroyed
homes, churches, and schools.
“Today is a gift that we get to use in the best way possible,”
Hagander said, asking how the women could take this discussion into their lives.
This hour wasn’t a gab session or group therapy. But it
wasn’t an ordinary Bible study either. There were no right answers or theologically sound interpretations. Just coffee and
tea, comfortable chairs, a pink candle, and a chance to share.
That is how girlfriends do theology.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Back row (L to R): Amy Wenzel, Whitney Pratt, Pastor Sonja Hagander, Ally Streed,
Sara Thiry, Emily Wiles; Front row (L to R): Lonna Field, Carly Facchini, Dixie Scruggs,
Marrta Wyatt, Angelica Erickson, Sylvia Bull
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:32 AM Page 11
it takes an
Auggie
A young woman meets her many grandmothers
Last year, Krystal Mattison ’10 studied in Korea. Many students
who study abroad are profoundly affected by the experience. For
Mattison, a history and American Indian studies major from St.
Paul, spending the year abroad was a life-changing opportunity to
bond with her new grandmothers.
Mattison is the granddaughter of a “comfort woman.” During
World War II, thousands of Korean women were forced into sexual
slavery by the Japanese military. Some of these women did not survive their ordeal, and many were unable to have children as a result of their treatment. Furthermore, the women were unable to
talk about their experiences until many years later.
Her grandmother died when Mattison was five years old, but she
heard the story from her father. While in Korea, Mattison spent
time at the House of Sharing, an organization in Seoul that houses
and cares for the surviving comfort women. She says that after she
told them about her grandmother, the women became her adopted
grandmothers (halmonis), even giving her the Korean name
Soo-Jeong. “They spoiled me, holding my hands and feeding me,”
she says.
She learned from the women, who now think of themselves not
as victims but as survivors and activists, that speaking out against
violence is an important part of the healing process. “This experience brought me so much completion that I had to do something.”
That “something” was to connect with Jessica Nathanson, assistant professor of women’s studies and director of Augsburg’s
Women’s Resource Center. After Mattison shared her grandmother’s story and her own experience in Korea, the center agreed
to donate the proceeds from its annual benefit performance of The
Vagina Monologues to the House of Sharing.
Eve Ensler’s episodic play began off-Broadway in 1996. Each
year The Vagina Monologues and other theatrical productions are
presented across the country by women on college campuses on
V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.
“Since the purpose of performing this show is to fight violence
against women by raising awareness about the issue and funds for
organizations who do this work, we feel like it was a tremendously
successful event,” says Nathanson. “The performances were excellent,” she adds, “beautifully and powerfully delivered.”
This year’s production raised more than $800 through ticket
sales and donations, which amounts to 940,000 Korean won.
“This is such a personal issue for me, and I think it’s amazing that
the women of Augsburg took it on,” Mattison says. At the end of
each Augsburg performance, Mattison gave a speech about her
grandmother. “I felt like she was there with me.”
The Vagina Monologues was directed by Julia Sewell, a senior
psychology major from Minneapolis. The cast included Irene Abdullah, Veronica Berg, Kia Burton, Amber Davis, Rebecca
Dickinson, Sarah Gillund, Annika Gunderson, Lucreshia Grant,
Elizabeth Hanson, Brandy Hyatt, Valencia McMurray, Lily Morris,
Kris Ness, Magdalen Ng, Shannon O’Brien, Yasameen Sajady,
Leann Vice-Reshel, Rochelle Weidner, and Courtney Wiley.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
During Krystal Mattison’s year in Korea, she became friends with women, like her own
grandmother, called “comfort women,” who were abused by the Japanese military
during World War II. These survivors became grandmothers to her, and this year she
found a way to help support them.
Spring 2010
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THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
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THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
Striving for Peace
A Question of Will
March 5–6, 2010
In cooperation with the Norwegian Nobel Institute, five Midwestern colleges of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sponsor the
annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. The colleges,
all founded by Norwegian immigrants, sponsor
the forum to give recognition to Norway’s international peace efforts and to offer opportunities
for Nobel Peace laureates, diplomats, scholars,
students, and the general public to engage in dialogue on the dynamics of peacemaking and the
underlying causes of conflict and war.
The Peace Prize Forum is the Nobel Institute’s only such program or academic affiliation
outside Norway.
Augsburg College
Augustana College
Concordia College
Luther College
St. Olaf College
This year’s Peace Prize Forum was held March 5
and 6 on the Augsburg College campus, and honored the work of 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner
Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland.
The other plenary speakers were Kjell Magne
Bondevik, president of the Oslo Center for Peace
and Human Rights, and Leymah Gbowee, executive director of Women Peace and Security
Network-Africa.
Prior to the forum, the 15th annual Peace Prize
Festival brought together approximately 800
school children and youth to learn about the importance and influence of the Nobel Peace Prize
and to honor President Ahtisaari.
For more photos of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and
Peace Prize Festival, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
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THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
The Peace Prize Forum is grateful for the support of our sponsors:
this year’s host, Augsburg College, for providing the platform and for staging this
important event. Together, with all of you
in the audience, I look forward to learning
from a leader this evening, a man who’s
been inspiring in his steadfast belief in
peace and transformative in his approach.
May we all leave this conference energized
by the power of one voice and committed
to engaging collaboratively with each other
to further the process of achieving peace.
Thank you.”
Alex Gonzalez ’90 (right), Thrivent Financial for Lutherans,
and Pribbenow meet Ahtisaari.
Ann Parriott, vice president for human resources at H.B. Fuller, extended greetings at
the forum’s opening ceremony.
“Good evening. It’s a pleasure to be here
with you tonight to help introduce this year’s
conference. H.B. Fuller Company is honored
to serve as the lead sponsor for the 2010
Nobel Peace Prize Forum. We’re delighted
to help welcome our very special guest
speaker, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti
Ahtisaari, and pleased to help and encourage ongoing dialogue and discussion on the
topic of peace and conflict resolution.
“As a company operating in more than
100 countries for many of our 120-plus
years, H.B. Fuller has long embraced the
value of diverse global perspectives to solve
problems, address challenges, and maximize opportunities in the business sector.
We are truly excited to help bring this year’s
program to you and by so doing help provide a platform for dialogue, discussion,
and diverse perspectives on an issue that
affects all of us as global citizens.
“We salute the Norwegian Nobel Institute and our academic sponsors, including
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Augsburg Now
Alex Gonzalez ’90 represented Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans™ at the forum.
Parriott poses with President Martti Ahtisaari (center)
and President Pribbenow.
Ann and Todd Parriott converse with Augsburg’s MBA
director, Steve Zitnick (left).
“As a faith-based membership organization,
Thrivent Financial seeks to help enable its
members to demonstrate their care and concern for others. While organizationally it
does not have a global focus, Thrivent Financial does help its members have a global
impact through programs such as Thrivent
Builds Worldwide and through various
Lutheran relief organizations that have a
global reach.”
Alex Gonzalez, FIC, CLTC, is a partner
with the Stonebridge Group. He is a 1990
Augsburg graduate and a member of the
Augsburg College Board of Regents.
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Tim McGough (center) greets Ahtisaari and Pribbenow.
McGough Construction and “Bright Green”
As a result of their extensive experience
with “green” construction and knowledge
of sustainable building practices and products, McGough has created the Bright
Green sustainable program. A guiding
principle of the program is to find creative
ways to apply sustainable practices to construction projects in a cost-effective manner. This would include exploring
techniques for reducing waste and applying eco-friendly operating practices.
McGough has adopted green strategies
throughout their company to test cleaning
products and utilize advanced recycling
strategies. This focus on energy conservation and minimizing waste enables it to
export these practices to the construction
site and provide useful advice to clients.
The centerpiece of Bright Green is the
Center of Excellence. The Center of
Excellence consists of several sustainability
specialists who can provide information and
advice to organizations who are considering
the implementation of criteria developed by
the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
or adopting proven practices to reduce the
negative environmental impacts of building
design and construction.
The center draws upon outside research
and industry data, as well as lessons
learned “on the ground” from McGough
Construction projects. Indeed, McGough is
a long-standing member of the USGBC
and is a founding sponsor of the local
Mississippi Headwaters Chapter in Minnesota. The sustainability specialists in
the Center of Excellence maintain active
roles in local chapter committees, enabling them to stay well-informed about
the most recent developments in sustainable design and construction.
McGough, in collaboration with
Augsburg, will apply these practices
to the Center for Science, Business, and
Religion.
Kjell Magne Bondevik, president of the Oslo
Center for Peace and Human Rights, spoke in
dialogue with President Ahtisaari at the forum.
“In the long term, we can never win the
fight [against terrorism] by military means.
We need to find out why people are willing
to give their lives and we need to address
the root causes of terrorism.”
Nordic Home Interiors
Tim McGough (left) and Mike Hangge, with McGough Construction, speak with Barbara Farley, Augsburg’s vice
president for academic affairs and dean of the College.
EVENT CONTRIBUTORS:
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
Mary T., Inc.
Wells Fargo
Winds of Peace Foundation
The Omari rug/wall hangings donated to the
forum were woven by Nordic Home Interior’s
partner, Everest Handicraft Industries, in
Katmandu, Nepal. They were hand-knotted
in the primitive Nepalese/Tibetan art form of
Tibetan wool with 100 knots per square
inch. The dove design is Indian silk.
DONORS:
Baker Tilly
Faegre & Benson
Norway House
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“ I T ’ S A B O U T F R I E N D S H I P, L E G A C Y, G O O D F O O D ,
H E R I T A G E , A G I N G — A L L O F T H O S E . ” JIM PEDERSON ’56
On a cold, crisp February morning, photographer Stephen Geffre and I follow Jim
Pederson ’56 through ankle-deep snow up a
slope to a small log cabin that overlooks
Swede Lake.
This log cabin, near Star Prairie, Wis.,
sits on the farm that was homesteaded by
Pederson’s great-grandparents in 1872 and
that he and his brother, Dwight ’60, now
own. They grew up on the farm, moved away
to begin their own lives, and now return
often with their families and friends.
Our reason for being there is to visit the
site of an annual celebration that has occurred on the second Saturday of November
for the past 50 years. It’s an afternoon each
year when Jim and Elaine Pederson host
friends and family in the small log cabin for
mulled cider and treats before heading to
nearby West Immanuel Lutheran Church for
lutefisk dinner. This church dinner is a
75-year tradition that now attracts more
than 1,200 people for lutefisk, lefse, meatballs, and more.
THE BEGINNING OF
ENDURING FRIENDSHIPS
Jim Pederson says it’s difficult to put a
label on this annual gathering. It’s about
friendship, legacy, good food, heritage,
aging—all of those. Star Tribune columnist
Original furniture, art, and history provide the setting for the pre-lutefisk dinner gathering that fills the cabin in November each year.
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BY BETSEY NORGARD
Lutefisk,
a log cabin, and a 50-year legacy
Jon Tevlin, who attended last November’s
half-century celebration, described it as
“an iconic Midwestern living postcard that
turned 50 years old Saturday.”
At first it was just an annual trek to the
lutefisk dinner, but as years went by and
friends began to gather beforehand at the
farm, the camaraderie there became as
important as the meal that followed. While
to the Pedersons the gathering marks the
final event of the farm’s social season,
many of the attendees consider it the beginning of their holiday festivities.
Pederson really can’t put his finger on
just what glue has held so many of them
together for so long. The short answer, he
says, is that it was a group of Augsburg
friends who started coming out to the
country for a church dinner.
“The better answer,” he adds, “is that
some of us developed friendships that included faculty members who were our
mentors and with whom we greatly enjoyed
informal times outside the classroom.”
Faculty from the 1950s who became
regular attendees include Phil Quanbeck
Sr., Paul Sonnack, Joel Torstenson, Ralph
and Grace Sulerud, and others. For nearly
20 years, retired history professor Carl and
Val Chrislock spent many of their summers
at the farm, where Carl did a great deal of
writing and where Val tended her flower
and vegetable gardens. When there were
deaths, spouses and families often continued to participate.
“Many of us were deeply interested in
public service of some kind, whether
teaching, the ministry, public policy, or
politics,” says Pederson. In the 1950s,
when academic freedom was restricted
and McCarthyism caused colleges to shy
away from controversy, he credits Augsburg
and the leadership of President Bernhard
Christensen for encouraging political expression and organization.
“Augsburg practiced academic freedom
while in some institutions it was only
preached,” Pederson says. “Political organizations were encouraged on campus.
Faculty encouraged students to become involved in political campaigns, and Political
Emphasis Week brought speakers from the
whole political spectrum.
“It was in this cauldron that lasting
friendships developed and continued beyond graduation. While politics was a strong
interest of a few, the friendships persisted
regardless of the chosen vocation,”
Pederson says.
It all started with the five Auggie
Norwegian bachelors who, as students, lived
together above Larson’s grocery store—
Martin Sabo ’59, Jim ’56 and Dwight ’60
Pederson, Harlan Christianson ’57, and
Erwin Christenson ’58. In 1959, Jim and
Elaine Pederson (who were not yet married)
and Harlan and Lori Christianson decided to
drive out to Star Prairie for the lutefisk
dinner. Elaine was a student nurse at
Deaconess Hospital and Augsburg, and this
trip became her introduction to the farm, to
lutefisk, and to her future Pederson in-laws.
Each year thereafter has brought additional invited friends and families. On
November 14, 2009—the 50th anniversary—the count was 67. The group now includes the families and friends of Jim and
Elaine and their children, Michelle and
Kirk, a 1987 grad; his fiancée Molly; grandchildren Madeline, Emma, and Ginny; and
Dwight and his wife, Marion, also a
Lutheran Deaconess nurse; daughter
Denise; and grandchildren Laura, Thomas,
and Helenya.
AUGSBURG STORIES PLAY OUT
OVER THE YEARS
Pederson says he’d like to tie the story of
the 50-year gatherings to what they
learned at Augsburg. “‘Education for
Service’ we thought of as just a phrase,
but it really did mean a lot to us—whether
in ministry, nursing, government, or politics. It played out, and that’s an important
part of the story for me.”
The Augsburg-connected stories include
the political career of Martin Sabo, which
dates back to the days of the five
Norwegian bachelors. Pederson, who
served as student body president and was
active in student political groups, became
manager in 1960 for Sabo’s state house
endorsement campaign. “And he never lost
an election after that,” Pederson comments, about Sabo’s long and distinguished legislative career, marked by his
retirement in 2007.
In another Augsburg story, Chrislock,
who was a regular at the November gatherings, stayed on the farm while he wrote his
1991 book, Watchdog of Loyalty: The
Minnesota Commission of Public Safety
during World War I.
Emeriti professors Ralph and Grace
Sulerud, close friends of the Chrislocks,
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Courtesy photo
“WE HOPE THIS CARRIES ON FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS—
S O , Y O U N G E R G E N E R AT I O N , W E ’ R E C O U N T I N G O N Y O U . ”
ELAINE PEDERSON
enjoyed the old farmstead and lake so
much that they now have a house there,
just down the hill from the log house. And
so, the Augsburg connections continue.
THE MEANING OF PLACE
THE LOG HOUSE AND LEGACY
Pederson’s log house, the current gathering
place, wasn’t part of the original farm. The
original log house disappeared long ago,
and Pederson had always wanted something
like his great-grandfather built in the
1870s. In 1972, he found neighbors wanting to get rid of an old log house on their
farm, and he jumped at the opportunity.
Courtesy photo
The Pederson ties date back more than
130 years in the community—to that farm
now in its sixth generation and to the
church originally chartered by his grandparents and their neighbors. The log house to
which people come each November is for
him an icon of family and heritage.
In the invitation letter for last November’s gathering, Pederson mentioned a recent book that weaves together themes of
story, place, calling, and purpose. Claiming Your Place at the Fire, by Richard
Lieder and David Shapiro, challenges
those entering “the second half of their
life” to consider these themes in finding
purpose in what they choose to do during
their elder years.
Pederson sees the old farm as the locale where at this annual event these
themes of aging and legacy play out. “This
is a time where family and friends share
life experiences, the happenings of the
last year, perhaps recalling mentors from
college or elsewhere, many of whom are no
longer with us; reminiscing about the good
times; the not-so-good times; commiserating over losses or illnesses; sometimes engaging in a bit of gossip. Sometimes it’s
small groups huddling to solve the world’s
problems.” Collectively, they recall stories,
redefine place, renew callings, and reclaim purpose.
“Oh yes, and there’s the country
church dinner, the ostensible reason for
the gathering,” adds Pederson. “Each
year, however, we hear some say they really come for the hour or two they spend
together before the big meal, sipping cider
Norwegian traditional goodies, and sharing
treats they bring.”
Auggies in the group of 67 at the 50th gathering last November included: (Front row, L to R):, Winnie (Nordlund)
Anderson ’61, Elaine Pederson, Vicki (Skor) Pearson ’59, retired art professor Phil Thompson. (Back L to R) Kiel
Christianson ’88, Jim Pederson ’56 (not visible) holding granddaughter Ginny, Kirk Pederson ’87 (turned away),
Pearl Almquist, Paul Almquist ’59, Eunice Helgeson ’69, professor Garry Hesser, retired librarian Grace Sulerud.
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Augsburg Now
The “five Norweg
ian bachelors” re
united in 2002 wi
Erickson ’56 (cen
th Rod
ter). (Clockwise,
from left): Marti
’59, Harlan Chris
n Sabo
tianson ’57, Dwigh
t Pederson ’60, Er
Christenson ’58,
win
and Jim Pederson
’56.
An eclectic mix of history and heritage, the one main room of the cabin is
barely able to contain the crowd that gathers. Hanging on the walls are the farm’s
homestead documents and old photos;
some of the furniture is original. Rosemaling and other memorabilia fill the area. A
loft offers sleeping space, and an enclosed porch was added for additional
room.
In addition to Jim and Dwight, the old
farmstead has incorporated the Pedersons’
younger generations. Jim and Elaine’s
son, Kirk, has his place on the farm where
he and his family enjoy the summer. Their
daughter, Michelle, enjoys the solitude
and serenity of the farm both in summer
and winter.
So, as years go by, and the annual lutefisk group continues, children and grandchildren play greater roles. “In 1959,”
Pederson says, “none of us could have
predicted that 50 years later we would
speak of a remarkable tradition that we
hope will continue far into the future.”
Last November 14, after some traditional
Norwegian folk music and hymns, Elaine
Pederson announced, “We hope this carries
on for another 50 years—so, younger generation, we’re counting on you.”
To read more and see photos from earlier
gatherings, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
a
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X
O
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E
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F
O
OUT
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ON PAPER
, Augsburg College looks a lot like most other liberal arts colleges. We have similar courses, departments, and programs. We teach students to think critically and to lead responsibly in
the world, which is what other schools also aim to do. And our students,
staff, and faculty don’t look much different than those at the big school
across the street or the small campuses across the river.
But in person we look and act differently. At Augsburg, we try to put
our own creative spin on things and to look at issues from different
perspectives.
For example, this year some of our first-year students and a group
of faculty spent an entire semester working together on a big problem
in our first “I-Term.” In another example, students in the Honors program create their very own courses, write and edit their own scholarly
journal, and together shape their own learning environment. And, one
of our alums has found a very creative way to do community service
while also running a thriving business.
The stories in this issue represent just a few of the “out-of-the-box”
programs, people, and partnerships that make us uniquely Augsburg.
Spring 2010
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Augsburg Now
50 students, 5 professors, 1 big
problem. Last fall’s I-Term students
discussed three big challenges in the
non-graded Fate of the Earth course.
I-Term students focused on food, fuel, and media in the course.
What’s a great way to engage alumni?
Introduce them to current students
who have similar majors or interests
and let them swap stories. In the end,
everyone benefits.
Yearbooks are keepsakes that link alumni to their college days.
IGNITE
I-TERM
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HONORS
houses in the Honors program.
Items such as an olive-leaf crown are emblems for specific
I-Term students focused on food, fuel, and media in the course.
OUT OF THE BOX
The Honors program consists
of a combination of classes,
students, structure, and a
whole lot of creativity.
FINNEGANS
As a student, Jacquie Berglund ’87
dreamed of helping the working
poor. Today her sense of vocation
drives her to take leaps of faith that
make life better for others.
NEIGHBORHOOD
Working closely with Cedar-Riverside and
Seward residents is just one of the ways we
live out our vocation to serve our neighbors.
Somali students help their classmates learn more about the symbols and dress in Muslim culture.
100% of the profit from every bottle sold provides help at the grassroots level.
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PURSUING AN
IDEAL EDUCATION
Imagine your ideal college education. What classes
would you take? Who would teach them? What kind
of students would you study with? What activities
would you take part in? Where would you travel?
When Robert Groven set out to restructure the
Augsburg College Honors program, he asked faculty
and students these sorts of questions. At first, he
said, they were silent.
“They had just accepted that college is the way it
is,” Groven said. But then, they flooded him with ideas.
Students wanted more academic challenge and to
be pushed by faculty. They wanted courses to include
more content and classroom experiences to be more
active and engaging than in high school. They
wanted to learn outside the classroom and to have
opportunities for unconventional learning experiences—the exact sort of education that a small college in the city can provide.
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
The current Honors program house presidents are (clockwise, from front): Adam Spanier, Katie Radford,
Becki Iverson, Andrew Fox, David Ishida, Jonathan Chrastek, Kathleen Watson, and Charlie Olson.
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UNCONVENTIONAL COURSES
Three aspects of Augsburg’s Honors courses
distinguish them from courses in other college honors programs. First, each class is
specifically created for the Honors program.
In other words, it’s not a matter of adding
an assignment or text to an existing course
or simply creating a new title, Groven says.
The content of Honors courses is enriched
and the pace is accelerated as well.
Second, Honors courses are intentionally
interdisciplinary—multiple faculty from different departments teach in each class.
This spring, for example, the senior keystone course was taught by faculty whose
disciplines include sociology, social work,
metro-urban studies, art, English, and theatre. Augsburg’s
Honors students in the Liberating Letters class stepped back into ancient Greek times to put Poseidon on trial for the
murder of Odysseus’ men and fleet. (L to R): Eric Dooley, Nikki Johnson, Becca Dickinson, and Patrick DuSchane.
president, Paul Pribbenow, is one of the lead
instructors, focusing on his study of Jane Addams, founder of the settlement house movement.
The course, Legacies of Chicago: Ideas
and Action in Place, was conceived by Lars
Christiansen of the sociology and metrourban studies departments. The course examines how particular places are incubators
for unique ideas and actions. In addition to
studying about the traditions and concepts
that originated in Chicago, the class traveled
to the Windy City to experience the “place”
firsthand.
Finally, each course has a “signature” experience—an unconventional way of learning
that involves a high level of effort and also includes a public display of what the students
have learned. Students are usually enthusiastic about these experiences, Groven says, because the tasks are generally open-ended and
students have more freedom to make decisions about what they learn
and how they learn it.
In Liberating Letters, a
first-year humanities
course, students
put texts, authors,
or fictional characters on trial, serving as judge, jury,
prosecution, and defense. But before this
class begins, students have to pass a test. In
fact, in order to gain admission into the first
session, they are required to recite the first
stanza of Homer’s Odyssey from memory,
solve a riddle about Greek mythology, and
present the “prophecies” of three different
people who know them well concerning where
that student will be in 10 years.
A second type of course, which is likely
more-than-ideal for many students, is the
Student Created Learning Experience, or
SCLE. Aptly named, these are classes created
by students based on their interests. SCLEs
can essentially become an independent study
course for one student or 20 students and
can be open to all Augsburg students.
One of the more popular SCLEs, which
generated a great deal of interest when it was
first introduced and again this year, was The
Art, Science, and History of Brewing. In addition to learning about brewing from the perspective of different disciplines, students also
brew two batches of beer and invite guest
judges to evaluate the fruits of their labors.
This year senior theatre arts major David
Ishida created an SCLE on swordplay to fulfill
21
An olive-leaf crown is the emblem of the Hesser
Servants House in the Honors program.
OUT OF THE BOX
The result of all that questioning was a
student-centered program where students
take responsibility for their own learning,
with the full support of the faculty and the
resources they need to achieve their goals.
“We believe that an ideal education will
be different for every student,” Groven
says. “We know no one can reach an ideal
goal, but we believe the process of exploring and pursuing ideals is essential to college education.”
By striving for the ideal, the program
has become one where students routinely
go above and beyond the requirements
outlined in their syllabi. “We set a very
high bar, and we insist that they get there.
But they set a much higher bar for themselves than we ever would.”
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very receptive and energized,” Crockett says, “ … not just in the classroom
but on campus.” Crockett has engaged 14 current students as research assistants who will read and critique work that he is presenting at an international conference. “I hope they really come at me,” he says. “I’m counting
on them to find fresh answers.”
EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER
Honors senior Nicholas Blixt experiments with ingredients in The Art,
Science, and History of Brewing class.
a physical education credit but also to explore his interest
in medieval history and culture.
STUDENTS WHO LOVE TO LEARN
Interesting classes and outstanding faculty certainly can
combine for a compelling honors program, but the character and quality of the students make Augsburg’s program unique. “We are trying to look beyond good grades
and test scores,” Groven comments. “We want intrinsically motivated learners—students who see ideas as living vehicles for human expression and change.”
Computer science professor Larry Crockett, who was
once the Honors program director, has taught in the program for many years. While he says Honors students are
pushed to rise above expectations and challenge each
other, he is especially enthusiastic about the extraordinary energy coming from this year’s incoming class.
“These students are willing to dig into issues and are
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Augsburg Now
There’s more to Honors at Augsburg than fun classes and energetic students.
Honors also provides leadership and scholarship opportunities and fosters an
environment where students often start their own activities or groups.
“Part of our philosophy is that as much learning should happen outside the
classroom as inside,” Groven says.
Students are organized into houses, each of which focuses on a different
area: scholarship, social justice and service, stewardship, and citizenship.
Each house plans and promotes activities and also elects two house presidents who serve on the Honors Council. With faculty advisers, the council sets
the policy for the program and helps solve problems.
One officially organized non-classroom learning opportunity is the Honors
Review, a student-run, student-edited interdisciplinary journal of undergraduate scholarship. Taylor Norman, a senior English major and Honors student, is
the current editor-in-chief.
This year the Review extended its reach and received 43 submissions from
undergraduates all across the country. After articles are selected for publication, Norman and her editorial staff check citations, verify research, and then
engage the author to revise and edit. “We wanted to create a scholarly environment with lots of dialogue,” Norman says.
All Honors activities and programs serve to support students so they can
pursue their academic goals. “Honors tries to show students what amazing
talents and abilities they have,” Groven says, and they find countless ways to
apply their academic learning. For example, senior Jessica Spanswick, who
majored in international relations and minored in peace and global studies,
studied in Namibia for a semester and served as a Peace Scholar in connection with the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Her opportunities to volunteer for
World AIDS Day in Namibia and to travel as a scholar to Chiapas, Mexico,
gave her valuable hands-on global experience.
Honors program students have received many of the highest national and
international academic awards available; they have been Fulbright scholars,
Goldwater scholars, the College’s first Rhodes scholar, and students who have
won National Science Foundation grants—and that’s still just the tip of the
iceberg. Part of the program’s mission is to encourage students, many who
never thought of themselves as award-winning scholars, to apply for scholarships and publication so that their work can be recognized.
These courses, the faculty who teach them, the students who take them,
and the learning opportunities that happen outside the classroom all come
together to try to create an ideal education for Augsburg Honors program
students.
“I never think of the Honors program as being done,” Groven says. “The
best program will always be different because we are constantly adapting
to new technologies, new students, and new problems.”
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Sophomore Madeline Roe helps a Somali student with her
work as part of Trinity Lutheran Congregation’s Safe Place
Homework Help program.
Across the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and
the nation, stories of neighbors and colleges
clashing bubble to the surface featuring
real town vs. gown tension. Augsburg’s philosophy, however, is very different.
Augsburg isn’t building walls or installing
large steel gates on campus to keep the
outside world out. Instead, Augsburg is
reaching further out into the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods and, in the
process, the College founded by Norwegian
Lutherans is working closely with the
largest concentration of Somali immigrants
in the United States.
WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY
We believe we are called to serve our neighbor. That is Augsburg’s statement of institutional vocation.
Live the experience. Love the city. Learn
by living. Those words hang on banners along
Riverside Avenue.
While the first is formal and the second
much more conversational, both, however,
sum up what Auggies do.
On a near daily basis, Augsburg students
BY JEFF SHELMAN
spend part of their afternoon at Trinity
Lutheran Congregation helping young Somali
children with topics ranging from spelling and
sentence construction to subtraction and social studies. Several times a week, Auggies
serve food in the gym at the Brian Coyle Community Center as part of the Campus Kitchen
program. First-year Auggies in the Bonner
Leaders program work with nonprofit organizations, most within a mile of campus.
23
OUT OF THE BOX
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Let’s say one person wanted to match the
amount of community service that was
completed by Augsburg students during the
2008-09 school year. What would it take?
Since Auggies performed 67,000 hours
of community service last year, someone
would have to work for 2,791 24-hour
days—more than 7.5 years—or 8,375
eight-hour work days. That’s a staggering
total for a college with 2,000 traditional
undergraduates and 4,000 total students.
That work has led to Augsburg’s inclusion as one of the top 25 schools in the
country for service-learning by U.S.News &
World Report and the Carnegie [Foundation] Classification for Community Engagement. Earlier this spring, Augsburg became
the only Minnesota college or university and
one of only four ELCA schools to be named
to the 2009 President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. The President’s Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition an institution can
receive for its commitment to volunteering,
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service-learning, and civic engagement.
“We are very proud and honored to be included in the President’s Honor Roll,”
Augsburg president Paul C. Pribbenow said.
“Civic work and serving our neighbor are at
the core of Augsburg’s efforts to educate
students for democracy.”
Last school year, 900 Augsburg students
participated in service-learning and 1,200
students participated in more than 20
hours of community service per semester.
Much of the community service takes place
in course-embedded service-learning, something that has been part of education at
Augsburg for years.
MORE THAN JUST SERVICE
Augsburg’s work in Cedar-Riverside and
Seward, however, is about more than simply
donating time; it is also about trying to
make the neighborhood safer, more vibrant,
and create opportunities for the state’s
newest immigrant population.
Pribbenow currently chairs the CedarRiverside Partnership, a group that includes
larger institutions in the neighborhood including Augsburg, Fairview hospitals, and
the University of Minnesota.
“There’s a level of trust
being built,” said Steve
Peacock, Augsburg’s director
of community relations.
“There are conversations
taking place that weren’t before. There’s the coordination of infrastructure and
planning among the institutions.”
Much of the work has
been around safety in the
neighborhood. Last summer, for
example, the members of the partnership provided funding to ensure security at the Brian Coyle Community
Center. There has been much more
communication among security at
Fairview and Augsburg, the
University of Minnesota, and
Minneapolis Police Departments.
Augsburg has also worked in the
neighborhood in other ways, ranging from
providing meeting space to sometimes even
trying to build bridges. Last year, more than
a dozen reporters and editors from the Minneapolis Star Tribune sat in a room in Oren
Gateway Center with a dozen or so Somali
community leaders and elders.
The Somali leaders talked of good things
going on in their community that don’t get
covered. Star Tribune editors said they
would like to tell more stories, but finding
Somalis willing to talk is challenging. The
Somali leaders—who arrived in the United
States having never experienced freedom of
the press—gained a better understanding of
how the media work. Reporters and editors
left with new contacts and resources.
CHANGE TO THE CAMPUS
Augsburg’s involvement in Cedar-Riverside
has led to a change on campus as well.
With each passing fall, the number of
Auggies of Somali descent grows. This fall,
The Somali yarn weaving hanging in President Pribbenow’s
office symbolizes the partnership between Augsburg and
the East African Women’s Center.
there are about 50 Somali students on
campus. For some of them, Augsburg was
the first college they ever knew. For others,
there is a comfort in attending Augsburg.
Halimo Adan is a first-year student who
grew up in Seward and can see the
Augsburg sign atop Mortensen Hall from
her home. She’s among the growing number
of students on campus wearing both an
Augsburg sweatshirt and a hijab, the head
covering worn by Muslim women.
“People don’t ask stupid questions,
they’re very open minded,” said Adan, who
came to the U.S. when she was 9 years old.
“Even though I’ve been here most of my
life, when you get asked questions all the
time, you feel like you don’t belong.”
But at Augsburg, neighbors are always
welcome.
First-year students file into the Northern Clay Center to help with clean-up on City Service Day.
24
Augsburg Now
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For Daley Konchar Farr, the lack of grades was
motivation for signing up, but the discussions
and professors’ involvement were more
rewarding aspects of I-Term.
LEARNING TO LEARN
WITHOUT ANY A, B, CS
25
OUT OF THE BOX
BY JEFF SHELMAN
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It isn’t quite a chicken or egg kind of question, but it is an academic conundrum along
the same line.
Just how important are grades on a college campus when it comes to actual learning? Do grades really reflect how much a
student has learned? Or do students do just
enough to get the grade they want? And
what happens if you take letter grades and
numerical marks completely out of the
equation?
That’s what 50 Augsburg first-year students, five professors, and several staff
members tried to find out this past fall. The
Integrated Term, Fate of the Earth 101:
Consumption of Food, Fuel, and Media in
Contemporary Culture, was more than just a
different way to package and deliver several
general education courses; it was a semester that challenged many of the standard
conventions about what a college education
is or should be.
There were no traditional letter grades for
this learning community nor was there a
static syllabus passed out on the first day.
This was a term that focused on doing, on
students having a say in what they would be
evaluated on, and on professors writing detailed evaluations about both what students
had accomplished and where they needed
to continue to work. Sitting lifeless in the
back row and regurgitating enough facts to
pass wasn’t an option this term.
“This was much more work than grading,” English professor Robert Cowgill said.
“But I thought it was a major success.”
Most of the students—many of whom
were drawn to the I-Term because of the environmental focus or the alternative evaluation method—agreed. Daley Konchar Farr
called the semester-long experiment empowering. Veronica Berg said she was
pushed to do things she wasn’t sure were
possible just one semester into her college
career. Katelin Grote called the whole thing
life changing.
Some of that was because the I-Term,
which showed just how parts of a liberal arts
education are interconnected, was their entire load for the semester. I-Term students
who successfully completed the course received credit for English 101 or 111 (writing), Religion 100 (Christian Vocation and
the Search for Meaning I), History 101
(Western Civilization), Sociology 101 (Introduction to Human Society) and AugSem
(first-year seminar). They also completed
their Engaging Minneapolis requirement.
REASONS FOR NOT GRADING
When a group of professors returned from a
conference at The Evergreen State College
in Washington in 2007, the goal was to find
a way for Augsburg to experiment with a
learning community model of teaching as
well as non-traditional evaluation methods.
Over the next two years, the professors
worked with the dean’s office to make this a
reality. How was this term going to be structured? Were groups such as Faculty Senate
supportive? How would students receive
credit? How would the narrative evaluations
fit into the very traditional transcript?
Once hurdles were cleared, plans were
set for a three-year pilot program of the nongraded Integrated Term. The faculty designers of the I-Term hope that the students who
spend a semester focused on learning instead of simply making a grade will have
higher retention and graduation rates. The
longer-term outcomes of the experiment
won’t be clear for several years, but this
group and subsequent groups of I-Term students will be tracked by the College.
While the word “experiment” is often
tossed around rather loosely on college campuses, the I-Term is certainly unique. Sociology professor Lars Christiansen, an I-Term
faculty member who has studied alternative
evaluation methods, said that about 15 colleges and universities across the country
have experimented with non-graded
courses. Some are completely nongraded while others are partially graded
The role of media in contemporary culture was a focus for I-Term students.
26
Augsburg Now
or have reverted back to traditional grading. Alverno College in Milwaukee is one of
the only schools in the Midwest that is
grade free.
No grades, however, doesn’t equal no
evaluation. In almost every case, I-Term students had a greater grasp of where they
stood. They worked very closely with the
two English professors on their writing,
and received regular written feedback
from the other faculty members.
“It was kind of like tough love,”
Maryam Ayir said. “You knew exactly
what you had to work on.”
Konchar Farr signed up for the ITerm both because of the subject
matter, and also because of lack of traditional grades.
“Grades are false motivation,” she said.
“In high school, I didn’t get anything out of
getting As if I didn’t learn. [Here], I really
appreciated that things were so discussionbased and how involved the professors were.
They were so dedicated to our work.”
For Christiansen, the best thing from
the semester is that Augsburg now has the
framework in place to continue experimenting with alternative evaluation methods. There is now the ability for the
narrative evaluations to accompany a
student’s transcript. And there is
also at least some appetite from
students to not have a semester of work boiled down to
simply a number.
“The majority of students said it was a good
Courtesy photo
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Kwame Collins and other students from the I-Term attended the 350.org event at the State Capitol that was
part of an international focus on the climate crisis.
LEARNING BY DOING
Unchained from the burden of grades, students could concentrate on really learning
and figuring out what truly motivates them.
And without traditional exercises like exams,
students in Fate of the Earth 101 demonstrated their advancement through semester-long projects that incorporated
something under the broad umbrella of
food, fuel, or media.
One group of students met with staff
members from Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office
about how the bodies of women are portrayed in advertisements. Pushing Best Buy
to be more environmentally friendly in its
stores was what another group sought. Others looked into the feasibility of Augsburg
capturing solar energy and purchasing more
locally grown food.
“Those are the kinds of things we were
hoping would happen,” Christiansen said.
“We were hoping through the experiences of
the I-Term that [students] were here to learn
and that they were here to understand themselves as possible change agents—and that
collaboration is an essential component.”
And while most courses end as soon as
that final exam is completed, a number of
the I-Term students are continuing with the
ongoing work of their projects. For example,
Berg was part of a group that created the
website www.mnhomelessyouth.org. Those
students met both with representatives from
Minneapolis Public Schools and a group
working on homeless issues, before and during the spring semester.
“It didn’t just end at the end of the
course,” history professor Phil Adamo said.
“They continue to be engaged.”
Because of what they were asked to do,
many of the I-Term students accomplished
more than they thought possible just months
removed from high school graduation.
“We were learning at a different level, we
were getting to project ourselves at a bigger
level,” Berg said. “To sit at the table as a
contributor with some of these agencies was
something I didn’t think I’d be able to do for
many years.”
That theme was a common one.
“One thing we repeatedly heard was the
notion that they were empowered with what
they were able to accomplish by the end of
their first semester in college,” religion professor Lori Brandt Hale said. “They were surprised and excited about how they will be
able to leverage that moving forward.”
CHANGING TEACHING METHODS
Like the other I-Term professors, Colin Irvine
is back teaching more traditional courses
this semester. An English faculty member,
Irvine has a collection of writing and literature classes this spring.
But Irvine acknowledges that he is teaching differently this semester. And the I-Term
had much to do with that.
“It made me complicate my classes,” he
said. “I’m not content with the way I was
teaching before. I’m not content with the assignments I was giving. I’m making them
more fun, more relevant, and harder to assess. I can’t allow myself to teach the way
I’ve always taught.”
Irvine talked about a conversation with a
biology major who is taking his environmental literature course this season. The student
said he’s been doing the reading, working
hard, and attending writing lab sessions.
“But he said, ‘I don’t know how I’m
doing,’” Irvine said. “I told him, ‘Are you
kidding me? That’s exactly what I want you
to do, you’re figuring it out, you’re doing
great.’”
Because just like the I-Term students who
have adjusted to courses with traditional
grading, almost everyone involved in the experiment has a better idea of what motivates
them and just how important learning is.
I-TERM CREATORS/DESIGNERS
Phil Adamo, History, Medieval Studies
Lars Christiansen, Sociology, Metro-Urban Studies
Robert Cowgill, English, Film Studies
Stacy Cutinella, Lindell Library
Lori Brandt Hale, Religion
Colin Irvine, English, Environmental Studies
Nathan Lind, Information Technology
Alyson Olson, TRIO Student Services
Beverly Stratton, Religion
PROJECTS THE STUDENTS WORKED ON
• Addressing women’s body representations in advertising by creating a legislative bill requiring
advertisers to indicate the presence of airbrushing and similar touch-ups
• Website that centralizes resources for homeless
youth in the Twin Cities
• Energy-producing exercise bicycles at
Augsburg’s Kennedy Center
• Reducing water waste at Augsburg
• Increasing local food sourcing at Augsburg, particularly meat and cheese
• Assisting in developing curbside composting in
Minneapolis
• Reducing paper waste at Augsburg bookstore
• Improving environmental practices at Best Buy
• Composting at Maple Grove High School
27
OUT OF THE BOX
experience to not have grades and they liked
the ongoing evaluation,” he said. “It shows
me that if you provide it, people will try it,
and many will like it. Why don’t we make it
an option generally? It’s not dissimilar to our
transportation system. Until the last few
years, many didn’t believe they had options
other than driving. The I-Term is akin to the
Hiawatha (light rail) Line: Once a viable alternative is provided, people may see it as
useful and desirable.”
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CONNECTING THE DOTS
FOR GOOD
BY BRYAN BARNES
“I read this article in Time magazine, interviewing all of these 80- and 90-year-old
people,” said Jacquie Berglund ’87. “The
overwhelming feedback from their question, ‘If you could change one thing, what
would it be?’ was that they all wish they
had taken more risks.”
That was 1983, when Berglund was in
her first year at Augsburg College. Since
then, she has faced many risks on her way
to building one of Minnesota’s most successful social enterprises—an enterprise
that uses beer sales to fund its community
foundation.
One of her first risks? Backpacking
through Europe during her sophomore year
in the face of parental disapproval.
“My parents didn’t want me to do it,”
Berglund said. “[My English professor]
said, ‘Jacquie, you should absolutely do it.
Let’s come up with a way for you to get
credit for it here.’”
With that, Berglund ventured across the
Atlantic for six weeks under the banner of
an Augsburg creative-writing course. Her
experience fostered a travel bug that
would lead her back for a seven-year long
stay in France after Augsburg. “[Backpacking] helped me to think globally and
really changed my perspective,” Berglund
said. “That was a powerful turning point
for me.”
Graduating from Augsburg in 1987
with a degree in communication studies
Jacquie Berglund ’87 knew that with passion
and patience she could fulfill her dream of
making a difference in her community.
28
Augsburg Now
and a minor in political science, Berglund
combined an interest in nonprofits with
her travel experience to pursue work in international development. By 1990, she
had taken an internship in Paris at the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD), the same group
that helped administer the Marshall Plan
after World War II. With the collapse of the
Soviet Union, Berglund found herself
working with the best entrepreneurial
minds at OECD to develop regional
economies in former Soviet bloc countries.
“We were training government officials,
and these guys were all communists—they
didn’t want to learn [about how to build
free markets],” Berglund said. “I felt like
we went in and did all of this work and
spent all of this money, and I don’t know
what impact we really had. Then I thought,
‘you know, I think the real work is done at
the grassroots level.’ I would see the people at the grassroots level in these countries and they were really making a
difference, and I thought, ‘that’s where I
have to be. I’ve got to get there.’ I just didn’t know how I was going to get there, but
that’s where I wanted to go.”
While at OECD, Berglund earned her
master’s degree in international relations
from the American Graduate School in
Paris. However, by 1997 Berglund found
herself needing expensive back surgery, so
she returned to the Twin Cities to work as
marketing director for her old friend,
Kieran Folliard, restauranteur
and owner of Cara Irish
Pubs LP.
One of Berglund’s duties
as marketing director was
to help Folliard distribute
charitable gifts in the
Twin Cities. They
found themselves
Finnegan’s Inc. created the Finnegan’s Community Fund to distribute 100% of profits to local community projects.
giving grants to any organization that
asked. Eventually, their CFO put the
brakes on their charity bonanza and told
them they needed a better strategy.
Berglund agreed: she recognized from her
OECD days that the Cara Pubs money
wasn’t making the desired impact.
Berglund had also just attended a conference in Washington, D.C., on self-sustaining nonprofits.
“That’s when I thought: we sell beer all
day,” Berglund said. “What if we create our
own beer, and we choose to give all of the
profits from this one beer to our own foundation, and then we pick one cause, and we
really make a difference? It took me a little
while to sell Kieran on the idea.”
With that, Berglund and
Folliard set about creat-
ing Finnegan’s Irish Amber, named in reference to James Joyce’s final work. They contacted James Page Brewing Company in
Minneapolis to help them create the beer,
eventually selecting one recipe from over 40
options provided by the brewmaster.
At this point, Berglund and Folliard realized that running Finnegan’s and its
community foundation would consume all
of Berglund’s time. That left one choice:
quit Cara Pubs and focus on Finnegan’s,
or let the idea die.
Berglund bought the Finnegan’s recipe
for $1 from Folliard.
“That was kind of scary, leaving that
job, from having a good salary to no
salary,” Berglund said. “It was very scary.
It was rather terrifying. I’ve had a lot of
terrifying moments—I must handle stress
well. I’m still waking and talking and not
in a straitjacket.”
Starting in 2000, Berglund created forprofit Finnegan’s Inc., which donates all of
its profits from beer sales to her nonprofit
29
OUT OF THE BOX
S
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creation, which is now called Finnegan’s
Community Fund. She taught herself the
beer trade. James Page produced
Finnegan’s on contract, but she was responsible for selling it to distributors.
“I didn’t even know what a keg fee
was,” Berglund recalls.
Finnegan’s community focus sold the
beer. Distributors, liquor stores, bars, and
restaurants in the Twin Cities were sympathetic to Berglund’s cause—and it helped
that the beer was popular during the burgeoning craft brew craze. Though she
wasn’t turning a profit yet, Berglund was
able to make a $2,000 donation in her
first year of operation.
Then, James Page Brewing Company
shut down in 2002.
“I was a mess—I was totally a mess,”
Berglund said. “I started to panic: ‘If they
go out of business, I’m going to go out of
business.’”
Thinking quickly, Berglund contacted
Mark Stutrud, founder of Summit Brewing
Company in St. Paul.
“They really didn’t do contract brewing,
but I think that [Stutrud] appreciated the
community-mindedness of what I was
doing,” Berglund said. “Plus, I already had
a list of accounts, so I already had a
proven track record that I could make this
thing work.”
To this day, Finnegan’s is produced at
Summit. In 2003, Finnegan’s made its
first profit. By 2009, Finnegan’s was selling 4,300 barrels per year to 475 restaurants and 600 liquor stores in Minnesota
and beyond—which translated into
$30,000 for the Finnegan’s Community
Fund. That money, in addition to direct donations, is being used to fund local grassroots community organizations that are
helping the working poor.
“When I came back from France, I
30
Augsburg Now
Berglund often considers her own experience growing up as motivation for her drive to do good for others.
volunteered in St. Steven’s shelter in
Minneapolis,” Berglund said. “I got to see
for myself … a lot of these guys get up to
work factory jobs at 3 or 4 o’clock in the
morning. I saw how many of these guys
were working and still homeless.”
The needs of the working poor strike a
personal chord for Berglund. Growing up,
her father started working as a janitor before moving up the ranks, while her mother
was a waitress.
“I remember as a kid not being able to
participate in church activities because we
didn’t have the money,” Berglund said. “I
feel so fortunate to be able to have done
all of the things that I do. I think that,
‘Boy, it’s nice to give back a little bit.’ We
owe a bit of gratitude.”
That background helps explain
Berglund’s drive to build a self-sustaining
nonprofit that can help the working poor
regardless of government grants or philanthropic whims. But it also comes down to
faith in your vocation.
“Whenever I do speaking engagements,
that’s my whole thing: It’s about following
your passions, and then at some point, the
dots will connect. Even though it seems so
remote that they could possibly connect,”
Berglund said. “When I came back and
was working in the pub, I thought, ‘What
am I doing here? How does this connect to
this whole dream job I had of international
development projects?’ I just had faith
that it’s going to come—I’m going to find
it. It’s kind of that whole ‘calling’ thing at
Augsburg—I knew I was going to find it, it
was just going to take a minute.”
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IGNITE-ING
AUGGIE SPIRIT
BY BETSEY NORGARD
Senior Brittany Goff is the intern who matches students and alumni for visits and leads the student team.
31
OUT OF THE BOX
One student heard about a fire that broke
out in one of the houses on campus in the
1970s. Another enjoyed hearing perspectives from a studio art major about his work
at a financial organization. A third met with
an alum who fondly remembers the tasty
cinnamon rolls that students often got in
Morton Hall in the mid-1950s.
Twenty students working in the Alumni
and Constituent Relations Office recently
completed the first year of Project IGNITE.
They’ve been meeting with alumni to learn
more about the role that the College played
in the lives of the alumni and to share stories and experiences about Augsburg then
and now.
Senior Brittany Goff is the intern who directs the students’ work for Project IGNITE.
Once she hand-matches students and
alums who share similar majors and/or interests, a letter from President Pribbenow is
sent explaining the program and alerting
the alum to a future call from a student.
The student will invite the alum to a meeting preferably on campus or at a convenient
coffee shop.
That first contact can be a little daunting
for students, but knowing they share interests makes it easier. Melissa Herrick, a
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communication studies and art sophomore, says it
tells the alum that “this is not a random call; there’s
a reason I’m calling you,” which, in her case, is to
share with them what art at Augsburg is like now and
to hear about their experience studying art at
Augsburg.
STUDENTS CONNECT WITH ALUMNI
On a cold day last fall, Herrick met with Patti Lloyd
’83, who owns a web development and interactive
marketing company. While Lloyd was an international
business major and not an art major, the two immediately discovered common interests in web design.
Herrick was trying to plan a webpage for an arts project and was delighted to get some ideas from Lloyd.
“We had a great meeting,” says Lloyd, “and when
she left, I think she felt comfortable that all the resources were there for her project.”
One of the meetings that Goff enjoyed was with a
physician. In the conversation, Goff, a psychology
major, learned about the physician’s medical practice that has included a psychologist and a nurse,
enabling him to offer both physical and mental testing and care. “This was really a great experience for
me,” Goff says, “to help me consider my future career and the option to be in a practice like that.”
Adam Spanier, sophomore class president and an
Honors student, says he has met many interesting
people through Project IGNITE. His favorite aspect
of the program, he says, is “hearing the many different bits of advice and wisdom that alumni have
to offer.”
32
Augsburg Now
Sophomore Adam Spanier enjoys hearing the advice
alumni can give to current students.
to-face relationship with a person who is going through
the experience.”
Haug and his partner returned to campus in December
for the Advent Vespers dinner and enjoyed talking with
people they knew and meeting others.
ALUMNI ENJOY RECONNECTING
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES CONTINUE
Most alumni contacted in Project IGNITE are graduates who have not been active in alumni activities
or participated recently in events. Re-engaging with
their alma mater through Project IGNITE has also
been enjoyable for them, especially seeing the
College through the eyes of current students.
Christopher Haug ’79 was one of the alumni
Spanier met last fall. “What benefited me the
most,” Haug says, “is that I felt I was connected
again with my school. There’s nothing like a face-
Pat Grans, the Project IGNITE volunteer coordinator,
follows up with the interests and/or requests that students bring back from the alumni visits. She crafts individual plans recommending events and volunteer
opportunities that could include speaking in a class,
inviting a student to job shadow, or helping with registration at an event. Or, Grans can seek to create a tailored opportunity based on the alum’s interests.
Grans has now developed volunteer job descriptions
and oversees all aspects of recruiting, training, scheduling, supervising, and recognizing volunteers.
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Project IGNITE means Involving Graduates Now In
Thoughtful Engagement. A three-year project funded
by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Project IGNITE is
designed to serve as a model to help other colleges
and universities engage their alumni.
What makes Project IGNITE an out-of-the-box program and readily transferable are several components
that together offer lifelong alumni connections:
• One-to-one interaction between students and
alumni—who better to talk about the college experience and re-engage alumni than current students?
• Mutually beneficial matching of student and alumni
majors and interests
• Individualized and ongoing follow-up from a volunteer coordinator to keep
engagement and energy alive
In the project’s first six months at Augsburg, both attendance at events and
volunteering have increased. Of the alumni the IGNITE students have visited
during this time, 14% have now attended College events. Nearly 76% have
expressed interest in volunteering; and of those, 20% have begun. More
than 1,800 hours of volunteer time have been logged.
Kim Stone, director of alumni and constituent relations, is excited by the
results. She attributes success to the total package Project IGNITE makes
possible—engaging students in the alumni program before they graduate,
encouraging ongoing attendance at alumni events, and keeping alumni connected to campus through meaningful volunteering.
For more information or to arrange to meet with an IGNITE student, contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at alumni@augsburg.edu
or 612-330-1085.
“WELCOME TO AUGSBURG”
Larry Menzel ’67 retired three years ago from a long career as a Kmart executive in 17 locations across the
Upper Midwest. Working with people was what his job was
all about, and in retirement he wanted to be able to continue that.
When volunteer coordinator Pat Grans sent a mailing
about Augsburg’s new volunteer program, it sparked his
interest. Despite the fact that he hadn’t been on campus
since graduation, he still felt a connection.
“Since my wife was gone from the house regularly on
Friday mornings, I thought it would be a good time for me
to do something, too,” Menzel says. He called Grans to
talk about volunteering.
Grans suggested that he staff the welcome desk in
Oren Gateway Center on Friday mornings, and he thought
that sounded good.
In addition to helping people find their way around the
building and answering questions, he also provides help to
the Institutional Advancement staff. Soon he found himself
at Homecoming and other events, which pleases his wife,
too, as she sees him doing things he enjoys.
His advice to current students he meets? “Study hard,
find a rewarding life, and follow the principles of God,
family, and work—in that order.”
Melissa Herrick, an art and communication studies major who is
working on a web project, found a natural connection with Patti
Lloyd ’83, the owner of a web development company.
33
OUT OF THE BOX
HAS PROJECT IGNITE MADE A DIFFERENCE?
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6
3
7
4
1
3
3
2
34
Augsburg Now
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6
5
THE BOD POD lives upstairs in the Kennedy Center kinesiology lab. It’s
a high-tech apparatus that provides fast, safe, and accurate measurements of body composition, detailing fat and lean body mass. It
provides useful information for measuring the effectiveness of exercise and nutrition, fine-tuning top athletic performance, and tracking
the progress of obesity and disease.
Since Bod Pods are found mostly in fitness facilities and elite
training centers, Augsburg’s health, physical education, and health
fitness majors are fortunate to have this in their learning portfolio.
Used primarily in kinesiology and exercise physiology classes, students learn how to run the Bod Pod, interpret the results, and incorporate recommendations into specialized training plans.
If you are interested in being measured in the Bod Pod, contact
Professor Tony Clapp at clapp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1618.
THE BOD POD
1. The Bod Pod
2. Data acquisition box—interprets test data coming from the Bod
Pod measurements
3. Computer hardware that processes all measurements, manages
data, and provides customized printouts of the test data
4. Calibration standards—Weights used to calibrate the Bod Pod before each person is measured, to assure accuracy when the person’s weight is entered
5. “Fast Eddie”—The Auggies’ own skeleton used in health and physical education classes. He arrived when the Kennedy Center
opened in 2007.
6. Anatomical charts most likely dating from the opening of Science
Hall in 1949, recently found rolled up in a storage closet. They’re
now taking on new life in the Health, Physical Education, and
Health Fitness Department.
7. Professor Tony Clapp, demonstrating the Bod Pod procedure:
• Wear spandex-type swimsuit or bike shorts and a swim cap
• Sit in the Bod Pod while measurements take about 30 seconds
• Get printouts of test results in about five minutes
35
OUT OF THE BOX
4
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OUT-OF-THE-BOX PARTNERSHIPS
BY REBECCA JOHN
The annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum (see
story on page 10) is the result of just one of
the many unique partnerships at Augsburg
College. It is the only program or academic
affiliation of the Norwegian Nobel Institute
outside of Norway.
Here are a few more examples of
Augsburg’s out-of-the-box partnerships.
NEIGHBORHOOD COLLABORATIONS
The Cedar-Riverside Partnership was
founded in 2008 to foster collaboration
among existing community organizations—the African Development Center,
Pillsbury United Communities, West Bank
Community Coalition, the Cedar Riverside
Neighborhood Revitalization Program, and
the West Bank Business Association—and
local government bodies and institutions,
including the city and county, the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and Augsburg College.
“The goal of the partnership,” says
Steve Peacock, Augsburg director of community relations, “is to leverage these organizations’ collective resources to
strengthen Cedar-Riverside as a vibrant
place in which to live, learn, and work.”
The partnership is chaired by Augsburg
President Paul Pribbenow.
BUSINESS FEASIBILITY
Augsburg plays an active role in the Mayo
Innovation Scholars Program (MISP), a
unique partnership with the Mayo Clinic
that offers an experiential learning opportunity for both graduate and undergraduate
students. Through the program, undergraduate science and business students from select Minnesota private colleges are teamed
with MBA project leaders from either Augsburg College or the University of St. Thomas
to evaluate the commercial potential for
patent ideas submitted through the Mayo
Clinic Office of Intellectual Property.
This year, Augsburg had five teams working on projects—two in Rochester and three
36
Augsburg Now
in Minneapolis—which presented their findings and recommendations to professionals
at the Mayo Clinic in March.
SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
The Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC) was founded in 1975 by five liberal
arts institutions—Augsburg, Hamline,
Macalester, St. Catherine, and St.
Thomas—to provide cooperative programs
and services for students, faculty, and administrators.
In 2009, the consortium’s Chief Academic Officers Council, chaired by Barbara
Farley, Augsburg’s vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, renewed its efforts to explore common areas
of academic opportunity using a focus on
“sustainable urban development.”
“This theme truly ties us together as colleges in the Twin Cities,” Farley says.
“Broadly defined, it includes education,
health care, transportation, housing, and
environmental concerns, offering a rich platform for exploring strategies for enhancing
shared academic programs.”
PARTNERS ON CAMPUS
In recent years, two of Augsburg’s community partnerships have become integrated
into the College: Campus Kitchen and the
Minnesota Urban Debate League—both of
which operate under the Sabo Center for
Citizenship and Learning.
In 2003, Augsburg became the fourth
college campus in the U.S. to join the Campus Kitchens Project. The program provides
meal preparation and delivery to neighborhood organizations, nutrition and
food preparation classes for area youth, and
outreach to the surrounding neighborhood
through the continuously expanding community garden. Augsburg is the first college
to wholly integrate its Campus Kitchen as
part of the College.
The Minnesota Urban Debate League
has had a relationship with Augsburg
since 2004 and became part of the College in summer 2009. This move allowed
the league to focus less on administrative
operations and more on reaching urban
middle and high school students. In the
past year, the program doubled to 350
students and teaches important skills like
research, writing, thesis development, and
public speaking.
CONNECTING YOUTH TO CHURCHES
Now in its 19th year, the Augsburg College
Congregational Youth Basketball League
partners with dozens of metro-area
churches to involve junior high and high
school boys and girls in an annual basketball league that emphasizes fun, service,
sponsorship, participation, relationships,
and growth in one’s faith.
The program was founded by Augsburg
pastor Dave Wold to help keep youth connected to churches. The league starts in
January each year and culminates in a
March tournament on Augsburg’s campus
that involves more than 1,000 players,
coaches, officials, and volunteers from
Augsburg and area churches.
“The program is very successful at enabling our churches to connect with a
greater number of young people,” Wold
said, “providing the opportunity for them
to have some fun; get some exercise;
build relationships with teammates,
coaches, youth workers, and pastors; and
have an encounter with God.”
To learn about other out-ofthe-box partnerships, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 39
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear Alumni and friends,
a
2010
s I write this article we’ve headed
into the spring season, and a couple of words appear in my mind:
renewal and growth. We can see our
world transform around us with a renewed sense of purpose—growth. Trees
are beginning to bud, early flowers are
beginning to show their bright colors,
and I think this lifts our spirits and warms our hearts to the possibility and purpose of our world.
It is this renewal and growth I want to discuss with you in this
my last article as president of the Alumni Association, as it
chooses new leadership in June.
One of my main goals this year was that of growth for the Alumni
Association—not only in size, but also in commitment and involvement in activities and events that enrich and add value to your life.
Every year, the Augsburg Alumni Association’s Board of Directors spends a great deal of time in the creation, planning, and execution of events designed to raise awareness, renew involvement,
and create a sense of community among alumni.
Looking back on the year, alumni have had opportunities to
come together in ways we have not been seen in many years. Ex-
HOMECOMING
amples of this are the more than 700 alumni who attended the
Canterbury Park event last August, the capacity turnout for events
such as the Winter Wine Tasting, the Eye-Opener Breakfast Series,
and the Young Alumni Council events, as well as alumni attendance at the Guthrie performance of Macbeth. These events and
activities are just a few that have been exceedingly well received;
and the leadership of the Alumni Association as well as the College’s dedicated staff from the Alumni and Constituent Relations
Office plan to enhance what has been a very successful year.
I am very grateful for having the opportunity to represent the
alumni this year as well as for all of the hard work and dedication
of those who helped make this year so successful. I look forward to
seeing many of you in the coming years and plan to continue contributing to this wonderful organization dedicated to the alumni of
Augsburg College.
I wish you a wonderful spring—please continue to check back
with the College, as something new will always be springing to life.
DANIEL HICKLE ’95
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
October 14-16, 2010
Reunion Classes
60th Reunion—1950
25th Reunion—1985
50th Reunion—1960
10th Reunion—2000
40th Reunion—1970
Recent Grad/Young Alumni
Reunion—2001–2010
If you would like to help make your reunion a success, contact the Office of
Alumni and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for updates and reunion information.
Spring 2010
37
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auggie
alumni news
preciate works I already knew—Michelangelo’s David, the ceiling
When I returned to Augsburg in fall 2004 after dropping out a year
earlier, I was eager to reform the lackluster study habits that had
of the Sistine Chapel—and discovered wonderful artists—Bernini,
plagued my academic career. At every fork in the road, I purposeCarravaggio—I previously knew nothing about.
fully chose the path I previously would never have considered. And
Between visits to churches and museums, we made time for
that’s how I, a young man who spent his entire adolescence hating
wine tasting on a Tuscan vineyard and a tour on an olive farm.
to travel, jumped at the chance to study in El Salvador.
Food and drink took on greater significance while in Italy. An exThere, we witnessed previously unimagined poverty and became
pansive dinner coupled with lively conversation regularly served as
inspired by countless acts of resilience. The little free time availan evening’s event. My roommate, a chatty substitute science
able was spent in discussions, journals, and books. There were no
teacher from Lester Prairie named Gordon, celebrated his 70th
moments wasted and no words ignored.
birthday in Orvieto during one of our four-course dinners.
That summer, I studied literature in France, and over the next
The trip to Italy allowed me to escape the stresses of home for a
two years, I went on to study in Nicaragua, Uganda, Rwanda, and
couple weeks and infused me with a new appreciation of visual art.
Tanzania and volunteered on a mission trip to Mexico.
It was a fitting continuation of the travel experiences I began while
Upon graduating in May 2007, I feared my opportunities to con- studying at Augsburg.
tinue traveling oversees had vanished. The expansive summer and
JEREMY ANDERSON ’07
holiday breaks were gone; the
immediate walls of my work cubicle provided no horizon to
look beyond. Fortunately, I
spotted a chance to break the
monotony—Professor Kristin
Anderson was leading a travel
seminar to study Italian art and
architecture.
In November, I boarded a
plane alongside 25 other seminar participants. During our
journey through Padua, Venice,
Ravenna, Florence, Orvieto, the
ancient ruins in Pompeii,
Naples, Rome, and Vatican
City, we viewed wondrous landscapes, observed countless
works of art, and walked
through dozens of secularly
decorated churches. Day by
day, my learning regarding ancient, medieval, Renaissance,
and baroque art and architecture grew, thanks to the knowlTravelers to Italy posed for a photo in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. (Back row, L to R): Mary Johnson, Judy Reeve ’95, Heidi
Hunter, Luke Anderson ’60, Gracia Luoma ’66, Jim Hoseth ’68, Gordon Houk, Larry Turner ’69, Grace Bergstrom, Sue Turner, John Luoma ’65,
edge shared by Professor
Max Carlson ’09, Kim Stone, Jeremy Anderson ’07, Jason Stone. (Front row, L to R): Art professor Kristin Anderson, Kathy Wilson, Joanne
Anderson. I came to better apCress, Susan Hoseth, Mary Rogers, Jill Reister, Deanna Carlson, Amy Kessler, Rose Becker ’04, Sharon Carlson ’72, Susan Carlson.
38
Augsburg Now
Photo by Larry Turner ’69
Journeying to Italy
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 41
The Augsburg Choir Legacy
Recordings will be available soon!
Three boxed sets, each containing five CDs, present remastered
recordings of the Augsburg Choir over 30 years, from 1949–79. Included with each order is a monograph by Bill Halverson ’51 about
Leland B. Sateren’s life and career. Cost: $49 per boxed set; $135 for
all three boxed sets, plus shipping and handling.
For information about availability and ordering, go to
www.augsburg.edu/music.
The Young Alumni enjoyed some late summer rooftop lawn bowling at Brit’s Pub in
September. (L to R): Jay Cavanagh, Rob Wagner ’02, Mike Fasching ’02, Britt Fasching
’02, Ben Carlson ’02, ’09 MBA, and Leah Omar.
Young Alumni Summer Series
The Young Alumni Summer Series is back in 2010 with exciting
new events and favorites from last year.
• Seven Corners kick-off party—May 21, 5–8 p.m.,
at Preston’s
• Networking at Fuji-ya in Uptown—June 17, 5–7 p.m.
• Minnesota Twins game at Target Field—July 15, 7 p.m.
• Auggie Night at the Races, Canterbury Park—Aug. 5
• Summit Brewery tour—Aug. 21, 1 p.m.
• End of Summer Bash—Sept. 16, 5–7 p.m., at Seven UltraLounge
For more information and to register, go to
www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents and join the Young Alumni
group on facebook. To get involved in the Young Alumni Council,
call 612-330-1178 or e-mail storma@augsburg.edu.
auggies
GO GREEN
The Augsburg Alumni Association
is going green
The Augsburg College Alumni Association is reducing print
mailings and relying more on technology to get the word
out about events. To stay in the loop, update your contact
information at www.augsburg.edu/alumni or e-mail the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@augsburg.edu to receive NOW@Augsburg, the monthly news and information
e-newsletter. You can also stay up to date by becoming a
friend of Auggie Eagle on Facebook.
Tourism Ireland
Journey to the Emerald Isle
Celtic crosses like this one in County Offaly are vivid
reminders of Ireland’s rich history.
(Note change of date to May 2011)
Join friends from the Augsburg College community in early May 2011 for an in-depth journey through
Ireland with Phillip Adamo, associate professor and chair of the History Department, director of
Augsburg’s medieval studies program, and experienced study tour leader. He looks forward to returning to Ireland with alumni and friends to explore centuries of heroic history including sites dating to
9,000 BC. Experience the intense rugged beauty of land carved from the sea contrasting with the
meticulous gardens of stately castles. Discover the spirit and historic significance of Celtic Christianity, visiting ancient monastic communities where Christianity flourished during the Dark Ages. Celebrate contemporary Irish culture with passion-filled music and food at local pubs.
To receive additional updates on the tour and be among the first to receive a tour brochure by
late June, contact Alumni Relations, 612-330-1178 or alumni@augsburg.edu. Don’t hesitate to be included on the interested list as the alumni tour to Italy last year filled quickly and had a waiting list.
Join us at the information session on Tuesday, June 15, 6:30 p.m., Oren Gateway Center.
Spring 2010
39
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alumni class notes
53Ariz., was recognized by AmerDr. Leland Fairbanks, Tempe,
icans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR)
with the 2009 ANR Smokefree Hero
of the Year Award during the National Conference on Tobacco or
Health in Phoenix, Ariz. on June 9.
He is the longtime president of Arizonans Concerned About Smoking
(ACAS).
56son) ’60, Baxter, Minn., were
Len Brown and Mavis (Daniel-
featured on brainderddispatch.com
for their tradition of traveling the region to find and enjoy lutefisk dinners. In 2007, they went to 13
dinners; in 2008, they visited 12;
and last year there were 8.
Coaches Association (MSHSCA) for
leadership in promoting the mission
of MSHSCA. He retired in 2007 after
a 40-year career teaching mathematics and coaching football, mostly
in Alexandria.
69ored as the recipient of the
Mary (Strom) Dyrud was hon-
2010 Peter Hess Memorial Faculty
Recognition Award on February 22
at the Spring Awards Ceremony at
Northland Community and Technical
College in Thief River Falls, Minn.
She has taught there since 1993
and currently teaches Spanish; she
and her husband, Loiell ’62, live in
Thief River Falls.
58
71Grove, Minn., was selected as
60
74Minn., was named director of
67soccer coach at Bloomington
93lumbia Heights, Minn., was
(Minn.) Kennedy High School from
1967–1992 was inducted into the
Minnesota State High School
Coaches Association Hall of Fame
in October. Following retirement in
1992, he served as student activities coordinator until 2001.
named to the 2010 “Rising Stars” list
by Minnesota Law & Politics, which
highlights outstanding attorneys who
are under the age of 40 or have
fewer than 10 years of practice. She
works with the Winthrop & Weinstine
law firm in the real estate and campaign finance practice groups.
Jerry Peterson, hockey and
Tammera (Ericson) Diehm, Co-
Christy (Larsen) Branes, Maple
Mabeth (Saure) Gyllstrom was
recently featured in the Fergus
Falls Daily Journal in a story about
her background and work in retirement as director of the Zion
Lutheran Church choir in Amor,
Minn. She currently lives on Otter
Tail Lake, Minn.
the 2010 Delano (Minn.) Teacher of
the Year. She has taught in the district for over 20 years, plus a fouryear stint in Portugal teaching
English. She currently teaches second grade.
Steven Reznicek, Bemidji,
Ruth (Carlson) Olson was inducted into the Faribault High
School Hall of Fame on October 1.
For 20 years she coached gymnastics, kept score for volleyball, reported for track meets, etc. as the
sports liaison between the junior and
senior high schools. It was her Augsburg career as an Auggiette on the
women’s basketball team, however,
that earned her the Hall of Fame
spot, because of the Auggiettes’ pioneering efforts in promoting
women’s sports.
62
Rev. Jim Quitno and his wife,
Mary, Spirit Lake, Iowa, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June 2009. Jim retired from
the pastorate in 2002 after being at
Grace Lutheran Church in Spirit
Lake for 27 years, but both he and
Mary remain active volunteers in retirement. Last year Jim was honored
with the June Character Counts
Spotlight Award.
Dennis Kalpin, Alexandria, Minn.,
was honored with the George Haun
Award last October, given by the
Minnesota State High School
40
Augsburg Now
the Varsity Singers of Bemidji State
University. Otherwise, he is “mostly
retired.”
76
Gwedolyn (Peyton) Jackson,
Lakeville, Minn., was reappointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty to
a four-year position on the Board of
the Minnesota State Academies. She
is the director of human resources
and administrative services with the
Edina (Minn.) Public School District.
The board governs the Minnesota
State Academy for the Blind and the
Minnesota State Academy for the
Deaf, both in Faribault.
77Minn., a storyteller and chilLise Lunge-Larsen, Duluth,
dren’s author, visited Concordia College (Moorhead) and Cable, Wis., in
February. At Concordia, she visited
the Carl B. Ylvisaker Library to teach
classes in children’s literature and
told stories from Norwegian folklore.
She was in Cable the day before the
Birkebeiner ski race and told the
story of the race that is recounted in
her book, The Race of the Birkebeiners.
00and her husband, David, wel- 00her husband, Eric, Blaine,
Daria (Reboin) Gordhamer,
comed their fourth child, Andrew,
on Oct. 6. Big brothers Elijah (6)
and Abram (2) and big sister, Eva
(4), love him very much. They live
in Apple Valley, Minn.
Kathleen Lindquist-Blilie, and
Minn., announce the birth of their
daughter, Anne Elizabeth, born May
6, 2009. She joins her siblings, Andrew (7-1/2), Alexander (5), and
Erin (2-1/2).
74their own 35th reunion on Gull Lake, on the same weekend as
Lambda House reunion Ten Auggie women, all 1974 grads, had
Homecoming last fall. The women began as freshmen on the first floor
in Urness, then moved to the ninth floor as sophomores, and then lived
at Lambda House (no longer standing) as juniors and seniors.
They’ve continued to see each other several times a year and now have
begun taking longer trips together. All live in Minnesota, except for Barb
(Ruud) Revueltas who lives in Los Angeles. Three women are married
to Auggies, who lived together in a house around the corner from
Lambda House.
The 10 women are Linda (Lundeen) Dunn, Linda (Bailey) Holmen
(married to Ken Holmen ’74), Laurie (Johnson) Thorp (married to Tim
Thorp ’74), Barb (Ruud) Revueltas, Marlene (Chan) Hui, Debbie
(Rowley) Hasti, Mary Ratzlaff, Diane (Johnson) Moen, Carla (Johnson)
Velenchenko, Chris (Henry) Thompson (married to Gary Thompson ’74)
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 43
velopment in Minnesota in July
2009 with TMP Worldwide Advertising and Communications, a full-service recruitment marketing ad
agency headquartered in New York.
00
Leslie (Lucas) Wiede ’07 MSW
and her husband, Matthew,
welcomed twin boys, Lucas and
Hunter, on April 3, 2009.
81color paintings of Minnesota
91superintendent of the Spring
Jeff Ronneberg became the new
Lake Park (Minn.) School District at
the beginning of the year. For the
past seven years, he has served the
district as assistant superintendent.
Mary (Primm) Lingen’s water-
01
Sarah (Wilhelm) married Chris
Uwimana in Burnsville, Minn.,
on October 24, surrounded by family and friends. Sarah is a buyer at
Supervalu and Chris is a business
analyst at DRC. They live in Bloomington, Minn.
landscapes were on display at the
James Wegner Art Gallery on the
West Campus of Riverland Community College in Austin, Minn., in October. Since graduating from
Augsburg, she has had more than
30 solo exhibits and numerous
group and juried exhibitions.
Kurts Strelnieks accepted a position
as vice president-account executive,
managing existing client relationships, at First Business Capital Corp.
in Madison, Wis., in February.
82in October of the Conservation
Mike Kilgore was the recipient
02
Jackie (Heyda) married
Joshua Eyberg on Nov. 27.
She is in her seventh year of teaching in the New Prague (Minn.) Area
School District and is a first-grade
teacher at Eagle View Elementary
School in Elko New Market. They
live in Burnsville, Minn.
Minnesota Leadership Award for his
work as chair of the Lessard-Sams
Outdoor Heritage Council, a Minnesota Legislature advisory body in
charge of “restoring, protecting, and
enhancing of Minnesota’s wetlands,
prairies, forests, and habitat for fish,
game, and wildlife.”
83at KARE-11 TV, was inducted
95Ariz., stopped working in the
Matthew Gooding, Sun Lakes,
restaurant business to return to
school to become a medical assistant. He expects to graduate in
March.
96January to the Carlson Board
Richard Gage was elected in
of Directors. He is vice president of
the Curtis L. Carlson Family
Foundation and works at
Nebulous/YourMLSsearch.com.
Martha (Kenney) Spriggs, who
teaches at Andersen United Community School, was surprised and
honored with a Milken Educator
Award, one of two given in Minnesota that recognizes outstanding
teachers.
99a new position as city finance
Teresa Walters recently began
director in Farmington, Minn. Previously she had been in the same position in Waseca, Minn.
Jane Helmke, managing editor
into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle
in September by the Upper Midwest
Chapter. Silver Circle members have
displayed superior contributions to
the television history and/or NATAS
for at least 25 years.
88named the New York 2009
Anne Panning was recently
03
03
Peter Samargia married Angela Gustafson on August 15
in Biwabik, Minn. They traveled
around Lake Vermillion on a houseboat for their honeymoon. Peter
runs his own business, Attitude
Goaltending, LLC, and is a goalie
coach for the Augsburg men’s
hockey team. Angela is a property
manager for Colliers Turley Martin
Tucker.
Emily Gerard and her husband, Craig Maus, welcomed
the birth of their second daughter,
Lilia, on November 17. Pictured
are Craig and Emily, with Lilia and
Caroline.
Jeffrey Nodland was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for
Texas Petrochemicals Inc. He is currently the president, CEO, and a director of KIK Custom Products.
80came director of business de-
Marianne (Lundberg) Kulka be-
Professor of the Year by the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She was
also awarded the Lillian H. Fairchild
Award by the University of Rochester
for her book, Super America. Her latest work has appeared in West
Branch, Ascent (www.readthebestwriting.com), River Teeth, and
Women and Gender, a Pearson
Longman textbook. She has recently
started a blog about reading, writing,
teaching, travel, and family called
www.thepapersandwich.blogspot.com.
01awarded a 2009 TRiO AchievRev. Rozenia Fuller was
ers Award from the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity
Program Personnel (MAEOPP). The
award recognizes outstanding former participants in the federal TRiO
programs who have made significant
civic, community, or professional
contributions. She was also recently
inducted into the 2009 Minneapolis
Community and Technical College
Hall of Fame.
03finance and human resources
Betty J. Vangorder, director of
at Apex Print Technologies, has
been recognized by Cambridge
Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership, and excellence in
financial operations. In her job, she
is responsible for managing financial
reporting for the company, budgeting, forecasting, overseeing 18 employees and performing human
resources duties.
Spring 2010
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alumni class notes
06Minn., was awarded his certiLance Campbell, Stewartville,
fied public accountant license last
fall and was promoted to senior accountant at Wolter & Raak, Ltd. in
Rochester, Minn.
Michelle (Connolly) married Matthew
Ariola on July 11 at Majestic Oaks
Golf Club in Ham Lake, Minn. They
honeymooned in Alaska and now
live in Blaine, Minn. Michelle is a
kindergarten teacher in Sorteberg Elementary School in Coon Rapids
and Matthew is starting his own
plumbing business.
06wife, Sophia, welcomed the
06MBA,Woodbury, Minn., re-
08(Peloquin) married on June
arrival of a son, Parker Andrew, on
August 27. Sam is a fourth-year divinity student and the student association vice president at Pacific
Lutheran Theological Seminary in
Berkeley, Calif.
cently left her corporate job in
downtown Minneapolis to pursue
her passion with a career in real estate. She joined The Snyder Team at
Re/Max Results in Woodbury as a
residential realtor.
20, 2009. Sarah is a youth minister
in Cottage Grove, Minn., and Bryan
is a second-year law student at St.
Thomas. They currently live in
Woodbury, Minn.
Sam Kanenwisher and his
Kyle Loven performed his visionary
solo puppet show, my dear Lewis,
both in Seattle where he now lives
and in Minneapolis in March at the
Open Eye Figure Theatre as part of
an emerging artists program. A Seattle arts and culture paper called him
a “visionary new puppeteer” and a
“burgeoning genius.” See story at
http://augnet.augsburg.edu/news
archives/2010/03_08_10/kyle_loven.
html
Erin Schmoeckel ’08
Bryan Ludwig and Sarah
James Palan recently began as account executive in the advertising
department at the Rochester PostBulletin. He was formerly a personal
banker with Associated Bank.
Becky (Wolf) and Joe Kaarbo ’06
were married on October 3 in St.
Louis Park, Minn. Becky works at
the University of Wisconsin-Stout in
the Involvement and Leadership Office. Joe is the imaging coordinator
at Berkley Risk Administrators in
Minneapolis. Auggies in the wedding
included Joel Wolf ’02, Josh Wolf
’05, Chris Docken ’06, Erik Reynolds
’06, Carrie (Ohnerheim) Wolf ’02,
and Evan Boyce ’07.
09cluded Christine Esser ’09, Shawn Boonstra ’09, and Jason Jefferson ’09. Stacey is a substitute teacher in
Stacey (Kinder) married Ryan Plasch in August 2009 in Farmington, Minn. Auggies in the wedding party in-
Lakeville, Farmington, and Burnsville; Ryan is a mental health counselor for South Metro Human Services.
Gerard, Fridley, Minn.,
07Minnesota Certified Public Ac- 09Jenna
and her sister own Bravo! Procountant license and currently works
Nechia Agate received her
as a senior consultant for the Business Advisory Services practice at
Grant Thornton in Minneapolis.
Carolyn Mollner also earned her Certified Public Accountant certificate
last fall. She works at Best Buy as a
senior tax analyst.
42
Augsburg Now
ductions and created a two-woman
musical revue, “Christmas Again?”
that spoofed Christmas customs. It
ran at the Sunshine Factory in New
Hope, Minn., during Christmas last
fall. Jenna is currently a student at
the University of Wisconsin-River
Falls.
Kathryn MacAulay is currently one of
the 14 Fulbright English Teaching
Assistants in Malaysia, and is living
in Kemaman, Terenganu.
Graduate Programs
Erik Bredeson ’06 MBA married
Tasha Clifford on May 30, 2009, in
Kihel, Maui, Hawaii. Erik works in
medical sales; they live in St. Louis
Park, Minn.
Ryan May ’07 MBA was recently
hired at Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR) as a vice president.
Sarah Marie (Larson) ’07 MSW married Leon Peter Kyalo on October 3.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 45
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Johnson, Vernel ’42, Tucson, Ariz.,
age 90, on Oct. 20, after a long
illness.
English, Dr. Nancy ’73, Duluth,
Minn., age 57, on Aug. 8, of cardiac arrest.
Myrvik, Quentin ’45, Caswell
Beach, N.C., age 88, on Dec. 13.
He is a 1960 Distinguished Alumnus.
Hain, Ramon “Ray” ’81, Roseville,
Minn., age 50, on Nov. 21.
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Agrimson, Robb Joel ’83, St. Paul,
age 49, on Jan. 6.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Woodcock, Delores ’89, Bloomington, Minn., age 83, on Dec. 12.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Connors, Patrick ’07, Vail, Colo.,
age 28, on Dec. 30.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Midtling, Rev. John ’49, Minneapolis, age 86, on Oct. 20.
Elmberg, Rev. Donald ’50, Mound,
Minn., age 85, on Dec. 29.
Rust, Alice (Gjesdahl) ’53,
Burnsville, Minn., on Dec. 30.
Foss Jr, Alfred “Bud” ’54, Hot
Springs, Ark., age 77, on Oct. 28.
Seaver, Dean ’60, Le Sueur, Minn.,
age 73, on Jan. 12.
Thorpe, Neal O. ’60, Vancouver,
Wash., age 71, on March 3. He
taught biology, served as department chair at Augsburg College,
and is a 2001 Distinguished
Alumnus.
Hovland, Rev. Peter ’62, Mora,
Minn., on Dec. 21.
VanDeVoorde, Elaine, Rochester,
Minn., on Oct. 26. She was a
Master of Arts in Education student in Rochester.
Mark, Cindy, Cedar Lake Township,
Minn., age 61, on Dec. 13, of
cancer. She taught in Augsburg’s
program at the Minnesota
Women’s Correctional FacilityShakopee.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Wrightsman, Rev. Bruce, Decorah,
Iowa, age 75, on Oct. 4, of heart
failure and amyloidosis. He taught
math, physics, and philosophy at
Augsburg College, 1960–63.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Hunt, Duane ’62, Lakewood, Colo.,
on Nov. 13.
Spring 2010
43
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:43 AM Page 46
my
Auggie experience
Aquila Tapio ’10 MAE
Naadamaadiwin—Helping one another
When she was growing up, Aquila Tapio said she never really knew
what she wanted to do. “I just wanted to help people,” she said.
Until recently, Tapio and her husband helped Native American
children as foster parents through the Indian Child Welfare Act
program. And then after the birth of her second child, she decided
it was time for her to return to the workforce.
“I wanted to help Native American kids and keep doing the
work we were doing at home,” she says. So when Tapio discovered
Augsburg’s tribal special education program, she knew she had
found the right fit.
Naadamaadiwin, Ojibwe for “helping one another,” is a partnership between the University of Minnesota-Duluth Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Language Revitalization and the Augsburg
College Master of Arts in Education program. Naadamaadiwin is a
special education licensure program in emotional behavioral disorders and learning disabilities with a focus on the unique needs of
Native American children.
For Tapio, a member of the Oglala Lakota in South Dakota,
working with Native children and families through the education
system is important because education is a “touchy issue” for Native Americans. “We need teachers who know where people come
from and who understand the history and trauma families have experienced,” she says. “Having a Native teacher provides comfort to
students and their parents.”
Tapio is completing her student teaching this term at Longfellow
Humanities Magnet School in St. Paul. She says the Naadamaadiwin program has given her a new way to give Native children the
consistency and support they need. “No matter how many times
you have to tell them something, they will pick it up,” she says.
“They are capable. They can do anything.”
Naadamaadiwin is a two-year cohort-based program with classes
meeting primarily online. For more information, go to
www.augsburg.edu/admissions/mae/ and click “Licensure Options.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
44
Augsburg Now
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Lisa Zeller and Glenn Fuller are founding
partners of the The Phaedrus Group (1994),
a national training and consulting firm.
Lisa Zeller ’81,’89 MAL
and Glenn Fuller
an
augsburg legacy
“In addition to an education, Augsburg provided me with the
confidence and skills to think critically, to see what’s possible,
and to create opportunities. I want to make sure that future
generations have this same opportunity.
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
So, when Glenn and I sat down to do our estate planning and
consider our legacy, it was important for us to commit a
percentage of our estate to Augsburg College.”
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:43 AM Page 48
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Second Augsburg Powwow
The Augsburg Indigenous Student Association hosted a
traditional powwow on Saturday, March 20, in Si Melby
Hall. To view more photos from the powwow, go to
www.flickr.com/photos/augsburgcollege.
Show less
The economics of education
Auggies on the road
Commencement 2012
Calculus and coffee
Gage Center for Student Success
Homecoming 2012 preview
auggies
ARE
achievers
SUMMER 2012 | VOL. 74, NO. 3
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
notes
from President Pribbenow
Vice President of Marketing
and Communic... Show more
The economics of education
Auggies on the road
Commencement 2012
Calculus and coffee
Gage Center for Student Success
Homecoming 2012 preview
auggies
ARE
achievers
SUMMER 2012 | VOL. 74, NO. 3
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
notes
from President Pribbenow
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
The Augsburg Promise
Senior Creative Associate-Design
A
s I recently watched our almost 1,000 graduates
of the Augsburg Class of 2012 walk across the
stage to receive diplomas, I couldn’t help but be
proud of their many accomplishments and successes as Augsburg students. Our remarkably diverse
graduates—from various backgrounds, of various talents, on their way to various professions—are the most
tangible signs of our strategic commitment to the success of all our students.
And yet, the news media and popular opinion would
have us believe that there are storm clouds rising in
higher education. Some even call it a “tsunami.” Students unprepared for college, students who do not persist or graduate, students who will not get jobs (or, at
least, not the jobs they want), students with too much
debt. And conversely, colleges and universities that do
not meet student needs, institutions that are too
bureaucratic and expensive, colleges and universities
stuck with an “old” model of teaching and learning.
At Augsburg, we are deeply aware of these concerns. In fact, this issue of Augsburg Now includes an
overview of the complex economics of higher education because we understand that topics such as this
are too important to leave unaddressed. At the same
time, we recognize that the markers of student success—graduation rates, academic achievement, or
getting into graduate school or the workforce—also
must be pursued. The story about our new Gage Center for Student Success shows just one way we are
focused on ensuring that our students have the support they need to complete their Augsburg education.
So, rather than allow various social and economic
trends to define our reality, we are dedicated to planning for our future in ways that are both strategic,
that is, focused on what is most essential and important to our mission as a college, and also studentcentered, that is, always mindful that we must do our
best for all of our students.
We articulate this commitment to student success
in a concept we call the Augsburg Promise. It is the
relationship we form with our students to ensure their
success, and it has three key components.
It is, first of all, centered in our commitment to
helping our students discern and live their vocations (or
“callings”). The concept of vocation—inherited from our
Lutheran Christian theological tradition and embedded
in the Augsburg curriculum—is not merely about selffulfillment. It is a deeply nuanced way of helping students explore their gifts and commitments, understand
the arc of their lives, and embrace how their work in the
world—whatever it may be—has significance. At the
heart of the Augsburg Promise is the claim that our students will be better prepared for the world because of
our work together in the classroom, in residence halls,
on athletic fields, and in our neighborhood.
The second component of the Augsburg Promise is
our focus on academic growth and achievement in
terms of both access—how our students are welcomed
as part of our diverse community—and excellence—the
standards we set and the support we offer to ensure that
their education is of the highest order. Our students
come to Augsburg with a variety of gifts and talents. Our
promise to them is that this educational experience like
no other will challenge them to grow as students and as
citizens. So, yes, they will attain traditional academic
success, and be recognized with honors and awards, but
they also will experience the growth and achievement
that is recognized in lives of meaning and significance
in the world.
Finally, the Augsburg Promise is about equipping
our students for the lives they will lead in the world.
Higher education—especially an education grounded in
the liberal arts—must aim at ensuring that our students
are educated across a wide range of disciplines and perspectives. At the same time, a college community like
Augsburg must also consider how students are formed
with certain skills and habits that will prepare them for
citizenship and leadership. Whether in the classroom or
community, in student organizations or residence halls,
on playing fields or international travel, we must have
an integrated sense of how our students are “educated
to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical
thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
That is our mission—and that is our promise so that
all Augsburg students might be successful.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Senior Director of Alumni
and Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
augsburg now
summer 2012
Features
12
19
30
28
6
10
12
17
The economics of education
BY REBECCA JOHN
Speaking of money
BY REBECCA JOHN, STEPHANIE WEISS,
AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
Commencement
COMPILED BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
AND STEPHANIE WEISS
Faculty retirements
COMPILED BY STEPHANIE WEISS
19
.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
22 Nic Adducci ’15
contents
23 Rachel Hastings ’15
40
26 Andrena Murphy ’15
28
Calculus and coffee
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Departments
inside
front
cover
On the cover
Four friends pose for the camera before lining up for the commencement procession. See more photos from the May and July commencement ceremonies at www.augsburg.edu/now.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
2
27
30
31
32
37
40
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
It takes an Auggie
My Auggie experience
Auggie voices
Alumni news
Alumni class notes
Auggies on the ice
quad
around the
Celebrating Student Success
Scholarships and fellowships
Augsburg students earned a range of prestigious accolades during spring semester.
Some of the awards include the following:
Fulbright Scholars: Adam Spanier ’12 and
Rosalind “Rose” Sybrant ’12 were awarded
English teaching assistantships. Spanier
will teach in the Czech Republic during
2012-13, while Sybrant will teach in
Venezuela. Augsburg College is recognized
by The Chronicle of Higher Education as
one of the nation’s top producers of
Fulbright Scholars.
Gilman International Scholarships: Seven
Auggies received Gilman International Scholarships from the U.S. State Department to
study overseas this summer and fall. Auggies
will study in India, Jordan, South Africa,
South Korea, and Thailand. Augsburg was
awarded more Gilman Scholarships than any
other Twin Cities college or university this
academic year.
Goldwater Scholarship: Joe Buchman ’13, who
is studying chemistry, was awarded an honorable mention in the Goldwater Scholarship competition. He will spend the
summer doing off-campus research at the
University of Minnesota as a Student Summer Fellow for the Lupus Foundation of
Minnesota.
Kemper Scholars Program: Ibrahim Al-Hajiby
’14, an international relations/international
business major, was named the College’s
second Kemper Scholar. Students in the
Kemper program get academic scholarships
and stipends to cover the costs of two summer internships in major nonprofit and forprofit organizations. Augsburg is one of only
16 U.S. liberal arts colleges with the Kemper Scholars Program distinction.
2
Augsburg Now
Student research
awards and
achievements
Winner of international
contest: Work by biology
major Alex Sorum ’13 on a
bacterium that affects
about 80 percent of cystic
fibrosis patients won an
international American
Association for the
Advancement of Science
Angela Bonfiglio ’13 was named a Newman Civic Fellow for 2013. This award, presented by Campus Compact, honors college student leaders who have demon(AAAS) poster competition
strated their investment in finding solutions to the challenges that face our
this spring. Sorum won
communities.
the student poster competition in the medicine and
Newman Civic Fellow: Angela Bonfiglio ’13
public health category at the 2012 AAAS
was named a Newman Civic Fellow by
international meeting in Vancouver, B.C.
Campus Compact. The award recognizes
Sorum said that one of the rewards of
inspiring college student leaders who work
attending the conference was experiencing
to find solutions for challenges facing their
how going to a small liberal arts college
communities. Bonfiglio has rebuilt
has made him competitive with students
Community Link, a campus service organiat large research universities.
zation, doubling its membership while deepening
its issue-based work. In
North Minneapolis, she is
researching community
perceptions on the
achievement gap and working to close that gap. She
coordinates an afterschool
program at Redeemer
Lutheran Church to ensure
that youth have homework
help and an evening meal.
She is dedicated to social
justice, including environmental work, youth develAlex Sorum ’13 conducts research on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that
opment, interfaith work,
affects cystic fibrosis patients.
and racial equality.
Zyzzogeton celebrates work
of 67 students: Augsburg
celebrated the creativity
and research of 67 underKirubel Gezehegn ’14, a physics and chemistry major from Zimbabwe, discusses his
graduate
students during
research with physics professor Mark Engebretsen at the 2012 Zyzzogeton student
research poster exhibition.
mid-April at the annual
Zyzzogeton poster session.
Meeting of Nobel Laureates: Augsburg ColThe festival—which included work by stulege student Kirubel Gezehegn ’14 attended
dents from 17 academic departments—
the 2012 Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laurewas a chance for students to present their
ates in Lindau, Germany. The meeting
research to the Augsburg community and
brings together 31 chemistry and physics
practice public speaking. A “zyzzogeton”
laureates and an equal number of invited
is a green leaf-hopper as well as one of the
students. Gezehegn also will study chemlast words in the Webster Collegiate Dicistry this summer at Johns Hopkins Univertionary, a fitting symbol to mark the end of
sity in the labs operated by Nobel Laureate
the academic year.
Peter Agre ’70.
Auggies are doing off-campus research
across the United States at:
• Argonne National Laboratory, Physics
• Baylor University, Biology
• Carleton College, Summer Mathematics
Program for Women Undergraduates
• Harvard University, National Science
Foundation-Research Experiences for
Undergraduates (NSF-REU), Bioengineering, Scientific Computing, Robotics
and Materials Science and Engineering
• Loyola University, Biology
• Mayo Clinic, Neurobiology
• National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Cell Systems Science Group
• Oakland University, NSF-REU, Mechanical Engineering
• Rochester Institute of Technology, NSFREU, External Graph Theory and Dynamical Systems
• Texas Christian University, Physics
• University of Georgia, NSF-REU, Microbiology
• University of Minnesota, Lillehei Heart
Institute
11th time since 1998 that the team finished
in the top 10. On the mat, the team placed
second at the NCAA Division III National
Championship.
National Society of
Black Engineers conference
At the end of March, physics majors Gottlieb
Uahengo ’13, Mohamed Sheikh-Mohamed ’14,
Amir Rose ’14, and Fred Vedasto ’13 attended
the National Society of Black Engineers
conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. The conference included workshops and programming
for grade school, collegiate, graduate,
technical, professional, and international entities of the
society. Uahengo said
he was intrigued by
his “ability to draw
several parallels
between [his]
Augsburg education
and some of the
physics behind the
technology of companies such as Boeing,
Nearly 70 undergraduate students presented their research at the 2012 Zyzzogeton
Lockheed Martin, and
poster session. Zyzzogeton, held near the end of the spring semester, is the College’s
annual festival of student creativity and scholarship.
3M, and to see the
real-world applications of the many
concepts studied in class.” Travel was
funded through the NorthStar STEM
The Augsburg College wrestling team during
Alliance, a program intended to double the
2011-12 stood out in the classroom and on
number of African-American,
the mat. Auggies claimed the highest team
Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Alaska
grade-point average in the National Wrestling
Native, and Pacific Islander students
Coaches Association Division III Scholar Allreceiving bachelor degrees in science,
America program, with an overall GPA of
technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
3.73. This is the second time Augsburg has
earned this top academic honor and the
Scholar All-America Program
Summer 2012
3
quad
around the
Celebrating Student Success (continued)
Travelers EDGE
Five Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and
Employment) scholars from Augsburg will complete internships
with Travelers this summer. Three Auggies—Simon Tekle ’13, Ger
Lao ’13, and Dustina Granlund ’14—will work in Travelers’ information technology (IT) department. Mai Yang “Maya” Vue ’13 will
intern as a cash control analyst, and Mee “Kanee” Lee ’14, will
research diverse markets in the Twin Cities. Travelers EDGE
seeks to increase the pipeline of underrepresented students to
college, help them to graduate, and build awareness of careers
in the insurance and financial services industry. This was
Augsburg’s second year as a recipient of a Travelers EDGE grant.
Thrivent Leadership Fellows
Augsburg’s Thrivent Leadership Fellows, a group of students working to engage the Augsburg community in service, organized an
annual multicultural dinner at the Brian Coyle Center during
April. The event featured foods that represented the cultures in
the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. Thrivent
Leadership Fellows work to strengthen on- and off-campus communities through organized volunteer events and activities such
as cooking classes for local shelters, food shelf drives, and
tutoring sessions.
The Thrivent Leadership Fellows: Front Row [L to R]: Christine Smith ’13, Janelle
Holte ’13, Maya Keith ’13, Shana Strong ’13, Masha Shatonova ’13; Back Row
[L to R]: Paul Hunt ’13, Jordan Skrove ’13, Billy Mzenga ’13
4
Augsburg Now
Celebration of
Philanthropy
The 2011-12 fiscal year was one of the most successful
fundraising years in Augsburg’s history with nearly $14 million
raised to support programming, scholarships, buildings, and
research. One of the ways the College celebrated this success
was by welcoming more than 250 donors and volunteer leaders
to campus for the annual Celebration of Philanthropy in June.
W.K. Kellogg FOUNDATION
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation during May funded a three-year,
$1.2 million grant to support Sprockets, a St. Paul-based
educational program operated in partnership with Augsburg
College’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship. The W.K.
Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) is among the largest philanthropic
foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all
children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF
works with communities to
create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in
school, work, and life. WKKF
is based in Battle Creek,
Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is
paid to areas where there are high concentrations of poverty
and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF
priority locations in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New
Mexico, and New Orleans, and internationally in Mexico and
Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.
National
Science
Foundation
Grant
Augsburg College
Women’s Varsity Lacrosse
Augsburg College announced this summer that it will launch the
first collegiate women’s varsity lacrosse team in Minnesota.
Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing high school girls’ sports in
the state and is currently offered as a club sport at Augsburg.
The College’s new varsity team will begin competing during
spring 2014. A coach, who will join the staff this fall, will spend
the first year recruiting and building the team. By offering
women’s lacrosse, Augsburg will be able to expand the number
of student-athletes who attend Augsburg for their post-secondary education and increase the total number of female student-athletes at the College.
Augsburg was awarded a National Science Foundation
grant of nearly $600,000 to support scholarships for
undergraduates majoring in sciences or mathematics.
The AugSTEM scholarships will provide as much as
$7,500 per year to upper-division students. The grant
brings to nearly $3 million the College’s total active
awards from the NSF. Partial funding is provided by the
National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)
program under Award Number DUE-1154096.
MANY VOICES
BOLD VISIONS
Convocation Series 2011-12
MusicEnsembles
Augsburg College’s music ensembles
performed regionally and nationally during the 2011-12 school year. Numerous
performances were given around the
metro area, including the U.S. premiere
performance of John Ireland’s “Psalm 42” by
the Masterworks Chorale and a rousing year-end performance by
Augsburg Jazz Instrumental Vocal Ensemble at Famous Dave’s in
Minneapolis. Each of the College’s three touring groups follow a fouryear travel rotation that includes national, international, and two
regional tours. The Augsburg Symphony Orchestra and the Augsburg
Choir went on national tours this year. The orchestra traveled to
Florida during winter break, while the choir after commencement
toured Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington,
and Wyoming. The Augsburg Concert Band performed throughout
northern Minnesota and Wisconsin during spring break, and performed several joint concerts with local high-school and college
bands. The concert band will travel to Turkey in May 2013.
The Sverdrup Convocation, held April 17, created the
opportunity for the community to learn about NASA’s Mercury Surface Space Environment Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. Brian J. Anderson ’82, deputy
project scientist with the mission and a physicist with the
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, discussed the Mercury mission and whether there is a moral
imperative for space exploration.
The Rochester Convocation on May 15 was a chance for
Auggies to learn about the work of Shanna Decker, a ninetime national award winner for her volunteer accomplishments. Decker’s presentation, “Love Wins,” provided
insight into her “Hearts of Hope” project and her family’s
co-founding of the nonprofit “Brighter Tomorrows” for families touched by childhood cancer. Decker also has mentored, supported, and visited nearly 1,000 people
throughout the world who are amputees or cancer patients.
To see photos from the convocation series,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
5
{
The
ECONOMICS of
EDUCATION
BY REBECCA JOHN
A bubble. An eruption. An explosion.
These are just some of the words used in news reports this year to describe college
costs and higher education loan debt. While these headlines may grab attention, they
unfortunately are not very useful in helping people fully understand the multifaceted
topic of college affordability.
As Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators, said in a May 9 University Business article, a more accurate though
admittedly less exciting headline might be: “A Complex Combination of Economic
Factors Increases College Costs and Loan Debt for Certain Students.”
As mundane as that headline seems, continued public dialogue is important and
timely because many students and families today face real challenges in figuring out
how to pay for college. This article provides a brief overview of four core areas related
to the economics of higher education: the value of a postsecondary degree, key cost
drivers in higher education, changes in government aid, and tuition and student loan
debt trends.
6
Augsburg Now
VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
{
Ironically, if it weren’t for the significant benefits of a college education, the public debate about the cost of college likely would not be
nearly as heated. If people didn’t desire the outcomes of and opportunities afforded by having a college education—if they merely thought
the price was too high—they would just simply stop going to college.
But that is not the case. Instead, the difference between having a
college degree and not having one has become even more pronounced
as more and more jobs require higher education. The Georgetown University Center on Education predicts that 63 percent of jobs in 2018
will require some form of postsecondary education. Already, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau, high school graduates earn less than 70
percent of the income of bachelor’s degree holders.
Moreover, as was evidenced in the recent recession, people with
63 percent of jobs in 2018 will require
some form of postsecondary education.
– THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY CENTER ON EDUCATION
college degrees are much less likely to be unemployed than those
with only high school diplomas. In 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for high school graduates was 9.4 percent, whereas people with bachelor’s degrees or
higher were unemployed at only a 4.3 percent rate.
So, while rising tuition costs and student debt may raise questions
about erosion of the ROI (return on investment) of a given college
degree, the larger, societal concern is that the required investment—
and, therefore, the benefits—of higher education may be out of
reach for a growing portion of our population, no matter how promising the return.
COLLEGE COSTS
An oft-cited book in the discussion of rising college costs is David
Feldman’s and Robert Archibald’s Why Does College Cost So Much?
(Oxford University Press, 2010). The Augsburg College Board of
Regents dedicated a portion of its January 2012 board meeting to a
discussion of this book to better understand the key cost drivers in
higher education and how those costs affect students and tuition.
Many factors affect college costs, but Feldman and Archibald,
economics professors at the College of William & Mary, demonstrate
that costs steadily have risen during the past 30 years in all personal-service industries that employ highly educated labor. Increasing costs have occurred not only in higher education but also in
A one-on-one relationship
between a faculty member and a
student is critical for student
comprehension and engagement.
}
– JEANNE BOEH, AUGSBURG COLLEGE ECONOMICS
PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF THE ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
dentistry, health care, and legal services. Significant productivity
advancements in other industries—for example, automation and
robotics in manufacturing—have increased the demand for, and
therefore the price of, highly skilled labor. As a result, labor-cost
increases have affected all personal-service industries, including colleges and universities, which employ some of the most highly educated people in our country as faculty, staff, and administration.
This phenomenon is called “cost disease,” said Jeanne Boeh,
Augsburg College professor of economics. Boeh, who served as president of the Augsburg Faculty Senate in 2011-12, participated in the
College’s Board of Regents discussion of Feldman’s and Archibald’s
book. She is a frequent commentator on economic trends for the
Star Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio, and Twin Cities Public Television’s “Almanac.”
“In higher education,” Boeh explained, “capital and labor have
not been substitutes but complements.” For example, using course
management software such as Moodle may enhance collaboration
and streamline administrative activities, but it doesn’t reduce the
labor involved in teaching or learning in the same way that manufacturing automation does. Online courses also have been affected,
resulting in higher operating expenses than originally anticipated.
“Augsburg offers several programs in a blended format—merging
in-class time with online learning,” said Boeh, who has taught all
types of classes at Augsburg. “And we will continue to evolve course
formats to take advantage of online technologies where they are most
effective.”
But no matter the format, Boeh said, “a one-on-one relationship
between a faculty member and a student is critical for student comprehension and engagement—not only for any class lectures but also
for in-class assignments and projects as well as out-of-class work.”
So, while online formats offer attractive benefits—including making lectures available to a broader set of learners and providing flexibility to working adults pursuing advanced degrees—they have not,
to date, offered a “perfect” substitute for individual attention from
highly qualified faculty. As a result, the trade-offs between cost and
quality in higher education exist whether course delivery is in-class
or online.
Summer 2012
7
{
By 2009, institutional grant aid [from
Minnesota private colleges] was triple
the state’s contribution.
GOVERNMENT AID
– MINNESOTA PRIVATE COLLEGE COUNCIL
Share of Minnesota general fund spent on higher education
18%
17.3%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6.9%
6%
4%
Percent of General Fund Appropriated to Higher Education
2%
Forecasted Percent of General Fund Appropriated to Higher Education
0%
1967
1975
1983
1991
1999
2007
2013
Chart 1: The percent of the State of Minnesota’s budget appropriated to higher education has declined
steadily in the past 20 years.
Financial aid trends for Minnesota undergraduates
FIGURES IN MILLIONS
$1,800
2009 borrowing by Minnesota
undergraduates and their families
surpassed $1.6 billion.
$1,600
$1,400
$1,200
By 2009,
grant aid
from
institutions
was triple
the state’s
commitment.
$1,000
By 2005,
grant aid from
institutions
was double
the state’s
commitment.
$800
$600
$400
In 1991, institutions
and the state each
provided about $80
million in grant aid
to Minnesota
undergraduates.
$200
$1991
1995
State Grants (actual)
1999
Federal Grants (actual)
2001
2005
Institutional Grants (actual)
2007
2009
Total Loans (actual)
Chart 2: Since 1991, grant aid from Minnesota private colleges grew to three times the amount provided by
the state, while student loan debt increased eight-fold.
8
Augsburg Now
Minnesota Private College Research Foundation analysis of Minnesota
budget data
20%
Minnesota Private College Research Foundation analysis of Minnesota
Office of Higher Education biennial survey of aid awarded
The financial aid that students receive
from the state grant program is an important part of the resources they have to
pay for their college education, said Jay
Benanav, Augsburg’s director of government relations. “And, while the state has
increased the overall dollar amount allocated to support higher education in the
past 20 years, this aid has not kept pace
with rising higher education costs,” he
said. “So, today, state grant aid constitutes a much smaller portion of a student's overall resources for college.”
The Minnesota Private College Council
(MPCC)—an organization representing
17 private colleges in the state, including Augsburg—has been actively
engaged with the Minnesota Legislature
on the topic of higher education funding.
Chart 1, compiled by the MPCC, shows
the declining share of the state’s general
fund that has been spent on higher education costs during the past several
decades.
Because state support covers a
smaller proportion of college costs today,
a larger portion is falling to students and
their families. In fact, the proportion of
college costs that families cover has
gone up faster than the overall cost of
college.
To help offset the growing burden on
families, Minnesota’s private colleges
have increased the aid they provide to
students through their endowments and
operational budgets. Chart 2, again from
the MPCC, shows the dollar amount of
college costs covered by Minnesota state
grants, federal grants, MPCC collegefunded grants, and student loans. The
chart provides data from 1991 to 2009,
a period during which student loan debt
soared and grant aid from Minnesota private colleges grew to three times the
amount provided by the state.
NET TUITION AND STUDENT LOANS
“Financial counseling is embedded in our admissions process,”
As noted earlier, in addition to loans and government aid, many students also receive financial aid directly from their colleges or universi- Edstrom said, “and our financial aid staff work hard to make sure
students and parents understand what they are taking on when they
ties. This means that the out-of-pocket expenses (or “net tuition”)
borrow.”
that a given student pays will be less than the published tuition (or
Even people with significant financial experience should (and do)
sticker price) for that college or university. How much less varies from
seek help navigating the financial aid process, said Paul Terrio,
student to student based on multiple factors—including the family’s
Augsburg’s director of student financial services. “Financing college
financial situation, the student’s academic standing, and numerous
is a substantial investment for families, and it’s an investment that
other factors that enrollment offices take into consideration.
has a major impact on one of the most important people in their
This variation means that the net tuition one student pays will
lives,” Terrio said. “So, naturally, people want to make sure they’re
not be the same as another student, even at the same institution.
As a result, it has become increasingly important
for students and families to understand their specific financial aid package at each institution the
student is considering before making a final
choice, or before assuming that a certain college
is financially out of reach.
Even with financial support from colleges, how– JULIE EDSTROM ’90, ’04 MA, AUGSBURG VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
ever, borrowing has increasingly become a necessary part of how families of all socioeconomic
doing the best they can.
backgrounds pay for college. Average U.S. undergraduate student
“But since college financing is something people do only a couloan debt for 2010 graduates was $25,250, according to the Projple times in their lives, most are not experts in the process,” he said.
ect on Student Debt, an initiative of the nonprofit Institute for ColAs a result, every family, no matter their income level or financial
lege Access & Success.
The average debt of Augsburg graduates was $24,311 that year.
sophistication, can benefit from working with a financial counselor
In addition to being lower than the national average, Augsburg’s stu- who, according to Terrio, can “help them focus on their own scenario
dent loan debt average compares favorably with the averages for
rather than on averages and statistics reported in the news, which
other higher education institutions in the state of Minnesota, said
may have little to do with the specific family’s financial situation.”
Julie Edstrom ’90, ’04 MA, Augsburg vice president for enrollment
management.
{
Augsburg’s average student debt in 2010 was
$24,311, which compares favorably with other
higher education institutions in Minnesota.
}
}
When one steps back from the headlines, it’s easier to see how college costs aren’t
driven by one simple factor alone but, instead, are determined by a mix of state, federal,
institutional, and individual factors. It’s easier to see, as well, how changing one factor
invariably puts pressure on other factors.
In the end, the challenge for Augsburg College—and every higher education institution—is to find a sustainable balance among these factors—state and federal government
aid, institutional support, and student or family contributions—in a way that keeps higher
education within reach for students of academic ability from all backgrounds.
At Augsburg’s July 1 commencement, honorary degree recipient David Mathews, president and chief executive officer of the
Kettering Foundation, focused his commencement address on the value—specifically the public value—of higher education. Mathews previously served as secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under former President Gerald Ford and as
president of the University of Alabama. Read his commencement address at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
9
SPEAKING of
MONEY
BY REBECCA JOHN, STEPHANIE WEISS, AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
It’s scary. Students don’t like it. Parents don’t like it. But for any
family with a student in college, money matters, and talking openly
about finances is a critical part of figuring out if and how an individual can afford college. It’s a path toward determining whether the
costs of college are a good investment for students, and often, their
families. It’s also a path toward understanding individual and family
philosophies connected to saving, spending, and philanthropy.
Augsburg College is committed to talking with students and families about all these issues and sees these sometimes complex conversations as tools to build good decision-making as well as
valuable investments in a family’s future.
STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES
It takes as much energy to wish
as it does to plan.
– ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Paying for college is a significant
undertaking for families, regardless of
their family household income. To help
plan for this investment, families need to start
talking about their finances long before they’re
actually facing tuition payments.
“The place to start is by focusing on what the family
values and how they make choices about what they buy and
how they use the money they have,” said Carly Eichhorst,
Augsburg College associate director of financial aid. “When we are
working with families, we don’t start by talking about the mechanics of financial aid and student loans; we start by understanding
their values.”
It’s also beneficial to include both the student and the parent or
parents in the conversation, added Paul Terrio, director of student
financial services.
“We see a difference between families who have had conversations about how they plan to pay for college and families where only
some of the members—either the parents or the student—are
10
Augsburg Now
involved in the financial discussion,” he said. “It’s a much more
productive conversation if all of the family members are vested in
the plan.”
In order to help support and foster these important family conversations, Augsburg has embedded financial aid counseling into
the undergraduate admission process. So, when a first-year undergraduate student receives her or his acceptance letter from
Augsburg, the letter clearly states, “The next step is to schedule
your first-year meeting,” and invites them to make an appointment
with the College’s student financial services staff. Augsburg also
has linked financial planning with academic planning in the adult
undergraduate program to ensure that adult undergraduate students and their families have resources to help navigate the system
of financing college.
As a result of this intentional effort to invite families into the
student finance discussion, as of June 1, nearly 45 percent of firstyear students who had made their initial fall deposit had also
scheduled an appointment with Augsburg’s financial services staff.
With sessions continuing through the summer, a majority of firstyear students and their families will have the opportunity to discuss
their financial plans with the College before classes start in the fall.
“Our goal in working with families is to help them develop a
comprehensive plan for the entire college degree, not just to figure
out how they can pay for the first semester,” Terrio said. A comprehensive plan includes outlining how much the student or family will
need to pay and how long they will need to make payments on any
student loans taken out to cover college costs.
“Our role is not to prescribe financial solutions or provide a specific answer for how to pay for college,” Eichhorst said. “We are
working to help families identify and understand their options.”
By gaining a shared understanding of their options, families can
enhance their financial literacy and equip themselves to plan for—
not just wish for—the means to pursue a college degree.
STUDENT PHILANTHROPY
Someone’s sitting in the shade today because
someone planted a tree a long time ago.
– WARREN BUFFETT
Auggies give. Every year.
This simple instruction forms the basis of the goal for
Augsburg’s Student Philanthropy Week, an annual program
designed to make students aware of how donor support benefits
them and to teach students, from the beginning of their college
careers through their graduation, about the importance of giving
back to their alma mater.
The Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations and the
staff of The Augsburg Fund
sponsor several programs
for students throughout
the academic year. To
coordinate these programs,
staff work closely with the
Augsburg Stewards, a group of current undergraduate students who support philanthropic efforts at the College.
Each spring, Student Philanthropy Week includes a virtual
“donor scavenger hunt” where students use daily clues, conduct
library research, and visit donor-named locations on campus to
guess the identity of one of the College’s major donors. The first
student to accurately identify the donor wins a gift card.
The annual Feed the Pig campaign and the senior class giving
campaign encourage students to begin donating to Augsburg. To
participate in Feed the Pig, students receive a piggy bank in the fall
and, throughout the school year, collect spare change to fill up their
banks. Classes compete to raise the most money and to engage the
greatest number of student participants. The money raised funds a
scholarship for a student in the winning class.
These activities highlight the fact that, every year, Augsburg
relies on thousands of alumni, parents, friends, and students to
ensure that Auggies have access to an outstanding, affordable
Augsburg education.
MONEY MATTERS
The highest use of capital is not to make
more money, but to make money do more for
the betterment of life.
– HENRY FORD
At Augsburg College, students and staff have turned inside out the
federal mandate that all colleges and universities deliver financial
literacy programs. Instead of delivering top-down programs of
expert panelists or lectures, Augsburg involves students as key
partners in creating and developing the school’s financial literacy
program.
A key goal of the program is to help students open the door on
conversations that typically are difficult and sometimes uncomfortable—conversations about personal and family finances, budgeting,
and the cost of college.
“If you make public the stuff you usually hide, you can change
individual behavior,” said Carly Eichhorst, associate director of
financial aid. “But you have to start by being open with your own
story.”
Having students shape the conversation is critical to helping
them learn how to make good financial decisions today and in the
future. That’s because research shows that knowledge retention
soars to 75 percent when learning is practiced by doing, compared
with 20 percent retention when we learn by listening.
“This is hard stuff to talk about,” Eichhorst said, “but when students see their friends sharing and grappling with tough ideas, it
becomes easier and more acceptable to open up about their own
stories.”
The College’s annual Money Matters program runs for a week
during the spring and includes a range of events and activities to
help students and their families talk openly about financial topics.
In addition to counseling sessions and opportunities to connect
with financial experts, 2012 Money Matters activities included:
• A student panel in which five Auggies from different socioeconomic, cultural, and faith backgrounds talked about how they
make college work financially. Some student panelists also
shared their stories with a Star Tribune reporter. Later in the
spring, some of the students participated in a student loan and
student finance roundtable with U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison.
• My Money Secret, a participant-generated project in which students, staff, and faculty posted their money secrets in the skyways on campus. The secrets were hung on a line using
clothespins—a display that was intentionally meant to invoke the
feeling that participants were “airing their laundry,”
Eichhorst said. Some students
shared tips for saving, while other
students disclosed
habits of overspending.
Because investing in a
college education is such
a significant undertaking,
Augsburg is committed to
helping families build financial literacy from the first oncampus encounter through a
student’s full experience. By
beginning the process of talking about money at the very
start, students and their families not only learn important
information about how to better
manage their finances, but also have the chance to consider how
they want to use their money—through saving, spending, and giving.
Summer 2012
11
E
Commencement
May 5, 2012
A
F
D
12
Augsburg Now
During the commencement processional, faculty
line 7 ½ Street and applaud as graduating students walk from Christensen Center to Si Melby
Hall. The tradition marks the transition from student to graduate and allows faculty to show respect
for the students. The ceremony also is a bookend to
the Auggie experience. Four years earlier—on their
first day of class—faculty welcomed incoming students with applause during the opening convocation ceremony.
A
Faculty greet passing students with waves and
handshakes and sometimes even give students a
high-five or hug.
B
Members of ethnic student groups often wear
sashes that denote their membership. Here, a
group of students who are members of the PanAfrikan Student Union wear stoles made of
Kente cloth that originates in Ghana, West
Africa.
C
Students can be seen wearing bow ties, a fashion
phenomenon that started to take hold in 2006
when Paul C. Pribbenow was installed as president of Augsburg College. Pribbenow has a reputation for his bow tie collection, and the bow tie
often makes an appearance when students dress
in formal wear.
D
Colored cords represent honors given by the College, academic departments, and the Honors
program. Candidates for Latin honors—students
graduating cum laude, magna cum laude, or
summa cum laude—receive maroon and gray
cords. Students who complete requirements of
the Augsburg College Honors program wear gold
cords. Other cords indicate departmental honors.
E
Students can line up in whatever order they
choose. Because there is no formal order, being
the last person in line—and, therefore, the last
to cross the commencement stage—has become
a coveted spot. Students will jockey for the position and stall during the procession, and the last
person to cross the stage usually makes a grand
statement of it.
F
Like many faculty members, Phil Adamo, associate
professor and chair of the History Department,
breaks from the reception line to congratulate a
student in the procession.
B
C
Summer 2012
13
In 2007, Augsburg started the tradition of holding
two commencement ceremonies—the first in early
May for the undergraduate day students and the
Masters in Physician Assistant program graduates,
and the second in late June for Weekend/Evening
College, Rochester undergraduate, and the remaining master’s degree program graduates.
A
President Paul C. Pribbenow and Jodi Harpstead,
chair of the Board of Regents, shake hands with
every graduate who crosses the stage. For the
July commencement ceremony, that was roughly
300 hands.
B
Tom Kelsey and Lori York of the Registrar’s office
perform a well-choreographed dance to make sure
the President always has a diploma holder in his
hand the moment a graduate crosses the stage.
C
A large stack of diploma holders will be whittled
down to almost nothing during the ceremony. In
case you are wondering, the holders are empty.
Diplomas are mailed to the graduates after their
final grades are processed by the Registrar.
D
Master’s and doctoral degree candidates in
business administration, education, leadership,
nursing, and social work sit on the left side of
the gym.
E
Graduates of the Weekend/Evening College and
Rochester programs sit on the right side of
the gym.
F
Handing out diplomas is like an assembly line:
grab your name card, follow the faculty marshal
to the front of the gym, hand over your name
card, cross the stage as your name is called,
shake hands with the Board chair, take diploma
in your left hand while shaking hands with
President Pribbenow and smile while your photo
is taken, proceed down the ramp, smile for
another photo and be sure that the front of the
diploma holder is facing forward, return to your
seat, breathe a sigh of relief.
To view more commencement photos,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
14
14
Augsburg Now
Augsburg Now
E
A
C
Commencement
July 1, 2012
D
F
B
Summer 2012
15
Augsburg grad students mix philosophy
of social work with drive for business
Leading nonprofits increasingly want top-level leaders who understand complex financial issues, can implement strategic business
practices, and are able to serve diverse local and global communities.
Recognizing the changing expectations and requirements of
nonprofits, Augsburg College in 2009 began offering a dual Master
of Arts Degrees in Social Work (MSW) and Business Administration
(MBA). The College’s first two MSW/MBA graduates completed
their dual degrees this spring.
“We chose to respond to changing dynamics. More and more,
leaders of nonprofits, if they want to continue moving up the ladder, need the same business skills as their counterparts in the forprofit world,” said Steven Zitnick, who during June retired as
director of the MBA program.
Those with a Master of Arts in Social Work can, if they choose,
progress to a different point in their career with formal business
training, said Lois Bosch, director of Augsburg’s Master of Social
Work program.
“Larger social service agencies want business leaders for their
business acumen,” Bosch said. “Increasingly, they also want people who are trained formally to understand the needs of their
clients.”
Jana Nicolaison ’12, one of Augsburg’s
MSW/MBA dual degree graduates, said the
program provided her the knowledge and
tools to manage social service programs by
understanding the business behind the programs.
“I have the confidence to advocate for
clients on the macro level because I under-
stand all aspects of the services they receive,” Nicolaison said.
The dual degree program isn’t just a good idea for those who
want to lead social service agencies, though.
“There’s an emerging trend of social entrepreneurship that
opens another path for joint MSW/MBA students to pursue,”
Zitnick said. “Through Augsburg’s combined curriculum, we can
meet the vocational needs of this type of contemporary MSW
student.”
One such potential social entrepreneur is Miki Peterson ’12,
who hopes to use her skills and insight to bring critical healthcare
services to underserved markets.
“We operate in a complex economic, societal, and political
landscape. I now have the knowledge and diversity of skills to
bring critical health care services to underserved markets,”
Peterson said. “I have insights gleaned from both social services
and business administration to allow me to accomplish this goal in
any corporate, small business, or non-profit setting.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
To learn more about the dual MSW/MBA, go to www.augsburg.edu/msw or email
mbainfo@augsburg.edu.
“I have the knowledge and diversity
of skills to bring critical health care
services to underserved markets.”
MIKI PETERSON ’12 MSW/MBA
Miki Peterson ’12 MSW/MBA and Jana Nicolaison ’12 MSW/MBA
16
Augsburg Now
HONORING
our retired faculty
Augsburg College
celebrated the accomplishments and dedication of faculty during the spring Faculty
Recognition Luncheon and formally thanked
10 faculty for their service. Below are brief
biographies of those who finished their
careers as Auggies. The group contributed
more than 240 years of service to the College.
Anthony Bibus III, professor of social
work, joined Augsburg during 1992. He
served the College as department chair, as
faculty parliamentarian, and on key faculty
committees. He received bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in English from the
University of St. Thomas and the University of Virginia, respectively, and a doctorate in social work from the University of
Minnesota.
Shelley Burkhardt, instructor of education, worked as the special education program director at Rochester and as an
adjunct faculty member. She received a
bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso and
completed master’s-level studies at Winona
State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, and the University of Minnesota. Prior to her work with Augsburg,
Burkhardt served as the director of special
education for the Rochester Public
Schools, where she also was a special education teacher.
C. Lee Clarke, assistant professor of business, started his career as a Lutheran parish
pastor and then spent 20 years working in
management information systems. He joined
Augsburg during 2000 as a faculty member
Front Row [L to R]: Glenda Dewberry Rooney, professor of social work; Norma Noonan, professor of political science; Lynn
Lindow, associate professor of education; Grace Dyrud, professor of psychology; Steven Zitnick, director of the Master of
Business Administration; Back Row [L to R]: President Paul C. Pribbenow; Bradley Holt ’63, professor of religion; Arlin
Gyberg, professor of chemistry; Anthony Bibus III, professor of social work; C. Lee Clarke, assistant professor of business;
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Barbara Farley. Retiring faculty not pictured: Shelley
Burkhardt, instructor of education
in the Business Administration Department.
Clarke co-taught with religion faculty and
served as faculty adviser for Augsburg Seminar, a program to help first-year students
learn about the Augsburg community and
participate in neighborhood service programs. He earned a bachelor’s degree from
Capital University, a Master of Divinity from
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and a Master of
Business Administration from the University
of St. Thomas.
Arlin Gyberg, professor of chemistry,
started his career at Augsburg during
1967. He taught general and analytical
chemistry for science majors and chemistry
courses for non-science major students. He
is one of several co-founders of the Mcgyan
process reactor, a continuous flow device
that is used to produce biodiesel from
plant material. He maintains close connections to alumni in local industry (at companies such as Aveda, General Mills, and
SarTec, to name a few) over the years. He
earned a doctorate in analytical chemistry
from the University of Minnesota.
Bradley Holt ’63, professor of religion,
began his teaching career during 1978.
His scholarly interests revolved around the
history of Christian spirituality and Christianity in a global context, and he is the
author of Thirsty for God: A Brief History of
Christian Spirituality. Holt taught theology
in Nigeria for 10 years. He graduated from
Augsburg with bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy and received a Bachelor of Divinity from Luther Theological
Seminary, and a Master of Philosophy and
doctorate from Yale University.
Lynn Lindow, associate professor of education, joined the College during 1985 as
a member of the Health and Physical Education Department. She subsequently took
a position in the Department of Education
and was a K-12 expert. For seven years,
she served as chair of the Education
Department. Lindow also helped with the
department’s reaccreditation. She received
a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State
University Mankato, a master’s degree from
Summer 2012
17
North Dakota State University, and a doctorate from the University of
Minnesota.
Norma Noonan, professor of political science, served Augsburg for more than 45
years, joining the faculty during 1966. She
was instrumental in the development of
the Master of Arts in Leadership, the College’s inaugural graduate program offering,
and served as program director for 18
years. She chaired the Political Science
Department, served on key faculty committees, and was a mentor to many. Noonan
received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
political science from the University of
Pennsylvania and Indiana University,
respectively, and a doctorate in Russian
and East European Studies from Indiana
University.
Glenda Dewberry Rooney, professor of
social work, began working at Augsburg
during 1992. An expert in direct social
work practice, she served as department
chair and taught in advanced clinical
placement courses. Her research and
teaching interests include child welfare,
particularly where racial disparities exist.
She is the author of one of social work’s
most widely used texts. Rooney received
bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of North Texas, a
master’s in social work from the University
of Illinois, and a doctorate in social work
and industrial relations from the University
of Minnesota.
Maryann Syers, associate professor of
social work, joined Augsburg during 1998.
Her teaching experience was strengthened
by her previous private clinical practice
and ongoing research working with women
of color, sexual minorities, and persons
with physical disabilities. She was a leader
in conceptualizing content for the Master
of Social Work program’s multicultural
clinical practice concentration. Syers also
served on the Personnel Policies Committee and Faculty Senate. She received a
bachelor’s degree in psychology from
Arizona State University and a master’s of
social work and doctorate in social welfare
from the University of Minnesota.
Steven Zitnick, director of the Master of
Business Administration (MBA) program,
joined Augsburg during 1999. Prior to
that, he served as a military officer and
held senior executive positions in human
resources and organizational development
in the private sector, including at H.B.
Fuller. In 2008 Zitnick was named director
of the Augsburg MBA program. He helped
launch MBA study abroad programs in
Argentina, Chile, Germany, and Russia and
launched the Mini-MBA program with
Luther Seminary. Zitnick received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Shimer
College, a master’s degree in human
resources management from the University
of Utah, and is on track to complete a doctorate from Tilburg University in the
Netherlands during retirement.
On May 3, faculty gathered at the annual
Faculty Recognition Luncheon to celebrate a successful academic year and to
recognize their colleagues’ accomplishments. The program honored retiring faculty members, recipients of tenure and
promotion, milestone years of service,
and recipients of the Distinguished Contribution to Teaching and Learning awards.
18
Augsburg Now
GAGE CENTER
FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Who comes to the Gage Center for Student Success and the Groves Technology Center?
At one time or another, nearly every student at Augsburg does.
I have to write a paper.
I’m here to use the computer lab.
I am a Weekend College student, and I'm planning to graduate next year.
I'm here to plan out my degree progress with an academic adviser.
I have ADHD and struggle with reading.
I’m here to use the software program that helps me read my textbooks.
I am visually impaired.
I’m here to talk to an adviser about the services that can help me at Augsburg.
I am having a tough time with one of my classes.
I’m here to see a tutor.
I’m the first person in my family to go to college.
I am here because I heard you have a program to help people like me learn
how to be successful in school.
I’m a pretty good student, but I really have trouble with time management.
I’m here to learn how to be better at that.
Spring 2012
19
success
INTEGRATING ACADEMIC SUPPORT
tradition of bringing programs and
services together to improve the
student service experience. As in
the case of the Enrollment Center—which first opened in 2000
and combined the offices of academic advising, the registrar,
financial aid, and financial services—co-location benefits students
because all services are in one
convenient location. In addition,
when staff work closely together,
they often discover new ways of
working that lead to new initiatives
and better student service.
The Gage Center staff is evaluating a caseload management software tool that will allow them to
build connections for students and
refer them to additional resources.
Gort said the software will help to
create a network of student support that extends beyond the Gage
Center. “We’re at the start of a
really cool project, and we have
high hopes for what this is going to be,”
she said.
While staff and students are still learning how the Gage Center will function to
best meet students’ needs, Gort said she
has been pleased with the outcomes so far.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
At one time, academic support services at
Augsburg were scattered across campus.
One program was tucked around a few corners in a basement. A few others were in
Science Hall. While seeking out and asking
for help is already difficult for some students, having support staff in different
locations made getting help even more
complicated.
To address this situation, Augsburg
moved all of these academic support services to the new Gage Center for Student
Success, which opened on the second floor
of the Lindell Library in January. The center
provides a one-stop shop for students to
access academic advising, tutoring, academic accommodations, assistance with
learning and physical disabilities, academic
skills coaching, and other support services.
“The Gage Center helps us see how students can benefit by having people and programs together,” said Amy Gort, dean of
Arts and Sciences. Co-locating the offices
in Lindell has made student support services more visible on campus and provides
greater access for students. And with all
support staff in proximity with one another,
the center is the first step in creating a
seamless experience of academic support
for students.
The Gage Center follows an Augsburg
20
Augsburg Now
“What is great about this group of staff is
that each program has a history of being
innovative, constantly evaluating, and looking for opportunities for students to have an
even better experience.”
Nearly every graduate and undergraduate student at Augsburg
comes into contact with the Gage Center staff or services at least
once—and usually multiple times—in her or his college career.
The center provides a one-stop shop for students to access academic advising, tutoring, academic accommodations, assistance
with learning and physical disabilities, academic skills coaching,
and other support services.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
Gifts from the Gage and Groves family foundations allowed
Augsburg to create an integrated and highly visible academic support services center. The Gage Center for
Student Success, which officially opened in January, includes
the Groves Technology Center, the Groves Accommodations
Lab, meeting rooms, testing rooms, and staff offices.
DEPARTMENTS IN THE
AUGGIES ARE ACHIEVERS
GAGE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
ACADEMIC ADVISING supports students in achieving their educational and vocational goals.
THE ACADEMIC SKILLS OFFICE provides coaching to help students
develop skills and strategies for academic success, and also works
with students in the Conditional Admit Program (CAP) and Augsburg Advantage St. Kate’s (AASK) program.
THE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND ADAPTIVE STUDENT SERVICES
(CLASS) provides services and accommodations for students with
attentional, learning, and physical disabilities.
THE GROVES TECHNOLOGY CENTER provides computer workstations
for all students and adaptive software programs, such as speech
recognition software and screen readers, for learners with special
needs.
TRiO/STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES, funded by the U.S. Department
of Education, helps students overcome class, social, and cultural
barriers to complete their college education.
TUTORING AND SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION is available for most
courses; the type of support offered depends on the course and
student demand.
ENSURING
ACCESSIBILITY FOR STUDENTS
Augsburg College is committed to ensuring all students
have access to the campus resources and tools they need
to succeed. To support this commitment, the College
recently formed an accessibility committee of more than
50 staff and faculty from 16 departments.
One of the committee’s primary responsibilities is
ensuring the College meets the obligations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Recent revisions to the
ADA as well as legal settlements at other colleges and
universities make the committee’s work especially timely.
One of the more high-profile lawsuits was a case brought
against Penn State University by the National Federation
of the Blind, which settled in 2010 for $150,000. The
settlement cited inaccessible technology for blind and
print-disabled students and is now serving as a guideline
for institutions nationwide to review accessibility of technology and facilities.
As part of its charge to ensure the College meets its
obligations, the Augsburg accessibility committee is conducting an audit of campus facilities and technology,
delivering training to faculty and staff, and working to
identify a compliance officer. The work of the committee
to identify and address accessibility issues helps mitigate
risk for the College as it strives to live up to its commitment to student success.
Summer 2012
21
A NEW
approach to learning
For most of his life, Nic Adducci ’15 was
the kid who couldn’t read or write. The kid
who had to go to the principal’s office to
take his pill every day. The kid with a learn-
said, when educators, students,
and parents were just beginning to
understand learning disabilities. “I was the
only student in a small class with a learning
disability. I was the kid who had emotional
and behavior problems, and when I had a
NIC ADDUCCI
“I have to give credit to the
CLASS office for giving me
the support that I needed to
really be successful, but I
also have to credit the professors who really pushed
me to see something more
in myself than what I had
been taught in the past 27
years of my life.”
ing disability.
Today, due in part to support he receives
from Augsburg’s Center for Learning and
Adaptive Student Services (CLASS),
Adducci made the dean’s list with a 4.0
grade-point average. A double major in business management and psychology with
minors in economics and political science,
he has shed much of the stigma associated
with having a learning disability and has
found success at Augsburg.
In the second or third grade, Adducci
was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It was a time, he
22
Augsburg Now
bad day, [the question] was, ‘Did you take
your pill today?’” he said.
“That was the foundation for my educational experience, and that followed me
everywhere I went,” Adducci said. The
labels and messages followed him to the
workplace where he was a project manager
for an educational testing company. “I
thought that I couldn’t do a lot of things
because I believed I couldn’t rely on
myself.”
In 2006, Adducci was told he needed to
complete a bachelor’s degree as a requirement for his job. A co-worker who had gradu-
ated from Augsburg through Weekend College
recommended the program, and Adducci
found himself back in the classroom.
For several years, he took a class here
and there while he continued to focus primarily on his work and personal life. Then
in 2011, he realized he needed to make his
education a top priority. He enrolled as a
full-time student in the College’s day undergraduate program and moved onto campus.
That’s when education changed for
Adducci, and he discovered his passion for
learning. “I approached my professors and
the CLASS office right away,” he said.
“They really didn’t accept the ‘I’m a bad
writer’ excuse I used when I was younger,
and they showed me that there was a different way for me to approach learning.”
Adducci’s biggest learning-related challenge is reading. “It’s hard to concentrate
and my retention is really low,” he said. The
accommodations provided through CLASS
include extra time to take exams, working
with a notetaker in classes, and using the
Kurzweil software program that reads his
textbooks aloud for him.
In two semesters as a full-time student,
Adducci not only raised his grade-point
average and made the dean’s list, he also
landed a position as a residence life adviser
for next year and made an impression on his
classmates and instructors.
“Nic made a marvelous contribution to
the class,” said assistant professor of business administration John Cerrito, whose
human resource management class Adducci
took in the spring semester. “He was
mature, serious, and a very positive student,” Cerrito said. “He is a real credit to
Augsburg.”
At Augsburg, Adducci said, he is able to
attain a level of academic success that he
hadn’t ever come close to in his life. “People
saw something valuable in me in areas
where I thought that I would never be able to
accomplish anything,” he said, “and that
gave me the motivation to actually put the
effort in. Then I was successful.”
Photo by Sally Ryan
A TYPICAL
college student
In many ways, Rachel Hastings ’15 is a typical college student. She takes Spanish class, sings in a
choir, eats in the cafeteria, and works out in the
fitness center. But she is also atypical—a student
who uses her ears and fingers to find her way
through campus and through life. She’s training for
a marathon, learning arias by ear, and spreading
joy throughout the Augsburg campus. A sophomore
from Maple Grove, Minn., Hastings has been
legally blind since birth.
Through the Gage Center for Student Success at
Augsburg College, Hastings gets individualized
support services and accommodations that help
her succeed. The photos that follow show a typical
day in the life of this atypical college student.
Hastings checks to see if she is at the studio office for her voice lesson with vocal
coach Susan Druck.
RACHEL HASTINGS
Laughing as they finish lunch, Hastings and a group of
friends talk about their upcoming finals and what they
need to do before school lets out for the summer.
Summer 2012
23
1
2
3
independence
1 By touching her right hand to the treadmill every three
or four steps, Hastings keeps her position on the
machine during her daily workout. Hastings has completed two half marathons and is planning to run the
Twin Cities Marathon in October. 2 “Hi Rachel, it’s
Noah,” a student says as he meets Hastings. But Noah
Sievert does not need to identify himself because Hastings recognizes his voice. To her, a voice is as distinct as
a face is to a sighted person. 3 The complex nature of
music theory means that Hastings needs accommodations for this course. Hastings took adapted music theory
Pressing on her belly button to physically remind herself to
breathe from her diaphragm, Hastings works on the piece “Mi
Sueño” during her voice lesson with vocal coach Susan Druck.
from assistant professor of music Doug Diamond as a
summer independent study course. 4 Before she gets
even two steps into a classroom, a classmate hops up
and says, “Rachel, there is an open spot right over here.”
One of the few times Hastings requires help is when she
needs to navigate a full classroom with her cane. 5 Practicing on a baby grand piano is one of the perks of being
a music therapy major whose main instrument is the
piano. Since she does not read Braille music, Hastings
learns music by ear, but she has perfect pitch, which
makes learning easier.
After a year of finding her way around the campus, Hastings has
memorized almost every inch of the grounds. The only thing that will
throw her off is an object that is left in an unpredictable place.
5
See more photos and hear Hastings talk about her
experiences at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
4
25
Augsburg’s TRiO/Student Support Services
(SSS) program. Programs like AVID and
TRiO/SSS help first-generation and lowincome students succeed in college. For students in high school, these programs provide
Blue ribbons and gold medals. These are
preparation for college entrance exams,
what we normally associate with being
assistance with college research and applica“first.” But for Andrena Murphy ’15, being
tion, and information about the financial aid
first—the first in her family to go to college— application process. On college campuses,
meant making new connections, proactively
these programs help students find resources
seeking advice, and learning new skills.
and support to complete their degree.
During high school, Murphy said, her
Murphy applied for and was accepted to
mother encouraged her to do well but didn’t
Augsburg’s TRiO/SSS program. She attended
THE FIRST
in her family
share some of the lessons she has learned
with the incoming TRiO students.
During the past academic year, Murphy
met regularly with her TRiO/SSS adviser to
update her academic plan and to talk about
the challenges of balancing school with family time, social life, volunteering, and her job.
She said that her time management skills
and even her eating habits improved in her
first year of college. She also learned how to
make connections with professors and to
reach out to them for advice. “That’s something I never did in high school,” she said.
ANDRENA MURPHY
When Andrena Murphy ’15 saw her first initial in
the flower garden outside Memorial Hall, she
took it as a sign that Augsburg was the place
for her.
insist that she go to college. Though her
mother had taken some community college
courses, neither she nor Murphy’s two older
sisters had obtained a college degree. And
each of them had been able to find a good
job without a college education.
“Nobody in my family knew what college
was like,” Murphy said, “so no one could
help me figure out if it was right for me.”
Murphy used her senior year of high
school and the resources of her high school’s
Advancement Via Individual Determination
(AVID) college readiness program to help
determine if college was the next step for her.
Through AVID, Murphy discovered
26
Augsburg Now
TRiO’s Summer Bridge program in July and
August 2011 to begin her Augsburg career.
Summer Bridge is a five-week residential program in which students take introductory religion and public speaking courses and attend
academic support seminars, workshops, and
other activities to help provide for a smooth
transition to school in the fall.
“It was fun to be in an atmosphere where I
could keep learning through the summer,”
Murphy said. She appreciated getting a head
start on classes, learning what college was
like, and meeting her classmates and professors. This summer, she will be a residential
peer mentor for Summer Bridge and will
Murphy also was involved with the Bonner
Leader program during the school year.
Through Bonner, she served as a youth development and enrichment coordinator at Kaleidoscope Place, an after-school program for
elementary and junior high school students.
Murphy officially will enter the Education
Department this fall. She’s excited about her
education classes and about becoming an
elementary teacher one day. “When I look
back, there were a few teachers who really
made a difference for me, and I want to do
that for someone.”
it takes an
Auggie
Gift to future students allows son’s memory to live on at Augsburg
“Nathan Schott’s life is an inspiration to me, and I’m humbled and
honored to receive a scholarship in his name, a scholarship that is
about future possibilities, not past liabilities.”
These are the words of Alexandra Stoiaken ’13, recipient of the
inaugural Nathan R. Schott Scholarship.
Nathan Schott came to Augsburg as a first-year student in September 2009. His time at Augsburg was short, but significant. He
touched the lives of faculty, staff, and students like Alexandra. He
had a unique ability to make connections within the Augsburg community.
Nathan was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the
age of six. He passed away at the end of his first year of college. Yet
Nathan continues to make a difference in the lives of Auggies, present and future.
Teri and Chuck Schott, Nathan’s parents, established the Nathan
R. Schott Scholarship to honor Nathan’s life and to give other students an educational opportunity in a supportive community. The
scholarship provides support for students who, like Nathan, participate in the Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services
(CLASS) program. CLASS provides services and accommodations
for students with attentional, learning, and physical disabilities.
“Augsburg was the right place for Nathan,” Nathan’s father,
Chuck, said. “He had a feeling of belonging, and this was a place
where he could participate and contribute to the makeup of the
community.”
Teri Schott, Nathan’s mother, added, “The scholarship is a
chance to see that the spirit of Nathan continues. It means he’s still
a part of this place.”
“[Nathan] always had a ready smile for me when we passed in
the halls,” Stoiaken said. “There was real joy in his life, and he
shared it easily.”
Stoiaken, who manages life with cerebral palsy, said she was
inspired by Nathan. “By receiving this scholarship, I will always
endeavor to make Nathan and his family proud. Like Nathan, I will
never allow my disease to define me. I will live life to its fullest,
finding inspiration wherever I can.”
DOUG SCOTT, DIRECTOR OF LEADERSHIP GIFTS
If interested in supporting this or similar scholarship funds, contact Doug Scott at
612-330-1575 or scottd@augsburg.edu.
“By receiving this scholarship, I will
always endeavor to make Nathan and
his family proud. Like Nathan, I will
never allow my disease to define me.
I will live life to its fullest, finding
inspiration wherever I can.”
ALEXANDRA STOIAKEN ’13
Nathan Schott in his
senior year at Maple
Grove High School.
[L to R]: Teri Schott, Alexandra Stoiaken ’13, and Chuck Schott at the 2011 brunch for
Augsburg scholarship donors and recipients.
Courtesy ph
oto
Summer 2012
27
calculus
AND
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Fog-covered mountains, roosters crowing
at 4 a.m., dinner by candlelight, 60-foot
waterfalls, and calculus. Strange components in a college class, maybe, but for
seven students and two faculty members,
this was reality during the 2012 spring
break.
In the course MAT 496: The Calculus of
Sustainability, students spent the first
eight weeks of the spring semester studying coffee plantations of Nicaragua. With
this knowledge, they created projects ranging from calculating the carbon footprint
of coffee production to building a largescale differential equation model that
would be used while in Nicaragua.
Once in-country, students were asked by
the farm families with whom they stayed
for feedback and advice on an ecotourism
model the farmers were creating. The
farmers, all members of the GARBO coffee
cooperative in the Peñas Blancas region of
Nicaragua near the Honduran border, were
exploring diversifying their income by inviting tourists to learn about and stay on the
plantation.
So although they had prepared projects
for months before arriving in Nicaragua,
the students set them aside and put the
needs of the farmers in the forefront. The
class came up with ideas like creating a
map of the cooperative and installing a
water filtration system. They also suggested paving the roads and creating a
store to sell convenience items to tourists
as well as products grown on the plantation.
When all was said and done, the students learned that when working in a place
like Nicaragua, plans can change quickly.
Adaptation and the willingness to think on
your feet are great skills to have when trying to apply complex mathematics in a
real-world situation.
28
Augsburg Now
coffee
See more photos, hear the students talk about their experiences, and watch
video of the class at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
29
Courtesy photo
my
Auggie experience
Posts from the road
Summer Travel 2012
The Augsburg Choir U.S. Tour
The Augsburg Choir, under the direction of Peter Hendrickson ’76,
toured the Midwest in May. With stops in Montana, North Dakota,
Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming, the choir performed nine concerts and had opportunities to connect with potential Auggies and their families as well as alumni and friends of the
College.
Teaching English in Thailand
This was the fifth year that English professor Kathy Swanson and
her husband, Jack, took students to teach English in Thailand as
part of a short-term study abroad course through the Center for
Global Education. In addition to teaching for 10 days in the village
of Prachuap Khirikhan, the students learned about Thai culture
and history, sailed on the Gulf of Siam, rode elephants, and tried to
stay cool in the 120-degree heat. See photos from the 2012 Thailand course at www.flickr.com/photos/augthailand.
International Management and Finance in Germany
For four weeks in May and June, a group of German students and
professors from Karlsruhe, Germany, paired with Augsburg students
and assistant business professor Marc McIntosh to study international business practices.
The group met for two weeks in Europe, visiting the European
Parliament in Strasbourg and witnessing firsthand the financial crisis that was occurring in Europe at that time. They also went to the
Frankfurt stock exchange and experienced the volatility in the
financial market as a result of the crisis, McIntosh said.
Then, back in the U.S., the students visited three companies with
strong ties to Germany and gained insights into how to do business
in overseas markets. Finally, the students participated in an intensive
business simulation game with teams competing to maximize shareholder value through the launches of multiple product offerings.
The Augsburg students teaching English in Thailand pose outside of the Wat
Benchamabophit, a temple in Bangkok.
study abroad program coordinated through Augsburg’s
Center for Global Education.
An excerpt from Underhill’s blog:
Election day is notable for its calm. Everyone is voting and
waiting; my sense is that people are still feeling that they are
in a dream, not sure that this can really be happening, and
wondering if they will wake up in the morning to find the military back in power, or in fact with a leader they have chosen.
The city is quieter than usual, less traffic and crowds, with
people staying home to vote.
Read more of the Egypt 2012 blog for more about the elections, the
extreme traffic in Cairo, and sharing a plane ride with former President Jimmy Carter at http://augsburgegypttrip2012.blogspot.com.
Social Service in a Global Context: Namibia and the U.S.
During July, a group of 25 Master of Social Work (MSW) students
studied in Namibia and South Africa accompanied by Lois Bosch,
professor and MSW program director, and Nancy Rodenborg, associate professor and chair of the Social Work Department. The group
visited social service agencies, hospitals, schools, and other venues.
Auggies abroad in 2012-13
•
30
Augsburg Now
28 students participated in summer programs in Austria,
Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Jamaica, Jordan,
Spain, and the United Kingdom
•
Political and Civic Engagement in Egypt
Political science professor Joe Underhill and Mohamed Sallam,
director of Pan-Afrikan student services at Augsburg, led students
to Egypt in May to study youth movements and social change. The
group visited cultural sites, villages, an ecotourism resort, and a
Bedouin camp, observed the historic presidential election, and
examined ongoing efforts to rebuild the country in the wake of the
2011 revolution. The combined political science and history
course, Political and Civic Engagement in Egypt, was a faculty-led
(including summer 2012)
41 students took part in summer short-term faculty-led programs including programs in Egypt, Germany, and Thailand
•
27 students will study abroad in fall semester
•
6 students will study abroad for the full 2012-13 academic year
Read more posts from the road in the Augsburg Abroad blogs at
www.augsburg.edu/augsburgabroad/blogs.html.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
auggie voices
In a room of her own
In A Room of One’s Own, writer Virginia
Woolf asserts that “a woman must have
money and a room of her own if she is to
write fiction.” This critical feminist essay,
first published in 1929, examines the
obstacles that women writers faced in a literary tradition that was, at the time, dominated by men.
It was in a room of her own, a quiet
space where she could remove herself from
the distractions of college social life, that
Erika Hammerschmidt ’04 began to write
her first book while she was a student at
Augsburg.
A private room is beneficial for students
with Asperger’s syndrome (AS), an autism
spectrum disorder that affects a person’s
ability to socialize and communicate with
others. Students with AS are characterized
by poor social skills and restricted interests,
but they typically possess great knowledge
in specific areas and have extensive vocabularies.
Hammerschmidt was diagnosed with AS
at the age of 11. “In some ways, having
Asperger’s is a gift,” she said. “I have a
good memory and a gift for logical thought.
And I can get very focused.” As a student,
however, Hammerschmidt said she was easily distracted and had trouble concentrating
on schoolwork because of anxiety she felt
about her social life.
Augsburg’s Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services (CLASS) program, one
of the student support resources available
in the Gage Center for Student Success,
helped Hammerschmidt deal with the
social aspects of college. “They helped me
get a single room, a ‘room of my own’ as
Virginia Woolf wrote. It helped me get
started on a lot of projects and stay focused
on them.”
The ability to focus helped Hammerschmidt complete her book, Born on the
Wrong Planet. First published in 2003, it is
a collection of poems, short stories, and
For Erica Hammerschmidt ’04, living with Asperger’s syndrome makes her feel as though she is an alien on Earth,
and she taps into that alienation to create art. In her hands is a language she created. It's tactile, and is made up
of disk and small sculptural objects that are put together to create words and sentences. Her tactile language
offers others a chance to experience and feel how different she feels because the language is intuitive to her, and
completely foreign to others.
“[Augsburg’s CLASS program] helped me get a single dorm,
a ‘room of my own’ as Virginia Woolf wrote. It helped me get
started on a lot of projects and stay focused on them.”
’04
ERIKA HAMMERSCHMIDT
essays using alternating voices to illustrate
the complexities of Hammerschmidt’s life
with Asperger’s. A revised edition was published in 2008 by the Autism Asperger
Publishing Company.
Since graduating from Augsburg, Hammerschmidt has continued writing in the
Minneapolis apartment she shares with her
husband, John Ricker, whom she met at
Augsburg. In 2011, the couple co-authored
Kea’s Flight, a science fiction novel that
Hammerschmidt said is “like [George
Orwell’s] 1984 for autistic people.”
The couple also speaks about living with
autism spectrum diagnoses to special education students, teachers, and parents of
children with autism. In 2005, they were
featured speakers at the Annual Autism
Society of Minnesota Conference.
To learn more about Hammerschmidt
and her work, go to www.erikahammerschmidt.com.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Summer 2012
31
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
t
hank you for the opportunity to serve as
the Alumni Board president. We are
welcoming five new Auggies to the
board (see their biographies below) and are
excited about the ideas and gifts they bring.
This year, we will build on the work that has
already been done by the Alumni Board and
make an effort to reconnect even more alumni to Augsburg.
My experiences as a member of the men’s soccer team keep me
connected to Augsburg. We won the MIAC championship in 1980
and went undefeated that season. Many of my soccer teammates are
still friends to this day. Several of my former teammates attended the
student-alumni networking event held on campus this past February,
and it was great to see them give back by sharing their experiences
with current students.
At the networking event, 60 students met with 50 alumni who
hosted tables for students to ask about specific careers; my table
was for those interested in financial services. I talked with several
students for an hour, and I’ve since met with two of them to personally guide them on their career paths.
You can stay connected to Augsburg by attending one of many
events hosted by the Alumni Board this year, including Homecoming
during the week of September 24 to 29. Read more about the activities scheduled for Homecoming on page 33. You’ll find information
about more upcoming events on the following pages, and we will
continue to update you in the monthly NOW@Augsburg e-newsletter.
Be sure to read it when it comes to your inbox.
I’d like to see you at an event this summer or at Homecoming.
When we meet, I hope you’ll tell me your ideas for staying connected
to Augsburg!
CHRIS ASCHER ’81
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
New Alumni Board Members
Five Auggies were recently elected to three-year terms on the
Augsburg Alumni Board.
Frank Grazzini ’96 helps run TelemetryWeb, Inc., a software startup he co-founded. After earning his degree in accounting, he
worked in finance and now is focused on general business management. Grazzini said he would like to see the alumni connection to
Augsburg begin at commencement.
After graduating, Marie (Eddy) Odenbrett ’01 served Augsburg in
event and classroom services and in advancement services. Now
that Odenbrett works in donor relations at Macalester College in
St. Paul, her desire to stay connected with Augsburg led her to join
the Alumni Board.
Lisa K. Olson ’79 lives in Washington, D.C., and is president and
owner of a business and clinical research consulting firm. Several in
Olson’s family are Augsburg graduates, and her grandfather, Henry P.
Opseth, was head of the Music Department and the first director of
the Augsburg Choir.
Nick Slack ’02 has a degree in business administration and is
currently a manufacturers’ representative for sporting goods companies in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
While at Augsburg, Slack was active in student government and
wrestling. After graduating, he served as an Augsburg wrestling
coach for seven years. He is also a member of the Augsburg Young
32
Augsburg Now
Front Row [L to R]: Holly Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA, Marie Odenbrett ’01, Jill Watson ’10 MBA;
Middle Row [L to R]: Nick Slack ’02, Lisa K. Olson ’79, Kathy Amos ’87, Rob Wagner ’02, Chris
Hallin ’88; Back Row [L to R]: Michael Loney ’03, Heather Cmiel ’02, Tracy Anderson ’95,
Jerry Poland ’92, Chris Ascher ’81
Not pictured: Jennifer Carlson ’91, Sharon Engelland ’87, Sarah Grans ’01, Frank Grazzini
’96, Dan Hickle ’95, LeeAnn Lack ’67, Sharon Mercill ’05, Nancy Nordlund ’91, John Stadler
’07 MAL
Alumni Council.
Jill Watson ’10 MBA is a business analyst for Land O’Lakes.
Watson said she wants to facilitate opportunities to increase alumni
engagement and participation at Augsburg events as well as in the
recruitment process.
If you have ideas for alumni involvement, forward them to the
Alumni Board at alumni@augsburg.edu.
CHERYL D. CROCKETT ’89
Join Us for
homecoming SEPTEMBER 24-29
Whether or not you are celebrating a
reunion this year, Homecoming is a perfect
reason to return to campus to reconnect
with former classmates and enjoy the
Augsburg spirit! Join Augsburg alumni, parents, students, and friends in a fun-filled
week of Homecoming events and activities.
This year marks many milestones for the
College that will be recognized during
Homecoming, including the 25th anniversary
of the Master of Arts in Leadership program,
which will be celebrated following the Sabo
Symposium on Wednesday, September 26,
and the 30th Anniversary of Weekend/Evening
College (WEC), which will be celebrated at
the WEC Alumni Reunion Breakfast on Saturday, September 29.
New events have been added to this
year’s Homecoming schedule, including a
Faculty and Faculty Emeriti Meet and Greet
Reception, an Augsburg Cabaret Reunion and
sing-along on Friday, September 28, and a
Latino/a Alumni Reunion Breakfast on Saturday, September 29.
Homecoming Convocation will start the
weekend off on Friday morning, September
28, when we will recognize the First
Decade, Spirit of Augsburg, and Distinguished Alumni Award winners, as well as
members of the class of 1962. Don’t miss
the opportunity for fellowship and reminiscing at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon
that afternoon or at the 10-year, 25-year, and
30-year reunions at Republic (formerly Preston’s) Friday evening.
Experience the Best of Augsburg on Saturday morning, September 29, when you can
hear a brief lecture from two of Augsburg’s
outstanding faculty members—Darcey
Engen ’88, associate professor and chair of
theater arts, and James Vela-McConnell,
professor of sociology.
Before the football game on Saturday,
enjoy the Taste of Augsburg event with fun for
the whole family, including carnival-style
booths operated by student, parent, and
alumni groups. That afternoon, cheer on the
Auggies at the Homecoming Football Game as
they take on Bethel College.
The Auggie Block Party is back by popular
demand! Following the football game,
gather in the parking lot north of Si Melby
Hall to enjoy food, entertainment, and
camaraderie. It’s a wonderful way to conclude the Homecoming weekend.
Homecoming has something for everyone.
For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.augsburg.edu/homecoming. We
look forward to seeing you in September!
reunion classes
60th Reunion—1952
50th Reunion—1962
40th Reunion—1972
30th Reunion—1982
25th Reunion—1987
10th Reunion—2002
Summer 2012
33
alumni news
Networking at Work
In the past year, the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations partnered with Career Services and the Alumni Board
to host two student-alumni networking events. These events
provide an opportunity for current Augsburg students to
have one-on-one interactions with alumni from a variety of
professions and also allow alumni to share their professional
experience and insight.
Several lasting connections were made at these events,
including one between Janeece Oatman ’05 and Julie Bednark
’13, who met during Homecoming 2011. The two found they
have a shared passion for high-energy, intense projects, and
they connected immediately around their Augsburg experiences. Their conversation sparked a connection that led to a
friendship and an internship opportunity for Bednark with
the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure annual
bike ride, for which Oatman is the director.
Oatman said she feels good about giving back to the College by offering a unique experience for a current Augsburg
student. “Julie was so approachable, smart, worldly, and
willing to work hard,” she said. Following her internship,
Bednark plans to volunteer for the Tour de Cure to maintain
her connection to Oatman and to the American Diabetes
Association.
Chris Ascher ’81 and Dennis Som ’12 met at a networking
event, but their true connection began after Som invited
Ascher to lunch and they discovered a mutual passion for
the world of finance. Som was inspired by Ascher’s character, goal-setting structure, and willingness to be a resource
for current Augsburg students. Now the two connect regularly via email to share personal and professional developments. Both agree that a long-term mentor/mentee
relationship is in the cards.
Oatman and Ascher agreed they would return to participate in future alumni and student networking events to
recapture the sense of gratification and pride that comes
from “Auggies supporting Auggies.”
Make your own connection with a current Auggie at the
next alumni and student networking event that will take
place on Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
SARA SCHLIPP-RIEDEL ’06
Julie Bednark ’13 and Janeece Oatman ’05
Dennis Som ’12 and Chris Ascher ’81
auggies supporting auggies
34
Augsburg Now
s
‘Augsburg Start’ Mentor Program
SHARE YOUR SUCCESS WITH A NEW AUGGIE!
Do you remember your first days as a new Weekend/Evening College
student? Navigating a new campus? Balancing work, life, and family? Learning about resources and success strategies?
Now that you are an Augsburg WEC alum, you can give back to
Augsburg and share your experience and success by becoming a mentor for a new Augsburg WEC student this fall.
Augsburg Start is a mentor outreach program focused on pairing
new Augsburg for Adults/Weekend College students with an
alumna/us mentor who will support them in their first term. Once
paired with a new student, you will be asked to connect with them
in the first week and at least two other times in the term and be
available as a resource for help and support in person, by phone, or
by email. Each mentor/mentee relationship is different, but here
are some ways to be an Augsburg Start mentor:
• share your strategies for success
as an adult student
• encourage the student to connect with their
faculty adviser so they will be ready to register for the next term
• help the student reach out to student support programs
• be sure the student knows how to use Moodle and Augnet
• connect the student with the library and its resources
For more information, visit www.augsburg.edu/alumni/getinvolved
or contact Pat Grans in Alumni Relations at 612-330-1329 or
gransp@augsburg.edu.
BUILDING CONNECTIONS FROM THE
ground up
When Yemissrach (Yemi) Melka ’15 met Guy Wojtowicz ’81 in March,
she had several questions in mind to help her learn about the personal and professional journey of the Augsburg grad. But she was in
for a surprise—one that would bring a unique experience to the
general chemistry students at Augsburg.
During the visit, Wojtowicz told Melka about his family, many of
whom are Auggies, including his son Zach who has completed his
second year at Augsburg. He also talked about his professional
career, describing some of the chemical and agricultural projects
currently underway at the stucco and plastering company that he
founded with his brother in 2006.
The project that took Melka by surprise involves a compound
that can be sprayed on depleted soil to significantly increase its fertility. Wojtowicz said the compound could also be instrumental in
remediating contaminated soil without having to excavate and
remove the soil to a toxic disposal site.
As a chemistry major and an international student from Ethiopia,
where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and soil depletion
has been an issue, Melka was excited about exploring the application of the technology in her home
country. She couldn’t wait to tell
[L to R]: Yemissrach Melka ‘15, Guy Wojtowicz ‘81, assistant professor of chemistry
Vivian Feng
her professor, Vivian Feng, about the chemistry lesson she received
outside of class.
Feng was impressed with the capabilities of the compound and
brought it into a first-year general chemistry classroom for students
to use in the environmental chemistry section of the course. Generally, Feng said, first-year students don’t work with commercial compounds used in the real world, so Melka’s discovery provided a rare,
hands-on learning opportunity for her classmates.
Melka met Wojtowicz through her involvement in IGNITE (Involving Graduates Now In Thoughtful Engagement), a program launched in
2009 with a grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™. Students in IGNITE conduct face-to-face visits with alumni to learn
more about their Augsburg experience and their interest in volunteer opportunities at Augsburg.
If you have an interest in meeting with an IGNITE student representative, contact Pat Grans, volunteer coordinator, at 612-3301329 or gransp@augsburg.edu.
CHERYL D. CROCKETT ‘89
Summer 2012
35
alumni news
save the dates
Saturday, October 13, 1-3 p.m.
FALL FOLIAGE PHOTOGRAPHY AND BOAT TOUR
auggie
IS FLYING SOUTH THIS WINTER!
Join President Paul C. Pribbenow and Augsburg alumni and friends
in Arizona for the following events. To register or for more
information call 612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Saturday, February 16, 2 p.m.
AUGSBURG RECEPTION
At the home of Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson, Sun City
The Anderson home is located two blocks northwest from the
American Lutheran Church in Sun City.
Taylors Falls, Minn.
Augsburg’s resident photographer, Stephen Geffre, will
provide insight into what
makes for a successful photo
and share stories and images
from his “365 Project.” This
unique event will be held on
the St. Croix River aboard
the Taylors Falls Queen
excursion boat of Wild
Mountain/Taylors Falls
Recreation, owned by Amy
Raedtke Frischmon ’92.
Register at www.augsburg.edu/
alumnievents.
Thursday, October 18, Noon CT
AUGSBURG LIVE: STATE OF THE COLLEGE
Hear first-hand from President Paul C. Pribbenow
about the College’s priorities for this academic year
on this hour-long webinar. See images of the campus, hear stories of student successes, and learn
about how the College continues to live out its mission and promise to students and its community. To
register, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
Saturday, February 16, 6 p.m.
RECEPTION AT HEARD MUSEUM
Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
Featuring The Couriers quartet from the Augsburg Centennial Singers
AUGSBURG CENTENNIAL SINGERS: ARIZONA TOUR
Sunday, February 17 - American Lutheran Church, Sun City
Sunday, February 17; 8, 9:15, and 10:45 a.m.
Monday, February 18 - The Church at Litchfield Park,
KING OF GLORY CHURCH SERVICES
Litchfield Park
King of Glory, 2085 East Southern Ave., Tempe
Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow will be the guest preacher
Tuesday, February 19 - Desert Hills Lutheran, Green Valley
Sunday, February 17, 6 p.m.
RECEPTION
At the home of Lute ’56 and Kelly Olson, Tuscon
Featuring The Couriers quartet from the Augsburg Centennial Singers
Thursday, February 21 - Sun Lakes United Methodist
Church, Sun Lakes
Friday, February 22 - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran,
Fountain Hills
Saturday, February 23 - Vista de la Montana Methodist
Church, Tucson
Sunday, February 24 - Gold Canyon United Methodist
Church, Gold Canyon
36
Augsburg Now
62newly published book on sciKen Olson is the author of a
alumni class notes
57lished two books: Daily Walks
Rev. Neal Snider recently pub-
with Saints and Sinners and Walking
Together through the Bible.
ence and religion, Lens to the Natural World: Reflections on Dinosaurs,
Galaxies, and God. In addition to
parish ministry, since 1988 Olson has
been a research associate in paleontology for the Museum of the Rockies
at Montana State University. Olson
and his wife Rochelle (Jerve) Olson
‘63 live in Lewistown, Mont.
head High School in Kalispell, Mont.
Davis was an All-American wrestler
at Augsburg College in 1973.
76called to serve as the senior
Mary (Ronning) Gilthvedt was
70
In May, Jim Fischer was
inducted into the Delaware
Sports Hall of Fame. Fischer has
been the track and cross country
coach at University of Delaware since
1982. He joins the previous 293
inductees enshrined at the Delaware
Sports Museum since 1976.
74gence, a story about “a smart
Scott Seal published Conver-
guy with a mediocre life” that takes
the reader from the frozen snowbanks of Minneapolis to the icy halfpipe snowboard courses of Valles
Marineras on Mars.
Scot Davis, a two-time national
coach of the year and the “All-Time
National Wins Leader” in high
school wrestling, according to
Wrestling USA Magazine, has been
named head wrestling coach at Flat-
pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran
Church in East Grand Forks, Minn.
in July 2011.
83’88, and four other profes-
Luverne Seifert, Darcey Engen
sional performers will debut a new
site-specific production of Anton
Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in
five historical homes in July and
August. The production, which will
travel to Blue Earth, Kenyon, Little
Falls, Taylors Falls, and Worthington,
Minn., will also feature four local
community actors and musicians
from each community.
84a new position as an accountPamela (Schey) Durfee began
ant with Mullinax Concrete Services
in Buffalo, Wyo.
AUGSBURG CELEBRATES
40
Years
OF WOMEN’S ATHLETICS
Courtesy photo
Joyce Pfaff ’65
Lavonne Peterson ’50
auggie SNAPSHOTS
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of
women’s athletics at Augsburg, as well as the
40th anniversary of Title IX, the College will
present two alumnae with the “One of Our Own”
award. On Saturday, November 10, Joyce Pfaff
’65 and Lavonne (Mrs. Pete) Peterson ’50, will
join Ernie Anderson ’37, Edor Nelson ’38, Lute
Olson ’56, and Ed Saugestad ’59 as “One of
Our Own” award recipients for their contributions to Augsburg College and the Athletic
Department. In addition, female athletes from
each decade will be chosen for the All-Decade
Teams to honor and recognize some of
Augsburg’s most outstanding athletes from
the past 40 years.
Save the Date: All athletic alumnae are invited to
join in the celebration on Saturday, November 10!
04Krepela ’04 MAE and her
Bethany (Bierman)
72promoted to the rank of
Kristin L. Rajala was
colonel, Dental Corps, in the
Minnesota Army National
Guard in a ceremony on April
14 at Camp Ripley, Little Falls,
Minn. Rajala is currently
assigned as the officer in
charge of the Dental Section
within the Medical Detachment, Joint Force Headquarters, Minnesota Army National
Guard. Her civilian career is
practicing dentistry in Brainerd and Willmar, Minn.
husband, Jim, welcomed a
daughter, Kaija Joyce, on
August 19, 2011. Bethany
worked at Augsburg from 1998
to 2007 in admissions and in
marketing and communication.
She currently works as a Twin
Cities-based development officer for Luther College.
05Schornstein and Matt
Megan (Ehresmann)
Schornstein ’04 welcomed
Elsie Mae on November 18.
05Nathan Saj welcomed
Ellen (Kvitek) Saj and
baby boy Benjamin James on
March 14.
Jim and Kelly Matthias welcomed baby Adeline Grace
on February 7. Jim is a liaison for computing in the
Information Technology
department at Augsburg.
07recently received her
Katherine Jane Gavin
doctor of medicine degree
from the Medical College of
Wisconsin.
Summer 2012
37
86Teacher of the Year at Trinity High 99celebration of the Girl Scouts
Michael Johnson was named
School in Trinity, N.C. Johnson teaches
theater and is the director of dramatics
at the school.
87vice president of Venture Bank.
In January, at the centennial
of Minnesota, Linda Stuart was honored as a “Woman of Promise” by
the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys.
Brian Brakke was appointed senior
89
Devoney Looser, professor of English at the University of Missouri,
published a video titled The Untidy History of Sisterhood about her research on
Jane Austen, Jane Porter, women’s writings, old age, and roller derby. The
video is available on the SyndicateMizzou website. Looser also directed a
National Endowment for the Humanities
Summer Seminar for College Teachers
on “Jane Austen and Her Contemporaries” this summer.
Charles Skemp (MAE licensure) received
a 2012 Whitney & Elizabeth MacMillan
(WEM) Foundation Outstanding Educator Award for Teacher Achievement in
May. Skemp is a teacher at Henry Sibley
High School in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district.
92coach and founder of Life Illumi-
Jennifer Chou authored a chapter titled,
“Wine Savvy—Business and Social Wine
Smarts” in the book Socially Smart &
Savvy, a book of experts’ secrets for
success.
01tenant by the Minnesota State
Robert Zak was promoted to lieu-
Patrol. Zak is the director of fleet and
asset management and is stationed in
St. Paul.
In May, Mary Grundhoefer (MAE licensure) received the Teacher of Excellence
Award in the Cambridge-Isanti School
District where she teaches English, writing, and media studies.
04ter’s degree in finance from the
Hans Strommen received his mas-
University of St. Thomas. He works for
UnitedHealthcare as a senior financial
analyst.
Sharol Tyra, a professional certified
nation Presentations and Coaching, was
elected to the Minnesota Coaches Association board of directors.
05Stolle was named 2011 Educator
In February, Bethany (Schneck)
93time All-American, Joe Hoialmen,
of the Year by the Lutheran Association
of Christian Educators. Stolle is a senior
developer for youth resources for
Sparkhouse, the ecumenical division of
Augsburg Fortress publishers.
was inducted into the National Wrestling
Coaches Association Division III Hall of
Fame in April.
08math teacher at St. Paul Prepara-
Former Auggie wrestler and three-
95
In June, Hans Skulstad was
named chair of the Hobey Baker
Memorial Award Committee.
Michael Gooding was hired as a medical
assistant with Sun Life Family Health
Center in Sun Lakes, Ariz.
In May, Dan Forseth, science and
tory School in St. Paul, was awarded the
Science House High Flyer Award by the
Science Museum of Minnesota Professional Development Group.
10year of graduate school at Alliant
Leann Vice-Reshel finished her first
e
w
a
Augsburg Women
Engaged Update
AWE believes…
• women have knowledge, experience, and wisdom
to share with the Augsburg community.
• a relationship with Augsburg enriches the lives of
alumnae.
• we can be the catalyst for tapping the potential
of women to connect, learn, and give.
In July 2011, AWE hosted its first Action Team
gathering, presenting opportunities for women to
connect, learn, give, and be actively involved in the
Augsburg community. Since then, more than 150
Auggie women have engaged with Augsburg
through AWE programs and events. The second
AWE Action Team gathering is scheduled for
August 1. Join us to find a project or team that fits
your interests and availability.
AWE is thrilled to thank the 26 women who have
stepped forward to support the future Center for
Science, Business, and Religion. Special thanks to
Roz Nordaune ’77, one of the first women to join
AWE, for her matching gift, which brings the
group’s fundraising total to $50,000. In the second phase of this “AWE-Inspired” effort, AWE will
invite 50 women to join them in raising $100,000
by December 31!
Augsburg welcomes new participants to AWE.
Contact Sherilyn Young at 612-330-1462 or
youngs@augsburg.edu for more information.
CONNECTING. LEARNING. GIVING.
University in San Diego, Calif. She is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology.
The Political History and Landmarks of Namibia and South Africa
Join Augsburg alumni and friends in August 2013 on this 12-day
African tour through Namibia and South Africa’s political past and the
popular tourist attractions and landmarks this history has created.
Learn firsthand about this region’s struggle against apartheid and
discover how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia played
a significant role in the Namibian independence struggle. Tour the
former black and colored townships in Windhoek and Johannesburg, and hear from a cross-section of southern African society.
38
Augsburg Now
This trip is offered in partnership between the Alumni Association and the Center for Global Education (CGE) at Augsburg
College. For 30 years, CGE has provided cross-cultural educational opportunities that foster critical analysis of local and
global conditions so that personal and systemic change takes
place, leading to a more just and sustainable world.
To request more details about the trip, call 612-330-1085
or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
____________________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Dr. Donald F. Holm ’39, Edina, Minn., age 94, on March 9.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Victor “Vic” E. Miller ’42, Edina, Minn., age 92, on December 1.
Andrew “Andy” Balerud ’50, Visalia, Calif., age 84, on February 11.
Jennings I. Thompson ’51, Bloomington, Minn., age 88, on January 18.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Gordon Odegaard ’52, Washington, D.C., age 81, on January 14.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
C. Arthur Shultz ’53, Rancho Cordova, Calif., age 80, on January 9.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Rev. Leroy J. Iseminger ’54, Sioux Falls, S.D., age 80, on March 10.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Lawrence E. Nerheim ’56, Oak Park, Calif., age 76, on January 11.
Conrad E. Fristedt ’58, Alexandria, Minn., age 81, on March 8.
K. Benjamin Skurdal ’59, Williston, N.D., age 78, on March 14.
Roger A. Bevis ’63, Bloomington, Minn., age 70, on January 29.
Joanne Clare Koester ’75, Red Wing, Minn., age 58, on May 12.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Brenda L. (Salberg) Peterson ’75, Brooklyn Park, Minn., age 58, on April 1.
____________________________________________________________
Karen I. Quenroe ’76, Canby, Minn., age 56, on April 30, 2011.
____________________________________________________________
Audrey A. Banks ’89, Minneapolis, age 77, on October 19.
____________________________________________________________
David J. Holland, ’91, Berkeley, Calif., age 43, on January 24.
Jennifer “Jen” M. DeGolier ’99, Minneapolis, age 36, on April 27.
Jennifer “Jenni” L. Buth ’01, Bloomington, Minn., age 35, on March 30.
____________________________________________________________
❑ I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Brian Hartmann ’03, St. Louis Park, Minn., age 50, on May 4.
Summer 2012
39
auggies on the ice
Scoring in science and hockey
Balancing academics and athletics can be
demanding for college student-athletes. For
Brandon Bukowski ’12, a double major in
biology and chemistry with his sights set on
medical school, managing academics and a
hockey schedule was challenging. But
Bukowski shone in the classroom and on the
ice, graduating summa cum laude with honors in biology and leading his team as one of
the top hockey defenders in the conference.
Bukowski came to Augsburg after three
years playing junior hockey with the Tri-City
Storm in Kearney, Neb., and the Fargo-Moorhead Jets in North Dakota. Chris Brown,
Augsburg’s men’s hockey coach, had been in
contact with Bukowski since high school, but
Bukowski was interested in playing for a Division I school. “I never thought Augsburg was
for me, but I was impressed with the hockey
team and the strong science program,” he
said.
Studying biology while playing hockey
required support from his coaches and commitment to time management. “In hockey,
science majors are not common,” Bukowski
said. Some of his courses required 12 hours
of lab work each week, but he said his
coaches always found a way to make his
schedule work. “At Augsburg, the coaches
emphasize that we are students first and athletes second.”
At Augsburg, students interested in pursuing graduate school are encouraged to participate in faculty-led research in order to
prepare them for advanced study. For two
summers, Bukowski conducted research with
biology assistant professor Jennifer BankersFulbright through Augsburg’s office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity
(URGO), which funds 10 to 12 weeks of
summer research for more than 30 students
each year. Bukowski and Bankers-Fulbright
studied a bacterium that is responsible for
substantial mortality in patients with cystic
fibrosis.
40
Augsburg Now
Bankers-Fulbright said she appreciated
Bukowski’s enthusiasm and dedication.
“Brandon has a very strong work ethic and
this, combined with his intellectual curiosity
and drive, made him a valuable part of my
lab,” she said.
Bukowski also participated in Mayo Innovation Scholars, a program involving Mayo
Clinic Ventures and the Minnesota Private
College Council. As a member of a team
including undergraduate science and business majors and an MBA student,
Bukowski researched the efficacy of a
potential product and conducted market
analysis for the product.
His academic skill earned Bukowski Auggie awards as the men’s student-athlete with
the highest grade-point average in 2011
and 2012. On the ice, he was a fouryear letter winner, appearing in 85
career games with 14 assists and
15 points, and the team qualified for the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference postseason
playoffs three times
during his tenure.
Bukowski plans
to apply to medical school
next year and
wants to
become an orthopedic surgeon. For the summer following graduation, he has applied to a
Med Scribe program at Emergency Physicians Professional Association (EPPA) in
which he would shadow a physician and
learn about the medical field by documenting
patient history and observing exams.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
At the annual Auggie Awards, the Augsburg College athletic programs roll out the maroon carpet
to celebrate team and individual successes. For the promotional posters, Augsburg College photographer Stephen Geffre shows student-athletes in formal wear participating in their sport.
To see more of these striking action shots, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
augsburgLEGACY
AN
“Scholarships energize students! Providing scholarships energizes us!”
PHILIP AND JEAN FORMO
Phil and Jean Formo are always excited to meet a student who
has received a scholarship from the Jerome and Winifred
Formo Scholarship or the David J. Formo Scholarship. And
soon, the Formos will be able to meet Augsburg students who
will receive support from the Andreas Helland Scholarship.
Phil comes from an Augsburg legacy family. His parents,
Jerome and Winifred Formo, both graduated in 1937. His
brother, David, graduated in 1964 and served in the U.S. Navy.
And Phil’s grandfather, Andreas Helland, taught at Augsburg
Seminary and College for 35 years.
The Formo scholarships, started in memory of the family’s
loved ones, create a family legacy while ensuring financial
support for future Augsburg students. Jean and Phil have also
provided for an estate gift that will continue to build these
scholarships after their deaths.
Meeting the students who receive scholarships from their
family’s legacy is energizing to Phil and Jean. “Best of all for
us,” Phil said, “these scholarships help us stay vitally connected to Augsburg College and to its students.”
The Augsburg College development team has many creative ways to help
accomplish your Augsburg philanthropic and legacy goals. To learn more,
call 612-330-1575.
www.augsburg.edu/giving
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Commencement 2012
Rebecca Hamlin, the representative for the class of 2012, hugs her son Marlowe Lindberg
before the July 1 commencement ceremony. In her speech to the graduates, Hamlin
shared how students at Fridley Middle School taught her about peace when she taught
them about civic engagement through the Public Achievement program.
To read more about Public Achievement at Fridley Middle School,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
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AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2011
VOL. 74, NO. 1
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Augsburg as a Citizen Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
Travel
What is the Commons? Norwegian Royal Visit
Homecoming
2011 Annual Report to Donors
page
20
go
beyond
notes
f... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2011
VOL. 74, NO. 1
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Augsburg as a Citizen Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
Travel
What is the Commons? Norwegian Royal Visit
Homecoming
2011 Annual Report to Donors
page
20
go
beyond
notes
from President Pribbenow
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
On politics and informed citizens
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
t
he creation of the Sabo Center for Citizenship
and Learning a few years ago allowed us a
wonderful opportunity to celebrate the life and
work of our distinguished alumnus, Martin Olav Sabo
’59, whose life-long commitment to public service is
an inspiration to all of us. As we live out our mission
and vision here at Augsburg, we, of course, are
deeply engaged in helping our students to understand the electoral political process, which
Congressman Sabo so ably served. In addition, our
students are closely involved in local political and
advocacy efforts, in public service internships, in
get-out-the-vote campaigns, and in helping our
many new U.S. neighbors to participate in U.S.
electoral politics.
At the same time, we also are deeply committed
to the ideas and practices of a broader public
claim—a claim that calls on all citizens to “get political”—to follow the call of our Augsburg colleague,
Harry Boyte, director of the Center for Democracy and
Citizenship, who suggests that “Despite its bad reputation, politics is the way people in any setting deal
with differences to get something done. Politics
means creating alliances, negotiating, engaging people around self interests, using levers of change in a
strategic way. Politics is how diverse groups of people
build a future together … Politics is from the Greek
root, politikos, ‘of the citizen.’” As Boyte reminds us,
“For over two thousand years politics meant not parties or vertical relations with the state but rather horizontal engagement among citizens.” In other words,
politics and getting political is the authentic and important work of citizenship, claimed by all of us as
our birthright and moral obligation.
One of my heroines in U.S. history is the great social reformer, Jane Addams, who lived and worked at
Hull-House in Chicago for almost 50 years, helping
her immigrant neighbors to practice citizenship—not
because of a political system but because democracy
is a social ethic, a way of living together in commu-
nity, neighborhood, country, some of us think even,
the world. She described democracy as a “mixed
and thronged road” on which we all are travelers together, navigating our lives together. Surely, Miss Addams illustrated in her own life and work the ways in
which mature citizenship—genuine politics—is
meeting the needs of our neighbors, building
stronger and healthier neighborhoods, finding common purpose and then the will to make it real, and
learning to be what political philosopher and ethicist
Jean Bethke Elshtain has called “chastened patriots,” those who love a cause or community or country but love it in ways that make it stronger, more
responsible, and more faithful to common purpose.
This is politics as common, public work.
The great Illinois senator, Adlai Stevenson, who
ran for president against Dwight Eisenhower in 1952,
was once said to have responded at a whistle stop to
a supporter who shouted out, “All thoughtful Americans are with you, Adlai,” with this great line, “That
won’t be enough.” For those of us committed to the
public and civic roles of higher education, we know
that one of our great challenges is to educate more
informed and thoughtful citizens—work that is a central claim of Augsburg’s mission—and to challenge
our students to help others become the same as they
reclaim a sense that politics is not simply about who
is in power and who is not, not simply about ideology
and partisanship, not simply about winners and losers, but instead that politics is the work we all are
called to do to ensure that our common purposes will
be realized.
Please enjoy the many stories in this issue of
Augsburg Now that illustrate Augsburg’s commitment
to educating informed citizens—a commitment that
has implications for our work on campus, in our
neighborhood, and around the world.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
fall 2011
augsburg now
Features
7
Homecoming 2011
BY CHERYL CROCKETT
11
15
14
augsburg
as a citizen
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
.
13 The Sabo Center
Educating citizens and leaders
14 Course-based service-learning
Learning beyond the classroom
15 The Bonner Leader program
Developing future leaders
16 Community relations
The College as an anchor
3
contents
10
7
On the cover
Banners along Murphy Square, part of the commons Augsburg shares
with the neighborhood, reflect the College’s commitment to service.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
17 What is the commons?
BY JAY WALLJASPER
21
Annual report to donors
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Departments
inside
front
cover
2
6
10
29
35
40
44
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggies on the court
My Auggie experience
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
Auggie voices
Correction: The Summer 2011 issue of Augsburg Now reported that the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council awarded two $10,000 grants to
Augsburg College. The awards were granted to Medieval Minnesota and OverExposure. Both programs work in partnership with the College.
The grant to Medieval Minnesota was funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota
State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. The grant to OverExposure, which worked in
partnership with Centro Youth Workshop and Augsburg, was an Arts Learning Grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
quad
around the
NEWSNOTES
U.S.News & World Report names Augsburg College
a 2011 Best Regional College
This fall, Augsburg was named to the 2011 top 30 “Best Regional
Midwest Universities” by U.S.News & World Report. The ranking is
based on assessment in 16 areas related to academic excellence.
To find out more about the U.S.News & Word Report
ranking, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Augsburg one of six to win Washington Center Higher
Education Civic Engagement Award
For its commitment to public service and community involvement,
Augsburg was selected by The Washington Center for Internships
and Academic Seminars to receive the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award.
The College is one of six higher education institutions in the
nation to receive the honor, which was awarded October 3 at The
Washington Center’s annual luncheon, held at the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C. Last May, the College was also one of six
schools—and the first in Minnesota—to win the Presidential Award
for Community Service, the highest federal honor available for
service learning.
PA students complete a unit on working with older adults by hosting a community
health fair for residents of Augustana Apartments in downtown Minneapolis.
Physician Assistant program is granted accreditation
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician
Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Continued Accreditation to the Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Augsburg College. Continued
accreditation is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Continued Accreditation remains in effect until the program
closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The
approximate date for the next comprehensive review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2018.
The Augsburg program went from a three-year accreditation
cycle to seven—the longest that a program can receive. Dawn
Ludwig, Augsburg PA program director, said, “Obtaining seven
years of accreditation is a welcome reward and recognizes the dedication of the PA faculty and staff who work to make our program
one of the best in the country.”
Board of Regents
MEMBERS ELECTED
At their fall meeting in September, the Augsburg Corporate Governing
Board elected four new members to the Augsburg Board of Regents
and re-elected three members to second terms.
RE-ELECTED REGENTS:
Andra Adolfson, Business Development Director, Adolfson & Peterson
Construction, Inc.
NEW REGENTS:
Karen (Miller) Durant ’81, Vice President and Controller,
Tennant Company
Rolf Jacobson, Associate Professor,
Luther Seminary
Matt Entenza, Founder and Senior Fellow, Minnesota 2020
Bonnie Wallace, Scholarship Director, Fond du Lac Reservation, and
Founder of The Bearheart Women's Foundation
Jeffrey Nodland ’77, President and CEO, KIK Custom Products
Gary Tangwall ’80, Wealth Advisor, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™
2
Augsburg Now
Also appointed to three-year terms on the board, ex officio, are Bishop
Peter Rogness, Saint Paul Area Synod of the ELCA, and Bishop
Harold Usgaard, Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA.
Norwegian royalty
VISIT AUGSBURG
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway visited
Augsburg College during October as part of their first trip to the United
States since 1995. President Paul Pribbenow said the visit was an honor,
particularly given the College’s deep commitment to peacemaking and
global citizenship, and was a chance to provide the royal couple with a
firsthand experience of the deep relationship between Norway and the College. The king and queen attended a worship service with Norwegian students from the region and guests, including the 28 Norwegian students
attending Augsburg this semester through the International Partners program. The king and queen also visited Luther and St. Olaf colleges.
To commemorate this visit, Augsburg installed a peace pole near the
main entrance to the Foss Center. The peace pole celebrates the College’s
Norwegian heritage, its relationship with the country and people of Norway,
and its work with the Norwegian Nobel Institute to support peacemaking
through the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
The Augsburg College peace pole is constructed of stainless steel and
copper, reflecting the College’s
urban setting. Inscribed on two of
the five sides of the peace pole
are statements in Norwegian and
in English: Må fred herske på Jorden and May peace prevail on
Earth.
The other three sides of the
pole display the word “peace” or
an equivalent word, reflecting the
diverse populations that make up
Queen Sonja with Abigail Pribbenow, Maya
Augsburg’s communities in
Pribbenow, and Olivia Szaj, daughter of Vice
Minneapolis and around the world. President and Chief of Staff Chris Szaj.
The MAL Integrated Graduate Studies cohort explores responsible
leadership in downtown Minneapolis.
New graduate program offerings
This year, Augsburg launched new offerings for graduate students in leadership, social work, and business.
INTEGRATED MAL
The first cohort of the Master of Arts in Leadership
(MAL) Integrated Graduate Studies program began
meeting in August. This two-year hybrid program
uses a combination of online and intensive on-campus learning. Students met in August with Professor
Garry Hesser for a one-week intensive session that
included neighborhood excursions and visits with
local business and community leaders, including
Minneapolis city council member Cam Gordon.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
President Paul Pribbenow and his family dedicate a peace pole outside of Foss Center in
honor of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway.
Augsburg also added a certificate in social
entrepreneurship, a program that combines courses
in the master of business administration, social
work, and leadership programs. The curriculum is
designed for students interested in obtaining the
skills and competencies necessary for the entrepreneurial pursuit of social impact, and recognizes the
unique challenges, opportunities, and qualities associated with trying to create social value. For more information about this certificate, go to the Augsburg
MBA website at www.augsburg.edu/mba.
Fall 2011
3
quad
around the
Summer construction on campus
Two capital projects were completed this summer on the
Minneapolis campus: the Gage Center for Student Success on
the link level of Lindell Library, and the creation of new offices
for Undergraduate/Graduate Admissions on the lower level of
Christensen Center.
The Gage Center was made possible through a $900,000 gift
from the Gage Family Foundation and the Carlson Foundation.
This generous gift allows the College to co-locate critical academic student services in a new learning commons at the heart
of campus—further demonstrating Augsburg’s commitment to
equipping all students for success. The Gage Center project involved relocation of a portion of the library collection from the
link level to new, high-density shelving in the lower level of
Lindell Library—a solution that enhances the efficiency of the
College’s existing space in supporting student academic needs.
Also during the summer, improvements were made to the
locker rooms and public spaces in Si Melby Hall. Mortensen Hall,
one of Augsburg’s oldest residence halls, received extensive upgrades to its student living and common spaces, including new
flooring, plumbing and bathroom upgrades, kitchen cabinetry,
shelving, light fixtures, and paint.
To see a slideshow of more construction photos,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
GAGE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE ADMISSIONS OFFICES
4
Augsburg Now
Nobel Prize winners visit Augsburg
developing approaches for sharing our commons sustainably and
equitably. The two-day event explored the concept of the commons (see story, page 17) and included a social gathering in
Murphy Square, Minneapolis’ oldest public park, as well as a
walking tour of the neighborhood and a bike tour of the commons
in Minneapolis.
Festival of the Commons
In early October, Elinor Ostrom, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in
Economics, spoke at Augsburg for the Festival of the Commons. This
event was a joint project of Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, the Center for Democracy and Citizenship,
and On the Commons, a commons movement strategy center that
connects organizations, community leaders, and individuals in
Courtesy photo
2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum (March 1-3)
In a master class held at Augsburg, Elinor Ostrom gives advice to area college students
about commons-related work they are doing on their campuses and in their communities.
This spring, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
and former president of South Africa, F.W.
de Klerk, will keynote the 2012 Nobel
Peace Prize Forum on March 2. The Nobel
Peace Prize Forum is an annual event
that inspires students and other citizens
to become active participants in peacemaking efforts around the world. For
nearly 24 years, it has been the Norwegian Nobel Institute’s only such program or academic affiliation
outside of Norway.
De Klerk, who won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson
Mandela, is known for his work to end apartheid, a systemic policy
of racial segregation. De Klerk supported the transformation of
South Africa into a multiracial democracy and in recent years has
continued his work on peacemaking efforts. Learn more about the
Nobel Peace Prize Forum at www.peaceprizeforum.org.
STUDENTS TAKE ON
interfaith community service challenge
This summer, Augsburg was chosen by the White House and the
U.S. Department of Education to participate in the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. Throughout this academic year, students representing the Muslim Student Association,
Campus Ministry youth ministry teams, ALAS (Allied Latinas/os),
Interfaith Scholars, the Pan-Afrikan Student Union (PASU), the
women’s track and field team, Campus Kitchen, and the Bonner
Leader program will participate in service projects centered on
Somali youth in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
In addition, the Interfaith Scholars program, which began formally
last spring, will explore and develop the roles of students as public
leaders around interfaith literacy and action at Augsburg.
President Paul Pribbenow expressed the importance of the College’s commitment to this initiative. He wrote, “As we consider our
interfaith work, we are convinced that dialogue and service must be
interwoven in all we do. We believe that what we learned through re-
Interfaith Scholars team members: Front [L to R] Halimo Abdulkarim ’13, Mai Yang ’13,
Luis Hernandez ’14, Miriam Medina ’13, Macha Shatonova ’13, Megan Holm ’12. Back
[L to R] Lonna Field, Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning project coordinator; Jorge
Mondragon ’13, Pastor Sonja Hagander. Not pictured: Salma Ahmed ’12, Fardosa Hassan
’13, Griffith Orman ’15.
cent efforts to encourage interfaith dialogue with our neighbors is
something we must do each day. We must seek to live side-by-side,
day-by-day, within our neighborhood. Interfaith living is what we
must—and do—aspire to teach our students.”
Fall 2011
5
auggies on the court
Hard work shapes Auggie Honors student, athlete
Shelby Vogel stands out in the classroom
and on the volleyball court. The Auggie—
a pre-med honors student double majoring
in chemistry and physics—chalks it up to
elbow grease. “I get good grades because I
work hard,” Vogel said. “And I don’t feel
good unless I work hard. I think that same
mindset transferred to sports.”
Although she’s a first-year student, she
earned enough college credits during high
school to enter Augsburg as a sophomore.
Vogel was in the National Honor Society
during high school and received two of
Augsburg’s highest merit-based scholarships—the Regents’ Scholarship and the
Courtland Agre Scholarship, which is
awarded to incoming first-year students with
exceptional academic achievements in science and who meet standards for national
test scores and grade point average.
Professor Larry Crockett, Vogel’s honors
adviser, said that Vogel is setting some of the
agenda for discussions in the Honors Scholar
Citizen class. “She engages well and raises
good questions, which is the heart of the
honors academic enterprise,” Crockett said.
“It’s what I like to call ‘academic jazz.’”
Outside the classroom, Vogel excels on the
court. She is a high school all-conference
and Junior Olympic volleyball player and
was team captain. One of Vogel’s favorite
high school memories was going to the state
championship during her senior year where
she and her teammates beat their rival in
the semifinal round. “It was happy and
sad,” Vogel said. “We all had played to-
6
Augsburg Now
gether since sixth grade, and we beat our rivals in the semifinals. But we lost the
championship to a big school, and it was
our last game as a team.”
Augsburg’s head volleyball coach, Jane
Becker, said she’s had her eye on Vogel since
Vogel was a high school sophomore. “Shelby
brings a maturity to the court that is rare in
any athlete, let alone a first-year athlete,”
Becker said. “Her priority on the court is that
the team succeed. Her work ethic and team
attitude have already earned her the respect
of her teammates and will serve her as she
enters the medical profession. We’re grateful
Shelby is an Auggie on the court and in the
classroom.”
On the court as an Auggie, Vogel hopes to
play at the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Vogel visited a number of private colleges—most of them in rural settings like her
home city of Sheldon, Iowa—before selecting
Augsburg. “I wanted to be in the city. I graduated with 89 people in a town of about
5,000,” Vogel said. “I like it here because
I’m in a big city on a small campus.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
2011
homecoming
HOMECOMING 2011 HAS COME AND GONE,
but it has left lasting memories for the
more than 1,200 Augsburg alumni, students, parents, and friends who participated in the festivities.
Several events during the week
sparked the homecoming spirit. A student/alumni networking reception provided students an edge in
navigating their career paths as they met
with alumni already seasoned in their
professions. Sports enthusiasts reunited
around an alumni baseball game at Parade Stadium. Athletic Hall of Fame
inductees were celebrated and awards presented at a special induction
ceremony. The Eye-Opener Breakfast featuring Brad Hewitt, president and
CEO of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™, provided alumni and friends
time to network and learn about community issues.
Friday and Saturday came alive with a rich pastiche of “remember when”
conversations as reunion classes each gathered to reconnect with one another and the College, including members of the class of 1961 who were inducted into the 50-Year Club. The Friday morning convocation honored six
Auggies, and the celebration continued over a lunch, which featured Martha
Stortz, Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation.
Saturday morning featured the “Best of Augsburg” mini-lectures from
three outstanding professors: Garry Hesser, David Murr, and robert tom. A 5K
Fun Run Saturday drew alumni, students, and friends, all decked out in their
Auggie gear for a morning run through the neighborhood. In the Gage Family
Art Gallery and the Christensen Center Art Gallery, artwork from 23 alumni
was on display, including ceramics, painting, drawing, multi-media, sculpture, photography, book arts, fiber arts, and printmaking.
On Saturday in Murphy Square, more than 30 vendors at the Taste of
Augsburg event served up a variety of inviting vittles. The weekend’s centerpiece was, of course, the football game against St. Olaf, and Auggie
spirit was at a fever pitch. The celebration continued after the game at the
Block Party where more than 600 Auggies gathered to enjoy live music and
more fellowship.
The crowning touch for an already unforgettable week was the Saturday
evening Hognander Music Scholars reunion concert featuring some of
Augsburg’s finest musicians from the past 12 years.
CHERYL CROCKETT
Save the date for Homecoming 2012, September 23 to 29.
To nominate an Augsburg alumnus or alumna for the 2012 Distinguished
Alumni Award, contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at
alumni@augsburg.edu.
Fall 2011
7
2011
homecoming
To see more photos of Homecoming 2011,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
8
Augsburg Now
2011 alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni Awards
First Decade Award
Spirit of Augsburg Awards
Corky Hall ’71
Adam Seed ’01
Arlin Gyberg
Founder and CEO of Stellus Consulting
Vice President, Astra Ventures Inc.
Chemistry Professor, Augsburg College
I didn’t come to college for reading, writing, and arithmetic;
I came for the three
Es: Edor Nelson, Ernie
Anderson, and Ed
Saugestad. But I learned that it’s not
about winning and losing on the field;
it’s how you win, and lose, every day.
Augsburg showed me how to live—how to
win and how to lose—which makes us all
champions in life.
Giving to others, thinking about others,
thinking less about
oneself—this has been
the key to my success.
The less I think about
myself, the happier I am. Augsburg taught
me to manage in life without focusing on
myself. It's given me everything I have
today.
One of the values that
stands out at Augsburg
is the community of
learning experienced
here. What has been
most rewarding [over
the years] are the alumni who stop by to
visit, who are still connected. The strong
alumni support has been important in the
success of the College. I thank you, “family of Augsburg.”
Athletic Hall of Fame
Wayne Jorgenson ’71
Senior Vice President of Investments at
UBS Financial Services
In high school, I knew
I wanted to be a stockbroker—an ethical
one. When you do
what’s right for the
client, they become
more than clients; they become friends.
Whatever you choose to do in life, do
what’s right. In your heart you will know
what that is.
Congratulations to the alumni who have
been inducted into the Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame:
• Mike Burkhardt ’81, men’s hockey/
baseball
• Carrie (Lind) Cabe ’01, women’s track
and field
• Stu Engen ’86, men’s basketball
• Mitch Hegland ’91, wrestling
• Kara (Seibel) Hoard ’96, women’s soccer
• Matt Kretlow ’91, wrestling
• Pat Piepenburg ’69, women’s basketball
Norma Noonan
Professor and former Director of the
Master's of Arts in Leadership,
Augsburg College
After 45 1/2 years at
Augsburg, I still believe it is a special
place to work. The
Augsburg spirit inspires our work and
encourages our success. It nourishes us
daily. The Augsburg community continues
to be a place of learning, discovery, and
collaboration.
• Angie Rieger ’01, women’s hockey/
volleyball
Judith Schaubach ’68
President of Education Minnesota, retired
Education always
seems to be a passion
of mine. I know how
important education
was for me; I learned
so many values here at
Augsburg. Part of my success was being
open to new things. You never know what
door will open for you as you go through
life. Take advantage of those opportunities.
• Don Skoy ’73, football
For biographies and more information about this year’s
alumni award winners, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
homecoming
alumni awards
Fall 2011
9
my
Auggie experience
This is what an Auggie looks like: Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
At first glance, it might seem surprising that
an accomplished physician and educator, one
whose office walls are lined with plaques
highlighting his achievements, would count an
MBA program as one of the most valuable experiences of his career. But give him a few
minutes, and Dr. Amit Ghosh will offer many
reasons why the Augsburg MBA has been a
highlight for him.
As the director of the Mayo Clinic international program, a full professor in the Mayo
College of Medicine, and the recipient of the
2010 Distinguished Mayo Educator award,
Ghosh had established a successful career as
a physician and a diagnostician. “But what I
could never do was see what was going on
add depth to classroom discussions. “We ask
all kinds of questions from all angles, and
without any trouble the professor answers
them.” After class, Ghosh said his professors
often send additional articles and materials to
continue the discussions.
Ghosh also likes the team-based cohort
model and the opportunity to learn from classmates who he said bring valuable and diverse
points of view to the program. “I have learned
so many things about business from the students in my cohort,” he said.
Ghosh appreciates how his
classmates challenge him.
“They have forgotten I am a
physician, and they really
ing an organizational diagnostician. He said
the program has changed not only how he approaches his work as a physician but also how
he teaches at Mayo.
“I teach a whole spectrum of learners from
students to faculty and use the things I have
learned in business school to highlight relevant areas related to service-delivery that I
think are not stressed or are missing from
medical education,” he said.
Ghosh will complete the Augsburg MBA in
“My life journey would not be what it is without the Augsburg MBA
program. It is one of the highlights of my career.”
around me in the business world,” he said.
So in 2009, Ghosh’s colleague, Augsburg
College regent Dr. Paul Mueller ’84, suggested the MBA program. Now Ghosh is learning, through connections with both the faculty
and the students in his Rochester MBA cohort, to become what he calls an “organizational diagnostician.”
“At every point in our lives we define ourselves,” Ghosh said. “I thought in my journey with my career I needed to redefine
myself, and my Augsburg education has
helped me do that.”
An esteemed educator in his own field,
Ghosh holds the Augsburg faculty in high regard and appreciates the rigor of the curriculum. “I work in a world-class institution, and I
can assess quality,” Ghosh said. “The professors at Augsburg are amazing.”
Ghosh said his Augsburg MBA professors
bring real world experience to the classroom,
which is helpful because their experiences
10
Augsburg Now
give me a run for my
money.”
In addition to the faculty
and his fellow students,
Ghosh said Augsburg staff
members have enhanced his
experience. He related a
story about Ron Kurpiers, a
librarian at the Minneapolis
campus, who helped Ghosh with a paper.
Kurpiers took time on a Sunday, while he
was caring for a sick family member, to lead
Ghosh step-by-step through the process of finding articles to write a paper. “He thinks like a
student, but he works like a librarian,” Ghosh
said. “It was as if he were sitting with me.”
Perhaps Kurpiers’ extraordinary dedication
is one reason why Ghosh now says looking at
the library website to find articles is one of his
favorite pastimes.
His Augsburg education has helped Ghosh
grow professionally toward his goal of becom-
March 2012, and though he said he looks forward to finishing, it is clear that he does not
want his Augsburg experience to end. Maybe,
he said, as he matures as a manager, he could
consider becoming a part of the Augsburg
MBA faculty.
Whatever the future holds for Dr. Ghosh, it
is clear that he is proud to call himself an
Auggie. “My life journey would not be what it
is without the Augsburg MBA program. It is
one of the highlights of my career.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
A
T
S
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AUGSBURG COLLEGE EDUCATES STUDENTS
urban
TO BE INFORMED CITIZENS,
THOUGHTFUL
center for
debate
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STEWARDS,
CRITICAL
THINKERS,
AND
community
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relations
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RESPONSIBLE LEADERS.
THE AUGSBURG
EXPERIENCE IS SUPPORTED BY AN
ENGAGED COMMUNITY THAT IS COMMITTED
TO INTENTIONAL
DIVERSITY IN ITS LIFE
league
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WORK. AN AUGSBURG EDUCATION IS
compact
DEFINED BY EXCELLENCE IN THE LIBERAL
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BY
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AND
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OF
THE
leader
LUTHERAN CHURCH, AND SHAPED BY ITS
service
URBAN AND GLOBAL
SETTINGS.
learning
sabo
and
citizenship
high school
mathematics
center
THE MISSION STATEMENT that Augsburg College launched last
year begins with a statement of educational outcomes:
Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens,
thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
There is a reason, President Paul Pribbenow said, that “informed citizens” appears first on that list. “It is a part of our
legacy to equip our students to think of themselves as citizens
in a democracy,” he said. “And this shapes our work through
our statement of vocation: we believe we are called to serve
our neighbor. That is faith, learning, and service linked.”
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
AUGSBURG AS A
citizen
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THE SABO CENTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND LEARNING
Fall 2011
11
SABO CENTER
FOR CITIZENSHIP AND LEARNING
The Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning provides venues for Augsburg students and the community to learn from
local and national civic leaders and connects students with
civic engagement and service-learning opportunities. The
components of the center are highlighted here.
THE SABO PROFESSOR, SABO SENIOR FELLOWS, AND
SABO SCHOLARS uphold Congressman Martin Sabo’s ’59
abiding faith in the role government can play in improving the
lives of citizens. Sociology professor Garry Hesser, the Sabo
Professor for Citizenship and Learning, is aided in his work by
the Sabo Fellows: Senior Fellow for Academic Civic Engagement, Lars Christiansen, associate professor of sociology;
Senior Fellow for Civic Agency, Harry Boyte, director of the
Center for Democracy and Citizenship; Senior Fellow for Leadership and Change, Bill Green, associate professor of history;
and Sabo Center Senior Fellow, Jay Walljasper, editor of
OnTheCommons.org.
The 10 Sabo Scholars collaborate with Congressman Sabo
and Hesser to create opportunities for Augsburg students to
engage more fully in civic and public life. See page 20 for
more about the Sabo Scholars. (See story, page 13.)
THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND CITIZENSHIP collaborates with a variety of partners to promote active citizenship
and public work by people of all ages. The center’s work is
grounded in the belief that a healthy democracy requires
everyone’s participation and that each of us has something to
contribute. The center is involved in projects such as the Jane
Addams School for Democracy, Public Achievement, the
American Commonwealth Project, Twin Cities Teacher Collaborative, and more. (See story, page 13.)
COURSE-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING is an integral part of
an Augsburg College education. More than 35 courses per
year include a service-learning component, bringing students
into the community. The Engaging Minneapolis and Augsburg
Experience curricular requirements reinforce this commitment
to experiential learning. (See story, page 14.)
THE CAMPUS KITCHEN program served 23,000 meals last
year to residents of the community. Campus Kitchen sponsors
a farmers’ market on campus during the growing season, provides growing space in the community garden, and also uses
the garden to teach neighborhood youth.
12
Augsburg Now
THE AUGSBURG BONNER LEADER program provides financial support through work study jobs, leadership development,
and practical skill development for students who are dedicated to integrating community and civic engagement into
their college learning experience. (See story, page 15.)
Through participation in academic competitive debate programs, the MINNESOTA URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE empowers
junior high and high school students in Minneapolis and St.
Paul to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and
their communities.
THE MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS LEAGUE
identifies more than 3,000 Minnesota high school students
with unusual mathematical ability and brings them together
for study, competition, and recognition.
MINNESOTA CAMPUS COMPACT leverages the collective assets of higher education institutions and communities, building partnerships and educating students to develop creative
solutions to pressing public issues. The coalition brings together all types of higher education institutions dedicated to
the civic purposes of higher education. It is also affiliated
with the national Campus Compact network, which includes
more than 1,100 campuses in all 50 states.
As a college in the city, the role of Augsburg’s director of
COMMUNITY RELATIONS is vital to establishing and maintaining quality relationships with community members and organizations. (See story, page 16.)
the
center
EDUCATING CITIZENS AND LEADERS
Perhaps one of Augsburg’s most important
contributors to educating informed citizens
is the Sabo Center for Citizenship and
Learning. Established officially in 2009
and named for Martin Olav Sabo ’59, Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District representative in the U.S. House for 28 years,
the Sabo Center serves to connect the College to the greater community.
The Sabo Center is the College’s hub for
public outreach with Campus Kitchen and
Augsburg Reads as well as with the Minnesota
Urban Debate League, the Minnesota High
School Mathematics League, and Minnesota
Campus Compact.
Also, through community service-learning classes and projects, and programs like
The Sabo Scholars have dinner with Martin and Sylvia Sabo each semester.
Bonner Leader, Sabo Scholars, and the
Center for Democracy and Citizenship
(CDC), the Sabo Center gives voice to the
College’s mission of educating students to
be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards,
critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
And finally, with the support of the Sabo
Center staff and College leadership, the director of community relations fulfills the
center’s third purpose: to ensure
Augsburg’s position in the community.
The fact that Augsburg received the
2010 Presidential Award for Community
Service is due in great part to the programs
and partnerships of the Sabo Center. This
is the highest honor in the annual President’s Higher Education Community Serv-
sabo
sabo
ice Honor Roll, and Augsburg was one of
only six colleges and universities to receive
this distinction.
Harry Boyte, director of the CDC, articulates the role of the Sabo Center as a platform for interaction and relationships
between the campus and the community.
He said, “It’s a way to develop working relationships and engagement and a thematic and philosophical way to address the
mission of the College. The public work at
the Sabo Center allows serious conceptual
thinking about citizenship—being a citizen
is about more than being a ‘good person,’
and this provides the public frame to break
it open and talk about it.”
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD
The Center for Democracy and Citizenship initiated two major projects
this fall to help reinforce the role of higher education in promoting
active citizenship.
THE AMERICAN COMMONWEALTH PROJECT fosters civic learning, public engagement, and stewardship in higher education. The project
is a partnership among the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at
Augsburg College, the U.S. Department of Education, and the White House
Office of Public Engagement. It will deepen connections and relationships
and create policies, initiatives, and practices in public engagement efforts
across higher education.
THE FESTIVAL OF THE COMMONS, co-hosted October 7 and 8 by
At the Festival of the Commons, groups discuss
how the principles of the commons can be used
to address today’s cultural, economic, political,
and social divides.
center for
democracy
and
citizenship
Augsburg College and On The Commons, focused on how society creates,
uses, and manages the commons—things we all share and own together.
The event featured keynote speaker Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Fall 2011
13
course-based
service-learning
LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
The community service-learning component
of the Augsburg curriculum provides significant opportunities for Augsburg students and
faculty to interact with the community and
develop mutually beneficial relationships.
Mary Laurel True, director of servicelearning, emphasized that service-learning
is more than community service; it is part
of the College’s commitment to the community. “This is about sharing our resources in all areas, asking what the
community needs that we can provide,”
she said. “It’s not just the courses, it’s the
institution as a citizen.”
The curricular aspect of service-learning
begins at the summer orientation program for
undergraduate students in the day program.
Throughout their orientation experience,
groups explore the neighborhoods and begin
to learn about opportunities to engage with
and learn from Augsburg’s neighbors.
An Augsburg tradition for more than 15
years, City Service Day gives first-year day
students an opportunity to serve in and
learn about the community through service
projects on the day before fall semester
classes begin. This September, more than
400 students and their faculty leaders contributed 1,200 hours of service at local
schools, community service centers,
churches, and theaters.
Students continue building neighborhood relationships in their first-year seminar called “AugSem.” AugSem groups are
determined by a student’s anticipated
major area of study, so AugSem courses
and service-learning opportunities engage
students in ways that often continue after
their first semester at Augsburg.
Every year, more than 35 service-learning courses include an experiential education component, which involves an average
14
Augsburg Now
of 25 hours of off-campus service-learning
in a semester. More importantly, True
noted, students must reflect on their experiences. “They get credit for their reflection, not the time they spend in the
community,” she said.
One example of how service-learning enhances the educational experience is found
in the Education Department, where a field
service experience is included in all major
methods courses. In fact, education majors
at Augsburg will complete at least 120 hours
of service-learning in different elementary or
secondary classrooms before student teaching, according to Jeanine Gregoire, associate
professor of education.
Augsburg teacher candidates have opportunities to work with schools such as
Seward Montessori and the Cedar-Riverside
Community School. In cooperation with the
classroom teachers, candidates learn how
to build a curriculum to address the needs
of all learners, including many who are
English language learners from the Somali,
Hmong, and Korean communities. “It’s a
great experiential program for them to see
how teaching and learning play out in the
classroom,” Gregoire said.
Gregoire added that some teacher candidates come to Augsburg with little experience in diverse schools, so service-learning
provides a broader perspective on the
classroom. “It takes them out of their comfort zone and forces them to think critically
about the issues affecting the curriculum,”
Gregoire said, “and they get an understanding about the complexities of teaching to
eager, bright students who have a huge
range of abilities.”
Service-learning is an integral part of sociology professor James Vela-McConnell’s
upper-division course on social problem
analysis. Vela-McConnell chooses a social
problem for the class to focus on, and students learn about the issue through traditional research, service in organizations, and
intensive interviews with lay people and
those who work in social service organizations. The goal, Vela-McConnell said, is to
combine all the students’ work into a complete examination of a social problem.
“By doing this as a class project and not
an individual project,” Vela-McConnell said,
“I emphasize that I am not the expert and I
become part of the collective learning experience.” He sees this role as valuable for the
students because it allows professor and students to connect as equals and to work together.
These examples highlight how the learning
experience can be enriched for students
through service and show how Augsburg can
benefit the community by sharing resources.
True noted that many of the organizations involved in service-learning relationships with
Augsburg have a small group of staff, so
Augsburg students provide dedicated volunteer support that helps these organizations
succeed and grow.
“I think what we have going here is thick
and deep and grassroots,” True said. “It’s a
reciprocal relationship with the community.
It’s a long-term commitment.”
To see a video about James Vela-McConnell’s
class, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
service
learning
bonner
leader
DEVELOPING FUTURE LEADERS
the bonner leader
program
The College’s commitment to the community has been extended
through the Bonner Leader program. Now in its fourth year at
Augsburg, the Bonner program connects 40 students to local partners including schools, community centers, churches, and other
nonprofit organizations. Bonner students commit 10 to 12 hours
per week working with the organizations as well as three to five volunteer hours per month.
Kristin Farrell, director of the Bonner Leader program, said she
believes the program affects students in multiple ways. “It
changes the way they see themselves and their communities, and
it changes the way they do academics. They see their education as
a way to make change in the world,” she said.
Bonner students meet as a group with Farrell three times monthly
for training and enrichment, giving them a chance to reflect with their
peers and to make connections to their classes. Through these experiences, Farrell said students uncover their gifts, and this discovery can
lead to new direction in their education or career paths.
’13
ARIANNA GENIS
Working with Urban Ventures creating a leadership
development program for Latino students
“Bonner has taught me the importance of being a part of a community and
going out and really getting to know people. The people I have worked with in my
placements have given me much more than I have to them.”
Because Bonner students often make a long-term commitment to
an organization, Farrell said the partners tend to expect more from
the students than they would from a short-term intern or a volunteer.
This provides opportunities for students to become deeply engaged in
the work of the organization.
Farrell added that the program shapes community leaders who are
sought after by employers. “I think being in the Bonner Leader program gives students a leg up as they leave Augsburg,” she said. “Organizations want people who are knowledgeable about communities.”
“The Bonner program provides a deep level of relationships to
community partners and a very purposeful way of getting students immersed in the community,” Farrell said. It also connects Augsburg
students to a network of more than 10,000 Bonner alumni—students
focused on social justice issues who help connect Augsburg grads to
opportunities beyond college and in communities outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
’12
MALLORY CARSTENS
Assisting with the school social worker and afterschool programs at the FAIR magnet school in
downtown Minneapolis
“I was undecided in my major, and Bonner really helped me grow into what I
consider my vocation. It led me to social work and to a whole new set of values and interests. It really shaped my Augsburg experience.”
’12
CLAIRE BERGREN
A community organizer at the Harrison neighborhood
association in North Minneapolis
“I came to Augsburg thinking I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to help
people in some way. Now I realize that is not the best way for me, but I can help
people through direct interaction with them. I am attracted to doing community
organizing because you are so immersed in the experience and in the communities, and you become part of people’s lives.”
To read about Bonner Leader Andy Rodriguez ’12 or view a
video about the program, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2011
15
community relations
community
relations
THE COLLEGE AS AN ANCHOR
16
Augsburg’s engagement in the community is deepened by its commitment to becoming an “anchor institution”—an organization
that thinks and behaves as a citizen and contributes to community
wealth building and local economies.
The College serves as an anchor institution not only through
service-learning and outreach programs but also through Steve
Peacock, director of community relations. He sees his work as a
complement to other Sabo Center programs, playing the behindthe-scenes role of representing Augsburg and developing relationships with community organizations.
For more than three years, Augsburg has been a member of the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, which is currently
chaired by Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. The partnership, which includes the City of Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and
Pillsbury United Communities, provides a venue for neighborhood issues to be addressed in creative ways.
One example is the road construction on Riverside Avenue,
which began this summer. The members of the partnership saw
this as an opportunity to change the character of the area and provide a welcoming, safe gateway to the neighborhood. Working with
the City of Minneapolis, the partnership advocated for lighting,
new green spaces, and other improvements to the Riverside corridor that would enhance the vitality of the neighborhood.
“As an anchor institution, we have a responsibility to ‘place.’ It
is in our self interest to ensure that the neighborhood is healthy,
vibrant, and safe,” Peacock said. “But we also have a responsibility to strengthen our shared values.”
Part of an anchor institution’s role is to support workforce development within a community. Augsburg has been involved in one
such initiative as a host for the Urban Scrubs Camp, which is presented by HealthForce Minnesota with support from Boston
Scientific.
This one-week camp gives more than 70 inner city high school
students a hands-on opportunity to learn about healthcare careers.
It also helps to educate area youth, addresses the need for workforce development for local hospitals, and strengthens relationships with community partners. In 2011, nearly all of the students
attending received a scholarship to the camp through the CedarRiverside Partnership.
Augsburg also works closely with the Seward and Cedar-Riverside business associations to promote local businesses to the College community. “As a consumer and investor in the community,
we are sensitive to neighborhood businesses and are helping to
strengthen them as much as possible,” Peacock said.
Augsburg Now
In the past, Augsburg marketing courses have developed promotional campaigns for local businesses aimed at students, staff, and
faculty. Last spring, a group of marketing students promoted the
local restaurant, the Wienery, with a “wiener walk.”
This year Cedar-Riverside restaurants, including the recently
opened Afro Deli, participated in the Taste of Augsburg event during Homecoming, and Augsburg will be involved in the “Franklin
Frolic” to support Franklin Avenue businesses in early December.
Because the College has a strong commitment to and sees itself
as part of the community, Peacock finds his work very gratifying.
“Augsburg is a really exciting place to do this kind of work. Building upon strong relationships and taking them to another level improves not only our opportunities but our neighbors’ as well.”
EDUCATING INFORMED
citizens
At the September 2011 Augsburg Corporation meeting, President Paul
Pribbenow described the College’s vision of neighborhood well-being related to
the anchor institution movement. He said, “In major urban areas, higher education institutions have begun to think of themselves differently, not as places
that have all the answers … but in fact places that want to enter into mutual
conversation and mutual benefit for each other, for the sake of the city, for the
sake of the neighborhood.”
Pribbenow makes clear that the College’s role in the community is reciprocal. “We are moving away from a charity model,” he said. “It’s not what we can
do for them but what we can do together.”
In Augsburg’s mission, in its academic programs, in the common life of the
College and its neighbors, and in outreach to the community, Augsburg lives
out its commitment to service. Guided by the work of the Sabo Center, the College will continue its deep and lasting commitment to the community as it educates informed citizens who will build and sustain the communities in which
they live and work.
WHAT IS THE
commons?
AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO US RIGHT NOW?
BY JAY WALLJASPER, Senior Fellow of Augsburg’s
Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning
Editor's Note: On October 7 and 8, the Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning hosted a “Festival of the Commons” in partnership
with On the Commons, a commons movement strategy center. This article, written by Jay Walljasper, editor of OnTheCommons.org
and senior fellow of the Sabo Center, provides an explanation and examples of the concept of the commons in our world today.
It’s an old idea—the chief organizing principle for human society for most of history—that’s now being rediscovered and
reinvigorated all around the world.
The commons means what belongs to all
of us—and the many diverse ways we share
it equitably and sustainably among each
other and coming generations. It describes
a sweeping set of practices that range from
the intricate social structures of indigenous
people to the ever-evolving networks of
connection fostered by the Internet. And
everything in between—natural and
human-made.
The commons is essential to our survival
and happiness, touching our lives all day
long—from the water with which we brush
our teeth in the morning to the fairy tales
we tell children at bedtime.
The natural commons makes life itself
possible thanks to air, water, biodiversity,
and DNA. The cultural commons makes
human civilization possible through the
sharing of knowledge, language, inventions,
stories, and art. The social commons
makes our modern way of life possible
through educational institutions, medical
expertise, engineering know-how, and communication tools. Even the market economy depends on the commons for the
natural resources and human capital that
drive its profits, as well as the legal and
regulatory systems without which it would
fall apart.
Unfortunately, the commons today is
under assault. The natural environment
continues to suffer devastation, including
the specter of global climate disruption.
Privatization policies fence us out of resources that once could be used by everyone, and budget-squeezed governments
and civic institutions scale back on services upon which we depend. Meanwhile,
many people are convinced their security
and well being depend entirely on what
they can possess individually, to the detriment of the common good.
But the good news is that people everywhere are standing up to protect and promote what we all share. Some, inspired by
the work of Nobel Prize winner Elinor
Ostrom (who visited Augsburg this fall; see
page 5), are launching a movement to draw
attention to all the ways that the spirit and
practice of the commons can help solve the
pressing problems of our time, including
economic inequity, environmental decline,
Fall 2011
17
social isolation, and political alienation.
Many others are not familiar with the
term at all but continue to roll up their
sleeves to do crucial work in their communities, guided by their instincts for the
common good. They are commoners, too.
At this tumultuous moment in history,
the commons provides us with a compelling vision of a society where “we” matters as much as “me.”
THE WEALTH ALL AROUND US
Examples of the commons in our daily lives
• Air and water
• Parks, libraries, streets, and sidewalks
• Social Security, the National Weather
Service, police protection, and other
public services
• Wilderness preserves and national forests
• Wikipedia and open source initiatives
• Musical styles, dance steps, and fashion
trends
• Biodiversity
• The Hebrew Bible, New Testament,
Koran, Zen Koans, Hindu Upanishads,
Norse sagas, and indigenous tales of
creation
• Blood banks, soup kitchens, 12-step
groups, museums, and other civic efforts
• Oceans, Antarctica, and outer space
GOOD NEWS ABOUT YOUR
NET WORTH
We are all co-owners of some very
valuable assets
Let me offer some good news about the
state of your wealth. Sure, real estate values
and the stock market look shaky these days,
and no one’s job appears safe anymore. But
what you possess individually accounts for
only part of your true net worth. Each of us
also owns a stake in some extremely valu-
18
Augsburg Now
able assets: clean air, fresh water, national
parks, the internet, civic institutions, cultural traditions, and more.
Just like personal property, these things
enhance our lives in countless ways—roads
we travel, public spaces where we gather,
medical and scientific breakthroughs we
take advantage of, and accumulated
human knowledge we use for free many
times each day. In fact, without these commonly held resources, our modern society
and market economy would never have gotten off the ground.
When the economy appeared to be
booming, many of us didn’t care about the
commons; it hardly seemed to matter that
the local recreation center was in disrepair
and Social Security in trouble. Private
health clubs and IRAs would meet those
needs. But today, Americans are increasingly grateful for services and opportunities
provided for us beyond profit-making
ventures.
But the news about our common wealth
is not all good. It faces major threats. The
financial crisis has created new pressures
for federal, state, and local governments to
slash critical services and programs that we
depend on. Transit, public schools, libraries, medical assistance, social services,
and parks have been on the chopping block
in many communities.
Fortunately, there’s a new movement of
“commoners” from all walks of life who are
standing up to protect things that we all
share. More than just an activist cause, the
commons is becoming a model for thinking
differently about how we make decisions,
manage resources, and think about responsibilities.
BUSINESS BASED ON WHAT
WE SHARE
Latino entrepreneur—and Augsburg grad—
returns to his roots with a local food project
“Common sense” is a term entrepreneur
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin ’03, uses with
ever increasing enthusiasm to describe the
local food initiative he is creating with immigrant Latino farmers in Minnesota.
“I come from the commons,” said
Haslett-Marroquin, who grew up in
Guatemala, where his family still farms
communal lands. “And I am going back to
the commons.”
Haslett-Marroquin, who graduated from
Augsburg with a degree in business administration, is the co-founder of the fair trade
Peace Coffee Company. In 2006, he
founded the Rural Enterprise Center in
Northfield, Minn., which, like many Midwestern communities, has attracted growing numbers of Latin American immigrants.
In times of economic stagnation, many
people worry that immigrants are taking
jobs needed by native-born Americans.
These fears are especially keen in small
towns, where the impact of the continuing
economic crisis hits hard. HaslettMarroquin, however, sees an opportunity
that can benefit both immigrants and the
community as a whole.
He noticed that many people around
Northfield were eager to eat more locally
raised, healthy food but were unable to afford it or sometimes even find it. At the
same time, he saw that Latino immigrants
had lifelong experience as sustainable
farmers but lacked the financial means to
take up farming. The solution was obvious.
Find a way to get Latino farmers back on
the land and connect them with consumers
seeking wholesome food. This is exactly
what Haslett-Marroquin did in launching a
free-range poultry cooperative, market garden, and family farmer training program,
all designed to put good food on local dinner tables and income into the pockets of
family farmers.
“Agripreneurship” is how HaslettMarroquin described this effort to revive
family farming for local markets by taking
advantage of immigrants’ first hand knowledge of small-scale sustainable agriculture
practices. “Commons sense,” he said, is
another word for what he and his colleagues are doing.
This small-farmer training center and
coop is a shining example of an emerging
co-op idea known as commons-based development—a strategy that strengthens the
commons by making sure that economic
expansion projects help the community as
a whole.
While commons work is often seen as an
activist or community cause more than a
business model, Hasslett-Marroquin’s projects embody fundamental commons principles: a commitment to future generations,
a focus on sustaining the earth, and a
means of providing a benefit to everyone.
As Haslett-Marroquin said, “The commons is a very straightforward commonsense approach to creating systems that
sustain society and sustain life on the
planet.”
COOPERATION IS NO TRAGEDY
First woman to win Nobel Prize in Economics
proves that common ownership does not
inevitably lead to ruin
izenship and Learning) has documented
how communities around the world equitably and sustainably manage common resources such as grazing lands, forests,
irrigation waters, and fisheries over the
long term.
A classic example is her field research in
a Swiss village where farmers tend private
plots for crops but share a communal
meadow to graze their cows. While this
would appear a perfect model to prove the
tragedy-of-the-commons theory, Ostrom
discovered that in reality there were no
problems with overgrazing. That is because
of a common agreement among villagers
that no one is allowed to graze more cows
on the meadow than they can care for over
the winter—a rule that dates back to 1517.
Ostrom has documented similar effective
examples of “governing the commons” in
her research in Kenya, Guatemala, Nepal,
Turkey, and Los Angeles.
YOU MAY ALREADY BE A COMMONER
Many people view the commons as a
tragedy rather than a fresh new worldview
to help us move toward greater economic
fairness, environmental harmony, and democratic participation.
This notion was popularized by wildlife
biologist Garrett Hardin in a 1968 essay in
Science magazine, “The Tragedy of the
Commons,” in which he described how
people who share common resources will
inevitably degrade them. Although Hardin
later qualified his theory as applying only
in specific situations, the phrase is still
widely invoked to argue that privatized
property is the only practical method for
managing land, resources, or other valuable
assets. The message is clear: Any kind of
cooperative ownership will lead to ruin.
But that blanket assertion was debunked
two years ago when Indiana University political scientist Elinor Ostrom won the
Nobel Prize in Economics. Through the
decades, Ostrom (who spoke at Augsburg
in October as part of a Festival of the Commons, organized by the Sabo Center for Cit-
Ten ways to find out
You may be a commoner if you:
1. Question the prevailing myth that all
problems have private, individualized solutions.
2. Notice how many of life’s pleasures exist
outside the money economy—gardening,
fishing, conversing, playing music, playing ball, praying, watching sunsets.
3. Take time to appreciate and enjoy what
the commons offers. (As the visionary
Brazilian educator Paulo Freire once declared during an Augsburg College visit,
“We are bigger than our schedules.”)
4. Keep in mind that security and satisfaction are more easily acquired from family
and friends than from money.
5. Offer a warm smile or greeting to people
you pass. The commons begins with connecting, even in brief, spontaneous ways.
as if you own them (which, actually, you
do). Tidy things up. Report problems, or
repair things yourself. Initiate improvement campaigns.
7. Are interested in exploring ways that
things you now pay for could be acquired
in more cooperative ways—checking out
DVDs at the library, perhaps, or quitting
the health club and forming a morning
jogging club.
8. Watch where your money goes. How do
the stores, companies, and financial institutions you use help or harm the commons? This includes their impact on the
environment and on poor communities
around the world.
9. Share your knowledge ideas with online
commons such as Wikipedia, online
communities open-education projects,
and open-access journals. Or you could
form your own online community around
what matters to you.
10. Think of yourself as a commoner and
share your enthusiasm. Raise the subject
in conversation, around the neighborhood and at work. Stand up against
threats to the commons in your community and around the world. Speak out in
favor of opportunities to expand the
commons.
These articles are updated from All That We
Share: A Field Guide to the Commons (The
New Press, 2011) and a flyer handed out at
the Festival of the Commons on the
Augsburg College campus October 7 and 8.
Jay Walljasper, former editor of Utne
Reader, is author/editor of All That We
Share and editor of www.OnThe
Commons.org. On The Commons, a commons movement strategy center, co-sponsored the Festival of the Commons at
Augsburg. Walljasper was recently named a
Senior Fellow of Augsburg’s Sabo Center
for Citizenship and Learning.
6. Treat common spaces in your community
Fall 2011
19
it takes an
Auggie
A continuing legacy of
public service
It is hard to imagine a career more dedicated to
public service and civic engagement than that of
Martin Sabo ’59. One year after graduating from
Augsburg College, Sabo was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. More than 45
years later, he retired from a distinguished 28year career in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During that time, Sabo also served for 12 years as
a regent for the College, was named an Augsburg
Distinguished Alumnus, and received the first
2011-12 SABO SCHOLARS
honorary degree, a Doctor of Humane Letters
Front Row [L to R]: Rachael Okerlund ’12, Angela Bonfiglio ’13, Katherine DeKrey ’12, Sylvia Sabo, Martin Sabo ’59,
(Honoris Causa), conferred by the College.
Katie Radford ’12; Back Row [L to R]: Adam Spanier ’12, Rachel Svanoe ’13, Eli Grobel ’12, Claire Bergren ’12, Sabo
Today, Martin and his wife, Sylvia Sabo—parProfessor Garry Hesser, Arianna Genis ’13, Andrew Rodriguez ’13.
ents of Auggies Karin Mantor ’86 and Julie Sabo
’90—continue their public service work by supportpublic service. By engaging these students in conversation about
ing the Augsburg College Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, public service, the Sabo Scholars program carries forward the
the Sabo Scholars program, and the annual Sabo Symposium.
Sabos’ abiding faith in the role that government can play in imAs the stories on the previous pages show, the Sabo Center enproving the lives of citizens.
compasses a wide-ranging set of programs that include the ColThe Sabo Center also annually convenes the Sabo Public Policy
lege’s civic engagement, community-based involvement, and
Symposium. Last year’s event was “2010 Healthcare Reform: What
service-learning programs. Through the work of the center,
Will It Mean for You (and The Nation)?” This year, in place of the
Augsburg has earned national recognition as a college with a
public policy symposium, the Sabo Center hosted the Festival of
strong commitment to education for service.
the Commons, featuring 2009 Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom, disIn addition, each year the Sabos, along with Sabo Professor
cussing how society creates, uses, and manages “the commons”—
Garry Hesser, work directly with 10 Augsburg juniors and seniors
things we all share (see story, page 5).
chosen as Sabo Scholars for their interest in and commitment to
Through these programs, supported by the generous gifts and
engagement in the political process, public policy, or careers in
engagement of the Sabos and others,
Augsburg creates opportunities for
civic experiences and skill-building—
inside and outside the classroom—for
students, faculty, staff, alumni, and
community members—and carries on
the Sabos’ and the College’s important commitment to public service.
REBECCA JOHN
The 2011-12 Sabo Scholars kick off the academic year
with conversation and dinner at the home of Sylvia
and Martin Sabo. The Sabo Scholars meet monthly with
Representative Sabo, Sabo Professor Garry Hesser,
local alumni, and other leaders engaged in public
service, policy-related work, and the political process.
20
Augsburg Now
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
2010-2011
Fall 2011
21
DEAR FRIENDS,
It is no accident that the first four words of our mission statement are,
“Augsburg College educates students...” I put the emphasis on the word “educates” because our academic program is at the heart of what we do as a college. The quality of that program—its innovative core curriculum rooted in
vocational exploration, its focus on interdisciplinary inquiry, its commitment to
student learning, its excellence and national recognition in several different
disciplines—has been deeply influenced by private philanthropic support over
the years, and this year is no exception.
In fiscal year 2011, the College received nearly $9.3 million dollars in external financial support. Daily, we are reminded of this generous philanthropic
investment on our campus: the buildings that house our academic programs,
our offices, and our students; our ability to entice academically gifted students to enroll, to aid students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a college education, and to support students who show intellectual promise but may be lacking social
or personal support structures that ensure success; and the talented faculty and staff who teach and guide the next generation of leaders.
But this philanthropy—your philanthropy—has not only paid for buildings, scholarships, salaries, and resources; it has
also advanced and continues to enhance and grow the quality of teaching and learning at Augsburg.
• The impact of your gifts is realized in the remarkable number of students undertaking annual research projects that are
funded through the Sundquist Science Scholars program, the Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunities
(URGO) office, and the McNair Scholars program, among others.
• It is exemplified in our robust Honors program that challenges students to think critically and perform to the very best of
their abilities.
• It is illustrated by the national recognition for Augsburg’s notable achievement of embedding service learning into our core
curriculum and by the recognition of our graduates who successfully compete for the highest international academic honors and awards such as the Fulbright, Gilman, Goldwater, Rhodes, Rossing, Rotary, and Udall scholarships.
• It is embodied in the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work, which guides and supports students as they
seek to discern their vocations and in the Gage Center for Student Success, the College’s newest learning commons, which
houses critical academic enrichment services in Lindell Library, at the heart of campus.
The long and meaningful history of private investment in Augsburg makes a difference not only in resources but also in the
quality of outcomes of our academic program. Our generous donors matter, your gifts matter, and we are grateful and humbled every day because you have been willing to translate your commitment to education, your love for this place, and your
belief in our mission into financial support for our work. We believe that philanthropy is a place where your values and passions intersect—it is part of your vocation—and we celebrate the fact that you have found Augsburg a worthy recipient of
your generosity and partner in your vocational journey. Thank you.
Sincerely,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRESIDENT
22
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
2010-2011 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
3%
Other sources
2011 Endowment Market Value
May 31, 2011
$33,268,034
4%
Government
grants
9%
Private gifts
and grants
11%
Room and board
As of May 31, 2011, we have annual realized and unrealized gains of 17.01%
on our endowment. Our five-year average annual return on the endowment is
3.44%, and the 10-year average annual return is 3.08%. We are committed to
maintaining the value of principal gifts and to provide support to the College in
perpetuity.
73%
$33.3
$32.4 $31.5
Tuition
$25.4
$28.2
$27.2 $27.8
$24.5
$22.7 $22.9
2%
Where the Money Goes
Student salary
4%
Debt service
3%
Equipment
and capital
improvement
44%
Salary and benefits
3%
Utilities
24%
2002
Financial aid
2003
2004
20%
2007
2008
“
WHY I GIVE
“
I had such a wonderful education at Augsburg, and I
think my whole philosophy of life and giving was developed here and in my family. I have given since I graduated … and I continue, I suppose, because I see the
ongoing mission of education to serve others, and
what I am most thrilled about these years is that
Augsburg welcomes everyone…. I’m proud of the
strides in everything from community service to Rhodes
Scholars to you name it.
We’re just getting better and better,
and more diverse and wonderful.
Leann Hanson Lake ’67
2006
2009
2010
2011
Endowment Assets (in millions)
June 1, 2002 – May 31, 2011
Other
“
2005
”
I give to Augsburg because somebody else had given
before me and that allowed me to attend a four-year
private school that met all the needs I had. Hopefully
my giving will do the same for another student.
Marie Odenbrett ’01
”
“It’s our conviction, Kathy’s and mine, that God gives gifts that they might be
used in the world. We started giving to Augsburg when we were seniors in
Augsburg … way back in 1976. Augsburg has grown; we have seen it over
the decades just become a better and better school, and we’re happy to be a
part of that so that more and more people might be educated under the auspices of the church … that they might be better servants of the world.”
Norman Wahl ’76, Kathy (Anderson) Wahl ’76
To hear more Auggies tell why they give,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2011
23
s
e
i
g
augANGING
ARE CH E WORLD
TH
AUGSBURG RECOGNIZES DONORS
with event series
This summer Augsburg launched a new event series to recognize
contributions at all levels and methods of giving. The series began
in August with the Celebration of Philanthropy to recognize a broad
range of annual, lifetime, and deferred gift donors. At this evening
of activity and fellowship, guests had their photo taken with Auggie
Eagle, shared why they support Augsburg in a video booth and on a
large display board, and met student researchers. The evening
ended with dessert and discussion and the presentation of a video
showing how Auggies and donors are changing the world.
The series continued with a September boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka for recent alumni donors to The Augsburg Fund. Upcoming
events include a holiday dinner and Advent Vespers service in December for the College’s leadership and major gift donors, the annual Scholarship Donor Brunch for benefactors in April, and a class
party for the winners of the 2012 student philanthropy competition.
Individual invitations will be sent closer to the events.
To see the video featured at the Celebration of Philanthropy,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
celebration of
philanthropy
24
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
LIFETIME GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College, living and deceased, who have generously given a minimum of $100,000,
including planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
Anonymous (6)
Geoffrey ’89 and Kelly Gage
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Helen and Ernest† Alne
Richard ’96 and Britt Gage
James Lindell Sr. ’46†
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Scott and Gina Gage
Susan Scott ’97 Lindquist and David Lindquist
Catherine and Charles Anderson
General Mills Foundation
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Martha Gisselquist ’86
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Oscar† ’38 and Leola† Anderson
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
Marie and Larry McNeff
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Gerard and Anne Meistrell
Leona Radman Antholz ’41†
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Hoyt ’39† and Lucille Messerer
Clarette† ’29 and Luther† ’29 Arnold
Phillip ’55† and Lynne Mueller Gronseth
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Earl and Doris Bakken
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Guarani Foundation
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Marlys Backlund ’54 Morland and Robert† Morland
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
James and Kathleen Haglund
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Dale ’60 and Carolyn Hanka
William and Stephanie Naegele
Barbara and Zane Birky
Hunt and Diane Harris
George ’68 and Tamra Nelson
Carl Blegen†
Hearst Foundation
Ida Nelson†
Roy ’50 and Ardis Bogen
Loren Henderson†
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Joyce and John† Boss
Donald Hennings
Clifford and Martha Nylander†
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Robert Odegard ’51†
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
Orville ’36† and Gertrude Lund ’36† Hognander
R. Luther Olson ’56
Bush Foundation
O. C. Hognander, Jr.
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
Carlson Companies
Donald ’39 and Phyllis Holm
John and Norma Paulson
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
Allen and Jean Housh
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Judith Christensen
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Richard Pautz ’37†
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Robert Hoversten
George† and Elizabeth† Pennock
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Lester Hoversten†
Glen Person ’47
Oliver Dahl ’45
Huss Foundation
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Michael ’86 and Dorothy Darling
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Addison and Cynthia Piper
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
David Piper
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Kinney Johnson ’65
Harry and Mary Piper
Tracy Elftmann ’81
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Raymond Erickson ’50†
Bruce and Maren Kleven
Alan Rice
Malcolm† and Maybelle† Estrem
David and Barbara Kleven
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
E. Milton ’46 and Dorothy Lisjing ’47† Kleven
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Ward ’74 and Catherine Schendel
Jerome ’37† and Winifred Helland ’37† Formo
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Jerry and Jean Foss
Roy† and Eleanor† Krohn
James and Eva Seed
Julian Foss ’30†
Harriett Kurek†
Rodney Sill ’82
William and Anne Frame
Dean ’62 and Barbara Beglinger ’63 Larson
John and Martha Singleton
Paul† ’42 and Maxine† Fridlund
Diane and Philip Larson
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Barbara and Edwin Gage
George ’61 and Mary Larson
David Soli ’81
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
25
Paul† and Lorene† Steen
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Robert Wagner ’02
Genevieve Stelberg†
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
Scott Weber ’79
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen and
P. Dawn Heil ’78 Taylor and Jack Taylor†
Larry Wefring
Teagle Foundation
Robert Wick ’81
Conrad Sunde ’15†
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Elsie Wildung†
Leland and Louise Sundet
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
Dean ’81 and Amy Norman Sundquist
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Lisa Zeller ’81 and Glenn Fuller
Helen Sverdrup†
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Johan Sverdrup†
Andrew Urness†
Clair Strommen ’46†
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2010 TO MAY 31, 2011
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who made annual gifts of $1,000 or more in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Founders Society ($100,000 and above)
Alvin John and Ruth Huss
Anonymous (1)
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Cynthia Landowski ’81 Jones and Rick Jones
Barbara and Edwin Gage
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Craig Jones
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Dean ’81 and Amy Norman Sundquist
Douglas and Norma Madsen
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Regents’ Fellows ($50,000 - $99,999)
Marie and Larry McNeff
Marilyn McIver
Helen Alne
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Rick and Jean Mofsen
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Jeffrey ’77 and Becky Bjella ’79 Nodland
Alan Rice
Lisa Novotny ’80 and Mark Flaten
Vance and Darin Opperman
Paul Pribbenow and Abigail Crampton Pribbenow
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Regents’ Society ($25,000 - $49,999)
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Karl D. Puterbaugh ’52
Aaron Assad ’10
Philip Rowberg ’41
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Alfred Assad
Joseph and Lynn Schmitt
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
James and Eva Seed
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
James Lindell ’46†
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Philip Jr. and Margaret Rowberg
Christopher McIver
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Donald ’53 and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Jean Taylor 1985 and Roger Griffith ’84
Marilee Alne ’65 Schroeder and William Schroeder
John and Norma Paulson
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Rodney and Theresa Schott
Robert Wick ’81
Michael and Pamela Sime
John Schwartz ’67
John and Eleanor Yackel
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
26
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
President’s Executive Cabinet
($10,000 - $24,999)
President's Council ($5,000 - $9,999)
Peter and Linda Vogt
Andra Adolfson
Anonymous (1)
Renata Winsor
Daniel 1965 and Alice Anderson
Deloris Anderson ’56
Frank ’50† and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
President’s Society ($2,500 - $4,999)
Carla Asleson ’91
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
Anonymous (2)
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden and Paul ’63 Batalden
Scott Anderson ’96
Matthew Entenza and Lois Quam
Judith Christensen
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Larry Cole 1966
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Richard ’72 and Tamara Ekstrand
C. Lee Clarke
James and Kathleen Haglund
Susan Engeleiter
Liv Dahl
Hunt and Diane Harris
John ’82 and Joan Moline 1983 Evans
Grant Dasher
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Leola Dyrud ’61 Furman
Karen ’81 and Charles Durant
Augsburg Now
Tyler Uccellini
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Ronald Engebretsen
Thomas Anderson ’72
Mark and Margie Eustis
Jamie Fragola
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Jennifer and Dean Eyler
Anthony ’85 and Traci Genia
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Barbara Farley
Roger ’61 and Barbara Milne ’60 Gordon
Orvella Anderson
Duncan Flann ’55
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Dawn Formo
Gaylord (Corky) ’71 and Lori Hall
Ann and Kenneth Ashton-Piper
William and Anne Frame
Lisa Svac ’85 Hawks
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
Robert Frantz and Janell Grazzini Frantz
Bruce Holcomb ’90 and Caroline Vernon
John Berg ’59
Andrew Fried ’93
Allen and Jean Housh
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
JoAnne Digree ’68 Fritz and Barry Fritz
J. Vernon ’47 and Irene Jensen
John and Lorelei Bergman
Barbara and Frederick Gaiser
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Buffie Blesi ’90 and John Burns
Ann Garvey
Carol Jones
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Florence Helland ’54 Borman and Dennes Borman
John and Carolyn Goddard
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Andre Lewis ’73 and Kathleen McCartin
Louis Branca
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Robert ’71 and Cheryl Lindroos ’72 Martin
Marilyn Saure ’61 Breckenridge and Tom
Tim ’80 and Gail Gordon
Christopher ’00 and Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod
Breckenridge
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormley
Deidre Durand ’88 and Bruce Middleton
Paul ’55 and Rosalind Britton
Amy Gort
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Michael Brock
Charles Gould ’76 and Gayle Kvenvold
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Adam Buhr ’98 and Laura Pejsa ’98
Charles and Barbara Green
Beverly Omdahl ’55 Nelson
Michael ’81 and Sheryl Burkhardt
Sharlene and Gordon Griebenow
Richard and Janet Neville
Marion Buska ’46
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Norma Noonan
Timothy and Frances Campbell
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51 Halverson
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Norman and Janet Carpenter
Betty Johnson ’58 Haas
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Carrie and Peter ’02 Carroll
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Carol Johnson ’60 Casperson
Mark Hebert ’74
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Robert Clayman and Carol Miller
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Arne and Ellen Sovik
Margaret Clyde
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Joseph Cook ’89
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Mark and Kathryn Weber
Walter and Janet Cooper
Paul Holmquist ’79
Jeremy Wells
Robert and Mary Crosby
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
David and Susan White
Pamela Herzan ’81 Crowell and Dring Crowell
Ethel Holt
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Elizabeth Horton
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Christopher and Britt Dougall
Phoebe Hough
Anonymous (1)
Greg ’88 and Mary Duckson
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Douglas and Linda Lundeen ’74 Dunn
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Phyllis Acker ’61
Julie Edstrom ’90
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
James Agre ’72
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Philip ’71 and Patricia Hoversten
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65
Thomas ’72 and Karen Howe
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Thomas and LaDonna Hoy
Misti Allen Binsfeld ’93
Avis Ellingrod
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Tammy Huddle-McGee and Mike McGee
Beverly Almquist
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Rebecca Beito ’67 Huseby and Ed Huseby ’66
Bruce ’60 Amundson and Joann Eliason ’62
Dennis ’64 and Mary Lou Ervin ’64 Erickson
Richard Huston
President’s Associates ($1,000 - $2,499)
Stephen Erickson ’68 and Marilyn McKnight ’67
Brandon Hutchinson ’99
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Amundson
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
Deborah Hutterer ’99 and Gary Erickson
Leif Anderson
Duane Esterly ’75
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Sheila ’05 and Lee Anderson
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
Arvild Jacobson ’51
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
27
28
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Allan Nelson
John ’62 and Ruth Sather ’63 Sorenson
Rebecca John
Debra and Robert Nelson
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Carol Oversvee Johnson ’61
John ’95 and Rachel Schultz ’95 Nielsen
Carolyn Johnson ’80 Spargo and Lawrence Spargo
Bruce Johnson ’68
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Gary ’74 and Melody Johnson
Wedel Nilsen ’45
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Merton ’59 and Jo An Bjornson ’58 Johnson
Betsey and Alan Norgard
Todd ’89 and Amy Steenson
Eric and Elizabeth Jolly
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Michael Kivley ’89
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53 Nyhus
Mary ’74 Stickelmeyer and Henry Havel
Linda Klas ’92
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Benjamin Stottrup and Neota Moe
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kiebach Kleven
Wanda Warnes ’56 Olson and Ted Olson
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Michael Klutho and Jill Manske
Lee ’59 and Patricia Olson
Ralph and Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49
Bruce L. Olson ’71
Leland and Louise Sundet
Gregory Konat and Teresa Daly
Linda Olup
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
L. Beth Buesing ’45 Opgrand
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Thomas and Kathy Langdon
Laurie Nelson ’79 Orlow and Steven Orlow
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Kathryn Lange ’72 and Dennis Sonifer
Tamera and William Ostlund
Amanda Symmes ’11
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Beverly Ottum
Christine Szaj
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Patricia Parker
Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio and Paul Terrio ’87
Debora Liddell and John Westefeld
Bonnie Carlson Pehrson ’62
LaJune Thomas ’75 Thomas-Lange and
Patrick ’88 and Beth Lilja
Barbara Petersen
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Karin Peterson
Richard (Porkchop) ’61 and Jane Thompson
Jean Lingen
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Brent Lofgren ’88
Corwin and Doris Peterson
David and Martha Tiede
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth and Dennis Veiseth
Noel and Sharon Petit
Cassidy Titcomb and Scott Simpson
Ronald London
Ronald ’69 and Jane Petrich
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
Dana Lonn
Diane Pike and Stephen Willett
Beth Torstenson ’66
Marissa Hutterer Machado ’99
James and Kathryn Ramstad
Frances Torstenson
Donald ’66 and Margaret Mattison
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Marcia Thompson ’78 Turcotte and John Turcotte
Donna McLean
Lloyd ’63 and Linnea Raymond
Andrea and Michael Turner
Dennis ’78 and Beverly Ranum ’78 Meyer
Timothy and Christine Ring
Betty and Paul Tveite
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Frances Roller Rockey
Robert Wagner ’02
Deborah Anderson ’73 Miller and Timothy Miller
Laura and Martin Roller
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Thomas ’86 and Susan Rogers - Miller
Kevin ’91 and Amy Ronneberg
Ronald Wahlberg ’70
Joyce Schroepfer ’02 Miller
John ’77 and Gail Ronning
Bonnie Wallace and Ronald Haglund
John and Margaret Miller
Mary and Stuart Rose
Lois Wattman ’76 and Douglas Shaw
Eileen and Grant Mitchell
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist ’64
Sarah West and Raymond Robertson
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Dennis ’67 Sackreiter and Karen Sackreiter
Craig Wisness ’73
Lori Moline ’82 and Steven Olson
Leo and Patricia Samson
William Wittenbreer
Thelma Monson ’41
Carolyn Hanson ’68 Schildgen and William Schildgen
David and Catherine Wold
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Joyce Leifgren ’64 Young
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Mark ’76 and Debra Zellmer
Sharon Lindell Mortrud ’64
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Sandra Phaup ’64
Patricia and David Murphy
David Soli ’81
Bruce ’71 and Kathleen Nelson
Kathleen ’69 and Earle ’69 Solomonson
Augsburg Now
Thomas Lange
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
ORGANIZATIONS
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2010 TO MAY 31, 2011
The following list recognizes organizations that provided generous gifts to Augsburg College of $1,000 or more in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
3M Foundation
GMAC-RFC
Carl and Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Google Give
Presser Foundation
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Grafix Shoppe
Quad Graphics
The American Foundation
Gray Plant Mooty & Bennett
Ramstad Recovery Fund
Ameriprise Financial
Gray Wolf Ranch, Inc.
RBC Foundation - USA
Anderson, Helgen, Davis & Nissen
Groves Foundation
Regiscard International, Inc.
Anthony Ostlund Baer & Louwagie PA
The I Box
The Saint Paul Foundation
A'viands
Imaging Path
Sheltering Arms Foundation
Bank of America
Imation Corporation
Stellus Consulting LLC
Best Buy Children’s Foundation
Incredible, Inc.
The Summit Group
Bonner Foundation
C. Charles Jackson Foundation
Superior Family Dentistry
The Bridgie Group, Inc.
Kettering Foundation
Target Foundation
Bush Foundation
KPMG LLP
TCF Foundation
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
John Larsen Foundation
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Carlson Family Foundation
Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Foundation
Carolyn Foundation
Estate of Henry and Selma Lundene
Travelers Companies, Inc.
Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
Marcus McCoy Foundation
Trillium Family Foundation
CollegeNet
McKnight Foundation
Trust for Meditation Process
Data Recognition Corporation
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council
UBS Foundation
The Donaldson Foundation
Minnesota Debate Teachers Association
United Nations Foundation
Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
Minnesota Private College Foundation
United Way of Rhode Island
Eagle Elevator Corp
MOA Marketing, Inc.
US Bancorp Foundation
ELCA
National Science Foundation
US Bank
The Sherry Lou Engebretsen Memorial Fund
The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Network for Good
Warren Foundation
The Family Partnership
The New York Academy Of Medicine
The Washburn High School Foundation
Formo Family Charitable Fund of the St. Paul
Nilan Johnson Lewis
Weber Marketing/Promotions, Inc.
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Gage Family Foundation
NRG Energy Center
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Olup and Associates
The Whitney Foundation
General Aviation Services
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Women's Foundation of Minnesota
General Mills Foundation
Play-More Travel, Inc.
Foundation
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
29
SVEN OFTEDAL SOCIETY, Supporting Augsburg’s mission into the future
The following list recognizes individuals who have documented planned gifts to Augsburg College.
30
Anonymous (7)
Avis Ellingrod
Allen and Jean Housh
Lois Black Ahlbom ’47
Denise Engebretson ’82
Ruth Hovden
Paul H. ’57 Almquist and Pearl M. Almquist
Edna Kastner Ericksen ’42
Chester ’60 and Clenora Hoversten
Helen Alne
Duane M. Esterly
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Alice C. Evans
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Lorna L. Hoversten
Deloris Anderson ’56
Alice Evenson
Rev. Deborah Hutterer and Gary Erickson
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
John ’68 and Martha Fahlberg
Leroy ’54 and Orpha Iseminger
E. William Anderson ’56
Norman Ferguson
Kathleen and Bruce Jackson
Gary and Mary Anderson
Roger L. Fisher
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Keith O. Anderson ’54 and Beverly Anderson
Halley Foss-Katter ’99 and Daniel Katter
Sherry Jennings-King
Lisa Petska Anderson ’86 and Morey Anderson
Martha Fosse Palmquist
Clair Johannsen ’62
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
William and Anne Frame
Carolyn E. Johnson ’63
I. Shelby Gimse Andress ’56
Rev. Terry Frovik ’67
Edryce Johnson ’46
Betty Arnold
Leola Dyrud Furman ’61
Jerry and Bonita Johnson
Dorothy Bailey
Ann Garvey
Kinney Johnson ’65
Earl and Doris Bakken
Virgil ’57 and Farolyn Johnson Gehring ’56
Mark ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Andrew ’50 and Barbara Kolden ’50 Balerud
Dr. Kenneth A. Gilles ’44
Oliver ’50 and Grace Gisselquist ’49 Johnson
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Ruth Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Elizabeth Anne ’82 and Warren Bartz
Charles and Barbara Green
Helen Johnson-Nelson and Robert Nelson ’44
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Joan Griffin
Ralph ’60 and Mary Jane Kempski
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45
Gracia Grindal ’65
Mary Kingsley
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Jean Vettel ’51 Kiteley and Murray Kiteley
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lindstrom ’50 Berg
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
E. Milton Kleven ’46
JoAnn Berg Bablitch ’73
Margery Kyvig ’64 Haaland and Sheldon Haaland
Gloria Grant ’57 and Arthur Knoblauch
Inez Schey ’77 and John Bergquist
Gary Hagen ’71
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Donald J. and Sonja S. Hagestuen
Gwen Johnson Krapf ’58
Ruth Anderson ’44 Blanshan and Ralph Blanshan
James and Kathleen Haglund
Paul Kwiecien and Rhonda Kwiecien
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Arvin Herbert Halvorson ’55
Lee Anne ’67 and Gene Lack
Donald Bottemiller
James and Corrine Hamre
Calvin ’49 and Agnes Valvik ’47 Larson
J. Bernhard ’48 and Hildur Anderson ’43 Bretheim
Dale ’60 Hanka and Carolyn Hanka
Dean ’62 and Barbara Beglinger ’63 Larson
Nancy Brown-Koeller ’74
Shirley Bondo Hansen ’44
George S. ’61 and Mary K. Larson
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
Anna J. Hanson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Cynthia Hanson ’66
Luther and Janice Larson
Judith Christensen
Mark ’68 and Ione Agrimson ’68 Hanson
Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson and Marvin Larson
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Julie (Gudmestad) and Joe Laudicina
Oliver Dahl ’45
Betty Johnson Hass ’58
Dorothy Lee ’30
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Lawrence and Lois Hauge
Rev. Harris and Maryon Lee
Sally Hough Daniels ’79
Rodney (Rock) A. and Jane M. Helgeson
Ronald and Rebecca Gisselquist ’67 Lien
Michael ’86 and Dorothy Darling
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth Living Trust
Carolyn Benson ’71 Dauner and Daniel Dauner
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Susan Scott Lundquist ’97
Dallas ’63 and Sharon Day
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
John ’65 and Gracia Luoma
Laura Kompelien Delavie ’92
Esther Tungseth Hinschberger ’49
Deborah Mahoney ’79
Richard A. ’55 and Audret S. Dronen
Helen C. Hjelmeland
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
Beverly Durkee
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Ruben ’45 and Thelma Egeberg
Ethel Holt
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
John Holum
Karen Mateer and Terrance Metz
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Lucille Messerer
Robert ’50 and Ruth Ann Paulson
Naomi Christensen ’81 Staruch and Steven Staruch
Dan ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’61 Meyers
Harold E. Peterson and Pearl A. Peterson
John and Lavene Steen
Edith Middleton
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Karla Krogsrud Miley
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Hazel Thorson Stoick Stoeckeler
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
Jonathan ’78 and Bonnie Lamon ’78 Moren
Quentin ’50† and Lucille Quanbeck
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
Orval and Bernell Moren
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
Robert B. and Marlys Backlund Morland
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Cecil Ramnaraine
Mildred and Van Mueller
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Ronald ’69 and Susan Scott ’71 Swanson
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Nancy M. (Joubert) Raymond
Gary Tangwall
Jeanne Narum
Paul Rensted ’87
Gary L. Terrio
Vivian Nelsen
Alan Rice
LaJune Thomas Lange ’75 and Thomas Lange
Rev. Carl O. Nelson
Arthur ’53 and Charlotte Kleven ’52 Rimmereid
Richard and Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson
Pastor Hub Nelson ’54
Gregory and Barbara Ritter
Frances Torstenson
Kenneth and Vera Nelson
Frances M. Roller Rockey
Marcia Thompson Turcotte ’78
Mildred Nelson ’52
Barbara Rodvik
Robert E. and Margaret H. Twiton
Robert ’97 and Rose Nelson
Laura Roller
Robert ’65 and Kay Tyson
Roger M. Nelson
Rev. Lyle E. Rossing
Morris ’51 and Bonnie Biere ’54 Vaagenes
Norma Noonan
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Mark ’83 and Beth Voelker
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Audrey Nagel Sander ’51
Robert J. Wagner II ’02
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Marianne and Robert Sander
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Glenn and Ann Nycklemoe
Robert Sander Jr. ’76
Bonnie Wallace and Ronald Haglund
Jonathan Nye
Lars ’69 and Ann Sandven
Colleen Kay Watson ’91 and Mary McDougal
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Ward C.Schendel ’74 and Catherine L. B. Schendel
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
Leroy Nyhus ’52
Carolyn Hanson ’68 Schildgen and William Schildgen
Robert Weagant ’49
H. Arlan Oftedahl ’64
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Dr. Scott J.M. Weber ’79
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Barbara Setterholm
Larry Wefring
Gordon ’63 and Janice Olson
Rosemary Shafer
Mark Wheeler ’87
Janet Halaas ’79
Delphine Shaw
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Mr. Joseph Black and Dr. Lisa Olson
Rodney Sill ’82
Peter ’49 and Alice Berg ’51 Wilcox
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Woodrow Wilson ’53
L. Beth Buesing Opgrand ’45
James Smith ’94
Renata Rolf Winsor
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
Russel ’50 and Virginia Thompson ’50 Smith
Bill Wittenbreer
Kenneth and Lillian Ysteboe ’51 Ose
David Soli ’81
Joyce Leifgren Young ’64
Ervin ’56 and Sylvia Moe ’59 Overlund
Evelyn H. Sonnack ’43
Edmund ’53 Youngquist and Rose Youngquist
John and Norma Paulson
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Lisa Zeller ’81 and Glenn Fuller
James Swanson
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
31
CONSECUTIVE GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years.
30 years or more
Laverne Moe ’48 Olson and Paul Olson
Bettye and Howard Olson
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Joyce Opseth Schwartz ’45
Margaret and Raymond Anderson
Glen Person ’47
Jacqueline ’80 and John Teisberg
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Mary Wick
Lois Black Ahlbom ’47
Jay Phinney ’79
Fred ’60 and Janet Engelmann
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Charles and Catherine Anderson
James ’61 and BettyAnn Redeske
Sonia Overmoen ’62 Gullicks and Milton Gullicks
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Arvin ’55 and Twila Halvorson
Kristin Anderson
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Wayne Johnson ’58
LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden and Paul ’63 Batalden
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Daniel ’70 and Ingrid Kloster ’69 Koch
John Benson ’55
James ’54 and Ethel Nordstrom ’55 Shiell
Donna McLean
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Bonnie Johnson ’67 Nelson and Bryce Nelson
Doris Frojen Bretheim ’51†
Evelyn Amundson Sonnack ’43
Margaret Nelson Foss Nokleberg ’48
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
Eunice Stenshoel
Jonathan Nye
Linda Carlstedt ’63
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
James ’64 and Rose Parks
Joyce Catlin ’73 Casey and Paul Casey
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
David Proctor ’63
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Judith Sandeen ’72
Leonard ’52 and Anabelle Hanson ’51 Dalberg
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Robert Wick ’81
James Ericksen ’69
Allan Tonn ’75
Ruth Ann Gjerde Fitzke ’67
Sheldon ’49 and Margery Manger ’47 Torgerson
20-24 years
Alan 1967 and Marilyn Albaugh ’67 Gierke
Beth Torstenson ’66
Charles ’63 and Lois Luthard ’65 Anderson
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Frances Torstenson
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Rebecca Helgesen ’67 Von Fischer and
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Marlys Ringdahl ’53 Gunderson† and Charles
Thomas Von Fischer
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
E.Margaret Sateren Trautwein ’37†
Kristin Settergren ’86 McGinness and
Cynthia Hanson ’66
25-29 years
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Betty Johnson Hass ’58
Frank ’50† and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Jack ’49 and LeVerne Berry
Ray Anderson ’49
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Marilyn Pearson ’76 Florian and Kenneth Florian
Mary Twiton ’59 Bosben and Robert Bosben
Gloria Johnson ’51
Paul and Judy Grauer
Rachel Rohde ’76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist
Mark ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Joan Johnson ’53 Kuder and Calvin Kuder
Norman and Ilene Holen
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Duane and Ruth Johnson
Jerome Kleven ’58
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge ’50
James Kottom ’52
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49
James ’61 and Caroline Holden
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
William ’52 and Edith Kuross
David and Catherine Wold
Brent Lofgren ’88
Lee Anne Lack ’67
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
Leroy Nyhus ’52
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Sylvia Kleven Hanson ’50
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Sharon Dittbenner ’65 Klabunde and
Pauline Sateren
Arlin Gyberg
Steve McGinness
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Lee Sabo
32
Susan Lageson ’77 Lundholm and Mark Lundholm
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Gunderson
Richard Klabunde
La Vone Studlien ’58
James Lindell ’46†
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey
Maryon and Harris ’57 Lee
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Marie and Larry McNeff
Thomas ’63 and Gloria Joyce Wadsworth
Addell Halverson Dahlen ’43
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Leland ’53 and Eunice Fairbanks
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Mildred Nelson ’52
Paul ’62 and Susan Grover
Robert ’56 and Mary Erickson ’58 Lockwood
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Douglas 1966 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
Avis Ellingrod
Mary Mether ’69 Sabatke and Bruce Sabatke
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
John ’50 and Norma Shelstad
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Burton Haugen ’72
Mark and Ann Tranvik
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Leanne Phinney ’71 and Mark Schultz
Leif Anderson
Victor ’42 and Rhoda Miller
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Arlin Becker ’88
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Michael ’64 and Carla Quanbeck ’64 Walgren
Gary ’65 and Jean Blosberg
Ruth Pousi ’54 Ollila
Ordelle Aaker ’46
Jeff Christenson ’82
Jack ’62 and Nina Osberg
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Janet Niederloh ’58 Christeson and John Christeson
Daniel ’51 and Lois Pearson
Roxanne Raunschnot ’82 Buchanan and
Laura Bower ’91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe
James Swanson
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Jim Buchanan
Sally Hough Daniels ’79
Gary ’68 and Janice Bell ’70 Schmidt
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Dorothy Swanson ’51
Julie Edstrom ’90
Steven ’81 and Kathy Grinde
Gary and Barbara Glasscock
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65
Jean Venske ’87 Guenther and Stephen Guenther
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Ellen Stenberg Erickson ’51
Sylvia Hjelmeland
Audrey Nagel Sander ’51
Bruce and Jean Inglis
Glen and Marlys Johnson
Ronnie ’62 and Karen Scott
Doris Wilkins ’63 Johnson and Charles Johnson
Rob ’80 and Lori LaFleur
John ’52 and Mary Peterson ’54 Leak
Patrick ’72 and Nancy Marcy
15-19 years
Jack ’53 and Darlene Lundberg
Carlos Mariani Rosa
Suzanne Overholt ’67 Hampe and John Hampe
Douglas ’76 and Rebecca Nelson
Meca Sportswear Inc
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Rosemary Jacobson ’69
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Howard ’53 and Vicki Skor ’59 Pearson
Janet Batalden ’61 Johnson and Dennis Johnson ’61
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Richard Sandeen ’69
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Heidi Wisner ’93 Staloch and Mark Staloch
Elizabeth Pushing ’93
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Ronald ’58 and Naomi Stave
Edmund ’53 and Rose Youngquist
Paulette Nelson Speed ’67
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Betty and Paul Tveite
Margaret Anderson
Karla Morken ’81 Thompson and Thomas Thompson
LeRoy ’52 and Carole Anenson
Mark ’79 and Janelle Tonsager
10-14 years
Catherine Berglund ’73 Becker and Charles Becker
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Anonymous (2)
Anthony and Kathy Bibus
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Luther ’68 and Joanne Kendrick
Gertrude Ness Berg ’51
Bruce ’64 and Nancy Braaten
Millard ’52 and Dorothy Knudson
Hans ’56 and Donna Dumpys
William Capman
Quentin ’50† and Lucille Quanbeck
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Peggy and John Cerrito
Nora Anderson ’83 Sillerud and Jon Sillerud
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Judith Christensen
John ’79 and Rebecca Lundeen ’79 Aune
William and Anne Frame
C. Lee Clarke
Michael Burden ’85
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Larry and Cheryl Crockett
Ann Erkkila Dudero ’86
Bruce Johnson ’68
Lois Mackey Davis ’58
Norma Noonan
Richard ’69 and Cheryl Nelson ’70 King
Suzanne Doree
Betsey and Alan Norgard
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
Helga and Darrell ’55 Egertson
Rebecca ’88 Pfabe and Maurice Higgins
Roger ’50 and Donna Wang ’52 Leak
Curtis ’84 and Jody Eischens
Joyce Romano and Walker Brents
Jacqueline Kniefel ’69 Lind
Duane Esterly ’75
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Marie Hafie ’65 MacNally and Thomas MacNally
Terry ’67 and Pauline Frovik
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
John ’59 and De Anne Martinsen
Ann Garvey
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
John ’69 Harden and Barbara Hoganson
Janet Cooke ’59 Zitzewitz and Donald Zitzewitz
Edor ’38 and Dorathy Nelson
Gerald ’59 and Maxine Hendricks
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Larry ’65 and Marilyn Nelson
Peter ’92 and Becky Hespen
Dorothy Bailey
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
John ’70 and Lynn Benson ’69 Hjelmeland
Daniel and Irene Brink
James Plumedahl ’57
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Joseph ’53 and Connie Cleary
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
James ’59 and Joanne Horn
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
33
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
Dianne Detloff
Joan ’94 and Mark Johnson
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
Arvid ’52 and Sylvia Ostergaard ’62 Dixen
Martha Johnson
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Stanley ’51 and Joyce Erickson
Theodore ’68 and Michelle Johnson
Warren ’69 and Carolyn Bey
Norman Ferguson
Benjamin and Christine Kent
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Muriel Ruud ’45 Frosch and Gerald Frosch
Linda King ’78
Orla Christensen ’56 and Joan Englund
Diane and Bradley Glorvigen
Joan Kunz
Wayne ’63 and Bernadine Christiansen
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Connie Arndt ’96 Clausen and Andrew Clausen
Muriel Hagen Smith and Wade Kilgore Smith
Marissa Hutterer Machado ’99
Janet Braaten ’68 DeGaetano and Frank DeGaetano
James ’53 and Corrine Hamre
Raymond Makeever
Doran Edwards
Evelyn Green ’49 Harris and Edward Harris
Jon ’58 and Judith Matala
Lois Hofstad ’58 Esselstrom and Michael Esselstrom
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Tara Cesaretti 1997 McLeod and
Marvin ’74 and Lana Felderman
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Katharine Kuchera ’84 Gruber and Craig Gruber
Robert ’54 and Marilyn Ingman
Michael Navarre
David ’76 and Lorna Halaas
Alice Jacobsen ’53
Vicki and Daniel Olson
Wayne ’68 and Lois Batalden ’69 Hansen
Carol Knutson ’85
Steven O'Tool ’74
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Christine Lanoue ’00 Landherr and Jeff Landherr
Patricia Solum Park ’02
Carol Rubbelke Jernberg ’75
J. David ’62 and Kathleen Lystig
Patricia Parker
Karen Johnson ’66
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Helen Johnson-Nelson and Robert Nelson ’44
Jane Ann Nelson
Dale ’70 and Patti Pederson
Randall ’76 and Susan Lundell
Douglas ’66 and Randvig Norvold
Drew ’89 and Molly Privette
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Gordon Odegaard ’52
Jerry ’83 and Susan Warnes ’88 Quam
Erika Staub ’51 Niemi and Wayne Niemi
Linda Wichmann ’70 Oja and James Oja
Donavon ’52 and Ardis Roberts
Cynthia Peterson
Kristen Olsrud ’80
Philip Rowberg ’41
Frances Roller Rockey
Arnold ’52 and Betty Paulson
Michael Schock and Leslie Baken
Thomas Ruffaner ’98
Bonnie Carlson Pehrson ’62
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Donohue ’56 and Marilyn Sarff
Kathryn and Daniel Schwalbe
Charles Sheaffer
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Sandra Phaup ’64
Steven ’65 and Chynne Strommen
Gertrude Egeland ’48 Sundsted and Jens Sundstad
Sharon Johnson Sullivan ’70
Barbara and Eugene Thompson
Kenneth and Jane Syverson
Joan and Charles Threet
Richard (Porkchop) ’61 and Jane Thompson
Paul ’87 and Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio
Bonnie Jamieson ’69 Wedel and John Wedel
Sue Thompson ’85
Charleen and Donald Weidenbach
The Whitney Foundation
Richard ’56 and Darlene Thorud
Lyndon ’65 and Diane West
William Wittenbreer
Michael ’85 and Rhonda Riesberg ’84 Tjaden
Kurt Clark ’94
Sharon and Stephen Wade
Deborah Fredrickson Crowley ’76
Christopher ’00 McLeod
ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS YEAR
The following list indicates the percentage of alumni from the traditional day program in each class year who made a gift during 2010-11.
Total participation for all class years is 17.39%.
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
34
33.33%
0.00%
0.00%
50.00%
22.22%
36.36%
36.36%
33.33%
34.62%
25.00%
21.43%
22.58%
30.43%
Augsburg Now
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
29.27%
40.68%
46.34%
38.93%
37.14%
45.65%
39.42%
37.27%
32.56%
38.98%
38.53%
43.00%
48.72%
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
39.44%
42.02%
36.05%
39.22%
30.77%
29.17%
31.58%
34.58%
32.91%
24.56%
21.20%
24.80%
26.39%
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
26.62%
23.68%
19.90%
19.26%
19.92%
22.79%
19.24%
17.52%
17.69%
15.11%
11.07%
13.50%
10.71%
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
10.59%
7.62%
13.85%
11.16%
10.96%
7.14%
11.31%
10.04%
11.90%
8.75%
6.81%
8.26%
10.89%
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
6.22%
7.41%
6.02%
6.16%
5.76%
6.58%
6.60%
5.34%
8.12%
4.38%
6.69%
5.94%
alumni news
Volunteer opportunities at Augsburg
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
A-Club
ou will be happy to know that the
Augsburg spirit of serving the
community is still alive and well.
President Obama honored Augsburg
College with the 2010 Presidential
Award for Community Service.
Augsburg was one of only six colleges
in the U.S. to receive this award—and
with more than 850 schools in competition, this is no small accomplishment! Augsburg’s community involvement has focused
on students giving back their time, both on the day before each
new school year begins, and on projects throughout the year. This
commitment to service is not new to Augsburg and is something
that alumni experienced as students.
The Alumni Association works to continue providing opportunities for alumni to give back by organizing events like Feed My
Starving Children and Habitat for Humanity, plus partnering with
Big Brothers Big Sisters on the recent “Annie” event at the Children’s Theater. I enjoy this model so much that at our November
meeting, the Alumni Board participated in a Campus Kitchen
project preparing food for our surrounding neighbors!
In this spirit of giving, the Alumni Association has added a
philanthropic component to many of our favorite annual events.
This summer at Auggie Night at the Races at Canterbury Park,
alumni donated hundreds of supplies and pairs of new socks to
the Augsburg Central Nursing Center, a free drop-in community
health service in downtown Minneapolis. The Canterbury donation drive was such a success that we are having another donation drive at Advent Vespers in December. Attendees are
encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or supplies such
as soap, toothpaste, adult socks, diapers, Tylenol, ibuprofen, cold
medication, ointments, or Band-Aids to the Vespers services to
help out the needy during the holidays.
Our alumni continue to give their time to the College and to
students by serving as mentors, speaking in the classroom, serving on committees, volunteering at events, and assisting with
special projects. If you would like to get involved and serve as an
Augsburg volunteer, please contact Pat Grans, volunteer coordinator, at gransp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1329.
Y
The organization of former and current Augsburg College
athletes and supporters promotes a quality athletic experience by supporting Augsburg student-athletes and the Athletic Department.
ABC (Augsburg Builds Connections) Mentoring Program
Augsburg Builds Connections mentoring program enables
alumni professionals to provide information, encouragement,
and support to students. This flexible volunteer program allows mentors to connect with students via e-mail, phone, or
face-to-face meetings and assist them in navigating their career path and achieving their professional goals.
Alumni Board
The Alumni Board is a governing body of the Alumni Association. Together with the Office of Alumni and Constituent
Relations, it provides resources and opportunities to engage
alumni with the College and each other through consistent
communication, inclusive programming, and intentional relationship building.
Auggie in Residence
This program is a way for our alumni to come back to the
College and share their career expertise with students, faculty, and staff. This flexible program creates a unique opportunity for alumni to speak about their vocation.
Augsburg Associates
The Associates support Augsburg through fundraising events,
including estate sales and Velkommen Jul food and craft
sales. The group supports special projects and scholarships.
Augsburg Women Engaged
Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) nurtures and strengthens
alumnae engagement with Augsburg, cultivating interest
and passions through connecting, learning, and giving. Join
an AWE Action Team or support an AWE Inspired event for
an awesome experience.
Parent and Family Council
This committee includes parents and family members of
current and former Augsburg students. The Parent and
Family Council will help you stay up-to-date with campus
events and feel more closely connected with your son or
daughter and the College.
Young Alumni Council
This volunteer committee plans and coordinates events for
alumni who graduated within the last 10 years and serves
as an advisory group to the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations.
Sincerely,
For more information about these and other
volunteer opportunities contact
ROBERT WAGNER II ’02
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Pat Grans, Volunteer Coordinator
612-330-1329 or gransp@augsburg.edu
volunteer@augsburg.edu
Fall 2011
35
auggies stay involved
Dear fellow alumni,
There are a number of ways to get involved, and being involved is
a great way to stay connected to your college and fellow alumni.
alumni news
Maroon Pages
36
Augsburg Now
Members of the Young Alumni Council enjoyed bowling at Pinstripes
in June. [L to R] Rob Wagner ’02, Cory Allen ’07, David Lange ’08, and
John MacCormick ’10.
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Steven Wehrenberg ’78,
CEO, Campbell Mithun
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011, 5 p.m.
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
Eye-Opener Breakfast featuring
Pat Peterson, Vice President of Research
and Development, Aveda Corporation
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012, 7 a.m.
Town and Country Club, St. Paul
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Keith Wyche, CEO,
Cub Foods
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012, 5 p.m.
Courtesy photo
Young Alumni enjoyed a boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka in September. [L to R] Angie Neuhaus ’08, Felicia Faison ’09, Shannon Olson ’07,
Emily Anderson ’07, and Agnes Kigwana ’09.
Huge Success for the 2011
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
YOUNG ALUMNI
Student and Alumni Networking Reception
summer series
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012, 6-8 p.m.
Oren Gateway Center, Augsburg College
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Jim Owens, President and
CEO, H.B. Fuller
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012, 5 p.m.
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
Sverdrup Visiting Scientist Lecture
presenting Brian J. Anderson ’82, Mercury
MESSENGER deputy project scientist,
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory
MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Hoversten Chapel, Augsburg College
To register for these and more events,
go to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
With an attendance of more than 600, this
year’s Young Alumni Summer Series provided
alumni with unique opportunities to connect
with other Auggies and explore the greater
Twin Cities. The series included dueling pianos at the Shout! House, bowling at Pinstripes, and a beautiful evening boat ride on
Lake Minnetonka. The series is supported by
the outstanding leadership of the Young
Alumni Council, which is dedicated to providing dynamic social and personal enrichment
opportunities for Auggies and to keeping
them engaged with their alma mater.
DECEMBER
Augsburg’s alumni webpage now
includes a new opportunity for
Auggies to promote their products
and services to other Auggies
through networking. The success
of the new service, called Maroon
Pages, depends on user participation. When you enter your own industry, profession, position, and
location in the profile form online, a link to your information
will be available to others seeking
your products or services.
To join this network, go to
www.augsburg.edu/alumni, click
on “Maroon Pages,” create your
account, and click again on the
“Maroon Pages” box. You can
enter and update your profile information at the link for your
name, and help assure that
Augsburg’s alumni records are
current. The profile page also includes the search form that will
yield ever-increasing detail about
potential business connections—
especially as more and more
Auggies complete their profiles.
Please spread the word to other
Auggies about this exciting new
tool.
In addition to promoting your
product or services in the new
Auggie Maroon Pages, attend
one of the many upcoming networking events that provide an
opportunity for professional development and to connect with
other Auggies.
Courtesy photo
Connect with Auggies on the
9
By popular demand, the Young
Alumni Council is pleased to
announce a Winter 2011 event.
Save the date of December 9!
Details to follow.
abc
The ABCs of Networking
Recent Auggie graduates who are seeking employment in a challenging economy are discovering a new resource these days.
Augsburg’s new mentoring program, Augsburg Builds Connections
(ABC), puts parents, alumni, and friends of the College in touch
with students or graduates who are in the process of navigating
their career path. Through ABC, students and graduates can receive
information about an organization or learn how to pursue a career in
an industry.
When Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11 confronted the work world after graduating with a political science degree, he considered what direction
his career ought to take and how to gain some “real world experience.” He knew he wanted to stay in higher education and was
pleased to get some interviews, but, like many other job seekers, he
heard lots of “no’s” in the process.
With an interest in fundraising, he decided to reach out to the
Augsburg development office for suggestions, and they told him
about the ABC program. Krouse-Gagne called Pat Grans, the volunteer coordinator, and mentioned an interest in fundraising, which he
had thoroughly enjoyed as a student caller for The Augsburg Fund.
Grans checked her database for matches and put him in touch with
Carmela Kranz ’84, an alumna who works for the Minnesota Medical
Foundation at the University of Minnesota. Through meetings and
e-mails, they have worked to build their mentoring relationship.
With more than 25 years’ experience in the fundraising/advance-
Augsburg Builds Connections
Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11 with mentor Carmela Kranz ’84 of the Minnesota Medical Foundation
at the University of Minnesota.
ment industry, Kranz said she has a strong urge to “give back” because she feels fortunate to have worked for organizations that provided opportunities for professional and personal growth. She sees
the mentor program as a “nice way to reconnect with Augsburg”
and a way to pass along “snippets of information and advice” to
those just entering the field. She sees networking and relationships
as key, and is pleased that she was able to assist Krouse-Gagne in
finding a job as an annual fund assistant at St. Catherine
University. When they celebrated over lunch, they decided to stay in
touch and to meet as needed.
Krouse-Gagne is pleased that there was no pressure from the
ABC program with regard to time commitment or answering lots of
questions, and he encourages other students and graduates to take
advantage of this opportunity as well. “There is no promise that it
will get you a job,” he said, “but it sure helped me.”
CHERYL CROCKETT, ALUMNI VOLUNTEER
Auggie Admissions Liaisons Help Attract Potential Students
A new volunteer opportunity provides a
chance for Auggie alumni, parents, and
friends of the College across the country to
connect with prospective students attending
college fairs. Dozens of these fairs are held
each year, giving high school students and
their families an opportunity to
survey the college scene and find the best
fit for them. Now, with the help of volunteers, Augsburg is able to have a presence
at even more of these important events.
Kathleen Boggess ’66 and Terry Lindstrom
’73 agreed to staff the Augsburg table at an
Indianapolis college fair in
September. There they related
their own personal stories
about Augsburg and responded to questions
about the College.
Boggess said she and
Lindstrom enjoyed
s
e
i
g
g
u
aARE EVERYWHERE
swapping stories from their Augsburg days
and added that potential students enjoyed
hearing from them about “learning for service” in Augsburg’s unique urban setting.
If you are interested in serving as a volunteer at one of these events, contact Pat
Grans, volunteer coordinator, at
gransp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1329.
Volunteers receive a packet of information
in advance, including answers to frequently
asked questions, a list of available classes,
a Fast Facts sheet, and an Augsburg polo
shirt to wear at the fair.
Fall 2011
37
go
auggies!
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
20ho1m1ecoming
10-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 2001
25-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1986
Front Row [L to R]: Skylar Hanson, Marie (Eddy) Odenbrett, Anne (Osberg) Moore.
Back Row [L to R]: Mike Reed, Adam Perkins, Erin Moore, Maggie Tatton, Sarah
Grans, Merry-Ellen Krcil Schwan, Ann Peterson, Katie Koch.
Front Row [L to R]: Steve Olsson, Leslie (Gilberson) Bonshire, Vickie (Ruud) Frazier, Corey
(Greeder) Johnson, Lynn (Pendergast) Fering, Craig Fering, Diana (Wilkie) Buffie. Back Row
[L to R]: Margaret Rog, Thomas Ott, Karin (Sabo) Mantor, Barb (Niesen) McGlynn, Debra
Balzer-Plagemann, Patrick Guernsey, Terry Koenck, Gretchen (Luehrs) Marble, Michelle
(Swift) Steen, guest, Mitch Porter.
40-YEAR REUNION—
CLASS OF 1971
1. Mary Bjerke Stacke, 2. Sally Carlson Bredehoft, 3. Pat
Ellinger, 4. Leanne Phinney, 5. Stephanie (Johnson)
Sulzbach, 6. Pam Petersen Nungesser, 7. Kay (Hendrickson) Owen, 8. Darrell Skogen, 9. Sue Casey, 10. Nancy
Hedstrom Simonetti, 11. Jane Catlin Bracken, 12. Marilyn
Buschbom Lueth, 13. Illa Monda Alexander, 14. Christy
Larsen Branes, 15. Pamela (Rinehart) Albu, 16. Susan
Drake King, 17. Paula (Jones) Iverson, 18. Bonnie
(Board) Niles, 19. Barb Mikelson, 20. Sherry Roach Corwin, 21. Joan Youngren Palm, 22. Tim Casey, 23. Wayne
Jorgenson, 24. John Jenneke, 25. Dennis Hendrickson,
26. Bill Eggers, 27. Corky Hall, 28. Thom Berkowitz, 29.
Bob Martin, 30. Mike Scott, 31. Nancy Paddock Brenny,
32. David Benson, 33. Philip Hoversten, 34. Sue Scott
Swanson, 35. Rachel Hendrickson Julian, 36. Gary
Hagen, 37. Mark Ellinger, 38. Bruce Nelson, 39. David
Benzel, 40. Ruth Schroeder Duffy, 41. Art Scheunemann.
41
26
13
Augsburg Now
29
23
36
37
38
28
11
32
31
30
20
22
21
14
19
8
9
2
3
18
7
4
35
33
15
10
1
38
39
40
24
25
12
27
5
34
17
6
16
reunion classes
50-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1961
First Row [L to R]: Judy Fosse Snider, Mary Lou Baker Christenson, Karen (Egesdal) Trelstad, Leola Dyrud Furman, Pat Swanson Kreuziger, Joan Gibson Labs, Pat Eide Ponto, Oscar Blegen.
Second Row [L to R]: Ted Botten, K. Duane Larson, Carol Oversvee Johnson, Winnie Nordlund Anderson, Pat Nordlund Toussaint, Marie (Gjerde) Schlink, Agnette Duncan, Carol (Anderson)
Geldert. Third Row [L to R]: Jim Holden, Lloyd Bakke, Dennis Kalpin, Verna Stokke Tweiten, Phyllis Acker, Berna (Nelson) Hanson. Fourth Row [L to R]: Arlan E. Johnson, Larry Gallagher,
Keith Leiseth, Dick “Porkchops” Thompson, Cameron Liebenow, Ken Nelson, Bruce Westphal, Marilyn Saure Breckenridge.
SILVER AUGGIES—CLASS OF 1960 AND EARLIER
First Row [L to R]: Ruth Aaskov ’53, Margaret Moe Sannerud ’50, Joyce Hanson ’56, Grace Sulerud ’58, Lorie Christianson ’59, Inez Schwarzkopf ’59, Marolyn Halverson ’51, Bev Omdahl
Nelson ’55, Dolores Flaa Bjerga ’51, Dora Quanbeck ’49, Joan Baxter Larson ’51. Second Row [L to R]: E. W. (Bill) Anderson ’56, Ellen Erickson ’51, Leola Johnson ’51, Arvin Halvorson ’55,
Garfield Hoversten ’50, Bill Halverson ’51, Ruth (Ysteboe) Engelstad ’56, Lillian (Ysteboe) Ose ’51, Mabeth Saure Gyllstrom ’58, Eunice (Nystuen) Sortland ’50, Morris Vaagenes ’51, Herbert Hanson ’51. Third Row [L to R]: Dan Pearson ’51, Wallace Pratt ’51, Quentin Johnson ’51, Leroy Nyhus ’52, Jeroy Carlson ’48, Bill Anderson ’56, Robert Paulson ’50, Philip Quanbeck
’50, Allan Sortland ’53. Fourth Row [L to R]: Don Gilberg ’60, Neal Snider ’57, Glen Gilbertson ’52, Orval Moren ’57, Loren Woolson ’51.
Fall 2011
39
alumni class notes
The V. Benson Pavilion at
Mark Lund was recognized by
58Methodist Stone Oak Hospital 69Luther College for 25 years of
in San Antonio, Tex., was dedicated
on March 9 in recognition of Vernon
L. Benson, MD, the founding chief of
staff.
Lowell “Zeke” Ziemann (Ath-
60letic Hall of Fame 1986) has
begun a new career writing classic
Western short stories in his semi-retirement. Several have been published at bookstogonow.com. Look
for “The Last Manhunt” and “Duel
in Springfield.”
Darryl Torrin retired as pastor
of his congregation in Denver,
Iowa, in 2010. He and his wife have
moved to Cedar Falls and are enjoying their retirement and new neighbors.
auggieSNAPSHOTS
66
40
service at a faculty recognition dinner on May 12. Lund has been on
the Luther faculty since 1978; he
has served as a professor of economics and international studies and
director of international education.
Jane Helmke, long-time KARE
8311 TV veteran and award-winning news journalist, was promoted
to be the station’s news director in
September. During her 28-year career with the station, she has worked
in almost every department in the
newsroom, including production,
news and sports, and special projects. She has served as managing
editor, where she worked primarily
with digital platforms, including overseeing KARE11.com,
Metromix.com, MomsLikeMe.com,
highschoolsports.net, and mobile
ventures.
Dan Schueller, a member of the Gopher Wheelmen team, qualified to
race in the UCI Track Cycling Masters World Championships in Manchester, England, in October. He
raced in the Men’s 50-54 category.
A few more riders from Minnesota
raced along with him, and his wife,
Carolyn Schueller ’90, traveled
with him.
After more than 21 years,
89Glenn Quanbeck retired from
the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant
colonel and was hired as a civil service employee for the U.S. Army
working in Brussels, Belgium.
Heather Muir earned her PhD
90in sport management from the
University of Northern Colorado in
Greeley, Colo. Her dissertation examined the television coverage of
the 2010 Winter Olympic ice hockey
games, looking for differential portrayals based on the players’ gender.
This fall she will teach at Bowling
Green State University in Ohio.
Kristof Nordin and his wife,
91Stacia, came to Malawi, Africa,
in 1997 to work on issues of
HIV/AIDS prevention. They are now
teaching about sustainable agricultural methods and linking them to
better nutrition. Stacia currently
works with the Ministry of Education to implement sustainable garden practices into the more than
5,000 primary schools in the country, and Kristof has become a fulltime trainer to the hundreds of
Maria (Mitchell) Helger-
07son and Erik Helgerson
welcomed Adam James Helgerson on May 5.
were among 25 racers who participated in the
five auggiesfirst annual Cure CMD (congenital muscular
Andrea (Kaul) Naab
07married Jesse Naab ’06
dystrophy) Race for the Cure in St. Paul on August 6. Pictured are [L to R]
Karsten Nelson ’83, Jared Sundvall ’14, Katie Nelson ’14, Jenna Leahy ’14, and
Lauren Haberman ’14. They helped Cure CMD raise $9,000 for research to
find treatments for people affected by CMD.
on May 21 in Edina, Minn.
Maggie Grage married
07Jake Hockenberry on
David Siedlar and Ray Yip ’72 recon-
71nected in Beijing in early August after
40 years. The two didn’t know they were
both in China until Ray did some research
and found his friend.
Augsburg Now
Melissa Kapellen Dvo-
05rak PA and Matthew
Dvorak welcomed their first
son, Thomas Anthony Dvorak, on June 7.
June 25 in Hopkins, Minn.
The couple resides in West
Des Moines, Iowa, where
Maggie works as a teacher in
the Urbandale Community
School District and Jake
works as manager and trainer
of the customer service department at an anime licensing/distributing company in
Grimes.
09
Valerie (Anderson)
Capra MSW married
Jason Capra on May 27.
people who visit their demonstration plot each year (www.neverendingfood.org). Their four-year-old
daughter Khalidwe, which means
“good characteristics of a person”
in the local language of Chichewa,
was born in Malawi.
Corey Davison joined Tenet Healthcare Corporation as senior director
of government relations based in
Dallas, Tex. He will lead Tenet’s state
government relations activities and
oversee core government relations
programs such as Tenet-PAC and
grassroots advocacy.
Larry Anderson completed the
92seventh revision of his book
Raptured Alive: Return of a Prodigal Son.
Anthony Weeks MSW was se-
Kristen Opalinski was ac-
03cepted in 2009 into the ELCA
Young Adults in Global Mission
(YAGM) program. Kristen served in
eastern South Africa, working at the
Lutheran diocese offices, coaching
soccer (with AIDS awareness),
painting murals in the children’s
ward at the local hospital, and working with retreats. At the end of that
YAGM year, she became a media
specialist for the Lutheran Communion of Southern Africa (LUCSA),
uniting 15 churches in 10 countries.
She created a communications network to connect member churches,
designed and maintains the LUCSA
website, designed logos for their
programs and ministries, and travels
extensively, primarily dealing with
AIDS and anti-malaria initiatives.
Rachel (Quick) Pennig and
94lected as a winner for the 38th 06Matt Pennig welcomed Jack
Student Academy Awards for his
film Imaginary Circumstances,
made at Stanford University.
Dee Ann Sibley was awarded a
95McKnight Artist Grant to study
the high key process in photography.
Angela Ahlgren is a visiting as-
98sistant professor in the School
of Theater at Ohio University in
Athens, Ohio. She recently completed her PhD in theatre history
with an emphasis in performance as
public practice at the University of
Texas at Austin.
In May, Ross Murray ’09 MBA
was hired as the director of religion, faith, and values at GLAAD
(Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation).
00
The Minnesota Brass Drum
01and Bugle Corps from St. Paul,
Minn., an all-ages drum and bugle
corps that competes in the Drum
Corps Associates circuit, won the
World Championships in Rochester,
N.Y., in August. This is the first time
that the corps was honored with this
distinction. In addition, the horn line
was named the top horn line in the
competition. Michael Reed, director
of bands at Cedarcrest Academy
and Beacon Academy in Maple
Grove, Minn., is a music tech with
the Corps brass line.
Alexander Pennig on June 18.
Laura Henry married Huck
07Tate on September 9 in St.
Paul. Laura is the daughter of Chuck
and Lavon Emerson-Henry ’74 and
the granddaughter of Victor Emerson
’48 and Rona (Quanbeck) Emerson
’48. The couple will make their
home in Vadnais Heights, Minn.
Explore Your
Life’s Calling
Tom Morgan, executive director of the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning, recently hosted a conference with representatives from seven area Lutheran colleges. Following the
conference, a common awareness emerged about exploring
one’s vocation as a defining feature of Lutheran higher education. From this conference came Vocation for Life, a
workshop designed to nurture the vocations of alumni
through discovery of gifts, ongoing exploration, and promotion of calling in all stages of their lives.
This fall Morgan, in partnership with other Lutheran colleges, collaborated on the design and delivery of the Vocation for Life programs and activities. Pilot workshops took
place in Rochester, Minn., and Rockford, Ill.
Watch for information on future opportunities in your
area to participate in this exciting self-exploration.
In Memoriam
Robert Arnold Karlén, Augsburg professor emeritus of music, passed
away peacefully of natural causes on August 19.
Professor Karlén joined the music faculty at Augsburg College where he
taught his entire 42-year career. He served as chair of the Music Department from 1973 to 1982 and again from 1986 to 1989. He was instrumental
in expanding course offerings and creating three new degree programs for
the Music Department: music performance, music education, and music
therapy. He also founded and conducted the Augsburg Orchestra and played
a key role in the design and completion of the Augsburg College Music Hall
in 1977.
Memorials may be given to the Robert Karlén Chamber Music Scholarship. This fund was established in 2002 and is awarded annually to a music
student, with preference given to students who demonstrate exceptional
promise as woodwind and/or brass chamber music performers.
Fall 2011
41
In Memoriam
James G. “Jim” Lindell, Sr. ’46
James G. “Jim” Lindell, loyal Augsburg
alumnus, former member of the Augsburg
College Board of Regents, and generous
benefactor of the Lindell Library, passed
away on August 25.
Lindell attended Augsburg College in
1942-43. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy
from 1943-46, serving in World War II in the Pacific, and attained the rank of petty officer second class. Jim began his
employment with West Publishing in 1947 and worked there
44 years. In the 1960s he was an Alumni Association board
member, and from 1970-82 he served as a regent of the College. His relationship with Augsburg grew into a family legacy
spanning 50 years, with seven members of his family attending and graduating from Augsburg.
The Augsburg library, which opened in 1997, was named
for the Lindell family through the generosity of James and
Jean Lindell. When the family made the decision to fund
the library project, Lindell expressed pride in the spirit of
Augsburg, saying, “My personal feelings from the first days
I visited Augsburg were shaped by students showing their
good attitudes toward each other and the closeness of belonging to the school. This feeling still prevails for me….”
Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow, in his message to the campus community following Lindell’s passing,
wrote this about Lindell: “Jim's passion for Augsburg and for
ensuring that our students, faculty, and staff might have one
of the finest small college libraries in the country leaves a
legacy that will shape an Augsburg education for decades to
come. Even as the Lindell Library is transformed through additions of the learning commons and the Gage Center for Student Success, Jim’s legacy is proving its relevance to the
future of teaching, learning, and scholarship at Augsburg.”
Augsburg’s library, opened in 1997, is
named for the James G. Lindell family.
42
Augsburg Now
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
Street address
E. Margaret (Sateren) Trautwein ’37, Brooklyn Center, Minn., age 95, on
September 10.
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Einar M. Cannelin ’38, Homewood-Flossmoor, Ill., age 97, on June 26.
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
Gerald "Gerry" Philip Benson ’39, Ft. Collins, Colo., age 96, on July 8.
Elwood J. Lundeen ’42, St. Paul, age 90, on May 28.
Rev. LuVerne L. "Red" Nelson ’43, Westby, Wisc., age 91, on June 24.
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
James "Jim" G. Lindell Sr. ’46, Woodbury, Minn., age 87, on August 25.
Merle Arthur Weflen ’47, Spicer, Minn., age 84, on July 12.
Doris C. (Frojen) Bretheim ’51, Minneapolis, age 83, on June 1.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Kenneth R. Hansen ’51, Bloomington, Minn., age 80, on April 18.
Merle T. Knutson ’51, Lakefield, Minn., age 87, on June 16.
Gloria Ruth (Ostrem) Sawai ’53, Edmonton, Alberta, age 81, on July 19.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Mary Lee (Peterson) Leak ’54, Edina, Minn., age 78, on June 17.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Sheldon Lee Nascene ’58, Pine City, Minn., age 75, on October 15, 2010.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Stanley L. West ’60, Racine, Wisc., age 73, on May 28.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Darold D. Kamrath ’61, Litchfield, Minn., age 73, on January 31.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Rev. Orville “O.K.” Anderson ’64, Sioux Falls, S.Dak., age 68, on
August 1, 2010.
John T. Clawson ’67, Minneapolis, age 66, on August 17.
Mark A. Jensen ’68, Annandale, Minn., age 65, on June 13.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Joyce J. (Gronli) Clark ’72, Spicer, Minn., age 60, on November 17, 2010.
____________________________________________________________
David G. Langness ’75, Saint Charles, Miss., age 56, on April 25.
Marjorie A. (Seeger) Ramsey ’85, Isanti, Minn., age 47, on June 5.
____________________________________________________________
Jerry Ann Black ’85, age 77, on July 16.
____________________________________________________________
Janice L. Phinney ’98, St. Paul, age 58, on July 30.
____________________________________________________________
Jason Stevens ’15, Rochester, Minn., age 19, on September 20.
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Professor Emeritus Robert A. Karlén, Bethesda, Md., age 87, on August 19.
Fall 2011
43
auggie voices
Neighborhood resource broker: Mary Laurel True
Mary Laurel True conducts business wherever she goes—whether
she’s headed to lunch at the Afro Deli on Riverside and 20th avenues,
walking across campus for a meeting with a faculty member, or on the
way home in her bumper-sticker-clad car. That’s because True’s “business” is connecting with the community, and as a 20-year resident of
the Seward neighborhood, she has a lot of contacts.
True’s relationship with the neighborhood and Augsburg began
when she was still a college student at St. Catherine University. In
1979, she traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico through the Center for
Global Education. She later moved to the West Bank and became involved in local politics, and then she returned to Seward in 1989
after graduate school.
True was hired by Augsburg in 1990 as the coordinator of community service learning. “At the time,” she said, “nobody really knew
what that meant for a college.” Her job began by finding ways to add
service-learning experiences to the curriculum, but she said it has
morphed into much more. “I see myself, and I think the College
does too, as someone who sees what’s going on in the community
and brings that to campus but also sees what the College has and
brings it to the community.”
Today, True calls herself a “resource broker” between Augsburg
and the community. Her role as director of community service-learning involves connecting faculty to people and organizations where
students can not only be involved in service but also meet their professors’ learning objectives.
To that end, True partners with faculty in departments including
athletics, biology, education, English, environmental studies, mathematics, physics, religion, sociology, social work, and studio art.
She connects them to organizations such as Bethany Lutheran
Church, Brian Coyle Community Center, Mixed Blood Theatre,
Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, Our Saviour’s
Housing, and the Seward Montessori School.
“If you spend most of your time in the community that you are
going to be engaged with, then not only do you understand it
deeply but you’re also much more accountable.”
True said she sees her role as a partner to the faculty, helping
them become engaged with the community. “They use the community as a text,” she said. She noted that the faculty’s commitment to
engaging with the world makes her work easy and enjoyable. “Our
faculty come here because they want to be in the city. They believe
we have a lot to learn from the community,” she said.
As a Seward resident, True has become deeply involved with
neighborhood organizations and causes. Because she is a neighbor
44
Augsburg Now
to the organizations with which Augsburg partners, she feels it is important that she be trustworthy and committed. “If you spend most
of your time in the community that you are going to be engaged with,
then not only do you understand it deeply but you’re also much more
accountable.”
True demonstrates her commitment through volunteer work with
local organizations, including Bedlam Theatre, the People’s Center,
the East African Women’s Center, and the Somali American Education Center. As an artist, she is also interested in the local music and
arts scene, and she and her husband are involved with the Seward
Co-Op.
“I really love this institution,” True said. “I believe in the work
that I do because I think Augsburg really walks its talk. I feel so
proud of this place and of how the community values who we are and
what we do here.”
So if you see Mary Laurel True out talking to Somali women from
the neighborhood resource center or stopping into the Afro Deli for
lunch, she isn’t out of the office avoiding work. She is simply doing
her job.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
returns to Augsburg
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum is an international event designed to inspire peacemaking. Now in its 24th year, the forum moves to its new
Minneapolis-based format and will be co-hosted by Augsburg College in
partnership with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of
Minnesota. Augsburg is honored to continue this event with the support of
the Norwegian Nobel Institute, our sister Norwegian Lutheran colleges, and
our community partners who share our commitment to education for peace.
The 2012 forum is scheduled March 1 to 3, and will welcome former
president of South Africa F. W. de Klerk as keynote speaker. President de
Klerk, who won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela, was the
last state president of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from 1989 to
1994. He is best known for engineering the end of apartheid and for supporting the transformation of South Africa into a multi-racial democracy. In
recent years, his passion for peace continues through his work addressing
the complex challenges of the 21st century, such as building multicultural
societies, rethinking immigration policy, and understanding global economic forces.
Learn more and sign up for e-mail updates about the 2012 Peace
Prize Forum at www.peaceprizeforum.org.
24TH ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM • MARCH 1-3, 2012 • F.W. DE KLERK, KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Erica Salkas ’11 performs a dance choreographed by David DeBlieck ’88, theater arts instructor, in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Forum, hosted at Augsburg College.
Photo by Kendra (Christiansen) Oxendale ’11
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Norwegian Royal Visit
In October, Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway attended a worship
service at Augsburg College with President Paul and Abigail Pribbenow as well as 300
Norwegian students studying in the U.S. The King and Queen stopped at Augsburg as part
of their eight-day visit to Minnesota and Iowa. Following the service, Augsburg dedicated a
peace pole in Their Majesties’ honor.
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The Class of 2014 reflects
Grants gain ground
Spotlight on research
Faithful and relevant
AN
EDUCATION
ACTIVE
SUMMER 2014 | VOL. 76, NO. 3
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Kat... Show more
The Class of 2014 reflects
Grants gain ground
Spotlight on research
Faithful and relevant
AN
EDUCATION
ACTIVE
SUMMER 2014 | VOL. 76, NO. 3
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
An alternative narrative of higher education
Our colleague, Harry Boyte, who heads Augsburg’s
Center for Democracy and Citizenship, recently
argued in The Huffington Post that America
needs an alternative narrative of higher education, one that focuses not on meritocratic
excellence, but on “cooperative excellence...[the]
principle that a mix of people from highly varied
backgrounds can achieve remarkable intellectual,
social, political, and spiritual growth if they have
the right encouragements, resources, challenges,
and calls to public purpose.” And, as Harry
further points out, we have the makings of this
alternative story of higher education in institutions like Augsburg, with its rich heritage of faith,
learning, and service.
And so we do, as this issue of Augsburg Now
so compellingly illustrates. You hear it in the
stories our recent graduates tell about what they
love about Augsburg—its people, its location, its
diversity, its commitment to service and justice, its
educational experience like no other. You hear it in
the tributes to retiring faculty members like Donald
“Gus” Gustafson and athletic legends like Edor
Nelson ’38 and Ed Saugestad ’59—even as you
read the accomplishments of this year’s distinguished teachers and scholars, future legends. You
hear it in accounts of innovative theater programming, bringing together students from Augsburg
and the University of Minnesota to perform a
groundbreaking production of Peer Gynt at the
university’s arboretum. You hear it in the voices
of students and alumni sharing their vocational
journeys, shaped in this remarkable community.
The power of the Augsburg story is that it is
not new—it is what I call “the saga of Augsburg”
(see my recent essay, “Lessons on Vocation and
Location: The Saga of Augsburg College as Urban
Settlement” at augsburg.edu/president/presentations), a story that is grounded in our rich history
as a college dedicated to the Lutheran Christian
faith, to the power of a liberal arts education, to
vocational discernment, and to our urban setting.
And it is a story more relevant than ever, as it
counters the ways in which higher education is
viewed as a commodity to be purchased, a ticket
simply to a successful career, a stepping stone
instead of a firm foundation.
Our society needs an alternative story about
higher education in order to recover its soul.
Augsburg offers such a story in both its history and
its aspirations as a 21st century “student-centered
urban university, small to our students and big for
the world.” And now we need to recruit a corps of
storytellers—good folks like you—who know this
story well and are willing to stand with us to share
it with the world. In our tradition, that is called
evangelism. Will you join us?
Integrated Communication
Specialist/Augsburg Now
Project Manager
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Christina Haller
haller@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President
for Advancement
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Faithfully yours,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
summer 2014
AUGSBURG NOW
Features
12
9
16
23
12
16
24
29
Faithful and relevant
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
We love Augsburg
EDITED BY LAURA SWANSON
What is it?
BY LAURA SWANSON
Grants gain ground
COMPILED BY STEPHANIE WEISS
Departments
inside
front
cover
Notes from President Pribbenow
02 Around the Quad
09 My Auggie experience
15 Auggie athletics
23 Auggie voices
30 Alumni news
35 Alumni class notes
15
24
38 In memoriam
40 It takes an Auggie
On the cover
Each summer, Augsburg College students complete on-campus research activities across a
wide range of academic disciplines. Learn about Auggies’ recent projects on page 24.
Correction: The Spring 2014 issue of Augsburg Now included an archival photo of Science Hall as part of the My Auggie
experience story. The caption accompanying the image should have noted that the building, in its early years, housed the
home economics department in addition to the offices, laboratories, and rooms named.
All photos and archival photo compilations by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
AROUND THE QUAD
Excellence in
teaching and learning
Choir performs
throughout Ireland
The 2014 Distinguished Contributions recipients [L to R]:
Shana Watters, Phil Adamo, and Stacy Freiheit.
Each year, the Augsburg College faculty recognizes select colleagues with
the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning awards—acknowledging those who have demonstrated outstanding support for students through
teaching, advising, and mentoring.
The 2014 recipients include:
The Augsburg Choir delivered their annual
Bon Voyage Performance May 2, then traveled to Ireland for an international tour. The
group performed in Cork, Dublin, Limerick,
and Newbridge; they also took time to visit
the Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle, and the
Cliffs of Moher on Ireland’s rugged western
coast. To read more about their trip, visit
the students’ blog at engage.augsburg.edu/
augsburgchoir.
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING: Stacy Freiheit, associate professor of psychology
“As a professor, [Stacy] ensures that she engages students in the material
that she is teaching and makes it personal…She is very creative and open,
and implements a multitude of methods to help students learn—from videos,
to interviews, to live demonstrations.” —Amineh Safi ’14, psychology and
political science major
Day at the Capitol
EXCELLENCE IN SCHOLARSHIP: Phil Adamo, associate professor of history and
director of the Medieval Studies Program
“[Phil] has an ability to fold students into his scholarship, providing them
with rich and meaningful experiences that develop them as young scholars.”
—Dixie Shafer, director of Augsburg’s Office of Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity
EXCELLENCE IN ADVISING AND MENTORING: Shana Watters, associate professor
of computer science
“[Shana] really shines. She is interesting; she is supportive; she has high
expectations; she is fun. She takes her responsibility to her students very
seriously, but never takes herself too seriously. As a result, she has been a
remarkable mentor to many students, even those who have not chosen to
pursue computer science.” —Carrie Shidla, Augsburg program manager and
assistant director of academic advising
2
Augsburg Now
Brid Henry ’16 meets Minnesota State Sen. Charles Wiger
during the Day at the Capitol event.
This spring, Augsburg Day at the Capitol gave
students a voice in the important debate surrounding the Minnesota State Grant program.
Augsburg students met with lawmakers and
wrote letters advocating continued support for
this important financial aid.
City and state officials judge
‘The Great Economic Debate’
Courtesy of University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital
at
[L to R]: Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Minnesota Department of
Commerce Commissioner Michael Rothman, and Minneapolis Mayor
Betsy Hodges.
MASTER OF MUSIC THERAPY
Augsburg’s music therapy program has provided students with a
holistic approach to health care through music medicine since
1974. To build on that tradition, Augsburg is launching a music
therapy graduate program in the Twin Cities beginning this fall.
The Master of Music Therapy (MMT) program will engage students in
life-changing experiences and experiential learning, and foster a
holistic view of the use of music in health, healing, and well-being.
For more information about the MMT, visit augsburg.edu/mmt.
The Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL)—a program
of Augsburg College—in May hosted its second Mayor’s
Challenge. Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Minnesota
Department of Commerce Commissioner Michael Rothman,
and Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges served as judges
for a student debate resolving that the North American
Free Trade Agreement has been beneficial for the
economy of Mexico and the United States, specifically
Minnesota. This spring, MNUDL also hosted its first
Spanish Debate Invitational, a Spanish tournament for
Twin Cities middle and high school students, as a way
to make forensics available to more students and to
help extend the reach of the positive work of MNUDL.
Courtesy photo
STROMMEN SPEAKERS SERIES
This April, the Strommen Executive Speakers Series, which
brings local business leaders to campus to share insight and
expertise, featured Jon Campbell, executive vice president of
Wells Fargo. With 36 years of banking experience at Wells
Fargo, Campbell presented “Finding Vocation in Corporate
Philanthropy,” touching on his career path, which has been
characterized by a strong emphasis on community service.
CONNECT. NETWORK. LEAD.
Summer 2014
3
AROUND THE QUAD
Honoring our retired faculty
WILLIAM ARDEN
DONALD “GUS” GUSTAFSON
Assistant Professor, Business
Administration
Professor, History
Joined the College – 2005
Education – bachelor’s, Gustavus
Adolphus College; master’s and
PhD, University of Wisconsin
Education – bachelor’s, New
York University; master’s,
Northeastern University (Boston);
MBA, Boston University
“One of my most memorable
experiences as a teacher was my first time in a classroom.
I taught a graduate marketing course (at another institution)
and walked out of class the first night saying, ‘I haven’t had
this much fun in a job in a long time!’”
Joined the College – 1961
Gustafson thrives most on
the sheer delight of teaching—
students from his classes usually
remember Rasputin, Alsace-Lorraine, and Che Guevara.
GRETCHEN IRVINE
Assistant Professor, Education
RUTH ENESTVEDT
Joined the College – 1993
Assistant Professor, Nursing
Education – bachelor’s, College
of St. Teresa; master’s, University
of Wisconsin-River Falls; PhD,
University of Minnesota
Joined the College – 1999
Education – bachelor’s, St.
Olaf College; master’s and PhD,
University of Minnesota
“We assume that people are
experts in their own lives. We
provide useful, relevant service
that respects what the person brings to the situation.”
MARK ENGEBRETSON
Professor, Physics
Joined the College – 1976
Education – bachelor’s, Luther
College; Master of Divinity,
Luther Theological Seminary;
master’s and PhD, University of
Minnesota
One of the most important
features of Engebretson’s work is sharing it with his
students. His research grants from NASA and the
National Science Foundation have supported dozens of
undergraduate student research opportunities that educate
and motivate science students.
4
Augsburg Now
“I believe in using the
community as a research tool
and bringing the community into the classroom through
resource speakers. Respect for the unique characteristic of
each student is essential.”
JEFFREY JOHNSON
Associate Professor, Physics
Joined the College – 1985
Education – bachelor’s, master’s,
MBA, and PhD, University of
Minnesota
Johnson likes to teach
quantum physics and astronomy,
which, he says, “allows me
to give my students an appreciation of the wonder and
weirdness of our universe.”
ASHOK KAPOOR
Associate Professor, Business
Administration
Joined the College – 1998
Education – bachelor’s and master’s,
University of Delhi; master’s and
MBA, University of Minnesota; PhD,
Temple University
“Augsburg is different from
other institutions in that we have a vocational aspect to our
education, which fits in with my thinking. I tell my students
that they can do whatever they want, as long as they excel.
They will then be happy in life.”
DAWN LUDWIG
Director and Assistant Professor,
Physician Assistant Studies Program
Joined the College – 1995
Education – bachelor’s, University
of Colorado-Denver; master’s
and PA Certificate, University of
Colorado Health Science Center;
PhD, Capella University
One of the guiding principles in Ludwig’s approach to
teaching is to help students maintain a focus on service to
others, and to always be aware of how one good deed can
bless another person’s life.
ROBERT STACKE ’71
Associate Professor and
Department Chair, Music
Joined the College – 1990
Education – bachelor’s, Augsburg
College; master’s, University of
St. Thomas; PhD, University of
Minnesota
“I am very proud of the
number of students who have a chance to be involved in
Augsburg’s music program. One of the benefits of attending a
liberal arts college is having the opportunity to perform even
if you are not a music major.”
Faculty Recognition Luncheon
This spring, Augsburg celebrated
the careers and contributions of
retiring faculty members at the
Faculty Recognition Luncheon. The
event included a program and a
display of recent scholarship and
teaching materials.
CELEBRATING STUDENT SUCCESS
Scholarships and fellowships
Augsburg students earned a range of prestigious accolades
during spring semester, including the following:
BARRY GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP
Eric Bowman ’15, a biology and
chemistry major and McNair
Scholar, received an honorable
mention in the Barry Goldwater
Scholarship competition.
The Goldwater Foundation
provides $7,500 undergraduate
scholarships to students who
plan to pursue a research career
in a STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathmatics)
field, and the scholarship is the
premier undergraduate award
of its type in these fields. Bowman was one of only eight
Minnesotans to receive an honorable mention this year.
BENJAMIN A. GILMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Benjamin
A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants
for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial
means to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, careeroriented internships abroad. Since 2008, 36 Auggies
have been awarded a total of $150,000 from the Gilman
International Scholarship.
This spring, sociology and psychology major Pa-Loo Lor ’14
studied at Augsburg’s exchange partner, Hong Kong Baptist
University. This summer, GaoSheng Yang ’14 studied and
interned in Shanghai. She is an international relations major
with a minor in management information systems. And this
fall, biology major Fowsia Elmi ’15, international business and
finance major Smeret Hailom ’15, and sociology major Ayan
Khayro ’15 will study in Turkey; and music major Elizabeth
Fontaine ’16 will study in Indonesia.
HAWKINSON AWARD
The Hawkinson Foundation for Peace & Justice has awarded
Ibrahim Al-Hajiby ’14 the Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation
Scholarship. This scholarship was created by the Foundation
to encourage students who have already demonstrated a
6
Augsburg Now
commitment to peace and justice to strive for peace and
justice both in their educational pursuits and in their personal
and professional lives.
KEMPER SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Najma Warsame ’17, a communication studies student, was
named the College’s fourth Kemper Scholar. Students in this
prestigious program, which is funded by the James S. Kemper
Foundation, receive academic scholarships and stipends to
cover the costs of two summer internships in major nonprofit
and for-profit organizations. Augsburg is one of only 16
U.S. liberal arts colleges with the Kemper Scholars Program
distinction.
NEWMAN CIVIC FELLOWS AWARD
Vincent Henry ’15 was named a Newman Civic Fellow for
2014. The Newman Civic Fellow Award is a Campus Compact
distinction recognizing students who—through service,
research, and advocacy—work to identify the root causes of
social issues and effective mechanisms for creating lasting
change.
PHILLIPS SCHOLARSHIP
Each year, the Minnesota Private
College Council awards six
scholarships from the Jay and
Rose Phillips Family Foundation
of Minnesota to students
who attend its 17 member
institutions. This year, two of the
six were awarded to Augsburg
students Sagal Ali ’16 and Muna
Mohamed ’15. Ali will work on a
project that addresses the high
risk of obesity and the rise of
diabetes among Somali women,
while Mohamed’s project will focus on engaging Muslim
women in sports while honoring their religious and cultural
beliefs.
2014 PRESIDENTS’ CIVIC ENGAGEMENT STEWARD AWARD
The Augsburg student group Students for Racial Justice
won the Presidents’ Civic Engagement Steward Award at
the Minnesota Campus Compact Summit that took place
this spring. This award recognizes those who have advanced
their campus’s distinctive civic mission by forming strong
partnerships, supporting civic engagement, and working to
institutionalize a culture and practice of engagement.
Student research awards and
achievements
ROSSING PHYSICS SCHOLARS
STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN
ZYZZOGETON 2014
Two Augsburg College students have been named Rossing
Physics Scholars for 2014-15. Juan Tigre ’16 and Fikre
Beyene ’16 will receive $10,000 and $7,000, respectively.
The Rossing Fund for Physics Education Endowment in
the ELCA Foundation was established in 2005 for physics
majors at the 27 ELCA colleges.
TRAVELERS EDGE SCHOLARS AND TRAVELERS INTERNSHIPS
Stella Richardson Hohn ’15 and Lee Thao ’15 are interning
in St. Paul and Hartford, Conn., respectively, as part of the
Travelers Insurance Empowering Dreams for Graduation
and Employment (EDGE) program. This program focuses on
college recruitment and retention of low-income and firstgeneration students, and enhances awareness of careers in the
insurance and financial industries. In Minnesota, the focus
specifically is on students graduating from both the St. Paul
and Minneapolis public school districts.
Five additional Auggies—Lorreal Edwards ’16, Liban
Elmi ’16, Lyton Guallpa-Naula ’16, Angela Hernandez ’16, and
Seng Vue ’16—also will complete internships at Travelers
Insurance in St. Paul. This group will participate in professional
and leadership development workshops supported by the
Kemper Foundation to prepare for their internship opportunity.
VANN FELLOWSHIP
Michelle Grafelman ’15, an
Augsburg Presidential Scholar,
was awarded the $5,000 Vann
Fellowship in Biomedical Ethics at
Mayo Clinic. As a summer fellow,
she is working with physician and
research mentors within Mayo’s
Program in Professionalism and
Ethics to examine issues such as
end-of-life care, genetic therapies,
and patient consent, among others.
Zyzzogeton is an opportunity to
hear about the exciting scholarship
happening on campus. This year,
more than 80 students presented
their research and creative activity
to the Augsburg community in
the annual spring poster session,
which is sponsored by the Office
of Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity (URGO),
the McNair Scholars program, and
the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
program.
SUMMER 2014 OFF-CAMPUS RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS
This summer, several Auggie researchers will be building their
skills to support graduate school admissions and careers in
the sciences.
• Elly Bier ’14—physics; National Institute of Standards and
Technology
• Weih Borh ’16—chemistry; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(LSAMP Summer Research Program)
• Chris DeVet ’15—chemistry; CIMA Labs pharmaceuticals
• Becca Freese ’16—biology and mathematics; University of
Minnesota (Summer Institute in Biostatistics)
• Kirubel Frew ’14—chemistry; working with Armon Sharei and
Katarina Blagovic at Harvard University and Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, respectively
• Cedith Giddings ’15—biology; University of Minnesota
(CHE-CTSI Advanced Research Program and Undergraduate
Research Program)
• Michelle Grafelman ’15—biology; Mayo Clinic (Vann
Fellowship in Bioethics)
Summer 2014
7
CELEBRATING STUDENT SUCCESS
• Daniel Hildebrandt ’15—biology and chemistry; Mayo Clinic
(Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship)
• Taylor Kuramoto ’15—mathematics; University of Tennessee,
Knoxville (National Institute for Mathematical and
Biological Synthesis)
•
Oscar Martinez ’16—
chemistry; Scripps Research
Institute in Jupiter, Fla.
(Summer Undergraduate
Research Fellows Program)
• Bethany Marlette ’14—biology;
Mayo Clinic
•
Yemi Melka ’15—chemistry and
international relations; Friends
Committee on National
Legislation in Washington, D.C.
• Lily Moloney ’15—chemistry;
Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. (Summer
Undergraduate Research Fellows Program)
• Promise Okeke ’15—biology; Harvard Stem Cell Institute of
the Harvard Medical School
• Andrew Roehl ’15—chemistry; Colorado State University
(Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates)
• Ben Swanson ’15—chemistry; Northwestern University
(Materials Research Science & Engineering Center)
• Sadie Tetrick ’16—physics; Dartmouth College Physics
Department
8
Augsburg Now
POSTERS ON THE HILL
Each spring,
the Council on
Undergraduate
Research hosts its
annual undergraduate
poster session,
Posters on the Hill, in
Washington, D.C. At
the event, students
meet members of
Congress, funding agencies, and foundations, and have the
opportunity to advocate for undergraduate research programs.
Summa cum laude English graduate Margo Ensz ’13
was among the top 10 percent of applicants selected to
present and received an honorable mention for her URGO
summer research project, “Analyzing the Persistence of a
Sense of Place Among Young Adults in the Technology-Rich,
A-Contextual 21st Century,” advised by Colin Irvine, Augsburg
College associate professor of English.
SCHOLARS AT THE CAPITOL
During spring semester, Augsburg
TRIO McNair Scholars Amineh
Safi ’14 and David Fowler ’14
participated in the 11th annual
Private College Scholars at the
Capitol event. Each private
college in Minnesota annually
selects two students to attend the
event and present their research.
Safi’s research topic, “Racializing
Islam: Newspaper Portrayal of
Crime Involving Muslims and
Islam,” is a descriptive content
analysis examining how crimes
involving Muslims are portrayed
in the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Fowler’s
research focused on methods for studying heart development
and function in the model organism Daphnia magna.
MY AUGGIE EXPERIENCE
PEASANTS
AND TROLLS,
COLLABORATIONS
AND CHALLENGES
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
▲ Nearly 1,000 theatergoers visited the
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for
Peer Gynt’s three-day run. The character
of Peer Gynt was played by University of
Minnesota student Joe Kellen.
I
▲ Peer Gynt visits the troll kingdom in an attempt to marry the troll princess.
Imagine it’s spring and you are at a site
USA Today named as among the nation’s
10 greatest places in America to smell
the flowers. You start to meander along
a footpath that will lead you through a
natural habitat of trees and ferns to rolling
prairie and lowlands, all while birds sing
after a long winter.
As you round the corner from the
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s
visitor center, you come across a small
homesteader’s cabin. It’s nestled among
the trees. A group of people, dressed as
peasants from the 1800s, bicker with one
another. You’ve just walked smack into the
middle of the set of Peer Gynt, a play by
Henrik Ibsen, being performed by students
from Augsburg College and the University
of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
The site-specific performance—a
production shaped by the unique place in
which it is performed and that relies upon
existing landscapes and features to serve
as the stage and sets—was the first time
the two schools collaborated and probably
the first site-specific production of this
▲ [Top of page] An audience watches an opening scene from Peer Gynt, a production by Augsburg College and the
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s historic Berens Cabin serves as the
backdrop for dialogue between the Peer Gynt character and his mother, seated on the wheelbarrow.
Summer 2014
9
said. “We thought the universe might
like them to meet. We wanted to see
new alliances formed and to create more
opportunities for artistic intersections
because theater and artists are best
served when more and more connections
can be made.”
The staging of this classic
Norwegian tale at a Minnesota landmark
also was a testament to the academic
excellence driven by Augsburg faculty
and alumni who create multifaceted
student-learning experiences.
“Faculty know that in order to
develop students’ abilities to think
critically and to solve problems—
essential 21st-century skills—we
need to expose them to hands-on
opportunities to work together,
to interact with people who think
differently from themselves, and to
provide time to reflect upon and voice
what they learn,” Engen said.
STUDENTS CO-CREATE SCRIPT
That multi-layered complexity drew
students to the story. Boo Segersin ’15,
an Augsburg theater major pursuing
A children’s playground serves as the set for a scene in Peer Gynt.
Existing landscape features are used to stage site-specific theater.
▲
scale for Twin Cities’ theatergoers.
“This adaptation demanded new
partnerships between schools and with
many theater artists—puppeteers,
movement specialists, musicians, [and]
fight choreographers. We pummeled
students with new experiences and
gave the audience a spectacular
performance,” said Darcey Engen
’88, associate professor and chair of
Augsburg’s Theater Arts program.
Collaborating with the University
of Minnesota allowed Engen and her
counterpart, Luverne Seifert ’83, to
assemble the large cast required by
the play: about 40 student actors in
all. And the complexity of the script
meant students would build new skills
in collaboration, forge friendships,
and nurture the beginnings of new
professional networking relationships
in the tightly connected world of Twin
Cities theater.
“It seemed odd to Darcey and me
that each night there were groups of
students creating all of this amazing
artistic energy, and they were only three
blocks away from one another,” Seifert
minors in musical theater and
Norwegian, said she was drawn in by the
density of Peer Gynt.
“I read the play over winter break
and wondered how we could do it. It’s
on mountains. It’s in mountains. There
are trolls. Just the landscapes were a
challenge in themselves,” Segersin said.
The students worked with Sarah
Myers, Augsburg College assistant
professor of theater arts, to adapt the
script and halve the length of the play.
“I was nervous to work on the script,
but one of the best parts was working—
as a full cast—with Sarah to cut things
down,” Segersin said. “We found the
‘red thread,’ the core storyline that runs
through the script, and, with that, found
our way.”
That thread allowed the students
to take the play from the three-hour
adaptation by famed Minnesota poet
Robert Bly to a compact 90 minutes
that was accessible to newcomers of all
ages but that remained engaging and
challenging for seasoned theatergoers.
It’s quite a feat when one considers that
Ibsen’s original was a hefty seven hours.
Boo Segersin ’15 (top) played the role of Solveig, a young woman who leaves her
family and insists upon living with Peer Gynt in his hand-hewn cabin. The role of
Peer Gynt’s mother, Åse, was played by Nikki Whittaker ’17 (bottom).
▲
10
Augsburg Now
▲ Nearly 40 performers were involved in the Peer Gynt wedding scene.
▲
Students worked with professional master puppeteers to build and coordinate
the movement of a giant raven puppet with a nearly 20-foot wingspan.
NAVIGATING CULTURE, CAST,
WEATHER, AND LANDSCAPE
Wrestling with the script of the play—a
story of loss due to procrastination and
avoidance followed by redemption late in
life—was just one of the challenges faced
by students. They also had to identify
features in the arboretum’s landscape that
could serve as sets, deliver their lines in
open-air scenes with acoustics affected
by the landscape and ambient noises not
usually present in a theater, and learn
original music, all while getting to know
the culture and student performers from
another school.
Then there were the logistics for
which no planning can be done.
“Because of the variables involved,
site-specific theater provides attendees
the chance to see what is a once-in-alifetime performance and to leave having
been an active traveler in the play,” Engen
said. “For performers, there’s a textured
chaos that you can’t plan for and that
forces you to think fast and improvise
within boundaries. It leaves you exhausted
and exhilarated at the end.”
Being faced with those challenges
was just what Engen and Seifert wanted
for students. The two worked closely
to co-direct students in this first-ever
collaboration between the schools.
“Students learned to perform to
the moment at hand,” Engen said.
“Sometimes that meant changing the
energy and volume of lines to overcome
wind or a noisy attendee. Other times
it meant staying in character but
improvising when a young child persisted
in trying to break into the scene.”
Segersin said that it was a rewarding
experience to work with peers from the
University of Minnesota and to perform for
the nearly 1,000 attendees who visited
the arboretum for the production.
“This beautiful thing happened: We
became a team,” Segersin said. “And
now, sometimes, when I sleep, I dream
about them.”
BUILDING PROFESSIONAL
NETWORKS
The relationships and networks, though,
extend beyond just the student peers
at the two institutions. Engen used the
production to help students connect with
other theater professionals.
“Students built experience in creative
problem-solving with some of the Twin
Cities’ foremost theater professionals,
including master puppeteers, musicians,
and movement professionals,” Engen
said. “It was a chance for students to
explore the many ways to work in theater
and to challenge themselves to meld
these disciplines.”
Seifert added that making
connections with artists across disciplines
and fields is critical for the future of
theater and the artists.
“These students now can reach out
to one another to collaborate on future
projects,” he said. “This model allowed
us to give students an understanding of
how major companies in regional theater
increasingly are combining resources to
produce shows.”
That goal wasn’t lost on Segersin, who
was invited to work as a summer intern
with Sod House Theater, a production
company founded by Engen and Seifert.
“We’re still working out what it
means. But I will have the chance to work
with the performance of Peer Gynt at sites
around the state, to meet professional
Twin Cities’ actors and local actors, and to
network,” Segersin said.
Summer 2014
11
give
experience perspectives
equipped
work
explore
practice
live
care
beneficial
center
seek
explore
beliefs
understand
evolving
seen passions
citizen
boldly
beneficial
tell
important
seen
strengths
hear
world
human
articulate
calling
love
meaning
foundations
competence
A
scholars
expanding
welcoming
give
diverse
respectfully
society
propelled God
meaning
leadership
seek
desire
gifts
inquiry
views
true
moral
diversity
H
skill
human
callAugsburg Now
10
faithful
strengths
shared
center
T
articulate
path
beliefs
appreciation
discussion
conversation
nurturing
relationships
opportunity
citizen
learn
Lutheran explore
expand
value
connect religion reflection
life
I
growing journey
traditions
interfaith responsive
asking
answers
life
service
skill
profound
rise
care
work true
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effective
gifts
challenging
path
F
answers
integrity
views
Christensen
connect
passions
&
Relevant
Faithful
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
experience
theology
service
vocation
reflect
Pictured [top to bottom]: Whitney Pratt ’11, Cody Tresselt-Warren ’09, and Jessica Spanswick ’10
Photo by Thomas Kosa
ith careers in accounting, education,
Grappling with vocation
military service, and pastoral ministry,
One of the aspects that Auggies in the Christensen Scholars
and Interfaith Scholars programs valued most about the
experience was the dedicated time to learn and to grapple
together with difficult topics and questions.
“Having that regular, dedicated time for discussion
helped us to better articulate our gifts, strengths, and
passions,” said Emily Wiles ’10, a youth and family ministry
major who this spring earned a Master of Divinity from Luther
Seminary. “We pushed each other to articulate our positions,
which helped me really connect with what I think and who
I am,” she said. As a result, “things that I might have
otherwise taken for granted, I came to ‘own’ as my gifts.” In
having to express and explain your perspectives, Wiles said,
“you really get to know yourself better.”
Also beneficial, according to several alumni, was the
opportunity to reflect on the full meaning of vocation. “My
generation is going to have 15 different jobs or careers in
our lifetimes,” said Cody Tresselt-Warren ’09, who majored
in accounting and religion at Augsburg and today is a tax
accountant at Wells Fargo & Company.
“You think, when you’re in college, that once you
graduate and get a job, you’re set,” he said. But there are
so many other important layers—from family obligations to
the needs of the wider world—that, “you have to interpret
your calling from a number of perspectives. It’s a dynamic,
evolving journey.”
Sylvia Bull ’10 agreed, noting that, especially in the
U.S.—a generally career-oriented culture—it is important
to expand the view of vocation beyond just a job or career.
Bull, an international relations and religion double major who
this spring completed her third year at Princeton Theological
Seminary in Princeton, N.J., sees faith as serving an
important role in considerations about vocation. We need to
“open our eyes of faith to see all of the things that we do in
our lives as part of God’s call,” she said.
six recent Augsburg alumni are finding
that their undergraduate experiences studying vocation and
interfaith leadership are paying off well beyond their
college years.
These Auggies participated in the Christensen Scholars
and Interfaith Scholars programs at Augsburg—programs that
provide scholarships for students to take upper-level religion
courses that thrust them deep into topics of faith, religious
diversity, service, theology, and vocation.
Meeting on weeknight evenings throughout the academic
year, students engaged with these topics—and each other—
through focused discussion, inquiry, service-learning, and
reflection. The number of scholarships available each year is
limited, so getting into the program is a competitive process,
involving writing an essay and obtaining a recommendation
from an Augsburg College faculty or staff member. Students
accepted to the programs earn four religion credits and a
$2,000 scholarship for the year. But, according to some of the
early alumni from the programs, the value of the experience
extends well beyond course credit and financial support.
Pictured [left to right]: Peter Weston Miller ’10, Emily Wiles ’10, and Sylvia Bull ’10
Summer 2014
13
And “even if faith is not explicitly part of the
conversation,” said Jessica Spanswick ’10, who today works
as director of career services at Globe University, “it is a
profound, shared human desire to seek and find meaning in
our lives.”
fully effective.” To function as a citizen in today’s world,
“you have to understand how people think and the beliefs on
which they base their social and moral codes.”
Welcoming difficult conversations
In the end, these Auggies agreed that the programs’ greatest
value was that they equipped participants to ask challenging
life questions—seemingly simple (but, actually, not-sosimple) questions like, “Where have you come from—and
where are you going?” and “How do you know you’re on the
right path?”
Consistently, all of these alumni said it was the
questions—not the answers—that were most meaningful
to them. In fact, they have each continued the practice of
asking and reflecting on difficult questions and they shared
some of the questions they regularly encounter in their lives
today:
Asking tough questions
Alumni from these programs also shared an appreciation
for how their experiences helped them develop the listening
and interpersonal skills to learn from and understand others.
“We learned to step boldly and respectfully into difficult
conversations,” said Peter Weston Miller ’10, “meeting
people where they were at, where God had uniquely called
them to be.”
Weston Miller, an English major who also completed his
Master’s of Divinity at Luther Seminary this past spring, said
these conversations taught the participants how to “build
relationships based on human integrity and dignity, not just
[based on] topics” that they agreed upon.
“We learned to know ourselves better through the eyes of
others, despite different backgrounds, political leanings, and
socio-economic statuses,” he said.
In particular, alumni from the programs valued the
opportunity to interact and work with people who bring
different faith perspectives. “Speaking with people from
many different faith backgrounds helped me learn to listen to
and understand others’ views and beliefs,” said Spanswick,
who majored in international relations at Augsburg and
recently completed her MBA at Globe University. In her
current work, Spanswick meets people from many different
cultures, and she noted that their cultural practices often
differ because of faith traditions.
Whitney Pratt ’11, who majored in economics at
Augsburg and serves as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air
Force, agreed that interfaith competency is an important life
skill. “Religion is such an important facet of our lives,” she
said. “Most of our political struggles center around topics
that stem from the moral foundations” that different groups
of people use to guide their behaviors and interactions in
society.
“You can try to build intercultural competence, but
without understanding religion,” Pratt said, “you won’t be
• “Am I questioning my current path because I don’t like it
[today] or because it’s really not my calling?”
• “How do I remain true to my Lutheran beliefs and still
operate in an ecumenically diverse organization?”
• “How will what I want to say affect this other person?”
• “If this current path is not my calling, what’s the best step
to take to explore what is right?”
“As our lives and our world change,” Weston Miller said,
“we need to keep asking these questions in order to keep
ourselves expanding, growing, nurturing, and propelled
forward in God’s calling for all of us.”
Continually asking these questions and searching for
meaning helps us to see the world not just as it is, Wiles
added, but as it could be.
reflection
• And, the question that Martin Luther is famous for: “What
does this mean?”
learn
care
journey
leadership
life welcoming
pathdiverse
call
world appreciation
respectfully discussion citizen
moral calling competence
14
Augsburg Now
skill passions opportunity
work answers
FROM GAME TIME TO LIFETIME
Influence of Auggie icons shapes alumni and today’s campus
August 18 marks the 100th birthday of legendary Augsburg
College coach Edor Nelson ’38.
Nelson is one of the elite Augsburg coaches who profoundly
impacted the College’s athletic programs and whose influence
echoed in the lives of student-athletes beyond their competitions
on athletic fields, rinks, and courts.
At Augsburg, the legacies of renowned coaching staff
and faculty live on in the facilities that carry their names, are
exhibited in their own philanthropy, and can be seen in the
generosity they inspire in others.
Bruce Nelson ’71, son of Edor Nelson, said coaches such
as his father grew up in an era in which sacrifice for the greater
good was common, and coaches played larger roles in the lives of
student-athletes than simply running drills.
“These coaches taught student-athletes about commitment
and that a team is bigger than the individuals,” said Bruce, who
lives out what he learned—in part—by serving as president of the
Augsburg A-Club, a service organization of former and current
Auggie student-athletes and friends of the College.
Bruce knows from first-hand experience that student-athletes
see, understand, and appreciate the ways their mentors continue
to influence their lives as they move on to new opportunities.
“Very few athletes, when they’re older, talk about wins and
losses. They talk about camaraderie, support, and struggles,”
Bruce said. “They remember that my dad helped them get jobs
out of college—that the support didn’t stop after graduation.”
Nelson is one of a group of long-tenured coaches who are
pillars in the Auggie community. Others include:
•
Ernie Anderson ’37–Coach of Augsburg’s men’s basketball
team from 1947-1970, Anderson also was athletic director
for 33 years from 1947-1980. His tenure inspired the Ernie
Anderson Court in Si Melby Hall.
•
Marilyn Pearson Florian ’76–Coach of Augsburg’s women’s
volleyball team from 1981-1998, she also was the women’s
athletic director from 1988-2007. She increased the number
of women’s sports and of female student-athletes.
AUGGIE ATHLETICS
•
Edor Nelson ’38–An Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame member,
Nelson coached football from 1947-1969 and baseball from
1946-1979. Augburg’s outdoor athletic field bears his name.
•
Lavonne Johnson Peterson ’50–“Mrs. Pete” led the ‘Auggiettes’
basketball team in 13 unbeaten seasons from the 1950s to
the 1970s and was an instructor until 1980. Augsburg named
the health and physical education center in her honor.
•
Joyce Anderson Pfaff ’65–A pioneer in women’s athletics and
in the establishment of varsity women’s sports, Pfaff was
Augsburg’s first women’s athletic director, serving from 19721998. She also taught for 43 years.
•
Ed Saugestad ’59–Coach of the men’s hockey team from
1958-1996, Saugestad’s championship teams claimed three
NAIA national and six MIAC state titles. One of Augsburg’s
hockey rinks is named in honor of Saugestad, who passed
away in March.
•
Jeff Swenson ’79–Wrestling team coach for 25 years,
Swenson has served the past 10 years as athletic director.
Auggies brought home 10 national wrestling titles under his
leadership, and the wrestling wall of fame bears his name.
Today the commitment of these coaches continues to be honored
through philanthropic initiatives by alumni whom they inspired.
Corky Hall ’71, Augsburg’s first men’s hockey All-American,
is challenging fellow student-athletes-turned-Augsburg-alumni
to raise funds for a named space in the Center for Science,
Business, and Religion (CSBR) to honor Saugestad. (Read more
about Saugestad’s legacy on page 33.)
Mark Rabbe ’53, one of Edor Nelson’s baseball players, is
funding a faculty office in the CSBR to honor the coach. And
additional challenges are underway to honor the centennial of
Edor Nelson’s birth.
These Augsburg alumni—and many others who have stepped
up to join a philanthropic challenge—demonstrate that alumni
athletes recognize the role coaches played in positively shaping
their lives and are willing to seize the opportunity to make a
positive impact on the Auggies of tomorrow.
Summer 2014
15
WE
LOVE
AUGSBURG
THE CLASS OF 2014 SHARES MEMORIES, STORIES,
AND TAKEAWAYS FROM THEIR TIME AS STUDENTS
EDITED BY LAURA SWANSON
This spring, hundreds of new alumni celebrated their graduation at Augsburg College
Commencement ceremonies. While these events often are treated as a conclusion—the
grand finale at the end of years of study and hard work—it’s important to remember that
commencement, in its very definition, marks a beginning or start.
As Augsburg’s newest graduates prepared to launch into new challenges and opportunities with an Augsburg degree in hand, we began to wonder, “What was it about this
campus…this curriculum…this College that they came to appreciate during their time
as students?”
So, we asked.
And the Class of 2014 answered.
This list, in no particular order, includes a brief sample of the things Auggies love about
Augsburg. While it cannot represent all of the College’s valued traits, it does help depict
just how unique the institution is. Our students, our alumni, our location, our heritage,
and our mission help influence this place, just as the College—in turn—shapes many of
these entities. Let’s take a look at why there’s so much to love about Augsburg College
and why it’s such a privilege that WE ARE CALLED AUGGIES.
16
Augsburg Now
2
1
The mission
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
EDUCATES STUDENTS TO BE
INFORMED CITIZENS,
THOUGHTFUL STEWARDS,
CRITICAL THINKERS, AND
RESPONSIBLE LEADERS.
Working to be
“Green by 2019”
“I love [Augsburg’s] effort to make
the world a better place through
means such as eliminating the
It says it all, doesn’t it?
“I love Augsburg’s commitment to being an institution that prepares
students for life beyond academics.” —KIMBERLY CLUB ’14
carbon footprint.”
—MITCHELL FUCHS ’14 MSW
Intentional diversity
“I appreciate Augsburg’s dedication
not only to being a diverse community but also to giving students the
opportunity to fully acknowledge this
through various assignments and
campus activities.”
—SIERRA BARGER ’14
That small-college feel
4
“Augsburg is big enough to
fit your needs, and small
enough that you’ll be noticed.”
Summer 2014
17
The faculty
Professors, teachers, faculty members, instructors, mentors, and
friends. The Class of 2014 used many names to describe the people
at the head of the classroom and the backbone of their education.
And, not surprisingly, these people were the most-cited aspect to
love about Augsburg.
“The faculty are top notch and some of the most caring and
conscientious people I have ever met.” —HOLLY HANSON ’14 MAN
“Professors are understanding and accommodating of nontraditional students’ individual circumstances.”
—MAYA SUTTON ’14 MAE
“I love the close-knit community between students and professors.”
—ANDREW DENT ’14
Life in the city
Augsburg is the only college of the ELCA located in
the heart of a large urban area, and students use
the Twin Cities as a metropolitan classroom where
they can engage with College neighbors, community
partners, and companies large and small.
6
7
“I love Augsburg because of its strong commitment
to its mission and its dedication to being a College
of the city. I have never been anywhere that has a
clearer sense of its identity or that has tried harder to
be a ‘good neighbor.’” —MARTHA TRUAX ’14 MAL,
DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING
Athletics
Augsburg teammates develop bonds akin to a “second family.” From
hockey to swimming and from basketball to lacrosse, approximately
450 students participate in varsity athletics at the College each year.
It’s a good thing maroon is always in style.
“The bond that was built over the years of workouts, practices, games,
wins, losses, and just hanging out was one of the biggest benefits to
me throughout my college career.” —GARY MARISCAL ’14
8
18
Augsburg Now
The dress code
Okay, okay. Wearing Norwegian sweaters to Velkommen Jul and
bowties with formalwear isn’t actually required. But, it’s fun!
Experiential education
Augsburg was the first Minnesota college or
university to receive the Presidential Award for
Community Service. Each fall, incoming first-year
and transfer students participate in City Service
Day—a day on which the students volunteer at
organizations matched to their degree programs
and learn in the neighborhoods that surround
Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus. Undergraduate
students begin their experiential education on
Day 1, and it’s a priority that extends throughout
each of Augsburg’s degree programs.
9
“I learned how to be a ‘citizen professional,’ and
work collaboratively with others to solve problems.”
—JUDY SCHLAEFER ’14 DNP
Global learning
opportunities
Cohorts
Augsburg undergraduate and
graduate students take courses
around the world. Whether studying business in Germany, nursing
in Namibia, or psychology in Slovenia, Auggies find that learning
and living in a foreign culture
catalyze academic, intercultural,
and personal leadership skills and
Some of Augsburg’s programs follow a cohort
model that allows students to travel together
from course to course, fostering strong relationships between classmates and outlining a clear
path toward a degree.
“The cohort model for the MBA program allows
for great camaraderie!” —AVA BEILKE ’14 MBA
responsible global citizenship.
12
Dining together in Rochester
“Meals for the Rochester students kept [our]
energy up for long evening classes.”
—HEIDI OCHTRUP-DEKEYREL ’14
Small class sizes
13
Augsburg’s undergraduate classes average 13
to 17 students, which allows Auggies to learn
from—and with—their professors and classmates.
Summer 2014
19
Nearby restaurants
When it comes to dining out, the CedarRiverside neighborhood has something for
everyone.
15
“I love that I can get a gyro, chicken curry,
or Chicago-style hot dog all within a couple
blocks of my dorm.”
—SAMANTHA CANTRALL ’14
Tracy’s (just across I-94 on Franklin
Avenue) serves up the “Augsburger,” which
features two beef patties, sharp cheddar
cheese, barbecue sauce, bacon, lettuce,
tomato, mayo, and a side of school spirit.
Yum, yum.
“Tracy’s is amazing and within walking
distance!” —EMMA WINEGAR ’14
Auggie Days
Leading up to the start of the fall semester, this on-campus orientation for
incoming first-year students is so memorable that people think of it as a
highlight of their Augsburg experience—even four years later. Part of the
fun includes a Neighborhood Challenge relay in Murphy Square.
The campus
Not every school is so lucky as to have a
7 ½ Street on campus.
“I love that you can walk anywhere on
campus in less than 10 minutes.”
16
—MOLLIE KING ’14
Peers (of course)
“The people—friendly, genuine, and approachable.”
—DENISE HERRERA ’14 MAL,
SENIOR ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR
“I love the ability to build life-long relationships
with people from many different backgrounds and
from many different places around the world.”
—MATTHEW SCHIRBER ’14
20
Augsburg Now
StepUP®
Augsburg’s StepUP Program helps students champion lives of recovery, achieve
academic success, and thrive in a community of accountability and support.
StepUP annually serves more than 100
students and is the largest residential
collegiate recovery program in the U.S.
18
The skyline
19
The Minneapolis campus has an
eagle-eye view of downtown that’s
perfectly fitting for the Auggie
mascot. (We’ll let you know how
things are coming on the new
Vikings stadium).
“There’s a stellar view of the
city from the top of Mortensen.”
—JOE VOKRACKA ’14
On-campus art galleries, pop-up exhibits…
The staff
20
21
…guest speakers, music ensemble performances, and research festivals.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that there’s always something happening at Augsburg. Each spring, Zyzzogeton celebrates the creativity and
scholarship of undergraduate students. It’s fun to say—and to attend. The
College also hosts scholars and professionals at the leading edge in students’ academic disciplines and showcases artwork by visiting artists and
Auggies. The exhibition spaces around
campus transform multiple times each
year in order to present an array of
innovative and inspirational pieces.
Zyz·zo·ge·ton
“I love the changing art exhibits.” —WHITNEY WORLEY ’14 MPA
You name it; they do it. In many ways, Augsburg locations are like
small cities unto themselves where students eat, sleep, shop, socialize, learn, and live. Augsburg staff members foster an exceptional
student experience at locations in Minnesota and around the world.
“I love the super helpful and nice financial aid advisers, and the wellorganized Registrar’s Office staff.” —HOLLY REDDY ’14
The changing seasons
Winter sometimes can last a tad too long, but
Minnesota’s seasons certainly add variety to
Augsburg’s academic calendar. Each year the
Quad features fall colors, spring blooms, summer
picnics, and winter snow angels, which means
the weather outside helps to emphasize the timeliness of the College’s in-house traditions.
Summer 2014
21
Nearby sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes
Home of the Greenway and the Chain of Lakes, Minneapolis has
92 miles of on-street bikeways and 85 miles of off-street paths,
not to mention an abundance of pedestrian-only zones.
“I love running and walking on the River Road.”
—LAUREN RICE ’14
24
A snapshot of graduation
The graduating class of 2014 added more than
750 Auggies—from our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs—to the College’s
alumni ranks.
Commencement ceremonies held May 3-4
featured the theme “Thoughtful Stewards,”
which was inspired by the College’s mission
statement and reflected the Augsburg communi-
Arts and culture
Minneapolis has world-class museums, a vibrant dance
scene, and more theater seats per capita than any U.S.
city outside New York. It’s no wonder Minneapolis was
named one of America’s most creative cities, and it’s no
surprise that Auggies take advantage of the visual and
performing arts in their midst.
“I love seeing new work at the Playwright Center just
down the road.” —HANNAH YOUNGQUIST ’14
22
Augsburg Now
ty’s passion for social justice and sustainability.
To see additional photos or watch Commencement
ceremony videos, go to augsburg.edu/now.
25
Its influence
“Augsburg changed how I think.”
—PETER MOORE ’14 MAL
Philosophy
The
AUGGIE VOICES
BEHIND A CAREER
She’s a lawyer, a seasoned business operations
executive, a mother of two, a biotech entrepreneur,
and a restaurant owner. She’s also a philosophy and
political science double major, and an Auggie.
In the years since she graduated from Augsburg
College, Naomi Williamson ’78 has charted a career
path that has taken her into multiple, disparate
industries and types of organizations.
“I like the challenge,” Williamson said. Each new
opportunity introduces “a new orbit of people and a
different knowledge area.”
Indeed: After completing her bachelor’s degree,
Williamson went on to earn a law degree at the
University of Minnesota Law School and worked as
a litigator at Larkin Hoffman, one of Minnesota’s
largest full-service law firms. From there, she joined
Honeywell, where she spent 15 years in contracts,
marketing, sales, process quality, and supply chain
management. After that, she helped a medical
pathologist with a successful biotech start-up, and,
then, in 2007, she started a restaurant with her
husband, Roger Kubicki, and veteran restaurant
owner Michael Kutscheid—while also working on
the side as an aircraft manufacturing contracts and
negotiations consultant.
Williamson’s appetite for digging into a challenge
and seeking new knowledge was evident even before
she launched her professional career, however. She
fell in love with philosophy, she said, after trying to
make sense of the writings of Immanuel Kant.
“It took me four hours to read 40 pages” she
said. “I didn’t fully understand it, but I thought that
if I did, I might be able to find the answers I was
looking for.”
This willingness to do the hard work to make
sense of things is so consistently woven into
Williamson’s educational and career choices that it
appears to be more of an internal drive, a calling,
than a choice.
“I just can’t get myself on easy street,” she
joked. “I’m always doing something to make sure that
my next step is just as hard as the last one.”
Naomi Williamson ’78 is co-owner of Sanctuary, a
restaurant in Minneapolis’ Mill City district. Of all her
career experiences, Williamson said that the restaurant
business is “far and away the most difficult.”
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
Summer 2014
23
What is it
Scenes from undergraduate students’
ON-CAMPUS RESEARCH
BY LAURA SWANSON
Each summer, undergraduate students at Augsburg College work directly
with faculty mentors to complete individually designed research projects
and creative activities. Auggies seeking to enhance their education gain
rich, hands-on experience by participating in research opportunities
sponsored by the College, funded through grants and private gifts, or
offered through federal programs.
Students from all disciplines can participate in summer research.
This year, their topics included designing a tool to sample motor vehicle
pollution; examining immigrants’ influence in community organizations
and politics; cloning and characterization of Daphnia magna, a water flea;
and analyzing the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act on Minneapolis
youth, among many others.
During the research process, students often use specialized materials
and technologies, investigate complex and specific concepts, and explore
existing scholarship and literature.
Can you match each summer research image with its academic discipline?
History
2
Photo by Bill Capman
CAN YOU IDENTIFY
THESE ITEMS?
Exercise Science
English
5
24
Augsburg Now
Social Work
Leading
IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
ONE KEY WAY Augsburg College delivers on its commitment to experiential education is through
undergraduate research projects in which Auggies employ their talents and passions. On campus,
these projects are funded through several sources, including Augsburg’s Office of Undergraduate
Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO), National Science Foundation and corporate grants,
private donations, and the McNair Scholars program—a federal TRIO program funded by the U.S.
Department of Education and designed to increase graduate degree attainment by students who are
first-generation, low-income, and/or members of groups underrepresented in graduate education.
3
Chemistry
Physics
Political Science
Women’s Studies
Courtesy image
1
Economics
4
Biopsychology
Computer Science
Biology
Mathematics
6
ANSWERS
Summer 2014
25
Q: What is it?
A: A column that contains a catalyst and through which a stream of reactants move.
Reactants are substances that undergo change during a chemical reaction, and “flow
chemistry” is a process that gets its name from the movement of these materials.
Chemistry
ALAN MEDINA-GONZALEZ ’16
Major: Chemistry, Minors: Biology and Mathematics
Research mentors: Z. Vivian Feng, associate professor of chemistry; and Michael
Wentzel, assistant professor of chemistry
Alan Medina-Gonzalez ’16 chose to participate in summer research because it granted
him the opportunity to spend more time in the lab optimizing a chemical reaction, which
is a fun—albeit time-consuming—puzzle he enjoys solving. “I wanted to see what it was
like to work on a project all day long versus only going into the lab four hours per week as
part of a class,” he said.
Medina-Gonzalez’s research involved setting up chemical reactions using flow
chemistry—a process that helps make reactions more “green” by allowing chemists to
lessen waste generation and to improve energy efficiency and safety. His research goal
included producing a variety of molecules, including acetaminophen—the primary active
ingredient in Tylenol and other medicines—to demonstrate the uses of flow chemistry in
the pharmaceutical industry.
Q: What is it?
A: A foam roller, a tool that breaks up fibrous
tissue in order to increase muscle elasticity
and circulation flow.
Exercise
Science
CAN YOU GUESS?
26
Augsburg Now
BRIANA FELTON ’14
Major: Exercise Science, Minor: Psychology
Research mentors: David Barrett, assistant
professor of health, physical education, and
exercise science; and Tony Clapp, associate
professor of health, physical education, and
exercise science
Briana Felton ’14 chose a summer research project that will help to prepare her for the dream
of attending graduate school to study physical therapy. Felton is a member of the Augsburg
women’s soccer team, and she loves sports and fitness. Athletes commonly use a foam roller
on their muscles for self-myofascial release—a process that applies pressure to trigger points
within muscle tissue and is thought to cause the tissue to relax and become more flexible.
Although the use of foam rollers has become a common practice in therapy and fitness
centers, few peer-reviewed studies have examined its effectiveness. For Felton’s research
project, she conducted a study in which middle-aged adult males participated in an exercise
program utilizing foam rollers. Felton then assessed the study participants’ balance and
functional movement patterns using industry-standard tests to see whether their scores
improved over the course of the study. Higher scores have been shown to correlate with a
person’s decreased risk of injury.
To read a brief overview of Felton’s research findings,
go to augsburg.edu/now.
Biopsychology
Q: What is it?
A: An electroencephalogram (EEG) recording cap, which is used to capture the brain’s
electrical activity while at rest or engaged in mental activity.
BRAD MARCY ’15
Major: Biopsychology, Minor: Chemistry
Research mentor: Henry Yoon, assistant professor
of psychology
Research conducted on substance use disorders often extends to either the biological or
the behavioral aspects of addiction. This summer, Brad Marcy ’15 took on the challenge of
combining both of these aspects into a single study incorporating behavioral information—
in this case, a person’s age of first alcoholic drink (AFD)—and biological data, which was
derived from brain patterns collected through EEG scans.
Marcy and other Augsburg psychology students gathered data by working with student
volunteers, including those in the College’s StepUP® program, which serves students who
are in recovery from addiction. Marcy’s research project involved processing and analyzing
participants’ EEG data in order to identify telltale signs of being at biological or genetic
risk for dependence in these brainwave patterns. He then examined whether an association
exists between this biological information and AFD. By evaluating these variables, Marcy
can later assess their usefulness in refining the diagnosis of substance misuse.
Q: What is it?
A: The examination of journal articles, images, and academic texts—illustrated here—
are key aspects of student researchers’ literature review process. A literature review
discusses published information in a particular subject area.
AWALE OSMAN ’15
Major: Communication Studies, Minor: Women’s Studies
Research mentor: Adriane Brown, assistant professor of women’s studies
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” said Awale Osman ’15, a McNair research scholar
whose project almost perfectly aligned with his desired career path. Osman began his
undergraduate education at a community college before transferring to Augsburg, and
his research project involved examining the establishment and evolution of women’s
studies, the emergence of gender and masculinity studies, and current dialogue
regarding the field. This work allowed him to combine his interests in communications
and women’s studies into a project that enhanced his academic skills.
Osman would like to return to a community college one day—this time as a
professor instead of as a student. Osman chose his research topic in order to establish
a foundation in the research he hopes will be incorporated in a future doctoral program
that will, eventually, lead to a teaching role in higher education. “I realize I have to be
grounded to be successful in my track,” he said. “So, I’m going for it.”
Women’s Studies
MORE ANSWERS
Summer 2014
27
Biology
Photo by Bill Capman
Q: What is it?
A: The parasitic plant dodder (Cuscuta
pentagona) attached to a host plant from which it
acquires all its water and nutrients.
LUCY BUKOWSKI ’16
Major: Biology, Minor: Environmental Studies
Research mentor: Bill Capman, associate
professor of biology
Courtesy image
Augsburg College students have studied the interactions between dodder and its host
plants since 2008, and this summer Lucy Bukowski ’16 worked on an experiment testing
the hypothesis that a decline in the health of the host plant triggers the dodder to flower.
Bukowski’s project benefitted from the help of a plant pathologist at the University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities who offered greenhouse space, thus providing a larger growing
area and better growing conditions for Bukowski’s research.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to learn more
about the dodder project.
Q: What is it?
A: The Bengali pronoun “Ētā,” which is similar to the English pronoun “it.”
PRITI BHOWMIK ’15 AND BRAM OOSTERLEE ’16
Majors: Computer Science
Research mentor: Shana Watters, associate professor of computer science
Computer
Science
As international students, Priti Bhowmik ’15 and Bram Oosterlee ’16 were attracted
to research linked with the official languages of their home countries. In 2011,
Bhowmik left Bangladesh to attend Augsburg, and she seized the opportunity to use
her background in the Bengali language in combination with her computer science
major. Her research project fell in the field of computational linguistics—a branch
of linguistics in which computer science techniques are applied to the analysis
of language and speech. She explored whether the pronoun “Ētā” has the same
cognitive status as the English pronoun “it.” That is, whether a Bengali speaker, in
determining what Ētā refers to in a sentence, uses his or her short-term memory in
the same manner that an English speaker does when determining what the word “it”
refers to.
Oosterlee, a student from the Netherlands, performed a similar study by
examining the cognitive status of the Dutch pronoun “het.” Bhowmik and Oosterlee’s
work ultimately will contribute to developing systems that enhance how computers
extract information, summarize text, and translate language. One example of the
usefulness of these processes is that they increase the likelihood of returning
accurate content descriptions when doctors use digital medical reference materials
to find information that pertains specifically to a disorder.
28
Augsburg Now
GRANTS GAIN GROUND
Funding enhances the Augsburg experience
How can you better predict the weather on Earth—or in space?
Why do elementary students learn the way they do? And what
makes one person attracted to another?
Augsburg faculty and students are committed to asking
difficult questions and seeking equally complex answers. Each
year, the College’s faculty, staff, and students apply for—and
receive—prestigious grant awards to fund research, continued
scholarship, and academic travel opportunities.
There’s tough competition among grant-seeking institutions,
but Augsburg continues to gain ground and to obtain funding
for new projects. That’s because when Auggies recognize
an opportunity to improve teaching, advance scholarship, or
enhance the student experience, they ask another great question:
WHY NOT?
Participation grows across campus. More and more departments
and groups are seeking grants as a way to enhance students’
educational experience, to build the hands-on problem-solving
skills employers and graduate schools demand, and to propel
Augsburg’s research scholarship to the next level. This past
year, 13 academic departments and groups—up from just seven
departments the previous year—submitted grant proposals,
including:
1. Biology
8. Nursing
2. Chemistry
9. Physics
3. Education
10. Psychology
4. History
11. Social Work
5. Interdisciplinary Collaboration
12. Sociology
6. Mathematics
13. STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics)
7. Management Information
Systems
Here’s a brief overview of Augsburg’s recent grant
achievements:
Augsburg ranks as top-tier NSF grant recipient. Augsburg College
was ranked the top private college in Minnesota for the total
dollar amount awarded by the National Science Foundation in
2012. With three grants totaling just more than $1 million, the
College ranked third among all Minnesota institutions—behind
only the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the University of
Minnesota-Duluth.
Faculty steer student involvement. Tremendous faculty dedication
is part of the mix, too. More than 50 faculty and staff members
are the driving force behind the College’s 38 active grants.
These teachers coach and guide 324 students in rigorous
research related to climate change, human health, understanding
addiction, and more.
COMPILED BY STEPHANIE WEISS
GRANTS BY THE NUMBERS
Augsburg received 18 new grant awards in
2013-14—up from just seven two years earlier
At the time this publication went to print, Augsburg had 14 grant
proposals still pending, representing a total of $3.2 million
NEW
GRANTS
2012-13
2013-14
17
GRANT
PROPOSALS
24
7
$1.6 MILLION
18 NEW
GRANTS
In 2013-14, Augsburg submitted 24 grant proposals—
up from 17 the prior year
1%
The BREAKDOWN of grants*
by sponsor type
PRIVATE
GRANTS
10%
STATE
GRANTS
89
%
FEDERAL
GRANTS
GRANT
PROPOSALS
*Does not include grants secured by Corporate and Foundation Relations
Summer 2014
29
ALUMNI NEWS
ways to get
involved
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
A-Club
I
Dear alumni and friends,
have served as a member of the Augsburg College Alumni
Board for more than six years, and I am looking forward
to taking on the role of president. During my time on the
Alumni Board, I have seen an increase in the level of our
alumni engagement with the College, and I am inspired by the
alumni who were generous on Give to the Max Day; the alumni who volunteered by planning reunions or mentoring current
students; and the alumni who have invested in Augsburg’s top
priority—the campaign for the Center for Science, Business, and Religion.
Like many of you, I care deeply about this College. Augsburg is one of the most
diverse private colleges in Minnesota, serving more than 2,700 undergraduate students
and 838 graduate students participating in nine advanced degree programs. Augsburg is
committed to its Lutheran heritage with an eye on the 21st century.
At this year’s Commencement, we welcomed hundreds of new members to our
Alumni Association. As alumni, we are a product of Augsburg College and benefit from
its local and national reputation. Alumni play a vital role in the rich history, present success, and future vision of the College.
I invite you to join me and fellow Auggies who are making a difference in the life of
the College.
Sincerely,
CHRIS HALLIN ’88, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Photo by Mark Chamberlain
ALUMNI BOARD
Front Row [L to R]: Chris Hallin ’88, Marie
Odenbrett ’01, Jill Watson ’10 MBA, Sharon
Engelland ’87, Melissa Hoepner ’92, Patricia
Jesperson ’94, Adriana Matzke ’13; Back Row
[L to R]: Brent Peroutka ’02, Adrienne Kuchler
Eldridge ’02, Meg Schmidt Sawyer ’00, Sarah
Grans ’01, Nick Rathmann ’02, Tracy Severson
’95, Rick Bonlender ’78; Not Pictured: Rachel
Engebretson ’98, Frank Grazzini ’96, Holly
Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA, Michael Loney ’03,
Sharon Mercill ’09, Jerry Polland ’92, Greg
Schnagl ’91, Nick Slack ’02, Nick Swanson ’09
The Augsburg College Alumni Board is pleased to welcome new members.
ADRIENNE KUCHLER ELDRIDGE ’02 graduated from Augsburg with a major
in youth and family ministry and a minor in sociology. As a student, she was
involved in Campus Ministry and Residence Life, served as an orientation leader,
and studied abroad. Today Eldridge works at River’s Edge Academy charter school.
This fall, she will begin a graduate program at St. Catherine University, where she
plans to study ethics and leadership.
“I chose Augsburg for my college education as an undergrad student because
of the Youth and Family Ministry program and [the College’s] solid Lutheran values.
My experiences at Augsburg were always hands-on, service-oriented, and growth-filled.”
30
Augsburg Now
All new Alumni Board member
photos by Mark Chamberlain.
The A-Club is an organization of
former and current Augsburg College
athletes—as well as friends of the
College—committed to providing
student-athletes with the opportunity
to have a quality athletic experience.
A-Club members participate in events,
service projects, and fundraising
initiatives that support Auggie athletic
teams, the athletic department, and
the mission of the College.
Alumni Board
The Alumni Board is the governing
body of the Alumni Association.
Together with the Office of Alumni
and Constituent Relations, the
Alumni Board provides resources and
opportunities to engage alumni with
the College and each other through
consistent communication, inclusive
programming, and intentional
relationship building.
Auggie in Residence
The Auggie in Residence program is
a way for alumni and friends of the
College to share their professional
expertise and vocation. This flexible
program allows the community to
connect with current students, faculty,
and staff members through a variety of
opportunities that range from speaking
to a class to having lunch with a
student organization.
Augsburg Builds Connections (ABC)
The ABC mentoring program is
designed to enable alumni and parent
professionals to provide information,
encouragement, and support to
students. This flexible volunteer
program allows mentors to connect
with students via email, phone, or
face-to-face meetings and assist them
in navigating their career paths and
achieving their professional goals.
Augsburg College Associates
MELISSA HOEPNER ’92 attended Augsburg from 1988 to 1990 before transferring
to California Lutheran University where, in 1992, she graduated with a major in
psychology and a minor in art. Today, Hoepner is a human resources consultant.
As an alumna, she has remained involved by serving as a mentor for current
students. She has also served as a member of the church council at Peace
Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Minn., and is a programming volunteer with the
Twin Cities Human Resources Association.
PATRICIA JESPERSON ’94 graduated from Augsburg’s Weekend College with a
major in business administration and minor in marketing. She serves as the
area vice president for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Jesperson’s career in business
has been distinguished by her extensive volunteer experiences in the areas of
program development and diversity.
“While I see Augsburg as innovative and inclusive in its approach to
education, I also see this as a time for significant change and opportunity in
private, four-year educational programs—a time that drives the need to think
beyond the box in light of competition from MOOCs [Massive Open Online Courses], for-profit colleges,
technical programs, the economy, etc. It’s an exciting time to be part of a team invested in Augsburg’s
long-term success.”
ADRIANA MATZKE ’13 graduated from Augsburg’s Weekend College with a degree
in business management. She serves as the director of financial assistance and
admissions coordinator for The Blake School. Matzke served a year on the parish
council at her church, and on Blake’s original diversity committee. She and her
husband served as presenters with World Wide Marriage Encounter.
“I am confident that serving on the Alumni Board will be a positive way
for me to give back to the community and to stay connected to a school that
I felt so a part of for the last few years. I am a strong advocate for the [adult
undergraduate] program and would love to help find ways to support other students.”
NICK RATHMANN ’02 graduated from Augsburg with a degree in education. As
a student, he played on the baseball and basketball teams and worked in the
athletics office. His experience as a student prepared him for his career serving
as the director of athletics and PK-12 physical education department chair for
The Blake School. Rathmann volunteers for his church, and serves on The Blake
Road Collaborative.
“Serving on the Alumni Board will give me an incredible opportunity to give
back to a school that has given me so much. Augsburg was a transformational
experience for me, and anything I can do to help others have that same type of experience is important
to me.”
MEG SCHMIDT SAWYER ’00 graduated from Augsburg with a major in business
administration and a minor in information systems. As a student, she played
hockey, softball, and golf. She was involved in Campus Ministry, a contributor for
The Echo, a Regents and Community Service Scholar, and part of the studentathlete mentor program. Today she is the chief communications officer for Youth
Encounter. She has served on the A-Club Board, and was inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame for women’s hockey in 2012.
“I had a life-changing experience at Augsburg College and welcome the
opportunity to give back to the College that made me who I am today.”
GREG SCHNAGL ’91 graduated from Augsburg with a major in management and minors in economics
and management information systems. As a student, he played football and hockey. He is the founder
and editor of TeacherCentricity.com. Schnagl is pursuing an advanced degree in educational leadership
at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He taught elementary and middle school for the past twenty
years, both nationally and internationally. His most recent position was in the Centennial School District
where he also served as a coach and board member for Centennial Youth Hockey Association.
“I am looking to deepen my commitment to Augsburg by engaging in a leadership role designed to
facilitate the financial and personal participation of alumni and promote the benefits of an Augsburg
education to future students.”
The Augsburg College Associates
is a service auxiliary of volunteers
whose mission includes fundraising
for special projects and scholarships.
The Associates’ commitment to the
College is evident in the group’s
ongoing support of fundraising events
including estate sales, Velkommen
Jul, and the Scandinavian boutique.
Funds raised each year support special
projects and scholarships.
Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE)
AWE is a catalyst for tapping the
potential for women to connect, learn,
and give. AWE members believe all
women have knowledge, experience,
and resources to share. Therefore,
Augsburg alumnae are invited to make
meaningful connections with and for
women by participating with an AWE
Action Team.
Campus Kitchen
The Campus Kitchen program at
Augsburg College makes healthy food
accessible to people in and around the
Cedar-Riverside neighborhood while
also providing opportunities for service
learning, leadership development, and
engagement between the College and
community. Campus Kitchen serves
2,000 meals a month at community
centers, provides about 80 community
garden spaces on campus, hosts two
farmers markets, and offers educational
programming to the community.
College Liaisons
Augsburg College Liaisons are alumni,
parents, and friends of the College
from across the U.S. and around
the world who serve as an extension
of the College by connecting with
prospective students at college fairs.
Dozens of fairs are held each year—in
high schools, churches, hotels, and
conference centers. College Liaisons
help to describe the Augsburg
experience to interested students and
their families.
Summer 2014
31
Augsburg Centennial Singers
honor Al Reesnes ’58
The Augsburg Centennial Singers, men of
faith sharing that faith through songs of
praise, honored Al Reesnes ’58 by performing a
special concert in mid-May at House of Prayer
Centennial Singers [L to R]: Paul Christensen ’59,
Mert Strommen ’42, and Al Reesnes ’58
Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
Reesnes served as director of the group for 11 years and will move from his
leadership position to a vocalist role with the ensemble. Paul Christensen ’59 succeeded Reesnes as director of the Singers. Christensen is the third director for the
group, which was established in 1993 under the direction of Mert Strommen ’42.
The chorus originally was formed by former Augsburg quartet members who came
together to sing for the College’s Homecoming celebration. The group traveled to
Norway in 1994 to mark the centennial of the first Augsburg College gospel quartet,
and toured again in Norway in 2001.
Courtesy Photo
A 500-year anniversary
celebration in Germany, October 2016
On October 31, 2017 Lutherans
worldwide will mark the 500th
anniversary of when Martin Luther
posted the 95 Theses on the church
doors in Wittenberg, Germany. Augsburg
College is rooted in the faith and values
of the Lutheran church and is offering
alumni and friends of the College the
opportunity to learn about this heritage.
For travelers interested in discovering
more about the Germany of Luther
and the Reformation, October 2016
is a great opportunity to make the
pilgrimage! Join Hans Wiersma and
Mark Tranvik, Augsburg College religion
faculty members and Reformation
32
Augsburg Now
historians, for an enriching experience
in the Land of Luther.
The tour itinerary includes stops in
the German cities of Berlin, Dresden,
Eisenach, Erfurt, and Leipzig and in
Prague, Czech Republic. This is an
opportunity to explore the connections
among people, cultures, and historical
events while examining the Reformation
as an ongoing influence in the 21st
century.
To receive updates about this
alumni tour as plans are finalized, email
alumni@augsburg.edu, or call
612-330-1085 to be included on a
mailing list.
Photo by Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11
ALUMNI NEWS
ways to get
involved
Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL)
Alumni Board
The MAL Alumni Board engages MAL
students and alumni in advancing
the Center for Leadership Studies at
Augsburg College.
Parent and Family Council
The Parent and Family Council
includes parents and families of
current Augsburg students, and helps
Augsburg families stay up to date on
campus events and feel connected
with students and the College.
Scholastic Connections
Scholastic Connections is a
scholarship and mentorship program
for high-achieving undergraduate
students of color at Augsburg
College. The program is designed to
assist students in completing their
undergraduate degrees. Through
career planning and development
support, it prepares them to be
engaged, successful citizens of the
world upon graduation.
StepUP® Advisory Board
StepUP is a program for men and
women pursuing a college education
while in recovery from addiction. The
StepUP Advisory Board increases
philanthropic support for, and visibility
of, the program’s endowment.
Young Alumni Council
This volunteer group is comprised of
alumni who have graduated within
the previous 10 years. The Young
Alumni Council’s mission is to
provide dynamic and engaging social
and educational opportunities for
alumni. Members serve as an advisory
council to the Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations.
To participate, email
alumni@augsburg.edu.
AUGSBURG ALUMNI HONOR
Archive p
hotos
ED SAUGESTAD ’59
THROUGH FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE
Ed Saugestad ’59 is “plain and simply, a legend,” according to
Jeff Swenson ’79, Augsburg College athletic director. Saugestad
led the Auggie men’s hockey team to 503 victories and three
national championships. He was football coach and athletic
director. The ice arena’s main rink carries his name.
But the legacy of “Big Man,” who died in March of
pancreatic cancer after serving Augsburg for 39 years and
retiring in 1996, goes far beyond athletics. As a soft-spoken
teacher, mentor, and source of courage and inspiration, he
made a difference. If Corky Hall ’71 is any indication, he also
instilled generosity and gratitude.
“He is the person who kindled the fire in me, and I think
he did that for many, many people,” Hall said. He and his wife,
Lori, led the charge to name Saugestad Hall in the Center for
Science, Business, and Religion (CSBR) with their $25,000
pledge—a first step toward the $150,000 naming goal and
a tribute to the CSBR as a visual symbol of strength and
connection.
When we build the CSBR, “[Augsburg’s] facilities will grow
to match the quality of our faculty,” said Hall. “Coach had a
huge effect on all of us.”
A gifted athlete who became both hockey and football
captain, Hall had few academic expectations when he entered
Augsburg. His parents hadn’t finished high school, no one in
his family had attended college, and homework was a foreign
concept. Yet, one day, he managed to ace a test in Saugestad’s
tough physiology class.
“Ed was the first person to tell me that I was smart,”
he recalled. “He set me on a path I wouldn’t have found
otherwise.” That path led him to a career that included starting,
with classmate Bill Urseth ’71, one of the nation’s leading
promotional marketing agencies, U.S. Communications, U.S.
Restaurants, and U.S. Studios; launching a brand consultancy,
Hall Batko; and founding Stellus Consulting, which helps
corporate leaders envision and brand their companies.
It also led him to realize that great mentoring builds strong
bridges—between athletics and academics, between teachers
and students, and between gratitude and giving back.
“Augsburg needs great facilities for athletes to develop
their academic side,” he said. “Ed made the bridge for me
between athletics and academics, and if I hadn’t gotten strong
academics at Augsburg, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
I want to give a gift that says ‘thank you’ to Ed for making such a
difference in my life.”
Hall has found that his fellow
Augsburg alumni have similar gratitude for
Saugestad’s commitment and are willing to
echo his “thank you.”
“Corky is so respected by the Augsburg
community that, when he steps forward, he sets
a tone with his leadership. That’s the momentum
we need,” said Keith Stout, Augsburg College
director of principal gifts. “He wants everyone
involved, participating at any level. If they’re grateful for their
time with Ed, it’s their chance to honor his legacy.”
By May, the initiative had raised $105,000.
“He deserves it,” Hall said. “Ed did so much to make our
lives better. Now it’s our turn.”
Get Social
Find Augsburg Alumni across a variety of social media channels.
“Like” the Augsburg College Alumni Association on
Facebook for fun contests, trivia, photos, news, and more.
facebook.com/AugsburgAlumni
Tag @Augsburg_Alumni in your tweets, and the College
may help share your news. Or, simply follow
@Augsburg_Alumni on Twitter to learn about upcoming
events and read College updates.
twitter.com/augsburg_alumni
Make connections with fellow Auggies and join
discussions about careers and networking through the
Augsburg College Alumni group on LinkedIn.
goo.gl/UJ9BkO
Check out the “Auggies through the ages” board on
Pinterest for a slice of College history.
pinterest.com/augsburgcollege
Visit Augsburg’s YouTube channel for a video archive of
alumni lectures, events, and more.
youtube.com/augsburgcollege
No matter where you are in the world, you can join the Augsburg
College social media conversation!
Summer
Spring 2014
2014
17
33
ALUMNI NEWS
HOMECOMING 2014
SEPTEMBER 22-27
IS BACK!
Save the date for Give to the Max Day 2014.
On Thursday, November 13, Augsburg College
once again will participate in Give to the Max
Day, a one-day online giving event in which
donors around the world support their favorite
Minnesota nonprofits.
Give to the Max Day is also a competition,
and last year Augsburg raised more money
than any other Minnesota college or
university. A total of 837 donors gave more
than $313,000 to Augsburg in just 24
hours. Augsburg also placed fourth among all
nonprofits overall. Many alumni, parents, and
friends took to social media throughout the
day to share Augsburg’s rankings and to keep
tabs on the College’s progress.
Augsburg faculty, staff, and students
from across campus are preparing for
another successful Give to the Max Day by
setting up their own fundraising projects
and encouraging donors to support Augsburg
causes close to their hearts—such as
volleyball, student research funding, the
StepUP® program, and more. There is no limit
to the number of projects donors can give
to. In fact, many Augsburg donors gave to
multiple projects last year.
Watch for updates about Give to the Max Day in
the coming months.
For more information, contact Martha Truax at
612-330-1652 or truaxm@augsburg.edu.
34
Augsburg Now
Homecoming 2014 is a great time to come home to Augsburg. Alumni,
families, and friends—get ready for a fun-filled week of celebration. New
events along with old favorites make this one of the best times to visit
campus. Go to augsburg.edu/homecoming to find additional information
and to register.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Friday, September 26
Saturday, September 27
Homecoming Convocation with
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Taste of Augsburg
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center,
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Recognizing the First Decade, Spirit
of Augsburg, and Distinguished
Alumni Award winners.
Faculty and Faculty Emeriti
Meet and Greet
Old Main, 4 p.m.
Reconnect with faculty from
your time at Augsburg College
and take the opportunity to meet
current faculty from a variety of
departments.
Auggie Hours
Old Main, 6 to 8:15 p.m.
Back by popular demand, this
homecoming social hour is being
brought to campus.
Homecoming Weekend Fireworks
Murphy Square, 8:15 p.m.
All are invited to kick-off
homecoming weekend with a full
fireworks display.
Murphy Square, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This event includes carnival-style
booths operated by student groups,
alumni, and local restaurants, as
well as games, inflatable bounce
houses, and fun for the entire
family.
Homecoming Football Game vs.
Gustavus Adolphus College
Edor Nelson Field, 1 p.m.
Cheer on the Auggie football team
as they take on the Gustavus
Gusties.
Auggie Block Party
Parking Lot K, 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Immediately following the football
game, enjoy live music, s’mores,
and more.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
77
70
Ray Hanson is working
for TASC, Inc. Hanson
is a scientist working on
countermeasures for multi-drugresistant bacteria.
72
Kathleen Edmond joined the
law firm of Robins, Kaplan,
Miller & Ciresi LLP as counsel with
the business litigation group in
Minneapolis. She most recently
served as chief ethics officer at
Best Buy. Edmond serves as an
advisory board member for the
University of St. Thomas Law
School where she provides curriculum guidance for the master’s
degree in organizational ethics
and compliance. She is also an
executive fellow at the Center for
Ethical Business Cultures at the
University of St. Thomas.
Sonja (Daniels) Zapchenk has served Eaglecrest, a Presbyterian
Homes community in Roseville, Minn., for 20 years and is now
recreation and volunteer director. She is also the intergenerational
coordinator, which provides the special opportunity to lead
activities for senior residents and the toddlers and preschoolers
who attend a childcare center in the same facility.
74
William “Bill” Axness is the
2014 Minnesota Society
of Health-System Pharmacists
(MSHP) Hallie Bruce Memorial
Lecture Award recipient. The
award is presented to an individual of high moral character, good
citizenship, and high professional
ideals who has made significant
contributions to the profession of
pharmacy in Minnesota. Axness
is a pharmacy manager at Allina
Hospice and Palliative Care.
79
Rev. David Halaas was
installed as pastor of St.
Mark Lutheran Church in Sioux
City, Iowa.
87
Jenni Lilledahl co-founded
the new Twin Cities location
of Gilda’s Club after losing her
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
69
Janis “Matty” Mathison had a banner
year in 2013. She organized Walk to
School programs at several schools, served
on the Board of Shawano Pathways (a
Shawano, Wis., group promoting safer and
better pedestrian and cyclist opportunities),
raised $20,000 in matching grant funds for
sister, Teri Svare, to cancer. Gilda’s
Club serves cancer patients and
those who love them. Named after
Saturday Night Live comedian
Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian
cancer, this new clubhouse is
a place where cancer patients
and their families and friends
can de-stress in the mind-body
studio, take a nutrition class in the
kitchen, and meet with others for
emotional and social support. Not
only is Gilda’s Club an oasis for
those touched by cancer, it offers
all of its services free of charge.
62
Shawano Pathways, and led the effort to host
a supported bike tour of Shawano County
called Bike the Barn Quilts. Wisconsin Public
Television came to Shawano to interview her
about the bike tour, which in its first year drew
180 participants and 50 volunteers. Mathison
also organized a large fundraiser for a former
student who was battling brain cancer. These
and many other community contributions
earned Mathison the “Distinguished Citizen
of the Year” award for Shawano County. This
year, she is planning the second Bike the Barn
Quilts ride, organizing a Let’s Get Moving!
campaign, and finalizing maps for Park to
Park walking and biking routes in the city of
Shawano. She also was among the inaugural
inductees into the new Wisconsin Volleyball
Coaches Hall of Fame.
89
Sue Hakes has been
selected as a 2014 Bush
Fellow. The Bush Foundation
is committed to supporting and
developing leaders who are better
equipped and better networked to
effectively lead change. The work
of the fellowship is to blend opportunities for personal development
with efforts to effectively engage
with others.
In January, Luther Seminary honored Pastor Ron
Nelson with the 2014 Faithfulness in Ministry
Cross Award, which recognizes seminary alumni
who have demonstrated exemplary ministries
as a symbol of the multitudes of graduates who
serve faithfully wherever they are called.
90
Jennifer Carlson moved back to
Washington, D.C., in fall 2011. In
December 2013, she accepted a position
with Evolent Health as director of technical
project management for data warehouse client
implementations. She was in Italy for 10 days
this past October.
Summer 2014
35
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
89
Brynn (Mundahl) Watson was honored by Lockheed Martin with a 2013 Full Spectrum
Leadership NOVA Award. The company grants the NOVA Award to select employees who
have made outstanding contributions to customers, business, and strategic goals. In a
workforce of more than 115,000, only 58 awards were granted in 2013.
in income. As part of his award,
Thrivent Financial will donate
$5,000 in his name to VEAP, and
he will be recognized at a national
conference in front of his peers.
89
Devoney Looser has taken
a position as professor of
English at Arizona State University.
She and her husband, George
Justice, are Jane Austen scholars
and were featured in a chapter of
Deborah Yaffe’s book, Among the
Janeites: A Journey Through the
World of Jane Austen Fandom.
90
Alex Gonzalez, a member of
the Augsburg College Board
of Regents, received the 2013
Thrivent Financial “Volunteer of
the Year” award for work in his
community. Gonzalez is one of three
financial representatives recognized
for community involvement and
generosity out of the more than
2,400 Thrivent Financial representatives nationwide.
Gonzalez works with Volunteers
Enlisted to Assist People (VEAP), an
organization with service programs
that help alleviate the financial
stress that low-income individuals
and families face as the result of
unexpected expenses or lapses
Beth (Josephson) Cronk
completed the master of
library and information science
degree through the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December.
She is the Meeker County librarian
for Pioneerland Library System.
01
Carrie (Lind) Cabe earned a
master of arts degree with a
community education administration emphasis from the University
of St. Thomas in 2013. She is
the community resources and
adult involvement coordinator for
Edina Public Schools Community
Education.
08
Sara Horishnyk is enrolled
in the arts and cultural
management graduate program at
St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
06
Maureen Parker Marrandino
with her husband, Martin
Marrandino, and son, Cyrus,
welcomed daughter Penelope
Carol on January 11.
06
Sara Schlipp-Riedel and
Aaron Riedel ’07 welcomed
daughter Charlotte Elizabeth on
New Year’s Eve 2013.
10
In April, Roxanne (Johnson)
Nelson accepted a new job
as a rebate assistant at Donaldson
Company in the engine aftermarket
rebate program.
68
Augsburg Now
Maja Lisa FritzHuspen was
married May 25, 2013, to
Don Roupe. Auggies from the
Class of 2004 attending included
Adam Nugent, Carolina (Chiesa)
Nugent, and Jennifer (Holm)
Schmitt. FritzHuspen is selfemployed as an opera singer and
voice teacher.
93
In February, a Rotary Club in Loveland, Colo., honored Earl Sethre with
its Citizen of the Year Award. The award recognizes a non-Rotarian in the
community who lives out the four-way test, which asks the
questions: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it
build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to
all concerned? Sethre stood out to the selection committee
because of his charitable work and the number of groups
he serves.
36
04
09
Abby Ferjak married Becca
Seely on September 1
at Yale Divinity School in New
Haven, Conn. Attendants included
Bethany Hellerich, Stephanie
(Holman) Hubbard, and Kayla
Skarbakka, Augsburg College
alumnae from the Class of 2009.
12
Alison (Witt) Ellertson married Cory Ellertson ’11 in
June 2013. Four Auggies pictured
at the wedding are [L to R]: Ashley
Kappes ’11, Alison, Cory, and
Brittany Rueb ’11.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Beth Franklin was featured in
a Star Tribune article in which
she described how her studies
led her to a “dream job” as a
Certified Public Accountant at
a firm serving writers, artists,
and musicians. At Augsburg,
Franklin had a double major in
music business and accounting.
The article quoted her as
saying, “I thought I’d work in
international business or for
Sony in New York. The first day
of class, the professor said,
‘Accounting is the most fun
you could have with a pencil.’ I
took my first test and aced it. I
decided, ‘I like this.’”
09
06
While at Augsburg, Kasey Yoder started
coaching youth hockey and has seen his
hard work pay off. During 2013-14, his first
year at Orono (Minn.) High School, he took
his team to the state hockey tournament. He also
was selected Section 2A Coach of the Year. Yoder
says one of the most exciting challenges in coaching
high school hockey is keeping the kids focused,
especially with everything else they have going on
in their lives. Yoder works to help young people find
balance while still being committed to success at
the arena.
WE ARE CALLED.
AUGGIES.
Andrew Kent served as goalie coach for the
Finland women’s hockey team during the
2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. A
goalie for the Augsburg men’s hockey team
from 2005 to 2009, Kent turned his love of
hockey into a profession and serves as a
director of goaltender development for MEGA
Goaltending, a Twin Cities-based development
center for hockey goalies. He also has served
as a volunteer goalie coach for the University
of Minnesota’s women’s hockey
team for the past four seasons,
which led to his role on the
Finland coaching staff for the
Olympics.
09
14
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
While studying elementary education at Augsburg, Josh Thelemann
founded a nonprofit organization that
takes at-risk kids off the streets and
provides programs that give them a
fair shot. He named it SOS (Saving
Our Schools).
RESOURCE promoted Heidi
Kammer ’00 MSW from director
of its center for recovery services
to vice president of chemical and
mental health. She is regarded
highly by her peers and has
a passionate commitment to
RESOURCE’s mission of reducing
the disparities experienced by
the people they serve. Once
functioning as two separate
divisions, RESOURCE’s chemical
and mental health programs are in
the process of being integrated.
Susie Schatz ’09 MSW was
named director of advocacy
and volunteer services for St.
Paul-based Lutheran Social
Service of Minnesota, the state’s
oldest and largest human service
organization. In the new position,
she oversees advocacy efforts
to improve services and public
policies for people served by
the statewide organization. She
also oversees volunteer efforts
across Minnesota that advance
the mission of Lutheran Social
Service.
John Cerrito wrote the article “It’s Not
About Getting a Job, It’s About Finding a
Vocation,” for College News. In the story, he
described how internship opportunities at a
Twin Cities radio station helped him discover
and develop an enjoyable career before he
completed his degree.
11
Summer 2014
37
In memoriam
JOHN AND NORMA PAULSON
The Atrium-Link, funded in part by the Paulson family, is adorned with
a Dala horse, a nod to John’s pride in his Swedish heritage. The link is
named in memory of John’s parents, Rose E. and Johnny E. Paulson, and is
dedicated by John R. Paulson, Sr., and his children, John Reid Paulson, Mary
Jo (Paulson) Peterson ’80, Deborah Stansbury, Laurie (Paulson) Dahl ’76,
and Lisa Paulson ’80.
This summer, scenes of remembrance and honor unfolded on the the Center for Science, Business, and Religion—a capital project
John’s daughter Lisa said is fitting given her family’s numerous
beaches of Normandy as World War II veterans and their loved
career ties to the health, science, and business fields.
ones marked the 70th anniversary of D-Day—the battle recogAugsburg College President Emeritus William Frame recalls
nized as the largest sea invasion in history. The occasion was
that John and Norma were passionate about their family and
reminiscent of commemorations attended years ago by John and
friends, their hobbies and interests, and their call to better the
Norma Paulson, caring parents of Augsburg alumni and generous
world. “They were a sight from the 1930s—John driving Norma
benefactors of Augsburg College. John returned to France several
in a Packard touring car up to Augsburg House, stamping down
times as a D-Day +1 survivor. Norma joined him as a passionate
to applause…more of his panache than of his great car,” Frame
steward of history. And, together, they formed a couple who—
said. “That’s the way they ‘drove up’ to the dedication of the
when abroad—could unite people across countries and—when at
Link” and their gifts to the College.
home in Minnesota—could connect a congregation, campus, or
Throughout their lives, John
community.
and Norma connected the past to
John, who passed away June
the present and future. Whether
7, 2012—68 years to the day
Norma was funding fieldtrips for
after D-Day +1—and Norma,
grade school students from her
who passed away March 5, are
hometown of Redwood Falls,
remembered for their commitMinn. to visit the Minnesota
ted involvement in Twin Cities
Historical Society in St. Paul or
organizations ranging from Rotary
John was contributing to an organ
to Shriners, and from the Classic
fund that allowed young musiCar Club of America to the Purple
cians to practice, the Paulsons
Heart Association. The Paulsons
ensured future generations could
were successful in their careers—
At the 60th anniversary commemoration of D-Day,
engage with varying aspects of
John as a builder and Norma as a
Norma and John met and talked with actor Tom Hanks.
history.
banker—and made deeply meaningAugsburg College Pastor Emeritus David Wold recalls the
ful philanthropic gifts throughout their lives.
Paulsons as “people of tremendous faith and commitment.”
While neither John nor Norma attended Augsburg, three of
“I learned so much from John in my days at Calvary Lutheran
John’s children and a son-in-law are alumni of the College—Mary
Church and in my years at Augsburg College,” Wold said. “I
Jo (Paulson) Peterson ’80, Laurie (Paulson) Dahl ’76, David Dahl ’75,
learned about patriotism…about work ethic, about family,
and Lisa Paulson ’80. The couple’s lifetime gifts to Augsburg
about resiliency through tragedy, about benevolence, and about
exceed $2 million. In 2001, the Paulson family provided major
Packards.”
funding to complete the Atrium-Link that connects Lindell
And, Wold says he learned about the Paulsons’ “commitment
Library via skyway to an atrium between Memorial and Sverdrup
to the young and the old and to those in between.”
halls and, in 2006, they were early donors to the campaign for
38
Augsburg Now
In memoriam
Ruth A. (Guldseth) Kallevig ’43,
New Hope, Minn., age 92, on
January 29.
Cora A. (Rishovd) Steen ’44,
Phoenix, Ariz., age 93, on
January 26.
Tenner C. Thompson II ’45,
Alexandria, Minn., age 89, on
December 23.
Willis H. Johnson ’47, Willmar,
Minn., age 88, on November 1.
Carroll N. Anderson ’48, Madison,
Wis., age 89, on April 6.
Sylvia G. (Sateren) Elness ’48,
Turlock, Calif., age 87, on
December 1.
Carl N. Germundson ’48, New
Brighton, Minn., age 92, on
February 24.
Gloria (Gregguson) Johnson ’48,
Golden Valley, Minn., age 87,
on April 23.
Richard “Dick” V. Lucas ’50,
Jordan, Minn., age 87, on
January 18.
Ida Marie (Eggen) Benson ’51,
Wanamingo, Minn., age 83, on
December 24.
Wayne E. Sampson ’51,
Stillwater, Minn., age 84, on
February 22.
Bernice E. Broberg ’52, Dunseith,
N.Dak., age 83, on February 13.
Glenn E. Sieth ’52, Appleton,
Wis., age 84, on January 31.
Professor Emeritus Erwin D.
Mickelberg ’54, Bloomington,
Minn., age 87, on May 3.
Helen (Halvorson) Hjermstad ’55,
Jacksonville, Fla., age 80, on
March 17.
Ruth L. (Loland) Jarvis ’56,
Greenacres, Wash., age 79, on
March 30.
Arthur N. Johnson ’58, Crystal,
Minn., age 82, on December 1.
Gary E. Turner ’58, Hemmet,
Calif., age 78, on April 13.
Marcus W. Johnson ’59,
Moundsview, Minn., age 76, on
November 27.
Ock “Peggy” H. (Kim) Moss ’59,
Longwood, Fla., age 78, on
January 11.
Professor Emeritus Edwin J.
Saugestad ’59, Minneapolis, age
77, on March 20.
Audrey M. (Halvorson) Hovland ’61,
Alexandria, Minn., age 76, on
February 25.
Jeanette “Jeanie” L. (Robinson)
Thorpe ’62, Kandiyohi, Minn.,
age 73, on February 27.
Judy (Thompson) Eiler ’65,
Minneapolis, age 70, on
January 25.
John A. Fundingsland ’69, Eden
Prairie, Minn., age 67, on
November 26.
Stephen E. Smestad ’70, St. Clair,
Minn., age 65, on February 2.
Lavonne “Vonnie” L. Pearson ’73,
St. Paul, age 63, on April 19.
Kevin L. Boettcher ’84, Eagan,
Minn., age 52, on March 23.
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi
or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral
notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave.,
Minneapolis, MN 55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also
submit news at augsburg.edu/alumni.
______________________________________________________
Full name
______________________________________________________
Maiden name
______________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
______________________________________________________
Street address
______________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
______________________________________________________
Home telephone
______________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? q Yes q No
______________________________________________________
Employer
Richard T. Olson ’86,
Minneapolis, age 55, on
December 9.
______________________________________________________
Position
Sean A. Danforth ’91, Monticello,
Minn., age 45, on February 1.
______________________________________________________
Work telephone
Susan G. (Strawn) Strawn-Whitney
’94, Excelsior, Minn., age 48,
on April 27.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Melinda R. Longfors ’02, Maple
Grove, Minn., age 34, on
January 28.
______________________________________________________
Spouse’s name (include maiden name, if applicable)
Rae S. Ormsby ’03, Pine Island,
Minn., age 68, on February 14.
Professor Emerita Beverly C.
Durkee, Edina, Minn., age 83,
on March 31.
If yes, class year___________________________________________
Your news:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Wayne C. Johnson ’58,
Minneapolis, age 83, on
March 10.
Summer 2014
39
IT TAKES AN AUGGIE
AN AUGSBURG LEGACY
LARRY AND CHERYL ’89 CROCKETT
Whether they are traveling five states
by motorcycle from Minnesota to
Tennessee, he’s teaching across
two of Augsburg College’s academic
departments, or she’s pursuing an
undergraduate degree while raising
toddlers, there’s one thing Larry and
Cheryl ’89 Crockett know well: How
to cross boundaries to arrive at a
destination that expands their horizons
and inspires others.
40
Augsburg Now
The Crocketts have a shared love
for exploring the richness that exists at
the intersections of seemingly different
frontiers. For more than 30 years, Larry
has served as an Augsburg professor of
religion and computer science. During
that time, Cheryl has experienced—
both as a student and as an Augsburg
volunteer—the rich conversations that
cross disciplines at the College.
That’s why the Crocketts decided
to make a $50,000 estate gift to the
Augsburg College campaign for the
Center for Science, Business, and
Religion (CSBR).
Both Larry and Cheryl recognize that
students in today’s world must engage in
discussions and solve complex problems
in a multinational world where science,
business, and religion intersect. And,
they’re helping to pollinate those
conversations by supporting the CSBR:
Augsburg’s boundary-breaking academic
building.
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
To read more about Larry and Cheryl or to learn about the Center
for Science, Business, and Religion, go to augsburg.edu/now.
GET IT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
Get the print edition of Augsburg Now, and more,
on your Apple or Android tablet.
Current and previous digital issues of Augsburg Now are moving out of Apple Newsstand and into a new standalone app called “Augsburg Gallery,” available on your Apple or Android tablet and offering readers even more
dynamic content. This digital experience allows you to interact with the content in a whole new way.
The new Augsburg Gallery app includes the latest issue of Augsburg Now and a special publication called
President’s Messages 2012-14. To find this new app on your tablet, search for “Augsburg Gallery” (include the
quotation marks in your search) on the Apple App Store or Google Play. For more information, go to augsburg.
edu/now/tablet.
These tablet versions are available.
AUGGIE HAS AN
APP FOR THAT!
Augsburg Gallery app
The current issue is available in
the new Augsburg Gallery app.
Photo by Tom Roster
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Auggies go green!
Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow was one of several Auggies to take an inaugural ride on
the Metro Transit Green Line during its grand opening June 14. The Green Line runs from downtown
St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis and is the second Light Rail Transit (LRT) line to pass through
Cedar-Riverside—the only neighborhood in the Twin Cities with access to both LRT lines.
The addition of the Green Line expands student access to jobs, internships, and experiential education
opportunities; enhances safety in the neighborhood; and contributes to a vital urban environment for
all who live and work in the area.
Show less
Play with purpose
The space to learn
An ambitious approach
Homecoming 2016
FALL 2016 | VOL. 79, NO. 1
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On the gif... Show more
Play with purpose
The space to learn
An ambitious approach
Homecoming 2016
FALL 2016 | VOL. 79, NO. 1
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On the gifts who are our students
Last spring, a small group of Regents, faculty,
staff, and alumni were charged by the Board
of Regents with exploring long-term strategy
for Augsburg, especially in light of shifting
demographics, economic trends, and volatility
in higher education.
It was an inspiring process as we reflected
on how Augsburg would remain faithful to its
historic distinctions, while at the same time
being relevant to a changing world. Perhaps
the most compelling conclusion of the Futures
Group was that Augsburg would be its best
self in the years ahead as it remains radically
student-centered, meeting students where they
are and equipping them for lives of meaning
and purpose.
It is not a unique claim, this idea of being
student-centered, but it is understood in
diverse ways across higher education. For
some, the claim means that students are
customers or clients who deserve high-quality
service. For others, it means that students
are lumps of clay to be formed and shaped
with particular values. For still others, the
claim means that students are deeply engaged
in the governance of the college or in its
administrative decision-making.
At Augsburg, though, the claim of being
radically student-centered means something
very different. For our community, each student
is a gift, a gift to be received with gratitude
and humility, a gift that surprises and engages
us, a gift that changes us. Each summer, I
tell our incoming students that their gifts
of intellect and leadership and passion will
make Augsburg a more faithful and successful
college, even as we accompany them on their
educational journeys. And I mean it.
This issue of Augsburg Now illustrates
well how the gifts who are our students have
made all of us better. Read about alumna
Maya Santamaria ’94, an entrepreneur whose
Augsburg education has shaped her community
work in Minneapolis. Witness the stories of
our remarkable student-athletes, partnering
with Special Olympics Minnesota to show how
intellectual differences need not get in the
way of teamwork and sportsmanship. Hear the
stories of this year’s Distinguished Alumni and
Spirit of Augsburg awardees, whose lives are
testaments to how Augsburg’s mission is lived
out across the world and generations.
And perhaps most powerfully, learn about
how Gov. Mark Dayton declared August 29,
2016, as Augsburg College Equity Day in
Minnesota, recognizing Augsburg for its
commitment to diversity, inclusion, and justice.
As one staff member told me on that special
occasion, this work is “a love letter to our
students,” a recognition that our remarkably
diverse students, who come to us with their
many experiences and talents, are gifts that
have changed us forever and for the better.
What gifts we have been given for almost
150 years! They ground our vision to be “a
new kind of student-centered, urban university,
small to our students and big for the world.”
Faithfully yours,
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Communication Copywriter
and Editorial Coordinator
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Production Manager
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Advancement Communication
Specialist
Jen Lowman Day
dayj@augsburg.edu
Contributing Writer
Kate H. Elliott
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:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send comments to:
now@augsburg.edu.
AUGSBURG NOW
Fall 2016
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
This fall, Augsburg College hosted the national Lilly Fellows Program
Conference. The event focused on the theme, “Reformed and Always
Reforming: Faith, Science, Art, and Culture,” and featured the Rev. Paul
Oman, founder of Drawn to the Word ministry, who painted an artistic
expression of the Reformation.
02 Around the quad
22
Homecoming 2016
08
Annual report to donors
24
Auggies connect
10
Play with purpose
27
Class notes
16
The space to learn
20
An ambitious approach
32
In memoriam
On the cover
Augsburg College students
show their school spirit at
the 2016 Homecoming pep
rally. Learn more about the
celebration on pages 22-23.
Photo by Caroline Yang.
Inset photo by Courtney Perry.
All photos by Stephen Geffre
unless otherwise indicated.
NEW ACADEMIC BUILDING SCALES HEIGHTS
The Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business,
and Religion is on track to open for classes in January 2018.
In the six months since the April 29 groundbreaking, McGough
Construction and its subcontractors have completed the concrete
work for the partial basement and most of the four floors of the north
wing, and the three floors of the west wing. As the cement work has
finished, the team has undertaken installation of electrical conduit,
plumbing, and framing for interior walls.
Weekly construction updates are available
at augsburg.edu/hagforscenter.
2
Augsburg Now
The Hagfors Center brings together the study
of global business, advanced science and
technology, and religious dialogue. It is home
to eight academic departments:
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Computer Science
Mathematics
Physics
Psychology
Religion
Structural rendering
of the Hagfors Center
courtesy of McGough
Construction
COLLEGE AWARDS 2016
President’s Interfaith and Community Service
Honor Roll—Finalist with Distinction:
Augsburg College was one of five finalists in
the United States named to the prestigious
President’s Higher Education Community
Service Honor Roll with Distinction in the
interfaith community service category. This
is the seventh year the College has earned
this recognition.
The AugSTEM Scholars Program, funded through a grant from the National Science
Foundation, supports students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and
math (STEM). The scholars participated in Zyzzogeton, a celebration of student research.
Best Regional Universities by U.S. News &
World Report: U.S. News & World Report
named Augsburg one of the best universities
in the Midwest. Rankings are based on
factors including average first-year retention
rates, graduation rates, class sizes, studentto-faculty ratios, acceptance rates, and more.
$1 MILLION GRANT PREPARES STUDENTS
for graduate school, meaningful work
The National Science Foundation awarded Augsburg College a highly
competitive $1 million grant for continued support of the AugSTEM
Scholars Program. Under the direction of Professor Rebekah Dupont,
the program will provide scholarships to as many as 80 academically
talented students with financial need who are pursuing studies in science,
technology, engineering, and math.
The four-year grant is part of NSF’s work to address the need for a highquality, diverse workforce. With a traditional undergraduate student body
that is more than 35 percent persons of color, Augsburg is well positioned
to support this goal. The program provides direct financial support, delivers
hands-on learning, offers research opportunities, and pairs each student
with a faculty mentor. Research shows this combination of hands-on
learning and close mentorship is highly effective in helping students leave
college ready for graduate school and the workplace.
Augsburg recognized for being studentcentered: The Wall Street Journal and Times
Higher Education ranked Augsburg No. 2 in
Minnesota for student engagement in the
learning process in their inaugural ranking
of U.S. colleges and universities. The
student engagement score is based largely
on results of a student survey that addressed
how challenging classes are, whether they
foster critical thinking and prompt students
to make connections to the real world, and
how much interaction the students have
with faculty and other students.
Auggie earns “Most Promising
Young Poet” national honor
Donte Collins ’18 was named the “Most Promising
Young Poet” by the Academy of American Poets this
fall. His poem, “what the dead know by heart,” previously won Augsburg’s
John R. Mitchell Prize, which qualified him for the prestigious competition.
Collins is a theater major who is active in the local, regional, and national
spoken word and poetry scene. Collins told Minnesota Public Radio that
he plans to use the $1,000 prize from the award to self-publish his first
collection of poetry, a chapbook called “autopsies.”
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
Editor’s Note: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under
Grants No. 1565060 and 1154096. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.
50 Best Disability Friendly Colleges and
Universities: College Choice ranked Augsburg
No. 13 of the 50 Best Disability Friendly
Colleges and Universities in 2016 for having
strong programming and solid support
services that meet the physical, social, and
academic requirements of students with
learning disabilities and special needs.
Best LGBT Friendly Colleges and Universities:
College Choice ranked Augsburg among
the 50 Best LGBT Friendly Colleges and
Universities in 2016 for having a strong and
proven history of creating quality programming
for the LGBT community and its allies.
Fall 2016
3
Augsburg partners with
MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO
to deliver Strommen Engagement Series
A new partnership with Minnesota Public Radio means the Augsburg
College Strommen Engagement Series is poised to spark dialogue on
some of the state’s pressing contemporary issues. The reimagined
Strommen Engagement Series was created in collaboration with MPR
as part of the “Conversations on the Creative Economy” program
hosted by Chris Farrell. He is a senior economics contributor at
Marketplace, American Public Media’s nationally syndicated public
radio business and personal finance program.
For the 2016-17 academic year, MPR and Augsburg will explore:
• Living in Recovery—Working in a Culture of Alcohol: A
discussion on the health cost to a business when employees
are chemically dependent and how professionals in recovery
are working to remove the stigma of addiction and the culture
of drinking in business.
• Global Food in a Farm-to-Table World: A discussion on how companies
are adapting to environmental and consumer demands to be more
sustainable and still grow food for 7 billion people.
• Worship in the Workplace: A discussion about the business advantages
of accommodating the faith traditions of employees and how leaders
navigate these situations.
• Banking on the Unbankable: A discussion on how financial institutions
create both a business product and a social good for people who
traditionally would not have access
Go to augsburg.edu/now
to financial tools.
for details.
Governor declares
‘AUGSBURG COLLEGE EQUITY DAY’
Gov. Mark Dayton declared Aug. 29, 2016,
“Augsburg College Equity Day” in recognition
of the College’s commitment to equity and
justice, and its efforts to close the opportunity
gap in Minnesota.
President Paul Pribbenow met with leaders of
the Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial board to
discuss Minnesota’s educational achievement
gap among children and youth of diverse
backgrounds. The state has one of
the largest achievement gaps in the
nation, and Augsburg is working to
ensure all students of academic
ability have access to higher
education. The College’s pledge
to this work includes limited debt
pathways to graduation, setting aside
dedicated housing for homeless students,
increasing financial aid literacy, supporting
faculty in creating inclusive classrooms, and
increasing access to course materials.
The College was applauded for this
leadership through a compelling editorial,
“Augsburg College leads the call for campus
equity,” written and published by the Star
Tribune editorial board on Aug. 30.
ARCHIVE PHOTO
PHOTO BY BRIANA ALAMILLA ’17
NOW AND THEN:
AUGGIE HOMECOMING
[Left]: Current students play dodgeball in Si Melby gymnasium. [Right]: Jan (Koepcke)
Steller ’66, a member of this year’s 50th reunion class, snaps the football during a 1965
coed Homecoming matchup.
4
Augsburg Now
All good Homecoming celebrations need some
friendly competition, right? This year, Augsburg
College students got into the competitive spirit at
a dodgeball tournament that pitted Auggie against
Auggie in a battle testing speed, agility, and …
fashion sense. The event’s companion costume
contest proved to be a lighthearted update on a
long-time tradition. Coed sporting events have
been part of Augsburg Homecoming for decades,
and the outfits seem to get better with time.
See highlights from Homecoming on pages 22-23.
AROUND THE QUAD
SOOTHING
SOUNDS:
Auggies compose music
for pediatric patients
Music therapy major Tristan Gavin ’16 records a composition for use at the University of Minnesota
Masonic Children’s Hospital.
COURTESY PHOTOS
CONVOCATION SERIES 2016-17
Augsburg College’s annual convocation series offers the community
meaningful opportunities to engage with contemporary issues and
to hear from speakers who are renowned in their fields.
In September, the series kicked off with the Bernhard M.
Christensen Symposium featuring bestselling author, public
theologian, and social activist Jim Wallis and his presentation,
“The Bridge to a New America.” Wallis is president and founder of
Sojourners, a nonprofit, faith-based organization whose mission is
to put faith into action for social justice.
In November, the Center for Wellness and Counseling Convocation
welcomed Kristin Neff, an education psychologist and associate
professor of human development and culture at the University of
Texas at Austin. Her presentation was titled, “Self-Compassion:
How to be an Inner Ally Rather than an Inner Enemy.”
Augsburg College music therapy students
created original compositions to help
patients and families at the University of
Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital
get better sleep.
During the 2016 spring semester,
students in the Music Therapy Senior
Seminar course taught by Annie
Heiderscheit, director of the Master of
Music Therapy program, wrote lullabies
as part of a community partnership.
The music therapy students worked
with music business students and
their advisor, Augsburg Instructor
Dain Estes, to produce high-quality
recordings for use on the hospital’s
network of digital, interactive health
care features. Individuals can choose
to play the calming tunes using devices
in their hospital rooms. The Auggies’
compositions also are part of a pilot
study that is exploring whether listening
to music helps improve sleep quality in
patients and families who use it in the
pediatric intensive care unit.
SAVE THE DATE:
Join us on Monday, Jan. 16, for
the Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation.
All events are free, public, and held in the
Foss Center. For detailed information, go to
augsburg.edu/convo.
Fall 2016
5
BOARD OF REGENTS
Jeffrey Nodland ’77
Nicholas Gangestad ’86
WELCOMES NEW CHAIR
AND MEMBERS
Jeffrey Nodland ’77, president and chief executive officer of
KIK Custom Products, was elected chair of the Augsburg
College Board of Regents at its April 2016 meeting and
began his term July 1. Nodland will play a key leadership
role in Augsburg’s planning and fundraising initiatives.
In addition, the Augsburg Corporation, at its annual
September meeting, elected six new members to the Board
of Regents and re-elected three members.
Elected to their first term on the Augsburg Board of Regents:
Dr. Amit Ghosh
’12 MBA
Rev. Marlene
Whiterabbit Helgemo
Rachel Pringnitz ’02,
’07 MBA
•
Nicholas Gangestad ’86, senior vice president and chief
financial officer of 3M
•
Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA, a staff consultant, professor of
medicine, and medical director of internal practice at
Mayo Clinic
•
Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo, an ordained
Lutheran pastor serving All Nations Indian Church of
the United Church of Christ and executive director of
the Council for American Indian Ministry of the UCC
•
Rachel Pringnitz ’02, ’07 MBA, operations
administrator for the Division of General Internal
Medicine at Mayo Clinic
•
Jill Nelson Thomas, philanthropist and board member
for multiple nonprofits, including Family & Children’s
Services of Oklahoma
•
Noya Woodrich ’92, ’94 MSW, former president and
chief executive officer of the Greater Minneapolis
Council of Churches
PHOTOS BY MARK CHAMBERLAIN
Elected to a second or third term:
Jill Nelson Thomas
Noya Woodrich ’92,
’94 MSW
6
Augsburg Now
•
Mark Eustis, an organizational leadership and
governance advisor for health systems
•
Alexander Gonzalez ’90, financial consultant at
Thrivent Financial
•
Pam Moksnes ’79, vice president for gift planning
services, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, through
the Lutheran Church Extension Fund
HOME SWEET
HOMEPAGE:
Augsburg launches
redesigned website
College and university websites are often
the first place students turn to for reliable
information when they research schools.
This fall, Augsburg unveiled a website
redesign offering prospective students a
fresh experience and encouraging them to
learn more about the College.
The new look took more than a year
to research, plan, design, and develop.
Now this work is on display on the site’s
top-level sections, which showcase how
Augsburg positively influences Auggies
from their first day in class to decades
after graduation.
Visit augsburg.edu to see
the new design.
AROUND THE QUAD
ON THE SPOT
A look at erratic weather and climate
change with John Zobitz
“Do we live in the tropics?”
In early fall, a Minneapolis Star Tribune article
asked this question. While readers surely
answered “no,” the story described the recent
soggy summer in which Midwestern Regional
Climate Center weather data showed the
Twin Cities got twice as much rain as usual
in August, contributing to the fourth-wettest
summer since records began in 1895.
Associate Professor John Zobitz studies math
and how it relates to climate. Scientists point
to more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as
one of the culprits in global warming. Zobitz
uses mathematical modeling to conduct
environmental science research on several
topics, including carbon uptake.
For years, Zobitz has helped media make
sense of unusual weather across the country.
He commented on record-setting snowfall in
Buffalo, New York, following a November 2014
blast, as well as the return of wintry weather
during an April 2013 whiteout in Augsburg’s
own backyard. Here’s a glimpse into the world
of climate science—an area where the forecast
can have more to do with mathematical
formulas than tomorrow’s high temp.
Q:
How can mathematicians’ expertise
help environmental scientists and
climatologists?
A:
Mathematicians test and evaluate
hypotheses through mathematical
and computational models. We model and
benchmark future global temperatures
based on current scenarios, hopefully
providing an informed context for climate
policy decisions.
Q:
A:
Hasn’t the Earth always warmed and
cooled throughout history?
Yes, but what is alarming is both the
amount and the rate of the increase.
The global monthly temperature has been
warmer than average for 360 consecutive
months (that’s every month during the past
30 years). That persistent global pattern
underscores a shift in global temperature
beyond natural temperature cycles.
Q:
A:
Do unusually cold temperatures in an
area dispute global warming?
No. An important thing to remember
is that global temperature represents
an average across a global network of
monitoring stations. Climate change
will affect each area differently: some
areas might warm and some areas may
cool, but the overall trend of global
temperature is increasing.
Q:
A:
Do you think climate change is
inevitable?
A key concept in calculus is the
accumulation of smaller pieces to one
larger whole. If we want to reduce climate
change, small changes in our daily lives
such as driving less and reducing waste,
together, may accumulate to a large effect.
Q:
What does it mean to our future, as
human beings, if climate change
continues as it has in the past 30 years?
A:
We need to recognize that we live
in a rapidly changing world where
“normal weather” is the exception rather
than the rule. Adapting—and innovating—
in an environment of constant change will
become key for success.
Fall 2016
7
ALISON RANUM ’17
NAZIH SAFI ’17
Hometown: Minneapolis
Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Studying: Biology and Exercise Science
Studying: Mathematics and Management
Information Systems
Roy and Eleanor Krohn Scholarship
With thanks: “College is an expensive
investment, and without the donors
who have been so kind to help me
along the way, attending Augsburg
College would not be an option for me.
Thank you so much.”
8
Augsburg Now
Beverly Durkee Mathematics Scholarship
With thanks: “Thank you for your continuous
support of student learning. It feels good to
know that I go to a college where the alumni
really care about furthering their alma mater.”
REVENUE BY SOURCE
2015-16 AUGSBURG COLLEGE
67%
ANNUAL REPORT
TUITION
TO DONORS
19%
T
3%
PRIVATE GIFTS AND GRANTS
7%
o the people who understand that together we
can build and shape a campus, a community,
and the world for lifetimes to come, thank you.
To the people who are hard-working, inspired, and
trying to make a difference and impact the future
locally and internationally, thank you.
To the 4,965 individuals who gave $17,689,103 for
multiple programs, projects, and funds, thank you.
To the community who gave $1,551,262 to the
Augsburg Fund, thank you.
Thank you for making this community a place
where we are developing informed citizens,
thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and
responsible leaders.
Whether you were a student 50 or five years ago
or are a friend of Augsburg College, Auggies like you
are what keep an Augsburg education sustainable,
faithful, and relevant long into the future.
ROOM AND BOARD
GOVERNMENT GRANTS
4%
OTHER SOURCES
EXPENSES BY CATEGORY
41%
SALARIES AND BENEFITS
31%
FINANCIAL AID
13%
OPERATING EXPENSES*
7%
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
3%
Thank you.
3%
*Expenses in this category include:
facility repairs and maintenance,
information technology expenditures,
marketing expenditures, membership dues
and fees, outside consultants, supplies,
and travel and business meetings.
DEBT SERVICE
UTILITIES AND INSURANCE
2%
STUDENT SALARIES
ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE
$40.5
May 31, 2016—$39,412,669
MIKE SHAW ’17
Professor Jeanne Boeh and Mr. Bernhard
Fleming Economics Scholarship
$32.4
Augsburg College’s influence: “Augsburg has
pushed me to do my absolute best at school
and forced me to think how I can use the skills
I am developing to help my community.”
$28.2
$27.8
$39.4
$34.6
$33.3
$31.5
Hometown: Minneapolis
Studying: Business Administration and
Economics
$38.3
$29.8
$24.5
2006 2007 2008
2009 2010 2011
2012 2013
2014 2015 2016
As of May 31, 2016, Augsburg College had annual realized and unrealized
losses of 3.23 percent on the College endowment. The five-year average
annual return on the endowment is 3.52 percent, and the 10-year average
annual return is 3.49 percent. The College is committed to maintaining the
value of the principal to provide support to the College in perpetuity.
Special Olympics Minnesota
and Augsburg College team up
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
10
Augsburg Now
All eyes are on a group of athletes in college
basketball jerseys. There are short ones, tall
ones, fast ones, and slow ones—some having
good days and others feeling off their game.
An athlete flies through the air, dunking a
ball. High-fives, cheers, and clapping echo
through the rafters. Moments later, voices rise.
“No, no, the other way,” shouts an
encouraging spectator trying to prompt an
athlete dribbling with authority toward the
wrong basket. A foul, some underhand throws,
and then a pause for a player with a medical
issue. Play resumes.
More commotion. Sneakers skid across the
gym floor as the spectrum of abilities and
disabilities blurs.
Then, the buzzer sounds, but the final score
isn’t the focus given the diversions of smiling,
sweaty faces and celebratory exchanges
among athletes.
The February game brought together
teams comprising athletes from Augsburg
College, Hamline University, and Special
Olympics Minnesota—the first in a series
of ongoing Unified Sports competitions that
pair individuals with and without intellectual
disabilities. Auggie participation reflects the
Augsburg Athletic Department’s broader effort—
spearheaded by its Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee—to engage student-athletes in
meaningful, life-changing community service.
And in this game, everyone wins: dozens
of student-athletes such as Sean Adams ’17
are building lasting bonds and gaining a
more sophisticated understanding of ability;
Minnesota’s more than 8,000 Special Olympics
athletes such as Alec Kelsey are gaining
confidence, training, and lifelong friends; and
PHOTOS BY MATT HIGGINS, MIAC
Augsburg alumni such as Steele Krause ’16, are
leading informed, engaged lives after graduation.
Krause said volunteerism through Augsburg
transformed his idea of service from “checking
a box” to a way of life.
“At Augsburg, my idea of service evolved
from logging hours to serving with purpose
and gaining a true understanding of each
organization,” said the former men’s basketball
player now living in Denver. “Last week, I
stopped by the Colorado Special Olympics
office to learn more about ways to get involved.”
Augsburg’s embrace of unified competition
in the past year has intensified personal
connections and impact, said Adams, a captain
of Augsburg’s men’s cross country and men’s
track and field teams.
“Out there on the court, it didn’t matter
whether someone had a disability or not; we
were all working toward a common goal and all
had strengths to contribute to the team,” he
said, reflecting on a Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference Special Olympics D-III
Week Unified Basketball Tournament held in
April at Macalester College. “Playing alongside
others—next to their pure love for the game and
competition—reminds me why I love sports.”
The winner of each Augsburg-Hamline
Unified Rivalry competition—such as
the basketball game pictured—earns
the “Unified Hammer,” a trophy
similar to the ceremonial sledge
hammer passed since 2005 between
the schools each time their varsity
football teams square off.
Fall 2016
11
In February, a Special Olympics Minnesota athlete had the chance to skate the Minnesota Wild
flag to center ice during an Augsburg College men’s hockey game. The Minnesota Wild hosts
several events each year to celebrate “The State of Hockey,” and Augsburg facilitated this
unique partnership between SOMN and the professional sports team.
PHOTO BY KEVIN HEALY
Augsburg has partnered with Special Olympics since
2011, when NCAA Division III formally began supporting
the organization’s efforts to provide year-round training
and competition for more than 5.3 million children and
adults in 170 countries. But Augsburg upped its game
in 2016 by committing to pair with Special Olympics
Minnesota each month of the academic year. SOMN
named Augsburg a Champion School, one of only five
institutions in the state recognized for student leadership
and advocacy, campus involvement, and participation in
Unified Sports.
Michael Kane, vice president of SOMN’s area
programs and initiatives, said the organization is eager
to strengthen existing collaborations, including regional
bowling championships, hockey tournaments, and
the organization’s most popular fundraiser, the Polar
Plunge—during which Auggies, along with thousands of
Minnesotans, jump into icy lakes.
Augsburg’s passionate drive to advance
understanding, acceptance, and healthy living is
elevating SOMN’s reach and reputation, particularly
among the next generation.
“Augsburg College is a great example of an
institution striving to make inclusion a reality,” Kane
said. “Students and staff have fully embraced Special
12
Augsburg Now
Olympics Minnesota by volunteering at competitions and
planning to host a wide variety of events and activities.
Hundreds of Augsburg students have stood up to make
these events and activities possible.”
Guiding Augsburg’s increased involvement is the
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a group of about
50 student-athlete volunteers committed to enriching
the student experience through a range of relevant
service opportunities. Jane Becker is Augsburg’s head
volleyball coach and athletic community service
coordinator, and Jennifer Jacobs is an assistant athletic
director, assistant volleyball coach and advisor for
SAAC, overseeing the student-run organization with
representation from all of Augsburg’s 21 teams.
The pair talk at length about the importance of
student-athletes connecting with the community.
Augsburg student-athletes and teams host clinics and
open gyms for neighboring schools, help area churches
renovate, and build partnerships—like the Unified
Rivalry with Hamline—to foster lasting friendships and
healthy competition.
Becker and Jacobs lift up the committee’s work with
Special Olympics because it advances the lessons of
determination, teamwork, and heart that coaches promote on the court
and in the field. They hear of perceptions changed and career paths
adjusted because of these meaningful experiences.
“Our student-athletes are putting in long hours of competition, making
grades, and then giving themselves to others,” said Jacobs. “The amount
of time and energy our student-athletes dedicate to Special Olympics
and other volunteer opportunities is inspiring. They are committed to
making an impact, relationship building, and experiential learning.”
Rachel Frantz ’17, co-president of SAAC, said she and her peers are
energized by the heart and competitiveness of Special Olympics athletes.
She has friends such as Tom, who competes in speed walking and
swimming. Non-verbal, Tom communicates through sign and body language.
“His favorite gesture,” Frantz said, “is his signature hug that last
about three minutes.”
It’s hard to let go of those types of connections.
“Special Olympics athletes teach me how to come as I am and do my
best. They support one another and foster a positive environment where
each athlete can grow,” said the biology major, who has participated for
the past six years in Special Olympics events, including jumping in an
icy lake during the Polar Plunge, competing in a unified basketball game,
and volunteering at basketball, swimming, and track and field events,
which happen to be her favorite.
“The athletes are always congratulating all of their competitors,
regardless of their finish,” Frantz said. “I love cheering them on as they
achieve a new personal record or finish a difficult race.”
Beyond friendships and lasting memories within the community, these
experiences inspire bonds among Augsburg student-athletes as well as
the general student body, many of whom also serve Special Olympics.
Frantz, a competitor in lacrosse,
cross country, and track, who
likes snorkeling, rock climbing,
and choir, might not have gotten
to know Adams, who plays guitar
and acts in his roommate’s short
films. But, through SAAC, the two
have volunteered together, growing
closer with every project.
“It’s been a privilege to build
upon the good work of those who
led the committee before us,” said
Adams, who serves as co-chair of
SAAC’s volunteering committee.
“The evolution to unified
competitions and partnerships
AUGSBURG AS A
CHAMPION SCHOOL
Augsburg is one of only five Special Olympics Champion
Schools in Minnesota. The designation is granted to
institutions that excel in three areas: Unified Sports, student
leadership and advocacy, and campus involvement.
• Unified Sports: Augsburg student-athletes participate
alongside Special Olympics Minnesota athletes in
clinics and competitions. In partnership with Hamline
University, Auggies cofounded the first Unified Rivalry
in Minnesota. Special Olympics Minnesota created the
Unified Hammer trophy given to the winner of these
competitions throughout the year.
• Student Leadership and Advocacy: The more than
50 student-athlete leaders on Augsburg’s StudentAthlete Advisory Committee work with SOMN to activate
students, engage faculty, and promote communities of
acceptance.
• Campus Involvement: Augsburg student-athletes
have enthusiastically recruited students to create
teams for the Polar Plunge and other key SOMN events
held throughout the year. The campus also has held
Respect Campaigns, including Spread the Word to
End the Word, which discourages people from using
demeaning, offensive, or inaccurate terms.
“Our events are volunteer driven, and I’m just not sure
what we would do without Augsburg student-athletes
volunteering at every turn,” said Devin Kaasa, the
college partnership and competition manager for SOMN.
“Their work fosters respect and dignity for people with
intellectual disabilities and changes actions and attitudes
among their peers without intellectual disabilities.”
Members of the Augsburg football team
volunteer at the 2016 Fall Games organized
by Special Olympics Minnesota.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS MINNESOTA
with other colleges in the area is
expanding our reach and feels more
authentic and influential than cheering
from the sidelines.”
Friends across the river, Hamline’s
SAAC advisor and women’s volleyball
coach Becky Egan and senior softball
player Mary-Clare Couillard, said they,
too, have big hopes to grow from
several rivalry games to multiple
contests and volunteer efforts
throughout the year.
“Our campuses can have such a
positive impact for Special Olympics
athletes, and I hope to see us doing all
that we can to help out,” said Couillard,
who has interned with Special Olympics
since June.
Egan echoed her sentiments.
“Since our campuses are so close,
it is easy for our student-athletes
to travel and stay excited about
volunteering,” Egan said. “The more
inclusive we become with other schools
in our conference, the healthier the
competitions become across our other
sports, and it broadens connections
among all our student-athletes.”
PHOTO BY MATT HIGGINS, MIAC
14
Augsburg Now
passing year. During a January 2016
game against Saint Mary’s University,
the Augsburg College women’s hockey
Devin Kaasa, the college partnership
team recognized more than 100 Special
and competition manager for SOMN,
Olympics athletes in attendance with a
is the main contact for schools in the
ceremonial puck drop prior to the game.
MIAC as they build and strengthen their
Proceeds from puck purchases for a
relationship with the nonprofit. Kaasa,
halftime “Chuck-A-Puck” competition
whose brother has participated in Special benefitted SOMN. The following
Olympics for 20 years, said he has been
weekend, the hockey players volunteered
showcasing positive Augsburg-Hamline
at the Special Olympics Minnesota State
outcomes to promote similar interactions
Poly Hockey Tournament.
among the conference’s 13 schools.
In early March, Auggies raised more
“Our athletes look up to studentthan $1,000 for the 19th annual Polar
athletes because of
Plunge event at
their abilities and
Lake Calhoun in
“Augsburg College is a great
energy. To some,
Minneapolis. The
example of an institution striving 2016 plunge season
these college
to make inclusion a reality.”
students are like
raised more than
–Michael Kane
professionals, and
$3.9 million for
playing alongside
Special Olympics’
them is such a thrill,” Kaasa said. “I
athletic, health, and leadership
love Augsburg because they are always
programs for children and adults with
up for trying a new idea, and I can
intellectual disabilities.
always count on them to serve.”
Just this September, members of
Augsburg’s involvement with SOMN
the Augsburg football team helped out
has been diverse and expansive,
with SOMN’s Fall Games where athletes
growing in size and scope with each
competed in equestrian, softball, bocce,
and golf events.
Each month, the NCAA Division III
features a Special Olympics Spotlight
Poll, asking fans to vote on one of three
compelling stories highlighting efforts
at various institutions and conferences.
With 1,300 votes, the MIAC won
the July spotlight (and $500 toward
its next Special Olympics event) for
hosting the first-ever conference-wide
unified tournament.
Mark Kelsey’s son, Alec, was among
the 50 Special Olympics athletes who
competed alongside student-athletes from
Augsburg, Carleton, Hamline, Macalester,
St. Catherine, and St. Thomas in an eightteam, double-elimination tournament held
during the fifth annual NCAA Division III
Week in April.
At 6-foot-2, 25-year-old Alec loves
basketball, lives for the moment, and
never looks for an excuse to quit, even
after a seizure on the court.
“Special Olympics athletes represent
the best of what sports has to offer—no
fear, no nerves, no hate, all heart,” said
Kelsey, who started the West Metro
Warriors Special Olympics delegation in
the Twin Cities 10 years ago.
“Alec rarely gets through a game
without a seizure, but I cannot tell you
how excited and proud he and his fellow
athletes are to play with college studentathletes. We were particularly impressed
with Augsburg’s showing at the
tournament … while one team played,
the other team cheered with Special
Olympics athletes. It was magical, and
I can only hope those Auggies were so
moved in such a deep and positive way
that they become forever advocates for
inclusion and acceptance.”
As a recent graduate, Krause regularly
reflects on the intersection of athletic,
religious, and academic experiences he
enjoyed at Augsburg. His time learning
to live with purpose “sparked a craving
for personal and communal excellence”
and a desire to create a stable,
nourishing, and joyful environment for
his community.
“Being involved with SOMN was
humbling and gratifying … and being
able to use my knowledge and skills
within various sports is empowering,”
said Krause, a former SAAC copresident who works as an account
manager for Pacific Office Automation.
“I am extremely proud to be an Auggie,
and I will always refer myself as such.
Augsburg’s commitment to community
is astounding, and it keeps getting
better every year.”
At Augsburg, Krause said, he learned
that volunteering is as much about selfreflection after the experience as it is
about the outcome of the service. Only
then can people begin to understand
more about the world around them
and assess (and possibly adjust) their
attitudes and actions.
“I no longer just show up to volunteer
and then leave when the job is done,”
he said. “It sticks with me, urging me
to think about how my involvement and
experiences shape my life, and how I
can continue to make a difference.”
To learn more about Augsburg’s athletic teams and
service, including Auggie involvement with Special
Olympics, go to augsburg.edu/now.
[Far left]: The Augsburg-Hamline Unified Rivalry series began with
basketball games and has grown to include several activities. The
schools hosted a flag football game in October and will sponsor a
softball game this spring.
[Center photos]: Augsburg football players helped facilitate softball and
bocce ball activities at the 2016 Fall Games series organized by Special
Olympics Minnesota.
[Far right]: Athletes take a break from the action during a MIAC conferencewide unified basketball tournament held in April at Macalester College.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS MINNESOTA
Fall 2016
15
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AUGSBURG COLLEGE’S 2016 HOMECOMING
CELEBRATION was held Sept. 22-24—a festive
PHOTO BY JOHANNA KITZMAN ‘11
weekend when alumni, students, and families took
part in new events and beloved traditions. More
than 500 alumni from 64 different graduation
years attended celebrations, including reunions
for the classes of 1966, 1976, 1991, and 2006.
PHOTO BY
REBECCA ZENEFSKI
Ten Auggies were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame after being welcomed to the ceremony
by current student-athletes. During a Homecoming lunch with alumni award recipients, students
were invited to share in discussion with recipients of the First Decade, Spirit of Augsburg, and
Distinguished Alumni awards. In an evening ceremony, six alumni and two honorary Auggies
received awards and were recognized for their generous service to the world.
22
Augsburg Now
PHOTO BY JOHANNA KITZMAN ’11
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY PERRY
The Taste of Augsburg featured 38 booths—most
hosted by student groups—and offered games,
entertainment, and food, including the Augsburg
Chemistry Society’s liquid nitrogen ice cream.
Augsburg won the football game against Carleton
College, and alumni, families, and students stayed
after the game to enjoy s’mores at an Auggie Block
Party featuring the band Broken Spoke.
Bob Stacke ’71
This year, 30 Homecoming
events celebrated the best of
Augsburg, from an all-band
reunion to Auggie Talks led
by alumni, staff, and faculty
experts. The Centennial
Singers and an alumni band
led by Professor Emeritus
and Spirit of Augsburg Award
recipient Bob Stacke ’71
invigorated the chapel at
a worship service where
Associate College Pastor
Justin Lind-Ayres welcomed
all Auggies with a “Home
Calling” message.
Fall 2016
23
AUGGIES CONNECT
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
T
he Alumni Board has made exciting changes
to better serve Augsburg College graduates and
current students. We reorganized our board
committees, and we’re already seeing the fantastic engagement and work of
two new groups.
• The new Parent and Family Committee shares information about Augsburg
and its services with families. We’re thankful to the Parent and Family
Committee for helping students move into campus housing this fall.
Committee chair Howie Smith ’80 joined Cyrus Batheja ’08, ’11 MBA to
help with first-year student move-in day. Committee members Derek
Francis ’08 and Hannah Dietrich Swanson ’05 assisted with new student
orientation. The committee hosts two parent and family nights per year,
and the next event is March 2.
• Rick Bonlender ’78, Josh Krob ’08, ’15 MBA, Adriana Matzke ’13, and
Brad Randall ’13 on the new Adult Education Committee will focus
on the growing adult undergraduate and graduate studies alumni
communities. I attended Augsburg College as an MBA student from
2008 to 2010, and I’m inspired by this work.
Whether you remember your time at Augsburg as a cohort, a class,
or a team—as a grad student, traditional undergraduate, or adult
undergraduate—there is a place for all in the upcoming events at the
College. The MBA networking event on October 25 was a welcome chance to
see former cohort members for a mini-reunion and to get involved mentoring
a future Auggie MBA.
As a board, we strive to better serve the College, our fellow alumni, and—
perhaps most importantly—Augsburg’s current students.
We’re looking ahead to our next Alumni-Student Networking event
on February 8. Last year, we had 260 participants—a record-breaking
attendance that included students, alumni, and faculty. Thanks to all who
helped recruit attendees, facilitate introductions, and open doors for Auggies!
I look forward to our continued service and engagement with the Augsburg
community.
JILL WATSON ’10 MBA, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
24
Augsburg Now
For more information
about alumni events,
see augsburg.edu/now.
The StepUP® Program at Augsburg College
has had a successful year. As the largest
residential collegiate recovery program in the
United States, StepUP is regarded as the
gold standard for programs of its kind. Now in
its 20th year, StepUP empowers students to
champion lives of recovery, achieve academic
success, and thrive in a residential community
of accountability and support.
StepUP celebrated its annual gala October 29,
and the event focused on the theme of “hope.”
The gala is an opportunity to reduce the
stigma often associated with substance use
disorders by raising awareness—and honoring
the accomplishments and contributions—of
StepUP’s 100 students and 750 alumni.
At the gala, emcee Don Shelby, an Emmyaward-winning former news anchor and person
in recovery, welcomed supportive Auggies,
families, friends, and advocates for recovery.
Peter Hubbard ’10 spoke about his work with
StepUP alumni to create chances for StepUP
students to learn about life after graduation,
network, and explore concerns with those who
have followed a similar path.
The Barbara and Skip Gage family received
the Toby Piper LaBelle award in recognition of
their longstanding commitment to education
at Augsburg. The Gage’s dedicated support
of the CLASS program, Lindell Library, Gage
Family Art Gallery, and Gage Center for Student
Success furthers Augsburg’s ability to live out
its mission of serving the diverse needs, gifts,
and experiences of its students. In addition,
the contributions of The Hazelden Betty Ford
Foundation were recognized with the inaugural
Keystone Award for institutional support.
To continue the deep success of the StepUP Program, the
College has launched an endowment campaign for the
program. The campaign is nearly halfway to its goal of
raising $10 million by 2017. The endowment will allow
the College to increase enrollment in the program, to
maintain StepUP’s unparalleled community experience,
and retain StepUP’s exceptional counselors and staff.
Visit augsburg.edu/stepup to learn more.
AUGGIES CONNECT
GENEROSITY OF ALUMNI
fuels research, hands-on opportunities for Auggies
Two influential Augsburg College alumni,
Terry Lindstrom ’73 and Dean Sundquist ’81,
have found that giving back to their
alma mater is a way to inspire young
researchers to pursue their passions.
They have chosen to support the
Office of Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity, known as “URGO,”
which aligns students’ interests in STEM
fields (science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics), social sciences,
humanities, and the arts with research
by faculty. Each year, research by more
than 20 Augsburg students is funded by
the College for 10 weeks each summer.
Because of the committed support of
Lindstrom and Sundquist, 16 additional
scholars participate in URGO and receive
a stipend. This financial support is critical
to providing the hands-on, skills-based
training students need to successfully
apply to graduate school and to shape
meaningful careers.
“Fundamentals are absolutely
essential,” Lindstrom said, “but it was
the research experience that helped me
determine what I wanted to do.”
Lindstrom and his wife, Janet, plan to
fund URGO students for the next three
years, just as they have since 2013,
and will ensure the perpetuity of their
scholarships through their estate plan.
“Everyone deserves to find the career
that creates passion,” said Lindstrom,
who retired in 2010 as a distinguished
research fellow at Eli Lilly and Company in
Indianapolis, where he spent 31 years in
drug discovery and development.
Eager to find real-world applications to
benefit society, Lindstrom earned his PhD
in pharmacology and biochemistry at the
University of Minnesota after his Augsburg
graduation. He led the research teams
that resulted in a half-dozen patents for
life-changing pharmaceuticals, including
Evista for osteoporosis and Cymbalta,
used as an antidepressant and for bone
and muscle pain. He visited campus this
past summer to meet faculty and student
researchers—including four students he
sponsored directly: Josh Kuether ’18, Taylor
Mattice ’18, Adam Pancoast ’18, and Ellyn
Peters ’18.
Similarly, since 2006, Sundquist, a
member of the College’s Board of Regents,
and his wife, Amy, have sponsored research
by URGO students. Sundquist visited
campus this summer as well to meet with
the 12 students he sponsors and learn
His campus visit was a chance to see
the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement
in students as they researched projects
with their mentors, including Assistant
Professor Matt Beckman, Associate
Professor Vivian Feng, and Assistant
Professor Michael Wentzel.
“These URGO students are very smart
and very impressive. They go on from
Augsburg to graduate school and medical
school and business school with research
experience and the confidence to succeed
at the next level,” Sundquist said.
Ultimately, generosity of people like
Lindstrom and Sundquist has had a
transformational effect on thousands
[L to R]: Terry Lindstrom ’73 watches as chemistry student Taylor Mattice ’18 draws out a chemical reaction scheme from
her summer research project with Assistant Professor Michael Wentzel, her faculty mentor.
about their research. As chairman and CEO
of Mate Precision Tooling, a worldwide
leader in metal products and laser
technologies, he has a global perspective
and understanding of how scientific
improvements propel the economy.
of students. Alumni create learning
opportunities that prepare students to
solve real-world problems, develop lifelong
relationships with peers and faculty, and
deliver a uniquely Augsburg summer.
Fall 2016
25
Augsburg women inspired to fund
transformative mural in new academic building
For women who are driven to lead and participate, meeting
a fundraising goal for Augsburg College doesn’t mean your
work is done. It just means it’s time to engage in another
meaningful challenge to continue positively impacting the
lives of Augsburg students, faculty, staff, and the CedarRiverside neighborhood.
That’s just what Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) is doing
through the leadership of Lisa Svac Hawks ’85, vice president
of external communications for UnitedHealthcare, who was
moved to make a lead gift to fund a mural planned for the
interdisciplinary Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for
Science, Business, and Religion.
“When I learned about the way Augsburg is bringing
these disciplines together under one roof, I knew this was
something distinctive and powerful,” said Hawks. “The
Hagfors Center will measurably contribute to shaping
greater leaders for tomorrow.”
The mural that AWE will fund, titled “Emergence,”
incorporates the image of monarch butterflies with
references to symbiosis, textile traditions, geometry, faith,
home, prayer, and identity. The $150,000 project will
express the College’s commitments to hospitality and
serving the neighbor, two core principles of the Lutheran
tradition in which the College is rooted. The large-scale
mural will adorn the staircase at the end of the west wing.
Making the lead gift for this powerful installation,
which will be created by muralist Greta McLain, came
naturally to Hawks.
“Art has a special way of helping us experience what
it means to come together in a new way. Art helps us
visualize new futures. It helps us connect to big concepts
and to engage emotionally with them so we can see
ourselves in big ideas,” Hawks said.
26
Augsburg Now
“As a group of women, we believe that art connects the
heart and head. By funding this mural as a permanent beacon
in the Hagfors Center, we invite everyone to connect our
heads and our hearts, so our hands can get to the good work.”
For McLain, the collaboration between space, artist,
community, and construction can take many forms. “We
all are asking: In what ways are we shaping the future
leaders we need to address the challenges
of the future?” she said.
AWE is undertaking this new
challenge and commitment to
the greater Augsburg College
community at the same
time it successfully closes
out another project for the
Hagfors Center. This group
of 70 women already raised
$130,000 to sponsor a
student study lounge in the
building.
The AWE-Inspired
Philanthropy Council
invites all Auggie women
to join them in sponsoring
“Emergence.” They
supported a Give to
the Max Day project to
raise funds for the work,
and are partnering with
Donna McLean and Martha Truax ’16 MAL in Institutional
Advancement to reach their goal of $150,000 in gifts and
pledges by December 31. Email mclean@augsburg.edu or
truaxm@augsburg.edu for more information.
To see work available for sponsorship in the Hagfors Center, including
21 pieces created by faculty, staff, alumni, and artists who have
exhibited previously in Augsburg galleries, visit augsburg.edu/now.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1960
The newest book by Lowell
“Zeke” Ziemann ’60 is “America’s
First Centennial and the Old West: 1876
A Year to Remember.” This book presents
prominent events in the Western Territories
during the United States’ centennial year.
Incidents of 1876 described in the book
include: the Little Bighorn conflict, Wild Bill
Hickok’s murder, the capture of Jesse James’
gang, and Bat Masterson’s first gunfight.
1968
The Rev. Mark Hanson ’68,
former presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
received the Walk of Faith Award from
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
on October 26 in recognition of his career
in service to the Lutheran community.
The ELCA is the nation’s largest Lutheran
denomination. Hanson was ordained in
1974 and has since served as a pastor for
three Minnesota congregations, as bishop
of the St. Paul Area Synod, and as the
president of the Lutheran World Federation
in Geneva. Hanson is an advocate for
migrants and refugees. He currently serves
as the executive director of the Christensen
Center for Vocation at Augsburg College.
Regent Emeritus Ron
Nelson ’68 was honored
with a Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming. He
retired from 3M after
33 years with the
company and spent 11
years as vice president
and controller. A captain for the baseball
and basketball teams at Augsburg, Nelson
was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame in 1991. He is one of the owners
of Thawzall, LLC, located in Alexandria,
Minnesota, and is a member of the board
of Oakdale-based Hearing Components,
Inc. Nelson lives in Mendota Heights,
Minnesota, and is an active member of
St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church. His wife,
Mary Kay (Belgum) Nelson ’68, passed away
in July after a courageous 11-year battle
with leukemia. They were blessed in their
ALUMNI AND ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
AWARDEE PHOTOS BY JOHANNA KITZMAN ’11
marriage with a focus on faith and their
family, including daughters Kristy and Becky.
1971
Professor
Emeritus
and Retired Chair of the
Augsburg College Music
Department Robert
“Bob” Stacke ’71 was
honored with the Spirit
of Augsburg Award
at Homecoming. In
retirement, he pursues his passion for
photography and continues to be a guide
and mentor for music and arts alumni as
the leader of Bob’s Band, an ensemble
comprised primarily of Augsburg jazz band
alumni. Since 2001, he has volunteered at a
music camp in Haiti during his summers to
share the joy of music with children.
1972
Ray Yip ’72
received
the Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming. Yip is
an international public
health leader who has
had a significant impact
on global public health
in the areas of nutrition, maternal and child
health, HIV/AIDS, and tobacco control. He
has held positions with UNICEF, the Centers
for Disease Control, and the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation. Since 2015, he has
served as special advisor with a focus on
health and clean energy for bgC3, a thinktank and incubator founded by Bill Gates.
Yip lives in Beijing with his wife, Florence
Bannicq.
1983
Tim Schultz ’83 has been named
private client services market
leader for Arizona Bank & Trust, a division
of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. He most
recently served as regional wealth manager at
Johnson Bank and chief operating officer for
the western region of BMO Private Bank.
1987
Richard Bahr ’87 released
his book, “Amazed: Why the
Humanity of Jesus Matters,” in June. The
book provides a one-of-a-kind look at Jesus
through the lens of his humanity. Bahr and
his wife, Carla, operate the Threshold to
New Life ministry (threshold2newlife.org),
providing relief and restoration to homeless
persons. Bahr coordinates the volunteers
for a daily breakfast held at Minneapolis’
Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, which
serves more than 40,000 meals per year. His
blog can be found at richardbahr.com.
Amy Hyland Baretz ’87
had an outstanding
pitching career on the
Auggie softball team, an
accomplishment that
earned her induction into
the Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame. She set the
school record for career
victories, twice earned All-MIAC honors, and
was a member of an Auggie squad that won the
MIAC title and reached the NCAA Division III
national tournament in 1984. She also played
volleyball at Augsburg. Following graduation,
she became the owner of franchise businesses
in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
Tell us about the news in your life—your new job, move,
marriage, and milestones. Visit augsburg.edu/now to
submit your announcements.
Fall 2016
27
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1988
Lee RoperBatker ’88
received the
Distinguished Alumni
Award at Homecoming.
She is president and
CEO of the Women’s
Foundation of
Minnesota, and she
has spent her career working to further
gender equality, create equal opportunities,
and build pathways to economic security
for women and girls. Roper-Batker founded
and serves on the executive committee of
Prosperity Together, a nonpartisan coalition
of public women’s foundations that, at the
White House in November 2015, publicly
committed $100 million to improve the
economic security of low-income women
and their families in America.
1990
Matt Staehling ’90 is the new
city administrator for St. Cloud,
Minnesota. He has served the city for 20
years, most recently as the city attorney.
1992
Augsburg
volleyball
star Tina (Kubes)
Peterson ’92 was a
dominant player in the
early ’90s, securing AllMIAC honors, earning
a season MVP nod,
producing impressive
numbers as an outside hitter, and serving
as a multi-year captain. Peterson, who was
inducted in the Augsburg Athletic Hall of
Fame, also was a member of the Auggie
women’s basketball team. Following her
graduation, Peterson has used her health
and physical education degree as a teacher
and coach. She has coached volleyball and
track athletes in Minnesota’s New LondonSpicer school district.
Joel Tveite ’92 was
inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame in recognition
of his successes on the
baseball, basketball, and
golf teams. Tveite was
an all-around talent for
Auggie baseball, pitching
and playing third base. On the mound, he set
school records with 28 complete games, 253
innings pitched, and 36 starts. He earned AllMIAC honors and was a team captain. Since
graduation, Tveite has worked in accounting
and management positions, and he has been
active in baseball and basketball leagues as a
player and coach.
for Entrepreneur of the Year at the TwinWest
Chamber of Commerce small business
awards luncheon. She was also a 2016
nominee for the Excellence in Leadership
Award at the I-94 West Chamber’s small
business awards breakfast. Candidates
were judged on business strategies, drive
for excellence, financial success, and
community involvement.
1993
Augsburg
Athletic
Hall of Fame inductee
Kevin Schiltz ’93 was
a dominant wrestler
for the Auggies in the
early ’90s who earned
three All-American
honors and qualified for
national tournament competition four times.
He was a MIAC champion in wrestling as well
as an offensive and defensive lineman for
Augsburg’s football team. Schiltz was a team
captain for both sports. Since graduation he
has worked in university athletics. Today he
serves Saint John’s University in Collegeville,
Minnesota, as a wrestling assistant coach and
department equipment manager.
Sharol Tyra ’92, professional certified coach,
certified professional co-active coach,
mentor, makeup artist, and president
of Life Illumination Coaching & Image
(lifeillumination.com), and a Lord of Life
Canticle Choir member was the 2016 finalist
Jodi (Divinski)
Walfoort ’93 received
recognition for her time
on the Auggie cross
country and track teams
when she was inducted
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
’08
’06
28
Augsburg Now
’09
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame.
Walfoort competed in her first athletic season
in 1991 at the age of 25 when the Auggies
re-started the cross country program. She
made the most of her two years as a runner,
earning All-Region honors twice, and she
was voted a two-time MVP. After Augsburg,
Walfoort became an IT professional and went
on to start a commercial real estate company.
1994
Athletic Hall
of Fame
inductee Bill Gabler ’94
transferred to Augsburg
and competed in
wrestling, football, and
baseball. As an Auggie
wrestler, he twice earned
All-American honors,
won a MIAC championship, and was on the
program’s first NCAA Division III national title
winning team. He later served as an Augsburg
assistant coach who helped guide the Auggies
to two NCAA national championships.
In football, Gabler was a starting middlelinebacker, and in baseball he was the starting
shortstop. He has enjoyed a career in sporting
goods, fundraising, and corporate promotions.
1996
Robert
Anderson ’96
was the first Auggie
football player to
earn All-American
honors, and the former
’11
defensive lineman was inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.
Some of Anderson’s athletic achievements
at Augsburg include setting school records
for sacks, being named a MIAC conference
lineman of the year, and serving as a cocaptain. Following his graduation, Anderson
has worked as a sales director for the
software industry in locations including
Australia, Austria, China, Germany, New
Zealand, and Singapore.
Athletic Hall of Fame
inductee Bill Kriesel ’96
is one of the top
defensive backs in
Augsburg football history.
He set a single-season
school record for
interceptions, was named
a team MVP on defense,
earned All-MIAC first-team honors, and served
as a co-captain. Following his graduation,
Kriesel played professional football in Germany,
earned his MBA, and served on the Augsburg
football coaching staff, among other roles.
Since 2013, he has worked as a defensive
coordinator and defensive backs coach at
Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.
Jodi Markworth ’96 was hired as the new
principal at Cedar Ridge Elementary in Eden
Prairie, Minnesota. She had been principal
at Sheridan Hills Elementary in the Richfield
(Minnesota) School District.
Hernan Moncada ’06 is the new principal
at Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion,
a K-6 elementary school in Eden Prairie,
Minnesota.
’06
Cyrus Batheja ’08, ’10 MBA threw out the
ceremonial first pitch at the Twins baseball
game on August 6. The Augsburg nursing grad
and Alumni Board member was given the honor
for his community work including homeless
outreach and assistance with UnitedHealth
Group, his family’s commitment to quality
disabled living situations, and his work on the Tix
for Tots advisory board.
’08
Former men’s basketball
player Jim South ’96
was inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. South was
a four-year starter for
the Auggies, and he
holds Augsburg’s career
record for field-goal
percentage. He earned All-MIAC honors in
basketball three times and also played on the
Augsburg baseball team for three seasons.
Following graduation, South worked for CocaCola before obtaining a law enforcement
degree. He also is an active volunteer who
serves as an assistant coach for a high school
basketball team.
1997
Derrin
Lamker ’97
received Augsburg’s
Excellence in Coaching
Award in recognition of
his impressive career.
After quarterbacking
Augsburg’s football team
to a MIAC championship
and several of its best seasons in school
history, Lamker moved into teaching and
coaching. He served as head coach at
Osseo (Minnesota) High School for 11
years, winning three Northwest Suburban
Conference titles, two section championships,
and a Minnesota Class 6A state title. This
season he became the offensive coordinator
Brian Gullick ’09 and Matt Tonsager ’09
are custom woodworkers of furniture,
games, and décor. Their business is Gullton
Wood, and the pair created a set of Augsburg
College bean bag boards used at Homecoming
in September.
’09
Amy (Satnik) Bachman ’11 and her
husband, Blair, welcomed a baby girl,
Mackenzie Peach, on March 3.
’11
Fall 2016
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
at Edina (Minnesota) High School, and he
also has coached basketball and baseball.
Dwayne Lowman ’00 has been
appointed to the inaugural
advisory board of Definitely Someday, a
nonpartisan firm that helps Minnesotans
prepare for a future run for political office.
Sweden, which was attended by Pope Francis.
Laudert says, “I am beyond thankful,
inspired, and thrilled at this opportunity. I
am incredibly grateful to the Metropolitan
New York Synod and my congregation for the
chance to do this. [I am] even more thankful
for our partnership in the gospel and the
ecumenical mission we share together.”
2004
2008
2000
Melissa “Mel” Lee ’04 has
taken the reins as interim head
softball coach during the 2017 Augsburg
College athletic season after serving as an
assistant with the program for the past 12
years. She will continue her duties as an
assistant athletic director and an instructor
in Augsburg’s health and physical education
program. In addition, as a member of the
National Fastpitch Coaches Association, Lee
is one of two 2016 recipients of the Mary
Nutter Scholarship. The educational grant
will fund Lee’s attendance at the 2016 NFCA
National Convention.
2006
Kyle
Loven ’06,
a Seattle-based
performance and visual
artist, was recognized
with the First Decade
Award at Homecoming.
His work combines
puppetry, projections,
objects, sound, and other art forms with the
human presence. Since moving to Seattle in
early 2009, Loven has created and toured
his original works. His shows have premiered
at venues such as the acclaimed Guthrie
Theater in Minneapolis and Seattle’s On the
Boards. Loven is the recipient of grants from
the Jim Henson Foundation and numerous
arts organizations based in Washington state.
2007
Wolfgang Laudert ’07 attended
the ELCA Grace Gathering this
summer and made a pilgrimage in October
to the Taizé community in France as the
result of receiving a leadership development
grant. His European trip ended on a journey
to the joint Lutheran-Catholic ecumenical
prayer service commemorating the 500th
anniversary of the Reformation in Lund,
30
Augsburg Now
Matthew Dunn ’08 received his
doctorate in sociology from the
University of California-Riverside in June. He
is married to Gabriela Oliva Dunn. They live
in Murrieta, California.
Sara Horishnyk ’08 earned a master’s degree
in arts and cultural management from Saint
Mary’s University of Minnesota and is now
working at Twin Cities Public Television.
2012
Angelica Erickson ’12 graduated
from Saint Mary’s University of
Minnesota with a master’s degree in arts and
cultural management. Her thesis was, “Every
Child is a Work of Art: Helping Children Heal
through the Arts after Multiple Traumatic
Experiences.”
Andrew Fox ’12 is the new manager of the
180-year-old Mendota, Minnesota, home
of Henry Hastings Sibley, Minnesota’s
first governor. Fox is the point person in
a partnership between the Minnesota
Historical Society and the Dakota County
Historical Society. The state will own and
preserve the Sibley site, while the county will
staff and operate the three restored houses
on the property. Fox studied medieval
history at Augsburg.
Kimberly Simmonds ’12, with the MonDak
Heritage Center in Sidney, Montana, coauthored the book, “Sidney,” in Arcadia
Publishing’s Images of America series.
2013
Anthony Gore ’13, Steven
Schwartz ’13, Ryan Bachman ’14,
and Shea Drenkow ’14, all members of the
Minneapolis-based band Porno Wolves,
recorded the live album “Young Moon Rising”
on a cold evening last winter. The friends
formed the rock ’n’ roll band in 2012.
2015
Riley Hunter ’15 has a new
position as assistant service desk
analyst in the IT department at Securian
Financial Group in downtown St. Paul.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Derek Nord ’04 MSW is the new director
of the Indiana Institute on Disability and
Community at Indiana University. Nord
previously was associate director of the
Research and Training Center on Community
Living, part of the University of Minnesota’s
Institute on Community Integration.
Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA placed third
in the 2016 District 6 Toastmasters
International spring convention held in April
in Minneapolis. Ghosh competed in the
international speech category. District 6 is
comprised of 290 clubs and 5,000 members.
It serves most of Minnesota and southern
Ontario, Canada.
Jeremiah Dagel ’15 MPA has joined the urgent
care department at the Essentia Health Saint
Mary’s Detroit Lakes (Minnesota) Clinic. As
part of the urgent care team, Dagel will treat
medical conditions that require immediate
attention but that are not life-threatening.
AUGGIES HONORED
Karim El-Hibri was
recognized with the
First Decade Award
at Homecoming. He
is a strategic advisor
and founding board
member of the El-Hibri
Foundation, which
focuses on peace
education and interfaith cooperation through
grants and awards that recognize leadership,
and programs that promote learning and
inclusion. He holds a BA in international
relations from the American University School
of International Service, and graduated from
the StepUP® Program at Augsburg. El-Hibri
lives in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
area with his wife, Carley, and two children, Roula
and Sami.
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
received the Spirit of Augsburg
Award at Homecoming in
recognition of their leadership
in the campaign for the
Center of Science, Business,
and Religion. As community
leaders and longtime friends of
Augsburg, the Hagfors embody
Augsburg’s faithfulness to education grounded in
the Lutheran faith and relevant to the evolving needs
of our students and the world. Norman served as
an Augsburg College Regent from 1989-2001,
providing active participation during a critical stage
of the College’s growth. In October 2005, he was
re-elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents. A
chapel on the third floor of the new building will
be named for Evangeline’s father, the Rev. Elnar
Gundale ’33, who graduated from Augsburg College
and Augsburg Seminary and went on to serve as a
pastor in the Lutheran Free Church and ELCA.
Heidi Kammer-Hodge ’00 MSW joined Jackson
Recovery Centers in Sioux City, Iowa, as a
vice president and chief operating officer. KammerHodge’s position at Jackson comes after serving
at Resource in Minneapolis for the past 17 years,
where she held many leadership roles, most recently
as a vice president.
’07
’00
’00
’08
’14
On July 23, Brett Cease ’07 married Julia
Besser in Grand Portage, Minnesota. Auggies
in the wedding party included [L to R]: Micah
Erickson ’07, Chris Swanson ’07, Eriks Dunens ’06,
and Lava K.C. ’07.
’07
Brian Krohn ’08 and Kari Aanestad ’08
welcomed a baby girl, Seora Eileen Aanestad
Krohn, on May 11.
’08
Five Auggies received their white coats this
fall as part of the incoming University of
Minnesota Medical School class. Congratulations
to [L to R]: Anna Weitz ’14, David Bergstrand ’14,
Michelle Grafelman ’15, Mahad Minhas ’12, and
David Fowler ’14.
’14
’15
Laura (Swanson) Lindahl ’15 MBA and David
Lindahl were married May 21 in Dellwood,
Minnesota.
’15
31
In memoriam
Philip A. Horne ’40, San
Rafael, California, age
99, on August 7.
Paul S. Paulson ’49,
Spokane, Washington,
age 87, on June 12.
Robert D. Goodrich ’57,
Big Lake, Minnesota,
age 83, on April 22.
Ruth C. (Kveen)
Rydquist ’40, Fargo,
North Dakota, age 98,
on July 23.
Idelle S. (Nornes)
Bagne ’50, Detroit
Lakes, Minnesota,
age 89, on May 6.
Judith A. (Sather)
Suther ’57, Totowa,
New Jersey, age 80,
on May 18.
Lila A. (Israel) Erickson ’41,
Minneapolis, age 97,
on May 20.
Charlotte A. (Ellingson)
Ennen ’50, Dublin, Ohio,
age 88, on May 17.
Philip H. Johnson ’60,
Belleville, Wisconsin,
age 79, on June 20.
Morris E. Ulring ’42,
Minneapolis, age 95,
on February 5.
Kenneth A. Hengler ’50,
Eagan, Minnesota,
age 91, on May 19.
Ernest I. Knutson ’43,
Spooner, Wisconsin,
age 95, on May 21.
John T. Garland ’51,
Saint Paul, age 86,
on August 26.
Ronald H. Stanley ’60,
Balsam Lake,
Wisconsin, age 78,
on July 22.
Gloria (Burntvedt)
Nelson ’43, Minneapolis,
age 94, on June 21.
Olive L. (Nilsen) Zoller ’51,
Marine On Saint Croix,
Minnesota, age 87, on
July 30.
Kenneth A. Gilles ’44,
Scottsbluff, Nebraska,
age 94, on June 2.
Ralph W. Hofrenning ’45,
Fargo, North Dakota,
age 94, on May 31.
32
Rebecca “Becky” A.
(Skonnord) Johnson ’52,
Valley City, North
Dakota, age 86,
on April 26.
Lois M. (Black) Ahlbom ’47,
Saint Paul, age 91,
on May 9.
Mildred R. (Zustiak)
Baerg ’53, Anoka,
Minnesota, age 85,
on July 15.
Myrtle C. (Skurdal) Bar ’49,
Williston, North Dakota,
age 91, on August 19.
Edmund R. Youngquist ’53,
Northfield, Minnesota,
age 91, on May 30.
Augsburg Now
Phyllis E. (Ebrenz)
Wagner ’60,
Minneapolis, age 78,
on July 11.
Theodore “Ted” P.
Botten, Jr. ’61,
Rochester, Minnesota,
age 77, on June 29.
Jacob “Jack” A.
Mayala ’61, Kimball,
Minnesota, age 77, on
June 12.
John D. Heruth ’62,
Rochester, Minnesota,
age 75, on June 25.
David L. Faust ’63, Green
Isle, Minnesota, age
76, on May 30.
Elaine L. (Legaarden)
Swanson ’63, Maitland,
Florida, age 75, on
May 14.
Dolores A. (Sheppard)
Carrico ’74, Wyoming,
Minnesota, age 86, on
March 8.
Linda L. (Benson)
Pederson ’64, Frederic,
Wisconsin, age 75, on
June 23.
Audrey C. (Jorgensen)
Hanson ’77, Lewiston,
Idaho, age 90, on
March 21.
Gary M. Ellis ’65,
Hendricks, Minnesota,
age 74, on June 27.
Scott A. Hugstad-Vaa ’77,
Apple Valley, Minnesota,
age 60, on June 2.
Michael J. Marcy ’65,
Minnetonka, Minnesota,
age 73, on June 16.
Paula A. (Beckley)
Beckley-Gildner ’78,
White Bear Lake,
Minnesota, age 65,
on June 8.
Larry D. Cole ’66,
Minneapolis, age 73,
on May 18.
Mary Kay (Belgum)
Nelson ’68, Mendota
Heights, Minnesota,
age 69, on July 18.
Christine A. (Toedt)
Olson ’70, Delano,
Minnesota, age 67,
on June 6.
Donald F. Deming ’71,
Fort Mill, South
Carolina, age 69,
on June 14.
Lillian M. (Sedio)
Mattson ’71, Excelsior,
Minnesota, age 67,
on August 1.
Marian T. (Jauquet)
Finger ’83, Baraboo,
Wisconsin, age 89,
on April 5.
Scott E. Herceg ’00,
Minneapolis, age 44,
on August 12.
Cynthia L. (Cramer)
Reed ’11, Rochester,
Minnesota, age 59,
on August 18.
Assistant Professor of
Music Douglas Diamond,
Minneapolis, age 59,
on May 27.
The “In memoriam” listings in this publication
include notifications received before September 19.
IT PAYS TO BE AN AUGGIE
ALUMNI DISCOUNT
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Master of Arts in Nursing
Master of Arts in Education
Master of Arts in Leadership
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Master of Music Therapy
Master of Science in Physician
Assistant Studies
Master of Social Work
augsburg.edu/grad/discount
GRADUATE PROGRAM TUITION DISCOUNT FOR ALUMNI
Many of Augsburg College’s current graduate students
are alumni who earned their first degree at Augsburg
and returned to pursue further education. Become
a part of this growing group and take advantage of
our Alumni Tuition Discount—a savings of $80 per
credit! Auggie graduates who’ve earned a bachelor’s,
master’s, or doctoral degree from Augsburg qualify for
this alumni discount.
gradinfo@augsburg.edu | 612-330-1101
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Pedestrians take priority
This fall, Open Streets Minneapolis allowed community members to stroll, skate, and cycle on roads closed to cars near Augsburg’s
campus. Open Streets events held across the city throughout the summer promoted healthy living, local business, sustainable
transportation, and civic pride. As an anchor institution in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, Augsburg used the celebration to
further its commitment to place-based community building, organizing live music and a fashion show for attendees to enjoy.
Show less
Navigating uncharted waters
Playing it forward
An exploration of faith
HIGH-IMPACT
LEARNING
SPRING 2016 | VOL. 78, NO. 2
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weis... Show more
Navigating uncharted waters
Playing it forward
An exploration of faith
HIGH-IMPACT
LEARNING
SPRING 2016 | VOL. 78, NO. 2
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On serendipity in education
I vividly recall the moment in 1977 when a
conversation with a religion professor at Luther
College, my alma mater, offered me a way of
thinking about my vocational journey that has
changed my life. When I admitted my doubts
about following my dad’s path to the ministry, the
professor shared his own journey to divinity school
and the study of theology, the sort of study I had
begun to explore in his class. The rest is history,
as they say. I went on to study ethics and theology
in divinity school and to pursue my own calling
for leadership in higher education.
A moment of serendipity that changed
my life—unexpected, unplanned, and so very
meaningful—made possible by a teaching and
learning community and a teacher that created
the opportunity for such moments.
Such serendipity in education is a hallmark
of the educational experience at Augsburg. I’m
sure you have your own stories of the faculty
or staff member, maybe the fellow student, or
perhaps the community member who offered you
the insight, the experience, the counsel, or the
challenge that shaped your path.
This issue of Augsburg Now reminds us of
the people and experiences that continue to offer
Augsburg students the promise of serendipity in
their education. From award-winning teachers
and researchers like Phil Adamo of the History
Department and Henry Yoon of the Psychology
Department to inspiring guest speakers like
LeVar Burton (yes, the “Star Trek” and “Reading
Rainbow” star) and Dr. Donald Warne (an
American Indian medical doctor challenging
us to pay attention to public health issues on
reservations). From nationally recognized efforts
like our StepUP® program for students recovering
from addiction to the Nobel Peace Prize Forum
that inspires all of us to be peacemakers in
our communities. Serendipity in education
happens for all of us because of these people
and programs, and because of this College’s deep
commitment to such experiences.
One particular moment from last fall stands
out for me. Our groundbreaking River Semester
gave 12 students the educational experience of
a lifetime as they spent the entire semester on
the Mississippi River (see page 16). When I went
to St. Louis to meet with the River Semester
students and faculty halfway through the
semester, I heard tale after tale of serendipitous
experiences along the river. But then one student
took me aside and said that for Associate
Professor Joe Underhill, who organized the class,
this was the trip he had always dreamed about,
given his passion for the river. And, the student
continued, Joe could have done the trip with
his family or friends—surely an easier way to
spend nearly four months on the river? Instead,
the student said, he chose to do it with us, his
students. He chose to do it with his students.
That, my friends, is the “stuff” of serendipity
in education. Teachers who choose to create
the space for serendipity to happen—in the
classroom, in the cafeteria, on the playing
fields or performance stage, even on the Mighty
Mississippi. May it always be so.
Faithfully yours,
Director of Marketing
Communication
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Communication Copywriter
and Editorial Coordinator
Laura Swanson ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Christina Haller
haller@augsburg.edu
Production Manager
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Advancement Communication
Specialist
Jen Lowman Day
dayj@augsburg.edu
Contributor
Kate H. Elliott
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
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send address corrections to:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu.
Email: now@augsburg.edu
AUGSBURG NOW
Spring 2016
02 Around the quad
08
Playing it forward
14
An exploration of faith
16
Navigating uncharted waters
24
Auggies connect
27
Class notes
32
In memoriam
On the cover: Auggies paddle past the Gateway Arch in
St. Louis as part of a semester-long journey following the
Mississippi River from St. Paul to New Orleans. See page 16.
Photo by Whitney Curtis.
Correction: In the Fall 2015 issue of Augsburg Now, the
story “From Riverside Ave. to Riverside, CA” omitted that
Matthew Dunn ’08 was among several recent Augsburg
College graduates to pursue an advanced degree at the
University of California-Riverside.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise
indicated.
Augsburg College students walk through Lindell Library—a building that will connect to the future
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion. Learn more about the
Hagfors Center on page 3.
AROUND
THE
QUAD
IGNITING
PASSION, FINDING
HARMONY
Convocation Series
sparks conversation
2
Augsburg Now
The Augsburg College Convocation Series each year offers the community
a chance to hear from leaders and visionaries who spark important
discussion and educate about the challenges and opportunities of
today’s generation. The first event in 2016 was the Martin Luther King Jr.
Convocation in January, featuring Chuck D, leader and co-founder of the
legendary rap group Public Enemy, and his presentation, “Race, Rap, and
Reality: Supporting Our Youth in the Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
as They Face the Unique Challenges of Today.”
The Batalden Seminar in Applied Ethics in February
welcomed Dr. Donald Warne—professor and chair of the
Department of Public Health in the College of Health
Professions at North Dakota State University, and senior
policy advisor to the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s
Health Board—whose presentation was “Traditional
Lakota Approaches to Health Disparities: Connecting
People and the Environment.”
The Koryne Horbal Lecture in March featured Nekima
Levy-Pounds, attorney, law professor, and president of the
Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP.
Courtesy Photos
Hip-hop pioneer and best-selling author
Chuck D addresses hundreds of attendees at the
2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation.
AROUND THE QUAD
Exterior rendering of the Hagfors Center
E
L
A
S
N
O
TICKETS
CONSTRUCTION STARTS
In May, Augsburg College will begin the construction of its newest and largest
academic building, the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science,
Business, and Religion. The interdisciplinary Hagfors Center embodies
Augsburg’s commitment to student learning, urban placemaking, and thoughtful
stewardship.
The building design features classrooms and labs that are configurable to
support experiential learning as well as other teaching and learning formats.
These spaces will be constructed on a modular framework that allows for
flexibility to meet the College’s long-term needs.
The building will anchor the west side of campus and welcome the
College’s neighborhood with an
“open arms” design facing the
adjacent residential community
and embracing the on-campus
community gardens. The
Hagfors Center also will be the
most environmentally friendly
building on campus, seeking a
LEED Silver certification for its
Mock-up offices
sustainable design.
As part of the building planning process, Augsburg constructed life-size
models of two proposed configurations for faculty and staff offices. The office
concepts were on display in Lindell Library so community members could
stop by to check out the look and feel of the spaces. Students (and even
some faculty members) made themselves at home in the offices by taking
time to study, check email, and read, all the while bringing new meaning to
the phrase, “open-door policy.”
Children’s rights advocate to
keynote peace-building event
Augsburg College will host the 28th
annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum
June 6–8, inviting global leaders and
the general public to explore pressing
peacemaking issues faced by people
across the globe.
This year’s forum will
honor and feature
a keynote address
by Kailash Satyarthi,
joint winner of the
2014 Nobel Peace
Prize. For decades,
Satyarthi has been
tireless in his
advocacy for child
rights, education,
and child labor reform in India. While
in Minneapolis, Satyarthi will join other
peace-building experts to explore human
rights and democracy, disarmament,
sustainability, and inclusivity.
Courtesy Photo
THIS SPRING
College moves forward on
new academic building
Get tickets and learn more at
nobelpeaceprizeforum.org.
The first classes will be held in the Hagfors Center in January 2018. Go to
augsburg.edu/hagforscenter to keep track of project developments.
Spring 2016
3
Historyapolis project wins
ALICE SMITH PRIZE
Twin Cities middle schoolers participate in a Somali debate
initiative led by the Minnesota Urban Debate League.
[Top to bottom]: Kirsten Delegard, who serves
as a scholar-in-residence in the Augsburg
College History Department, and Michael
Lansing, associate professor of history, were
presented the Alice Smith Prize for best public
history project completed in the
previous calendar year by the
Midwestern History Association.
The Historyapolis Project
was created when Delegard
realized that the citizens of
her hometown of Minneapolis
craved complex stories about
the city’s past that would help
them understand how it became
the wonderful and intricate
place that it is today.
Augsburg students are deeply involved
with the project, which aims to make the
city’s history accessible and helps instigate
community dialogue around challenging
aspects of local history. Visit historyapolis.com for
more information.
Signature urban debate program
REACHES MILESTONE
Augsburg College’s Minnesota Urban Debate League program provides
services, support, and materials to more than 750 students engaged in
competitive academic debate at 40 high schools and middle schools across
the Twin Cities metro area. This year marked the first time that the state
debate championship featured two teams from the Minnesota Urban Debate
League: St. Paul’s Highland Park and Minneapolis’ Washburn high schools.
Led by Executive Director Amy Cram Helwich and Faculty Adviser Robert
Groven, an Augsburg communication studies professor, the program helps
increase school engagement and connectedness, which boosts young
people’s confidence in their academic abilities. The program’s impact is
shown through a 100 percent on-time high school graduation rate and a
99 percent college acceptance rate for debaters. “No other out-of-school
program accomplishes such significant gains,” according to Groven.
4
Augsburg Now
Photo courtesy of Lisa Lynch
Minnesota Urban Debate League participants
dominate 2016 state championship
The Historyapolis Project invites Augsburg College
students and community members to conduct research
to help interpret the history of Minneapolis. [L to R]:
Citizen-researcher Rita Yeads and Anna Romskog ’15
view city planning photographs from the 1930s in the
Minneapolis City Archives at City Hall.
AROUND THE QUAD
Professor Phillip Adamo peers out of his office in Memorial Hall.
Phillip Adamo named 2015 Minnesota
Augsburg College was named No. 6
on Best Value Schools’ 2015 list
of 20 Best Value Colleges or
Universities in Minnesota.
eetable
Rankings are based on
graduation rate, net
price, acceptance rate,
#AuggieP
and 20-year net return on
investment.
e
rid
Augsburg College’s Phillip Adamo, professor of history and director of the
Honors Program, was named the 2015 Minnesota Professor of the Year by
the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council
for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Adamo was recognized for his accomplishment in a proclamation by
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges who declared November 19, 2015,
“Dr. Phillip C. Adamo Day in the City of Minneapolis.”
Adamo is the second Augsburg College faculty member to be honored by
Carnegie/CASE. In 2004, Professor Emeritus of Sociology Garry Hesser earned
the prestigious award.
Tw
PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR
Augsburg deemed a
‘best value’ college
Spring 2016
5
ON THE SPOT
Henry Yoon examines addiction risk
Augsburg College Associate Professor Henry Yoon oversees the biopsychology major and
leads the Augsburg Biopsychology Lab. One area of his research involves studying disorders
related to the inability to inhibit socially inappropriate or even illegal behaviors such as
the use of illicit substances that can lead to addiction. Yoon uses neurophysiological
techniques including EEG to capture and analyze the brain’s electrical activity to identify
telltale signs of biological or genetic risk for substance dependence.
Yoon works collaboratively with the StepUP® Program, Augsburg’s residential recovery
community, and the University of Minnesota’s Department of Psychology. Ultimately, Yoon’s
research may help refine the biological tools used in the diagnosis of substance addiction.
Q:
A:
What prompted your interest in studying
addiction?
Substance use disorders are both common
and costly—many of us have personal issues
with substance use or know someone who does,
including our family members. Plus, addiction
is often connected to other major psychiatric
disorders in systematic ways. It is important to
understand the core factors underlying addiction
for intervention and treatment purposes.
Q:
One of the brainwaves you focus on—
the P3—has been studied in relation
to childhood disruptive disorders such as
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
adolescent substance dependence, and adult
antisocial behaviors. What’s the link among
these areas?
A:
Collectively, these disorders reflect a
tendency toward behavioral disinhibition,
which may be expressed in various ways over
development through childhood, adolescence,
and adulthood. Evidence shows that this
tendency is highly heritable—in other words,
influenced by genes. The P3 brain measure is
significant because it may signify who is at risk
for these disorders. For instance, my colleagues
and I showed that P3 is itself highly heritable
and can be used to predict who will develop
these types of disorders over a 12-year span. So,
we reason that the P3 can serve as a red flag.
6
Augsburg Now
Q:
Despite recognition of the biological and
genetic nature of substance use disorders,
social stigmas persist. Could improved scientific
literacy play a role in reducing these stigmas?
A:
I think a cautionary tale from my field’s
history can help address this question.
In the 1940s-70s, the concept of the
“schizophrenogenic mother” was popular in
the psychiatric literature. This term implied
that mothers who interacted with their children
in a cold, rejecting, and aloof manner caused
schizophrenia in those children. Another
version of this, in relation to autism, was the
“refrigerator mother,” which carried a similar
implication.
Later scientific research rejected these
incorrect and harmful notions and instead
showed that such disorders largely involve
genetic/biological factors. The same trend
can be observed with regard to addiction. For
instance, it is now known that substance use
disorders are influenced by genetic background
to a degree comparable to other complex
medical conditions such as diabetes or coronary
heart disease. Of course environmental factors
are also important, but overall this shows that
combating addiction is not a matter of willpower
or flawed character.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to learn
more about Yoon’s research.
This colorful graph shows a representation of the P3 brainwave activity that Henry Yoon has been investigating in
relation to behavioral disinhibition. Abnormalities in the P3 wave have been shown to correlate with addictive behaviors.
AROUND THE QUAD
StepUP Gala
®
Research, study, and offer
your two cents
breaks fundraising record
In March 2015, Melissa Motl,
circulation coordinator in Augsburg’s
Lindell Library, started posing questions
to students on a whiteboard as a way
to gain more information about how
students use and view the library. She
asked questions like, “What can you
get at the library that you can’t get
anywhere else?” and “What would you
like to see the library do differently?” It
garnered such great feedback that she
decided to continue asking questions
as a fun and interesting way to find out
more about Auggies.
Each year, Augsburg College’s StepUP Program supports dozens of students as
they achieve academic success and sustain lives of recovery from substance
use disorders. Augsburg is home to the largest collegiate recovery community
in the United States, and its work receives generous support from numerous
corporations, foundations, individuals, and families.
The program received a noteworthy boost this year when its philanthropic
gala raised $419,000 from ticket
sales, sponsorships, and individual
gifts—a sum that nearly doubled
the amount raised the previous year.
Former WCCO TV anchor Don Shelby
was the master of ceremonies and
the featured keynote speech was
by Anne Thompson Heller ’08, a
StepUP alumna who has founded
[L to R]: Broadcaster Don Shelby joins
and championed recovery
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Augsburg
organizations at collegiate,
College President Paul Pribbenow
state, and national levels.
at the StepUP Gala.
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“We have some really
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and I think that’s why we always
get great responses. Some are
thoughtful, and some are silly or witty,”
said Motl.
Who ever came up
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Sports Extravaganza
rssets record,star
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At the 15th annual Sports Extravaganza, Augsburg College physical
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children with physical, cognitive, and learning disabilities. For the event,
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Auggies created activity stations in the Augsburg athletics dome and assisted
children as they played.
The Star Tribune published several Sports Extravaganza photos and described participants’
enthusiasm as “Flying high without leaving the ground.” Visit augsburg.edu/now.
V
Spring 2016
7
PLAYING IT
FORWARD
AUGGIE COACHES CREATE
CYCLE OF GIVING BACK
BY CHRISTINA HALLER
Division III athletics is the sweet spot for
student-athletes—they compete on teams and
nurture deep, meaningful relationships with their
coaches and peers, and at the same time have
the freedom and time to explore other activities
and passions while having a strong focus on
academics. These reasons, among others—the
competition, camaraderie, discipline, and love
of the game—are why more than 500 Augsburg
students participate in varsity and intramural
sports every year.
The welcoming and supportive Augsburg
College Athletics Department has had a profound
impact on many student-athletes, which in
return has sparked a desire in many former
players to give back to youth as leaders, mentors,
and friends. Here is a glimpse into the lasting
influence of Auggie athletics on alumni through
the decades.
8
Augsburg Now
Whitney Restemayer ’10 is the first woman in the state of Minnesota to coach a team to a hockey
state title, the 2015 Minnesota State High School Girls’ Hockey Tournament Class A Championship.
I’ve always enjoyed working with kids,
teaching the game, and mentoring players
off the field. Being a student-athlete
at Augsburg taught me many valuable
lessons and allowed me to strengthen my
leadership skills. Many people from my
athletic upbringing have influenced the
way I teach young men about soccer and
life. I must admit, Auggie soccer coaches
Greg Holker, Jonathan Schaefer, and
Nate Hitch had a profound influence on me
during college.
The most gratifying thing about
coaching is seeing my boys grow into
young men and become contributing
members of the community. I was a kid
who was influenced in so many positive
ways by several people in my athletic path.
For me to have the opportunity to give back
a fraction of my time is the most gratifying
thing in the world.
VAN HONG ’11
Enterprise risk analytics consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Minneapolis; youth soccer coach at Park
Valley United and co-founder of Spam F.C. College Scholarship Foundation in St. Louis Park, Minnesota
SUE (MEIER) ZIEGLER ’80
Physical education and health and
wellness teacher and head volleyball and
track coach at Lincoln Lutheran Middle/
Senior High School in Lincoln, Nebraska
Photos by Matt Ryerson
I was involved with basketball and track
as an Auggie. I would credit the whole
Augsburg Health–Physical Education
Department and coaches for supporting
me—people like longtime athletic
director and men’s basketball coach
Ernie Anderson ’37 were always looking
out for athletes’ best interests. I believe I
received a quality education in a Christian
environment, and feel blessed to be in a
similar situation now. I hope I have had an
impact on helping shape young people’s
lives through education and athletics, too.
Students teach me life lessons every
day. The impact that they have had on my
life has been invaluable—on relationships,
commitment, and learning. I love seeing
where my former students and athletes
go on in the next step of their lives—
from college to starting their families to
excelling in their careers.
Spring 2016
11
Everything I got from sports as a player—
the love of the game, the friendships, the
teamwork, the cohesion—sparked a desire
in me to coach. I started playing sports
at a young age and experienced coaches
who I really clicked with, and I knew that I
wanted to be able to give back to athletes
in the same way. I had a great experience
at Augsburg. Playing two sports, being a
health and physical education major, and
working within the Athletics Department
allowed me to meet many people who had a
great influence on my life.
I have been very lucky to achieve a lot
of success in my short coaching career.
Being able to be a part of something
so great on ice allowed me to also be a
part of something great off the ice. The
relationships that I have developed with
many of the girls I have coached is second
to none.
WHITNEY RESTEMAYER ’10
Physical education teacher at Challenger Elementary School
and assistant girls’ softball coach and head girls’ hockey
coach at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, Minnesota
JAMELL TIDWELL ’05
Assistant administrator, athletic
director, and middle school football
and track coach at Valley Middle
School of STEM, and high school
wrestling coach at Apple Valley High
School in Apple Valley, Minnesota
I feel like God put athletics in my
life to keep me out of trouble so that
I could get to where I am today. If I
didn’t have wrestling in my life, there’s
no way I’d currently be working toward
my doctorate. I didn’t have a dad
growing up, so when I was a studentathlete at Augsburg, Auggie wrestling
coaches Jeff Swenson ’79, Sam
Barber, and Donny Wichmann ’89
took me under their wings and taught
me how to be a student, how to be an
athlete, how to be a man, and how to
be successful.
I hope that by being a coach, I
can show kids that, through athletics
and working hard in school, you can
achieve anything. I always tell my
players, you have to be a student first
and an athlete second.
AN
EXPLORATION
OF FAITH
PRESTIGIOUS $467,000
GRANT FOSTERS STUDENTS’
ENGAGEMENT IN YOUTH
THEOLOGY INSTITUTE
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
“J
esus is in the generosity business,”
said Amber Kalina ’15 when she
quoted from Walter Brueggeman’s
theology of abundance at an Augsburg
College chapel service. “That means
being constantly alert to any mismatch
between the generosity of God and the
needs of people.”
Certainly, Augsburg was given a
great and generous gift this winter when
the College was awarded a prestigious
three-year Lilly Endowment Inc. grant
of $467,000 for the Youth Theology
Institute. This residential summer camp
program explores deep and meaningful
questions of faith and vocation through
classes, service work, and reflection.
The competitive grant ensures that this
program will continue the work of helping
young people discern their vocations.
Kalina’s homily was part of a visit
to her home state of Minnesota to
pursue the next step in her vocational
journey: Attending seminary to become
ordained as a minister in the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America.
The journey of this youth and
family ministry graduate, however,
started in the the summer of 2010
14
Augsburg Now
when she was a junior in high school
in Perham, Minnesota. It was then that
she attended Augsburg’s Youth Theology
Institute at the encouragement of her
youth pastor.
“I would grill my youth director
about everything. He had heard about
the Augsburg College Youth Theology
Institute, and he encouraged me to
attend because I just couldn’t stop
asking questions,” Kalina said. “At the
Institute, I was challenged and pushed
to think about and explain what I
actually think about faith.”
DIVERSE EXPERIENCES
IN A DIVERSE ZIP CODE
The 13-year-old Youth Theology
Institute engages young people in
grades 10-12 in deep theological
questions and vocational discernment
through community-based and
classroom learning, worship, reflection,
and solitude. The program, which has
touched more than 200 young people
since its inception, is an example of
how Augsburg College lives out its
vision to educate people for lives of
purpose across disciplines and beyond
the classroom.
“This grant supports Augsburg’s
continued commitment to intentional
diversity and to modeling what it means
to be a Lutheran college of the 21st
century, located in the heart of one of
the nation’s most diverse ZIP codes. It
equips young people with theological
and vocational skills and helps them
learn what it means to practice
their faith, with its commitments to
education, radical hospitality, and
serving your neighbor,” said Augsburg
College President Paul Pribbenow.
LEARN, PRAY, AND
PLAY TOGETHER
Since its inception in 2004, the Youth
Theology Institute—a program of
Augsburg’s Bernhard M. Christensen
Center for Vocation—has explored
themes germane not only to the College,
but also to current events.
Augsburg’s emphasis on
interdisciplinary learning shaped
the 2015 program, which explored
interfaith action, a deeply compelling
topic for participants and the College,
particularly given Augsburg’s setting
in the midst of a neighborhood with a
growing Muslim population.
The Lilly grant will allow the
Augsburg College Youth Theology
Institute to expand upon its history of
success while increasing programmatic
goals, including:
• Development of a cohort of youth
ministers from regional churches,
synods, and multicultural and
ethnic-specific congregations,
interested in enhancing vocational
discernment and theological
reflection among youth.
Photo by Mark Chamberlain
Amber Kalina ’15 serves Abundant Life Together,
a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. This Alt Year program in Toledo, Ohio,
provides young adults a chance to explore in
community subjects including vocation through
reflection, leadership, relationships, and service.
• Growth in the number of participants
from 20 in 2016 to 40 by
2019 while also strengthening
relationships with attendees, their
families, their pastors, and their
churches.
• The creation of a mentor program
to allow college-age students to
help high school students develop
practices and skills for theological
reflection.
• An increase in connections to the
four synods of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America
that form Augsburg’s governing
structure—Minneapolis, St. Paul,
Southeastern Minnesota, and
Northwest Wisconsin.
• Continuation of scholarships for
Youth Theology Institute alumni to
attend Augsburg College.
“We learn together,
pray together, play together,
explore the city together, and
discern God’s work in our
world together.”
− Jeremy Myers
Youth Theology Institute program director
and associate professor of religion
Participants in the program are
respectfully challenged in every activity
to dig deep into their perspectives and
biases to uncover their beliefs.
“We learn together, pray together,
play together, explore the city together,
and discern God’s work in our world
together,” said Associate Professor
of Religion Jeremy Myers, the Youth
Theology Institute program director.
For her part, Kalina hopes the grant
prompts others like her to find their paths.
“Young people are so eager to learn,”
Kalina said. “But if there is nothing at
home to welcome their questioning or to
guide them, it is difficult. Home church
congregations have to be involved.
Participation from our churches provides
a chance for all of us to show young
people that abundance exists in Christian
community and that abundance is meant
to be shared with everyone.”
Augsburg College will welcome the
2016 class of Youth Theology Institute
students to campus from June 19–24.
Participants from across the country will
explore meaningful questions related to
social and environmental justice, the role
of the congregation in these questions,
and how one can both love and be
frustrated by community.
To learn more, visit augsburg.edu/acyti.
Spring 2016
15
Navigating
uncharted waters
First-ever River Semester pushes
boundaries of experiential learning
By Kate H. Elliott
The River Semester was billed as an experiential learning
opportunity: engage in a full load of political, environmental,
and physical education courses—reinforced by a research
project—while canoeing down the Mississippi River from its
headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. But for the
12 Augsburg College students, two faculty members, teaching
assistant, and two guides who completed the first-of-its-kind
trek from August to December, it was so much more.
For it was on those waters that the crew learned to
appreciate the quiet, to be curious about the world around
them, and to seek knowledge. They learned to be prepared, to
make friendship a fine art, and most importantly to enjoy the
8
Augsburg Now
moment. And they didn’t just learn about the river so much
as become enamored of it, so much so that many of them feel
unsteady back on solid ground.
The Mississippi became their muse, teacher, personal
trainer, and confidante. They dreamt alongside its calming
waters and paddled through its more turbulent channels.
Soon, its problems became their problems: urban stormwater
runoff, the economic decay of river towns, and invasive flying
carp smacked them—literally—in the face. And so, what
started as an interesting, immersive experience has become a
sobering call to restore and protect one of the United States’
most iconic natural wonders.
Spring 2016
17
Ricky Taylor ’17, a film and graphic design major, captured the crew’s three-month journey and
many of the social, economic, political, and cultural forces gripping the river as he gathered
footage for a feature-length documentary. He plans to premiere “Learning to Listen: Our
Semester on the River” this summer.
“We learned by living, meeting the people, and witnessing the issues that illustrate the
complexities plaguing the river,” Taylor said. “We met Carl, a shrimper who once walked on
land that is now six feet beneath water, and we paddled past sediment that was filling in the
river’s largest lake (Lake Pepin near Red Wing, Minnesota). We read about levees being ‘big bad
wolves’ but then saw them protect families just trying to make their way through life. A portion
of Louisiana is being swallowed up by the ocean, a culture disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico,
largely due to agricultural practices that help feed our nation.
“Somewhere along the way, I slipped out of the boat and into the Big Muddy. Every day I
think about the river—about the paddling, the friends, the food, the learning—longing to be
back there. Mud runs through my veins, and the only word I can find to describe the experience
is ‘love,’ and that’s not a word I take lightly.”
A gripping odyssey
The trip had all the elements of any good adventure story:
There was a steadfast leader, Joe Underhill, who has been engaged in environmental politics
for 30 years and had been dreaming about this trip for almost as long; an epic journey paddling
nearly 700 miles in 24-foot handmade cedar-strip voyager canoes; and a compelling cast of
characters, including the student who’d never camped, the chipper morning person, and a
student about to drop out who found his calling en route. There were unexpected moments,
including an emergency appendectomy outside Mark Twain’s hometown, an open mic night
harmonizing with the locals of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and a visit to the Michael Brown
memorial in Ferguson, Missouri. And finally, there were lots of emotions—all of them, really.
Underhill knew the trip would be an odyssey in every sense of the word. The professor
of political science, environmental studies, and international relations had been planning
“
Mud runs
through my
veins
—Ricky Taylor ’17
and networking for 15 years to realize the River Semester. He tested the waters in 2001 by
organizing a three-day field trip from St. Cloud, Minnesota, to St. Paul. Five-day and 10-day
excursions followed before he proposed the semester experience in 2012.
“This is where Augsburg stands out from other institutions,” said Underhill, who has
organized interdisciplinary trips throughout the world. “Augsburg values experiential learning,
place-based pedagogy, and innovative approaches so much that it wasn’t a
matter of ‘if’ we can make this happen but ‘how.’ Yes, we had three years
of sorting out logistics, but the College continues to empower and support
faculty to engage in this type of work, and you only have to talk with one
of these students to grasp the impact.”
Once logistics were in place, Underhill’s years of contacts at
organizations such as the National Park Service rushed in to participate—
offering guest lectures, exclusive tours of historic sites, hot meals, and
lodging. Wilderness Inquiry, a Minneapolis-based outfitter that has
partnered with Augsburg for years, provided logistical expertise and
risk management planning as well as guides, food, and equipment. Erik
Ophaug, a Wilderness Inquiry program manager, said the outfitter is proud
to be at the forefront in creative endeavors that increase students’ access
to and connection with the natural world.
“This was the longest expedition we have run, in terms of number of days on the river, in
our 40-year history of supporting educational and expeditionary outdoor adventures,” Ophaug
said. “It was inspiring to watch these students truly soak up and process all of the little
moments that make up the culture, politics, ecosystem, and history of the Mississippi River
watershed.”
Guide Emily Knudson ’15 had paddled with Underhill on a 10-day canoe trip as part of a
River Politics course her senior year. When she learned the semester-long excursion wouldn’t
materialize until after she would graduate, the determined triple major in environmental
studies, English literature, and Spanish secured a job with Wilderness Inquiry in hopes of
gaining a staff position on the trip, which she did. Charged with almost every logistical task,
from planning mileage and booking campsites to grocery shopping and monitoring weather
conditions, Knudson also served as a supplemental instructor and intern for Augsburg. She
led study sessions and presented lectures in their outdoor classrooms (or the nearest city’s
laundromat or public library in bad weather).
“Educational experiences like this are important because they make you think so much
more deeply about the course content. Instead of memorizing facts about the lock and dam
system for a test, we were paddling through the pools the dams created, hearing stories from
locals, and camping on the islands built to replace those flooded out decades earlier. In a
couple years, I will forget almost everything I memorized, but I will never forget my learning in
action,” said Knudson.
Guitar
Headlamp
Rain gear
French press
Rubber boots
Visit augsburg.edu/now to learn
which items the River Semester
crew couldn’t live without.
Self-discovery on the riverbanks
Glen Gardner ’17 was considering taking a year off from school when he saw the River Semester
publicized in the cafeteria. He signed up, and somewhere along the pilgrimage, the Montana
native realized he wants to teach art. Gardner is back at Augsburg this semester, majoring in
studio art and art education.
“Having the time to unplug and reflect about my life helped me realize my passion for art
education. I have always been interested in the arts, but I hadn’t really thought about teaching
until I discovered that I loved spreading the feelings I find in art to other people as much as I
enjoy making art,” Gardner said. “I want to extend my knowledge and passion beyond myself
and use art to promote living in a way that is not wasteful to the world.”
Spring 2016
19
Hearing this, Underhill is proud. Provoking self-exploration
was not his motivation for organizing the trip, but the sense of
vocation students found down river is certainly the journey’s
most fulfilling outcome. Admittedly, he took a leap of faith
selecting the crew. He didn’t pick a team of students with
similar interests, backgrounds, maturity levels, and outdoor
experience. He picked a team that reflects Augsburg’s
commitment to nurturing a diverse community of resilient,
driven, and faith-filled citizens. As you can imagine, the initial
weeks included some whining and a few cold stares, but before
long, this dynamic group evolved into a harmonious tribe.
Forging lasting bonds
Taylor was nervous about the trip, not because of the physical
demands or the elements (he was an Eagle Scout and grew
up a “river kid” in north-central Wisconsin). As the crew’s
videographer and documentarian, Taylor was most concerned
about getting his new Nikon, Sony video camera, and
two GoPros wet. But even more so, he was terrified of the
quiet—for those moments when people would start sharing
information about their lives. He was finishing up his second
semester at Augsburg in the College’s StepUP® Program, the
nation’s largest residential collegiate recovery community.
Now sober for two years, Taylor said he burned bridges
between himself and others before he entered recovery.
“My peers on the River Semester were some of my first
friends in a long time. It was truly a fresh start,” he said.
“On the trip, I heard things that were strange to my ears:
‘Ricky, you’re a good person,’ ‘You’re kind,’ and ‘I’m amazed
by you.’ I always looked around, thinking, ‘Are you sure you’re
talking to me?’ It was the first time in years that I felt good,
felt worth, and felt confidence. People trusting and caring for
me is more precious to me than anything, and I developed
everlasting bonds with this crew.”
Brian Arvold ’80 witnessed that closeness when he
welcomed home his daughter, Hannah, who was one of
the first two students to sign up for the trip. When the
crew stepped off the train at a welcome home rally in midDecember, Arvold said, the students ran into their families’
arms, and then they all ran back—to each other.
8
Augsburg Now
“It was touching for all of us to see,” said Arvold, who
was waving a canoe paddle painted with “River Semester” as
the train slowed to a halt. “You may want a lot for your child,
but lifelong friendships are at the top of the list. Knowing that
these students will be there for each other through life’s ups
and downs is comforting.
“We’d talk to Hannah along the trip, and we could hear
her growing more socially and culturally aware, but we also
detected a real sense of confidence. Paddling that entire river
empowered our daughter as she was placed in settings where
she had to stand up for herself, push through, and create
solutions. Augsburg is truly on the forefront—a small college
doing great things. It’s neat to see them embrace learning
without four walls.”
Wading through analysis, navigating partnerships
Hannah Arvold ’18 was able to channel her professional
pursuits into a research project focused on nutrition and the
environmental impacts of farming. On the first leg of their
trip, she calculated the caloric intake and expenditure of her
peers, noting which foods provided the best sources of energy.
Near the end of their voyage, she recorded the agriculture
industry’s negative impacts on the river, including gasoline
and pesticides seeping into groundwater. “Caring about the
health of your body,” Arvold said, “is just as important as the
health of the land it is grown on.
“I created an ‘I the Mississippi’ bumper sticker and
gave it out to people along our trip for freewill donations,”
Arvold said. “We donated $500 of the money raised to
purchase science equipment for the International School of
Louisiana where we presented many of our research findings
to more than 160 fourth- and sixth-graders.”
Each student conducted a research project, and many
of them involved collaborations with external partners
throughout the United States. Noah Cameron ’17 worked with
Minnesota artist Monica Haller, known for the “Veterans Book
Project,” which captures interviews and data from dozens
of soldiers, refugees, and journalists affected by wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Cameron used a hydrophone to record
underwater noises while on the river and then paired them
with social and cultural recordings, which he plans to use for
future collaborations with Haller.
“It seems that intense, mindful listening is a difficult task
nowadays, and some people have no reason to listen. I was
given a reason, and I learned much about the nature of sound,
silence, noise, and listening,” the political science major said.
“My project acknowledges that the river has something to say,
which it certainly does. One thing the river told me was that
it is polarized; its waters are either filled with the sounds of
mechanical engineering or with quiet ecological or hydrologic
characteristics.
“Similarly to how I thoughtfully listen to the systems of
the river, I realized that we—as a society—should thoughtfully
listen, which is not the same as agreeing, to our government
and each other. I viewed the river like our government—this
massive, daunting entity that we seem to have little effect
on. However, as we moved down that river and as we took
classes about both the nature of the river and the nature of
democracy, we learned that we do affect that river, and we do
affect our government.”
Blair Stewig ’18 connected with the river on a molecular
level, studying how the concentrations of various chemicals
influence ecosystems. Throughout the trip, she collected water
quality data like that of the National Park Service’s “State of
the River Report.” She also collaborated with Reuben Heine,
a geology professor at Augustana College in Rock Island,
Illinois, to gather sonar data about subaqueous dunes, or
sediment bed forms at the bottom of the river.
“My main focus was on the accumulation of nitrates
in the Mississippi and its effect on the Gulf of Mexico. The
molecule, commonly found in fertilizers, seeps into the
river system from agricultural and urban runoff, feedlots,
sewage treatment plants, and more. This excess results in a
‘Dead Zone’ in the Northern Gulf of Mexico each late spring
and summer,” said Stewig, who is majoring in biology and
chemistry. “What does that mean? An influx of nutrients
results in an algae bloom. When these algae die, they sink
to the bottom of the ocean, where they are consumed by
bacteria, which depletes the area of oxygen. Some marine
life sense the lack of oxygen and leave, but others die as a
result. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the Dead Zone costs the U.S. seafood and
tourism industry $82 million per year.”
Lark Weller, who collaborated with Stewig on behalf of
the National Park Service, said Stewig’s data will inform
brochures and fact sheets about excess nitrates in a river
system that provides water for upwards of 15 million people.
The research these students conducted is compelling, Weller
said, but their connection to the river is even more impressive.
“I suppose it’s possible to complete a college degree
without really ever understanding the broader context of the
world around you—but not for River Semester students. It
is clear the experience dramatically changed the lives of
every single student who accepted the challenge. They have
returned with a new and expansive sense of self, place, and
world,” said Weller.
Memories keep rollin’ along
The next leg of this journey: The documentary. Taylor
produced several short videos chronicling the trip, which are
at augsburg.edu/river, and he’s looking forward to sharing the
experience through his forthcoming feature-length film. For
now, the River Semester crew continues to process the issues
they know and to reflect upon their moments together: rows
of sleeping bags dotting the shore as they looked up at an
ebony sky studded with millions of heavenly diamonds; waking
at 3 a.m. to paddle from darkness to dawn; and swaying in
hammocks tied to the tall willow trees of remote river islands.
So, if you see members of this motley crew sleeping
outside, don’t judge. They’re just longing to be back on
the water, where they grew stronger and a bit wiser, having
realized that the issues gripping the Mississippi River are
as sophisticated as its ecosystems. That enlightenment has
influenced the way they now see the world, with varying
shades of compromise and understanding. They reenter their
lives with renewed purpose, fueled by an empowering sense
of community, the ability to adapt, and the ache for life’s next
adventure.
“
It feels good to say, ‘I know the Mississippi.’
But, of course, you don’t—what you know better
is yourself and the Mississippi has helped.
—River Semester student journal entry
From trickling headwaters to the
WIDE AND MIGHTY OCEAN
River Semester participants share memorable events along the river
Beginning in 2003, Augsburg College Associate Professor Joe Underhill began incorporating short Mississippi River
trips—three-, five-, and 10-day excursions—into his environmental politics curriculum. He first presented the idea
of a semester-long trip to College leadership in 2012, and then three years of logistical discussions and planning
followed. This past fall, Underhill and biology instructor Thorpe Halloran shoved off from St. Paul with 12 students, two
guides, and a teaching assistant. Here are a few highlights from their journey.
AUG. 28-30: Held an orientation at
the Mississippi River headwaters to
introduce courses, review canoeing and
water safety basics, and discuss topics
such as American Indians’ perspectives
on the environment and sustainability.
1
SEPT. 1: Chris Coleman, mayor of
St. Paul, joined nearly 100 Auggies,
family members, and high school students
at the launch of the nation’s first-ever
River Semester. Dozens of attendees
paddled in a flotilla of 24-foot voyageur
canoes to South St. Paul.
2
SEPT. 5-7: Studied the water
quality and impact of farming,
including increased sediment load on the
river. Sampled water alongside fisheries
biologists with the Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources.
3
“Without a current and with a brutal head wind,
paddling Lake Pepin was probably one of our
most challenging days.” —Lily Moloney ’15
SEPT. 12-17: Joined faculty and
students from Winona State
University for stream ecology labs and
discussion on the impact of the lock and
dam system.
4
OCT. 3: A rough paddle through the
pool above Lock and Dam No. 13,
one of the widest pools on the upper river.
The crew struggled through fierce winds
to avoid submerged tree stumps left over
5
from before the dam was built. One of the
canoes sustained a bad crack, which the
crew repaired at camp.
OCT. 7-10: Met with local farmers
and a nonprofit environmental
group that organizes river cleanups, tree
plantings, and other conservation efforts.
The crew also engaged a field lab with
Reuben Heine, geography professor at
Augustana College in Illinois.
6
OCT. 20-21: When the crew
paddled into author Mark Twain’s
hometown, Izzie Smith ’18 began to suffer
from stomach pain. By midnight, she had
been diagnosed with appendicitis, and
the next morning she had surgery. Two
weeks later, Smith rejoined the group in
Memphis. Even with all the excitement,
the team still engaged in a lively
discussion about Huck Finn and literary
figures born along the Mississippi.
7
OCT. 29: The last morning of their
journey on the upper river, the crew
woke up at 3 a.m. to paddle for a few
hours in the dark to catch the sun rise
over the river. They ended their sunrise
paddle on the Mississippi’s banks north
of St. Louis, from which vans shuttled
the crew past the Chain of Rocks, an
exposure of bedrock in the Cuivre River.
8
9
NOV. 2: As part of Underhill’s
course, Democracy in the American
Heartland, students traveled to the
Michael Brown Memorial—the site of the
August 2014 shooting death of a black
teenager by a white policeman, which
prompted national commentary on racial
discrimination and gun control. President
Paul Pribbenow joined the group for a
tour through the city and discussions with
residents.
“Standing at that memorial in the middle of
the road was a deeply unsettling experience—
there was no way it could or should have been
otherwise.” —President Paul Pribbenow
NOV. 16: The team paddled past
expansive sandbars and islands
full of wildlife at the confluence of the
Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. Waters in
this area can rise and fall as much as 70
feet and swirl around canoes.
10
NOV. 26: Thanksgiving in New
Orleans: The crew enjoyed an
abundance of fried turkey and comforting
side dishes at their hostel as they visited
with fellow travelers from more than a
dozen countries.
11
12
DEC. 11: Travel by train to Chicago.
“The train back to Chicago was spent
doing a lot of work on our finals, but it was also
a time to reflect on everything we experienced
on the trip.” —Blair Stewig ’18
1
ITASCA STATE
PARK, MN
HARRIET ISLAND, ST. PAUL
2
LAKE PEPIN
3
4
WINONA, MN
CLINTON, IA
HANNIBAL, MO
5
6
CHICAGO, IL
12
QUAD CITIES
7
LOUISIANA, MO
8
FERGUSON, MO
9
10
CHOCTAW ISLAND, TN
DEC. 14-15 The crew traveled by train from Chicago
to the Twin Cities and joined in a “good-bye” hug
upon arrival at Union Depot in St. Paul.
As part of the River Semester welcome back celebration,
Augsburg graphic design and typography students created an
interactive gallery exhibit chronicling the voyage. Learn more
at augsburg.edu/now.
NEW ORLEANS, LA
11
Spring 2016
23
AUGGIES CONNECT
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
JILL WATSON ’10 MBA, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
24
Augsburg Now
Courtesy Photo
T
oday’s Augsburg College students seek to make
a difference, and it’s been a privilege to interact
with them as they gather to meet alumni, discuss
vocation, and pick up targeted professional advice at
recent events. Last fall, the Clair and Gladys Strommen
Center for Meaningful Work hosted a Career and
Internship Fair and welcomed young Auggies who sought
to make connections with employers and internship hosts.
Shortly after the event, nearly two dozen Augsburg alumni returned to
campus to join panel discussions about their academic and career stories across
a range of disciplines and professions. These events were part of a five-week
major and career exploration series that provided nearly 175 students the
opportunity to explore a wide variety of degrees and occupations. This series was
made successful thanks, in part, to the Augsburg College alumni who served as
panelists. Thank you to all Auggies who shared your vocation and insight with
students!
Most recently, I was humbled by the talent, drive, and thoughtfulness I saw
all around me at the annual Alumni-Student Networking event in February, where
hundreds of alumni mingled with current students and faculty, received free
professional profile photos, and listened as alumni addressed the importance
of informational interviewing, mentoring, and using social media to connect.
Regardless of where we are in our professional lives, I think we all have something
to offer to or gain from such events.
Events like these make me proud to be an Auggie. If you shared your
experiences with students in the past year, you helped to inspire Auggie pride.
Whether you’re connecting with students, networking with graduates of all
class years, contributing to The Augsburg Fund
View videos that illustrate the
to support College initiatives, or planning a
impact of student internships
gift to fund an endowed scholarship, we are so
at augsburg.edu/now.
grateful.
As Augsburg moves into the future, alumni can help the College live out its
vision—to educate students for lives of purpose—across the disciplines, beyond
the classroom, and around the world.
You can engage your employer in identifying Auggies as candidates for
employment, internships, or mentorships by posting opportunities at your
company on the AugPost job board found at augsburg.edu/alumni.
I joined the alumni board because I wanted to see Auggies help other
Auggies and make a difference. Each time I attend an Augsburg event, I learn
more about what current students are up to, and I want to do everything I can to
help them succeed. Won’t you join me?
UNIQUELY AUGSBURG
TRAVEL IN THAILAND AND CAMBODIA
JANUARY 3-15, 2017
In January, English Professor Kathy
Swanson and her husband, Jack,
will lead an educational trip through
Thailand and Cambodia. After arriving
in Bangkok, travelers will tour the Grand
Palace, visit the temple at Wat Po (the
Reclining Buddha), shop for tropical
produce, and sample local cuisine
cooked on boats at a floating market.
From there they will continue to Chiang
Mai to ride elephants, perfect their
culinary skills with a cooking class, and
volunteer at an orphanage. The trip will
conclude in Siem Reap, Cambodia,
at Angkor Wat, the largest religious
monument in the world.
This thought-provoking tour has
been customized specifically for
Augsburg alumni, parents, and friends,
and there’s still time to learn more and
participate. Contact Katie Koch ’01,
director of Auggie Engagement, at
kochk@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1178
if you are interested in learning more
about Augsburg’s travel opportunities.
To learn more, go to
augsburg.edu/alumni/travel.
AUGGIES CONNECT
ALUMNA COMBINES
CREATIVITY AND CHEMISTRY
through career at 3M
Capstone dinner celebrates
SUCCESSFUL BUILDING CAMPAIGN
This winter, as part of the annual Advent Vespers festivities, Augsburg
College held a dinner to celebrate the successful completion of the
largest capital campaign in the institution’s history and to recognize
the generosity of all who made the Campaign for the Norman and
Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion
possible. More than 200 donors attended, including members of the
Board of Regents and many alumni supporters.
President Paul Pribbenow offered his sincere thanks to Norman
and Evangeline Hagfors and all donors to the new building. Chair of
the Board of Regents Dr. Paul Mueller ’84 shared his gratitude and
recognized the incredible leadership and commitment of Mike Good ’71
[pictured above], who served as national chair for the campaign that
exceeded its $50 million goal.
After becoming
involved with the 3M
STEP program as a
high school student,
Audrey Sherman ’97
[pictured] became
an inventor at age
20. Now a scientist
with 3M, Sherman is
credited with nearly
80 patents, some
created with other Augsburg alumni working at
the Minnesota-based company.
Sherman’s most recent patent is for a
versatile material with the potential to improve
cosmetics, insulation wrapping, and electronics.
Two of her favorite patents involve using
pressure-sensitive adhesives to transport light
and making a solvent-free duct tape. She also
helped discover a new solution for restickable
diaper tape. Sherman feels that her Augsburg
minor in art has been an important factor in
pursuing her inventions, enabling her to blend
creativity with her skills in chemistry. Today
she mentors St. Paul high school students
interested in science and gives talks to juniorhigh and middle-school students about careers
in science and technology.
Share your ideas for
AUGSBURG’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
years
Augsburg alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff are invited to help celebrate
the College’s 150th anniversary in 2019. What aspect of your Augsburg
history would you like to celebrate during the sesquicentennial year? Were you
connected to a team, a club, or a department that made a difference? Would
you like to see a reunion for your favorite activity—whether it was the Echo
newspaper staff, a sport, Lutheran Youth Encounter, the Augsburg Choir, or
theater? How best would you like to honor Augsburg’s past, present, and future?
Visit augsburg.edu/150 to submit your ideas and find monthly updates on
planning already underway for the sesquicentennial celebration.
Spring 2016
25
AUGGIES CONNECT
ALUMNI ASSIST
STUDENTS
on their path to
physician assistant
career
[L to R]: Augsburg College alumnus
Tom Towle ’14 MPA leads thenstudents Scott Harder ’15 MPA and
Christina Pekoske ’15 MPA through
the steps of starting an IV.
32
26
Augsburg Now
I
n the classroom and in the field, Augsburg
College alumni help today’s physician assistant
students gain a glimpse into the professional
world they’re preparing to enter. Through clinical
work and course instruction, alumni share their
experience in a high-demand field.
Augsburg’s Master of Science in Physician
Assistant Studies program was the first of its kind
in Minnesota and admitted its inaugural class in
1995. The full-time graduate program educates
generalist physician assistants oriented toward
service to underserved populations in rural and
urban settings.
The physician assistant (PA) concept has
evolved over time but continues to increase in
relevance. In alignment with health care industry
demand, the PA’s role continues to expand.
The Augsburg PA program’s long history
in Minnesota is advantageous, according to
Jenny Kluznik ’13 MPA, assistant professor of
physician assistant studies. PA students spend
approximately half of their graduate program in
a didactic—or classroom—phase. The latter half
of the program is spent in the community where
students complete clinical rotations that change
every five weeks. Augsburg’s PA alumni serve
as educators and lecturers for a course series in
clinical medicine and also serve as hosts for the
hands-on field work.
Meredith Wold ’07 MPA is a guest lecturer
for the program and an adjunct faculty member.
She works as a hospitalist PA with an internal
medicine team at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
As an undergraduate, Wold was focused almost
exclusively on medical school, but during her final
year in college she was struck by the teamwork she
witnessed between a doctor and a PA in surgery.
Now, after nearly a decade in her profession,
Wold values the team-based work of taking care
of hospitalized patients.
She weaves clinical episodes from her career
into her lectures, which serve to remind students
of the whole patient—not just the upcoming exam.
Melissa Oeding ’10 MPA, another guest
lecturer, agrees.
“As a recent graduate, I can relate to the
student experience, understand how students learn,
and provide real-world insight and advice regarding
what to expect as a practicing PA,” said Oeding,
who works at Minneapolis’ Hennepin County
Medical Center.
She’s stimulated by the chance to sit on the
other side of the lectern.
“It renews an excitement for my work and
career and reminds me just why I started out in the
program,” she said. “I feel extraordinarily blessed to
have been trained and trained well at Augsburg.”
Guest lecturer Olga Trouskova ’13 MPA sought
out Augsburg’s PA program in part because of its
emphasis on serving the underserved.
“I went into medicine to provide answers and
to heal,” Trouskova said. “Now I understand that
great medicine cannot happen without building
relationships and trust with my patients.”
She also is a hospitalist PA at Regions and,
during her weeks off, serves as a family practice
PA at Westside Community Health Services/La
Clinica, a community clinic.
Trouskova makes a point of including real
patient stories in her presentations to remind
students that PAs treat patients, not diseases.
For students, there’s no match for hearing these
types of lessons from alumni, according to Wold.
“It shows a level of alumni commitment
toward the program and the next generation
of Augsburg PAs,” she said. “Early on after
graduation I felt a duty, a professional
responsibility really, to give that back.”
And teaching is its own kind of gift,
according to Trouskova.
“By teaching others, I have learned as well,”
she said.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1960
Lowell “Zeke”
Ziemann ’60 continues
to write. His newest book,
“Gunslingers and Baseball,” is
a collection of Western historical
fiction, essays, and baseball
stories. It is available on Amazon.
1965
From his time at
Augsburg, Allen
Anderson ’65 fondly remembers his
music professor Leland Sateren ’35,
the Burgundy Singers, dorm life,
and choir tours. Today, Anderson is
still involved with choral music and
enjoys golf, woodworking, activities
in his community and at his church,
travel, and participation in Lutheran
Men in Mission. He and wife, Joyce,
have two children who graduated
from Augsburg. They travel to New
Zealand on occasion to visit their
son and his family.
Gary Blosberg ’65 says that his
current position is “reclined.”
He is retired after 26 years
as a finance manager at
General Electric and 23 years
in the U.S. Navy. He thanks
chemistry professor Courtland
Agre for sharing his wisdom
when he said: “You don’t need
to know everything; you just
need to know where to find the
answers.” Blosberg still sings
with the Centennial Singers, the
Masterworks Chorale, and other
groups. He is proud to be a father
and grandfather.
Connie (Ekeren) Cameron ’65
teaches at Honors Mentor
Connection, is on the Fringe
Festival Board, sings in the
St. Joan of Arc Choir, and is
involved in politics, travel, and
the League of Women Voters. Her
fondest memories of Augsburg
include the Kappa House girls,
professor Anne Pederson’s literature
wonderful teachers and role
models. Among Dietrich’s most
treasured Augsburg memories
are the excellent convocation
speakers and the great
friendships she made. Today, she
and husband, Franklin, enjoy
their grandsons, their involvement
at Central Lutheran Church, and
traveling. She also volunteers with
literature; and professor of history
Carl Chrislock ’37 for his effective
use of anecdote to enliven history.
Dyrud spends his time reading,
golfing, and traveling. He and
wife, Marilyn, have three children
who are all involved with theater,
and they enjoy seeing their
children’s work.
In October, Janis “Matty” Mathison ’69 was honored by the American
Planning Association’s Wisconsin Chapter as its Citizen of the Year for
her leadership in working with local residents and planners to promote
healthy living and active lifestyles in eastern Wisconsin’s Shawano
County. Last year was the third year of Bike the Barn Quilts, an area
bike tour that she spearheaded.
From the NOW@Augsburg blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
classes, and her roommate of four
years Carol (Welch) Langness ’65.
Cameron thanks the team behind
the Christmas smorgasbords;
Ailene Cole, speech professor;
Orvald Haugsby, math professor;
Leland Sateren ’35, music
department head; and Phil
Quanbeck Sr. ’50. She and
husband, Bill, have three sons and
one grandchild.
Eunice (Bergman) Dietrich ’65
thanks home economics faculty
Ruth Segolson, Ruth Sonsteng,
and Katherine Peterson for being
daughter, Kari, at Dakota City,
the 1900s village in Farmington,
Minnesota. The Dietrichs also
have a son, Hans.
The faculty members who most
influenced David Dyrud ’65 as a
student were philosophy professor
Paul Sonnack ’42 for his intensity;
New Testament Greek and Latin
professor Mario Colacci for
his flamboyance; professor of
English Gerald Thorson ’43 for his
Hush Puppies (Dyrud’s favorite
shoes); professor of English Anne
Pederson, for her affection for
Mark Gjerde ’65 retired in 2004
from 3M. He enjoys traveling
with wife, Jan (Lunas) Gjerde ’68,
and spending time with their
grandchildren at a lake home. He
remembers Gerald “Jerry” Pryd ’66
and Paul Dahlen ’66, his friends
who died in a plane crash while
they were Augsburg students.
Gjerde was influenced by professor
of math George Soberg ’26 and
professor of philosophy Paul
Sonnack ’42. The Gjerdes lived in
Brussels from 1995-97 while Mark
worked for 3M. They have two sons
and four grandchildren.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
1960
This group of
alumni were friends
during college but had little
contact since graduating. They
were reunited at the 2015
Homecoming celebration and
barely scratched the surface
in terms of catching up. Now
retired, the five Auggies plan to
get together again soon.
[L to R]: The men and their previous careers: Arden Flaten ’60 (science teacher),
Myron Carlson ’60 (pastor), Don Gilberg ’60 (band teacher, piano tuner), Iver
Christopherson ’60 (high school principal), and Neuman Berger ’60 (attorney).
1974
The National Tile Contractors
Association recently honored Janet
(Durkee) Hohn ’74 with its Tile Person of the
Year award. Hohn was the third woman to
receive this honor in the six decades it has
been presented. For more than 20 years,
Hohn has operated a one-person, high-end
residential tile and stone installation company.
She has served as president of the Twin
Cities Local Tile Contractors Association, as
a board member and technical methods and
standards committee member for NTCA, and most recently as chairperson
of the NTCA training and education committee.
Spring
2014
2016
Fall 2014
17
27
37
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
One Augsburg College memory treasured by
Glenn Hamberg ’65 is the teaching style and
effectiveness of W. LaMarr Kopp in German
class. Other faculty members who influenced
Hamberg as a student were Mario Colacci from
the department of New Testament Greek and
Latin, Courtland Agre from chemistry, Gerald
Thorson ’43 from English, and Paul Sonnack ’42.
Hamberg’s present interests include crossword
puzzles, computers, movies, Jeopardy,
volunteering, travel, and spending time with
his grandchildren and wife, Sandra (Edstrom)
Hamberg ’66.
Jerry Hamlin ’65 works part time. He likes to
volunteer and to travel in his free time. He
treasures his memories of Augsburg basketball
games, the convocation with Nobel Prize winner
Linus Pauling, and feeling like every day was a
good day. He was most influenced by Donald
Gustafson and Carl Chrislock ’37 in history, and
Sheldon Fardig in education. Hamlin and wife,
Jari, have four children and 10 grandchildren.
James Harbo ’65 has a full-time dental
practice in New York. He enjoys visiting his
two grandchildren in Pennsylvania, doing
church work, reading theology, participating
in a book club, and aging well! He fondly
remembers his dorm friendships, baseball,
Augsburg Choir concerts, and soaking up the
culture of Minneapolis. The past 50 years have
heightened his appreciation of his years at
Augsburg where, he says, there was “much
goodness and inspiration.” Harbo and wife,
Amy, have three children.
Today you can find Peter Jacobson ’65
woodworking, volunteering, or traveling. He
and wife, Lynne, have two children and two
grandchildren. His fondest memories of
Augsburg include dorm life all four years,
Augsburg basketball, being a resident assistant,
and spending afternoons in the physics lab.
He was most influenced by physics professor
Theodore “Ted” Hanwick.
28
Julie (Gudmestad) Laudicina ’65 and husband,
Joe, love to travel and recently celebrated their
30th wedding anniversary with a cruise on
the Danube River. She also enjoys gardening,
reading, leading a book club, and living in
New York City. She has been a civil wedding
officiant for 10 years and has married more
than 300 couples from around the world. Some
For 12 years, David Raether ’78 wrote for TV comedy
sitcoms, including “Roseanne.” After building his career,
he took a break to focus on his family and found the job
market had changed completely when he attempted to
return to the field. After struggling and becoming homeless,
he says, he discovered that he was far more resourceful
and resilient than he had ever dreamed. Raether delivered
a TEDxAmherst talk and wrote a book about his experiences
titled, “Tell Me Something, She Said.”
From the NOW@Augsburg blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
of her memories of Augsburg include listening
to choir practice, freezing at football games,
enjoying her many friends, and participating
in student government and chapel. She
was most influenced by faculty members
Phil Quanbeck Sr. ’50, professor of religion;
Anne Pederson, professor of English; and
Philip Thompson, professor of art. She also
remembers Dean of Students Glen Johnson
and Dean of Women Fern Martinson. Laudicina
would most like to thank her parents, both
Augsburg alumni, for encouraging her to live
and learn with a strong set of values.
Sharon (Dittbenner) Klabunde ’65 plays in a
mountain dulcimer band, and loves to travel
and garden. She remembers chapel time from
her days at Augsburg and also living in a house
as a freshman where, she says, there were
three women to a room who shared one dinky
closet. She enjoyed working in the cafeteria.
Bette (Bodin) Leeney ’65 and husband, Jack,
love their home in Florida. They have a pool
and use it a lot. She likes to garden and to
welcome the family, mostly in the winter! Her
treasured memories of Augsburg focus on the
good values she learned and kept with her. She
remembers the assassination of President John
F. Kennedy and how difficult that was. She
admired Dean of Students Peter Armacost, who
supported her when her father passed away.
Her psychology and social work professors
inspired her to get her master’s degree in
social work. She and Marie (Bergh) Sandbo ’65
met freshman year and have remained friends
for 50 years. They share the same birthday.
Carol (Welch) Langness ’65 and husband, Gary,
spend every January to April in the East African
city of Iringa, Tanzania, along with their synod
partners in the Iringa Diocese. They have two
children and three grandchildren.
As a student, John Luoma ’65 was influenced
by Mario Colacci, professor of classical
languages; Carl Chrislock ’37, professor of
history; and William “Bill” Halverson ’51,
professor of religion. He treasures memories
Augsburg Now
of chapel, serving as student body president,
and Augsburg’s emphasis on vocation, service,
and faith active in love. Luoma is a minister of
education at Hope Lutheran, The Villages. He is
a Via de Cristo coordinator, a Diaconate teacher,
and likes to travel and bowl. He and wife, Gracia
(Nydahl) Luoma ’66, have two sons. Their oldest
son, Aaron, passed away in January 2015.
LeRoy Martinson ’65 retired in June 1998 after 33
years of teaching math and coaching skiing. Now
he stays active with tennis, volleyball, and five
grandchildren. He lives with wife, Micki, in Cross
Lake, Minnesota. His memories of Augsburg are
of his math teachers, his coaches, and student
teaching with Ms. Anderson. He was influenced
by professor of math George Soberg ’26,
professor of physical education Howard “Howie”
Pearson ’53, and Coach Edor Nelson ’38.
Martinson is a member of the Minnesota State
High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
Dan and Mary (Tildahl) Meyers ’65 met during
their freshman year at Augsburg. The couple
celebrated their 50th anniversary, Dan has
worked for AdvisorNet Financial for 50 years,
and it’s been 50 years since he graduated from
Augsburg. Dan remembers playing basketball
and baseball, and he was influenced most
by Ernie Anderson ’37 and Edor Nelson ’38.
He would thank Milt Kleven ’46, if he could,
for funding his scholarship. Dan keeps busy
with work, golf, reading, and basketball. Mary
enjoys walking, reading, caring for a grandson,
and traveling. She treasures the friendships
she made at Augsburg and meeting Dan
there. Carl Chrislock ’37 and her world history
class helped her realize she wasn’t a history
major. Mary says that Augsburg has been an
influence in their lives for 50 years. Whether
they return for athletic games, homecoming
or concerts, it always feels like coming home.
The Meyers have two children and three
grandchildren.
Larry Nelson ’65 thanks Theodore
“Ted” Hanwick, of the Physics
Department, for his challenging
and thorough classes. Nelson’s
Augsburg education provided a solid
foundation for his career in science
education. He enjoyed teaching
various areas of biology, in addition
to wilderness-based experiential
education. His fondest Augsburg
memories are of morning chapel,
convocations, studying in the library,
concerts, sporting events, and social
activities. Nelson says Augsburg
also prepared him for continued
spiritual growth. Today, he likes to
travel, read, garden, volunteer, do
house maintenance, and spend
time with his family. He and wife,
Marilyn, have two daughters and five
grandchildren.
Becky (Walhood) Nielsen ’65
remembers her good friends from
Miriam House. She and husband,
Steve Nielsen ’64, have three
daughters, 10 grandchildren,
and a great-grandchild. Their
granddaughter, Morgan Kenny ’17,
attends Augsburg.
Lois Peterson ’65 would thank Mimi
Kingsley, professor of Spanish,
for telling her that she had “a gift
for language.” Peterson is fluent
in Spanish, and she visited Mimi
in Chile prior to her death. Today,
Peterson enjoys traveling and
has been to Costa Rica, Mexico,
Norway, and Spain. She remembers
being in a class Bill Halverson ’51
taught in Old Main when the
news came of President John F.
Kennedy’s death, and watching the
Beatles for the first time while in
The Grill. She loves life in Denver,
where her children live nearby.
Leland Sateren ’35 most influenced
Sharon (Bjugstad) Ronning ’65, and
she has spent her life involved in
music. She sings in the Masterworks
Chorale, directs a church choir,
and teaches piano. Other activities
include knitting, spending time at
her cabin, and enjoying her four
children and eight grandchildren.
She met husband, Don Ronning ’66,
in the Augsburg Choir. Don passed
away in 2000.
Marie (Bergh) Sandbo ’65 and
husband, Hans Sandbo ’63, will
celebrate 50 years of marriage this
year. Marie likes to travel, spend
time with grandchildren, and serve
on the Heritage Committee at
church, all while continuing to run
a small business from home. Her
treasured memories of Augsburg
include the friendships made and
her studies in library science. Don
Gustafson, Martha Mattson ’28,
Ruth Aaskov ’53, Dick Husfloen ’60,
and Pat Parker are the faculty and
staff who most influenced Marie.
Two of the Sandbos’ three children
graduated from Augsburg.
1991
On October
13, 2015,
David Johnson ’91 was
promoted to Colonel in
the North Dakota Army
National Guard. He is a
senior Army chaplain for
the state. Johnson also is
an ELCA pastor serving
as a full-time chaplain for
the North Dakota Army
National Guard. He has
been serving in this call
for the past 12 years. Previous to this role, he served parishes in
central and eastern North Dakota.
Terry Simonson ’65 and wife,
Patricia, live in Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, where he serves as
a half-time chaplain at a residence
for seniors. Three generations
share their home, and his three
granddaughters are the joy of his
life. The memories of Augsburg
that he treasures are good times
spent with roommates and learning
Greek and Latin (his major). Erwin
Mickelberg ’54 was influential in
Simonson’s decision to attend
Augsburg. These days, he is
interested in quantum physics and
continues to explore the subject.
2006
Heather
(Nystrom)
Finholm ’06 and husband,
Jeffrey, announce the
adoption of their twin
sons, Joseph and
Matthew, born April 30,
2015, and adopted on
July 27, 2015.
2007
Lázaro G.
Payano Stark
was welcomed into this
world at home with the
help of his midwives on
April 3, 2015. He is the
son of Jenessa Payano
Stark ’07 and Geomar
Payano Stark. The
family resides in south
Minneapolis.
This fall, seven Auggies served on the varsity football coaching staff at Osseo (Minnesota)
High School and helped lead the team to its first Class 6A state championship. The group
of Augsburg alumni included Jack Osberg ’62, Derrin Lamker ’97, Mark Joseph ’01, Andy
Johnson ’04, Jordan Berg ’09, Royce Winford ’09, and David Tilton ’12.
From the NOW@Augsburg blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
Spring
2014
Fall 2014
Spring
2016
17
37
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Win Stiefel ’65 taught school in Alaska and
now lives with wife, Gracia (Olson) Stiefel ’66, in
Glennallen, Alaska. He spent 10 years teaching
at a Bible college and 10 years in Russia
helping Evangelical churches. These days he
drives a school bus, enjoys 10 grandchildren
and a great grandchild, cuts firewood, and
volunteers at missions. He remembers
traveling with the wrestling team, canoeing on
the Mississippi River, and listening to the Basin
Streeters. If he could thank someone, it would
be the old man outside Cedar Ave. Mission
who asked him and others whether or not they
were saved.
Steve Strommen ’65 likes to spend his days
playing “Old Timer” softball, bird hunting,
appreciating winters in San Diego and
summers at a Minnesota cabin, performing
home renovations, and enjoying his family
and grandchildren. He has many memories
from athletics at Augsburg, including three
championship basketball teams and a
championship in baseball. The most influential
people during his time at Augsburg were Carl
Chrislock ’37 and coaches Ernie Anderson ’37
and Edor Nelson ’38. He and wife, Chynne,
have two children and five grandchildren.
Sharon (Topte) Taeger ’65 and David Taeger ’65
recently moved to Camrose—a city in
Alberta, Canada—after living for 19 years
in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Sharon likes
to read, paint, and socialize. David likes to
listen, watch, and marvel at the growth and
development of children, especially their four
grandchildren. He also enjoys reading and
being with friends. David received his M.Div.
from Northwestern Theological Seminary. He
was most influenced by Mario Collacci and
Carl Chrislock ’37 while at Augsburg. Sharon
and David have two children.
Virg Vagle ’65 would thank Ernie Anderson ’37,
Edor Nelson ’38, and Ed Saugestad ’59 for
being influential during his time at Augsburg.
Vagle enjoys golfing, traveling, and being with
his grandchildren. He and wife, Pat, have
seven children and 12 grandchildren.
Lyndy West ’65 fondly remembers playing in
the concert band and in the Basin Streeters, a
group that performed for Augsburg basketball
games. He entered Luther Seminary after
graduating from Augsburg and served
parishes in Los Angeles, inner-city Chicago,
and Minnesota. He officially retired in 2012.
He says the smartest thing he ever did was
to marry Diane Haas in 1969. They have four
children and four grandchildren. They like to
bike, travel, read, participate in music at their
church, and lead polka services. He thanks his
parents for encouraging him and his siblings to
attend Augsburg.
1967
John Schwartz ’67 is in his sixth
season with the acclaimed Apollo
Chorus of Chicago, which was formed in
1872. Schwartz serves as vice president of
its board. Auggie singers in the Chicago area
can audition to join this 130-member chorus.
Details can be found at Apollochorus.org.
1975
Glen Teske ’75 is enjoying the
adjustment to retirement after
working for 40 years in the IT department
at Hennepin County. Among his treasured
memories as a student at Augsburg are
business administration classes, tutoring
other students, and the friendships he made.
He also remembers playing four years of
basketball and winning the MIAC conference
title in 1975. He thanks professor of history
Khin Khin Jensen, adviser and professor of
business Keishiro Matsumoto, mentor Jeroy
Carlson ’48, and coaches Butch Raymond ’63
and Erv Inniger for their impact on his life.
1979
Laura (Rolfe) Matuska ’79 has
been selected as WeCAB’s
part-time community outreach fundraiser.
WeCAB provides door-to-door supplemental
transportation in the Westonka and eastern
Carver County service areas for people who
are unable to drive to medical appointments,
church, social events, the grocery store, or the
food shelf. Matuska has significant experience
working with seniors and clients, providing
case management to support transitions
through all levels of senior living. She has
launched volunteer programs, developed a
hospital-based domestic abuse intervention
program, and is a successful grant writer.
Matuska also has worked with many volunteers
in a variety of positions.
1980
The new Bill Simenson Quintet
recently debuted at The Nicollet.
Leader Bill Simenson ’80 (trumpet) has been
performing professionally in the Twin Cities
for nearly 30 years. After earning his degree
in music and political science at Augsburg,
he attended the University of Trondheim
in Norway where he studied music at the
graduate level. Catch the Bill Simenson
Orchestra, a larger ensemble, once a month at
Jazz Central in Minneapolis.
1981
Rob Hubbard ’81 tells the story of the
hilarity, irreverence, and imagination
of the Brave New Workshop in his new book,
“Brave New Workshop: Promiscuous Hostility
and Laughs in the Land of Loons.” The
book, from The History Press, celebrates the
marvelous, unexpected, and absurd history
of this one-of-a-kind comedy institution. The
owners of Brave New Workshop are John
Sweeney and Jenni Lilledahl ’87.
1987
Tammy Jo Rider ’87 received a
2015 Leadership Award from the
2015
2013
Amanda Rowan ’13 and Jordan Lakanen ’14 married
August 8, 2015. Auggies in the wedding party included:
Eric Lakanen ’02, Stephanie Nelson ’13, Rachel Rixen ’13, and Ashley
(Carney) Wolke ’13.
30
Augsburg Now
Top row [L to R]:
Tyler Dorn ’15
and Alisha Esselstein ’15
were married on June 20,
2015, at Sugarland Barn
in Arena, Wisconsin. Many
Auggies participated in
and attended the wedding.
Bottom row [L to R]: Best
man Alex Obanor, Augsburg Department of Public Safety officer; Dustin
Parks ’16; Keisha Barnard ’16; bridesmaid Alia Thorpe ’15; bridesmaid Lily
Moloney ’15; maid of honor Rachel Shaheen ’15; ceremony musician Becky
Shaheen ’11; and officiant Rev. Mike Matson ’06.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
After graduation, Joshua Harris ’08 moved to Baltimore drawn to the service
opportunity of working with Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest inter-collegiate communityservice-oriented fraternity founded by African-Americans. Harris serves as managing
editor of APA’s journal, “The Sphinx.” He works with other community leaders
in Baltimore on many initiatives, including one to build a network of individuals,
businesses, and organizations that can provide internships, scholarships, and
mentorship opportunities for high school students. He returned to Minneapolis in
fall 2015 to speak on a panel at the Augsburg Young Alumni Council’s networking
event at Surly Brewing Co. Harris is running for mayor of Baltimore. Learn about his
campaign at harrisforbaltimore.com.
From the NOW@Augsburg blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
Southeast Minnesota affiliate of the National
Alliance on Mental Illness.
1991
Bill Koschak ’91 was hired as the
chief financial officer at YA, which
is an industry market leader in delivering
omni-channel marketing promotions for the
nation’s most respected brands. Before joining
YA, Koschak was vice president of finance
and CFO for the convenience and foodservice
business at General Mills.
2000
Lewis Nelson ’00 joined the
University of Virginia’s Darden
School of Business MBA for Executives.
He blogs about the experience at
wanderingveteran.com.
2007
Barrozo is studying the development of
novel gene therapy treatments for human
diseases caused by persistent viral infections
and mutations of the genome. The goal of
his research is to develop safe and effective
strategies for treating these diseases. He also
has worked as a Post-Baccalaureate Research
Program Scholar at the University of Georgia.
2015
Hannah Frey ’15 has an
AmeriCorps position in the
Community Technology Empowerment
Project, which helps bridge the “digital
divide” for new immigrants and low-income
communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul. She
serves at Roseville (Minnesota) Library as a
digital literacy coordinator for adult technology
programming and outreach.
Kati (Tweeten) Bergey ’07 married
Brandon Bergey on October 18,
2014. Kati teaches sixth grade for MabelCanton Public Schools in Mabel, Minnesota.
Heidi Heller ’15 has accepted a job as a
historian and researcher with Hess Roise
Historical Consultants.
2012
GRADUATE
Lauren Grafelman ’12 graduated
with her MBA from Hamline
University in August 2015.
William “Billy” Hamilton ’12 graduated from
the University of Minnesota Law School
in May and received news that he passed
the Minnesota Bar Exam in July. He began
work as a public defender in training at the
Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office.
He has found his vocation!
2014
Enrico Barrozo ’14 is pursuing
a doctorate in genetics and
genomics at the University of Florida,
supported by the McKnight Doctoral, UF
Graduate School, and Top-Up fellowships.
Ava Beilke ’14 MBA formed her own social
media consulting business, Paragon Social
(paragonsocialco.com or @paragonsocialco on
Twitter), with the desire to help individuals and
small businesses excel in social media. Beilke
studied communications in undergrad and
pursued her MBA to round out her business
expertise. She now fuses her creative skills with
her business savvy to create the most effective
social media efforts.
Katie Koch ’01 is the new Director
of Auggie Engagement at Augsburg
College. Koch comes from a diverse
background of performing arts
management, having most recently
worked at The O’Shaughnessy
Auditorium at St. Catherine University
as an event and administrative
manager. Koch worked for nearly
five years at the Guthrie Theater as
an assistant to former director Joe
Dowling, where she supported the
Guthrie Board of Directors and highprofile visiting artists. During her time
at Augsburg, Koch was a member
of The Augsburg Choir, Augsburg
Concert Band, and Augsburg Jazz
and Gospel Praise. She served
as an admissions ambassador, a
student coordinator for new student
orientation in 1999 and 2000, and
wrote for the Augsburg Echo.
Spring 2016
31
In memoriam
Dwight E. Elving ’37, Mercer
Harvard E. Larson ’50,
Island, Washington, age 99, on
September 17.
Greeley, Colorado, age 86, on
September 14.
James K. Horn ’59, Lino Lakes,
Minnesota, age 83, on
November 26.
Isabella “Bella” (Frazier)
Sanders ’73, Park Rapids,
Evelyn B. (Wibeto) Stone ’41,
Alexandria, Minnesota, age 98, on
November 26.
Wesley N. Paulson ’51,
Eugene “Pete” S. Peterson ’59,
Gregory J. Semanko ’73,
Altoona, Wisconsin, age 88, on
December 2.
Jackson, Minnesota, age 78, on
October 17.
Dassel, Minnesota, age 64, on
September 16.
J. Maurice “Maury” Erickson ’42,
Vermillion, South Dakota, age 95,
on September 10.
Walter L. Dilley ’52,
Paynesville, Minnesota, age 88,
on October 14.
Peter M. Locke ’60, South St.
Paul, Minnesota, age 82, on
November 30.
Brent M. Amundson ’78, Colorado
Springs, Colorado, age 61, on
December 3.
Helen L. (Fevold) Nelson ’43,
Woodrow W. Wilson ’53,
Gayle J. Arvidson ’61, Newburgh,
Minneapolis, age 94, June 4.
Lincoln, Nebraska, age 97, on
September 11.
Indiana, age 84, on December 25.
David C. Eitrheim ’79,
Menomonie, Wisconsin, age 58,
on January 1.
Chester E. Hoversten ’44,
Northfield, Minnesota, age 93, on
November 16.
Joyce E. (Gronseth) Limburg ’44,
Erling B. Huglen ’54, Roseau,
Minnesota, age 83, on
December 19.
Harvey L. Jackson ’61, Park
River, North Dakota, age 78, on
September 28.
Morgan S. Grant ’82, Willmar,
Kelly M. Williams ’92, Edina,
Minnesota, age 45, on August 25.
River, North Dakota, age 51, on
October 13.
Apple Valley, Minnesota, age 93,
on October 10.
Allan J. Kohls ’54, Minneapolis,
age 87, on October 4.
John D. Sorenson ’62, Hickory,
North Carolina, age 75, on
November 2.
Elise H. (Hoplin) Anderson ’45,
Marvin S. Undseth ’54, Salem,
Lee E. Keller ’63, San
Edina, Minnesota, age 96, on
October 13.
Oregon, age 90, on October 12.
Bernardino, California, age 80, on
August 27.
Edgar A. Emerson ’46,
Minnesota, age 81, on
September 30.
Perham, Minnesota, age 90, on
December 3.
Guilford “Guy” L. Parsons ’47,
Minneapolis, age 94, on
September 17.
Ruth E. (Thompson) Larson ’48,
Clearbrook, Minnesota, age 92, on
December 26.
Rolf Heng ’55, Fergus Falls,
Elmer Karlstad ’55, Warroad,
Minnesota, age 91, on
November 14.
Alfred E. Kaupins ’57, Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, age 88, on
November 25.
Joyce (Hanson) Holbrook ’65,
Lincoln, California, age 72, on
December 27.
Edythe “Edie” (Berg) Johnson ’65,
Stillwater, Minnesota, age 72, on
October 1.
Marilyn J. Larson ’65, Estes Park,
Colorado, age 73, on November 3.
Lawrence “Larry” C. Pratt Jr. ’57,
Joyce A. (Schuchart) Hagerty ’66,
Minnesota, age 88, on October 16.
St. Anthony, Minnesota, age 81,
on July 12.
Oneida, Illinois, age 72, on
December 4.
Paul I. Roth ’49, White Bear
Eldri R. (Johanson) Salter ’57,
Lake, Minnesota, age 90, on
November 21.
Pocatello, Idaho, age 80, on
September 8.
Philip “Phil” A. Walen ’70,
Stillwater, Minnesota, age 67, on
September 9.
Arne Simengaard ’49,
Dennis F. Gibson ’59, Edina,
Russell “Jeff” J. Quanbeck ’71,
Fridley, Minnesota, age 88, on
November 28.
Minnesota, age 83, on
September 5.
Bloomington, Minnesota, age 67,
on December 1.
Allen J. Moe ’48, Dawson,
Minnesota, age 85, on October 1.
Minnesota, age 55, on August 28.
Thomas D. Orstad ’93, Park
Earl R. Kinley III ’94, Eagan,
Minnesota, age 55, on
December 18.
Christine L. (Quandt) Edinger ’99,
Madison, Wisconsin, age 49, on
December 19.
Judith A. (Gretz) Roy ’99,
Minneapolis, age 68, on
September 24.
Traci M. Singher ’12, ’15 MSW,
Minnetonka, Minnesota, age 44,
on December 1.
Dustyn B. Hessie ’13,
Minneapolis, age 27, on June 15.
Augsburg College Women’s
Basketball Head Coach William
“Bill” L. McKee, New Brighton,
Minnesota, age 62, on August 27.
The “In memoriam” listings in this publication
include notifications received before January 10.
32
Augsburg Now
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LeVar Burton encourages the next generation
Actor, director, writer, producer, and educator LeVar Burton—best known for his roles in “Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,”
and “Reading Rainbow”—inspired prospective students to make positive change in the world. Burton’s presentation took place
this winter during Scholarship Weekend, an annual event where prospective students compete for the President’s and Fine Arts
scholarships.
Show less
Beyond the scoreboard
National champion to local hero
Leadership and conflict
CARVING WAY
THE
FORWARD
SUMMER 2016 | VOL. 78, NO. 3
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Summer 2016
Director of News a... Show more
Beyond the scoreboard
National champion to local hero
Leadership and conflict
CARVING WAY
THE
FORWARD
SUMMER 2016 | VOL. 78, NO. 3
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Summer 2016
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On thoughtful stewardship
Director of Marketing
Communication
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Communication Copywriter
and Editorial Coordinator
Augsburg’s mission statement says that we
educate students to be “thoughtful stewards”
as well as “informed citizens, critical thinkers,
and responsible leaders.”
I imagine some may read “thoughtful
stewards” and think about church fundraising
campaigns or care for the environment, the
typical places we consider stewardship—and
both important causes!
At Augsburg, though, thoughtful
stewardship is a much more compelling
claim. It goes beyond simple acts of giving
or environmental care. It is a way of living,
an ethic that teaches us how to live in the
world. And it is at the heart of an Augsburg
education—from how we engage students with
the community to help them discern their gifts
and gain a holistic understanding of the needs
of our world (see page 16) to the deep listening
and conversation we embed in our classes, such
as in the Master of Arts in Leadership course
that was integrated with this year’s Nobel Peace
Prize Forum (see page 20).
Also in this issue of Augsburg Now, you will
read about the genuine privilege I had to deliver
a major address on stewardship to Cargill
employees worldwide.
In that address, I said: “… stewardship
involves a practice of standing up, speaking
up in a manner that reflects—and makes
clear—our values. The challenge for the good
steward—as a parent or manager or citizen—is
to pursue practices that help connect us with
the deeply held values and commitments that
characterize our personal and corporate lives.
“The truth is that many people do not think
about the reasons for their actions. They act,
and they expect others to accept their action
at face value. But good stewardship demands
reflection, then the courage to act based on our
convictions, and to do so overtly so that we are
publicly accountable for how our actions reflect
our values. Only in that link is there integrity in
human life.”
At Augsburg—as reflected in the stories
that follow in these pages—we educate
students to embrace their many gifts, to
understand the obligations they have to
steward those gifts, and to appreciate the
important work of taking a stand for the values
and commitments that honor the gifts and
contributions of each of us.
Thoughtful stewardship—a way of life
for all of us. I give thanks for a teaching and
learning community that is blessed with and
inspired by our remarkable legacy and mission.
I give thanks for the privilege of being a faithful
steward of all the gifts that make Augsburg
such a rare place.
Faithfully yours,
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Christina Haller
haller@augsburg.edu
Production Manager
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Advancement Communication
Specialist
Jen Lowman Day
dayj@augsburg.edu
Contributor
Ryan Nichols ’16
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.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi brought energy and passion
to the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Forum sponsored by Augsburg College.
Following three days of dialogue on peacebuilding, he and his wife,
Sumedha Kailash, joined Forum attendees in a Bollywood-style dance
party for the conference’s finale.
02 Around the quad
20
Leadership and conflict
08
From national hampion to local hero
23
Auggies connect
14
Beyond the scoreboard
27 Class notes
16
The city: Course content and classroom
32 In memoriam
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu.
On the cover: Construction crews work on the footings for the main lobby of the Norman and
Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion, an interdisciplinary building
that will open in 2018, anchoring the west side of the Augsburg College campus. See page 2.
Email: now@augsburg.edu
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
FROM THE
GROUND
THIS BUG’S-EYE VIEW captures the April 2016 groundbreaking ceremony for Augsburg’s Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for
Science, Business, and Religion. The celebration included hundreds of Augsburg College alumni, students, donors, neighbors, and
faculty and staff members, as well as city and county officials. The new academic building is slated to open in January 2018.
2
Augsburg Now
Pictured [L to R]: Outgoing Augsburg College Board of Regents Chair Dr. Paul Mueller ’84, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, Naming Gift
Donors Evangeline Hagfors and Norman Hagfors, Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow, National Fundraising Campaign Chair Michael Good ’71,
Augsburg College Provost Karen Kaivola, and 2015-16 Day Student Body President Duina Hernandez ’16.
Summer 2016
3
AROUND THE QUAD
$50,000 grant funds
RECYCLING PROGRAM EXPANSION
Student-faculty-staff collaboration improves campus sustainability
D
A
U
Q
E
H
T
D
N
U
O
AR
NEW RESIDENTS
HONORING
Retiring Faculty
SET MEMORIAL HALL
KATHY ACCURSO
ABUZZ
Instructor, Department of Education—
with the College since 2012
KATHERINE BAUMGARTNER
Assistant Professor, Department of
Nursing—with the College since 2005
Hives installed to bolster honey bee population
RONALD FEDIE
It has been decades since the last students moved out
of Memorial Hall; the dormitory was converted to
office space in the late 1960s. However, a new
group of inhabitants moved in this spring when
The Beez Kneez organization installed beehives on
the building’s rooftop as part of an urban apiary
partnership program. Augsburg joined the program
to further the College’s commitment to environmental
stewardship and to creating green spaces within the city.
Recently, honey bee populations have been decreasing
due to parasites and the misuse of pesticides. The on-campus hives
will help rebuild the local population and pollinate Augsburg’s plant
life. Those worried about getting stung can rest easy—honey bees are
not aggressive and will not sting unless threatened.
4
Augsburg Now
Professor Emeritus, Department of
Chemistry—with the College since 1996
FEKRI MEZIOU
Professor Emeritus, Department of
Business Administration—with the
College since 1987
VICKI OLSON
Professor Emerita, Department of
Education—with the College since 1987
CELEBRATING
STUDENT
Augsburg College can boost its efforts to divert organic and compostable
items from trash and other recycling thanks to a $50,000 recycling grant
from the Hennepin County Environment and Energy Department. The
funding will be used to purchase indoor and outdoor bins, rolling carts,
and signage to foster increased composting of organic material and the
proper disposal of mixed recyclables.
Go to augsburg.edu/green to learn about
Augsburg’s Environmental
Augsburg’s commitment to offering
facilities that are welcoming, sustainable,
Stewardship Committee, Facilities and
and designed for educational excellence.
Custodial staff, and the Augsburg Day
Student Government’s Environmental Action Committee collaborated to
submit the grant proposal.
“Thousands of people touch the campus in some way during the
course of one year,” said Amber Lewis ’17 MAE, an Environmental
Stewardship Fellow who supports on-campus sustainability initiatives.
“In addition to students, faculty, and staff, guests join our community
for graduation ceremonies, sporting events, performances, convocations,
summer camps, conferences, and workshops. This presents us with an
opportunity to share a clear message about the importance of recycling
in our community.”
SUCCESS
Read about the wide range of prestigious academic
achievements and awards earned by Auggies during
the 2015-16 year at augsburg.edu/now.
AUGSBURG EXHIBITION
SHINES in Guerrilla Girls
Twin Cities Takeover
World-renowned feminist art activists the Guerrilla
Girls recently “took over” Minneapolis and St. Paul
to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Augsburg
College was among more than two dozen arts and cultural institutions that
hosted exhibits and events highlighting gender and race inequalities and
promoting artistic expression.
The Guerrilla Girls, who wear gorilla masks and use the names of famous
female artists as pseudonyms, were on campus for the opening reception
of “Reconfiguring Casta,” a site-specific installation for the Christensen
Center Art Gallery. Combining prints and paintings, artist Maria Cristina
Tavera addressed the social concept of race and the issue of socio-racial
classifications. Tavera, known on campus as “Tina,” also serves as the director
of Augsburg’s McNair Scholars program, which seeks to increase graduate
degree awards for students from underrepresented segments of society.
Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow delivered
the keynote address for Cargill’s annual ethics week this
spring. Pribbenow is recognized as one of the nation’s
most engaging commentators and teachers on ethics,
philanthropy, and American public life. His talk, “Promises
to Keep: An Ethic of Stewardship,” reached Cargill
employees located in Minneapolis and around the world.
Summer 2016
5
AROUND THE QUAD
ON THE SPOT
What does it mean to matter? What does it look like to matter?
With the Black Lives Matter movement, questions of racial equity have ignited important—and difficult—
conversations in communities and courtrooms, on political campaign trails, and on college campuses.
Augsburg College Professor William “Bill” Green studies and writes about history and law. His most recent book,
“Degrees of Freedom: The Origins of Civil Rights in Minnesota, 1865–1912,” chronicles conditions for African American
Minnesotans and others in the half-century following the Civil War. Today, Minnesota and the nation are very different
than they were in the postbellum period that Green examined, but tightly woven threads unite contemporary events with
those occurring more than a century earlier.
COMMENCEMENT 2016
Students of color, award winners, and former KARE 11
anchor stand out at graduation
Augsburg College celebrated students completing degrees
in the traditional undergraduate, adult undergraduate, and
graduate programs through commencement ceremonies
held April 30. The 2016 traditional undergraduate class is
the most diverse in the College’s history and comprised of
more than 42 percent students of color.
Commencement keynote speaker Michael Botticelli,
director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, addressed ceremony attendees and
was awarded an honorary doctorate. Michael Good ’71
also was awarded an honorary degree in recognition of
his service to the College. Eleanor Barr ’16 earned the
Marina Christensen Justice Award, and Kim Chisholm ’16
received this year’s Richard Thoni Award, recognizing
exceptional contributions to their communities.
Teaching and learning
award winners
Augsburg recognizes individuals or
groups who have made exemplary
contributions to creating an
engaging academic learning
environment. The 2016 recipients
of the Distinguished Contributions to
Teaching and Learning awards are:
Teaching
Former KARE 11 News anchor Diana
Pierce ’16 MAL earned her Masters of
Arts in Leadership and participated in
commencement this spring.
“The program at Augsburg gave
me exactly what I wanted to add to my
skillset for a new adventure,” Pierce
said on KARE 11 in April.
Joe Underhill, associate professor of
political science
Research
Michael Lansing, associate professor
and History Department chair
Service
Dulce Monterrubio, director of Latin@
Student Services
6
Augsburg Now
Q:
What prompted your interest in
studying the history of African
Americans in Minnesota?
A:
In 1860, a slave woman was freed
in a Minneapolis courtroom. In the
aftermath, citizens in the communities of
St. Anthony and Minneapolis for days walked
the streets eyeing their neighbors, waiting for
the smallest provocation to spark violence.
We were on the verge of seeing our own
little civil war erupt in Minnesota over the
issue of slavery. Ultimately, Minnesotans’
attention was averted by news of the
Confederate bombardment of the federal
installation of Fort Sumter. Upon hearing the
news, Minnesota was the first state to send
volunteers into the Union Army. Seven years
later, it would be the first state to extend
voting rights to black men, pre-dating the
ratification of the 15th Amendment. I felt
compelled to understand this dynamic.
Q:
When Minnesota granted suffrage
to people who are black, what
implications did this have in citizens’ lives?
ELCA college conference
Students, faculty members, and staff from two dozen
colleges and universities affiliated with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America came together this summer
as Augsburg hosted the annual Vocation of a Lutheran
College Conference. The event featured a partnership with
Interfaith Youth Core—an organization renowned for uniting
young people of different religious and moral traditions for
dialogue around shared values. IFYC Founder Eboo Patel [pictured speaking] discussed
the colleges’ role in preparing students for life in a religiously diverse world.
‘Degrees of Freedom’ in
Minnesota’s past and present
A:
[L to R]: Michael Lansing, Dulce Monterrubio,
and Joe Underhill.
In a practical sense, the implications
were non-existent. There simply
weren’t enough black voters in Minnesota
to influence political leaders or affect
public policy. Symbolically, however, during
a time of mounting economic dislocation
coupled with the spread of white supremacy,
it raised the bar, not just in terms of the
broader virtue of racial equality, but, more
fundamentally, stressing the need for true
leadership that called on ordinary people to
overcome their baser instincts and choose to
act with common decency.
Q:
And yet you’ve said that race is
“written between the lines” of early
Minnesota history, rather than spoken
about directly. What do you mean?
A:
The fact that the black population was
so small made it easy for historians
and opinion makers to draw rosy pictures
of racial exceptionalism without needing
to be checked by a more balanced reality.
Without the “significant other” whose
history was hidden in footnotes, it became
easy to believe what one wanted to believe.
But could it really be true that Dred Scott
was the only slave to live in Minnesota?
Could Frederick Douglass be the only
African American to be denied service
in a prestigious hotel in St. Paul, even
though the proprietor was a friend of his
and an officer in the Union Army? Could
the paucity of discrimination lawsuits in
the 19th century really mean there was no
discrimination in restaurants and taverns?
Q:
Today’s Black Lives Matter movement
involves participatory democracy—
participation by many and with more
diffuse leadership than the civil rights
movements of the 1960s. When you look
at the Black Lives Matter movement, what
strikes you, considering the lens through
which you write your books?
A:
In 1965 when the civil rights
movement pressed for voting rights,
the powerful symbolism of Martin Luther
King and Malcolm X joining forces placed
pressure on the President of the United
States to shepherd through Congress the
Voting Rights bill and sign it into law.
Federal protection of the right to vote
was a moral issue. But it was the union
of two leaders who embodied opposing
approaches to advancing civil rights that
heightened a sense of urgency to enact
the bill. The moral: As long as there are no
“inside”-“outside” forces simultaneously
working for the same clearly defined issue,
advocates on either side of the spectrum
can be marginalized and eventually
dismissed. I don’t see a rival force to Black
Lives Matter that is pushing for the same
ends but through different means. This
isn’t the fault of BLM, but the absence of
a “significant other” should be a concern
to them, nonetheless. History can only
provide suggestions on how or even
whether to proceed.
The Minnesota Book Awards honored Green with
the 2016 Hognander Minnesota History Award.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to learn more
about Green’s research.
Summer 2016
7
Devean George ’99 was the first NCAA Division III player ever selected in
the first round of the NBA Draft—and he played professionally for more
than a decade. Now retired from basketball, he’s gone back to his roots
to help revitalize the Minneapolis neighborhood where he grew up.
BY CHRISTINA HALLER
8
Augsburg Now
November 3, 1999. The Los Angeles Lakers are debuting in their brand new home,
the Staples Center, with an unveiling ceremony followed by a game against the
Vancouver Grizzlies. A crowd of 20,000 fans is packed inside, waiting for NBA stars
Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal to make opening remarks.
But instead, the Lakers players decide to encourage their newest rookie to
address the crowd. The lights go down, and all becomes still. In less than 30
seconds, it’s go time.
“No, guys, don’t make me do this! I don’t know what to do,” whispers a
22-year-old Devean George ’99. But his pleas were met with laughter.
“I just remember shaking in my boots. There are tens of thousands of people
here, and I’m going to be out at center court—all eyes on me,” recalls George. “So I
get out there, and it just clicked. It was easy.”
George credits his education in communication studies from Augsburg for
helping to prepare him for that life-changing moment, as well as all of his public
speaking engagements from that point forward.
“As an NBA player, you have a camera with that big, red light in front of your
face every day,” George said. “You have to know how to conduct yourself and
communicate effectively. And all those communication classes I took at Augsburg
come into play.”
After high school, George enrolled at Augsburg assuming he would play basketball
for the Auggies, earn a degree, and find a job in business. But his “hoop dreams”
became a reality pretty early on in his Augsburg career.
“When I recruited Devean, he was about
6'2" and 170 pounds,” said former Augsburg
basketball coach Brian Ammann ’85. “Fortunately
for Devean, he grew about five inches and put on
50 pounds by his sophomore year. And his hard
work paid off in big ways.”
George was the first NCAA Division III player
ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
He was the 23rd overall pick in 1999, chosen by
the Los Angeles Lakers—one of the most storied
franchises in NBA history.
George is now retired from the NBA after playing
11 seasons and becoming only the seventh player
in history to win a league championship in each of his first three seasons. He has since
found a successful career in real estate development and a passion for giving back.
George played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2006.
In 2006, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks and played in
Texas until 2009. He then joined the Golden State Warriors in
Oakland, California, in 2009 until his retirement in 2010.
George was raised by devoted, hardworking parents in the Willard-Hay neighborhood
of north Minneapolis and still calls the Twin Cities home — a place he loves for its
friendly people and four seasons. His current work focuses on helping to improve his
childhood community.
10
Augsburg Now
Summer 2016
11
After George joined the NBA, he started volunteering his time in schools and
after-school programs. He noticed many of the children he visited didn’t have
stable housing, which significantly affected their security and education.
“That’s when I decided helping kids and families would be the foundation of
what I do,” said George, who has two young sons. He founded Building Blocks,
a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality housing, community
development, and programming for youth and families.
“If you don’t have stable housing, you’re not going to care about schooling,
safety, or eating healthy. If we get those families into stable housing, then they
can focus on those other things,” George said.
George’s first affordable housing project opened this spring—The Commons at
Penn in north Minneapolis, an income-restricted, 47-unit workforce apartment
building that also includes an on-site health and wellness facility, an after-school
program, a fitness center, a toddler playground, and a grocery store.
Long-term, George would like to help create a more family-friendly community
in north Minneapolis—a community that provides greater amenities for its
residents. So far, The Commons at Penn has been a successful addition to the
neighborhood.
“[The] Commons at Penn achieves multiple city goals: creating new, highquality, affordable housing options [and] increased residential density along a
key commercial and transit corridor, and bringing in commercial activity and
services,” said Andrea Brennan, director of Housing Policy and Development for
the City of Minneapolis. “This project sets us on a promising course to continue
development at this important north Minneapolis node.”
George is planning phase two of The Commons at Penn, which will go up
right across the street from the existing mixed-use building. He also is developing
housing complexes in South Carolina and Louisiana, and has been contacted by
fellow professional athletes who would like to see a change in the neighborhoods
where they were raised.
In addition to literally helping build a solid foundation for families through stable
housing, George also helps build a strong foundation for young people through
mentorship programs like Read to Achieve.
“The kids think that [NBA players] are not human beings because we know
how to play basketball,” said George. “If I can tell a kid to go to school and not to
do drugs, and just because I can play basketball he’ll listen to me, I’m going to
try to use that to my advantage.”
George is also busy instilling the values of compassion and service in his own
two sons, ages 7 and 4. For starters, they learn to share by donating their toys to
kids who otherwise wouldn’t have any.
“They’re still young, but I started teaching my boys early on a way of giving
and understanding. I explain to them that this [lifestyle] isn’t normal; they’re in
a blessed situation,” George said. “I’ve been able to achieve a lot of things. But I
know I’ve had a lot of help along the way.”
12
Augsburg Now
WORKFORCE HOUSING offers reduced rent to people who are gainfully employed (and don’t qualify as low-income), yet still struggle to afford market-rate housing.
It’s explained by the Urban Land Institute as housing that is “affordable to families earning 60 to 100 percent of area median income.” Workforce housing commonly is
targeted for essential workers in a community, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, social workers, and nurses.
Summer 2016
13
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE AND LAURA SWANSON LINDAHL ’15 MBA
THE CITY:
COURSE CONTENT
AND CLASSROOM
Each semester, painting and drawing classes typically occur in what originally was an Augsburg
College chapel. Old Main 100 is an inspiring place with 25-foot ceilings and soaring windows.
On-campus studios offer focused spaces for students to learn about visual art media, methods, and
creative expression. For 25 years, Associate Professor and Art Department Co‑Chair Tara Sweeney
has taught foundational drawing principles in Old Main with what she calls “as few spectators
and distractions as possible,” and in recent years she also has led short-term international travel
courses in which students develop the same skills without the support of a traditional studio.
This spring, Sweeney and her Minneapolis-based students traveled close to home as they
stepped beyond the boundaries of the campus studio, choosing to forgo a controlled setting to
embrace learning opportunities present in public areas that are as complex and challenging as they
are diverse.
“Instead of creating a still life with the same old props, I utilized the city as subject matter
and classroom,” Sweeney said. “Students were as actively engaged in creative placemaking as
they were in making drawings — effectively shaping the physical and social character of whatever
neighborhood, museum, coffee shop, or landmark we chose as a drawing site.”
A CORE CHALLENGE
In the article “The Power of Experiential Education,” nationally recognized education scholar and
professor Janet Eyler noted that a central challenge for liberal arts educators like Sweeney—and
indeed the entire Augsburg College faculty—is to “design learning environments and instruction
so that students will be able to use what they learn in appropriate new contexts.” That is, to
successfully “bridge classroom study and life in the world and to transform inert knowledge into
knowledge-in-use.”
In a drawing course, for instance, students develop technical skills while exploring individual
subject matter and creative expression. It is perhaps the latter of these elements that came into
clearer focus when Sweeney took her students out in the community.
The artists “made connections with strangers and learned things about themselves in the
process,” Sweeney said. They become comfortable creating art in the midst of daily life and
finished the course with “real skills and the right tools to continue drawing wherever they find
themselves and wherever inspiration finds them.”
JUST A GLIMPSE
At Augsburg, students across disciplines and degree programs benefit from faculty instruction that
integrates experiential learning opportunities with traditional instructional methods, thereby linking
course concepts with real-world applications. The pages that follow offer a glimpse at a small
sample of the faculty and students who use Minneapolis as their classroom.
16
Augsburg Now
Johanna Goggins ’16 works on a sketch
in the solarium at the American Swedish
Institute in Minneapolis.
Summer 2016
17
ARTS AND THE CITIES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
ENV 120:
Students clad in safety gear and
earplugs to dampen the deafening
noise weave their way through a Eureka Recycling processing
plant. Environmental Science focuses on understanding and
resolving problems humans have created in the natural world.
The course includes hands-on learning opportunities that
make complex scientific concepts more approachable and
applicable for students.
“The city is the perfect place for these types of
experiences to happen—it’s all right at our fingertips: a
wastewater treatment plant, power plant, recycling center, and public transit,” said Assistant
Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Emily Schilling. “We can observe the detrimental
effects humans are having on the environment, and we also can see some of the ways we are trying
to mitigate that impact.”
MIS 375:
HON 230:
Students in Augsburg College’s Honors Program join
Minnesota Orchestra performers onstage following a symphony
event at Orchestra Hall. As an interdisciplinary course, “Arts and the Cities”
unites film, music, theater, and visual art — offering students the chance to peruse
Picassos, soak in Shakespeare, and mingle with musicians. Together, students and
teachers explore the role of the arts in a culturally dynamic urban setting.
“Students enjoy the experiential nature of this course,” said Associate Professor
of Music Merilee Klemp ’75. “They often comment that it presents them with
opportunities that they would not have on their own and deepens their understanding
of the role of the arts in their lives long after the course is over.”
18
Augsburg Now
E-COMMERCE
Students speak with
Abdirahman Mukhtar,
a youth program manager at Pillsbury
United Communities’ Brian Coyle Center.
Mukhtar oversees the Sisterhood Boutique,
a secondhand clothing store that serves
as a training ground for young women to
learn about entrepreneurship, business,
community partnerships, and sustainable
fashion. Through their discussions with
Mukhtar, the Auggies began to apply some
of their fundamental course concepts in a
real-world setting.
Summer 2016
19
2016 NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE FORUM
LEADERSHIP
& CONFLICT
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi shared his vision for global compassion during the Nobel
Peace Prize Forum. More than 300 students, academics, activists, and thought leaders participated in three
days of discussion and presentations to advance peacebuilding.
O R G A NI ZI NG PA RT N E RS
20
Augsburg Now
MED IA SPO N SO R
GRADUATE STUDENTS STUDY
GLOBAL COMPASSION AT THE 2016
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
Conflict is a pervasive characteristic of
human interaction.
This is the opening line of the summer
syllabus for Augsburg College’s Master of
Arts in Leadership course, “Navigating
Local & Global Conflict: Interfaith
Dimensions.” The statement underscores
how important it is for leaders to develop
the ability to navigate and inspire others
in the face of conflict and sets the stage
for the work of analyzing leadership in the
context of real-world situations.
By design, the course is integrated with
the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, for
which Augsburg is the host sponsor.
“The Nobel Peace Prize Forum is a
gem,” said history and leadership studies
professor Jacqueline deVries. It’s a oneof-a-kind event that allows students to
learn through direct engagement about
the contexts and complexities involved
in conflict. deVries, who also serves as
director for Augsburg’s general education
program, co-taught the course with Martha
Stortz, Bernhard M. Christensen Professor
of Religion and Vocation, and Tom Morgan,
professor of leadership studies.
Held annually in Minneapolis, the
Nobel Peace Prize Forum is one of only
three programs officially associated with
the Norwegian Nobel Institute. The Forum’s
mission is to inspire peacemaking by
focusing on the work of Nobel Peace Prize
laureates and by engaging students and the
wider community with national and global
leaders in the process of peacebuilding.
The Forum provided the students in
the graduate course with direct access to
leaders from businesses, nonprofits, and
government organizations whose work
involves navigating complex, real-world
challenges that range from food security
to civil unrest to poverty and climate
change. The students used examples
from the Forum, as well as from their
own lives, to analyze conflict involving
religious diversity in their communities,
examine contemporary issues in a historical
perspective, and develop a view on what
effective leadership looks like (or might
look like) in actual situations.
Students come to the Master’s of Arts
in Leadership program with experience
PEACEB U ILD IN G PARTN ER- SPONSORS
Summer 2016
21
AUGGIES CONNECT
Martin Olav Sabo ’59
leaves mark on
Augsburg College
community
in both for-profit and not-for-profit
organizations. In gathering during a
lunch break to share reflections about
what they were learning at the Forum,
the class observed that it is not possible
to be effective as a leader without
knowing what’s going on in the world.
The Forum, they said, was a prompt
for thinking about how a leader would
approach addressing challenging topics
and situations in their work.
Too often, people are so
wrapped up with their jobs and
family and school that they don’t
think about the difficulties others
are facing in the world. It’s not that
people don’t care about these topics, one
student said, but they often just don’t
pay attention to the issues on a daily
basis. Being at the Forum offered a level
of understanding that may not happen in
a classroom, the students said.
In fact, during the Forum the
students directly engaged with difficult
topics, and it required a conscious
choice to hear the tragic stories about
topics like child slavery and human
trafficking. This is where our general
population may be falling short, one
student observed—choosing to turn away
instead of understanding the reality of
these issues.
The Master of Arts in Leadership
program, however, equips individuals to
turn toward—rather than away from—
challenging issues in order to seek
solutions and inspire others toward a
common goal. The program is designed
to prepare leaders who are ethically and
morally responsible, who can see beyond
immediate concerns, and who are
sensitive to the complex problems that
organizations face. By using the Nobel
Peace Prize Forum as a classroom, these
students worked to understand both the
systems that contribute to conflict and
the systems that effective leaders can
use to address it.
“WE HAVE TO CHANGE
THE DEMAND”
Top [L to R]: Dean Jarrow ’16 MAL and
Dele Odiachi ’17 MAL
Bottom: [L to R]: Jacqueline deVries; Margaret
PowellMack ’17 MAL; Kevin Stirtz ’17 MAL; Subashini
Ambrose ’18 MAL; Tom Morgan; Eric Miamen ’04,
’14 MBA, ’16 MAL; David Nyssen ’16 MBA, ’17 MAL; Nobel
Laureate Kailash Satyarthi; Howie Smith ’80, ’19 MAL;
Satyarthi’s wife, Sumedha Kailash; MAL Director Alan
Tuchtenhagen; and Brad Beeskow ’17 MAL.
22
Augsburg Now
For example, some students thought
that business was potentially the most
powerful force for addressing the issues
discussed at the Forum; others argued
that the biggest changes will come
when consumers demand it, quoting
comments by Nobel Laureate Kailash
Satyarthi, who, in his opening remarks,
said, “We have to change the demand.”
Another student observed that
every person has a powerful “what’s in
it for me” filter and noted that, if we
don’t translate the message in a way
that addresses this filter, it will not
be effective. And, although the class
agreed, the students also recognized that
people are often motivated not just by
what benefits them directly, but also by
generosity and helping others—by what,
as one student phrased it, satisfies a
need of the heart.
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
Former U.S. Representative Martin Olav Sabo ’59, who passed away on March 13 at
age 78, was a lifelong public servant and renowned Augsburg College alumnus who
exemplified the progressive approach and personal integrity that were modeled in
his Lutheran upbringing and education.
The work he and his wife, Sylvia, devoted to guiding the Martin Olav Sabo
Center for Democracy and Citizenship, the Sabo Scholars program, and the annual
Sabo Symposium—all of which create opportunities for civic experiences and skillbuilding inside and outside the classroom—will leave a lasting legacy at Augsburg.
Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow said that Sabo’s “life-long
commitment to public service is an inspiration to all of us. The Sabo Center gives
Augsburg the ongoing opportunity to celebrate the life and work of our dear friend.”
One year after graduating from Augsburg College, Sabo—then 22—was elected
to serve in the Minnesota House of Representatives. During his tenure, he became
the first member of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor party to serve as Speaker of the
House—a post he held from 1973-78. He went on to serve for 28 years as a
member of the U.S. House of Representatives, retiring in 2007.
At the same time that Sabo served in Congress, he volunteered 12 years to
Augsburg College as a member of the Board of Regents. The College named Sabo
a Distinguished Alumnus and awarded him its first-ever honorary degree. Sabo was
distinguished in all he undertook and, in 2006, was appointed Commander of the
Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for outstanding work and dedication to NorwegianAmerican relations.
Congressman Sabo and Sylvia Sabo are parents of Auggies Karin Mantor ’86 and
Julie Sabo ’90.
Summer 2016
23
AUGGIES CONNECT
New to the Alumni Board
Five Auggies elected to serve three-year terms on the Augsburg College
Alumni Board will network with and mentor current Auggies, build community
with alumni, and provide a vital link between the College and graduates.
TRAVEL IN THAILAND AND CAMBODIA
JANUARY 3-15, 2017
To learn more, go to
augsburg.edu/alumni/travel.
Derek Francis ’08
School counselor, Minneapolis Public Schools
“Through the awesome community and volunteer opportunities at
Augsburg, I realized I was passionate about working with youth.
Augsburg’s value of service to the community transformed my life.”
Lori Higgins ’94, ’12 MAL
President, MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce
“I am eager to give back to the school that has given me so many
opportunities, such as political internships with [former U.S. Rep.] Martin
Sabo ’59 and MN Sen. Bill Luther, which began my career.”
MAKES LASTING IMPACT
With its Give to the Max Day gifts, the Biology Department funded new research
opportunities for two students: Oksana Burt ’17 and Davy DeKrey ’17 [pictured].
24
Augsburg Now
Business development, Gravie
“A continuing passion of mine is to grow our networking efforts, both for
employers and individuals as they connect with Auggie alumni.”
Online giving day supports students, faculty, programs
Auggies last fall made Augsburg College No. 1 in the annual Give to the
Max Day challenge. This year, Give to the Max Day is November 17, and
the College is calling on alumni to push Augsburg into the top spot for the
fourth year in a row.
In 2015, in just 24 hours, more than 1,000 Auggies—many of whom
were first-time donors—generously stepped up to give more than $240,000
to Augsburg. As a result, Augsburg ranked first among all participating
Minnesota colleges and universities, and earned a $10,000 bonus.
Alumni support on Give to the Max Day has a lasting impact and
supports new opportunities for students. Funds raised last year supported
the expansion of on-campus research; the purchase of a 3-D printer for
the mathematics and statistics department; production costs for Howling
Bird Press, the student-run book publishing project in the Master of
Fine Arts in Creative Writing program; and trips by athletic teams for
competition, education, and community service.
This November, alumni also can give to scholarships that honor the
legacy of music, research, and civil service at Augsburg. Gifts are being
sought to honor the work of Leland Sateren ’35, U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo ’59,
the StepUP® program, and the Office of Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity, which connects students with new and existing
research and scholarship on campus, across the United States, and
around the world.
Anyone can donate any amount on Give to the Max Day. Schedule
your gifts online at givemn.org beginning November 1.
Josh Krob ’08, ’15 MBA
Janeece Oatman ’05
Development director, American Diabetes Association
“I have a passion for committee-building, and I am interested in
networking opportunities, reconnecting with campus, and fellow Auggies.”
Brad Randall ’13
Mechanical maintenance planner, Xcel Energy
“As a graduate of Augsburg’s Adult Undergraduate program, I am
interested in mentoring Augsburg alumni in all fields.”
[L to R]: Lewis Istok ’18 and Abigale Enrici ’18 create a two-material print
using a 3-D printer purchased with Give to the Max Day funds.
Jordan Brandt ’17 throws a pitch on the baseball team’s 2016 spring break trip
to Arizona. The team raised more than $17,000 on Give to the Max Day 2015.
Back row [L to R]: Josh Krob ’08, ’15 MBA; Brad Randall ’13; Mary Prevost ’12 MBA; Cyrus Batheja ’08, ’10 MBA;
Jay Howard ’03, Nick Rathmann ’03; Hanna Dietrich ’05; Rick Bonlender ’78; Patricia Jesperson ’95; Melissa
(Daudt) Hoepner ’92; Howie Smith ’80, ’19 MAL; Marie (Eddy) Odenbrett ’01; Greg Schnagl ’91. Front row
[L to R]: Adrienne (Kuchler) Eldridge ’02; Meg (Schmidt) Sawyer ’00; Adriana Matzke ’13; Janeece Oatman ’05;
Chau “Tina” Nguyen ’08; Jill Watson ’10 MBA. Not pictured: Derek Francis ’08; Lori Higgins ’94, ’12 MAL;
Nick Swanson ’09
Q&A
with tour guide and Professor
of English Kathy Swanson
Q:
A:
How many times have you traveled to
Thailand? What keeps bringing you back?
My husband and I lived in Thailand as Peace
Corps volunteers for two years and have
returned eight times since. We return because
we feel Thailand is our “second home.” We love
Thailand’s beauty—from the huge city of Bangkok to
the mountains of northern Thailand in Chiang Mai
to the small beach town where we lived. We also
have many dear friends, some former students and
colleagues, with whom we love to reconnect.
Q:
A:
Can you share with us a memory from a trip
you led with Augsburg students?
We have shared our love of Thailand with
Augsburg students during five trips and have so
many good memories. Former Auggies still share their
memories and pictures of the trips with us. Some
of these students became English language learner
teachers because of their experience teaching English
in our former school. I remember one student, for
example, who was hesitant about going so far away
from home and to such an unfamiliar place. She had
been my student in several classes and seemed to
trust me when I encouraged her, so she took the big
step. We are still in contact after many years and she
has written about her trip to Thailand as being “lifechanging.” She stepped out of her comfort zone and
experienced things she could have never imagined,
gaining confidence and self-awareness.
Q:
A:
Who should take this trip?
Anyone who values expanding a worldview,
learning about a new culture, and experiencing
beauty.
Summer 2016
25
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
AUGGIES CONNECT
Martin Sabo ’59 leaves a
lasting legacy. See page 23.
1960
Rev. Dennis Glad ’60
and Barbara Glad
of St. Francis, Minnesota, have
led nearly 1,000 volunteers on
mission trips to 14 Caribbean
islands, Costa Rica, and Belize
over the past 25 years. Working
on a volunteer construction team,
the Glads and their crew have
built schools, clinics, churches,
orphanages, and more. In April,
the couple received WCCO Radio’s
Good Neighbor Award, and they
are now in the station’s Good
Neighbor Hall of Fame. In 1999,
Rev. Glad retired after serving in
the United Methodist Church for
more than 40 years.
empowering dreams
Travelers EDGE® grant affords
students pathway to success
In March, Augsburg was awarded a
$115,000 grant to continue offering
Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for
Graduation and Employment), a program
that provides underrepresented students
with scholarships, paid internships,
and mentorship in an effort to break
down barriers and provide long-term
opportunity. The highly successful
program, now in its sixth year at
Augsburg, is poised to have 15 Travelers
EDGE scholars on campus this fall—its
largest cohort yet.
This prestigious program—open
to only 12 colleges in the United
States—has lifetime payoffs for
students, including the chance to find
challenging and rewarding careers in
the insurance and financial services
industry. To get there, each Travelers
EDGE scholar works with a career coach
and a professional mentor at Travelers
and participates in financial literacy
programming.
Marlene Ibsen, vice president of
community relations at Travelers, said
Augsburg was already doing great work
and made for a natural Travelers EDGE
partner.
“Everything and everyone we
encountered at Augsburg, including
President Pribbenow and throughout
the organization, made us think, ‘This
is a team of people who really get it and
would be outstanding additions to the
Travelers EDGE collaborative,’” said Ibsen.
Students in the program receive financial
26
Augsburg Now
scholarships and something that, in the
long run, pays even greater dividends—
networking contacts.
“Once they begin immersing
themselves in the professional
development workshops and start
to build relationships with Travelers
employees, students quickly learn
that the networking and professional
coaching they are getting will be of
significant use to them in the long
term,” said Janet Morales, Augsburg’s
director for the program.
So far, Augsburg has had 23
Travelers EDGE scholars participate in
the program and some have gone on to
accept full-time positions with Travelers.
Dustina Granlund ’14 is one of the
Travelers EDGE alumni who works at
Travelers. Granlund had two internships
at the company, including one in
Hartford, Connecticut. As an intern,
she helped develop new and more
efficient reporting systems that are still
in use today.
Granlund said her mentor helped
her understand how school applies
to the real world by encouraging her
to accept and take on challenges, to
network, and to push herself beyond
her comfort zone.
“My Travelers EDGE scholar
work taught me business etiquette,
interviewing techniques, and résumé
writing,” she said. “It helped connect
me with resources at Augsburg that I
didn’t really know about.”
Travelers EDGE connected Granlund
with staff in Augsburg’s Clair and Gladys
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work
who helped Granlund become more
comfortable seeking regular advice on
graduate school.
Morales sees that the value of the
program goes far beyond job experience.
“Travelers EDGE is confidence
building,” she said. “Our scholars
do not typically have any corporate
experience prior to becoming a part
of Travelers EDGE, nor do they have
family members with that experience,
so starting their professional journey
within insurance and financial services
can be intimidating. However, Travelers
EDGE gives the scholars opportunities
to learn and build their skills within a
safe space. The end result is that they
can imagine themselves with a career in
insurance and financial services, which
they couldn’t before.”
1964
Roger Johnson ’64
was presented with
the Donald Clark Memorial Award
at Minnesota Hockey’s annual
banquet in April. The award is
given to an individual who has
been dedicated to the grassroots
growth and development of youth
hockey in Minnesota. Johnson was
the head coach for boys’ hockey in
Fergus Falls, Minnesota, from 1965
until 1972 and then was varsity
assistant and junior varsity head
coach for the next 27 years until
1999. He is a substitute teacher
and a volunteer general manager
for the boys’ hockey team.
1969
Royce Helmbrecht ’69
graduated with a
degree in education. Today,
47 years later, he works as a
substitute teacher with students
who struggle to get through
school. He also teaches jail
inmates for the GED program.
fundraisers. Her leisure activities
include gardening, walking,
biking, and reading.
Michael Good ’71 celebrates
at groundbreaking ceremony.
See page 2.
jazzy food songs. Sullivan attended
Augsburg as a flute student, studied
broadcasting at Brown Institute,
and has worked in radio and as a
voice-over artist. After appearing at
venues that draw swing dancers,
she teamed up with Laurie to create
the duo Retro Swing Sister.
Three years ago at Valley of Peace Lutheran Church in Golden Valley,
Minnesota, three parishioners took on a Lenten art project to create a mosaic
for their church entry. Led by Barb (Durkee) Mikelson ’71, the committee
also included Emilie Moravec ’07 and Jon Daniels ’88. The design, primarily
Mikelson’s work, echoed the stained glass window design in the church’s
sanctuary created by the late August Molder, an Augsburg professor. Mikelson
served the past 12 years as director of her church’s early childhood education
center, All God’s Children Learning Center, and retired in January. The school’s
leadership is now in the able hands of another Auggie, Courtney GadboisBrumbaugh ’95.
From the Auggie Connections blog.
Read more at augsburg.edu/alumni/blog.
He says the Lord intervened in his
life and directed him to Augsburg,
and he feels blessed to have
followed the Lord’s direction.
1971
Mary (Soulen) Johnson ’71
is the new branch
assistant at Minnesota’s Aitkin
Public Library. She especially
enjoys working with children
at the library and at the Aitkin
Children’s Center. As a volunteer
at Wild and Free in Garrison,
Minnesota, she helps with
feeding animals and assists with
Merilee Klemp ’75 uses the
city of Minneapolis as her
classroom. See page 16.
1982
Maryann Sullivan ’82
and Rhonda Laurie
have been entertaining listening
audiences and swing dancers for
the past three years. In February,
the two performed “Swingin’ a
la Carte” as part of the Jazz@
St. Barney’s concert series at St.
Barnabas Lutheran Church in
Plymouth, Minnesota, reflecting
the singers’ love of cooking through
Scott Whirley ’82 and Henry
Gerten ’98 were inducted into
the National Wrestling Coaches
Association Division III Hall of
Fame in a ceremony in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, prior to this year’s
NCAA Division III Wrestling
National Championships. Whirley
and Gerten are the ninth and 10th
Auggies to be inducted into the
NWCA Division III Hall of Fame.
Dr. Paul Mueller ’84 breaks ground
on Augsburg’s new, signature
academic building. See page 2.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
1967
In March, the Rev.
Terry J. Frovik ’67
and his wife, Pauline, were invited
by Archbishop Nemuel Babba
to participate in the installation
service for the Rev. Peter
Bartimawus, who was elected
Bishop of the Gongola Diocese of
the Lutheran Church of Christ in
Nigeria (LCCN). The service took
place in Bartimawus’ home village of Guyuk.
1992
Rosanne Newville Bump ’92 plans events, including
the St. Paul Winter Carnival as president and CEO
of the Saint Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation. She received
her MBA in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
She has stayed in touch with many of her Auggie classmates
over the years, and is pleased that both the St. Paul Winter
Carnival and the Cinco de Mayo organizations benefit from
the help of Augsburg interns as they plan events. She lives
with her husband of 28 years, Jeff Bump ’85, and their three
daughters (Madelyn, Ella, and Julia) in River Falls where she
served for nine years as CEO of the River Falls Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau.
Summer 2016
27
2000
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Brian Ammann ’85 reflects on one of
the standout athletes he coached.
See page 8.
1988
Building hope
In March, Bob Strommen ’74 volunteered for a
Habitat for Humanity project in Nicaragua. He
joined cousins Tim ’70 and Dawn (Hofstad) ’70
Strommen, and Judy (Knudson) Strommen ’77, and
was overwhelmed by the magnitude of poverty in
the small village where they worked. The trip was
Tim’s third visit to the same site.
Bob writes, “Prior to our venturing out,
we had an orientation led by our Nicaraguan
Habitat leader, Aleandra, who reported that there
was a need for more than 600,000 homes in
Nicaragua—either new builds or fixing up existing
homes in desperate need of repair. And we were
going to build one home. At the time I thought,
‘What difference will this make? How do you tackle
such an overwhelming need?’”
Upon meeting the eventual homeowner, her
daughter, and grandchildren, Bob soon learned
that their work in that one week would make a lifechanging impact for the family.
He’d considered the impact they would
make on the family of the house, but did not
comprehend the impact that the people and
volunteering would have on him, saying: “My goal
is not to be better than anyone else, but to be
better than I used to be.”
Jeff Judge ’88 successfully
defended his doctoral
dissertation at Minnesota State
University. His thesis was “Spirituality in
Higher Education: A Narrative Analysis of
its Use by Leaders for Decision-Making.”
Judge graduated from Augsburg with
bachelor’s degrees in music education
and Spanish, and received a master’s
in Spanish from Middlebury (Vermont)
College. He lives in Minnetonka,
Minnesota, with his wife, Jeannie, and
their three teenagers: Nico, Danny, and
Clare. He is the dean of the humanities
division at Normandale Community
College in Bloomington, Minnesota.
1989
Troy Bakker ’89 received a
doctorate of science degree
from Dakota State University in Madison,
South Dakota.
Stephen Hindle ’89 has been appointed
practice lead at the partner level for Aon
Hewitt’s assessment and leadership
practice for Asia, the Middle East, and
Africa. He also is the face of Aon Hewitt
in these markets. His responsibilities
include commercial management of all
assessment and leadership business
across 14 countries as well as all
operations, solution development, and
mergers and acquisitions activity in
these markets.
He is based in Singapore with his
wife of more than 21 years, Adean,
and their two daughters, Claudia and
Madeleine.
1996
As twin sisters, Kaja Foat ’96
and Zoe Foat ’96 have shared
a lot in life—a last name, a love of
color and nature, and a vision for a
more ethical world. In 2002, the sisters
followed their shared vision to create
FOAT. Their goal was to offer a refreshing,
eco-conscious alternative in women’s
fashion, starting with yoga apparel. Since
then, they’ve expanded their designs to
additional lines of one-of-a-kind garments
and wedding gowns, and their workspace
to studios in Minneapolis and Charleston,
South Carolina.
Devean George ’99 builds neighborhood
pride alongside community housing in
north Minneapolis. See page 8.
2000
Augsburg theater alumni
Stephanie Lein Walseth ’00,
Quinci Bachman ’15, and Jorge
Rodriguez ’15, and Professor Emerita
Martha Johnson participated in the
Full Circle Theater Company’s return
engagement of “Theater: A Sacred
Passage.” Lein Walseth and Johnson are
two writers of this original performance
piece, devised by the core artists of
Full Circle from their personal journeys
into theater. Their stories embody
the challenges and transformational
experiences they have had in becoming
theater artists and how their lives
and work reflect the changes in the
theater community during the past two
decades. The piece incorporates acting,
storytelling, choreography, and music.
Bachman was production coordinator,
stage manager, and sound designer.
Rodriguez served as set and technical
director and lighting designer. Johnson
was dramaturge and assistant director.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
1992
Heather Johnston ’92
(second from left) was
invited to speak at the annual
conference of the Municipal
Finance Directors of Israel in Eilat,
Israel. Johnston is president of
the Government Finance Officers
Association of the United States and
Canada. Johnston serves as the city
manager for Burnsville, Minnesota.
28
Augsburg Now
1999
[L to R]: J. Roxanne
Prichard, associate
professor of psychology and
neuroscience, and Jeanne “Birdie”
(Ramacher) Cunningham ’99,
associate director of health and
wellness, have created and
launched the Center for College
Sleep at the University
of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
2005
Jon Dahlin ’05
participated in track
and field at Augsburg, and he set
a national record in the hammer
throw that still stands. He went
on to compete nationally and
internationally in Highland games.
He competed in states including
California, Florida, and Texas, and
he also competed in Iceland. He
traveled to Gyor, Hungary, as part
of Team USA for the 2015 World
Highland Games Championship
where he squared off against 15
athletes from around the world.
He was pleased to record one
of his best performances ever
in caber (tossing a 175-pound
wooden beam), and finished in
seventh place. Dahlin lives in
Minnetonka, Minnesota, and works
as a software developer at Barr
Engineering, focusing primarily
on creating web applications. He
also is a sports photographer who
covers NFL games.
Jenni Fisher ’05 and Jade
Boettcher ’15 MAE were united
in marriage on January 20 in
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Boettcher received his Master of
Arts in Education from Augsburg
and is a special education teacher
at John Marshall High School
in Rochester, Minnesota. Fisher
received her bachelor’s from
Augsburg and is a clinic assistant
at Planned Parenthood
in Rochester.
Brandon Green ’05 is a new
managing partner at MG
Resources. Before joining the
company, Green spent nearly 18
years with Griffiths Corporation.
2007
James Lekatz ’07
wrote the music for
“The Snow Queen,” which was
presented at Stages Theatre in
Hopkins, Minnesota, in March.
This summer, Lekatz worked with
a group of students with autism
on a production of “The BFG” as
part of a program called CAST,
Creative Accepting Sensoryfriendly Theatre. He will be
assistant director on a production
called “Twinkle Twinkle,” as part
of Stages Theatre Company’s
theater for the very young, and he
will compose Stages’ next dance/
ballet piece, “The Velveteen
Rabbit,” to be performed next
spring.
2008
Andrew Webb ’08
volunteers his
time to assist local and global
communities as they recover from
natural disasters and tragedies.
He encourages others through
a letter-writing campaign and
invites groups, such as area
high schools, to join him in his
dedication to this mission.
Sara (Quigley) Brown ’00
received her chaplain badge
for the Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains
Ministry, a statewide nonprofit that serves
police and fire personnel. The program
follows a strict training that mirrors the
training of police officers.
Brown will return to the Twin Cities
in August to attend a clinical pastoral
education residency through which she
will receive certification to become a hospital chaplain.
2000
Ross Murray ’00,
’09 MBA, has
been issued a call from the
Metropolitan New York Synod in
New York City to be consecrated
as a diaconal minister and focus
on LGBT advocacy at GLAAD. He
and Richard Garnett ’07, ’09 MBA
were married in April.
2001
Sarah (Grans) Peterka ’01
married Erik Peterka
on December 12. Several Auggies
were at the celebration including:
Carrie Lind ’01, Skylar Hanson ’01,
Laura Hahn ’02, Erica ’01 and
Jason ’01 Bryan-Wegner, Ben
Hoogland ’00, Larye ’98 and
Melissa (Moyle) Pohlman ’00,
Lenise Butler ’01, and
Birgitte Simpson ’13.
2010
Jennifer (Mathwig)
Ortloff ’10 became joint
owner of the public accounting
firm of Peterson Juergensen
Hemerick & Co. in Hutchinson,
Minnesota, after five years with
the firm. Prior to becoming an
owner and before earning an
accounting degree at Augsburg,
she worked on the administrative
side of the company. Ortloff is a
native of Brownton, Minnesota,
and worked for the city of
Brownton while completing
her degree.
2005
When Claire Pettry ’05
moved to Ohio in the
fall of 2015, her Augsburg College
connection played a key role in
helping her form friendships in
her new locale. She met Chris
Ascher ’81 and wife, Susan, and
the three became fast friends
who completed a 5K run on
Thanksgiving.
2003
Megan and Jay
Howard ’03 welcomed
their son, Elias John, on April 28.
Lisa Svac Hawks ’85 sees Augsburg College as a “pillar of faith,” one of the reasons she chose the College
and why she continues to be involved. She served six years on the Alumni Board and is a founding
member of Augsburg Women Engaged.
Hawks is vice president, external communications, for United Healthcare Services. She is focused on
helping simplify the complicated health care landscape for the consumers so that they can live healthier
lives. In her spare time, Hawks enjoys gardening, cooking, and playing golf and other sports. She also
enjoys coaching her 10-year-old son Andrew’s baseball team, which she has done for the past three years.
From the Auggie Connections blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
2011
Patrick Siegel ’11 is
the proud owner of
Robusto & Briar cigar store and
lounge in Lakewood, Ohio. The
establishment is made for all
who appreciate a fine cigar and
conversation-worthy décor. He
got hooked on the cigar business
when, as a student at Augsburg,
he was hired by the Golden Leaf
shop, where he bought his cigars.
He and wife, Nicole, who grew
up in Rocky River, Ohio, decided
to settle in Lakewood. Robusto &
Briar specializes in hand-rolled
products that are kept in a 15-by30 foot humidor. The shop offers
about 400 types of cigars and
about 50 kinds of tobacco.
2012
The Minnesota
Women’s Press
published an article on Interfaith
Youth Connection, a program
for high school and college-age
youth that promotes interfaith
understanding and service. The
article includes comments from
Fardosa Hassan ’12, Muslim
student program associate at
Augsburg College and program
coordinator of Interfaith Youth
Connection. By holding regular
conversations and yearly service
events, the group seeks to give
youth “a way to be proud of
who they are in whatever faith
background they [believe],
while reducing prejudice and
misconception,” Hassan said.
“In the midst of what is going on
today, this is something we need.”
Patrick Sayler ’12 is the new
general manager of Co-op Natural
Foods in Sioux Falls, South
Dakota. Before returning to Sioux
Falls three years ago, he spent
16 years in the Minneapolis area
managing cafes and retail shops.
As the general manager of Co-op
Natural Foods, he will oversee an
established business that employs
approximately 20 people and does
more than $2 million a year. He
is completing work on a degree in
business management/marketing
and project management at the
University of Sioux Falls.
2014
Allison Zank ’14 has
been named a National
Science Foundation Graduate
Research Fellow for 2016-17.
Zank will receive a $34,000
annual stipend and $12,000 costof-education allowance to assist
her in achieving a research-based
graduate degree. An NSF GRFP
indicates to graduate schools that
a student is a top undergraduate
scientist in the nation. Zank
conducted summer research
on biofilms with Augsburg
Associate Professor Jennifer
Bankers-Fulbright as well as at the
University of Minnesota’s Dental
School. Zank also has spent time
conducting research in industry.
At Augsburg, she was named an
URGO Scholar, McNair Scholar,
AugSTEM Scholar, and Goldwater
Scholar. She plans to pursue
a master’s degree in clinical
microbiology at the University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse this fall.
GRADUATE
2015
Katie Clark ’10 MAN, ’14 DNP
presented at a breakout session
for Fairview Health Services’
Somali Cultural Health Day in
April. Her topic was “Critical
decision making and chronic
illness.” Clark connected her
previous bedside nursing
experience with her current
experience working with Somali
community members at the
Health Commons in the CedarRiverside neighborhood. Her
focus was to teach health care
providers to deliver culturally
congruent care to marginalized
populations. She concentrated
her efforts on reducing the role of
stereotypes and assumptions in
the patient-provider relationship.
Jordan Holm ’15
competed in the 2016
Olympic trials in the 85-kilogram
weight class for Greco-Roman
wrestling at Carver-Hawkeye
Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on
April 6. Holm was one of three
athletes automatically earning the
No. 1 ranking. He graduated from
Augsburg with a business degree
in marketing.
Duina Hernandez ’16 lets
dirt fly at an Augsburg
groundbreaking ceremony.
See page 2.
Evan Berg ’10 MBA was hired as
assistant vice president and loan
officer at the Janesville State Bank
in Janesville, Minnesota. He has a
bachelor’s degree in economics/
business administration from
Winona State University and an
MBA from Augsburg, as well as
eight years of experience in credit
analysis and lending with Farm
Credit and several banks.
AUGGIE CONNECTIONS:
a new, personalized
newsletter
Whether it be in the classroom, cheering on your favorite Auggie
team, or supporting the on-campus groups that mean the most to
you, Augsburg College emphasizes a direct, personal experience
for its students and alumni. In today’s world where information is
coming from all angles and at all times, personalized, meaningful
information is more important than ever.
The Alumni Association recognizes this and is taking a step
to provide more pertinent and timely information about what’s
happening at Augsburg. Beginning this summer, Augsburg is
offering a personalized e-newsletter that will be delivered on a
schedule of your choosing, in a format you want. No more monthly
Now@Augsburg emails. The Auggie Connections newsletter is
now in your hands.
Choose the topics you are most interested in: Auggie
athletics? Theater and music? Science? Want to hear it all? With
your new, improved Auggie Connections newsletter, you won’t
miss a thing.
The first personalized Auggie Connections newsletter
arrived in your email inbox in late June. If you haven’t yet set your
preferences, check your email for the message titled “Augsburg
College - delivered YOUR way,” to get started.
To update your contact information, email alumniupdate@
augsburg.edu.
2009
Benjamin Austin ’09
and Michelle
(Anderson) Austin ’11 were
married December 19 in St. Paul.
They met at Augsburg during her
sophomore year and his senior
year.
Schuyler (Dunhaupt)
Tilson ’10 graduated
from Mitchell Hamline School of Law
in St. Paul in January with a focus in
Indian law. She recently passed the
Minnesota bar and became a staff
attorney for the Ho-Chunk Nation
Trial Court. She holds undergraduate
degrees from Augsburg in history
and American Indian studies.
2012
Muneer Al-Hameed ’12
won the Dancing with the
Twin Cities Celebrities Charity Ball
in February. Augsburg alumna Carla
Beaurline ’91 was a judge this year
and a 2015 Dancing with the Twin
Cities celebrity dancer.
FRESH LOOK,
INCREASED
INTERACTION
Nic Thomley ’06 MBA was named to the
2016 Class of Henry Crown Fellows and the
Aspen Global Leadership Network at the
Aspen Institute. This growing network unites
a worldwide community of entrepreneurial
leaders from business, government, and the
nonprofit sector who share a commitment
to enlightened leadership and to using their
creativity, energy, and resources to tackle
the foremost societal challenges of our time.
Thomley is an accomplished entrepreneur
in the human services industry and the
founder of companies that provide an array
of services to persons with disabilities and
senior citizens. Thomley is the founder and
30
Augsburg Now
CEO of Morning Star Financial Services and
the founder and chairman of Summit Fiscal
Agency and Pinnacle Services, Minneapolis.
Thomley was named a 2015 Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist and,
in 2006, was named to Inc. Magazine’s
“30 Under 30, America’s Coolest Young
Entrepreneurs” list and to the Minneapolis/
St. Paul Business Journal’s “40 Under 40”
list. In 2010, Thomley was presented with
Augsburg’s First Decade Award, which
honors graduates of the past 10 years who
have made significant progress in their
professional achievements and contributions
to the community.
Enjoy several new features on the Augsburg Now magazine’s
companion website. Thanks to a site upgrade, it’s possible to:
• Read articles on mobile devices with ease
• Share favorite stories and photos on social media
• View exclusive slideshows and videos
• Manage your magazine subscription and delivery method
• “Go green” by opting for digital content instead of print
• Submit class notes and share good news
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
Tell us about the news in your life—your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/connect to submit
your announcements.
Mike Polis ’10 has
started Backboard
Media, based in Northeast
Minneapolis. Check it out at
backboardgroup.com.
2010
augsburg.edu/now
Entrepreneurial leader recognized
2010
2013
Kuoth Wiel ’13 cofounded the NyaEden
Foundation, a nonprofit that aims
to provide basic survival necessities
to disadvantaged women and
children throughout Africa. She is an
actress, model, and humanitarian
whose debut film role was in “The
Good Lie,” a drama starring Reese
Witherspoon that tells the story of
a group of Sudanese refugees who
are offered shelter in the United
States. Wiel was born to a Sudanese mother and father in an Ethiopian
refugee camp following her parents’ escape from war-torn Sudan. As a
young adult, Wiel moved to Minneapolis to attend Augsburg and study
social psychology. Visit nyaedenfoundation.org to learn more about the
organization’s work to foster girls’ and women’s safety, empowerment,
independence, dignity, self-esteem, and self-respect.
Fall 2015
37
Summer 2016
31
In memoriam
Chester R. Heikkinen ’40,
Robbinsdale, Minnesota,
age 99, on November 24.
Helen (Quanbeck)
Nichols ’44, Monticello,
Minnesota, age 94, on
April 27.
Frederick “Fred” M. King ’71,
Onalaska, Wisconsin, age
73, on February 5.
Helen E. (Berg) Peterson ’46,
Minneapolis, age 92, on
November 23.
Martin O. Sabo ’59,
Minneapolis, age 78,
on March 13.
Kenneth J. Dahlberg ’80,
Colorado Springs,
Colorado, age 62,
on December 21.
Doris M. Rear-Hustad ’46,
Blanchardville, Wisconsin,
age 90, on March 18.
Gary A. Hoonsbeen ’60,
Crystal, Minnesota,
age 77, on March 7.
Brenda L. Fredrick ’82,
Strawberry Point, Iowa,
age 57, on April 23.
Loren M. Thorson ’46,
Green Valley, Arizona,
age 96, on March 8.
Robert N. Martin ’61,
Dracut, Massachusetts,
age 81, on March 22.
Janice C. Olson ’84,
Lakewood, Washington,
age 79, on January 19.
Robert “Bob” E. Lee ’47,
Hallettsville, Texas,
age 92, on March 3.
Norbert W. W. Mokros ’61,
Duluth, Minnesota,
age 77, on January 25.
Melissa A. Lawrence ’88,
Minneapolis, age 59,
on March 1.
Aagoth E. (Hanson)
Hansen ’48, Willmar,
Minnesota, age 89,
on January 4.
Sherman P. Coltvet ’62,
Rochester, Minnesota,
age 75, on January 30.
Marilyn J. (Cederstrom)
Teubert ’88, Waconia,
Minnesota, age 84,
on November 23.
Paul D. Hilton ’51,
Cumberland, Wisconsin,
age 86, on January 28.
Eugene M. Nelson ’51,
Colorado Springs,
Colorado, age 86,
on January 11.
Lillian K. (Ysteboe) Ose ’51,
Benson, Minnesota,
age 87, on January 5.
Leonard E. Dalberg ’52,
Solvang, California,
age 90, on April 21.
Randall “Randy” Fischer ’52,
Lynchburg, Virginia,
age 85, on February 5.
Robert C. Ingman ’54,
Minneapolis, age 85, on
September 3.
Charles “Bob” R.
Hudgins ’62, Burnsville,
Minnesota, age 75,
on December 12.
Charles W. King, Jr. ’62,
Sun City West, Arizona,
age 76, on December 17.
Philip O. Sidney ’63,
St. Paul, age 75,
on April 10.
Mary M. Lindgren ’64,
Minneapolis, age 74,
on March 15.
David A. Mallak ’65,
Austin, Texas, age 72,
on February 10.
Steven H. Steinke ’65,
Pequot Lakes, Minnesota,
age 68, on January 26.
Robert R. Benson ’67,
Preston, Minnesota,
age 70, on December 23.
Karl B. Lunder ’70, Red
Wing, Minnesota, age 69,
on March 12.
SAVE THE DATES:
SEPTEMBER 22-24
New events and schedule!
William “Bill” J. Schutt ’75,
Watertown, South Dakota,
age 74, on February 2.
Richard “Dick” L. Berg ’57,
Minneapolis, age 85,
on February 3.
Vera C. (Alberg)
Hafstad ’50, Owatonna,
Minnesota, age 86, on
March 11.
Augsburg Now
Dayne W. Sather ’55,
Maple Grove, Minnesota,
age 86, on January 25.
Joyce I. (Engstrom)
Spector ’70, Minneapolis,
age 68, on April 1.
Mary (Mortensen) Nelson ’45,
Minneapolis, age 92, on
January 22.
Arnold H. Skaar ’48,
Edina, Minnesota, age 91,
on February 2.
32
Dale W. Quanbeck ’54,
Grand Forks, North
Dakota, age 84,
on January 18.
Carol R. (Pasquarella)
Liedtke ’89, Shorewood,
Illinois, age 73,
on December 5.
Diane P. Ondrey ’94,
Minneapolis, age 80,
on February 19.
Jean W. (Thompson)
Rondeau ’94, Minneapolis,
age 77, on April 12.
Sandra K. Berg ’98, Inver
Grove Heights, Minnesota,
age 69, on January 26.
Conrad D. Meyer ’98,
Merida, Mexico, age 66,
on April 3.
.
S
E
I
G
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U
A
E
B
.
D
U
O
PR
E
B
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D
E
L
BE CAL
Barbara (Steinle)
Huckle ’00, Burnsville,
Minnesota, age 55,
on April 16.
Jason C. Magnon ’13,
Georgetown, Texas,
age 25, on January 15.
Go to augsburg.edu/homecoming to register and see the new events this year.
The “In memoriam” listings in this publication
include notifications received before May 10.
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Permit No. 2031
The Augsburg Choir joins Barry Manilow on stage
The exceptional talent and hard work of the Augsburg Choir was rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing backup
during Grammy-award winner Barry Manilow’s farewell tour. Members of the choir sang three of his hits in an encore at the
Xcel Energy Center: “I Write the Songs,” “Miracle,” and “Copacabana (At the Copa).”
Show less
An alumna’s cutting-edge research
Augsburg University Day
Women of influence
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
AUGGIES MAKE
AN IMPACT
FALL–WINTER 2017 | VOL. 80, NO. 1
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing... Show more
An alumna’s cutting-edge research
Augsburg University Day
Women of influence
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
AUGGIES MAKE
AN IMPACT
FALL–WINTER 2017 | VOL. 80, NO. 1
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Assistant Director of
Marketing Management
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On celebration
Augsburg’s ninth president, Bill Frame,
was fond of pointing out our “militant
modesty,” the tendency to avoid touting our
accomplishments for fear that we might be
accused of boasting. Whether occasioned by
our Lutheran faith tradition or Scandinavian
roots (or some combination thereof), this
modesty meant that often our good work as
an institution was hidden under a bushel.
Now, as someone steeped both in
Lutheran and Scandinavian ways, I may
have occasionally fallen victim to that same
modesty, but perhaps I am being rehabilitated
because there is just so much to celebrate at
Augsburg these days! We can no longer hide
our light, as this issue of Augsburg Now most
clearly illustrates.
Whether it is our name change to Augsburg
University, officially celebrated in early
September; the 29th annual Nobel Peace
Prize Forum in mid-September, attracting
international attention for this remarkable
gathering of Nobel laureates and other
peacemakers; the progress on the Hagfors
Center for Science, Business, and Religion,
our signature academic building to open for
classes in early January 2018; or one of the
myriad other signs of good work—like the
renewal of our McNair Scholars program,
preparing first generation and students of
color for graduate and professional school—I
just can’t deny the need to celebrate!
So, here’s my point. I’m all for humility
and modesty in pursuing the mission-based
work we are called to do for our students
and our community. The gifts we share as a
community—our values and commitments,
our faculty and staff, our alumni and partners,
and our inspiring students—these truly
are gifts to be stewarded responsibly, not
exploited. But it is not boasting when we
celebrate how those gifts come together and
are deployed to achieve our distinctive calling
in the world: to be small to our students
and big for the world, to educate students
as informed citizens, thoughtful stewards,
critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
In fact, I might argue that not celebrating
what has been achieved means that we miss
the opportunity to proclaim what God has
done in our midst and how others are invited
to join us in the work we are called to do. We
live in a world marked by a sense of scarcity;
Augsburg models what it means to model the
way of abundance.
We choose abundance, and we celebrate
all that God has made possible at Augsburg
University—surely a beacon of light and hope
in the world.
Faithfully yours,
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate, Design
Denielle Stepka ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Web Manager
Joe Mann
mannj@augsburg.edu
Communication and Social
Media Specialist
Briana Alamilla ’17
alamilla@augsburg.edu
Advancement Communications
Specialist
Asha Sorenson
sorenso3@augsburg.edu
Contributing Writers
Kate H. Elliott
Jessica Mueller
All photos by Courtney Perry
unless otherwise indicated.
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg University
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
University policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send comments to:
now@augsburg.edu
AUGSBURG NOW
Fall–Winter 2017
The Norman and Evangeline
Hagfors Center for Science,
Business, and Religion is
located near the corner of
21st Avenue South and South
7th Street on Augsburg’s
Minneapolis campus—a
site strategically selected
to further connect the
University to the community.
02
Around the quad
19
Women of influence
08
Annual report to donors
22
Auggies connect
10
Augsburg University Day
26
Class notes
12
The fatherhood bonus and
the motherhood penalty
32
In memoriam
16
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
On the cover
The Augsburg University quad
featured vibrant autumn colors
this October. Photo by Kevin Healy.
Inset photo by John Solem,
University of Massachusetts
Amherst.
that Augsburg University’s quad now
boasts a splash of color. At more than
82 feet wide, the vinyl graphic installed
on Science Hall’s eastern-facing facade
is nearly impossible to miss. The design
pairs an excerpt from Augsburg’s
strategic vision statement with vibrant
hues chosen to reflect the accent colors
on the exterior of the new Hagfors Center
for Science, Business, and Religion,
which stands northwest of Science Hall
and is blocked from view in the quad.
One of the priorities outlined in
Augsburg’s 2016 campus master plan is
to extend the quad from the west edge
of campus, through the existing campus
core, and on to Murphy Square. This
vision requires the demolition of Science
Hall, which will be possible only after
departments and program offices now
housed in the facility relocate following
the completion of the Hagfors Center.
The timeline for this work is not yet
determined, so, in the near term, those
strolling through the heart of campus
or navigating nearby streets will see
Science Hall stand as an illustration of
Augsburg’s vision to be “small to our
students and big for the world.”
160 Y E A R S A G O
Fifteen years before Augsburg moved in
next door, Edward Murphy donated land
for the first city park in Minneapolis—
what is now Murphy Square. For years
prior, the parcel had been used as a
cow pasture.
1937
1857
LOOKING BACK: DECADES OF AUGSBURG HISTORY
BEFORE
AFTER
ARCHIVE PHOTOS
8 0 Y E A RS A GO
Augsburg elected an erudite and scholarly
teacher, Bernhard Christensen ’22, ’25,
to be president. He led the institution
for nearly 25 years, during which time
Augsburg made vigorous efforts to
expand and enhance academic offerings.
1967
IT WOULD BE OVERLY MODEST to claim
5 0 Y E A RS A GO
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel played for more than
3,000 people in Si Melby Hall on Nov. 10, 1967.
According to an Augsburg Echo review, the lengthiest
applause was reserved for the song, “To Emily,
Wherever I Might Find Her.” The same year
saw the openings of Urness Hall and the
Christensen Center, with the Marshall Room
at the time serving as a faculty lounge to
the resentment of the Echo’s editorial board.
PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLAIN
CURB APPEAL
AROUND THE QUAD
Where faith and public life meet
30 Y E A RS A GO
Augsburg began offering its first
graduate degree program, the Master
of Arts in Leadership. Augsburg
now offers nine post baccalaureate
programs and set an enrollment record
this fall with 1,035 master’s students.
2007
40 Y E A R S AG O
Construction began on what is
now the Charles S. Anderson Music
Hall, which would open a year
later, bringing the entire music
department under one roof for
the first time in 100 years.
AN AUGGIE THROWBACK
PHOTO BY REBECCA SLATER
1987
1977
The Rev. Mike Rusert [center] and
members of Intertwine NE meet
on a Sunday morning to plan a
December 10 launch event designed
as an inclusive experience for young
adults interested in being part of an
intentional spiritual community.
PHOTOS BY DON STONER
It is no secret that the gap between young adults and Christian congregations
is widening. The good news, though, is that young people are not rejecting
faith or religion; many are living out their faith through political activism, the
arts, environmental stewardship, and interfaith engagement—places where
public life and faith intersect.
Bridging this gap will require congregations to adapt and innovate. To
support this adaptive work, Augsburg’s Bernhard Christensen Center for
Vocation has launched a five-year project, called the Riverside Innovation Hub,
with $1.5 million in funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc.
In its first year, the Riverside Innovation Hub will work with an
interdisciplinary research team of Augsburg faculty to study 12 local
congregations that are effectively engaging young adults in their communities.
Using the lessons learned from that research, the program will recruit and
train a cohort of youth to serve as coaches, working alongside approximately
15 partner congregations committed to new ministry with young adults.
“Partner congregations can then apply for two-year innovation grants to
implement their programs in 2019 to 2021,” said Kristina Frugé, program
manager for the Riverside Innovation Hub. At the end of that experience, all
program participants will share their key learnings. Augsburg will publish the
results and share the outcomes and insights through conferences and workshops.
“Vocation is at the center of this project,” Frugé said. “For congregations,
it’s about discerning their call in relationship with their young adult neighbors.
For young adults, it’s about a connection with a Christian community who can
accompany them in exploring
how faith and public life
intersect in ways that matter
most to them.”
Melissa Lee ’04, Augsburg’s head
softball coach, threw out a ceremonial
first pitch before an August Minnesota
Twins game at Target Field as part
of the team’s annual Lutheran Night
festivities. Lee joined former St. Olaf
pitcher the Rev. Charlie Ruud, with the
pair dressed in costume as historical
husband and wife duo Martin Luther
and Katharina (von Bora) Luther in
celebration of the 500th anniversary
of the 1517 Protestant Reformation.
Ruud previously served as a Campus
Ministry intern at Augsburg.
1 0 Y E A RS A GO
In 2007, Oren Gateway Center opened, connecting Riverside
Avenue with the James G. Lindell Library, which opened
a decade earlier. OGC will lose the distinction of being
Augsburg’s newest building when the Norman and
Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and
Religion is completed in late 2017.
FALL - WINTER 2017
3
A N O T H ER F IV E YEARS OF
SERVING SCHOLARS
Every year, more than two dozen undergraduate
students participate in Augsburg’s McNair
Scholars Program, an intensive 21 months of
graduate school preparation that opens doors
to some of the most competitive institutions in
the U.S. What’s more, these McNair Scholars
are from populations who statistically are
less likely to have the opportunity to pursue
advanced research and doctoral degrees—firstgeneration college students with financial
need and/or students from racial and ethnic
populations who are underrepresented in
Each year, Augsburg selects two
graduate education.
McNair Scholars to represent
Now, with a five-year renewal of its grant,
the University at the Minnesota
Private College Scholars Showcase
Augsburg’s McNair Scholars, a federal TRIO
at the Minnesota State Capitol.
program funded by the U.S. Department of
Education, will be able to continue supporting these students’ pursuit of
advanced degrees through at least 2022.
The McNair Scholars Program was created by the U.S. Congress in honor
of Ronald E. McNair, one of the first African American astronauts in the U.S.
space program. Augsburg’s program provides graduate school preparation
workshops, travel to a national research conference, hands-on scholarly
research projects with faculty mentors, and more.
Since 2007, according to “Tina” Maria Tavera, director of the McNair Scholars
Program, Augsburg McNair Scholars alumni have completed or are currently
pursuing more than 30 master’s degrees, 19 doctoral degrees, two medical
school degrees, and two doctor of pharmacy degrees. With nearly $1.2 million
of future funding, Augsburg is excited to see further program success.
Augsburg awarded $475,000
to infuse sustainability in university life
Augsburg University has new opportunities
to live out its commitment to sustainability
on campus, in the community, and among
institutional partners thanks to nearly half
a million dollars in new grant funding
from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, a
Minnesota-based foundation that believes
colleges and universities can serve as models
of operational sustainability for society at large.
Using the grant award, Augsburg will
facilitate student internships and other
experiences at sustainability-focused
organizations, strengthen and expand course
offerings in Environmental
Studies, fund student and
faculty research, integrate
In 2015, the Margaret
sustainability and wellness
A. Cargill Foundation
contributed $1 million to
across the academic
the campaign to build the
curriculum, and more.
Hagfors Center for Science,
“The next breakthrough
Business, and Religion.
in sustainability could come
from a student majoring in communications,
philosophy, or education,” said Allyson Green,
Augsburg chief sustainability officer. “For
all of us to live on this planet sustainably
and equitably, we need all perspectives,
experiences, types of knowledge, and skill sets
to be part of the work.”
Did you know?
AN OC C A S IO N TO C E LE B R AT E
Augsburg event series honors Reformation anniversary
Augsburg held a series of events this fall marking the 500th
anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. To kick off the series,
Augsburg was honored to host ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth
Eaton for two events: the Christensen Symposium, which
focused on interfaith friendships, and a panel discussion with
representatives of #DecolonizeLutheranism, a grassroots movement
challenging long-held patterns of white power and privilege in the
ELCA and stereotypes of what it means to be Lutheran.
The series continued in October, in observance of Heritage
Day, when Mary Lowe, associate professor of religion, invited
community members to consider Martin Luther’s perspectives on
bodies and creation. Lowe explained how—even today—Luther’s
theology relates to complex issues.
Lowe discussed themes related to
climate change, gender and sexuality,
abuse, and deforestation.
In November, award-winning musical group The Rose Ensemble
presented “Welcome the People: The Musical Legacy of the
Reformation.” The ensemble creates musical performances and
educational programs that connect audiences to compelling stories
of human history, culture, and spirituality from around the world.
The celebration ends with this year’s Advent Vespers, the theme
of which is inspired by Luther’s hymn, “From Heaven Above.”
Visit augsburg.edu/now to learn
more about Augsburg’s Reformation
event series and Advent Vespers.
4
AUGSBURG NOW
AROUND THE QUAD
MAKING HISTORY
VISIBLE
In the basement of Wilson Library at the University of
Minnesota Twin Cities, a team of researchers is working to
map the history of racial segregation in Minneapolis. The
group is unearthing racial restrictions buried in Minneapolis
property deeds to create the first comprehensive visualization
of historical racial covenants for a U.S. city.
The project, called Mapping Prejudice, started with
Augsburg’s Historyapolis Project, which seeks to illuminate
the history of Minneapolis and has traced the roots of
the city’s present-day racial disparities through historical
research. To date, Mapping Prejudice researchers have
found around 5,000 property deeds containing language
that historically restricted ownership of residential properties
by race. Enforcing these restrictions has been illegal
in Minnesota for more than 60 years, but the records
provide insight into the racial segregation that persists in
Minneapolis neighborhoods.
“Minneapolis is known for its parks, high-quality schools,
and progressive politics,” said Kirsten Delegard, director of the
Historyapolis Project and Augsburg scholar-in-residence. “Yet
we have the highest racial disparities in the country.”
Delegard said racial covenants were once pervasive in
many U.S. cities and were instrumental in remaking the
racial landscape of Minneapolis, which had not always
been segregated. As many as 10,000 or more Minneapolis
property deeds may contain such racially restrictive
language. One of those properties is the Augsburg House,
a residence on West River Road in Minneapolis that the
University purchased in 1998.
“When I saw the information that the Mapping Prejudice
team had compiled for south Minneapolis, I suspected that
Augsburg House originally had a racially restricted deed,”
said Augsburg University President Paul Pribbenow. “Nearly
every new development in south Minneapolis in the early
20th century carried those types of restrictions.”
The property’s 1926 deed didn’t initially show up in the
project’s electronic search process because the document
was handwritten, but Delegard was able to locate the deed
manually. The University has sought legal counsel regarding
options for clarifying that Augsburg does not support
discriminatory restrictions on the property.
“At the same time, we want to ensure we maintain the
historical record represented by the deed,” Pribbenow said,
“so that we never lose track of the disgraceful manners in
which covenants were used to segregate our communities
and to inflict real harm on so many.”
The Mapping Prejudice project is a massive undertaking,
so the group strives to engage volunteers in the work. Many
Augsburg students have become involved, including two
history students who did semester-long internships last year
helping build a digital map display and an entire history
The Mapping Prejudice team includes Kevin Erhman-Solberg ’14 [left], a University
of Minnesota graduate student in geographic information science; Penny Peterson
[center], a veteran property records researcher; Kirsten Delegard [right], director of the
Historyapolis Project and Augsburg scholar-in-residence; and Ryan Mattke [not pictured],
a map and geospatial information librarian from the University of Minnesota.
class that is working with the project throughout the fall
semester this year. Several sociology classes got involved
this past spring and summer, helping develop the program’s
volunteer outreach strategy. Students from Pribbenow’s
honors seminar also helped transcribe deeds this past spring,
and a cohort of Augsburg first-year students engaged in the
work as part of City Service Day at the beginning of the 2017
academic year.
“We absolutely could not have developed the project
without this kind of participation from both students and
faculty,” said Delegard, who is continuing to seek funding
that will allow the project to get even more students involved
in all aspects of the work.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to link to an interactive map illustrating the spread of racially
restrictive deeds across Minneapolis during the first half of the 20th century and to
learn more about getting involved in Mapping Prejudice research.
FALL - WINTER 2017
5
AWARDS 2017
Top 25 LGBTQ-friendly Colleges & Universities:
Augsburg was named to Campus Pride’s list
of the top 25 LGBTQ-friendly colleges and
universities in 2017. Campus Pride is the
leading national organization for creating
safer, more LGBTQ-friendly colleges and
universities.
Top 50 nationally for contribution to the public
good: Augsburg was the No. 2 institution in
Minnesota named by Washington Monthly in
its 2017 Master’s Universities rankings. The
list rates schools based upon their contribution
to the public good in three categories: social
mobility, research, and service.
Top 25 schools for service-learning: Augsburg
has been named one of U.S. News &
World Report’s 2018 Top 25 Colleges and
Universities for Service Learning. The sole
Minnesota school on this list, Augsburg
requires volunteering in the community as
an instructional strategy. Schools garnering
recognition were nominated by fellow
institutions, college and university presidents
or deans, and chief academic officers.
At its September meeting, the Augsburg Corporation elected four additional
members to the Board of Regents and re-elected three currently serving
members. In addition, in accordance with the bylaws for Augsburg University,
two bishops were appointed as ex-officio board members this fall. Augsburg
University welcomes these new regents and thanks them for their service.
•
Eric J. Jolly, president and chief executive officer of
Minnesota Philanthropy Partners. Jolly previously
served on the Augsburg Board of Regents from
2008-2015.
•
Cynthia G. Jones ’81, senior level advisor for nuclear
safety and analysis at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. Jones previously served on the
Augsburg Board from 2010-2012.
•
Dean Kennedy ’75, co-founder and chief strategy officer
of Texakoma Oil & Gas Corporation. Kennedy previously
served on the Augsburg Board from 2005-2013.
•
Karolynn Lestrud ’68, retired photography and
publishing industry professional; former board
member in historic preservation and performing
arts organizations; and active volunteer in arts,
education, and theater.
COURTESY PHOTO
Elected to a new four-year term in 2017:
Eric J. Jolly
COURTESY PHOTO
Recognition for being student-centered: For
the second year in a row, The Wall Street
Journal and Times Higher Education ranked
Augsburg No. 2 in Minnesota for student
engagement in the learning process in their
ranking of U.S. colleges and universities. The
student engagement score is based largely
on results of a student survey that addresses
how challenging classes are, whether they
foster critical thinking and prompt students
to make connections to the real world, and
how much interaction the students have with
faculty and other students.
WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
Cynthia G. Jones ’81
COURTESY PHOTO
Best Regional Universities: U.S. News & World
Report again named Augsburg among the
best universities in the Midwest. Rankings
are based on factors including average firstyear retention rates, graduation rates, class
sizes, student-to-faculty ratios, acceptance
rates, and more.
BOARD OF REGENTS
Elected to a second four-year term:
•
Wayne Jorgenson ’71, senior vice president of wealth
management at UBS Financial Services Inc.
•
Dennis Meyer ’78, chief marketing and business
development officer at Robins Kaplan LLP
•
Pam Moksnes ’79, vice president for gift planning
services, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, through
the Lutheran Church Extension Fund
Elected to a third four-year term:
•
Ann Ashton-Piper, president of the IT consulting firm
The Bridgie Group
Appointed as ex-officio members of the Board of Regents
for a three-year term:
•
The Rev. Patricia J. Lull, bishop of the Saint Paul
Area Synod
•
The Rev. Steven H. Delzer, bishop of the Southeastern
Minnesota Synod
Dean Kennedy ’75
PHOTO BY CAROLINE YANG
Augsburg University is consistently
recognized for excellence. This year’s
accolades include:
Karolynn Lestrud ’68
S
T
C
FA
AROUND THE QUAD
ON THE SPOT
Communications expert describes
history and peril of “fake news”
WHILE THE TERM “FAKE NEWS” IS RELATIVELY NEW, the phenomenon, of course,
is not. People throughout time have been motivated to share false information in ways
that give it the appearance of legitimacy or to discredit accurate information in order
to serve their own interests. Newer, digital media channels have made the tools to do
so readily available and more effective, according to Jenny Hanson, assistant professor
of communication studies, film, and new media. What’s more, social media sites tend
to present users with information that confirms existing biases. In her classes, Hanson
teaches students the media literacy skills necessary to be critical consumers of the news.
Q:
A:
What is the history of “fake news”
in media?
Fake news has been around for
centuries; it’s probably as old as
humans’ ability to communicate. People
seem to have a natural desire to tell tall
tales. After all, spectacles draw crowds and
outlandish stories trend. Fake news took off
with the invention of the printing press in
1439, in part because stories were difficult
to verify and mass distribution meant news
could travel relatively quickly. A journalistic
code of conduct toward objectivity and
the practice of fact-checking did not yet
exist. Stories about strange beasts, hideous
crimes, and falsified scientific discoveries
sold papers, and for advertising-supported
publications, that was the goal.
As journalism evolved and as
newspapers came to rely on subscription
models, impartiality and accuracy
became guiding principles. In the 1980s,
standards changed when cable TV made
the 24/7 news cycle a reality. Next, the
internet created alternate—and rapid—
means of news distribution and increased
access to content-creation tools among the
general population. Today, new reasons
for using fake news are emerging: to
distract, to challenge existing knowledge,
and to raise doubt about the validity of
information, all in order to favor particular
interests. In this way, calling something
“fake news” and creating fake news both
can be used to advance political, social, or
personal interests in a way that functions
more like propaganda. Calling something
fake triggers a reaction in us to question
and doubt, thereby decreasing our
confidence in the information and opening
us up to different possibilities.
Q:
A:
What are the potential real-world
implications?
There are immense implications
when news is inaccurate. Journalists
understand that if they misreport,
misquote, or just plain get the story
wrong, there are often legal implications,
damage to the outlet’s reputation, and
harm to those wronged.
When fake news is used as propaganda,
it threatens the very legitimacy of news
itself, inviting us to believe what is most
aligned with our own ideologies rather
than what actually is. The damage can
be widespread, creating lasting impacts
that go on to shape industry, policies,
procedures, culture, artifacts of history,
and society.
Q:
What can individuals do to protect
themselves from falsities and to
process news and information critically?
A:
There are many actions people can
take to become savvy information
consumers. The advice we tell students
includes getting your news from a variety
of sources, seeking connections on social
media who have viewpoints differing from
your own, and reading beyond the headline
and before sharing information. In a critical
reading, check the author’s credentials,
watch out for emotional appeals or
outrageous claims, look to see that sources
are named and are experts in their fields,
review the article date for context, and
consider your own bias. Understand the
source and their interests, and be sure
websites are the official sites and not ones
intended to mimic another’s appearance.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to learn more
about the line between falsehood and satire.
FALL - WINTER 2017
7
2016-17 AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY
ANNUAL REPORT
When you give to Augsburg, you aren’t just supporting a
private university—you’re paving the way for students
to make a living, make a life, and make a community.
The impact of your generosity can be seen in the lives of
thousands of students who are now embracing financial
security, finding their vocation, and following their calling.
TO DONORS
ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE
$40.5
$38.3
May 31, 2017—$43,878,362
$32.4
$28.2
$39.4
$34.6
$33.3
$31.5
$43.9
REVENUE BY SOURCE
$29.8
75%
8%
7%
$24.5
2007 2008
2009 2010 2011
2012 2013
2014 2015 2016 2017
As of May 31, 2017, Augsburg University’s endowment had annual
realized and unrealized gains of 12.19 percent. The five-year average
annual return on the endowment is 8.21 percent, and the 10-year
average annual return is 4.34 percent. The University is
committed to maintaining the value of the principal to
provide support to Augsburg in perpetuity.
Your philanthropy
is creating an Augsburg that will be
SUSTAINABLE,
7%
3%
EXPENSES BY CATEGORY
38%
33%
20%
4%
3%
2%
1%
Salaries and Benefits
Financial Aid
Operating Expenses
Debt Services
Utilities and Insurance
Student Compensation
Capital Improvement
FAITHFUL,and RELEVANT
long into the future.
Thanks to you and other committed friends, Augsburg is preparing students of all ages, abilities,
and backgrounds to serve and lead in our communities, schools, places of worship, and businesses. During
fiscal year 2016-17, more than 9,300 individual donors gave $17,216,961 through cash gifts, pledges, and
planned gifts. Augsburg Fund supporters provided the University with more than $1.1 million in unrestricted,
discretionary funds to improve the student experience.
Tuition
Room and Board
Private Gifts
and Grants
Other Sources
Federal Grants
MAKE A LIVING
When juggling the rigors of family life, owning three businesses, and
coaching high school sports, starting a graduate program might not hit
the top priority list for many people. But for Joe Tadros ’98, ’17 MBA,
the benefits of pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree
to further his career and build greater financial security for his family
were worth the effort. “My graduate experience was an eye opener.
It reminded me where I came from, and where I wanted to be in the
future,” said Tadros. “My classmates had unique abilities and talents,
and I learned so much from them.”
Joe Tadros ’98, ’17 MBA
Shika Addo Memorial Scholarship
Tadros now serves as a guest lecturer for Augsburg finance classes,
sharing life lessons with undergraduates. With his degree, and your gifts,
he looks to the future with confidence, knowing that his kids will be well
provided for and that his impact will extend beyond his career.
MAKE A LIFE
As a shy, small-town kid, Kevin Tran ’18 would never have believed it
had someone told him that as a college student he would become a
board member for three student organizations, travel abroad with the
choir, work as an intern for US Bank, and volunteer in the community in
his free time. Tran began to really come out of his shell by living his life
through the Auggie experience. “When I came [to Augsburg], I didn’t
know what to expect. In high school, I was just really all about my work.
Augsburg exposed me to who I am supposed to be ... I became more
independent, more knowledgeable, more vocal, and more myself.”
Kevin Tran ’18
Leland and Louise Sundet
Scholarship
Because of you, Tran has found his calling and is planning to pursue
his dream by working in marketing for the entertainment industry in
Los Angeles.
MAKE A COMMUNITY
Singing, studying, social work, public policy, and reconstructing the
criminal justice system. These are among the top priorities for Augsburg
student Alexa Anderson ’19.
Anderson may be a proud member of the Honors Program and Augsburg
vocal ensembles, but the deeper she dives into her studies as a social
work major, the more motivated she has become to change her community
through restorative justice.
Alexa Anderson ’19
Mabeth Saure Gyllstrom
Scholarship
Dorothy Lijsing Kleven President’s
Scholarship in Choral Music
“Augsburg has completely changed me as a person, specifically regarding
how I view my role as a member of a community,” she said. “Before
coming here, I didn’t understand how important being an active member
of a community was. Through my classes, volunteering, internships, and
living in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, I now believe that in order
for a community to succeed, its members must act and live in a way that
encourages understanding, acceptance, and unity.”
A NEW DAY, A NEW KIND OF UNIVERSITY
BY JESSICA MUELLER
AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY DAY was a moment of celebration—a time to honor and appreciate the abiding principles on
which Augsburg was founded and an opportunity to consider Augsburg’s commitment to shaping the world for generations to
come. Augsburg marked the transition from college to university through a commemorative day full of fun and fellowship. And,
although Augsburg College officially became Augsburg University on September 1, the campus threw its proverbial hat in the
air a few days later—on September 5, the day Augsburg formally welcomed its most diverse incoming class in school history.
OPENING CONVOCATION
On September 5, Augsburg’s Class of 2021 rose early
to participate in the grand finale of their welcome
week: Opening Convocation. New students marched
across campus, past rows of cheering faculty and staff,
and toward Hoversten Chapel with pride (and maybe a
few sheepish grins), to engage in a historic beginning
for them and for their school: the commissioning of
Augsburg University’s inaugural first-year class.
This year’s event featured elements linked with
Augsburg’s commitments to faith, diversity, and
vocation: Lutheran hymns, interfaith blessings, and
international flags representing the countries from
which Augsburg students come. President Paul
Pribbenow encouraged new Auggies to do justly, love
mercy, walk humbly ... and follow him on Twitter.
And that was just the beginning.
A MOMENT TO REMEMBER
Following Opening Convocation, the Class of 2021 processed
from the chapel to the quad where they were met by stilt
walkers, local musicians, Haitian and Somali dancers, and the
smells of dishes as varied and diverse as the neighborhoods
surrounding Augsburg’s metropolitan campus. More than 800
students, faculty, staff, and friends of the University convened
to feast on sambusas, Mexican tacos, cotton candy, brats and
sauerkraut, and, in some cases, all of the above.
10
AUGSBURG NOW
Students had nearly two hours to take in their surroundings,
grab food, pose at the Auggie photo booth, and assemble
hygiene kits for the Augsburg Health Commons, which serves
unsheltered persons throughout Minneapolis. Many even had
time to read a proclamation, signed by Minnesota Gov. Mark
Dayton, naming September 5, 2017, Augsburg University Day.
A UNIVERSITY OF THE CITY
In the afternoon, more than 500 students, faculty, and staff gathered in small groups and dispersed
throughout Minneapolis to listen to, learn from, and volunteer with local partners and nonprofits with
ties to Augsburg. In total, the Class of 2021 donated nearly $35,000 in service work at more than 20
Twin Cities locations.
The entire string of events—from the convocation, to the celebration, to the service-learning
opportunities—demonstrated that Augsburg’s name change was much more than updated monument
signs (though they do look nice), letterhead, and websites. The name change was a collaborative effort
to share Augsburg’s story—the narrative of a place that’s deeply embedded in its community, that richly
lives out its traditions, and that points to a bolder vision of what a student-centered, urban university
can be … small to its students, and big for the world.
FALL - WINTER 2017
11
The fatherhood BONUS
a n d th e
PENALTY
motherhood
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
G r o un d b r e a k i n g r e s e a rch by alum na
M i c he l l e B u d i g ’ 9 3 s h eds light on wage
ga p b e t we e n f a t h e rs and m others
Michelle Budig’s story is deeply woven
into her pioneering research to expose
gender inequality and examine family
policies in the workforce.
The product of an outspoken dental
receptionist and a pious electrician—
who staked the yard with opposing
political signs—Budig learned from
a young age to question, wonder, and
voice her beliefs. In preschool, for
example, she insisted her class change
the lyrics of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” to
remove “and with the girls be handy.”
But despite her early and strong
advocacy for girls’ rights, Budig still
believed that as an adult she would
have to choose between motherhood
and a meaningful career. Indeed, at 22,
she married her Augsburg sweetheart,
nurse practitioner Peter Landstrom ’91,
but then waited almost 20 years—until
12
AUGSBURG NOW
after she secured tenure as a sociology
professor—to adopt their daughter, Lucy.
Her beliefs about how things should be
were tempered by her understanding of
how things actually are.
It may be no surprise, then, that
Budig focused her scholarly research
on the impact of parenting across
gender—specifically the wage inequities
between fathers and mothers across the
pay scale. Her latest findings, currently
making rounds in The New York Times
and the like, assert that although the
gender pay gap is decreasing (women
now make about 76 cents for every
man’s dollar), wage inequalities among
parents who work are increasing.
Overall, fathers incur an average wage
increase of more than 6 percent with
each child, while women experience,
on average, a 4 percent decrease
in salary per child. Fatherhood,
ultimately, is considered a “valued
characteristic, signaling perhaps a
greater work commitment, stability, and
deservingness,” said Budig, Sociology
Department chair at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst. Mothers, on
the other hand, are often perceived as
“exhausted and distracted at work,”
rendering them less productive.
Beyond perception, other significant
contributors to the discrepancy include
that women often take time off to care
for children and bypass higher wages
for mom-friendly roles. “Kids are seen
as a privilege, not a right, so if you
want to have them, you must pay the
price,” Budig said, referencing a view
some hold.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN SOLEM,
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
TY
Michelle Budig ’93 is an award-winning professor and author whose research interests
focus on gender, employment, labor markets, earnings, stratification, and family.
FALL - WINTER 2017
13
But it’s not as simple as “dads make
more, moms make less,” Budig said.
Using sophisticated statistical techniques
on a large sample of U.S. workers,
Budig found that parenting exacerbates
earnings inequalities within genders
depending on income.
The “fatherhood bonus,” as she calls
it, is highest for the most advantaged
men—married, white, college graduates
with professional jobs. Unmarried, black
men in non-professional occupations,
for instance, receive minimal—if
any—bonus. The motherhood penalty
is smallest among women who earn
above the 90th percentile of female
workers, with women at the very top of
the income distribution experiencing no
wage penalty. Low-to-average earning
women incur the greatest motherhood
penalty, Budig found.
“I always thought that women who
made the most would have the most to
lose, but that is certainly not the case,
and it makes complete sense when you
consider factors and stressors influencing
populations at the top and bottom of the
pay scale,” Budig said. “Fathers and
mothers earning lower wages often rely
on fragile networks of free child care, and
when a grandmother or friend is sick or
doesn’t show, those parents can’t make
it to work. Conversely, parents who can
afford it, secure reliable, consistent child
care operated by licensed professionals.”
Additionally, lower-earning men and
women statistically are more likely to
have children, Budig said, which leads to
higher penalties for those families.
Accessible child care among
policies to close the gap
Budig suggests two policy shifts to
reduce the gap: publicly funded,
high-quality child care for babies and
toddlers and nontransferable paid
leave for both mothers and fathers. The
“nontransferable” part is critical, Budig
reiterated, as “evidence suggests that
if fathers can transfer leave to a female
partner, they will.”
“Access for all to high-quality,
reliable, licensed child care options
would certainly even the playing field for
both parents and children,” Budig said.
“Think of all the stress it would alleviate
from low-income families relying on
less dependable child care. Businesses
would likely be more productive with
a more resilient, consistent workforce.
And children growing up in low-income
situations would benefit from the same
instruction and care as wealthier families,
giving those young ones a stronger start.”
This approach is not new. Many
Scandinavian countries, which support
publicly funded child care and offer
incentivized paternal leave, report smaller
It' s not as simple as
“dads make more, moms make less.”
Wider wage gaps among lower-earning
individuals are exacerbated by the fact
that people tend to marry within socioeconomic situations, Budig adds, so
low-earning couples take greater hits,
while highly paid duos keep climbing.
14
AUGSBURG NOW
or no parental pay gaps. In contrast,
countries with entrenched gender roles,
like Germany, where new mothers are
expected to take a year or more off work,
report the highest motherhood penalties.
“Workplace policies matter,” Budig
Budig’s 19-page curriculum vitae
details the more than $725,000 in
grants she’s received, including
some from the National Science
Foundation, and lists her articles
in professional journals, including
the American Sociological Review.
She regularly contributes to
national and international media
outlets, including The New York
Times, Money Magazine, and the
Washington Post.
said. “Most of my life, I had to choose
between being a mother and having a
meaningful career, and unless progressive
policies are adopted, the parental and
economic gaps will persist.”
The Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development ranked
the United States last in a study
the intergovernmental organization
conducted about the national paid
maternity leave policies of its member
countries. The average amount of
paid leave time for mothers among its
35-member countries was a little more
than one year, as of 2016.
Budig notes there is progress on the
state level, citing California’s paid family
leave, which allows family members to
take time off to care for a loved one or
to bond with a new child entering their
life (either by birth, adoption, or foster
care). Without a comprehensive federal
approach, however, Budig warns of the
implications of inconsistencies across
states.
“It’s encouraging to see states and
companies take action, but it leads to
inequities among states and industries,
which may only add to our country’s
increasing divide,” said Budig, who
has testified before Congress and the
United Nations about the implications
of her research. “More universal support
will reduce wage gaps, promote greater
equality, and better prepare our children to
be productive members of society.”
The culture is shifting as men
embrace female roles
But beyond evolutions in policy, Budig sees
hope in the young people she interacts with
as a professor and mentor. They expect
both parties—and want both partners—to
be involved in maintaining the household.
Single-paycheck families are difficult to
sustain, and popular books and blogs are
encouraging mothers to shed the mom guilt,
cast aside the superwoman expectations,
and go order a pizza for dinner.
“Believe me, I get it. Even with the
most supportive husband, who as a nurse,
experiences his own gender stereotypes,
I still slip into unrealistic expectations,”
said Budig, who earned a master’s and
doctorate in sociology from the University
of Arizona. “Our marriage is a constant
conversation, and splitting up the chores
by room works for us.”
A 2016 PayScale Gender Pay Gap Report
found that men still out-earn women in
every state in the union, but Vermont is
the closest to equality, with women earning
84.8 percent of what men earn overall, as
opposed to Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and
Wyoming where women earn from 71 to 73
percent of their male counterparts’ income.
The national average is 76 percent, per the
report, which does not factor in years of
experience, education, or job title. When
such national statistics were first calculated
in the 1970s, it was about 60 percent.
Mentors pushed her to live with a
‘heart for service’
Budig lost both her parents nearly two years
ago. She often wishes she could talk with
her mom about her latest research, knowing
her mom would get a kick out of hearing
about innovative solutions to promote
equality and increase access for women.
“My mom was wildly supportive of my
work, but I’ll never forget the first time
she read a major study I published about
the wage gap. I was driving, and she was
in the back seat. She looked up and said,
‘Michelle, everyone knows women earn less
than men. That’s what you’ve been working
on?’ Gee, thanks, mom,” Budig said. “I
think she would have appreciated this last
batch of research and what I’m focused on
next, which involves female entrepreneurs
and a study about the motherhood penalty
in Israel.”
Although there is no replacing a driveand-talk with mom, Budig is not short on
inspiring female mentors. At Augsburg,
where she majored in English and sociology,
Budig sought out educators to support her
journey. Sociology Professor Diane Pike
has taught Auggies for more than three
decades, and Budig certainly stands out.
“Michelle had a seriousness and
sophistication about intellectual ideas
and work that was exemplary, and being
a first-generation student, she never lost
sight of the privilege it is to pursue higher
education. She set the bar high for herself,
and we’ve been following her career ever
since,” said Pike, who specializes in
organizational analysis, sociological theory,
and research methods. “There is nothing
better than seeing one of your students
succeed at such a level. Michelle’s a
big deal in sociology, speaking at top
conferences and advocating for important
change. She has a rare ability to convey
complex data and theories to general
audiences, and we are very proud of her.”
Budig’s Auggie roots run deep, and both
she and Landstrom commit themselves
to its mission through caregiving and
advocating for change. Augsburg gave
them a way of looking at the world and
approaching life that will never leave them,
Budig said.
“The greatest takeaway from Augsburg
is our desire—the responsibility, really—
to give back and live with a heart for
service to others. Every day, we try to
live out that change in our personal and
professional lives.”
FALL - WINTER 2017
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N
I
E
U
G
O
DIAL SOCIETIES
D
E
D
I
V
I
D
20
17
N
ob e
l Pe
a ce P
rize Forum
li s
o
p
nea
n
i
M
—
[Above] Representatives of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet are joined on stage
by Peace Scholars and other participants at the closing ceremony of the Forum.
[Left] During a break, the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize laureates posed for photos in front of
a three-story mural featuring their images along with dozens of other past laureates.
N
obel Peace Prize laureates, world leaders, and
renowned peacemakers came together this fall as
Augsburg University hosted the 29th annual Nobel
Peace Prize Forum—Minneapolis. As an international
peace congress, the Forum united honored guests, students,
and community members in considering the globally
significant, multidimensional nature of peace by examining
topics that ranged from disarmament and human rights to
economic development and environmental sustainability.
This year’s Forum kicked off with several hundred attendees
filling Augsburg’s Si Melby Gymnasium to listen to the
incredible, true story of the 2015 Nobel Laureates—leaders
who inspired a sharply divided nation to find common ground
and, ultimately, form one of the world’s newest democracies.
During a conversation presented in both English and
Arabic, representatives of the Tunisian National Dialogue
16
AUGSBURG NOW
Quartet described an arduous and inspiring peacemaking
model in which members of business, labor, human
rights, and law disciplines crafted a sustaining democratic
constitution through peaceful dialogue.
Recognized collectively with the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize
for their contribution to building a pluralistic democracy
in Tunisia following the Jasmine Revolution of 2011, the
Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet is made up of leaders
from four key organizations in the north African nation’s
civil society. In the tense early moments of the Arab Spring
uprisings, the Quartet exercised its role as a mediator and
demonstrated the power of civil communication in sensitive
political circumstances. Perhaps no other Forum experience
better illustrated the event’s overarching theme: Dialogue in
Divided Societies.
Nobel Peace Prize Forum art festival
Augsburg University has served as the Nobel Peace
Prize Forum’s official host since 2012, but in recent
years, the event itself has taken place at several
conference venues across the Twin Cities. Bringing
the Forum back to Augsburg this fall gave global
peacebuilders the opportunity to experience the
unique, urban beauty of the University’s location and
to engage with a large-scale outdoor art exhibition on
display across campus.
In the spirit of fostering dialogue during the Nobel
Peace Prize Forum, artists from across the United
States collaborated on installations that highlighted
the layered and often overlapping complexity of finding
solutions to global issues. The art exhibition was
curated by Christopher Houltberg, assistant professor
of art and director of Augsburg’s Design & Agency
program, a student-run design studio experience
that teaches design thinking and problem-solving in
graphic design.
One of the most talked-about installations at
the Nobel Peace Prize Forum was a Hex House
constructed in Murphy Square. Designed by Architects
for Society, a nonprofit seeking to enhance the built
environment for disadvantaged communities, the Hex
House is a prototype for dignified, low-cost, flexible
housing that’s easy to deploy in emergency situations.
Given that the Forum dates fell just after Hurricanes
Harvey and Irma brought havoc and destruction to
the Caribbean, Texas, and Florida, the Hex House
was a timely opportunity to see how smart design can
address critical community needs.
Building peace in the greater Twin Cities,
around the world
Throughout the four days of the 2017 program,
attendees participated in dozens of breakout sessions
led by globally recognized leaders in the fields
of international development and peacemaking.
Participants had the opportunity to meet and hear
from national and world leaders—including Norwegian
Ambassador to the United States Kåre Aas, Tunisian
Ambassador to the United States H.E. Fayçal Gouia,
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and U.S. Rep. Keith
Ellison. Other often-recognized presenters at the event
included former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who
is seeking to end gun violence, and Barbara Bush,
who founded the Global Health Corps organization to
mobilize young leaders to support health equity.
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum also prompted
attendees to consider local peace-building needs,
convening conversations focused on present-day
issues in the Twin Cities. Students, community
members, and facilitators worked through difficult
discussions on respecting and honoring sacred spaces,
bridging political differences through civil dialogue,
and addressing cross-generational injustice. These
mediated conversations went beyond campus to places
that brought the topics to life. For example, part of
the dialogue on preserving Native American sites took
place in suburban Eagan at Pilot Knob, an area that
was an indigenous gathering place and sacred burial
ground for centuries.
“It’s entirely fitting that these important
conversations are happening at Augsburg University
as part of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum,” said the
Forum’s Program Director Joe Underhill, reflecting on
the entire event.
“A university is a place where civic dialogue
on difficult topics is not only allowed, but highly
encouraged,” said Underhill, an associate professor of
political science at Augsburg. “It is only through that
kind of dialogue that we are going to move toward any
mutual understanding on these issues.”
[Far left] Augsburg Design & Agency students created
numerous large-scale art installations to convey the theme,
Dialogue in Divided Societies.
[Near left] The Hex House, a low-cost, emergency housing
prototype, showcased how smart design can create humane
solutions during crises.
FALL - WINTER 2017
17
JOIN US FOR THE 30TH
[Above] Chief Arvol Looking Horse and Methodist Bishop Bruce Ough visit
the Red Rock, a boulder that is located at a United Methodist Church in
Newport, Minnesota, and considered sacred by the Dakota people. The 2017
Forum included site visits addressing local peace-building topics.
September 19–22, 2018
Augsburg University
[Left] Interactive art installations allowed Forum attendees to participate in
creating displays that reflected their own perspectives on peacemaking.
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AUGSBURG NOW
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WOMENOF
INFLUENCE
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
Augsburg outscores national average of
female coaches, supports inclusive culture
across Athletics department
“Only priests and participants’ fathers
can be anywhere near the pool,” three
St. Catherine’s nuns echoed in protest as
Augsburg’s 1963 swim instructor, Malcolm
“Mac” Gimse, led then-20-year-old Joyce
Pfaff ’65 and three other physical education
majors onto the pool deck.
Gimse reluctantly exited the building,
but as the Auggies lined up at water’s edge,
“GO AUGSBURG” boomed from the stands.
Pfaff looked up, and there was her instructor,
wearing a big smile and a clerical collar.
Call it obstinate or call it resolute, but
Pfaff adopted that tenacity—and it helped
her climb over, chisel away, and bust down a
decade’s worth of walls in women’s athletics
and coaching prior to the passage of Title IX,
a federal law that allows women access to
any federally funded educational program
or activity. So, it comes as no surprise that
Augsburg’s first women’s athletic director
is “beyond proud” that a recent report
ties Augsburg with Macalester College
as the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference’s schools with the most female
head coaches.
Head Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Coach
Meghan Peyton ’14 MAL leads a team practice.
FALL - WINTER 2017
19
PHOTO BY CYNDI NIGHTENGALE, CYNBADMEDIA
This distinction, out of the
University of Minnesota’s
Tucker Center for Research
on Women and Girls in Sport,
is particularly encouraging
as national studies point to
dramatic decreases in women
coaching women’s sports. When
Title IX was passed in 1972,
women coached 90 percent
of women’s collegiate athletic
teams. Today, only about 40
percent of those teams are led
by female coaches, according
to the NCAA.
Augsburg hits national
average out of the park
Pfaff coached at a time
before women’s athletics were
afforded official equipment or
facilities. In fact, Pfaff helped
build Augsburg’s first softball
field. Today, she remains
confident in Augsburg’s ability
to advance equality. According
to the Tucker Center, Augsburg
leapt from having slightly more
than 36 percent female head
coaches in 2014 to nearly 73
percent in 2017.
“Think of how far we’ve
come,” Pfaff said. “Augsburg’s
first volleyball coach, Mary
Timm ’81, could ‘afford’ to
coach for us because she
had a full-time job as a day
care supervisor, and she used
vacation time to travel with
the team. Today, Augsburg has
more women’s teams (11) than
20
AUGSBURG NOW
men’s (10), and the Athletic
Department works hard to create
an equitable, forward-thinking,
and inclusive culture.”
Augsburg Athletic Director
Jeff Swenson ’79 and Associate
Athletic Director Kelly Anderson
Diercks appreciate the Tucker
Center’s acknowledgement
of Augsburg’s dedication to
women’s athletics. University
leaders are ever-vigilant in their
efforts to support all coaches,
staff, and student-athletes in
achieving a well-balanced life.
“Coaching demands all of
you and more, with 365-day
recruiting on top of practices,
planning, and leading studentathletes in competition and
out in their everyday lives,”
said Swenson, who has worked
at Augsburg for more than 36
years. “We are committed to
work-life integration. The best
coaches are fulfilled, healthy,
and productive members at
home and in the community—
an approach to life we want to
mirror for our student-athletes.”
Anderson Diercks recruits
coaches and advises studentathletes interested in
transitioning from court to
clipboard. She is keenly aware
of the factors contributing to
the diminishing number of
female coaches across the
U.S. and emphasizes that
even if you’re in a position of
success, there’s still room for
improvement.
It’s vital for
all students to
see women as
role models in
all professions,
including
athletics.
—Kelly Anderson Diercks,
associate athletic director
“College athletic departments
need to do a better job of recruiting
and retaining women coaches
through mentoring, professional
development, and supportive
cultures,” she said. “And it is
critically important that this
conversation is not just about
women coaching women. It should
be about women in coaching, which
includes women coaching boys
and men. It’s vital for all students
to see women as role models in all
professions, including athletics.”
Popularity of women’s
athletics contributes to
decline in coaching equity
The NCAA’s findings suggest that
a major factor contributing to the
decline of women coaching women
is, ironically, tied to the boom of
women’s athletics. With increased
popularity came expanded staffs
and higher salaries, attracting
men—particularly longtime
assistant coaches—to lead
women’s teams. And while 60
percent of women’s teams are
coached by men, according to the
study, women guide only about 3
percent of men’s teams. Roughly
80 percent of collegiate athletic
directors are men.
Is a solution to ignore gender?
“Absolutely not,” Anderson Diercks
said. “Like any dimension of
diversity, to ignore or deny a part of
someone’s identity does not allow
them to show up as their fullest
and best self, and then we all miss
out. There is richness in diversity,
and women are an important part
of that diversity, especially in the
athletic arena.”
A coaching job is demanding,
with long hours, travel, and high
expectations, but those pressures
can be overcome, Swenson said.
The more universities exemplify
work-life balance, the more
family-oriented student-athletes,
regardless of gender, will be drawn
to the profession, he added.
Negative perceptions still
cast a shadow
Stigmas, misconceptions, and high
stakes also contribute to the decline
in women seeking and maintaining
leadership roles in university
athletics, according to the NCAA.
Interviews with female coaches
across the U.S. drew out comments
about increasing demands,
assumptions about female coaches’
sexuality, and perceived gender
bias. Augsburg Women’s Hockey
Head Coach Michelle McAteer said
if she could squash an assumption
curbing female coaches, it would be
the belief that “all women are catty
and emotional.”
“Since women hold fewer
leadership positions in all realms—
from athletics and business to
politics—we are put under a
microscope and our actions are
generalized,” she said. “Women
in leadership need to become the
norm and not the exception in
order to combat these myths so
we can get onto the business of
empowering those we lead (and
winning games).”
And she would know. McAteer,
who led the Augsburg women’s
hockey team to its highest MIAC
finish since the ’90s, played for
female coaches throughout her high
school and college years. These
models of “strength, resolve, and
compassion” gave her confidence
and an awareness of her role now, as
a coach, to model those values for
the next generation, she said. “It’s a
responsibility I care deeply about.”
For Pfaff, this and other
reflections from today’s women
coaches signal that the legacy
she and others fought to instill is
[L to R]: Women’s Lacrosse
Head Coach Kathryn
Knippenberg and Graduate
Fellow Taylor Tvedt ’19 MAL
greet a prospective student.
holding strong. Sure, there always is
yet another contest to win, she said,
but what’s the fun in not having a
fight? The best part, for Pfaff, is
knowing that Augsburg is on the
right side of the field—maybe even
the infield she helped grade for
Augsburg’s first softball diamond.
FALL - WINTER 2017
21
AUGGIES CONNECT
AUGSBURG WOMEN ENGAGED:
COURTESY PHOTO
Dear alumni and friends,
It’s an exciting time for Augsburg University,
and the Alumni Board aims to infuse
positive energy from Augsburg’s big events
this fall in our year-long agenda.
The board’s objective is to advance
Augsburg’s mission by making the most
of the time, talents, and treasure found in
our alumni group. Each year, the Alumni
Board plans events where Auggies can network, collaborate, and
serve together. The 2017 Summer Series was an example of this
work. Auggies attended a Minnesota United soccer game, took
part in Auggie Night at Canterbury Park, and listened to Augsburg
community members give presentations on a range of topics at the
7 People 7 Passions 7 Minutes event at Sisyphus Brewing. Alumni
Board members also hosted Happy Hour Squared at Brave New
Workshop, which featured a twist on a traditional social hour—
attendees enjoyed beverages while making 1,500 sandwiches for
unsheltered people in the Twin Cities.
It is fun watching the talents of fellow Auggies come to life at
our social events, and our upcoming calendar is available online:
augsburg.edu/alumnievents. Using your time and talents to make
connections with current students is simply one of the best ways to
stay connected with Augsburg, so stay tuned for details about the
upcoming 2018 Auggie Networking Experience on February 6.
Auggies also can join the Alumni Board’s effort to sponsor a
tree in the Urban Arboretum planned for Augsburg’s Minneapolis
campus. The trees selected for the first phase of this plan will
surround the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science,
Business, and Religion and include species native to Minnesota.
All gift levels are welcome.
As the Alumni Board continues to advance the mission of the
University through events and networking, we invite you to join us.
We work hard, and we make sure we don’t forget to have fun, as well.
MOVING IN A NEW DIRECTION
The Augsburg Women Engaged Philanthropy
Council has grown in the past year. Augsburg
alumnae formed AWE in 2009 to unite women
with shared interests and passions through
events, mentorship, and philanthropy. Today,
AWE inspires women to connect, learn, and give.
AWE highlights:
Connect—Members gathered at Homecoming
for a painting party to prepare pieces of a
mural titled “Emergence” that will be installed
in the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center
for Science, Business, and Religion.
Learn—AWE hosted a discussion following
the 2016 Center for Wellness and Counseling
Convocation and a pre-concert reception
at the annual Woman Voice: Voice of Hope
choral performance.
Give—Members raised more than $100,000
for the “Emergence” mural and are engaged
in planning to raise an additional $1 million
for scholarships.
AWE’s participation has nearly doubled during the
past year and includes Augsburg women from all
generations, degree programs, and career fields.
COURTESY PHOTO
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Go Auggies!
NICK RATHMANN ’03, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
AWE Philanthropy Council members [L to R]: Debby
(Fredrickson) Crowley ’76, Danielle Stellner ’07, Joni
Marti ’05 MAL, Lori Moline ’82, Martha Truax ’16 MAL,
Shelby (Gimse) Andress ’56, Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL, Cheryl
Jensen ’86, Donna McLean, and Kris (Peterson) Pearson ’78.
Not pictured: Rachel (Olson) Engebretson ’98, Dr. Lisa
Latham ’83, Diana Pierce ’16 MAL, and Cindy (Winberg)
Sisson ’83.
Visit augsburg.edu/now to
learn more about joining AWE.
22
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGGIES CONNECT
Celebrate
STEPUP ® PROGRAM MARKS 20 YEARS OF SUCCESS
COURTESY PHOTO
A
Heidi Bausch ’07
ugsburg University’s
StepUP Program is in its
20th year of empowering
students in recovery to achieve
academic success. StepUP held its
annual gala October 28. The gala
was an evening of inspiration and
fellowship in which emcee Don
Shelby, an Emmy-award-winning
broadcast journalist and person
in recovery, welcomed nearly 500
Auggies, families, friends, and
advocates for recovery. Each year,
the StepUP Gala is organized by
a committee of volunteers with
support from Augsburg staff. The
2017 committee co-chairs were
Gina Gage and Cindy Piper.
Two of the evening’s highlights
were the keynote address by
alumna Heidi Bausch ’07 and the
presentation of the Toby Piper
Labelle Award to the James and
Sally Dowdle and Pat and Jeanne
Dwyer families.
Bausch is celebrating the 10th
anniversary of her graduation
from Augsburg, where she studied
psychology and philosophy,
was an active member in the
StepUP community, and worked
for the Center for Wellness and
Counseling. Today Bausch lives out
a passion for serving the recovery
community. She is pursuing a
doctorate in counseling psychology
at the University of St. Thomas.
Her clinical practice included an
internship at The Hazelden Betty
Ford Foundation’s residential
program for young people and work
at the University of Minnesota
Medical Center, Fairview inpatient
unit for youth facing chemical and
mental health difficulties. Bausch
also works with the Minnesota
Psychology Association to promote
legislation aimed at improving
behavioral health care quality.
This year, Bausch partnered with
her StepUP Program roommate,
Samantha Yerks ’06, to launch
Singularity Behavioral Systems &
Technology, a business that develops
clinical software products for the
mental health field.
Go to augsburg.edu/stepup to
learn more about the StepUP
Program and its fundraising gala.
FALL - WINTER 2017
23
introduces high school students to health science careers
When University alumni and
community members step up to help
make an Augsburg program succeed,
everybody wins.
Since 2008, Augsburg University
has hosted Metro Scrubs summer
camps that offer high school students
a glimpse into health science careers.
Through workshops and hands-on
activities, students gain insight
into career paths that range from
veterinary medicine and public health
to physical therapy and nursing. The
success of the weeklong program—
formerly known as Urban Scrubs—
hinges on faculty involvement and
volunteer engagement through which
working professionals teach workshops
and mini-courses. This year, an
Augsburg alumna and the parent of
two Auggie alumni stepped in to offer
their expertise—and to learn a thing
or two from their pupils.
Jenny Kelley ’85 pursued a nursing
degree after completing her Augsburg
education and now serves as a
nurse and asthma educator at the
Hennepin County Medical Center in
COURTESY PHOTO
METRO SCRUBS PROGRAM
Nearly six dozen students participated in Augsburg’s Metro Scrubs Camp this
summer. One of nine such programs for Minnesota high school students, Metro
Scrubs is a collaborative effort of Augsburg University, HealthForce Minnesota,
Fairview Health Services, and St. Catherine University.
Minneapolis. Kelley initiated a Metro
Scrubs class by asking students to
inhale and exhale through a narrow
cocktail straw, an exercise that
highlighted how difficult it is for
someone with asthma to breathe.
Kelley noticed that her students were
from a diverse array of backgrounds,
but previous knowledge of asthma was
something that unified the group.
“I felt I was having an impact on
students from many different cultures
and different communities,” Kelley
said. “Yet, everyone knows somebody
with asthma, so this education is
helpful in ensuring people use their
inhalers the right way.”
One out of 12 people in the U.S.
is diagnosed with asthma. For Kelley,
leading a Metro Scrubs course was a
way to teach young people about the
medical condition and to spur interest
in careers that could help tackle this
pressing health care need.
For Dr. Robert “Bob” Florence,
a primary care internist at Allina
in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota,
teaching Metro Scrubs students was
an opportunity to reconnect with the
basics. Florence knows Augsburg
well through his children, Jeffrey
Florence ’02 and Beth Florence ’08,
and he noted that teaching high
school students was a reminder about
the importance of clear doctor-patient
communication.
“I show the students what it’s like
to do an office call with a patient,
explaining the types of interactions
I have with patients, along with
the best and worst ways to handle
certain scenarios,” Florence said. “I
began teaching the class because
the students hadn’t been exposed
to primary care in the other Metro
Scrubs sessions, and I wanted to
teach them what they could and
should expect.”
While it can be difficult to fit extra
opportunities into a physician’s hectic
schedule, Florence said leading
Metro Scrubs classes has been
worthwhile. “It has helped me to be a
better physician and taught students
interested in medical careers valuable
lessons,” he said.
Visit augsburg.edu/now to learn more about volunteer
and sponsorship opportunities with Metro Scrubs Camp.
24
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGGIES CONNECT
GIFT EXPANDS
MARINE AQUARIUM FACILITY
for study of biological diversity
When the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science,
Business, and Religion opens for classes in January 2018, the
new building will feature a state-of-the-art marine aquarium
facility thanks to the generosity of donor Fritz Grimm, who
made a substantial gift to fund the project.
Twenty years ago, Associate Professor of Biology William
“Bill” Capman created a large multi-tank coral reef aquarium
system on campus to inspire interest in biological diversity,
to serve as a teaching and research tool, and to provide
living specimens for lab demonstrations. In the years since,
the aquaria have been integral to Capman’s teaching,
making interaction with marine life a unique aspect of
Augsburg’s biology laboratory experience, exposing students
to biodiversity they would not see elsewhere, and promoting
careful stewardship of the world’s ecosystems.
Capman has been passionate about aquatic life since his
childhood. He and Grimm, as fellow members of the Twin Cities
Marine Aquarium Society, have known each other for years.
Grimm is the former proprietor of a store selling items
for keeping coral, fish, and other sea life, and has assisted
Capman in past efforts to care for Augsburg’s aquaria. For
Grimm, sponsoring Augsburg’s marine environments is a way
to support quality work already underway and build on it for
the future. Grimm’s gift is enabling Augsburg to significantly
expand its marine facilities to include a 350 gallon coral
reef aquarium and six additional 60-90 gallon tanks housing
additional diverse organisms, along with a research lab for
studying coral biology and captive breeding of coral reef fish.
“We rely on places like this to inspire people,” Grimm
said of Augsburg’s marine aquarium expansion. “How should
people know they need to care about seahorses and coral
without ever seeing them?”
Grimm is concerned by the known degradation of natural
environments, pointing to the fact that a significant portion of
the world’s coral are becoming more susceptible to disease and
are dying due to increases in water temperature and pollution.
“If anyone is going to inspire the future generation to do
something about it, it will be Bill,” Grimm said.
During a presentation to the Minnesota Aquarium Society,
Bill Capman demonstrates how he creates artificial reef
structures for new aquaria.
COURTESY PHOTOS
FALL - WINTER 2017
25
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1950
Carl Vaagenes ’50, a retired
pastor, helped to translate the
mission articles of Georg Sverdrup. Vaagenes
was inspired to translate Sverdrup’s sermons
for future generations and did this as a
member of The Georg Sverdrup Society. In
1898, Georg Sverdrup and Sven Oftedal,
co-founders of Augsburg Seminary and
College, published their sermons at the
founding of the Lutheran Free Church but
without their names. In “Aand og Liv” (“Spirit
and Life”), they reveal their mind and heart
for the church and for Augsburg.
1952
Millie
Nelson ’52
received a Spirit of
Augsburg Award
at Homecoming in
recognition for her
dedication to Augsburg
University. Before
retiring, Nelson worked
at Augsburg for decades. In her role as
Christensen Center manager, she guided
student assistants who described her as
professional, competent, knowledgeable,
and kind. These former students
acknowledged that Nelson embodied the
spirit of Augsburg.
1957
Stan Baker ’57 received the
Ella Stephens Barrett Award for
excellence in professional leadership and
counseling from the North Carolina Counseling
Association during its annual conference in
February in Durham, North Carolina.
1964
Garrett “Gary” Waldner ’64 and
his wife, Nancy, celebrated their
50th anniversary in October. They have
three sons and four grandchildren. Waldner
is active in the real estate appraisal field,
specializing in litigation valuations.
1966
After graduating from Augsburg,
Ron Blake ’66 went on to Luther
Seminary and has pastored several churches
before retiring in 2009 as a pastor with dual
membership in the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America and the United Church
of Christ. Blake and his wife remain active
members of Trinity Lutheran Church in
Lynnwood, Washington. They have two
children and four grandsons.
1968
Bruce
Benson ’68
received a Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming. Benson
served as campus
pastor at St. Olaf
College for 30 years
and has been a board
member at church camps in Minnesota,
Montana, and Ohio. He graduated cum
laude from Augsburg with a Bachelor of
Arts in English, earned his Master of Divinity
degree from Luther Seminary in 1972, and
further earned a degree in Sacred Theology
from Yale Divinity School in 1980. Benson
hosts a radio program called, “Sing for Joy,”
which is broadcast on 140 radio stations
in the United States, carried by cable
networks, and broadcast in 40 countries in
and near Africa.
1970
Mark
Francis ’70
received a Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming and
was recognized for
his leadership in the
Arizona school system.
After graduating from
Augsburg with a music degree, Francis
founded the Arizona School for the Arts in
1995. ASA became one of the top charter
schools in the state. Today, Francis is a deputy
associate superintendent within the Arizona
Department of Education. He is an active
member of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran
Church, which he has served in a number
of capacities, including as congregational
president, treasurer, and music leader.
In June, Ray Hanson ’70 retired and moved
to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one day later. He
completed his career with Goldbelt Raven,
where he provided scientific and technical
assistance to the chemical forensics program
at the Department of Homeland Security.
1972
In May, Rob Engelson ’72
received the Distinguished
Service Award from Ashford University at its
commencement ceremony in San Diego. The
award acknowledged 21 years as a faculty
member and five years as a member of the
Faculty Senate.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
’01
’05
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26
AUGSBURG NOW
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1973
Terry
Lindstrom ’73
received a Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming. After
graduating from
Augsburg with degrees
in chemistry and
biology, Lindstrom
received his doctorate in biochemistry with a
pharmacology minor in 1977. He went on to
complete postdoctoral research at Michigan
State University from 1978 to 1979. During
his career, Lindstrom led research teams that
obtained patents for prescription medications
Evista and Cymbalta. In addition to Lindstrom’s
many scientific achievements, he and his
wife, Janet Lindstrom, have provided 16
full Undergraduate Research and Graduate
Opportunity summer scholarships for
Augsburg students during the past five years.
1974
Thomas Koplitz ’74 has been
elected to the Minnesota Baseball
Hall of Fame and was inducted at a September
ceremony held in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
1977
Augsburg
honored
Inez Bergquist ’77 with
a Distinguished Alumni
Award at Homecoming.
As the current president
of Waltman Associates,
Bergquist has more than
35 years experience in
fundraising and is an expert in the area of
nonprofit management. She served on the
Augsburg University Alumni Board for eight
years and on the Augsburg Parent Council for
four years. Bergquist authored several books
on families of wealth including the “Book of
Minnesota Family Trees.” She also is a Wells
Foundation board member.
1978
Phyllis Bartel ’78 published
“Scooter ‘n’ Oaks: A Cat Adoption
Story” in October 2016. As Bartel’s premier
work, this fictionalized tale teaches children
about the pet adoption process with
compassion and gentle humor and shares
similar themes with human adoption.
1979
Dave Boots ’79, who was inducted
into Augsburg’s Athletic Hall of
Fame in 2004, was named to the University
of South Dakota Vermillion’s Henry Heider
Coyote Sports Hall of Fame in October after
retiring in 2013 with the 14th most wins
in Division II men’s basketball history. He
led the Coyotes to 23 consecutive winning
seasons from 1989-2011, 10 NCAA Division II
tournaments, six NCC titles, and back-to-back
Elite Eight appearances in 1993 and 1994.
At the Division I level, Boots also won a Great
West Championship in 2010. Boots began his
coaching career at Anoka Ramsey Community
College and spent six years coaching at
Augsburg before arriving in Vermillion.
Sally (Hough) Daniels Herron ’79 is the new
parish and communications administrator for
Valley of Peace Lutheran Church in Golden
Valley, Minnesota.
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
Leah Abdella ’76 retired in 2016 from a 40-year
teaching career in the field of special education.
At Augsburg, Abdella earned a double major in music
and music therapy as one of the first three music therapy
majors. Abdella stays fulfilled in retirement through
volunteer work and flute performance at assisted living
residences, nursing homes, and churches. She also
stays active in ballet classes and yoga. She is a former
member of the Andahazy Ballet Company.
’76
Katie (Koch) Code ’01, director of alumni and
constituent relations at Augsburg University, married
Chris Code in April during an intimate ceremony at the
Guthrie Theater—where the couple met while both on staff.
The wedding was officiated by Code’s father, the Rev. Jack
’01
’14
Former hockey and
football player Paul
Holmquist ’79 was
inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. Holmquist
was a key member of
Augsburg teams that
dominated in the late
1970s, earning the National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics national title in 1979
and qualifying for NAIA national tournament
play all of Holmquist’s four seasons. The
teams he competed with also won Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in
1978 and 1979. He was named a team MVP
in the 1978-79 season, the same time period
in which he earned All-MIAC Honorable
Mention honors.
1980
Paul Kilgore ’80 wrote a novel,
“The Broken Key,” that is
available through online and retail outlets.
1985
Brian Ammann ’85 has been
running the Minnesota School of
Basketball in Apple Valley and Golden Valley
for 12 years. He is the former head basketball
coach at Augsburg.
1987
Lee Ann (Burson) Hohenstein ’87
left a 20-year career in mortgage
banking to follow her dream and become a
staff writer for the Mille Lacs Messenger. She
also opened Restoration Books and Gifts in
Crosby, Minnesota.
Tell us about the news in your life—your new job, move, marriage, and
milestones. Visit augsburg.edu/now to submit your announcements.
Koch, and was witnessed by sibling Jason Koch ’93 and
sister-in-law Heather Johnston ’92.
Allison (Cornell) Broughton ’05 and Matt
Broughton ’06 welcomed new baby Nicholas
James in June. Nicholas joins big brother Calvin, age 4.
’05
This August, Samantha Cantrall ’14 and Austin
Smith ’14 were married in Ellsworth, Wisconsin,
by Augsburg Professor of Computer Science Larry
Crockett. The couple met in Augsburg’s Urness Hall in
2010, and both graduated from the Honors Program in
2014. They have taken Samantha’s mother’s last name
as their wedded name and will be known as Samantha
and Austin Wolf.
’14
FALL - WINTER 2017
27
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1991
Kristin
Dragseth
Wiersma ’91 had an
outstanding volleyball
career at Augsburg, an
accomplishment that
earned her induction
into the Athletic Hall of
Fame. Wiersma played
three seasons of volleyball, earning All-MIAC
and Academic All-MIAC honors in 1990,
and All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors
in 1989. She remains in the top 10 players
in school history in three career statistical
categories: kills per-set, attack percentage,
and digs per-set. A team co-captain in
1990, Wiersma also served as an assistant
coach at Augsburg in 1991.
1992
Athletic
Hall of
Fame inductee Juli
Gustafson ’92 played
two years of softball
at Augsburg earning
All-MIAC honors as
a shortstop in both
1991 and 1992, while
also earning National Fastpitch Coaching
Association All-West Region honors in
1991. Her .395 career batting average is
the third-best in school history. She also
ranks third in career slugging percentage
and sixth in career doubles. Gustafson was
a member of Auggie teams that went 47-22
in her two seasons.
Though he only
competed in one season
of wrestling at Augsburg,
Bret Sharp ’92 made
the most of it. He went
43-2-1 with 15 pins
and 95 takedowns,
won the MIAC title
at heavyweight, and
finished third at the NCAA Division III
national tournament in the 1991-92 season,
where he helped to clinch a second-place
national team finish for the Auggies. Sharp
was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. He competed his first three seasons
at Drake University in Iowa.
1993
Dr. Jason Koch ’93 was appointed
president of Southdale Pediatrics,
where he has worked for the past 16 years.
Wrestling star Gary
Thompson ’93 was
inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. A four-year
competitor in wrestling,
Thompson completed
his Auggie career with a
91-40-1 record, finishing
fourth at the 1993 NCAA Division III national
championships and earning All-American
honors. He was a MIAC champion, a National
Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar AllAmerican, and a two-time Academic All-MIAC
honors student-athlete. Thompson was a
member of Augsburg squads that won the
NCAA national championship in 1993 and
finished second and third in other years.
1994
Chris Terrell ’94 was promoted
to vice president of finance for
Medtronic’s Cardiac and Vascular Group
Global Operations. Terrell joined Medtronic
in 2003 and most recently served as a
senior director of operations in finance,
where he drove finance strategies for nine
manufacturing locations.
1995
Dual sport
athlete
Marty Alger ’95 was
inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. In football,
Alger set an Augsburg
program record for
career rushing yardage,
which stood until 2014. In 1992, he became
the first Auggie ever to rush for 1,000-plus
yards in a season. He earned All-MIAC
honors in football in both 1992 and 1993. As
an Auggie wrestler, he qualified for the 1993
NCAA Division III national tournament after
winning the MIAC title at 190 pounds.
1997
Augsburg
Athletic
Hall of Fame inductee
Eric Rolland ’97 was
a leader on some of
the most successful
men’s golf teams in
school history. He led
squads that won the
MIAC championship in 1995 and recorded
second-place finishes in 1994 and 1996,
while competing in three straight NCAA
Division III national tournaments. Rolland
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
Denielle (Johnson) Stepka ’11 and
Timothy Stepka were married July 15
in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Their ceremony
was officiated by Josh Corrigan ’11, and their
wedding party included Augsburg alumni
Katie (Christensen) Beadell ’11, Korri (Yule)
Corrigan ’11, Tim Lund ’12, Amy Jo Opsal ’12,
and Tyler Phillips ’12.
’11
28
AUGSBURG NOW
In July, Enrico Barrozo ’14 and Mara
(Breczinski) Barrozo ’14 were married
at Augsburg University’s Hoversten Chapel.
The ceremony was officiated by the Rev.
Mike Matson ’06. The newlyweds live in
Gainesville, Florida, where Enrico is pursuing
a Ph.D. in genetics and genomics at the
University of Florida, and Mara teaches
middle school science.
’14
Rebecca (Welle) Winters ’05 and Paul
Winters ’07 welcomed a daughter, Maisy
Beverly, in May. She joins siblings Max, who is
six years old, and Millie, who is three years old.
’05
Matt Tonsager ’09, co-owner of
Gullton Wood, and Melissa (Moberg)
Tonsager ’10 welcomed a daughter, Adalind
Kay Tonsager, in April.
’09
earned All-America honors in 1995, AllDistrict honors in 1997, and All-MIAC honors
in 1995 and 1996. Since 2014, he has
served as Augsburg’s men’s and women’s
golf head coach.
1999
Elizabeth
(Petrik)
Brown ’99 had an
outstanding goaltending
career on the Augsburg
women’s soccer team,
an accomplishment that
earned her induction
into the Athletic Hall
of Fame. Brown started all but one game of
her collegiate career, finishing with 34 career
victories, including a then-school-record 13
in 1995. She stands second in school history
in career shutouts, fourth in career wins,
and eighth in career win-loss percentage.
Her 1.69 career goals-against-average is
10th-best in school history.
Cheri Johnson ’99 wrote two book series
released this fall for young readers.
“Origins: Urban Legends” and “Origins:
Whodunnit” are high-interest, low-readinglevel books that target upper-elementary
and middle-school students. The books
will be distributed by Lerner. Johnson also
is working on a performance project in
Minneapolis called “Crocus Hill Ghost Story”
with the music ensemble Zeitgeist; her
sister, Julie Johnson ’98; and actor, director,
and filmmaker D.J. Mendel. “Crocus Hill
Ghost Story” tells a tale set in an evil house
in St. Paul.
’11
’14
’05
’09
’00
Devoney Looser ’89 published a new
’89 book, “The Making of Jane Austen,”
which was named in Publishers Weekly’s list
of Best Summer Books of 2017 (nonfiction).
This May, Lewis Nelson ’00 graduated
from the University of Virginia’s Darden
School of Business with a Master of Business
Administration degree. Nelson left a 15-year
military and government career and is
seeking the next challenge. Nelson resides in
Charlottesville, Virginia, with his three children.
’00
’89
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
2000
The Rev. Sara (Quigley) Brown ’00
has accepted a term-call as
the associate interim pastor at Saving Grace
Lutheran, Lutheran Congregations in Missions
for Christ, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She
will serve and work alongside its faithful
congregation and pastor, the Rev. David
Irgens, during a time of great transition
and growth. Brown will serve Saving Grace
Lutheran for one year until the congregation
places a call for a permanent associate pastor.
2001
James Shropshire ’01, former
assistant director of public safety
at Augsburg, is the new director of campus
safety at Grinnell College. At Augsburg,
Shropshire also served as a Title IX
adjudicator and investigator. Besides
revising diversity training, Shropshire’s
agenda for campus safety at Grinnell will
include updating the department’s software,
computers, and other equipment.
2002
Augsburg
Athletic Hall
of Fame inductee Chrissy
(Baune) Bloemendal ’02
was a 16-time AllMIAC selection in cross
country (three times)
and track and field
(13 times). The team’s
No. 1 runner her final three seasons in cross
country, Bloemendal finished sixth in the MIAC
championships in 2001 and 13th in 2000.
In track and field, she won the MIAC title and
qualified for the NCAA Division III outdoor
national championships in the 3,000-meter
steeplechase in 2002, finishing ninth nationally.
AUGGIE
SNAPSHOTS
30
AUGSBURG NOW
’15
Two years ago Heather Cmiel ’02 left 13
years of communications agency life behind
to go corporate. She now serves as global
marketing communications strategist within
3M Healthcare. Cmiel spends her free time
as president of Minnesota Public Relations
Society of America. She also leads a
contemporary worship band.
2003
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin ’03
is the founder and director
of the Rural Enterprise Center, a program
of Main Street Project, a nonprofit
organization focused on rural development.
Haslett-Marroquin also serves on the
boards of the Northfield Area Foundation,
the Northfield Area United Way, and Fifth
Bridge, a nonprofit organization promoting
volunteerism.
2005
Ryan Bosshart ’05 is a vice
president of services at phData,
a global leader in big data consulting and
managed services. Most recently, Bosshart
was a principal sales engineer at Cloudera.
2006
Michelle Dirtzu ’06 is a new
marketing manager at Pacific
Trellis Fruit/Dulcinea Farms based in Los
Angeles, California. Dirtzu has 10 years of
experience in the grocery-retail-produce
business. Previously, she was a marketing
director for North Shore Living Herbs, in
marketing with Flagstone Foods, and in
brand management with Supervalu. Dirtzu
earned a Master of Business Administration
degree from Opus School of Business at
the University of St. Thomas in 2014.
Brenda Valentine ’06 welcomed her son,
Jackson James Valentine Rice, in April.
2007
A managing
partner of
business planning at
the American Public
Media Group, Danielle
Stellner ’07 received
a First Decade Award
at Homecoming.
After graduating
from Augsburg, Stellner went on to earn a
Master of Business Administration degree
from the Carlson School of Management at
the University of Minnesota in 2016. She
was recruited for the board of Isuroon and
Secretary, and she is the active co-chair of
the AWE Philanthropy Council at Augsburg.
In addition, Stellner serves the Friendship
Academy of the Arts as a board member and
expansion committee member.
2008
Tony Landecker ’08 serves
as a portfolio manager in the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s Minneapolis-St. Paul field
office and is responsible for assisting with
the management of local housing stock.
Landecker was named the Minnesota
Civil Servant of the Year by HUD’s Federal
Executive Board for helping others find
the comfort of a home in the aftermath of
a disaster. In 2016, he left his home and
family to spend time helping Baton Rouge
flood victims, leading a team that found
permanent housing for 130 families initially
placed in temporary shelters.
Rachel Shaheen ’15 and
Christopher Kopp ’15
were married in July. The bride
and groom were joined by fellow
Augsburg alumni [L to R]: Becky
Shaheen ’11, Patrick DuSchane ’13,
Laura Schmidt ’11, Jakob
Anderson ’12, Erika Osterbur ’11,
Aren Olson ’11, Lily Moloney ’15,
Mary Stickelmeyer ’74, Emily
Knudson ’15, Kate Gray ’15, Tyler
Dorn ’15, and Alisha Esselstein ’15.
’15
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Curtiss Schreiber ’08 is now an associate at
the law firm Donohue Brown Mathewson &
Smyth LLC in Chicago.
2011
Jennifer
Weber ’11
received a Spirit of
Augsburg Award at
Homecoming for
her dedication to
Minneapolis’ CedarRiverside community
and in recognition
for the projects she has initiated in the
Twin Cities area. Before graduating from
Augsburg with a triple major in emotional/
behavioral disabilities, learning disabilities,
and American Indian studies, Weber
created an American Indian resource
library for the Anoka-Hennepin Indian
Education Program. Weber has been
involved in many community projects and
is a crisis prevention and interventions
trainer at the Charter School Special Ed
Network. She is also a certified school
coach, teacher, and member of the Cedar
Riverside Community School Board.
2012
Katie Radford ’12, ’18 MBA
started a new position at
Fairview Health Services as a training
consultant. She helps facilitate individual
and team development sessions for
professional growth.
2014
Maren Daniels ’14 teaches
elementary visual art at Hiawatha
Academy Morris Park in Minneapolis.
2015
Awale Osman ’15 serves as a
community innovation associate
at the Bush Foundation. He has experienced
much change: coming to the U.S. from
war-torn Somalia and Kenyan refugee camps
to learning English as a third language and
graduating with high academic honors.
His work as a change agent has included
expanding after-school opportunities for
Somali youth; impressing upon Congress
the value of federal TRIO programming; and
activating safe spaces for women, people of
color, and queer students.
2016
Victoria Linstrom ’16, Andrew
Kleidon-Linstom ’16, Bridgette
Henry ’16, and student Mitch Ross ’18 formed
the Open Door Theater where Linstrom serves
as the executive director, Kleidon-Linstom is
the artistic director, Henry is the company
manager/dramaturg in residence, and Ross is
the marketing director.
Muna Mohamed ’16 received a scholarship
at the University of Minnesota to pursue
a Master of Science degree in behavioral
aspects of physical activity. At the university,
Mohamed conducts research on East African
mother-daughter physical activity.
2017
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton
appointed Eron Godi ’17 to the
Young Women’s Cabinet, part of the Young
Women’s Initiative of Minnesota that aims to
improve opportunity for women ages 12 to 24
by bringing together nonprofits, businesses,
government, philanthropic organizations, and
young women to create plans for building
equity. Godi was one of 25 women selected
statewide for a cabinet position.
Emily Gregg ’17, former Augsburg women’s
soccer defender, was named one of 174
nationwide recipients of a $7,500 NCAA
Postgraduate Scholarship honoring her
achievements as both a scholar and an
athlete. A biology major with a 3.72 GPA,
Gregg is the first Auggie to receive an NCAA
Postgraduate Scholarship since 2014. Gregg
will attend graduate school at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. She hopes to someday
work as a wildlife/large animal veterinarian.
Anna Renner ’17 has been accepted to
the Clarkson University Master of Physician
Assistant Studies program in Potsdam,
New York.
Dua Saleh ’17 had one of her songs played
on “The Current” radio station. She performs
music and poetry at Twin Cities venues.
Riley Siddorn ’17 was among nearly 450
summer interns at NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center. Interns seek out new ways
to explore their career fields and engage
NASA’s international scientific community in
Goddard projects. Siddorn, who majored in
physics, held an internship in ionospheric
physics. The internships covered a wide
spectrum in science-related areas, from
planetary science to sounding rockets to
Earth science.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Doris Rubenstein ’93 MAL won the silver
Independent Book Publishers Association
Benjamin Franklin Award for her book, “The
Journey of a Dollar,” at the association’s 29th
annual award ceremony in Portland, Oregon.
Kathleen Clark ’10 MAN, ’14 DNP; Joyce
Miller ’02, ’04 MAN, ’11 DNP; Katherine
Baumgartner ’04 MAN, ’11 DNP; and Cheryl
Leuning, former Nursing Department chair,
co-authored an article, “The Citizen Nurse: An
Educational Innovation for Change,” which was
published in the Journal of Nursing Education.
Jamie Heitzinger ’11 MPA earned a Certificate
of Added Qualifications by completing
specialty training from the National
Commission on Certification of Physician
Assistants. She works at Queens Medical
Center in Honolulu.
Ryan Stopera ’11 MSW/MBA is a social worker
and social entrepreneur. He serves as a
program analyst for the Graves Foundation
and teaches in Augsburg’s Social Work
Department. Stopera enjoys building
community through art, cycling, and rock
climbing in his spare time.
Allison DeGroot ’15 MAL is the new head
women’s soccer coach at the University of
Wisconsin-Superior. The women’s soccer
program competes at the highest level in
the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference,
and DeGroot is looking forward to working
with players to help the program reach its
potential. DeGroot was an assistant coach at
Augsburg from 2012 until 2016.
Angela Mejdrich ’15 MAE is the new director
of administration at Spirit of the Lake
Community School in Duluth, Minnesota.
She provides lead support and oversight of
several administrative and business matters.
Mejdrich has more than 20 years of teaching
and administration experience, most
recently as vice principal of St. Michael’s
Lakeside School.
Thomas Hirsch ’16 MPA is a new physician
assistant at the Essentia Health–Hermantown
Clinic in Minnesota.
FALL - WINTER 2017
31
PHOTO BY CAROLINE YANG
IN MEMORIAM
Alfred W. Walck ’40, Urbandale,
Iowa, age 96, on April 27.
Addell L. (Halverson) Dahlen ’43,
Minneapolis, age 96, on June 2.
Carl G. Gilbertson ’43, Battle
Lake, Minnesota, age 96, on
April 14.
Arlene L. (Dunham) Sandberg ’43,
Madelia, Minnesota, age 95,
on May 12.
Muriel R. (Ruud) Frosch ’45,
Winona, Minnesota, age 94,
on July 26.
Lorene M. (McGinnis) Hansen ’49,
Clear Lake, Iowa, age 92,
on July 7.
Lorraine (Telander) Hendershot ’49,
Mora, Minnesota, age 89,
on March 29.
Phyllis (Erickson) Quanbeck ’49,
Salem, Oregon, age 89,
on June 28.
Donald P. Sateren ’49, Long
Beach, California, age 96,
on June 18.
Russell G. Solheim ’49, Racine,
Wisconsin, age 96, on July 8.
Marilyn L. (Larson) Forslund ’50,
Moline, Illinois, age 94,
on May 26.
Roger C. Mackey ’57, Saint
Paul, Minnesota, age 83,
on July 20.
David C. Siedlar ’71, Huaian
City, Jiangsu, China, age 68,
on March 19.
Norman O. Landvik ’50, Port
Angeles, Washington, age 89,
on April 6.
Warren L. Anderson ’59, Grand
Marais, Minnesota, age 84,
on March 16.
Bradley W. Shoff ’77,
Akeley, Minnesota, age 62,
on June 18.
Arnold R. Aasen ’51, Fridley,
Minnesota, age 88, on July 23.
Carrol A. Bakken ’59,
Rushford, Minnesota, age 82,
on March 18.
John A. Faeth ’89, Stillwater,
Minnesota, age 51, on April 3.
Elden O. Landvik ’51, Duluth,
Minnesota, age 92, on July 3.
James D. Slarks ’51, Saint Peter,
Minnesota, age 92, on June 27.
LeVon M. (Paulson) Dinter ’52,
Edina, Minnesota, age 86,
on March 18.
Mildred C. Hetager ’52,
Minneapolis, age 103,
on June 30.
Donald W. Siegel ’53,
Minneapolis, age 89,
on April 6.
Peter L. Hauser ’62, Lakeville,
Minnesota, age 76, on July 10.
Michael L. Kropp ’95, Albert
Lea, Minnesota, age 49, on
April 2.
Gerald W. Mortenson ’62,
Stone Lake, Wisconsin, age 79,
on March 31.
Charity Thunder ’99, Black
River Falls, Wisconsin, age 71,
on July 1.
Paul S. Monson ’63,
Coon Rapids, Minnesota,
age 76, on July 12.
Jacob R. Collins ’03,
Austin, Minnesota, age 36,
on August 25.
Gary W. Paulson ’63, Willmar,
Minnesota, age 75, on June 10.
Christopher G. Frame ’09,
Minneapolis, age 33,
on March 20.
Richard E. Kuehne ’64, Walker,
Minnesota, age 76, on August 7.
Elnora C. (Hanson) Beireis ’54,
Parkers Prairie, Minnesota,
age 84, on July 27.
Ronald A. Hanson ’65, Grand
Rapids, Minnesota, age 74,
on July 17.
Mary Ann E. (Fox) Domholdt ’56,
Mentor, Ohio, age 83, on
April 5.
Terence W. Rindal ’66,
Crystal Lake, Illinois, age 82,
on August 12.
Mark D. Lukitsch ’20,
Cottage Grove, Minnesota,
age 19, on August 5.
The “In memoriam” listings in this publication
include notifications received before September 15.
32
AUGSBURG NOW
JOIN US FOR THE
GRAND OPENING OF
THE NORMAN AND EVANGELINE
HAGFORS CENTER
FOR SCIENCE, BUSINESS, AND RELIGION
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 2018
4–5 p.m. | Alumni and Community Open House
Hagfors Center, Augsburg University
700 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454
RSVP by January 8 at augsburg.edu/alumni/events.
Send questions to Hannah Walsh ’14, advancement
assistant, at walsh@augsburg.edu or call 612-330-1098.
FALL - WINTER 2017
33
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Thousands of Auggies. One Augsburg.
Augsburg’s 2017 Homecoming celebration was held October 12–14, a festive weekend when alumni,
students, and community members took part in more than 35 events, including reunions for the
classes of 1967, 1977, 1992, and 2007. In all, more than 600 alumni from different generations
visited campus to show their Auggie pride and mark the first Homecoming as Augsburg University.
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PAID
Twin Cities, MN
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AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG
UNIVERSITY
SPRING–SUMMER 2017 | VOL. 79, NO. 2
COMING SEPTEMBER 2017
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On the power of both/and
I am writing these notes on c... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG
UNIVERSITY
SPRING–SUMMER 2017 | VOL. 79, NO. 2
COMING SEPTEMBER 2017
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On the power of both/and
I am writing these notes on commencement
weekend when we have just sent the final
graduates of Augsburg College into the world,
full of promise and aspiration—as has been the
case for almost 150 years. As you will read in
this issue of Augsburg Now, the change of our
name to Augsburg University will become official
in September, and we will welcome the incoming
class on Labor Day weekend. We are busy
preparing for this exciting new era for Augsburg!
For some, the name change may reflect
a break with Augsburg’s past. For others,
perhaps this is a welcome acceptance of the
need to embrace the future. For the Augsburg
community, however, the change is a remarkable
opportunity to re-present Augsburg to the
world—to tell a story that is about an abiding
mission and identity shaped by faith, and
academic and civic values, and at the same
time to point to innovative and urgently needed
responses to our dynamic environment. In
other words, this change is about the pivot
from “either/or” to “both/and.” This is about
embracing the best of past, present, and future.
This is about Augsburg University.
The almost 1,000 Auggies who commenced
into the world this spring reflect in their
achievements and aspirations the foundation for
embracing this change.
Across undergraduate and graduate programs,
the Class of 2017 achieved academic excellence
of the highest order, excellence that defines a
university: national and international honors for
scholarship and service; exemplary undergraduate
research that equips students for graduate
work and professional opportunities; innovative
community building that strengthens democratic
engagement; and a commitment to equity in
education that promises to change the world.
At the same time, our newest graduates
reflect the diversity that we expect in a
university—diversity of ethnicity, thinking, life
experience, identity, and ability—diversity not
for its own sake but for the promise of a more
robust, healthy, and just world. As I watched our
diverse graduates cross the stage, I could not
help but be filled with hope in our future leaders
who already have learned to navigate difference
in ways that unite rather than divide.
In a final way, these newest Augsburg
graduates offer a perhaps countercultural
lesson about what makes for a great university.
Though some imagine a university as big and
bureaucratic and faceless, Augsburg has a
vision to be a new kind of student-centered,
urban university—small to our students and
big for the world. The sense of community was
palpable in our commencement ceremonies as
graduates cheered each other and celebrated
the relationships they have forged at Augsburg,
lifelong relationships that engendered
achievement and success. And propelled by those
relationships, our graduates will indeed be “big
for the world,” as they live Augsburg’s mission as
“informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical
thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
Here’s to the power of “both/and” and the
promise of Augsburg University!
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Communication Copywriter
and Editorial Coordinator
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate, Design
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Production Manager
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Jessica Mueller
muellerj@augsburg.edu
Contributing Writers
Kate H. Elliott
Jen Lowman Day
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
Faithfully yours,
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PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
AUGSBURG NOW
Spring–Summer 2017
02 Around the quad
08
Preserving Norway’s
treasures
12
Augsburg University
name change
18
Winning the long game
24
Auggies connect
28
Class notes
33
In memoriam
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
On the cover
Augsburg College will become
Augsburg University effective
September 1. Learn more about
this historic transition on page 12.
An Auggie passes by the first art installation in the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center
for Science, Business, and Religion. This new academic building, which will open in January
2018, celebrates Augsburg’s commitment to learning at the intersection of disciplines.
Glass fritting on the lobby curtainwall depicts the pattern of Martin Luther’s handwritten
score of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” overlaid with the cell structure of elm wood.
“Knowing that light will pour through the tall glass of the Hagfors Center, and that
people will pass through the reflected shape of the notes of this stirring hymn, ties the
whole idea of the building together for me. Science, business, and religion, drawn together
in space, time, and rhythm of the ages,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow, who,
with his wife, Abigail Crampton Pribbenow, sponsored the artwork.
AROUND THE QUAD
HONORING
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
Retiring Faculty
RALPH BUTKOWSKI
MAGDA PALECZNY-ZAPP
Assistant Professor, Department of
Biology—with the College
since 2001
Associate Professor, Department of
Business Administration—with the
College since 1986
CASS DALGLISH
NOEL PETIT
Professor, Department of English—
with the College since 1986
Professor, Department of
Computer Science—with the
College since 1984
PETER HENDRICKSON ’76
Associate Professor, Department of
Music—with the College since 1994
BOYD KOEHLER
Associate Professor, Library—with
the College since 1967
SANDRA OLMSTED ’69
Associate Professor, Department
of Chemistry—with the College
since 1978
DEBORAH REDMOND
Assistant Professor, Department of
Communication Studies—with the
College since 1981
STUART STOLLER
Professor, Department of Business
Administration—with the College
since 1986
TARA SWEENEY
Associate Professor, Department of
Art—with the College since 1990
Auggies advocate at
STATE CAPITOL
The Augsburg community
celebrated the Class of 2017 on
Saturday, April 29. In a morning
ceremony, 503 traditional
undergraduate students were
conferred their degrees. In the
afternoon, the school recognized
469 adult undergraduate, master’s,
and doctoral students—50 of
whom studied at Augsburg’s
Rochester site. [Pictured]: Fatimah
Kinaphone ’15, ’17 MBA receives
her master’s degree hood.
2
AUGSBURG NOW
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
COMMENCEMENT
Augsburg College students recently visited the Minnesota State Capitol to
participate in advocacy events hosted by the Minnesota Private College
Council. First, in February, two of Augsburg’s TRIO McNair Scholars took
part in a Private College Scholars at the Capitol event that promoted the role
undergraduate research plays in students’ educational and professional
development. Then, in April, Auggies met with Minnesota representatives
and senators for Day at the Capitol.
These students advocated for
several programs, including
Minnesota State Grants, that help
undergraduates afford higher
education.
[L to R]: Professor of Sociology Diane Pike
advised McNair Scholar Devin Wiggs ’17, who
was invited to present his undergraduate
research project at Scholars at the Capitol.
AROUND THE QUAD
TICKETS ON SALE:
NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE FORUM
Visit nobelpeaceprizeforum.org to find ticket, presenter, and schedule information.
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
COURTESY PHOTO
September 15-16
Each year, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum offers opportunities to learn from the world’s most
celebrated, innovative, and dedicated peacemakers. Hosted and presented by Augsburg, the
Forum invites attendees to turn abstract ideas into the skills our world needs for fostering
better relationships and for building peace. In September, international guests from leading
organizations will explore the theme “Dialogue in Divided Societies” and honor the work of
the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, for its decisive
contribution to building a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia after the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.
Electronics lab is electrifying!! Building the circuits of
tomorrow, today. #MaroonMilestone @AugsburgCollege
FUEL FINISH
THERE IS, PERHAPS, NO GREATER CURE
FOR STRESS than taking a moment to
acknowledge the good. As Augsburg students soldiered through the last week
of classes this spring—turning in final papers and finishing projects—they
also made time to reflect on their achievements in 2016-17. Students posted,
tweeted, and shared #MaroonMilestones on social media, and soon a powerful
collective story came together. Whether it was winning athletic championships,
landing job interviews, or beating cancer, Auggies finished strong.
FOR THE
CELEBRATING
STUDENT
SUCCESS
FUEL
E
FOR TH
FINISH
For those who posted
#MaroonMilestones, Augsburg
partnered with its food service
provider, A’viands, to provide handdelivered treats and cheerful notes
that offered additional fuel for the end
of the term, though physics students
kept their beverages safely stationed
outside the lab (pictured above)!
Read about the scope of prestigious academic
achievements, awards, and honors earned by Auggies
during the 2016-17 year at augsburg.edu/now.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
3
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
AROUND THE QUAD
After a morning practice, goaltender Jordyn Kaufer ’17 and members of the Augsburg men’s
hockey team presented Minasie Theophilos with a check for $5,000. In comments aired on
KARE 11 news, Kaufer told Theophilos the sum was, “A token to give you thanks for your
selflessness, your service, your care to the rink and the guys.”
Honoring
Luther’s legacy
To mark the 500th anniversary
of the Reformation, Augsburg is
hosting a series of events this fall.
Visit augsburg.edu/ccv/events
for dates and details.
4
AUGSBURG NOW
A SEASON OF REFORMATION CELEBRATIONS!
In September, Augsburg will welcome the fourth
presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, as an honored
speaker for the Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium.
To mark Augsburg College Heritage Day in October,
Associate Professor of Religion Mary Lowe will lead a
discussion on the revolutionary life of Martin Luther.
In November, award-winning musical group The
Rose Ensemble will present “Welcome the People: The
Musical Legacy of the Reformation.”
To kick off the holiday season in December, Augsburg
will host Advent Vespers with the theme “Welcome,
Noble Guest,” inspired by Martin Luther’s hymn “From
Heaven Above.”
AROUND THE QUAD
MINASIE THEOPHILOS has cared for Augsburg’s athletic facilities—most notably the ice arena—
during his more than 25 years of service on the College’s custodial staff. Theophilos and the men’s
hockey team developed a life-changing relationship that was shared by media outlets across the
United States and around the globe.
When members of the team learned that Theophilos’ mother had died in Ethiopia—a home
Theophilos hasn’t seen for nearly 35 years—and that Theophilos missed her funeral because he didn’t
have the money to visit, the team created a fundraiser. In less than 48 hours, the players and Auggies
worldwide raised thousands of dollars for
Theophilos to use to visit his family.
Today, Theophilos and his wife are planning a
trip to see his father and their families, thanks
to a special friendship with the Augsburg
athletes he has supported for decades.
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
FRIENDSHIP ON ICE … AND OFF
right,’
ou raised ’em
‘y
of
y
or
g
te
ca
“In the
y team.”
Augsburg hocke
e
th
of
s
d
ki
e
we give you th
—Bob Collins,
Minnesota Public Radio News Cut
COURTESY PHOTO
Who’s on first? Auggies are! This spring, the Augsburg baseball team kicked
off its season at U.S. Bank Stadium, competing in four nonconference
doubleheaders. The new Minnesota Vikings venue is only a stone’s throw (or
a really strong pitch) from Augsburg’s campus.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
5
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
ON THE SPOT
IT’S SIMPLE MATH: Fewer people are entering the teaching profession, more are
leaving it, and many educators lack the qualifications required to teach Minnesota’s
increasingly diverse student body. These factors have prompted teacher preparation
programs—including those at Augsburg—to adapt in support of more inclusive,
flexible learning environments that accommodate a spectrum of needs and abilities.
As the director of education programs at Augsburg’s Rochester location, Kaycee Rogers is working alongside colleagues
and legislators to better support and retain teachers and to inspire a more diverse workforce. She is driven to ensure the
next generation of Minnesotans experience a meaningful education through hands-on, relevant learning.
Q:
How does educating, training, and
employing K-12 teachers with specialty
backgrounds improve our schools?
A:
The demographics of our student
population have changed given the
influx of new populations into our welcoming
state and education’s shift to incorporate
students with special needs into the general
classroom. Because of this, teachers with
specialty licenses are in demand, and these
positions are often tough to fill. Augsburg
is leading the charge to offer broader
licensures, which prepare teachers to
succeed in today’s classrooms and qualify
them for a wide range of teaching positions.
Exposure to more teaching strategies
and more specializations helps teacher
6
AUGSBURG NOW
candidates adapt and innovate so they can
offer students multiple access points for
understanding.
Q:
A:
What’s an example of an innovative
teaching strategy?
Students learn best when they’re
engaged in experiences that matter to
them. We’ve been incorporating real-world,
student-led experiences into the classroom,
and the results are impressive. Augsburg
teacher candidates, for instance, are helping
fourth- and fifth-graders write grants, speak
to community groups, navigate teamwork,
and participate in democracy. It’s been
amazing to watch our teachers transition
to more of a coaching role, while students
PHOTO BY BRENDAN BUSH
Education expert Kaycee Rogers describes how an inclusive,
agile K-12 model can help Minnesota classrooms make the grade
take the lead to apply classroom learning to
issues and situations of meaning to them.
Q:
A:
How do teachers recognize students’
home cultures and diverse experiences?
Although “English as a Second
Language” is a widely used term, we
say, “English learners,” because it’s more
accurate given that some students learn
English as a third or fourth language. We
also celebrate home culture and language
rather than asking students to check their
heritage at the door.
In special education, we try to be more
inclusive. It used to be that educators
relied on what was called a medical
model of diagnosis and treatment. Today,
AROUND THE QUAD
Outstanding
EDUCATORS
Share your ideas for
Each year, Augsburg recognizes
individuals who have made
exemplary contributions to creating
an engaging academic learning
environment. The 2017 recipients
of the Distinguished Contributions to
Teaching and Learning awards are:
AUGSBURG’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION
1869-2019
Visit augsburg.edu/150 to
submit your suggestions.
Alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff are invited to
celebrate Augsburg’s 150th anniversary in 2019. What
aspect of your Augsburg experience would you like to
highlight during the sesquicentennial year? Were you
connected to a team, an organization, or a department
that made a difference? Would you like to see a reunion
for your favorite activity—whether it was campus
ministry, KAUG radio, student government, or a music
ensemble? Let us know how to best honor Augsburg’s
past, present, and future.
Teaching
Full-time faculty
Joyce Miller ’02, ’05 MAN, ’11 DNP,
assistant professor and Nursing
Department chair
Part-time faculty
Alyssa Hanson ’01, mathematics and
statistics instructor
Scholarship
William Green, professor of history
Service
Q:
A:
David Crowe, associate professor of
biology
How do we inspire a workforce that is
more reflective of diverse classrooms?
It’s well documented that students
retain more information and have a
positive view of education when they relate
to teachers. We want to reach out to people
who look like our students and come from
the same backgrounds, particularly those
already working as teacher aides or in other
supporting roles. Growing teachers from
within each community’s diverse population
will beget more teachers of color and inspire
some to remain in their community to make a
lasting difference.
Stella Hofrenning, associate professor
of economics
Dixie Shafer, director of
Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity
PHOTO BY BOB STACKE ’71
we recognize that our role isn’t as much
about changing someone as it is about
using an approach that welcomes learners
of different styles, that encourages support
networks to address, adapt to, and respond
to each young person. We seek to accept,
listen, and innovate as we help students
gain as much as possible to prepare them
for a fulfilling life.
Both approaches fall under an umbrella
of universal design that can be applied to
all students, regardless of ability. If our
goal is understanding, then we must create
multiple access points for students. We urge
teacher candidates to get to know students,
their families, and the community to
appreciate the backgrounds coming together
in each classroom.
[L to R]: Stella Hofrenning, Dixie Shafer,
William Green, Joyce Miller, David Crowe, and
Alyssa Hanson.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
7
PHOTO BY ANNAR BJØRGLI
8
AUGSBURG NOW
Juliane Derry ’00 works on an artifact from Norway’s national collection.
As an objects conservator, she studies and preserves historical materials.
BY LAURA SWANSON LINDAHL ’15 MBA
“As you can see, I’m not in my office,” says
Juliane Derry ’00 answering a video call and
gazing toward the cell phone resting in her
outstretched palm. “It’s kind of a little crisis.”
Behind her, a warehouse complex comes into
focus. It looks tidy—for the most part—but
there’s chaos emerging in what otherwise would
be a meticulously organized space.
Derry is standing in one of the storage
facilities for Norway’s Nasjonalmuseet, the
National Museum of Art, Architecture and
Design, and she is responding to an immediate,
all-hands-on-deck plea to mitigate an unnerving
discovery in the archive: water.
“Oxygen, light, and variations in
humidity are the things that cause
damage,” Derry said, hours later,
offering a primer on the fundamental
culprits in the degradation of
historical materials. As a conservator
for the national museum in Oslo,
she plays a multifaceted role in
the institution’s efforts to hold,
preserve, exhibit, and promote public
knowledge about Norway’s most
extensive collections.
Vestbanen – Downtown Oslo
Future home of the Nasjonalmuseet
Norway’s new national museum will open
in 2020. Juliane Derry ’00 is working to prepare
hundreds of objects for public display.
Oslo, Norway
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
9
PHOTO BY ANNAR BJØRGLI
During her career, Derry has
restored furniture, objects,
frames, and gilded surfaces.
10
AUGSBURG NOW
“There are so many different materials in our
collection that we have textile, paintings, paper,
and book conservators,” said Derry, who is an
objects conservator specializing in furniture,
frames, and gilded surfaces. She has studied
restoration on three continents and has become
an expert in both preserving national treasures
and making new creations shine. Derry is
someone who excels at finding connections
between seemingly disparate areas. Her
conservation work blends science with artistry,
research with intuition, and the practical with
the theoretical.
Derry’s personal life has been filled with
complementary relationships as well. She was
born in Norway, and she lived there until age 15
when she, her sister, and her American mother
moved from the tiny alpine town of Ål to the
densely populated Twin Cities lying on the edge
of Minnesota’s prairie. Later, as an Augsburg
student, she focused on women’s studies,
international relations, religion, and studio arts.
“I took classes based on what interested me,”
Derry said, shrugging her shoulders. “When
you get out into the real world and meet new
people you begin to realize that [some of them]
followed a very narrow path. I’m not looking
down on that in any way, but I appreciate the
fact that I was able to experience so many
different things.”
As her former faculty advisor, History
Professor and Director of General Education
Jacqueline deVries acknowledges that
Derry is the type of person who thrives in
interdisciplinary programs like women’s studies.
Now known as “gender, sexuality, and
women’s studies,” the major includes courses
in biology, English, history, political science,
sociology, and other disciplines. And it seems
Derry’s inclination toward diverse opportunities
only increases with time.
“Juliane’s path is fantastic. She totally
wandered,” said deVries, who now counts Derry
among her friends. “I think she’d laugh that I
said that, but along the way she discovered a
true passion.”
Derry’s career in restoration and conservation
began because misdirected mail literally came
across her desk. Shortly after graduating
from Augsburg, Derry worked as an assistant
to buyers at Dayton’s, Minneapolis’ storied
hometown department store chain. Even though
she didn’t support staff in the furniture division,
she received heaps of catalogs for that area.
Eventually, a thoughtful colleague noticed
her growing interest in woodworking and
encouraged her to pursue her calling. After
some networking and introspection, Derry
signed up for a wood finishing program at
a technical college—an experience that
ultimately led to her launching a small
business, obtaining an advanced degree,
and developing industry contacts around
the world.
One of those connections is Don
Williams, an author, educator, scholar,
and furniture conservator who retired after
serving the Smithsonian Institution for 29
years. Williams was a guest lecturer who
instructed Derry during her Minnesotabased finishing program, and he became
a mentor as she took her education and
career to new levels.
Williams has taught hundreds of
students, and he’s noticed that those who
succeed often have similar predispositions.
“How many people do you know who
are both scientists and artists?” he
asked. “That’s what we are. If you are not
consumed by creativity, this is going to be
a miserable path for you. People need not
only creativity but also curiosity.”
For Derry, an eagerness to experiment
and to learn has triggered some of her most
defining life events.
After working a handful of day jobs and
operating an independent business in the
U.S. for three years, Derry enrolled in an
immersive, full-time restoration program
near Florence, Italy. There she gained
studio experience and new skillsets,
including the ability to speak Italian through
a crash course lasting a single month. After
completing the restoration program, Derry
moved with her wife, Jody Scholz ’97, to
Norway. Derry was armed with a portfolio
of recent work and ambition to relaunch her
business in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
“I ended up making a CD full of pictures
of various restoration projects, and I made
the rounds in town,” she said. “I looked up
people in the yellow pages and then handed
out my pictures. In the beginning I worked
a little bit at a frame shop, and then I got a
job in a gallery where I restored frames.”
During the years since, Derry’s workload
has grown to match her expertise, and
sometimes her expertise has grown due to
Derry prepares an Oslo
city model from the
1930s for display in an
architectural exhibit.
PHOTO BY ANNAR BJØRGLI
the requirements of her work.
She earned a master’s degree at the
University of Oslo’s Institute of Archeology,
Conservation, and History by completing a
project-based thesis that examined shellac,
a sealant created using a resin secreted by
insects. For this project, Derry conducted
fieldwork in the rural Jharkhand region of
India where villagers harvest stick lac—the
key ingredient that becomes shellac and
its by-products—and she analyzed the
chemical characteristics of several samples
at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation
Institute where Williams served as her
internship sponsor.
“Investigative problem-solving” is one of
the aspects Derry said she most enjoys about
her field, and her liberal arts experience at
Augsburg informs the way she approaches her
assignments. She uses traditional techniques
and materials in her conservation projects
whenever possible, and her ability to think
critically is paramount.
While employed at a furniture restoration
company, she was tasked with repairing
beloved pieces used by the Oscarshall
Summer Palace, the Office of the Prime
Minister, and private clients. She also has
served Fortidsminneforeningen, a nonprofit
that preserves and protects monuments,
including 40 of the stave churches located
throughout Norway.
“Ashes to ashes and dust to dust is not
only a homily, it is an inexorable law of
the universe,” said Williams, describing
the vital role individuals like Derry play
in preserving cultural heritage for future
generations. “Everything is going back to
dust. As conservators, it is our job—to
the extent that is rational—to slow that
process down and concurrently enjoy and
extract the most utility from an artifact on
its path.”
Today Derry’s workdays primarily are
devoted to making internationally important
materials accessible to the general public.
At the national museum, she has completed
assignments that range from applying gold
leaf on the frames of masterworks to cleaning
a plaster-of-Paris city model measuring more
than 100 square feet. And still, her current
undertaking is the largest one yet.
The Norwegian government is building
a joint “all-arts” museum, which is slated
to open in Oslo in 2020. Intended to be a
dynamic arena for people to interact with
the visual arts, the space requires new
exhibits so curators and conservators are
working hand-in-hand to select and prepare
pieces for display. Derry is in the midst
of locating, evaluating, cataloguing, and
potentially repairing 400 pieces of furniture
for the museum.
It’s a process that requires passion and
persistence—two words that also perfectly
describe the manner in which Derry has
shaped her career. She’s prepared to
address new challenges if issues arise in a
workshop, at a laboratory bench, or during
the process of managing complex projects.
Even in a soggy situation at a storage
venue, Derry sees the annoyance of
rewrapping objects impacted by a minor
cooling system leak as an opportunity to
formulate a plan for the future should staff
ever need to address a true disaster.
“She can pursue something with
intelligence and diligence and still with a
smile on her face,” Williams said. “That’s
an unusual gift.”
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
11
AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY:
SMALL TO OUR STUDENTS
AND BIG FOR THE WORLD
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
O
n September 1, “Augsburg College” officially will become
“Augsburg University”—a change approved by both the Board
of Regents and the Augsburg Corporation.
For generations of Augsburg alumni and friends, it may seem like
the place always has been called “Augsburg College.” That’s been
the formal name of the school for the past 54 years.
Over the course of the school’s history, nearly 24,000 people
have completed degrees at Augsburg. With so many Auggie alumni
accustomed to thinking of Augsburg as a college, why change the name?
In short, the term “university” illustrates the breadth of Augsburg’s
current reality and goals for the future. And, “while our name is
changing,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow, “the essence
of who we are is not.”
As the first seminary created by Norwegian Lutherans in America,
the name Augsburg—chosen by the school’s founders in 1869 to
honor the Augsburg Confession—always has defined the ethos of
this institution and its mission to support those called to service in
the world. Since its founding, Augsburg has been known by at least
four different names. The name has shifted as the school has grown,
but our commitment to an accessible, quality education has never
wavered. Likewise, our dedication to the Lutheran principles of
hospitality, service to the neighbor, and social justice is as steadfast
today as ever.
12
AUGSBURG NOW
In announcing the name change, Pribbenow affirmed
that becoming Augsburg University “does not alter our
dedication to integrating the liberal arts and professional
studies or our commitment to being small to our students
and big for the world.”
Rather than moving Augsburg away from its roots,
the name change helps Augsburg remain both faithful
to its heritage and relevant to the educational needs of
students in the 21st century.
Ever evolving, always Augsburg: Growth
in graduate programs
From its early years, Augsburg stressed that a good
education is practical and focused on educating
ministerial candidates and theological students as well as
farmers, workers, and businesspeople.
So, it’s no surprise that Augsburg today offers
a number of professional master’s and doctoral
degrees — a mix of programs that makes Augsburg
already more like a university than a college. While there
is no fixed definition outlining the distinction between a
“college” and a “university,” offering post-baccalaureate
degrees commonly is associated with institutions named
as universities.
Augsburg’s first advanced degree program, the
Master of Arts in Leadership, launched 30 years
ago. Since then, 3,700 people have earned master’s
or doctoral degrees from Augsburg. This past fall,
Augsburg’s graduate enrollment reached a record
high — representing 28 percent of total enrollment — and
continued growth in Augsburg graduate programs is
anticipated in the coming years.
An international perspective
Today, Auggies live and work all over the world. In many
countries and cultures, the word “college” is associated
with a high school-level education. Alumni who work
in international settings have noted that they already
refer to their alma mater as “Augsburg University” in
order to avoid confusion. For the same reason, the name
change also will help Augsburg be more attractive as a
destination for international students, which represents a
potential growth area for Augsburg.
A view from the outside in
With nearly 150 years of history, it’s no surprise that
Augsburg is well known in the region—even among
people who haven’t (or haven’t yet) studied here. What
impact would a name change have on their perceptions
of Augsburg? We asked the following groups to share their
thoughts:
• high school students,
• parents of high school students,
• high school counselors,
• people considering getting an advanced degree, and
• people who didn’t finish an undergraduate degree
right after high school and are thinking about going
back to school to earn a bachelor’s.
These conversations generated several important
insights, but the core takeaway is that Augsburg’s reality,
reputation, and promise are aligned with the name change.
Our reality and reputation. Conversations with
members of the general community demonstrated
that people associate the word “university” with a
number of attributes that clearly apply to Augsburg.
Specifically, people view universities as having high
academic standards, a commitment to research, strong
international programs, and diverse student populations.
Augsburg has robust programs for scholarly research
and global study, and is recognized nationally for its
leadership in inclusion and equity. In many ways,
Augsburg already embodies much of what people expect
of a university.
The promise of a student-centered university. We also
learned from these conversations that Augsburg has a
strong reputation for direct student-faculty engagement.
We already know how important this is to our alumni,
students, faculty, and staff, but it was gratifying to hear
that members of the broader community also value
Augsburg as a student-centered organization.
This is something Augsburg needs to ensure does
not change. Augsburg University will not become an
institution marked by big campuses or large studentto-faculty ratios. Instead, as is articulated in our
Augsburg2019 strategic vision, Augsburg will be a new
kind of student-centered university, and just as we have
done for decades, Augsburg will remain committed to
educating students for lives of purpose in a vibrant,
engaged learning community.
Learn about the visual identity of Augsburg University
on the following pages.
Learn more about the Augsburg2019 strategic vision, the
name change, and the logo update at augsburg.edu/now.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
13
AUGSBURG NAME CHANGE HISTORY
1869
1872
1892
1942
AUGSBURG
SEMINARIUM
THE NORWEGIAN DANISH
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
AUGSBURG SEMINARY
AUGSBURG
SEMINARY
AUGSBURG COLLEGE AND
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
EMBRACING OUR LEGACY
AND OUR FUTURE
When Samuel Gross ’03 was a student at Augsburg, he
designed the original Auggie eagle-head symbol as an
assignment for one of his graphic design courses. The design
was so good, Augsburg ended up buying the rights to the
image and has used the eagle symbol for campus life, student
organizations, and athletics for the past 15 years.
During that time, Gross became an award-winning designer
and creative director who founded his own graphic design
firm, 144design, with a specialty in developing logos for
clients. So, when Augsburg needed to update its logo as part
of the transition to the Augsburg University name, it was a
perfect opportunity to re-engage with Gross to envision and
design the next-generation Augsburg logo.
“Early on, our conversation about the logo confirmed that
this project should be an evolution of the Augsburg brand, not
a revolution,“ Gross said. “We wanted to preserve the strong
recognition that has been built for Augsburg over time.
“Our goal was to preserve and respect the historic nature
of Augsburg’s logo — especially since it already has strong
14
AUGSBURG NOW
[Top Left]: The Augsburg “A”
shape is reimagined.
[Top Right]: Samuel Gross ’03
works on Augsburg University’s
visual identity in April 2017.
[Left]: Gross shows off
merchandise displaying
the first eagle-head symbol
shortly after he created it for
Augsburg in 2003.
energy and good familiarity — while at the same time creating
a treatment that also embraces the future,” he said.
The results, including the updated Augsburg logo, “A”
icon, and eagle-head symbol are shown on the next page.
Separately, the Augsburg seal — which is used on transcripts,
diplomas, and other official documents — was updated by
Augsburg staff Mark Chamberlain and Denielle Johnson ’11 and
is shown on pages 16-17.
1963
2017
AUGSBURG
COLLEGE
AUGSBURG
UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE
Augsburg marks: honoring the legacy
Augsburg logo
Augsburg “A” icon
Eagle-head symbol
The Augsburg University logo is
designed to feel familiar to people who
are already acquainted with the College
logo, connecting the new design with
Augsburg’s legacy. In the new logo, the
word “Augsburg” is more bold than the
word “University.” This approach was
informed by research suggesting that
people’s strong associations are with
the name, “Augsburg,” whether or not it
is followed by “College” or “University.”
The font selected for “Augsburg”
conveys an established, academic feel,
while the font for “University” provides
a sleek, contemporary balance. The
contrast of the two words creates a
dynamic energy.
By strengthening the design of the
“A” icon — broadening its base
and making the vertical strokes
bolder — Augsburg will be able
to use the “A” icon as a standalone graphic element much more
frequently and effectively going
forward.
For example, current plans call
for the “A” icon to be installed on
the shorter ends of the sign on
top of Mortensen Hall. This is one
of the most visible signs in the
region and will be updated this
summer as part of the transition to
“Augsburg University.”
The eagle-head symbol is stronger
and bolder with this evolution.
Whereas the original design lost
detail and contrast when translated
to black-and-white treatments,
the updated design is much more
effective across a broader range
of uses.
Currently, designs using the
updated eagle-head symbol are
under development for an array of
installations—from the Si Melby
gym floor and the Edor Nelson
athletic field scoreboard to the
Christensen Center student lounge
and merchandise sold in the
Augsburg bookstore.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
15
AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY SEAL: HISTORY AND MEANING
Past seals
T
he seal conservation process began as
Augsburg College explored the steps
involved in changing its institutional
name to Augsburg University. The seal
enhances an original centennial
symbol design and aligns with the
institution’s current reality,
reputation, and promise.
THE AUGSBURG COLLEGE SEAL WAS
BASED ON A CENTENNIAL SYMBOL CREATED
BY PAUL KONSTERLIE ’50.
THE LION REPRESENTS AUGSBURG’S
NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE.
AUGSBURG’S CENTENNIAL SYMBOL,
CREATED BY KONSTERLIE.
THE LAMP OF LEARNING
DEPICTS SOUND SCHOLARSHIP.
THE FONT WAS INSPIRED
BY THE CENTENNIAL SYMBOL.
THE SEAL FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE
AND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
FEATURED MARTIN LUTHER.
16
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG WAS FOUNDED IN 1869
IN MARSHALL, WISCONSIN, AND
MOVED TO MINNEAPOLIS IN 1872.
THE CROSS DEPICTS THE SIGNIFICANT
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
CHURCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION.
THE SILHOUETTE OF THE
MINNEAPOLIS SKYLINE EMPHASIZES
AUGSBURG’S METROPOLITAN
RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES.
THE DEEPLY THEOLOGICAL
STATEMENT, “THROUGH TRUTH
TO FREEDOM,” SUMMARIZES
THE BELIEF THAT THE TRUTH
SETS US FREE TO BE EDUCATED
AND TO SERVE.
THE EAGLE REPRESENTS
U.S. DEMOCRACY.
THE FOSHAY TOWER RETURNS TO THE CENTER OF THE
SEAL AS A NOD TO AUGSBURG’S CENTENNIAL SYMBOL.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
17
PHOTO BY DON STONER
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
[L to R]: At an Auggie Compass event, panelists Mike Gallagher ’12, Katie Jacobson ’11,
and Dan Brandt ’11 spoke to students about the journey from college to their careers.
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
[Left]: This fall, student-athletes engaged in
team-building exercises led by U.S. Marines.
18
AUGSBURG NOW
[Above]: Student-athletes kicked off evening
workshops by dining together.
WINNING
THE LONG
GAME
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
Meaningful, relevant workshops
equip students to excel in the
classroom, competition, and
their careers
S
tudent-athletes file past tables,
stacking breadsticks on mounds of
pasta, but this crew isn’t carb-loading
for the next matchup. The nearly 550
students from Augsburg’s 19 sports teams
are preparing to tackle Auggie Compass—a
series of workshops and team-building
exercises designed to inspire personal and
professional success. After piloting the
program in 2014-15, Augsburg Athletics
recruited this year’s lineup of on- and
off-campus partners to engage each class
in issues relevant to each stage of their
undergraduate lives.
Associate Athletic Director Kelly
Anderson Diercks said the biannual
series starts a conversation with studentathletes, then builds upon those
themes each year as Auggies develop
the confidence, expertise, and support
networks they need to navigate known and
unknown challenges during college and
after graduation. For instance, first-year
students discussed study skills, time
management, and wellness, while seniors
learned about financial planning, living
their values, and networking techniques.
“When I moved into my first house,
I didn’t know furnaces had filters, and
that’s just one example of the many things
I should’ve known—but didn’t—before
graduation,” said Anderson Diercks, who
spearheaded the program. “We developed
Auggie Compass from the best aspects of
similar programs and from conversations
with our coaches, student-athletes, and
alumni. Our students seem more aware
of campus and community resources and
better prepared to excel in the real world.”
Panel of alumni shares lessons
from ‘professional lumps’
Among the spring event’s most popular
sessions was a student-athlete alumni panel,
“Not Where They Thought They’d Be,”
which—as the title suggests—invited alumni
to share lessons from their not-so-straight-orsmooth paths to personal and professional
fulfillment. Mike Gallagher ’12 was among
the four panelists asked “not to sugar coat”
their transitions to the workforce.
“My first paid job out of college lasted
21 months before I was laid off with 25
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
19
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
Auggie Compass workshops target needs and issues specific to the phases in student-athletes’ academic and personal journeys. Each session builds
upon the previous event, equipping Auggies with a deeper understanding of their values, career preparation, and wellness practices.
percent of the company’s workforce,
and that’s just one example of the
professional lumps we shared,” said
Gallagher, an academic advisor at
Walden University and the on-air host/
producer of Gopher Sports Update and
MIAC Weekly. “Our stories reinforced
that new graduates likely will have
to do things they don’t enjoy as they
work toward goals. But we encouraged
them to channel the persistence and
dedication they gained as athletes
toward new challenges and to say ‘yes’
to any opportunity to better themselves
or gain new skills.”
Gallagher, also a freelance sports
broadcaster and emcee, talked openly
about his path, which is a fairly common
one: going to college with hopes of
playing professional baseball, then
realizing he wasn’t any better than his
teammates. Then, struggling to find
balance within the fun, demanding
routine of workouts, competitions,
classes, and life until he walked across
the commencement stage and into a
9-to-5 job without the sport, the people,
and the routine he’d always known. “It
is, indeed, a huge wakeup call,” he said.
Women’s golfer Wendy Anderson ’17
was among the seniors who rotated
through the panel discussion. The double
major in music business and accounting
said she valued sessions about financial
planning and interviews, but the alumni
20
AUGSBURG NOW
panel resonated with her the most.
“I’m a type-A, perfectionist planner.
Hearing their stories reassured
me that I may not end up where I
thought I might, but because of these
types of sessions and my Augsburg
experience, I’ll survive and hopefully
have a fulfilling career,” she said. “I’m
glad I attended sessions about fiscal
responsibility, but workshops that
encouraged us to consider our values
and worth and to step outside our
comfort zones were the most rewarding.
Guidance from Auggie Compass
sessions paired with the entirety of our
experiences prepares us to achieve.”
Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79 is
glad to hear student-athletes position
Auggie Compass within the greater
framework of their Augsburg education
and athletic experience. The lessons
and skills are interconnected, he said,
strengthening one another.
“Our athletes learn to win and lose
with class, to embrace leadership, and
to play their role—whatever that may
be—to achieve a shared goal,” said
Swenson, who has been a member
of the Augsburg community for more
than 30 years as a student, coach,
and administrator. “These are all great
lessons for life after sports, and Auggie
Compass builds upon what teams and
coaches are already instilling. At our
core, we are about community and
supporting these fine student-athletes
on their journey. Auggie Compass
prepares them to carry that legacy out
to the world.”
Building skills to navigate a
complex environment
Mike Matson ’07 knows all about
Augsburg’s core principles. They guided
him through his time as one of the
College’s top linebackers, then through
seminary, and now in his role as an
assistant director of leadership gifts at
the College. Matson said Augsburg’s
commitment to diversity, inclusion, and
community outfits students with empathy
and poise to respectfully engage in
meaningful conversations and authentic
relationships. He talked with juniors
about how to lead difficult conversations.
“We live in a complicated world
with complex people and issues, and
those who are able to have difficult
conversations in a respectful manner
advance progress and understanding,”
said Matson, who also serves in the
Navy Reserves and as chaplain for
the Minneapolis Police Department.
“Instead of talking at the students,
we challenged them to work through
case studies. I can’t say I was all that
surprised at how well they handled
themselves, but I was impressed
with how willing they were to share
PHOTO BY DON STONER
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
This spring, members of the junior class headed to the gym for basketball and bean bag competitions with Special Olympics
athletes, and in September, first-year students learned techniques to manage stress and practice mindfulness.
vulnerabilities, speak about biases,
and view situations through alternate
perspectives. It was amazing to watch
‘community’ happen.”
Unified tournament puts
principles to practice
Student-athletes didn’t only talk about
ideals, they practiced them. Juniors
headed to the Si Melby gymnasium to
compete alongside 40 Special Olympics
athletes in basketball and bean bag
toss competitions. Jennifer Jacobs, who
organized the volunteer effort, said the
tournament underscored Augsburg’s
commitment to service and inclusion.
“We added [the unified competition]
because civic engagement is one of the
college’s co-curricular learning outcomes,”
said Jacobs, then-assistant athletic director
and assistant volleyball coach. “We decided
to collaborate with Special Olympics
because of an NCAA Division III partnership
with the organization and because our
ongoing involvement with the area chapter
continually inspires our students.”
Student-athlete Cody Pirkl ’18 had never
interacted with Special Olympics athletes
before the Auggie Compass event this
spring. Initially, the baseball player had
not been excited about the obligation on
what otherwise would have been a free
night. But as he said goodbye to Special
Olympics teammates, the social work major
said it felt like parting with dear friends.
“We, as college athletes, become so
focused on our own goals and everyday
lives that we forget how rewarding it
is to give back to others,” Pirkl said.
“Our involvement with Special Olympics
shines Augsburg’s positive light on our
broader community, but it also gives us
meaningful perspective. Watching the
Special Olympics athletes’ pure love of
the game reminded me how lucky I am
and how much I love to play.”
Pirkl said he and his teammates took
a lot away from the mix of formats and
engaging activities. That active structure
was intentional, Anderson Diercks
explained, as presenters played to
student-athletes’ competitive nature.
“For years, we had brought wonderful,
inspiring speakers to campus once
or twice a year to talk with students
about hot topics or enduring life-aftercollege lessons,” Anderson Diercks said.
“Although these experts offered great
perspective and information, the format
was a challenge, and we were never
able to cover as many of the topics as
we would have liked. The new Auggie
Compass format allows us to engage each
class in specific topics to prepare them for
the next year and beyond. We can more
easily adjust based on student feedback,
and it’s a nice way to highlight our alumni
and campus experts as well as celebrate
community partnerships and resources.”
Celebrating mindfulness and
meditation
One such resource is Jermaine Nelson, a
meditation and mindfulness coach and
yoga instructor. The former athlete urged
students to seek mind-body connections
as they strive to be more present. He also
reminded them to give themselves grace
during transitions and various phases of life.
“It’s so easy for student-athletes to
continue to eat and sleep how they did
in college without the same level of
activity, and then they look up one day
and realize they are out of shape and out
of sync,” Nelson said. “It’s important
to anticipate, on the field and in life, so
that you avoid injury and prepare for the
next phase of your life.”
Nelson wasn’t expecting to, but looking
out at the dozens of student-athletes
reminded him of his nephew, and
Nelson got personal. His nephew was a
promising college recruit, with plans to
play in the NBA, but he broke down from
all the pressure.
“I wish he would have had a program like
this when he was in school,” Nelson said.
“Imagine all the heartache and recovery he
would have avoided had he been offered the
tools to cope and achieve without grinding
himself into the ground. I worked with
him, and he’s on a good path now, but it
took a while. If Auggies can practice these
techniques now, they’ll succeed.”
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
21
Nelson’s talk reinforced some of the themes presented by
Augsburg’s Center for Wellness and Counseling.
For example, counselor Jon Vaughan-Fier and Beth Carlson, the
center’s assistant director, co-facilitated “Becoming Resilient
to Stress,” which challenged student-athletes to assess what
drains them and to identify ways to recharge. In addition to
discussing the importance of sleep, nutrition, and meaningful
relationships—among other topics—students engaged in yoga,
mindful breathing, and relaxation strategies.
As a senior, Chuckie Smith ’17 took part in Auggie Compass workshops on financial
planning, job search strategies, living authentically, and a variety of other topics.
During the Compass program’s pilot year, the entire CWC
staff also presented on a range of topics related to wellbeing,
including body image, depression, healthy choices, and stress
management, which Vaughan-Fier said is critically important for
today’s overly busy student-athletes.
“To emphasize the connection to sports and improved
performance, we showed testimonials from Seattle Seahawks
quarterback Russel Wilson about his ‘one play at a time’ mindset
and New York Knicks President Phil Jackson’s philosophy of
‘one breath, one mind,’” Vaughan-Fier said. “We hope these
tools help student-athletes as they strive to incorporate self-care
practices into daily life.”
According to a 2015 health survey, the top stressors among
Augsburg students are: a death or serious illness of someone
close, conflicts with roommates, parental conflict, and the end of
a personal relationship. Director of the counseling center, Nancy
Guilbeault, said the opportunity to interact with student-athletes
about these and other topics is a proactive way to introduce the
center’s role and resources.
“Mental health and GPA are linked, and they affect your
performance,” she said. “We want to make sure these studentathletes are working on their physical, mental, and spiritual
health and wellbeing. These sessions provide an overview and
tips, but we also encourage them to follow up with one-on-one
or group support.”
22
AUGSBURG NOW
Financial stressors, professional
communications among top concerns
A key barrier to wellness, Guilbeault said, is stress related to
finances—a worry that plagues many students, particularly studentathletes who might not have the time to hold a job or internship.
To build upon the counseling center’s session, Auggie Compass
introduced a practical question-and-answer session with Tommy
Redae ’09 MBA, a treasury management sales consultant and vice
president of Middle Market Banking for Wells Fargo in Minneapolis.
“Talking with upper-class students, I focused on the importance
of budgeting and managing credit for a healthy financial future,”
Redae said. “I shared several of the many online tools and apps to
help them stick to a budget and monitor credit for suspicious or
fraudulent activities.”
Also in the category of practical and purposeful guidance, Auggie
Compass enlisted faculty mentors Carol Enke and Shana Watters to
offer best practices for professional communications. The pair broke
student-athletes into groups to review and assess emails students
sent professors, many of them lacking clarity, starting with an
informal “hey,” or displaying accusatory language.
“Research shows that people read emails more negatively than
intended, and therefore, communicating effectively in this medium
reduces ambiguity and negative perceptions,” Watters said. “The
students did a great job of improving the emails, and we hope
they will apply the guidance we shared to communicate with
professionals now and in the future.”
Program reinforces Augsburg’s mission,
commitment to students
The blend of practical knowledge and conceptual, creative
exploration reflects Augsburg’s care for and commitment to
student-athletes, and it supports community-building across teams
and among coaches, said Swenson. This year, the program added
a track for coaches that focused on situational leadership, social
media training, and a DiSC® behavioral assessment inventory.
“We’re not offering Auggie Compass to check off the ‘personal
development box,’” Swenson said. “The program was developed
by former collegiate players, thinking about what they wished
they would have known, so that our student-athletes can have
more tools to reach for as they strive for success.”
The creation and evolution of Auggie Compass embodies some
of the innovation, self-reflection, and grit the program aims
to instill. Anderson Diercks said organizers continue to have
conversations with student-athletes, alumni, and experts to align
sessions with players’ needs and to reflect the latest trends and
topics. As a former athlete turned furnace-filter-changing adult,
she knows greatness doesn’t come from perfection but from the
drive to keep playing until you get it right.
HOMECOMING
THOUSANDS OF AUGGIES.
ONE AUGSBURG.
Celebrate the first Augsburg University Homecoming
NEW NAME. SAME SCHOOL SPIRIT. Gather among friends to celebrate the memories
and milestones that define your Augsburg experience. Whether it’s to participate in
a reunion, see campus updates firsthand, or cheer on a favorite team, it’s time to
register for this year’s historic Homecoming—the first as Augsburg University.
Interested in organizing
your reunion?
October 13-14
Call the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations
at 612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Find accommodation information, the event schedule, and more at:
augsburg.edu/homecoming
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
s my second
year as Alumni
Board President
comes to a close, I
look back on the past
several months with
gratitude for what
the Alumni Board
has accomplished. We hope you have enjoyed
recent alumni events, both on campus and off.
At the start of my tenure, when I challenged
the Alumni Board to change, not a little, but
a lot, everyone stepped up to the plate and
went to work. Today the board maintains
more committees with fewer people on each,
operates with clearly defined goals for each
committee, and sustains a high level of
engagement. We’ve also partnered with staff
throughout the College to increase the board’s
effectiveness and relevance.
The Alumni Board continues to seek new
pathways to connect with students, whether
through mentoring, visiting classrooms, or
simply sharing tips on LinkedIn. Students
have said they enjoyed taking part in a
Homecoming lunch last fall where they had
the chance to share a table with distinguished
alumni who pursued similar fields of study.
We also held another successful Auggie
Networking Experience in February, and if you
couldn’t make it to campus, you’ll find some
tips for reluctant networkers on page 27.
In June, we transition board leadership. I’d
like to welcome Nick Rathmann ’03 as Alumni
Board President for the 2017-19 term. He
is full of energy, has a passion for Augsburg,
and is a dynamic leader with innovative ideas
to take the Alumni Board even further. He is
the athletic director at The Blake School, a
longtime supporter of Augsburg as a member
of the A-Club, and an all-around amazing
volunteer. The Alumni Board is in great hands
under his leadership.
I’d also like to recognize Greg Schnagl ’91,
who has led our Networking Committee for
the past two years. His passion for creating
meaningful connections between students and
alumni has helped make the Auggie Networking
Experience event bigger and better.
I recently moved away from the Twin Cities
for work, and I am so pleased to see alumni
events scheduled across the U.S. more often.
In the past two years, alumni gatherings
have occurred in Denver, Las Vegas, Raleigh,
Washington, D.C., and other cities. If you’re in
the Minneapolis area, we hope to see you at
some of this summer’s exciting alumni events!
JILL WATSON ’10 MBA, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
SUMMER
ALUMNI EVENTS
Minnesota United Soccer Night
June 21 | 7 p.m.
Republic
420 SE 23rd Ave., Minneapolis
Meet for an alumni reception at
Republic from 4:30–6:30 p.m.
before taking the light rail to
TCF Bank Stadium for a game.
7 People. 7 Passions. 7 Minutes.
July 7 | 7–9 p.m.
Sisyphus Brewing
712 Ontario Ave. W., Minneapolis
Hear idea-stirring talks from
seven passionate Auggies.
$10 covers your first beverage
and light appetizers.
Auggie Night at Canterbury Park
July 21 | 5:30–7 p.m.
1100 Canterbury Road,
Shakopee, MN
$5 reservation covers a buffet
meal, $5 of Canterbury Currency,
and reserved seating.
Happy Hour Squared
URBAN ARBORETUM
Join the Alumni Board to sponsor a tree
You can help transform Augsburg into an urban arboretum that serves as an educational
and community resource in harmony with the environment.
Join the Alumni Board’s effort to sponsor a tree in the urban arboretum planned for
Augsburg’s campus. The trees selected for this plan will surround the Hagfors Center
for Science, Business, and Religion and include species native to Minnesota. All gift
levels are welcome.
The total cost to sponsor a tree is $25,000, which includes long-term care and
maintenance. Help us reach this goal by December 2018! Visit augsburg.edu/giving for
more information or contact Amanda Scherer, assistant director of leadership gifts, at
scherera@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1720.
24
AUGSBURG NOW
September 5 | 5–7 p.m.
Brave New Workshop
824 Hennepin Ave.,
Minneapolis
Join alumnae business owners
Jenni Lilledahl ’87 and Jacquie
Berglund ’87 for a happy
hour with a purpose. Make
sandwiches for a good cause
and enjoy a FINNEGANS® as
part of Augsburg’s annual City
Service Day.
For more information and registration,
visit augsburg.edu/alumni.
COURTESY PHOTOS
AUGGIES CONNECT
[Top]: Travelers pose at Wat Chedi Luang Temple
in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
TRAVELING WITH
[Far Left–L to R]: Hans Wiersma and Lori
Brandt Hale, Department of Religion faculty
members and trip leaders, pose with Katie
(Koch) Code ’01, director of alumni and
constituent relations.
AUGGIES
This winter, 15 Auggies traveled to
Thailand and Cambodia with Augsburg
College Professor of English Kathy Swanson
and her husband, Jack, as their hosts.
“The trip was beyond amazing,” said
traveler and Alumni Board President Jill
Watson ’10 MBA. “Our hosts, Jack and
Kathy Swanson, have a passion for the
people and culture of Thailand that was
contagious throughout the trip. They
were always willing to share insights,
recommend food (such as sticky rice and
mango at a floating market) and go out
of their way to help others and ensure
everyone was having a great trip.
“Memories that stand out include
the elephant camp in Chiang Mai, Thai
cooking school, Angkor Wat in Siem
Reap, Light for Kids orphanage, and the
food ... all the foods!
“Traveling with fellow Auggies meant I
[Near Right]: Travelers stand in front of the
Castle Church in Germany where Martin Luther
nailed the 95 Theses to the door.
had at least one thing in common with so
many people I had never met before. By
the end of the trip, I had developed new
friendships, and I will be keeping in touch.”
Celebrating Lutheran heritage in
Germany and the Czech Republic
Last fall, another group of Auggies
traveled to the land of Luther to mark
the 500th anniversary of the Protestant
Reformation. Religion Department
faculty members Hans Wiersma and Lori
Brandt Hale led a group of 30 Augsburg
alumni and friends on a multi-city tour
that included Dresden, Prague, and
Wittenberg—the long-time home of
Reformation catalyst Martin Luther.
One of the highlights for Augsburg
Alumni Director Katie (Koch) Code ’01 was
the opportunity to be in Wittenberg on
Reformation Day. The town marked the
occasion with a festival, and the Augsburg
group visited Castle Church where Luther
nailed his 95 Theses to the door.
“At worship that morning we sang, ‘A
Mighty Fortress is our God,’ which took
me back to my Augsburg days enrolled
in the Luther and the Reformers class
with Religion Professor Mark Tranvik,”
Code said.
Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter Jean
Hopfensperger and photographer Jerry
Holt accompanied the group to chronicle
how Minnesotans observed the 500th
anniversary of the Reformation. In a story
published after the group’s return home,
Augsburg alumnae Carol Pfleiderer ’64 and
Kathleen Johnson ’72 described how the trip
itinerary offered participants opportunities
to build and reflect on their faith.
To view trip photos,
visit augsburg.edu/now.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
25
A GIFT FOR
AUGSBURG IN
ROCHESTER
Louise and Regent
Emeritus Leland
“Lee” Sundet will
help Augsburg’s
Rochester site grow thanks to a generous
$1.5 million gift. The Rochester location
attracts more than 350 working professionals
to undergraduate and graduate programs in
business, education, health care, and nursing.
As longtime supporters of Augsburg,
including the Weekend College and Youth and
Family Ministry programs, the Sundets have
used their frugality to benefit others and to
raise the profile of Augsburg. Several years ago,
in an effort to better communicate Augsburg’s
identity locally, Sundet helped form a marketing
committee and was instrumental in choosing a
new logo with a cross embedded in the “A.” He
remains steadfast in his commitment to religion
and religious freedom as essential to
education.
In his 88 years, Lee has never lost
sight of the basics: thrift, generosity,
and faith.
“I also believe in old-fashioned
discipline—‘don’t spend it till you’ve earned
it,’” he said.
Lee learned these principles early, growing
up in Spring Grove, Minnesota, where most
Norwegian-American community members
attended the big Lutheran church. “My father
died when I was six months old, and my mother
PHOTO BY BRENDAN BUSH
PHOTO BY BRENDAN BUSH
AUGGIES CONNECT
was quite ill so she had to sell everything she
had to pay the bills. She got $7.43 a month,
and of that, 74 cents went to the church,” said
Lee, who has embraced tithing ever since.
A retired industrialist and manufacturer,
Lee owned several companies, including
Century Manufacturing, Goodall
Manufacturing, Britt Manufacturing, and
Fountain Industries. His business acumen
earned him such honors as Minnesota’s Small
Business Man of the Year and the University
of Minnesota’s Outstanding Achievement
Award. The couple has sponsored a business
scholarship at Augsburg since 1992.
Overall, the Sundets are impressed by the
potential of Augsburg’s programs in Rochester
and by the work of another community anchor,
Mayo Clinic, which the couple believes shares
their values.
“Augsburg has come a long way, and I
would love to see it grow in Rochester.”
26
AUGSBURG NOW
“I have met people at Mayo who have gone
through the Augsburg program, and I’ve seen
what it’s done for them. It’s a wonderful thing,”
Lee said. “It wasn’t easy to get it started, but
it’s fun to look back on. Augsburg has come
a long way, and I would love to see it grow in
Rochester.”
tips for the reluctant networker
Augsburg College alumna Jenni Lilledahl ’87 was a featured speaker at the Auggie
Networking Experience in February. As co-owner of the sketch and improvisational comedy
theater Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, Lilledahl brought insight from the improv
world to the crowd of nearly 300 alumni and students meeting to exchange career advice.
No matter their personality or career, Lilledahl said, all people have anxiety about jumping into
new conversations or taking new career paths. Here she shares tips for individuals to jump-start
meaningful conversations and say “yes” to new experiences.
1.
We all get uncomfortable, yet we cannot let this
feeling control us. Instead, we must face our
fears and immerse ourselves in new experiences.
2.
Sometimes saying “yes” is easier than we think.
Don’t rattle off 20 excuses; jump in with an
open mind.
3.
PHOTOS BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
Stop yourself from using the word “but.”
Instead, use the reframing mindset of “yesand” to add something positive to each situation
you are in. Don’t use excuses to squash new ideas,
possibilities, or adventures. Rather, embrace them.
4.
Be intentional about your communication.
Don’t just be there. Be awake, aware, and
connected to the other people in the room.
5.
Have gratitude for the chance to develop
relationships, share ideas, and try new things.
People who create authentic connections with
others are often more successful than those who
possess only technical skills.
Augsburg alumni and students participated in short
improvisational exercises at the event.
with the Young Alumni Council
Auggies who have graduated from any Augsburg degree program
in the past 10 years are invited to join the Young Alumni Council
and help plan year-round activities for recent alumni. In the past,
the Young Alumni Council has organized a Twins game outing, a
financial planning talk and social hour at Summit Brewery, and an
afternoon of ice skating at The Depot in Minneapolis.
For Young Alumni Council Vice President Evan Decker ’12,
taking part in the group provides opportunities to practice valuable
life and business skills that he doesn’t necessarily hone in his day-
to-day work, such as planning meetings and events, communicating
with fellow alumni, speaking to groups, and networking. Serving the
council also is a way to stay engaged with the College.
“Some people feel there aren’t resources for them after
graduation, and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Decker
said. “This group is here to help bridge that gap.”
To join the Young Alumni Council,
visit augsburg.edu/alumni.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
27
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1961
Last year, First
Lutheran Church in
Red Wing, Minnesota, recognized
Arlan Johnson ’61 for 50 years
of service to its choir as a singer
and director. While a student at
Augsburg, Johnson played in
the band for four years and sang
in the choir for two years. He
enjoyed tours with the band and
choir in the Pacific Northwest,
and in 1960 he participated in
an extended Alaskan band trip
to the Anchorage Music Festival.
After graduating from Augsburg,
he completed his education
requirements, student taught at
Braham (Minnesota) Area High
School with Herman Aune ’50,
and finished a second major in
biology. Johnson taught band
and vocal music in Stewart,
Minnesota, and elementary, junior
high, and middle school band in
Red Wing until his retirement. He
and his wife, Phyllis, continue to
live in Red Wing.
1967
5 0-Y E AR RE UNI ON
HOMECOMING 2017
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Sandra Olmsted ’69 retires after
serving Augsburg since 1978. See page 2.
1971
Darrell Skogen ’71
retired after teaching
for 46 years. He spent the
past 41 years at St. MichaelAlbertville High School in
Minnesota. Skogen is the
longest-tenured employee in the
history of the school district. He
taught classes such as AP World
History and AP U.S. History.
Skogen continues to instruct
part-time at the high school
and records stats for its football
program. He says that the
school’s Class 5A football state
championship victory in 2015
was the first in his 50 years
walking the sidelines.
1974
Dr. Subhashchandra
“Pat” Patel ’74 and
Annette (Hanson) Patel ’73
donated their dental clinics
in Clarkfield and Cottonwood,
Minnesota, to Open Door Health
Center of Mankato. Open Door will
run satellite dental clinics in the
towns. Pat retired in June 2016.
Associate Professor of Music
Peter Hendrickson ’76 retires
after teaching at Augsburg for more
than two decades. See page 2.
1977
40- YE A R R E U N I O N
HOMECOMING 2017
In August, Neil Paulson ’77 was
elected state committeeman for
the Republican Party in Orange
County, Florida.
for Advanced Science and
Technology.
1979
1990
Walter Ohrbom ’79
earned a doctorate
in chemistry from North Dakota
State University after graduating
from Augsburg. He retired from
BASF as a senior research
associate with more than 120
U.S. patents. Over the years,
he and his wife, Patricia, have
traveled around the world to
backpack, bike, canoe, and
scuba dive.
Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79
draws connections between
student athletes’ time on campus and
leadership roles after graduation. See
page 18.
1988
Kiel Christianson ’88
was promoted to
full professor in the Department
of Educational Psychology
at the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, where he
conducts research on language
processing, reading, and
bilingualism. He is associate
chair of the department, as well
as leader of the Educational
Psychology Psycholinguistics
Lab and co-chair of the Illinois
Language and Literacy Initiative,
both in the Beckman Institute
In July, Karen Jean
Reed ’90, a music
therapy major, was honored
with the President’s Award at
the Southern California First
Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Church Of God in Christ 50th
State Women’s Convention,
held in Palm Desert, California.
She also was nominated for
the 50 Women of Excellence
honor for her exemplary service
and outstanding achievement
in music and administrative
service in local, church,
district, regional, and state
positions. Reed has excelled in
music as a gospel saxophonist
and in women’s ministry. She
was recognized for exemplary
service by Barbara McCoo
Lewis, the assistant general
supervisor of the Church of God
in Christ International. Reed
serves as the assistant regional
missionary for the Santa
Barbara region and also works
with youth. Professionally, she
is a program director at the
Department of State HospitalsCoalinga, overseeing the
treatment of sexually violent
predators. She is the author of
“Music is the Master Key.”
AUGGIES NEAR AND FAR
[L to R]: Sociology Professor Tim Pippert and
Torstenson Scholars Ellen Sachs ’17, Emily
Campbell ’17, and Jen Kochaver ’19 meet with
Mark Johnson ’75 on campus. [Not pictured]:
Torstenson Scholar Mark Daniels ’17.
28
AUGSBURG NOW
Last fall, metro-urban studies alumnus Mark Johnson ’75 invited
Sociology Professor Tim Pippert to the remote country of Vanuatu
in the South Pacific. The pair distributed solar lights donated by
Johnson to villages on the island of Tanna, which in 2015 suffered
widespread destruction due to Hurricane Pam. For Pippert, the
trip was an adventure of a lifetime and an opportunity to observe
the relationships Johnson has developed with local people over the
course of several previous trips.
The connection between Johnson and Pippert was built, in part,
through their involvement with Augsburg’s Torstenson Community
Scholars program that supports undergraduate research. Since
2015, Johnson has funded research opportunities for Auggies engaged in the program, which
is named in memory of Professor Joel Torstenson ’38, a founder of Augsburg’s Department
of Sociology. This February, four Torstenson Scholars traveled with Pippert to North Dakota’s
Bakken oilfield region to assess how residents have been impacted by oil exploration.
From the Auggie Connections blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
1992
2 5-Y EA R RE UNI ON
HOMECOMING 2017
Scott Peterson ’92 has accepted
a call to be the pastor at
Lutheran Church in the Foothills
in La Cañada, California. After
living in Canada for more than
17 years, Peterson has returned
to the U.S. to continue ministry
within the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America.
1993
Chad Shilson ’93
is the Minnesota
women’s wrestling director for
USA Wrestling. He has completed
his 100th marathon and qualified
for his fourth Boston Marathon.
Marathon running has taken him
to 36 states, including 29 states
in the past two years. A dedicated
daily runner, Shilson has run at
least one mile per day for more
than six years.
1996
Stephanie Harms ’96
and Kristin (Young)
Miller ’91 are helping change the
nation’s response to vulnerable
individuals and families through
their work in the supportive
housing movement. Both
Auggies work at CSH, a national
nonprofit organization that
connects housing with services
for vulnerable populations. Based
in New York City, Miller leads a
successful CSH program that
assists communities throughout
New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania. Harms serves
as chief operating officer and
leads CSH’s communications,
administrative, talent, and
human resource efforts. CSH has
ended veteran homelessness in
several communities throughout
the U.S., created more than
100,000 homes for individuals
and families, and changed public
systems to address the root
conditions that create turmoil in
the lives of vulnerable individuals
and families.
’05
’03
1999
Peter Durow ’99 has
been commissioned
by the American Choral Directors
Association of Minnesota for the
2018 ACDA-MN State 4-5-6 Girls’
Honor Choir. ACDA-MN has been
committed to commissioning
new choral works for all-state
and honor choirs from Minnesota
composers each year since 1975.
Durow serves as visiting director
of choral activities at St. Cloud
State University.
’67
Juliane Derry ’00 blends
science with artistry and
research with intuition as a historic
materials conservator. See page 8.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
Andrea (Carlson) Conway ’05 and Riley
Conway ’05 welcomed a son, Soren Jon, in
December. Soren is the grandson of Jon Carlson ’79
and great-grandson of Jeroy Carlson ’48.
Golf Association and president of Women in the
Golf Industry. She also wrote an e-book titled,
“Hit It, Alice! A Woman’s Golf Guide to Everything
But the Swing.”
Barb (Walen) Hanson ’67 became
president of the Minnesota Golf
Association at its annual meeting in November.
She is the first woman to serve in this role. Since
retiring from her teaching career, Hanson has
been actively involved in the golf world, having
served as president of the Minnesota Women’s
Paul Putt ’03, ’15 MAE and his wife, Katie,
celebrated the birth of a son, Theodore
Howard, in October.
’05
’67
’03
Pete Pfeffer ’87, who holds a Doctor of
Chiropractic degree, and his daughter,
Maggie, served on a chiropractic and medical
’87
’87
mission team in Kimana, Kenya. The team
provided care and education to hundreds of
Maasai villagers living in bomas and orphanages
in an underserved area. Pete and his brother,
Mike Pfeffer ’92, jointly own and serve as
chiropractors for a HealthSource Chiropractic
and Progressive Rehabilitation Clinic in
Alexandria, Minnesota. In addition to private
practice, Pete has taken on a national role with
the HealthSource Corporation to provide training
in technique and rehabilitation procedures for
new franchises.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Mathematics and Statistics
Instructor Alyssa Hanson ’01
is honored with a Distinguished
Contributions to Teaching and
Learning award. See page 7.
2002
JCI Minnesota
(formerly Minnesota
Jaycees) selected Katie
Lindenfelser ’02, founder of
Crescent Cove, as one of the Ten
Outstanding Young Minnesotans
for 2016. The mission of
Crescent Cove is to offer care
and support to young people
with a shortened life expectancy
and their families. The vision
of Crescent Cove is to build
and operate the first residential
children’s hospice and respite
care home in the Midwest.
Started in 1950, the Ten
Outstanding Young Minnesotans
honor is Minnesota’s only
statewide recognition program
for outstanding young leaders
ages 18-40 who have devoted
themselves to improving their
communities. The program
acknowledges the efforts
and accomplishments of
young adults who contribute
to Minnesota through their
service, thought and influence,
community involvement, or
entrepreneurship.
2003
Reginaldo HaslettMarroquin ’03
published “In the Shadow
of Green Man.” The book,
published by Acres USA,
chronicles Haslett-Marroquin’s
upbringing in revolution-torn
Guatemala and how he built his
vision to develop a regenerative
farming model that uplifts
individuals and communities.
Throughout the book, he shares
the fable of the Green Man, a
tiny and wise Guatemalan folk
character whose stories teach
the importance of respecting
the natural world. HaslettMarroquin is chief strategy
officer for Main Street Project,
based in Northfield, Minnesota.
Haslett-Marroquin has
served as a consultant for the
United Nations Development
Program’s Bureau for Latin
America and as an advisor to
the World Council of Indigenous
People. He was a founding
member of the Fair Trade
Federation, and was Director
of the Fair Trade Program for
the Institute for Agriculture
and Trade Policy from 1995 to
1998. He also led the creation,
strategic positioning, startup,
and launch of Peace Coffee,
a Minnesota-based fair-trade
coffee company.
Samuel Gross ’03 designs new
university logo. See page 12.
2007
10-YEAR REUNION
HOMECOMING 2017
Mike Matson ’07 helps teach
student-athletes how to engage
in difficult conversations. See page 18.
Jenessa Payano Stark ’07 began
a Master of Science in Nursing
program at Yale University this
past fall. She is studying in Yale’s
Nurse-Midwifery/Women’s Health
Nurse Practitioner program. She
received a prestigious National
Health Service Corps Scholarship
that pays her tuition and fees,
and defrays her living expenses
for three years in exchange for
future service in an area with a
shortage of health professionals.
2011
Dan Skaarup ’11
and Casey (Ernst)
Skaarup ’11 welcomed a
daughter, Eowyn River, to the
world in December.
Laura Schmidt ’11 and Sarah
Witte ’12 launched a nonprofit,
spiritually based community
called Intertwine Northeast. The
group’s mission is to be “made
and moved by story, convinced
by compassion, always in
process, and about questions,
not answers.”
Mike Gallagher ’12 shares life
lessons with current students.
See page 18.
2014
Composer and
percussionist Zack
Baltich ’14 was featured in
the 2017 Cedar Commissions.
Baltich’s piece “ingress/passage”
used contact microphones
and uncommon performance
techniques on marimba, glass
bottles, and other found objects.
The Cedar Commissions
(formerly the 416 Commissions)
is a flagship program for
emerging artists made possible
with a grant from the Jerome
Foundation and has showcased
new work by more than 30
emerging composers and
musicians.
Catherine Colsrud ’14 was one
of 25 leaders who participated
in the eighth cohort of the
Native Nation Rebuilders
Program sponsored by the
Native Governance Center
and the Bush Foundation.
Representatives from 12 Native
nations from Minnesota, North
Dakota, and South Dakota were
selected for the Rebuilders
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
Kathleen (Watson) Bradbury ’12 and
Krissy Bradbury ’12 welcomed Peter
Gene to their family.
’12
Beckie Jackson ’10 received a
Fulbright Distinguished Award in
Teaching and is one of approximately 45
U.S. citizens traveling abroad through
the program in 2016-17. In January,
she headed to Botswana to spend five
months conducting educational research.
Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected
’10
30
AUGSBURG NOW
on the basis of academic and professional
achievement, as well as demonstrated
leadership potential. Jackson teaches at
Moose Lake High School in Moose Lake,
Minnesota.
Nick Rathmann ’03 and wife, Shannon,
welcomed a daughter, Finley Grace, in
November.
’03
’11
Several Augsburg College alumni serve
as tutors and coaches with Minnesota
Reading Corps and Minnesota Math Corps.
Tutors pledge one year of service in schools
to help children become proficient readers
by the end of third grade and proficient in
math by the end of eighth grade. [L to R]:
Charmaine Bell ’11, Kathleen Abel ’76,
Joaquin Vences ’16, Kacie Carlsted ’15,
Christine Fankhanel ’02, Amy Riebs ’18 MAE,
and Alicia (Oppelt) Musselman ’14.
’91
Nancy Palmer ’91 joined the
Minnesota Reading Corps September
Program as a leadership component of a
larger initiative to support tribes as they
strengthen their governing capabilities.
Colsrud serves the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
as the commissioner of administration, chief
of staff, and acting commissioner of natural
resources. Native Governance Center and
Bush Foundation Rebuilders convened for
four structured sessions during which they
developed action plans to share knowledge
with peers and their respective tribal
governments.
’12
’10
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Nursing Department Chair Joyce Miller ’02,
’05 MAN, ’11 DNP earns a Distinguished
Contributions to Teaching and Learning award. See
page 7.
Tommy Redae ’09 MBA helps Auggies prepare
for a healthy financial future. See page 18.
Rochelle Fischer ’14 MSW became a hospital
administrator at Anoka-Metro Regional
Treatment Center in January. For the past
four years, she has been an assistant
program director at the Minnesota Security
Hospital in St. Peter, Minnesota, providing
day-to-day operational and administrative
leadership for persons with complex
behavioral health symptoms.
’03
’11
Dan Klein ’15 MBA and Kaitlin (Astleford)
Klein were married February 25 in
Hollywood, Florida.
Nicole (Egly) Olson ’15 MBA and Mark Olson
were married February 24 in Playa del
Carmen, Mexico.
Institute and tutors students in kindergarten
through third grade.
’91
Chris Stedman ’08, an interfaith
activist and author, is joining Augsburg
this spring as a fellow serving the Sabo
Center for Democracy and Citizenship where
he will facilitate and build new community
partnerships for non-religious and interfaith
civic engagement. Stedman also will consult
on the development of interfaith engagement
programs at Augsburg.
’08
’08
31
HEALING WATERS
’68
Jason Kusiak ’08 spends late winter
and early spring long-lining for cod and
haddock, and most of the year catching
lobster. Fishing in long-established seaports
near Gloucester, Massachusetts, gives
Kusiak an appreciation for the area’s rich
history and a healthy respect for those who
made a living fishing the Atlantic in earlier
times. “With fishing,” he said, “you can see
the direct result of your work ethic.”
Today Kusiak recognizes that his
entrepreneurial inclination was shaped by
Assistant Professor of Business John Cerrito
and former staff member Peggy Cerrito, and
that his drive for continual personal growth
was influenced by his involvement in StepUP®, the College’s residential collegiate
recovery community. While at Augsburg, Kusiak found that the College’s
commitment to building strong community connections and emphasis on
learning through experience resonated with him. He now seeks out opportunities
to interact with new people, to give back, and to offer hope to individuals and
families who struggle with substance abuse. He’s driven to invest in the future of
his business and his community.
’78
From the Auggie Connections blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
’83
[L to R]: This fall, Lutheran
Immigration and Refugee
Service President Linda Hartke met
with former U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright and the Rev. Mark
Hanson ’68, former presiding bishop
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, at the LIRS Walk of Courage
Award Gala. Albright and Hanson
were honored at the event for their
commitments to furthering equity for
all people.
’68
’71
Actor and performing arts
educator Luverne Seifert ’83 won
a $25,000 fellowship from the William
and Eva Fox Foundation. He is part of
a national cohort of artists supported
by the foundation, which underwrites
training and career development for
performers. The support will enable
Seifert to deeply explore his art and
travel to France and Switzerland. In the
past 25 years, he has acted at theaters
in the Twin Cities and across the U.S.
’83
’05
[L to R]: Margaret Marx ’78,
Margo Casey ’78, and Cathy
(Kaiser) Bloomquist ’78, all members
of the original second step Bachelor
of Science in Nursing program at
’78
’06
32
AUGSBURG NOW
Augsburg, continue their friendship
today. The women gathered in
Scandia, Minnesota, in September,
and they share this photo as
a reminder of the second step
program’s impact on the nursing
profession in Minnesota.
Bob Stacke ’71 received an
award from the Somali Museum
of Minnesota on the occasion of
the museum’s third anniversary last
October. Stacke has provided music
and photography services to the
museum since its inception.
’71
Janeece (Adams) Oatman ’05,
an Augsburg Alumni Board
member, and Jim Gross, associate
provost for academic innovation
and strategic initiatives, were part of
the Auggie team at the Rochester,
Minnesota, Tour de Cure in October.
’05
Missy (Gaulke) Wilson ’06 completed
her first Ragnar trail race and
’06 her third Ragnar overall race in
September. She ran 15.2 miles on the
Ragnar Trail Northwoods - WI in the
Ragnar relay.
Helen M. (Anderson) Johnson ’40,
Hallock, Minnesota, age 96, on
September 4.
Eleanor C. (Christenson) Kline ’44,
Minneapolis, age 93, on May 31.
Marvin W. Johnson ’45,
Rochester, Minnesota, age 93,
on November 28.
Olav Overold ’45, Cando, North
Dakota, age 103, on January 23.
Bonnie J. (Sorem) Anderson ’46,
Cedar Falls, Iowa, age 92, on
December 7.
Delpha M. (Randklev) Berg ’47,
Grand Forks, North Dakota, age
91, on September 12.
Ray E. Gerlinger ’49, Overland
Park, Minnesota, age 93, on
December 4.
Theodore C. Nystuen ’49, Altoona,
Wisconsin, age 94, on January 19.
Lorraine G. V. (Lundh) Qual ’49,
Lisbon, North Dakota, age 93, on
October 4.
Joan L. (Sears) Ryden ’49, Cedar
Hill, Texas, age 91, on October 18.
Phebe D. (Dale) Hanson ’50,
Minneapolis, age 88, on
December 16.
Evelyn I. (Shelstad) Kriesel ’50,
Alamo, Texas, age 88, on
September 21.
Rhonda M. (Hektner) Lybeck ’50,
Fargo, North Dakota, age 88, on
January 29.
Daniel Nelson ’50, Spicer,
Minnesota, age 90, on
February 14.
Melvin E. Vigen ’50, Irving, Texas,
age 88, on September 26.
Arvild T. Jacobson ’51, Sun City,
Arizona, age 93, on November 26.
Donald H. Olson ’51, Henderson,
Nevada, age 87, on December 19.
Robert “Bob” R. Hage ’52,
Hector, Minnesota, age 88, on
December 16.
William “Bill” J. Kuross ’52,
Hopkins, Minnesota, age 87, on
January 31.
Charlotte M. (Kleven) Rimmereid ’52,
St. Paul, age 86, on December 29.
Roger V. Anderson ’53, Ottawa,
Ontario, age 86, on February 11.
Joan J. (Johnson) Kuder ’53,
Williams Bay, Wisconsin, age 86,
on December 19.
Harry E. Olson ’53, Apopka,
Florida, age 84, on October 7.
Nola E. (Bengtson) Studer ’53,
Bemidji, Minnesota, age 85, on
September 5.
Donna R. (Osland) Gaines ’54,
Laguna Hills, California, age 84,
on September 17.
Ruth M. (Pousi) Ollila ’54,
Minneapolis, age 84, on
February 14.
Betty J. (Dyrud) Oudal ’54,
Rochester, Minnesota, age 85, on
December 31.
Arlene V. (Tollefson) Paulson ’54,
Lake Oswego, Oregon, age 89, on
September 20.
Gary R. Rust ’54, Burnsville,
Minnesota, age 85, on October 12.
Robert “Bob” E. Twiton ’54,
Brainerd, Minnesota, age 84, on
February 26.
Theodore “Ted” S. Berkas ’56,
Minneapolis, age 88, on
January 15.
Robert A. Fundingsland ’65,
St. Louis Park, Minnesota, age
73, on September 19.
Sanford E. Egesdal ’56, Minneapolis,
age 82, on October 3.
Marie D. (Hafie) MacNally ’65,
Minneapolis, on November 7.
Robert A. Roos ’56, Robbinsdale,
Minnesota, age 86, on
September 3.
Dale H. Peterson ’69, Sapulpa,
Oklahoma, age 69, on
November 27.
Merlin J. White ’56, Fridley,
Minnesota, age 86, on
September 8.
Anita M. (Lindquist) King ’70,
Pella, Iowa, age 68, on
September 1.
Raymond Seaver ’57, Fergus
Falls, Minnesota, age 82, on
December 5.
Chuck S. Marsh ’73, Puyallup,
Washington, age 65, on
November 14.
Robert H. Gustafson ’59,
Cambridge, Minnesota, age 84,
on January 28.
Colleen M. (Brown) Olson ’74,
Shakopee, Minnesota, age 63, on
August 20.
John P. Martisen ’59, Minneapolis,
age 81, on August 30.
Sheila M. (Conway) Kortuem ’84,
St. Peter, Minnesota, age 76, on
August 26.
Lloyd H. Reichstadt ’59, Flagstaff,
Arizona, age 84, on November 21.
Paul C. Casperson ’60, Dallas,
Texas, age 77, on January 31.
Wayne R. Juntunen ’60, Esko,
Minnesota, age 83, on
December 5.
Karen O. (Egesdal) Trelstad ’61,
Red Wing, Minnesota, age 79, on
November 30.
Coralyn J. (Lunsted) Bryan ’62,
Minneapolis, age 77, on
October 25.
Joshua B. Lerman ’08, Louisville,
Kentucky, age 33, on
November 18.
Angel G. Rodriguez ’15,
Minneapolis, age 25, on January 3.
Tyler G. Kotewa ’17, Fairmont,
Minnesota, age 25, on
December 7.
Mark A. DiCastri ’18, Minneapolis,
age 29, on February 27.
Clair A. Johannsen ’62,
Hagerstown, Maryland, age 79,
on February 10.
Paul W. Anderson ’63, Moorhead,
Minnesota, age 77, on January 31.
Gaylen K. Heggen ’63, Cottage
Grove, Minnesota, age 75, on
October 26.
The “In memoriam” listings in this
publication include notifications
received before March 15.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
33
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
IN MEMORIAM
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY PERRY
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Steve Wozniak inspires Auggies to ‘Learn Different’
Apple, Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak engaged the Augsburg community in a conversation that emphasized the
importance of creativity, education, and innovation in an increasingly connected world. Wozniak launched Apple with
Steve Jobs in 1976, revolutionizing the personal computer industry. Wozniak’s visit took place this winter during
Scholarship Weekend, an opportunity for prospective students to compete for Fine Arts and Honors scholarships.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
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