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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 61
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: BRIDGE Makoto Abe Woodblock print on paper 52

Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 24
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: in Batzer Bay was as smooth as a stained glass window in a church, and as the colorful glass pictures of Bible characters, standing tall in a sanctuary, the water in Batzer Bay told a story. The bluffs absorbed the wind in the harsh wilderness, protecting the water below from any disturbance. I...
Show morein Batzer Bay was as smooth as a stained glass window in a church, and as the colorful glass pictures of Bible characters, standing tall in a sanctuary, the water in Batzer Bay told a story. The bluffs absorbed the wind in the harsh wilderness, protecting the water below from any disturbance. I had never seen waves boil up on that protected water, as if there was magic at work. “The trout in here are very active because they are trapped," my dad ex— plained. “Your grandpa, Herald, was the ﬁrst one to ﬁgure that out.“ I‘d heard the explanation many times. Every fall, just before the ice sealed Batzer Bay for many months, the trout journeyed through the shallow inlet to spawn. Batzer Bay was the perfect depth, and the many rounded football sized rocks lying on the bottom made for an ideal place to spawn. But by the time the eggs hatched in the spring, the shallow water in the entrance to the bay was too warm for the ﬁnicky trout to venture through. The narrow inlet was a wall, an impenetrable barrier for the lake trout, which were unable to tolerate water tem- peratures over ﬁfty degrees Fahrenheit. It's as if the inlet to Batzer Bay sucked in the amorous trout for reproduction, but would not spit them back out into the spanning waters of the main lake. So, throughout the summer, the trapped ﬁsh stayed as deep as possible, seeking the nooks and crannies of Batzer Bay for water cool enough to keep their blood icy, hiding among the smooth rocks and decaying fallen trees on the bottom. As my father explained, my intuitive grandfather on my mother's side, Herald Batzer, discovered this oddity in the ecosystem of This—Man Lake. Forty years ago, in the quiet solitude of the Canadian wilderness, Herald Batzer and my grandmother, Teddy, wet their lines for the ﬁrst time in the quiet little bay that was hard to ﬁnd. “This spot looks good." My grandfather gave his approval to the silent water that expanded before them. It was 1968 and Herald and Teddie Batzer were on their summer canoe trip. My grandparents had never been to This—Man Lake before; they had ﬁshed all morning with only a few lake trout to show for their efforts. They hoped that this enchanting little bay they had discovered mo— ments ago would turn out to be a gem. Once through the inlet, where the bottom dropped quickly into the deep, something tugged at my grandmother's line. Being the wife of an outdoorsman and a skilled ﬁsherman herself, my grandmother beat the three-pound lake trout with ease, even landing it herself without the aid of a net. Soon my grandfather hooked a fish of his own; the ﬁsh frenzied around my grandparents' baits for an hour or so. Herald and Teddie pulled ﬁsh into their canoe with such rapidity that they whooped with joy. Their yells echoed in the ﬁsh bowl that was the pit of the bay. The tall banks surrounding them sent their shouts back until the sound faded away among the chirping of birds and the whis— tling of wind that blew through the vast conifer forest. “I think we may have something here," my normally stoic grandfather beamed at my grandmother. She continued to ﬁsh without answering him and hooked another feisty trout; the ﬁsh was answer enough for Herald, who landed it with the net. “We should call this spot Batzer Bay." My grandfather said this almost to 15
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 69
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: 0 6

Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 07
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: W I// 0 5 7 l7) 5’ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 9007 Editor: Joe Brown Associate Editor: Kayla Skarbakka Managing Editor: Bethany Hellerich Copy Editor: Andrea Sanow Cover Design: Joe Brown and Kayla Skarbakka Art and Literature Board: Dave Madsen Alissa Nollan Andrea Sanow Emily Kline Faculty Advisor: Robert...
Show moreW I// 0 5 7 l7) 5’ ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 9007 Editor: Joe Brown Associate Editor: Kayla Skarbakka Managing Editor: Bethany Hellerich Copy Editor: Andrea Sanow Cover Design: Joe Brown and Kayla Skarbakka Art and Literature Board: Dave Madsen Alissa Nollan Andrea Sanow Emily Kline Faculty Advisor: Robert Cowgill Special Thanks: Printing Enterprises, Inc., Kristy Johnson, Glenna Lewis, Susan Boecher, John Finkler, Molly O’Donnell, Michele Roulet, Josiah Quick, Mason Mitchell, Kristine Tichich Murphy Square is a publication of Augsburg College Copyright 2009 by the authors and artists. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 17
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: MY OBSERVATION Elizabeth Windsperger Acn'lic on canvas

Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 65
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: they came to a stop. “Are we across?" Teresa asked. Hank didn‘t answer. He looked at Marian and they exchanged a nod. Hank turned around and said to Javier: “We need to have a word.” Hank opened his door and got out. He opened the back door, and told Javier to step out. Teresa had to stay. VII....
Show morethey came to a stop. “Are we across?" Teresa asked. Hank didn‘t answer. He looked at Marian and they exchanged a nod. Hank turned around and said to Javier: “We need to have a word.” Hank opened his door and got out. He opened the back door, and told Javier to step out. Teresa had to stay. VII. There was no need to worry; Hankjust had to give Javier advice for when they crossed. Teresa sat and watched as Javier's body reacted to whatever Hank had said. His arms ﬂailed and pointed every which way. Marian was also watching the two converse, and after Javier’s movements became less than composed, he too got out of the SUV. Alone in the back seat, Teresa sat and watched. Marian had taken ground be- side Hank, arms crossed. Then, quicker than any man of his size should be able to move, Marian lunged and grabbed Javier from behind. He held him with his feet dangling as Hank threw ﬁst after ﬁst at him. “Javier!” she screamed. Punch after punch. She couldn‘t watch any more. She opened her door and ran for Hank with her bag in her arms. She wound up and swung at the pasty Ameri- can as he beat her ﬁancé. The bag bounced off his head, and Hank turned around. “So you want to play too," he said as the back of his palm ripped across her face. Teresa fell to the ground, and Hank mounted her, arms pinned by his knees. “You’re too pretty to cut, but struggling only makes it worse," he said as he stared into her eyes and sniffed her hair. “Let go of her!” Javier screamed. “As you wish,” Hank yelled, then with one swift ﬁst he punched Teresa harder than she had ever been hit before. She lay in the sand, and Hank got up. “Hold him," he said to Marian as he walked back to the SUV. “Teresa. Teresa. Levantate! Levantate!" Javier screamed for her to get up, but she could barely move. Laying there her face on the sand, she saw Javier held immobile by Marian, and how could she save him? He was supposed to protect her. How had this even happened? She knew it was a bad idea. As he struggled, ﬁnally Javier connected with a head thrust backwards into Marian’s face. He recoiled from the hit, dropping Javier, who ran straight for Teresa. He bent down and sat her up to look at the bruise that already started to form. “We have to go, can you get up?“ Javier asked her. She never had heard his voice so shaky. “I'm sorr—" 56
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 10
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: Glories, Rebecca Reilly 36 Recipe, Rebecca Reilly 37 A Shrimp Dinner, Sammie Guck 38 Republican National Convention 2008, B. A. * 40 School of the America Faces, Jakob Anderson 43 Grey Carpet, Eric Tankel 44 Solitude, Jesse Seward 47 Man, Upon the Discovery of Garbage, Sammie Guck 48 Epidemic,...
Show moreGlories, Rebecca Reilly 36 Recipe, Rebecca Reilly 37 A Shrimp Dinner, Sammie Guck 38 Republican National Convention 2008, B. A. * 40 School of the America Faces, Jakob Anderson 43 Grey Carpet, Eric Tankel 44 Solitude, Jesse Seward 47 Man, Upon the Discovery of Garbage, Sammie Guck 48 Epidemic, Malena Thoson* 50 Bridge, Makoto Abe 52 Sea Glass, Cobh, Kayla Skarbakka 53 Hue on the Horizon, Joe Brown 54 My Dream, Cam N. Le 58 Walk, Don’t Run, D. E. Green 59 * Winners of the 2008 faculty—juried John Engman Writing Prize. Murphy Square also congratulates the following Engman winning writers: Honorable Mention: Becca Reilly (Poetry) Andrea Sanow (Prose) Amanda Symes (Creative Nonﬁction) Betsy Collins (Creative Nonﬁction) Notice of Merit: Laura Vitzthum (Fiction) Emily Hanson (Fiction) Unfortunately, due to space constraints, we are unable to publish these pieces.
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 14
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: FOX TROT Andrea Sanow My aunt Aggie told me to never go into the cornﬁeld because I would get lost and never be able to ﬁnd my way back out. The ﬁeld was right across the gravel road from her house. The gravel road served as the end point to a one mile by one mile section of com. I would watch it...
Show moreFOX TROT Andrea Sanow My aunt Aggie told me to never go into the cornﬁeld because I would get lost and never be able to ﬁnd my way back out. The ﬁeld was right across the gravel road from her house. The gravel road served as the end point to a one mile by one mile section of com. I would watch it shrivel and contract in the summer; it was a ﬁeld of sea urchins on those hot July days. There were always birds, grasshop- pers, ants and mice going in and out. I would stand at the edge of the ﬁeld, the tassel of the com a foot higher than my ﬁve-year old head, and wait for a mouse to scurry out. I never caught one. Most of the time, I watched it run into the gravel road and then into her driveway straight towards the egg-shell blue house. Then it would turn, sharp, and run into the grass. I loved to watch them disap- pear and wondered if they ever found their way back out. I didn’t have any friends aside from my brother, so I spent my mornings waiting for Aggie to come home from cleaning other people's houses. My brother was there most of the time; other times he was off playing with friends. Almost always I would end up watching the “The Price is Right” or staring at the corn as it swayed outside of the living room window. It was breathing, and moving, never still. It could have swallowed the town. “Mary,” David said one day when he was sick of watching TV. “Let’s go in the sandbox." We got up lazily and went through the backdoor, through the garage and out- side. We set up the G.I. Joes on the edge. We built a castle with our one blue pail and then dug a moat around it with our hands. David got the hose, I set the army men in their lookouts, and then we ﬂooded the sandbox until it was mud. We sat with our feet in the mud, squishing it through the spaces between our toes in the silence. “Race you," David said, and ran to the garage. I followed his muddy trail and got on my big wheel. We set out down the driveway, onto the gravel. Five min- utes later we were walking our big wheels back, exhausted by the rocks. The only paved road was the highway that was up the street. It led to bigger towns, but we rarely went on it. We weren't allowed to be near it; it was dangerous and longer than any cornﬁeld we could wander into. Aggie popped her head out of the house across the street. “Watch the weather, you two," she said with a vacuum cord in her hand. “It might rain.” She looked towards the clouds and I followed her eyes to the sky. Across the cornﬁelds and county roads, miles away, the sky was dark gray. It looked like night was creeping across the prairie. I felt like I had been awake for hours. My hair was sticking to my face. The backs of my hands were wet from sweating. The bug bite on my forehead stung. To escape the humidity and oncom- ing storm, David and I went inside to watch “Power Rangers." We were sprawled across the brown living room carpet when I saw something move in the cornﬁeld. 4
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 57
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: MAN, UPON THE DISCOVERY OF GARBAGE Sammie Guck Abraham said to God, “Discard this Earth And make me a new one ifyou love me So much, for the whole thing is swelling with Waste, and some of the colors Are not as bright as I want." And the Lord replied, “Child, would you Really have Me destroy it...
Show moreMAN, UPON THE DISCOVERY OF GARBAGE Sammie Guck Abraham said to God, “Discard this Earth And make me a new one ifyou love me So much, for the whole thing is swelling with Waste, and some of the colors Are not as bright as I want." And the Lord replied, “Child, would you Really have Me destroy it all? Suppose I were to show You ten night skies: cool, smooth black and Clean white light. Would you not spare the place For the sake of the ten?" And Abraham replied, “Lord, you must Destroy it all, because the sun is incessantly Hot, even when I desire to be cool, and The wind blows Someone Else’s garbage And rotting Styrofoam into my yard.” And the Lord, whose voice was beginning To crack, replied, “Please, you whom I love Most, do not make Me. Suppose I were To show you thirty forests, of such deep And dusky richness that you would forget The sound of an engine. Would you not Spare the place for the sake of the thirty?" And Abraham replied, “Lord you are not Listening. I tire of this world. I ﬁnd that there are not Nearly enough games to be played and too many Rough patches where I cannot even make a Phone call. All ofit must go." And the Lord, His eyes shining With tears, pleaded, “Dearest one, please let Me Keep it. Suppose I were to show you Sixty people: the wisest women, the Bravest boys, a man who can sing so clearly That you would swear his voice was made of Water. Would you not spare the place for the Sake of the sixty? For these, my children?” 48
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 21
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: THE WEDDING PICTURE Alissa Nollan In a purple satin dress, I peer out under Poppa‘s chin, only four years old. He holds me tight on his lap, while he looks away, faded faces frozen in time. In the dark room behind us, we nearly glow, in the Polaroid's ﬂash. I've scrawled our names beneath it, as...
Show moreTHE WEDDING PICTURE Alissa Nollan In a purple satin dress, I peer out under Poppa‘s chin, only four years old. He holds me tight on his lap, while he looks away, faded faces frozen in time. In the dark room behind us, we nearly glow, in the Polaroid's ﬂash. I've scrawled our names beneath it, as though I’d forget who we were. 12
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 74
Collection: Literary Journals

Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 27
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: SURVIV lNG THE FOUL DAYS OF FARM LIFE Jennifer Hipple Growing up in the 19705 and ’805, my family life bore a striking resemblance to the Ingalls family and their Little House on the Prairie. My mother made most of our clothes, canned vegetables, made her own jam and mended Dad's socks instead of...
Show moreSURVIV lNG THE FOUL DAYS OF FARM LIFE Jennifer Hipple Growing up in the 19705 and ’805, my family life bore a striking resemblance to the Ingalls family and their Little House on the Prairie. My mother made most of our clothes, canned vegetables, made her own jam and mended Dad's socks instead of simply making a trip to Sears to replace them. True, we drove a car to town, not a covered wagon, but many of the values we were raised with harkened back to simpler days. Each Saturday, weather permitting, my mother hung the laundry out on the clothesline to dry. When we were little, my sister and I took great delight in run- ning through the freshly laundered sheets drying on the line. Mom said we would sleep better on sun—dried sheets. Personally, I always found them a bit too crisp, but who was I to complain? Our little dog, Tags, was always close behind, nip— ping at our heels as we frolicked to and fro. To and fro, who says that anymore? Early autumn brought with it the highly anticipated, specially-set—aside day of chicken butchering, a decades-long tradition of my extended family. Mom couldn't wait. The dawn of chicken butchering day was like Christmas morning to her. She'd wake before the crack of early. We could hear her sharpening her knives in the kitchen. We kids always got dragged along to the annual poultry massacre at my Aunt Marge's farm. Grandma liked to tag along to supervise the event. She didn't get out much, so this was a major deal. She would rise early to dress, drink a cup of coffee, have some dry toast, and sit by the front window in her light-weight jacket, scarf on her head, tied under her chin, waiting for our car to pull up and fetch her for the Big Event. I hated chicken butchering days. To me, they were Foul Days. However, in my family, if you were old enough to walk on your own, you had a job to do. My cousin Brenda and I were the “hookers.” No, not what you think. Aunt Marge would hand us each a long metal pole with a hook on the end of it, similar to what they used in vaudeville routines and “The Gong Show." Then she'd point to the entrance of the coop and say “go.” As I hesitated, shifting from foot to foot, quickly thinking of some reason why I couldn‘t fulﬁll my duty, my cousin would already be through the door. She took to the task much more admirably than I did. I felt as though I were heading for the gulag. My shoulders slumped as I dragged the hook behind me. I gave one pleading glance over my shoulder, hop- ing my mother would have mercy on me and release me from this impending hell. She never did. I hated that chicken coop. I couldn't stand up straight in it, but rather had to crouch down like an old woman with a bad back. The fumes from the chicken manure assaulted my senses the moment I walked in, and I fought the natural instinct not to turn and dash out. It always took my eyes a few moments to adjust 18
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 58
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: And Abraham replied, “N 0, Lord, and you are Really starting to bother me. Do as I say before I become angry and decide not to love you Anymore. I won't tell you again." And the Lord looked ﬁrst at His perfect Earth Then at His perfect child — sullen and dissatisﬁed But undoubtedly a child in His...
Show moreAnd Abraham replied, “N 0, Lord, and you are Really starting to bother me. Do as I say before I become angry and decide not to love you Anymore. I won't tell you again." And the Lord looked ﬁrst at His perfect Earth Then at His perfect child — sullen and dissatisﬁed But undoubtedly a child in His own image — And covered His face with the hands That had created it all And wept. 49
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 63
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: HUE ON THE HORIZON (Excerpt) Joe Brown IV. “We must be getting close," said Javier. “I can hear a car." Teresa looked up at the sky. Only the stars and an orange hue lit the way. She turned and looked out in all directions; the noise had gotten louder. Suddenly she spotted it. Two white lights...
Show moreHUE ON THE HORIZON (Excerpt) Joe Brown IV. “We must be getting close," said Javier. “I can hear a car." Teresa looked up at the sky. Only the stars and an orange hue lit the way. She turned and looked out in all directions; the noise had gotten louder. Suddenly she spotted it. Two white lights from the west headed directly at them. The soft buzz transformed into a ferocious roar as the lights grew brighter and brighter. “Javier, someone is coming. Hurry!" Teresa cried. The two began running through the desert, but their feet sank after each step; they could not get away. The lights closed in and a Black SUV emerged. “Hijo de puta," screamed Javier as he stepped in front of Teresa. The SUV continued its approach until it stopped beside them. Dual exhaust pipes spewed a dense cloud of smog from the rear, and both ofthem began to cough. With no markings or ﬂashing lights, this SUV did not look to be Border Patrol, but they were not certain. At a standstill, the SUV waited. From the unlit cabin, a window was rolled down, and out popped the head of a pasty white American man complete with crew cut and cleft chin. “Hola Amigos!" hollered the man. “Que pasa?" Teresa stood behind Javier; he would be able to handle this. “Stay here and keep an eye out," whispered Javier before he left her to stand alone to he talk to the American. The man frightened Teresa, yet she did not yet know why. What kind of person would be driving through the desert in the middle of the night? she thought to herself. Minutes passed before Javier came back to her side. “We are in luck. They say they can drive us across for only $500," said Javier. “You said it was too dangerous to drive. You told me that at least a dozen times," she replied. “But this is different," he explained. “They are Americans who are on their way back. He said they know ofa route to get us safely across." “Well how did they ﬁnd us?" Teresa asked. “—I don‘t know, but Teresa, if we take this ride, we will make it there safe." “Safe...” she mumbled. “It will be safer than walking, especially with these gringos. They may look scary, but they seem like decent guys," Javier said. Javier hurried back to the window and continued his conversation with the American. He beckoned for Teresa to come over, and opened the backseat door for her as she got in. 54
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 18
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: DIET Rebecca Reilly Eyes starve for love. Hunger holding fast to the listener who patiently fasts, blinking slow and swaying low to a feast of sound touching on habits old andjarring chords in the fold of fast melodies returning on a round. My strict diet of brown lines and green grids, black...
Show moreDIET Rebecca Reilly Eyes starve for love. Hunger holding fast to the listener who patiently fasts, blinking slow and swaying low to a feast of sound touching on habits old andjarring chords in the fold of fast melodies returning on a round. My strict diet of brown lines and green grids, black shine on smooth lids, sharpening the appetite for 3/4 time triple—it staccato gelato-smooth tones. Unsure where these interludes will lead, off the sheet, away from the script—— I follow his ﬁngers in search of something authentic. The day stretches with the patience of friendship, with clumsy steps of the twisting dance he leads on the keys during Tchaikovsky's Romance. Wait and watch for any twitch of emotion on his face, as his hands hop—scotch and then dig into a deep, dark bass line— left one strains— his jaw is slack with perfection‘s pains— but his pieces aren‘t perfect, and that means everything to me. I love that he plays for himself, not me, and I'm even allowed to see ﬁts of frustration in his musical conversation, a look full of gratitude holding in tears, the assertion of his quiet ambition, his head sideways, lowering his ears. Waiting on a morsel of meaning in rehearsals, I sigh once and he hears.
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Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 08
Collection: Literary Journals

Title: Murphy Square 2009, Page 49
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION 2008 (Excerpt) B. A. “Hey, you, don’t move. You’re under arrest,” shouted the fat masked harbin- ger of doom. I whirled around to see a stream ofliquid gliding through the air at me. The burning of my skin and eyes began on contact and my lungs seemed to contract to...
Show moreREPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION 2008 (Excerpt) B. A. “Hey, you, don’t move. You’re under arrest,” shouted the fat masked harbin- ger of doom. I whirled around to see a stream ofliquid gliding through the air at me. The burning of my skin and eyes began on contact and my lungs seemed to contract to nothing, making it near impossible to breathe. In my mind I had done nothing wrong; I had only joined a protest that represented many differ- ent causes, interests, and energies, and by protesting I was doing something very fundamental to this country’s founding principles. Protesting with a permit is a parade. I had gone into the whole situation refusing to be intimidated and refusing to have a fearful heart; therefore, I did not want to submit and lay down to this oppressive force. At that moment I made the conscious decision to run. I be- gan to run, but quickly realized I was completely surrounded. I gave a few dips and shakes and kept moving, trying to spot an opening, to no avail. After a mad furious scramble through smoke, protestors, police, and exploding grenades, I managed to break through a preliminary police line that was herding the defeated crowd onto the bridge. I made it to a large parking lot which was occupied by spectators and dispersing crowd members, and also by a hell of a lot of police. I couldn’t blend into the other people since some of the grenades that had blown up were full of paint and I had been marked. There was no freedom in sight. The ofﬁcers began to move in on me, and they unloaded their chemical weapons in my direction many times I was facing imminent defeat and I knew this, but I refused to go quietly into the night, taken away by the political pawns and thugs for hire. Over at least a half dozen times the burning liquid (chemical mace) made con- tact with my skin, face, and eyes, and it burned like rubbing every spice known to man into your eyes, only worse. I began to yell, “I'mjust trying to go home!" I know they heard me, but they didn‘t care. I was a marked and moving target and they got a thrill out of trying to hunt me down. They circled me like vultures to the soon to be dead. Around this parking lot I ran and ran, dodging police every- where I turned. Mace danced through the air, the glistening liquid reﬂecting in the street lamps as it ﬂoated towards me, witnessed all through my one good eye. The steady explosions sounded like tremendous drums being played by giants, and the blaring horns and speakers sounded like Russian wartime propaganda. I moved gracefully and swiftly, trying to avoid contact with the shiny streams and the wooden bats being shot and swung at me, both of which made plenty of connections. Hands and arms continually tried to halt my movement, but I ran through the grasping like a rich person through a crowd of beggars. I began to run circles around cars because the biking units decided to join the chase. Bikes 40
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Title: Murphy Square 2009: A Journal of Literary & Visual Art
Collection: Literary Journals

Title: Augsburg Now Fall 2008
Collection: Alumni Magazine Collection
Search Result: 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 c i t i l o p t e nter G ngton Ce ashi W e h T h wit 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 Augsbu
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Title: Murphy Square 2008, Page 60
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: Literary ] Mink l Sanow tell them apart anymore,” he watched me pick up another Melissa. “That’s why it hurts so much. Quit naming them. That’s why it sucks,” his eyes lingered on mine for a second longer than I could handle and I looked ff. , away. He let out a long steady breath and looked past...
Show moreLiterary ] Mink l Sanow tell them apart anymore,” he watched me pick up another Melissa. “That’s why it hurts so much. Quit naming them. That’s why it sucks,” his eyes lingered on mine for a second longer than I could handle and I looked ff. , away. He let out a long steady breath and looked past me down the rows, out to .' a silent train. “It hurts,” he said. I wasn’t sure if he was talking about me or the mink. , “Raymond?” My grandpa said as I ﬁnished letting the last baby crawl up my arm. I startled and it pooped on my glove. “Yeah, boss,” he said. ‘ “Help me ﬁx this feeder.” It was right outside our shed, neither of us had heard him coming. Raymond took a piece of plywood and put it over the top of the funnel feeder in the middle of the shed that housed rows E and E He climbed from the seat to the board and straddled it. His knees were bent so his feet wouldn’t get into the feed, his white shirt under his overalls was yel- low around his neck which was full of freckles that had all connected from too much sun. My grandpa handed him a metal pole and Raymond began jabbing the mixture at the bottom, near the blades. My stomach turned. I was always nervous when I thought about the sharp blades at the bottom of the orange funnel. “Turn the blade on.” My grandpa did, the machine'lurched and the minks snarled from their cages. Raymond snapped his head towards me and smiled a little to reassure me that nothing was wrong. “Good,” my grandpa said. Raymond stood up, but the machine lurched and then he was gone, into the slop. My grandpa stopped the blades, but I was already on the board, sticking my hand into the slop, searching for him. I found his arm. I pulled. He didn’t move. I gasped for breath and almost vomited. Inside the feeder it smelled like ﬁsh and turkey. I thought of the mink and hoped they weren’t eat- ing their babies. I pulled again, and this time I felt his hand squeeze my fore- arm. I pulled him onto the board. My feet were in the slop, he was covered, his leg was bleeding. I wanted to swallow' him whole. We got off the funnel. He took off his shirt. I ditched my boots and ran across the gravel driveway with bare feet without ﬂinching. I got a towel and an extra shirt from the house. On my way out the door I slipped on a pair of my grandpa’s old work shoes. My grandpa carried Raymond over to the blue Volvo that Raymond drove us to the farm in. My brother ﬁnished feeding the mink. I drove to the hospital and my grandpa stayed behind, sympathy in his eyes. The whole way to the hospital Raymond didn’t speak. I thought, the whole time, that he could have died. I cursed my grandpa for always expecting too much from us when we were so young. The feed was drying in his brown hair, 58
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