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Title: Augsburg Now Fall-Winter 2018: Remarkable Achievements
Collection: Alumni Magazine Collection
Search Result: Literary scholar on skates Athletic facility spotlight Sesquicentennial co-chair Q&A Research and student success REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS FALL–WINTER 2018 | VOL. 81, NO. 1 INSIDE AUGSBURG NOW Vice President of Marketing and Communication Rebecca John ’13 MBA rjohn@augsburg.edu Director...
Show more Literary scholar on skates Athletic facility spotlight Sesquicentennial co-chair Q&A Research and student success REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS FALL–WINTER 2018 | VOL. 81, NO. 1 INSIDE AUGSBURG NOW Vice President of Marketing and Communication Rebecca John ’13 MBA rjohn@augsburg.edu Director of Marketing Stephen Jendraszak jendra@augsburg.edu NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW On “Yes, and … ” I teach the Honors Senior Seminar each spring, which is always a highlight of my year, and one of the class sessions introduces students to the history and practice of improvisation. I invite members of our theater faculty and local improv performers to come to class to help us understand why improv is so important to places like Chicago (think Second City) and Minneapolis (think Dudley Riggs’ Brave New Workshop). Then the fun begins. The improv artists invite us to the front of the classroom where we are taught some basic improv skills. Embarrassment aside, these sessions are full of life lessons. My favorite exercise goes like this: one student makes a statement related to an assigned topic. Perhaps the topic is the weather, and the student proclaims, “Wow, is it hot.” The next student then answers, “Yes, and ... I’m sweating like a faucet.” The next student continues, “Yes, and ... my faucets often leak.” You get the point. No one is allowed to say “No” or even “Yes, but … ”—it’s always “Yes, and … .” That’s how improv works, and I believe that’s how Augsburg works when we are at our best. We live in a “No” and “Yes, but … ” world—a world of scarcity that keeps us from risking ourselves in relation to others. Improv teaches us the way of abundance, a way that finds we are better together. “Yes, and … ” builds upon the gifts of others to help us live healthier, more just and compassionate lives together. The anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson offers this helpful word: “Improvisation and new learning are not private processes; they are shared with others at every age. We are called to join in a dance whose steps must be learned along the way, so it is important to attend and respond.” This issue of Augsburg Now is full of stories of “Yes, and … ”—including highlights of our planning for next year’s sesquicentennial celebration, Augsburg’s 150th anniversary. What a grand celebration it will be, as we recall the abundance of our founding in 1869, the decades of educating students for lives of meaning and purpose, and the promise of Augsburg’s mission in the years ahead. Yes, and ... it will be good! Faithfully yours, PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT Director of Public Relations and Internal Communications Gita Sitaramiah sitarami@augsburg.edu Assistant Director of Marketing Management Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA swansonl@augsburg.edu Senior Creative Associate, Design Elizabeth Kästner kaestner@augsburg.edu Senior Creative Associate, Design Denielle Stepka ’11 stepkad@augsburg.edu Marketing Copywriter John Weirick weirick@augsburg.edu Communication and Social Media Specialist Briana Alamilla ’17 alamilla@augsburg.edu Advancement Communications Specialist Kaia Chambers chamberk2@augsburg.edu Web Manager Joe Mann mannj@augsburg.edu Contributing Writers Katie (Koch) Code ’01 Kate H. Elliott Kelly O’Hara Dyer Augsburg Now is published by Augsburg University 2211 Riverside Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55454 Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now do not necessarily reflect official university policy. ISSN 1058-1545 AUGSBURG NOW IN FOCUS: Fall–Winter 2018 Surprising sights worth a first (or second) glance 02 AROUND THE QUAD This fall, Philadelphia-based artist Margery Amdur created mixed media installations in Augsburg’s Christensen and Gage Family galleries. Amdur’s art emphasizes the creative process and incorporates unusual materials— including cosmetic sponges. The exhibition was presented as part of a collaboration among Augsburg, Bethel University, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and St. Catherine University in conjunction with the publication of the book “Creative Practices for Visual Artists.” 08 ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS 10 NO PLAIN JANE 14 CARVING PATHS FOR THE FUTURE 16 THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE THE DOME 20 BANNER YEAR IN STUDENT SUCCESS 23 AUGGIES CONNECT 27 ALUMNI CLASS NOTES 32 IN MEMORIAM On the cover: Undergraduate researcher and biology major Angelica Diaz-Juarez ’20 waters plants in Augsburg’s Hagfors Center grow room. Learn about Auggies’ research experiences on page 20. COURTESY PHOTOS Inset cover photo by Deanna Dent, Arizona State University All photos by Courtney Perry unless otherwise indicated Here’s a new take on the “spring thaw.” Virtually all summer and fall, the Augsburg Ice Arena was iceless, which allowed construction crews to complete facility improvements, including installing a more environmentally friendly refrigerant system and upgrading the ice sheet floors from sand to concrete bases. Augsburg’s two-rink facility opened in 1974 and is used extensively—not only by the university’s men’s and women’s hockey teams, but also by community groups, youth sports leagues, figure skating clubs, and recreational skaters. Send address corrections to: alumniupdate@augsburg.edu Send comments to: now@augsburg.edu THAT’S GROOVY. Augsburg students celebrate the start of the school year Have you ever seen a dance floor filled with people swaying to the sound of … silence? That’s what a silent disco looks like. But the amusement was anything but muted for those who took part in an Auggie Bash hosted by the Augsburg Student Activities Council this past September. Participants wore wireless headphones tuned in to one of several audio channels playing a variety of music styles. This unusual approach to parties encourages dancers to move and groove their own way and to let their uniqueness shine as brightly as their neon headwear. THE AUGSBURG PODCAST Listen to the podcast online at augsburg.edu/podcast or download episodes from iTunes. 2 AUGSBURG NOW Hear Augsburg University faculty and staff share stories of their work with students in their own words. Launched this fall, the Augsburg Podcast is a new, 18-episode series offering a variety of perspectives on the university’s most important work: educating students for the future. StepUP makes NATIONAL HEADLINES NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt put Augsburg University’s StepUP® Program in the spotlight this May by showcasing its success in helping students in recovery complete their college education. NBC’s Catie Beck interviewed Neil King ’18 about the support he received from StepUP as a full-time student at Augsburg. Beck also interviewed StepUP Progam Director Tamarah Gehlen. “We always say that no one should have to choose between recovery and a college education,” Gehlen said. King, who began using drugs at age 14, discovered the StepUP Program four months into his recovery. “I really learned to believe in myself and my skills and capabilities,” said King, who’s now pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Minnesota. UNIVERSITY AWARDS Top 200 Schools for Indigenous Americans: The American Indian Science and Engineering Society Winds of Change magazine selected Augsburg as one of the 2018 Top 200 Schools for Indigenous American and Alaska Native students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and math. THE PARADOX OF PEACE: The 30th Nobel Peace Prize Forum INAUGURAL PHOTO BY REBECCA ZENEFSKI SLATER The Nobel Peace Prize Forum in Minneapolis marked its 30th anniversary in September. The forum, hosted and presented by Augsburg University, celebrated the achievements of the 2016 Nobel Laureate, President Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia, and the 2017 Laureate, The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, represented by Executive Director Beatrice Fihn. The program explored the intertwining complexities and paradoxes of water, conflict, and peace. “The paradox of peace lies in the paradox of the human condition— that we are capable of great love and great cruelty, that we are always a mix of some amount of ability and vulnerability. To achieve peace, we often have to fight for it,” said Joe Underhill, Augsburg associate professor of political science and director of the forum. Schwartz Professor of Choral Leadership and Conducting This fall, Augsburg named Kristina Boerger the inaugural John N. Schwartz Professor of Choral Leadership and Conducting. Boerger leads a visionary program honoring Augsburg’s legacy of engaging both music majors and non-music majors across campus. “Kristina Boerger has collaborated with leading composers and artists in creatively advancing the field of choral study and performance,” said Augsburg University President Paul Pribbenow. “Her work has garnered national recognition, and we’re excited to have her join Augsburg.” With a strong commitment to inclusion, access, and equity, Boerger brings to Augsburg a long and diverse professional practice of exploring music from varied cultures. She has worked in public school, collegiate, community, and professional settings. In addition to her achievements in commissioning and premiering new works, Boerger served as director of three choirs that earned critical acclaim from The New York Times. She holds degrees in music education and conducting from the University of Illinois. Best Regional Universities by U.S. News & World Report: U.S. News & World Report again named Augsburg one of the Best Universities in the Midwest, ranking the university No. 5 among the Minnesota schools on the list for undergraduate teaching, No. 10 on best value schools, and No. 14 for most innovative. Best in the Midwest by The Princeton Review: This year, The Princeton Review again named Augsburg one of the Best in the Midwest for academic excellence. Best Value in Minnesota: Best Value Schools ranked Augsburg No. 6 on a 2018 list of 20 Best Value Colleges or Universities in Minnesota. Rankings are based on graduation rate, net price, acceptance rate, and 20-year net return on investment. Top LGBTQ-friendly Colleges and Universities: Augsburg was named to Campus Pride’s list of the top 30 LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities in 2017 and 2018. Campus Pride is the leading national organization for creating safer, more LGBTQ-friendly colleges and universities. Augsburg delegation honors Mandela centenary An Augsburg University delegation that included administrators and Board of Regents members traveled to Namibia and South Africa for Nelson Mandela’s centenary celebration. While there, Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow visited the university’s Namibia operations and met with students. Here, he’s pictured in Cape Town with guide Shireen Narkedien. COURTESY PHOTO AROUND THE QUAD Augsburg adopts test-optional admissions policy NEW AUGSBURG BOARD OF REGENTS MEMBERS Matthew Entenza, senior advisor on energy and the economy to Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, was elected chair of the Augsburg University Board of Regents at its October 6 meeting. In addition, the Augsburg Corporation, at its annual September meeting, elected three new members to the Board of Regents and re-elected six members. Elected to their first term on the Augsburg Board of Regents: • Mark Johnson ’75, retired city planner and former president of Sonju Motors in Two Harbors, Minnesota • Terry Lindstrom ’73, drug discovery consultant and former Eli Lilly distinguished research fellow in Indianapolis, Indiana • Nancy Mueller ’85, physics and chemistry teacher in Rochester, Minnesota Mark Johnson ’75 Elected to a second or third term: • Diane Jacobson, former director of the Book of Faith Initiative for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America • Terry Lindstrom ’73 for Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion Toby Piper LaBelle ’96, senior vice president of Northland Securities, a Minneapolis securities brokerage firm Nancy Mueller ’85 • LaJune Thomas Lange ’75, former co-vice chair of the Minnesota Supreme Court Task Force on Racial Bias in the Courts and of the Minnesota Supreme Court Task Force on Gender Fairness in the Courts • Dean Sundquist ’81, chairman and chief executive officer of Mate Precision Tooling in Anoka, Minnesota • David Tiede, former president and professor of New Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota See the full list of Board of Regents members at augsburg.edu/about/leadership. 4 AUGSBURG NOW AUGSBURG ACHIEVES LEED Gold Certification Dr. Steven Larson ’72, chief executive officer and chairman of the board of Riverside Medical Clinic in Riverside, California • This past spring, the Augsburg faculty approved a pilot test-optional admissions policy, making submission of ACT or SAT test scores optional for fall 2019 first-year and transfer undergraduate student applicants, except in specific circumstances. “The test-optional admission policy aligns with Augsburg’s mission of intentional diversity and is expected to increase the university’s pool of completed applicants each year,” said Nate Gorr, assistant vice president for innovation. For a number of student populations, standardized test scores may not reflect an accurate indication of academic ability—including, for example, people without access to test preparation courses and tutors, those who can’t afford to retake the test, people with learning and physical differences, and English language learners. This policy change also aligns with Augsburg’s holistic admissions process, which looks at quantitative metrics and beyond. The application-review process allows Augsburg to maintain the university’s academic standards and ensure Augsburg admits students with the capacity to succeed. Augsburg University’s new signature interdisciplinary building—the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion—achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. In keeping with Augsburg’s commitment to environmental stewardship, the Hagfors Center was designed to incorporate elements that maximize resource efficiency and minimize environmental impact, both in its construction and throughout its operational lifetime. LEED is one of the most popular green building certification programs used worldwide. HAGFORS CENTER RIVER SEMESTER 2018 A group of 15 Augsburg University students, two professors, and two guides departed August 24 in 24-foot voyageur canoes to spend the semester studying, researching, and living on the Mississippi River. The students and their guides are traveling nearly 1,000 miles, making stops to camp at several locations. The River Semester, led by Associate Professor of Political Science Joe Underhill, is a unique 100-day, hands-on, interdisciplinary program. Students earn 16 credits studying biology, environmental science, health and physical education, and political science. This is Augsburg’s second time conducting the program; the first was in 2015. Experiential education is a trademark of students’ Augsburg experiences. “We do this because we think this is the best way to learn both about the Mississippi River and about what’s going on out in the world,” Underhill said. Students return to the Twin Cities on December 1. COURTESY PHOTOS 2018–19 CONVOCATION SERIES In October, Augsburg’s annual convocation series kicked off with the Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium featuring author and educator Rahuldeep Gill and his presentation, “Who Are ‘We?’ A Sikh Perspective on Vocation, Justice, and Death.” Through his lectures and workshops, Gill works to build pluralism and crosscultural relations to inspire connected communities on campus, in the workplace, and in the marketplace. In November, the Center for Wellness and Counseling Convocation welcomed Gloria Burgess, pioneering scholar, author, and international inspirational speaker. Her presentation was titled “Greatness Lives in All of Us!” SAVE THE DATE: Join us Monday, January 21, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation. All convocation events are free, public, and held in the Foss Center. For more information, go to augsburg.edu/convo. FALL–WINTER 2018 5 A look at environmental privilege with social worker Christina Erickson Whether it’s popping up in social media news feeds or emerging in conversations held around the dinner table, the concept of “privilege” is rising in the public consciousness. “Privilege has become a serious area of inquiry in recent years,” said Augsburg Professor of Social Work Christina Erickson. “White privilege and male privilege have hit the spotlight, as have racial disparities in policing and the #MeToo movement highlighting harassment and sexual assault. Environmental privilege is a related phenomenon, and, while it seems to be an understudied area of privilege (and not the only one), it is still important, probably more than we realize.” Erickson teaches courses in environmental justice and social change, and she’s taking on the challenge of exploring environmental privilege in greater depth. She is the author of “Environmental Justice as Social Work Practice,” a textbook designed to bring an understanding of environmental privilege into social work curricula. Q: A: How do you describe environmental privilege? Environmental privilege is having access to a resource simply because of your social identity categories—race, age, gender, income, and geography. Studies have shown that if you have a higher income, you likely have more green space near your home, work, or school. Not to mention owning a cabin, attending summer camp, or even seeing people who look like you at our most beautiful natural spaces. If you use all the water you want for your daily self care and other activities without thinking about it, you have environmental privilege. Q: A: Is environmental justice similar to social justice and, if so, how? Environmental justice and social justice are intricately linked in ways that we have only begun to discover and name. For example, kids living in neighborhoods with poor air quality are missing school due to asthma more than 6 AUGSBURG NOW kids breathing clean air. If you can’t go to school, your chances for school success, which leads to adult success, are inhibited. Q: Can you describe environmental injustices and the disparities some groups face? A: In 1987, research found that waste facilities were most often near neighborhoods of people of color, many of them containing toxic waste. Even our own Minnesota nuclear power facility, located near Prairie Island Indian Community, is an example of how some people are forced to live closer to environmental burdens than others. Q: A: Why is it important to reflect on our own privilege, and how can we dismantle it? Dismantling privileges is one of the ways we create social change. When we think about creating shifts in society, we generally need to stop certain behaviors—such as racist hiring practices or sexual harassment—to integrate new behaviors to take the place of the old. Augsburg already has taken a stand on water—we encourage our entire campus community to refill water bottles from our own taps, which environmental studies students tested for safety. Q: How does your social work background align with your work in environmental justice? A: For most of my life I viewed myself as a social worker who was an environmentalist. It wasn’t until coming to Augsburg, collaborating on our interdisciplinary environmental studies major, working with my social work colleagues on privilege and oppression, and participating in our Environmental Stewardship Committee that I began to recognize myself, in an integrated way, as an environmental justice social worker. AROUND THE QUAD MINNESOTA URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE receives renewed support from three area foundations The Minnesota Urban Debate League, a program of Augsburg University, entered the 2018–19 school year with a full head of steam thanks to funding and partnership support from three Twin Cities grantmakers. • With a $25,000 grant from the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, MNUDL will launch a program centered on building financial literacy skills. Young women will learn financial concepts using the format of academic debate, which breaks down abstract concepts and makes them more relevant. Funds from this grant also will offer a cohort of women and gender-nonconforming students the opportunity to attend The Advocacy Unit, an advocacy skills training summer camp that takes place on Augsburg’s campus. • MNUDL will reach even more students in St. Paul Public Schools using a $40,000 grant from the St. Paul Foundation. MNUDL will add four middle school programs over the next two years. Funds also will make it possible for MNUDL to expand culturally specific debate programs for Spanish-speaking and Somali students. • A $40,000 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation will provide general operating support, helping MNUDL expand a variety of priorities, including increasing summer camp opportunities for middle and high school students. AUGGIE STYLE: Athletics apparel, then and now Forty years of serving American Indian students In October, Augsburg’s American Indian Student Services celebrated its 40th anniversary. The program has been a national model of success since 1978. Approximately 130 students representing more than 25 tribes are enrolled part time or full time in Augsburg’s undergraduate and graduate programs. Special invitees to the 40th anniversary reception included Bonnie Wallace, Augsburg regent emerita and the first director of the AISS program, as well as current Board of Regents members Eric Jolly, Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo, and Noya Woodrich ’92, ’94 MSW. Today Augsburg University’s varsity athletes wear high-performance gear that aligns with their high-caliber capabilities. Many Auggie teams are sporting new uniform styles following Augsburg’s name change and a recent partnership with BIG Athletics to supply athletes with adidas apparel, uniforms, footwear, and accessories over the next five years. Here’s a glimpse at how current styles compare to those worn in years gone by. See other athletic uniforms at augsburg.edu/now. 1979 1930 1998 1975 ARCHIVE PHOTOS 2017–18 AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS Thank you. Your giving supports current and future Auggies as they gain skills and knowledge to thrive in their careers, pursue advanced scholarship, and achieve in leadership roles after graduation. Learn more about opportunities to support an Augsburg education at augsburg.edu/giving. ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE May 31, 2018—$48,136,083 $40.5 $38.3 EXPENSES BY CATEGORY 38% 33% 19% 4% 3% 2% 1% Salaries and benefits Financial aid Operating expenses Debt services Utilities and insurance Student compensation Capital improvement $32.4 $28.2 $39.4 $29.8 $24.5 2007 2008 Fiscal year 2017–18 operating budget: $68,736,254 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 As of May 31, 2018, Augsburg University had annual realized and unrealized gains of 10.19 percent on the university endowment. The five-year average annual return on the endowment is 7.11 percent and the 10-year average annual return is 4.70 percent. Augsburg is committed to maintaining the value of the principal to provide support to the university in perpetuity. $123.6 PHYSICAL PLANT VALUE REVENUE BY SOURCE 76% 7% 7% 7% 3% Tuition Room and board Private gifts and grants Other sources Federal grants $48.1 $34.6 $33.3 $31.5 $43.9 $103.4 May 31, 2018—$123.6 million $73.9 $75.6 $73.8 $70.8 $68.7 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 $67.9 $65.5 $63.6 $65.5 $62.8 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 The quality and value of Augsburg’s physical plant is on the rise. The largest recent contributor is the Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion, which was completed in November 2017. Augsburg University is stronger and more vibrant than ever. Investments in priorities like scholarships, experiential learning, research, and faculty mentorship change the trajectories of students’ lives. We are deeply grateful for your generosity and the generosity of alumni, parents, and friends who helped Augsburg raise $18,187,380 during fiscal year 2017–18. The philanthropy of more than 9,400 donors will help the university attract talented students and the dedicated faculty and staff who teach and guide them. THIS IS WHAT GRATEFUL AUGGIES LOOK LIKE THIS IS WHAT A PEACE SCHOLAR LOOKS LIKE Lex Dorfman ’18 Mabeth Saure Gyllstrom Scholarship, Helen (Mohn) Henderson Scholarship, Mary E. (Mimi) Johnson Scholarship, Hoversten Peace Scholarship Hometown: Minnetonka, Minnesota Studying: Religion, Spanish, and Leadership Lex Dorfman ’18 spent her summer in Norway studying alongside students from around the world. As one of two Peace Scholars selected at Augsburg this year and funded by the Hoversten Peace Scholarship and other donors, Dorfman’s time in Lillehammer and Oslo was part of a robust program designed to pair academic inquiry with real-world dialogue and to give students an introduction to the field of conflict studies. For Dorfman, the Peace Scholar program aligns with many of the topics she’s explored throughout her college experience. Also an Augsburg Interfaith Scholar, Dorfman called on her own multicultural background to found a Hillel organization on campus and to foster new opportunities to build connections between people from diverse backgrounds. “Augsburg has offered me a personal, hands-on education,” she said. “I have been able to create an organization on campus, interview Jewish leaders, and collaborate with a variety of students because of Augsburg’s engaging and small-but-powerful community.” THIS IS WHAT AN ALL-AMERICAN LOOKS LIKE Alex Wilson ’19 Arne and Jean Markland Scholarship Hometown: Oak Grove, Minnesota Studying: Biology Alex Wilson ’19 can put the title “All-American” next to his name in two different contexts. Competing in his first NCAA Division III National Championship tournament last March, the Auggie wrestler earned All-American honors with a fifth-place finish at 149 pounds. He also was among eight Augsburg wrestlers to earn the Division III Scholar All-America distinction from the National Wrestling Coaches Association based on student-athletes’ GPAs. Whether he’s facing an opponent on the mat or looking to ace an exam, Wilson has a drive to excel that will serve him well as he applies to competitive graduate programs and pursues his dream of becoming a physician assistant. For Wilson, Augsburg is a place where there’s harmony between athletic and academic achievements. “Augsburg has helped me develop as a student and as an athlete by giving me all of the resources I would ever need to be successful,” Wilson said. “Faculty support creates an atmosphere where it is possible to succeed in whatever you do.” THIS IS WHAT AN ENGAGED CITIZEN LOOKS LIKE Baoyia Kong ’19 Leola G. Anderson Scholarship, William and Anne Frame Scholarship, Adeline Marie (Rasmussen) Johnson Scholarship Hometown: St. Paul, Minnesota Studying: Social Work and Psychology Baoyia Kong ’19 has the guts to just dive in. When she studied at Augsburg’s Center for Global Education and Experience site in Cuernavaca, Mexico, the social work major interned at a grade school, helping administrators infuse inclusive practices into the school’s operations and culture—and honing her Spanish skills along the way. Whether studying in Minneapolis or Mexico, Kong sees Augsburg as “a community with so many opportunities.” Kong has enhanced her academic experience by seeking out opportunities beyond the classroom, completing an additional internship with Hennepin County, volunteering at a medical clinic in Augsburg’s Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, playing intramural volleyball, and joining the Augsburg Asian Student Association and Hmong Women Together campus organizations. Kong said her Augsburg experience has shaped her as a leader because the university encourages students to be engaged in topics that align with their passions and creates “spaces for all to grow and flourish in their education.” FALL–WINTER 2018 9 O N N I A L PJane EIRICK BY JOHN W and introduce her properly into the world,” said one of Jane Austen’s characters, “and ten to one but she has the means of settling well, without further expense to anybody.” For a line published in 1814’s “Mansfield Park,” it prophetically resonates in the life and work of Augsburg alumna Devoney Looser ’89. Looser earned a doctorate in English and women’s studies, holds extensive credentials as a professor who has served at leading universities, and has written and contributed to dozens of books, scores of academic journals, and even more book reviews. When national and international publications need an expert on 18th-century literature, British women writers, or Jane Austen, they want Looser—if they can catch her before roller derby practice. Looser grew up in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. College seemed like a distant dream, both because of the financial barrier and the fact that she came from a family with no college degree in sight. Her perspective changed when she applied to Augsburg and earned a President’s Scholarship for her academic merit. “That made all the difference in terms of my ability to go to college. Augsburg gave me an incredibly generous opportunity with that scholarship,” Looser said. PHOTOS BY DEANNA DENT, ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FALL–WINTER 2018 11 Looser wasn’t outwardly confident, but she caught the eye of Cathie Nicholl, an English professor who taught at Augsburg for nearly 30 years until her retirement in 1999. Though Looser was somewhat quiet, Nicholl said, “her written work was always wonderful. She’s really blossomed a lot since then.” Looser first became enthralled with Jane Austen’s writings through a literature class with Nicholl, who has maintained correspondence with Looser through several decades. “I had no idea at the time how significant, how important [that connection with Nicholl] would turn out to be to my life—to a path toward a future in [literary] work.” Douglas Green, a professor of English who’s taught at Augsburg since 1988, met Looser when he first arrived at the university. “She was exceptional. We had a real conversation about literature,” said Green, a poet and scholar who teaches Shakespeare, drama, and writing as well as gender, sexuality, and was very shy at 18, and to see the same faces who could tell me, ‘You can do this,’ made a big difference in my believing in myself.” For a suburbanite, moving to the heart of Minneapolis was an education in itself. “Being in an urban area, being able to live among other students was amazing,” Looser said. “Augsburg’s student body was very diverse. Being in class alongside students from all over the world was mind-blowing. It made me reimagine my role in women’s studies at institutions including the University of Missouri, Louisiana State University, University of Wisconsin—Whitewater, Indiana State University, and the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She is described as a thoughtful and wise mentor who empathizes with firstgeneration college students. Her ability to reflect on and relate to the challenges others face is something Looser shares with the central figure of her academic work: Jane Austen. Did Austen predict roller derby? women’s studies. Though literature was central in feeding Looser’s ravenous appetite for knowledge, people and experiences also offered lessons beyond the classroom. “There were lots of things at Augsburg that brought me out of my shell,” Looser said. “I 12 AUGSBURG NOW the world, and what my world could be, and how I was part of their world.” Engaging with a variety of people and ideas has served Looser well in her literary pursuits and academic experience alike. She has held positions teaching English and “Austen is one of the most psychologically perceptive observers in all of the history of the novel,” said Jenny Davidson, a novelist and professor of English at Columbia University who connected with Looser over their shared professional interest in 18th-century literature. Known for romantic plots steeped in English society, including “Pride and Prejudice” and “Sense and Sensibility,” Austen’s writings have been in print continuously for nearly 200 years and retain an unassailable foothold in contemporary art and culture. Who was Jane Austen, really— and how did she become what she represents now? That’s the focus of Looser’s latest book, “The Making of Jane Austen,” which earned high praise among literary peers. It was named a Publishers Weekly Best Summer Book for nonfiction, featured in CNN interviews, and reviewed in The Economist, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Looser’s remarkable scholarship has led to an abundance of prestigious opportunities, including a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship in support of one of her current projects: a book about unheralded British sister novelists Jane and Anna Maria Porter. Davidson offered a scholar’s perspective: “The project on the Porter sisters is a genuine project of reclamation, of rewriting an injustice of literary history: these were two extremely widely read and well-regarded novelists whom literary history has essentially dumped in the trash.” Because of Looser’s background, Davidson believes, the firstgeneration college graduate is attracted to the works of underdogs and can convey their stories empathetically and authoritatively. Perhaps her affinity for the underdog is part of what drew Looser to a lesser-known sport— roller derby. Nearly a decade ago, Looser and her friend Katie Carr, a special collections librarian at the University of Missouri where Looser was a professor of English, reconnected over a mutual sense that they needed a change. Angela Rehbein, one of Looser’s then-graduate students who is now a professor of English at West Liberty University, joined them to skate at a roller rink’s retro night, where members of a local roller derby team invited the three to derby practice. It sounded fun, so they accepted. Roller derby is a sport in which two teams of five players in roller skates line up on a track. The “jammer” on each team tries to maneuver past the “blockers” on the opposing team, and it all happens in a series of two-minute increments called “jams.” Players force opponents off the track or block them with their shoulders, chests, and hips. Because it’s full-contact, they wear helmets, mouthguards, knee pads, and elbow pads. It’s customary for derby players to create personas based on names that use a play on words. Carr dubbed Looser “Stone Cold Jane Austen,” a mashup of Looser’s literary expertise and professional wrestler Steve Austin’s stage name. Looser is now a faculty advisor to the roller derby team in addition to her work as a professor of English at Arizona State University. She still remembers the coaches who patiently taught her to play derby, which perhaps unexpectedly refreshed her perspective on higher education. “It’s humbling to start out as a complete newbie, and being laid flat and embarrassing myself,” she said. “It put me in headspace that made me realize how students must feel their first year of college, when you didn’t know what you were doing, and it was terrifying.” People who know Looser best—like Carr, Rehbein, and her former doctoral student Emily Friedman—point to Looser’s knack for transforming her interests into excellence. “There’s this world-renowned academic and also someone who plays roller derby and excels at it. She is an incredibly generous friend and an amazing wife and mother,” Carr said, referring to Looser’s sons and husband George Justice, a fellow Austen scholar and British literature professor at Arizona State University. “I learned a lot from Devoney’s incredible work ethic and her generosity toward her students and toward other scholars,” added Rehbein, who appreciates Looser’s influence both in and beyond the classroom. The same is true for Friedman, who has also worked on Austen scholarship and now serves as a professor of English at Auburn University. Friedman observed Looser’s simultaneous commitment to hard work and a rewarding life outside of it, and how “she keeps them dancing rather than in conflict and fighting.” Like Jane Austen and many icons before her, Looser will maneuver past any limitations in her path. “She’s the hardest worker I know,” said Friedman. “I’m just trying to skate in her tracks.” Looser’s next book topic: CARVING PATHS for THE FUTURE Theater professor Darcey Engen ’88 helps plan a forward-looking 150th anniversary celebration BY STEPHEN JENDRASZAK D arcey Engen, professor of theater arts, has been on both sides of an Augsburg education: student and professor. As a leader on campus, she brings both perspectives to bear. Thinking from a student perspective, she understands the intense obligations today’s students face and, with her colleagues, implemented a series of changes to make it possible for students from all backgrounds and enrolled in any major to participate in Augsburg’s theatrical productions despite family or work commitments. As a faculty member, Engen observed that faculty in the arts sometimes struggled to receive appropriate credit for their artistic and scholarly work, so she advocated for revisions to promotion and tenure guidelines to address the issue. Now, she’s been asked to call on those twin perspectives in a new leadership role: helping to guide the commemoration of Augsburg’s sesquicentennial during the 2019–20 academic year. In a recent interview, Engen shared her views on the university’s 150th anniversary, the important contributions faculty will make in commemorating the occasion, and what makes Augsburg unique in American higher education. 14 AUGSBURG NOW SE R AT I ON 1869-2019 SQ U IC ENTEN N CE IAL LE B “ One of the things I love about Augsburg is that we are more like the real world than other colleges and universities. The needs of the real world around us are present in everything we do.” You are a co-chair of the sesquicentennial committee. What do you hope this milestone will do for Augsburg? I hope that it gives us a moment in time to understand our past, mark where we are now, and look forward. It’s an opportunity for us to appreciate those who came before us, what we’re doing in the present, and those who will inevitably follow after us. What does this occasion mean to you as both an alumna and a faculty member? In our costume shop, there are boxes and boxes that say things like “summer hats.” Those labels were handwritten by my professor, Ailene Cole, the former chair of the theater department, before she retired in her 80s. When I’m in the costume shop and see her handwriting, I’m reminded of her and what she did for me and all her students. That inspires me to do the same for my students. As a former chair myself, now, I am part of a legacy, which gives me a lot of satisfaction. I’m aware that all of us, chairs and faculty, are so privileged to be able to create an atmosphere where our students can thrive as artists. I keep the past with me as I try to carve out paths for the future with my students. How are faculty members going to be involved in marking this significant moment in the life of the institution? I’m very grateful that we were able to make resources available for faculty to create scholarly projects that reflect sesquicentennial themes. The support opens the door for these scholarly projects, whether they be permanent works or ephemeral experiences, to be installed or occur during our yearlong celebration. They will honor and mark the 150th anniversary and also give faculty the opportunity to expand the good work they do, which is ultimately to support our students. I understand that the number of proposals for faculty sesquicentennial projects exceeded your expectations. What does that enthusiasm say to you? It was amazing to get all the proposals for such thoughtful projects. It goes to show you that we faculty members all have in us, no matter how busy our days can sometimes be, a great love for this institution. What kinds of projects are faculty members working on, and what are they trying to achieve? There’s so much incredible work being done, but I’ll offer a few examples to give you an idea of the scope of the effort. Sonja Thompson, assistant professor of music, is working on an original musical—with original music—about Augsburg, embracing both the rocky and exceptional moments in our history. Her team is interviewing as many people as possible and conducting story circles where students, staff, alumni, and friends can share their Augsburg experiences to inform the production. Erik Steinmetz, assistant professor of computer science, is building an app for exploring Augsburg’s campus now and at various points in history via augmented or virtual reality. The idea is that if you’re on campus, you can look around through your phone and see what a particular part of campus looked like at another time. And if you’re not here, you can virtually explore those same environments. We’re hoping to create online experiences that capture as much of the art and activity and scholarship happening on campus that year as possible. As Augsburg prepares to commemorate 150 years, what stands out for you? I’ve toured a lot of colleges; I’ve taught at two other universities. One of the things I love about Augsburg is that we are more like the real world than other colleges and universities. The needs of the real world around us are present in everything we do. Augsburg’s plans to celebrate the sesquicentennial are developing, and updates will be posted at augsburg.edu/150. FALL–WINTER 2018 15 Augsburg alumna Katia Iverson ’12 orients newcomers to the United States amid mounting uncertainty and narrowing policies 16 AUGSBURG NOW The Augsburg Air Structure—and the rest of the Minneapolis campus—looked practically otherworldly following a record-breaking April 2018 snowstorm. THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE DOME THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE BY KATE H. ELLIOTT DOZENS OF BUSES en route from 25 Minnesota school districts pause on 23rd Avenue to unload hundreds of students in grades three through six at the Augsburg University Air Structure (aka the Augsburg Dome). The air lock opens, and grinning youngsters wheel, walk, and run into the 360-by-216-by-63-foot inflatable bubble lined with activities to exercise their cognitive, emotional, and physical muscles. Augsburg has held this one-day Sports Extravaganza for nearly 20 Novembers. Do the math: that’s more than 4,000 children, teachers, and paraprofessionals who have visited campus, and two decades of Auggies who have applied their health, physical education, and exercise science coursework to the field. HPE instructor Carol Enke said the event wouldn’t have started without the dome. “Imagine funneling hundreds of kids with mental and/or physical disabilities into Si Melby Hall via untold batches of elevator trips,” she said. “Without the air structure, this dual community engagement and learning opportunity would have never taken off. “Every year, teachers tell us that students ask about the event from the first day of classes, and we see that excitement as kids meet others and participate in activities they might have assumed were inaccessible to them.” FALL–WINTER 2018 17 AN EXPANSIVE GATHERING PLACE Sports Extravaganza is one of several community events squeezed into the dome between softball and lacrosse games and practices for baseball, track and field, golf, soccer, and football. Physical education classes, intramural activities, alumni events, and more also vie for the space, which features four batting cages, a driving range net, and four soccer goals. About 35 campus and community groups schedule the space each year, according to Greg Holker, the men’s soccer head coach, who helps manage dome schedules as part of his dual role as athletic facilities assistant manager. Thousands of people use the dome for a total of about 3,000 hours during any given year. “Regular users include our sports teams, HPE classes, camps, the Minneapolis United Soccer Club, and other prominent academies and associations,” he added. “During Super Bowl LII this year, a large corporation hosted a Punt, Pass, and Kick Competition, and the Minnesota Super Bowl Host Committee filmed a commercial in the space.” Each November, more than 500 student-athletes join coaches, staff, and administrators to erect the weather-proof 18 structure. It’s a Herculean effort that illustrates the university’s cooperative, all-in attitude, according to Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79. Come May, after 12-hour weekdays and about 18-hour weekend days, the dome is put away in about three hours, again by a campus-wide team. Swenson said the dome has substantially increased Augsburg’s workout space. “Nobody appreciates the air structure more than our spring sports,” Swenson said. “Access to a climate-controlled regulation field in our backyard gets them in the game earlier in the season without interruptions due to weather.” The university also is able to offer physical education classes, including golf and soccer, in the spring. Eric Rolland ’97, men’s and women’s golf head coach, said without the dome, spring offerings would be limited to indoor activities like bowling. And while Rolland enjoys throwing a strike as much as the best of them, the former All-American golfer said he has enjoyed the ability to teach golf throughout the year. “It’s a lifelong sport that can enhance your career, given that so many business meetings occur on the golf course,” said Rolland, who has taught golf classes for the past five years. “Students make lasting friendships, too, as the dome transforms into a giant driving range where students visit as they perfect their swings.” AUGSBURG NOW The Augsburg University women’s lacrosse team competed in the dome in Spring 2018. THE DOME ‘SAVED OUR SEASON’ Talk of spring takes Softball Head Coach Melissa Lee ’04 back to April, when the Twin Cities experienced its snowiest and fourth-coldest April on record, according to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which reported 26.1 inches of the white stuff and an average high of 47.4 degrees. “It was the winter that would never end,” said Lee, who is in her 15th season on Augsburg’s coaching staff. “Other teams in our conference have to rent out dome space or practice on hard gym floors incapable of mimicking competition, so when the weather is bad, those players may catch—or try to catch—their first deep pop fly of the season during a game. We made the playoffs last year, and I believe the dome contributed to that success.” Then-senior-outfielder Katie Parker ’18 was among the Augsburg softball players who spent the majority of the 2018 season under the dome. Playing inside requires adjustment, she said, with rules against catching deflected balls (to avoid injuries), turf vs. dirt, and many lights, rather than the sun’s sole beam. But the snowy season didn’t faze the native of Lakeville, Minnesota. “It’s our home turf, literally, so we practice in the space long before our first game,” said Parker, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s in elementary education with a focus on special education. “I loved the sense of community and cooperation as we worked side-by-side with student-athletes on other teams to take down and set up fence panels and goals, depending on the sport. Coach Lee also worked hard and stayed up late to make sure other area softball programs could access to the dome to finish out their seasons.” Will this year be a repeat of last season? The Farmers’ Almanac indicates ‘no,’ Coach Lee said, but the Minnesota native jokes the state’s weather is as unpredictable as a curve ball. What is not inconsistent, she added, is Auggies’ willingness to work together—snow or shine. Assistant Baseball Coach Zach Bakko ’18 echoed Lee’s appreciation for the dome’s ability to bring athletes across Augsburg’s 21 sports together with each other, the campus, and greater community. Bakko spent several seasons fielding balls under the dome lights as an Auggie outfielder. “Whether it be quarterback Quinn Frisell ’19 throwing out routes to his agile receivers, golfer Brett Buckingham ’21 working on his swing, or soccer forward Ashley St. Aubin ’20 figuring out another way to score a hat trick, I’ve been able to see athletes in other sports work to maximize their potential,” said Bakko. Plus, “The space allows our campus to give back to the community and make a positive difference in the lives of young athletes [through camps and clinics].” “Having worked for athletics, I’ve met the real heroes of the dome—athletics administrators, coaches, and all the maintenance staff—managing scheduling, cleaning, and every other task that arises,” he added. “That willingness to come together and do what’s needed, regardless of whether it’s in your job description, has expanded my understanding of the word ‘team.’” Find bonus content and fun facts about the dome at augsburg.edu/now. Augsburg community members work together to assemble the dome each fall. First installed in 1993, Augsburg’s original dome was one of the premier inflatable air structures in the Midwest. FALL–WINTER 2018 19 Undergraduate research gives students an edge BY GITA SITARAMIAH The summer before his third year at Augsburg, Fekireselassie Beyene ’16 was paid to research Earth’s magnetosphere. He worked in a lab on campus under the direction of a physics faculty member. And he discovered a passion for space physics. Beyene’s research, which was funded by Dean ’91 and Amy Sundquist his first summer and TRIO McNair Scholars for the second, helped him stand out in national scholarship competitions. The following year, he was awarded a Goldwater Scholarship, a prestigious national program that provides financial support to undergraduates who show the promise of becoming leading scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. Then, Beyene’s Augsburg advisors helped him successfully apply for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program, providing him with more than $100,000 for graduate school. Now a Ph.D. student in space physics at UCLA, Beyene credits his Augsburg undergraduate research experience with getting him where he is today. “You don’t see the level of personal coaching at other schools like you do at Augsburg,” he said. “I really appreciate that about Augsburg.” Augsburg’s undergraduate research opportunities are paying off for students like Beyene, who compete alongside the nation’s top students to land high-profile fellowships, internships, and scholarships as well as selection to highly competitive graduate programs. In fact, Augsburg had a banner year in 2017–18, with a record number of students earning prestigious awards and fellowships. 20 AUGSBURG NOW Here are some highlights: • Augsburg had six Fulbright winners named this past year and has been listed five times in The Chronicle of Higher Education as a top producer of Fulbrights for master’s level institutions. The previous singleyear record for Augsburg was four. Since 2008, Augsburg’s Fulbright winners total 29. • An Augsburg student was one of just four Minnesota recipients of the Goldwater Scholarship last year. Out of 1,280 applicants nationwide, 211 were named. • Three Auggies were Critical Language Scholarship winners in the first year that Augsburg undergraduates pursued this fellowship. Only 10 percent of applicants nationwide receive this award. Two of the students were selected to study Swahili in Tanzania; the third, to study Mandarin in Taiwan. • Another two Auggies were Public Policy and International Affairs Program winners. Only 20 percent of applicants nationally are accepted into this program. One of the Augsburg winners studied at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. The other student spent seven weeks at University of California—Berkeley in a law-focused program. • For the first time ever, an Augsburg student won a Boren Award, which honors undergraduates studying language in areas underrepresented in study abroad programs. The Auggie, who studied Swahili at the University of Florida this past summer, is continuing to study the language and culture in Tanzania this semester. He will commit to one year of paid federal government service after graduation. Undergraduate research boosts the résumés of Auggies like Holly Kundel ’19, who looked for a rare dragonfly in Twin Cities area wetlands. Many of these accomplishments are the result of Augsburg’s decade-plus commitment to providing undergraduate research opportunities for students. Two programs are responsible for much of this success: the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity and the McNair Scholars program. URGO, now in its 14th year, offers an 11-week, on-campus, faculty-led undergraduate research experience with 50 students each summer. Students receive support throughout the research process from a faculty mentor, participate in weekly seminars, and engage in roundtable discussions with fellow student researchers to hone their communication skills. URGO also advises students about national fellowships, graduate school, medical school, and other health sciences. The McNair Scholars program is a federally funded program designed to prepare students from groups currently underrepresented in graduate school for doctoral studies to some of the most competitive institutions in the U.S. The program currently serves 26 students a year and includes 21 months of graduate school preparation workshops, travel to national research conferences, and hands-on scholarly research projects with faculty mentors. Through these programs, talented Augsburg students are earning prestigious national opportunities that they otherwise may not even have known about. “Many [of the students] who win awards and fellowships had never even heard the word ‘Fulbright’ before they were in this program,” said Dixie Shafer, URGO director. When students start their first summer research experience, Shafer said, they’re looking around wondering how they got selected. “You can tell they’re a little bit nervous,” she said. “By the end, when they’re giving oral presentations and submitting projects, they’re the experts in the room. Their level of confidence has grown.” Students agree that they gain key skills from research and writing in partnership with faculty members, presenting their work at conferences, and receiving hands-on guidance from advisors about how to translate those experiences into top fellowships, internships, scholarships, and graduate programs. And they often go on to other off-campus research experiences to expand their curricula vitae. Blair Stewig ’18, currently a Fulbright scholar in Poland, first did summertime research at Augsburg in a biophysics lab. She successfully applied for an Augsburg grant to do research while canoeing the Mississippi River during the 2015 River Semester experience, then did summer research with the Minnesota Lupus Foundation at the Mayo Clinic. The next summer, she conducted cancer research at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. FALL–WINTER 2018 21 three URGO advisors on her medical Currently, Stewig is conducting school applications. research on colorectal cancer at the “It was almost like they knew International Institute of Molecular more about my story than I did,” and Cell Biology in Poland and will Bagonza said. shadow physicians and volunteer at Shafer sees this type of faculty and the Maria Skłodowska Curie Memorial staff interaction with students as a Cancer Centre. key part of helping students evolve. “Without my research experience “Faculty and staff believe in students and the support of staff and faculty and then the students start believing at Augsburg, I don’t think I would in themselves,” she said. have had the confidence to apply for the larger competitive research experiences,” said Stewig, who plans to apply for combined M.D./Ph.D. programs in the future. Similarly, two months into her first year at Augsburg, biology major Vision Bagonza ’17 regularly started visiting the URGO office and mapping her trajectory to medical school. “They were with me every step of the way,” she said. In her first summer research project, Bagonza worked on genomics research with Associate Professor and Biology Department Chair Matthew Beckman. “That Fieldwork experience inspired Holly Kundel ’19 to apply for was instrumental to my doctoral programs in freshwater ecology. understanding of what was going on throughout the field,” Fourth-year biology major Holly she said. Kundel ’19 chose Augsburg after The following summer, she meeting faculty on a campus tour and researched biomedical ethics at Mayo Clinic, and she spent her third summer learning that she would be able to do research directly with them. researching malaria at Johns Hopkins. The summer after her first year, These experiences set the stage for her Kundel began her paid research on participation in the Mayo Innovation the rare Spatterdock Darner dragonfly Scholars program, where she learned in Twin Cities area wetlands. Kundel, about the complexities of the FDA who loves being outdoors during approval process when bringing Minnesota summers, was drawn to innovation to market. Finally, Bagonza the project after approaching Biology was awarded a full scholarship to the and Environmental Studies Assistant Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Professor Emily Schilling and learning Medicine after working closely with 22 AUGSBURG NOW that the research entailed doing fieldwork. Since then, Kundel has received other grants to support her research with Schilling. “It’s nice to work with a faculty member who knows exactly what my strengths and weaknesses are,” Kundel said. This year, Kundel received a Goldwater Scholarship, providing tuition assistance for her fourth year at Augsburg, and the associated prestige is expected to set her apart in her applications for doctoral programs in freshwater ecology. “I wouldn’t be applying to the graduate programs I am this fall if I hadn’t done this research at Augsburg,” Kundel said. While many in the URGO Summer Research Program are science majors, other disciplines are represented as well. English literature major Abigail Tetzlaff ’18 studied patterns in language and rhetorical uses in poetry and prose. Currently a Fulbright Fellow in Berlin, she is an English teaching assistant and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in English literature to ultimately become a university professor. “Especially for undergraduates studying within the humanities, it isn’t very common to come out of college with a research experience already complete,” Tetzlaff said. For Beyene, if not for the direct support from faculty and his McNair Scholars and URGO advisors, he wouldn’t have considered himself graduate school material. “Being at UCLA now, I realize how fortunate I was to have programs like McNair and URGO,” he said. AUGGIES CONNECT FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT + COURTESY PHOTO Dear alumni and friends, As always, the fall season at Augsburg was full of excitement. This past August, for only the second time, our community sent a group of Auggies to explore the Mississippi on a River Semester off-campus study experience. Over the course of the semester, these students will spend 100 days paddling down the river while learning about history, politics, and the environment, and having the adventure of a lifetime. Then, as the calendar turned to September, the community welcomed returning students to a new academic year and ushered in the first-year students who make up the class of 2022. At Homecoming in October, we honored an accomplished group of Distinguished Alumni. We found inspiration in hearing their stories and learning about their achievements, and we were reminded of the talent and dedication that Augsburg alumni exhibit across a vast spectrum of vocations and commitments. Augsburg alumni are, indeed, remarkable professionals and amazing people. This year, I’m especially excited to serve on the Augsburg Alumni Board as its members strive to increase the ways in which they give to the university. I have personally committed to giving 50 hours of my time to Augsburg. I plan to attend events, mentor a student, and help reconnect the Auggies in my social network with the university. If, like me, you’re interested in making a difference in the lives of others in our Augsburg community, you’ll find that there are many ways to connect with Augsburg in support of students. • Consider attending the Auggie Networking Event coming up in February. This is an opportunity for alumni to help students practice valuable interpersonal skills that will benefit them in their future job searches and careers. • Join us for the 2018–19 Auggie Take Out student mentoring program. • Reconnect with Augsburg by volunteering with the Alumni Office or the Alumni Board. We’re always looking for people to join our leadership boards. • Volunteer to usher at Advent Vespers or to serve in another capacity. In all of the ways that Augsburg has shown up for you, it is now the time to show up for Augsburg. You can find information about these and other volunteer opportunities at augsburg.edu/alumni. I hope you will consider sharing your time and talents with the university this year. * + + HOMECOMING 2018 Nearly 525 Auggies attended the Augsburg University Homecoming celebration held October 11–13. Alumni, students, and community members gathered for a festive weekend featuring more than two dozen events that united the university’s remarkable legacy with its contemporary identity. If you are interested in serving on an alumni reunion committee or volunteering to help plan Homecoming 2019, contact alumni@augsburg.edu. Go Auggies! NICK RATHMANN ’03, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT + PHOTOS COURTESY OF REBECCA ZENEFSKI SLATER * PHOTO COURTESY OF BRIDGET DONOVAN FALL–WINTER 2018 23 A LIFETIME OF ACTIVISM: Augsburg students of the ’60s reflect on the past 50 years In 1964, folk singer Bob Dylan released his album and song “The Times They Are A-Changin’,” which served as a call for change to address the social injustices he saw in the world. For the group of young students entering what was then Augsburg College that same year, his words would prove prescient. College is a transformational time for students, but for members of the class of 1968, the impact was especially pronounced. The Augsburg graduating class of 1968 witnessed the United States live through some of the worst upheavals in the nation’s history. In late 1963, President John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. By 1968, assassinations also would claim civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and the late president’s brother, Robert F. Kennedy, as well as political activist and leader Malcolm X. At the same time, the country was becoming violently divided over social issues, including civil rights and the increasingly unpopular war in Vietnam, with ever-larger numbers of young people being drafted and sent to southeast Asia to fight. In response, Augsburg students began to march for peace and civil rights and to take part in programs like Augsburg’s Listening Witness, which brought them to live and work in impoverished and racially segregated neighborhoods in Chicago and elsewhere. It was fitting, then, that at this year’s Homecoming celebration, 1968 alumni celebrating their 50th reunion delivered an Auggie Talk titled “The Baby Boomer Effect: How Four Years Affected 50.” The five speakers—Michael Arndt ’68, Kim Gudmestad ’68, Ted Johnson ’68, Augsburg Board of Regents member LaJune Thomas Lange ’75, and Joey Sylvester ’68—said their time at Augsburg shaped the course of their lives. They described how education empowered them to pursue lifelong work in the areas of diversity, justice, public leadership, and social activism. “I think [those times] had a profound effect on many of us as individuals, and it certainly had a profound effect on Augsburg,” said Rev. Mark Hanson ’68, an alumnus who went on to serve as a pastor and the third presiding bishop of the Evangelical 24 AUGSBURG NOW Lutheran Church in America. “For me, Augsburg provided an immersive experience so that those changing realities, those cultural conflicts, and those strivings for racial justice and peace in southeast Asia weren’t just topics that one was reading about or subjects in a classroom. They became lived experiences.” Hanson, who is now the executive director of Augsburg’s Christensen Center for Vocation, said he’s seen the university change as a result of activism originating in those pivotal mid-’60s years. He points to increasing diversity in the current student body—the result of an intentional commitment to inclusion, equity, and intercultural competency. Like Hanson, Myrna Sheie ’68, co-chair of the 1968 reunion events, went on to work with the ELCA after graduation. She reflected that she had entered college without much experience with diverse cultures but saw both herself and Augsburg change during her college years. “When I started at Augsburg, I was both naïve and unaware of the diversity we lacked,” she said. “Over the next four years, my classmates and I were exposed to ideas, concepts, and lifestyles—both inside and outside the classroom—that challenged us intellectually, socially, and personally. I became less naïve as my eyes and heart became more open.” A laboratory for life When Arndt, one of the Homecoming Auggie Talk presenters, reflects on his college experience, his memories often connect the time he spent on campus with dramatic life events that followed it. Shortly after graduation, Arndt was drafted from his first teaching job and sent to Vietnam as a member of the Army’s First Cavalry division. He served in the jungle near the Cambodian border and saw heavy military action that killed seven of his friends. During that time, Arndt says he recited the Shakespeare he’d learned during college to calm himself. AUGGIES CONNECT CELEBRATING A SEASON OF HOPE ARCHIVE PHOTOS 39TH ANNUAL ADVENT VESPERS Today, Arndt is chair and professor of Theatre Arts and Dance at California Lutheran University and the artistic director of the Kingsmen Shakespeare Company. He calls on his experiences as a veteran and artistic professional to use theater to help treat fellow veterans suffering the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. “There was a time after I got out of the army when I felt that the country was going to dissolve into civil war,” he said. “There was such a divide and … a real sense that we were going to end up in total chaos. In talking with my college students today, there’s a sense of that now. [But] I think one of the things we’re saying is that those of us who felt that strongly in 1968 tried to work to make a difference. And many of us did.” Hanson concurs. “All that was taking place in the Twin Cities, in the country, and in the world in those four years became, for so many of us, not just objects of study, but context in which we were being formed for our future lives and vocations. And that’s still to this day what is particularly unique about Augsburg— it takes its context as the laboratory for life, not as something from which we seek to flee.” Augsburg’s Class of 1968 is working to raise $68,000 in scholarship funds for future students. Learn more about this initiative and their Auggie Talk at augsburg.edu/now. For more than three decades, Augsburg University has ushered in the Advent and Christmas seasons with Advent Vespers, a magnificent experience of music and liturgy, focusing on the theme of preparation and culminating in the joyful celebration of the Incarnation. Advent Vespers is set in downtown Minneapolis in the sanctuary of Central Lutheran Church, and this year Advent Vespers services will occur November 29–December 1. To learn more or request reservations, visit augsburg.edu/music/vespers. VELKOMMEN JUL Velkommen Jul is one of Augsburg’s most beloved traditions. It’s an event that celebrates the university’s Norwegian heritage and ushers in the Advent season. Come join us Friday, November 30, at 10:30 a.m., in Hoversten Chapel for a special chapel service—with Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish carols, Scandinavian dancers, and the Gospel read in Norwegian. Wear your Scandinavian sweater, if you have one; it’s a tradition to take a group sweater photo! Following chapel, the festivities continue in Christensen Center. Shop in the boutique for unique gifts and homemade goodies, and make sure to visit the buffet featuring lefse, krumkake, and other treats. The buffet is complimentary, but donations are greatly appreciated. All proceeds from the event support Augsburg student scholarships. FALL–WINTER 2018 25 COURTESY PHOTOS AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY 1869-2019 SAVE THE YEAR Join us in honoring the traditions of Augsburg’s rich history and celebrating the remarkable progress we have made in educating students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. A yearlong series of events including a sesquicentennial gala will commemorate our deep roots and recognize our present opportunities and future endeavors as we become a new kind of urban university. Subscribe to the sesquicentennial events digital calendar to participate in these community celebrations. Visit augsburg.edu/150. NOVEMBER AUGGIES TRULY GIVE TO THE MAX Each year, Auggies around the world respond generously to support the breadth of programs and experiences offered by Augsburg University. In total, over the past five years, Augsburg has raised more than $1.5 million through Give to the Max Day efforts. And even if you missed the opportunity to participate this year, you can find information about our fundraising results and learn more about additional ways to support the university at augsburg.edu/giving. 26 AUGSBURG NOW AUGSBURG SESQUICENTENNIAL TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES Plan ahead to participate in exciting alumni trips commemorating Augsburg’s sesquicentennial. Overseas trips are planned to locations in Norway and Germany that are central in Augsburg’s history. In May 2020, Darcey Engen ’88, Augsburg University professor of theater arts, and her husband, Luverne Seifert ’83, head of undergraduate theater performance at the University of Minnesota, will lead a tour exploring the rich and vibrant arts and culture of Norway. The tour will include plays, concerts, and historical landmarks as well as an opportunity to celebrate Syttende Mai in Norway. At the same time, a tour exploring Norway’s peace work, government, and environmental agencies will be co-led by Bettine Hoff Hermanson, Norway Hub managing director, and Joe Underhill, associate professor of political science and director of environmental studies. This trip also includes the opportunity to celebrate Syttende Mai in Norway. In July 2020, Rev. Sonja Hagander, Augsburg University pastor and director of ministries, will lead a hike to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway—a pilgrimage made by travelers for more than 1,000 years. Along the way, the group will learn about history and culture, and experience firsthand some of the most beautiful nature in the world. Also in July 2020, Augsburg associate professors of religion Lori Brandt Hale and Hans Wiersma—who led the 2016 alumni tour for the anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation—will lead a tour to Bavaria, Germany, with stops in Nuremberg, Salzberg, and additional nearby locations. The tour also includes tickets to the world-famous Oberammergau Passion Play, which first opened in 1634 and has been performed every 10 years since. Contact Katie (Koch) Code ’01, director of alumni and constituent relations, at codek@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1178 if you are interested in learning more about Augsburg’s travel opportunities. ALUMNI CLASS NOTES 1942 The French government posthumously awarded Chester Hendrickson ’42 the Jubilee of Liberty Medal for his service and work in Normandy during World War II. 1958 Grace (Kemmer) Sulerud ’58 received a Spirit of Augsburg Award at Homecoming for her faithful service to Augsburg across her time as a student, librarian, faculty member, and alumna. After graduating from Augsburg in 1958 with a degree in English, she became a junior high English teacher and an elementary librarian in U.S. Air Force Department of Defense Schools in Germany, Japan, and Libya. Sulerud earned master’s degrees in library science and English, served as the treasurer of the Augsburg Associates, and continues to stay involved at university events. She personifies Augsburg’s calling to humbly serve in a variety of ways. 1968 David J. Melby ’68, Ph.D., received a Distinguished Alumni Award at Homecoming and was recognized as a psychologist, executive leader, and advocate who embodies faithful service in true Auggie form. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Augsburg and master’s and doctoral degrees in counseling psychology, he has worked as a CEO and has served on the boards of organizations relating to behavioral health care, health practices, and housing. As a thoughtful steward and responsible leader, his work has created healthier, more fulfilling lives for many. 1971 The St. Michael-Albertville (Minnesota) Coaches Association Hall of Fame Committee selected Darrell Skogan ’71 as a Hall of Fame inductee. This fall marks Skogan’s 51st season as statistician for the school district. He also has umpired, run clocks, and coached girls’ basketball and softball throughout his tenure with the district. 1972 John Sherman ’72 was honored with two awards for his work as a sports journalist. Sherman received the Outstanding Media Award from the Minnesota State High School League and the Spinnaker Award from Minnetonka School District. While at Augsburg, Sherman was the editor for the school newspaper and played baseball and soccer. Since graduating 46 years ago, he has served on the Sun Newspaper staff in Edina, Minnesota. Terry Lindstrom ’73 and Mark Johnson ’75 joined the Augsburg University Board of Regents. See page 4. Augsburg Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79 explains how the university’s dome gives Auggies a competitive advantage. See page 16. 1982 Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Andrews ’82 was a key defender on Auggie men’s hockey teams that won NAIA national titles in both 1980–81 and 1981–82, while winning MIAC titles and reaching the NAIA tournament all four years of his career. Andrews accumulated 29 goals and 60 assists for 89 points in his college career, and he earned All-MIAC honors in 1981–82 and All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors in 1980–81. Former basketball star Brad Nelson ’82 was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. An All-MIAC guard in 1981–82, Nelson was a three-year member of the Auggie men’s basketball team, averaging 12.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game in his career. He averaged 20.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game on Augsburg’s MIAC runner-up team in 1981–82, and averaged 7.8 points on the Auggies’ MIAC title (later forfeited for use of an ineligible player) and NAIA national tournament team in 1980–81. 1984 Mayo Clinic Health System— Franciscan Healthcare named Dr. Paul Mueller ’84 the vice president of its Southwest Wisconsin Region. As a regional leader, Mueller will manage operations out of La Crosse, Wisconsin. He completed his undergraduate degree at Augsburg and has spent the past nine years chairing Mayo Clinic’s Division of General Internal Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota. Nancy Mueller ’85 joined the Augsburg University Board of Regents. See page 4. Darcey Engen ’88 employs perspectives both as a student and as a faculty member to plan Augsburg’s sesquicentennial celebrations. See page 14. 1989 The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association announced that Carolyn (Ross) Isaak ’89 was inducted into the NCAA Division III Track and Field Athlete Hall of Fame in May. Isaak set several records as an Augsburg athlete, including the 400-meter hurdles record that stood until 2014. Isaak, a five-time national champion and nine-time All-American, is Augsburg’s first athlete ever to be inducted into this Hall of Fame. Literary scholar Devoney Looser ’89 was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2018 and will complete a biography of forgotten sister novelists. See page 10. Brynn Watson ’89 received a Distinguished Alumni Award at Homecoming. She is an award-winning leader in the aerospace industry for her technical experience, executive leadership, and tireless advocacy of STEM education for youth. She earned a mathematics degree from Augsburg and a master’s degree in applied mathematics before she gained several director- and vice-president-level positions in technology and engineering companies. She now serves as vice president for the Future Enterprise Program for Lockheed Martin. Watson’s spirit and accomplishments mirror the tenacity of Auggies around the world who ascend to prestigious positions among today’s leading companies. 1995 Wrestling star Randy Eastman ’95 was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. Eastman was a three-time NCAA Division III All-American in the 167-pound weight class, finishing second nationally in the 1994–95 campaign, third in 1993–94, and fifth in 1992–93. A transfer from Mankato State, he was a member of Augsburg teams that won the national titles in both 1992–93 and 1994–95, while FALL–WINTER 2018 27 ALUMNI CLASS NOTES finishing fourth in 1993–94. Eastman won two MIAC titles and was a conference runner-up in his Auggie career. Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Tom Layte ’95 was a dominant wrestler for the Auggies in the mid-’90s. Layte competed at Augsburg in the 1994–95 season after transferring from Western New England College, and he made the most of his Auggie campaign, going 44-4, winning the NCAA Division III national title at 150 pounds, and earning Outstanding Wrestler honors at the national championships as the Auggies won the team national crown. He later served as an Augsburg assistant coach and was head coach at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Augsburg volleyball star Carolyn Tuohy ’95 was a dominant player in the mid-’90s, playing three seasons as a middle hitter, earning All-MIAC honors in 1994, and receiving All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors in 1992. Tuohy, who was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame, was a team co-captain in 1994 and finished her career with 878 kills in 2,566 attack attempts. She was voted the team’s MVP in 1992. 1997 Derrin Lamker ’97 was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame in recognition of his successes on the football, basketball, and baseball teams. A quarterback in football, Lamker led the Auggies to the 1997 MIAC title and a spot in the NCAA Division III national quarterfinals. He earned All-MIAC honors in 1996 and 1997. He was the conference MVP in 1997, in addition to earning All-America honors and finalist honors for the Gagliardi Trophy (Division III Player of the Year). Joe Lavin ’97 had an outstanding pitching career on the Augsburg baseball team. An ace during the mid-’90s, Lavin earned All-MIAC and All-Midwest Region second-team honors in 1995, while earning conference Player of the Week honors multiple times. He had a 1.42 ERA in conference play with five complete games, a shutout, and 41 strikeouts against only 16 walks and 32 hits in 1995, while winning three games on the mound in 1994 and four in 1996. Eric Rolland ’97, the Augsburg men’s and women’s golf head coach, teaches students a lifelong sport each spring in the campus dome. See page 16. 2000 Jasha Johnston ’00 and Carrie (McCabe) Johnston ’02 opened their third restaurant, Mortimer’s, in the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis. The new venue features live music, an updated menu, and a family-friendly atmosphere. In addition to their new venture, the Johnstons own Nightingale Restaurant and Tilt Pinball Bar. 2002 Three-sport athlete Brenda (Selander) Mitshulis ’02 was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. Mitshulis was an All-MIAC honoree in 2000 and All-MIAC Honorable Mention honoree in 1999 in soccer, where she finished her career with 15 goals and four assists for 34 career points. She led the Auggies in scoring in three seasons. In hockey, she was a member of the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 MIAC title squads and the 2000 national runner-up team. She also played two seasons of softball. 2003 Dual sport athlete Rachel Ekholm ’03 was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. One of the best softball players in school history, Ekholm earned All-MIAC honors three times, while earning NFCA All-Region honors twice. As a pitcher, she won 39 career games AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS ’70 ’76 28 AUGSBURG NOW ’84 ’90 ’12 with a 2.45 ERA and 347 strikeouts. She hit .389 and holds school records for home runs, triples, RBI, and slugging percentage. She also played in 60 career games in basketball, averaging 9.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. Softball Head Coach Melissa Lee ’04 said the Augsburg air structure helped save the team’s 2018 season. See page 16. 2006 This year, Augsburg’s Excellence in Coaching Award recognized Jim Gunderson ’06. Gunderson is in his fourth season as football head coach at the Academy of Holy Angels in Richfield, Minnesota, after serving for 14 years as an assistant coach. He has also served as track and field head coach since 2012. In football, his team won the Minnesota Class AAAA state title in 2017, with Gunderson being named the Minnesota Football State Class AAAA Coach of the Year. 2008 graduating from Augsburg with a degree in communication studies, he has devoted his career to public leadership and making a difference in his community. He ran for mayor of Baltimore in 2016, becoming the youngest person ever to run for the office. He also sits on the boards of several Baltimore community initiatives and is the co-founder of a nonprofit fostering revitalization. Brian Krohn ’08, Ph.D., received a First Decade Award at Homecoming. After earning a degree in chemistry, researching biofuel, and becoming Augsburg’s first Rhodes Scholar, Krohn founded companies Mighty Axe Hops and Magic Wizard Staff. He earned a doctorate from the University of Minnesota as an Environmental Protection Agency Fellow and master’s degrees from the University of Oxford in environmental change and science. He was an Innovation Fellow at the U of M’s Medical Devices Center and is CEO of Soundly, an app-based therapy to reduce snoring—an initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation. Joshua Harris ’08 received a First Decade Award at Homecoming. His life and work in the past 10 years embodies Augsburg’s pursuit of social justice, equity, and inclusion. Since Nikki Rajala ’70 published “Treacherous Waters,” her second novel in the “Chronicles of an Unlikely Voyageur” series. A career ESL teacher, Rajala retired from the St. Cloud School District in 2004 and lives in Rockville, Minnesota. ’70 Jeff Mueller ’76 was honored by Norway’s King Harald V, who bestowed the rank of Knight First Class in the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. Mueller, director of administration and finance at Norway House, Minneapolis, is a past president of the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce and currently serves on its board of directors. He also has been active in the Syttende ’76 Killa Marti ’08, J.D., received a First Decade Award at Homecoming because she embodies Augsburg’s values through her thoughtful stewardship, critical thinking, and rigorous pursuit of justice and equity. After graduating from Augsburg with a major in international relations and a minor in economics, Marti earned a law degree so that she could serve immigrant communities. She has worked with the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and several law firms, has founded her own law practice in the Atlanta area, and has worked tirelessly for her law clients in districts and cases where the decks were stacked against them. Former Augsburg cheerleader Cassandra Roschen ’08 returned to Fairmont High School to coach the cheerleading squad. Roschen, a former Fairmont cheerleader, taught current students sideline cheers and routines. She also extended her service to include team building and community outreach with the squad. Chris Stedman ’08 received a First Decade Award at Homecoming for his robust intellectual engagement as an informed citizen and critical thinker. A religion major with minors in English and social welfare, he earned a master’s degree in religion from Meadville Lombard Theological School at the University of Chicago. He was the founding executive director of the Humanist Center of Minnesota, founded the Yale Humanist Community, and was a humanist chaplain at Harvard. Stedman is the author of “Faitheist: How an Atheist Found Common Ground with the Religious” (Beacon Press, 2012). Mai Committee, the Norwegian Independence Day celebration, the annual troop exchange program with the Minnesota National Guard and the Norwegian Home Guard, and Torske Klubben. Mueller (right) is pictured with Norwegian Ambassador to the U.S. Kåre R. Aas, who presented the order of merit medal at Norway House. The HGA firm hired Mary Claire Olson Potter ’84 as a health care business developer and senior associate. ’84 ’90 In June, former Augsburg football player David Stevens ’90 hosted a Disability Dream and Do Camp alongside the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, an American minor league baseball team based in Upstate New York. CBS affiliate WBNG covered Stevens’ story and time with the Rumble Ponies. Stevens, who led six other athletic camps this summer, was the only double amputee to play three seasons of football for the Auggies. He later played for the St. Paul Saints and tried out for the Minnesota Twins and Dallas Cowboys. Janelle (Christensen) Nelson ’12 welcomed a daughter, Kennedy Elaine, in April. Nelson majored in art history. Her grandfather also attended Augsburg. ’12 FALL–WINTER 2018 29 ALUMNI CLASS NOTES 2011 Laura (Schmidt) DuSchane ’11 and Seth Lienard ’11, ’16 MBA opened a new business venture called Fretless Marketing that provides social media and event marketing services for small businesses. Their company website is fretlessmarketing.com. Ted Nielsen ’11 started a new job at Edward Jones as a financial advisor. Nielsen assists individuals and families with long-term investing. Nielsen previously worked with Thrivent and graduated from Augsburg with a bachelor’s degree in English. 2012 Kimberly Simmonds ’12 was promoted to a program assistant with the City of Minneapolis. Simmonds majored in history at Augsburg before receiving her master’s in public administration in 2014. 2013 Alexandra Buffalohead ’13 started a new role as manager of art and cultural engagement with the Native American Community Development Institute. Buffalohead earned a bachelor’s degree in studio arts at Augsburg. She has since served as a graphic designer for the American Indian Cancer Foundation and as a communications officer for the Indian Land Tenure Foundation. Tyler Heaps ’13 is a manager of analytics and research at the United States Soccer Federation. SportTechie, an online resource devoted to covering topics at the intersection of sports and technology, interviewed Heaps regarding his work within the federation tracking players and opponents using innovative technologies. Heaps is working to standardize analysis and support across all soccer levels and teams to ensure the federation can effectively track players within the system. The Chicago Tribune wrote about Dustin Ritchea ’13, who returned to live and work in his hometown of Chesterton, Indiana. Ritchea serves as a promotions director for Indiana Dunes Tourism and also works as an actor, producer, songwriter, and writer. 2015 Nikki (Ludwig) Darst ’15 started a new job with Black Line Group as a research and development tax manager. She graduated from Augsburg with a degree in accounting management. Fekireselassie Beyene ’16 participated in undergraduate research that contributed to success after graduation. See page 20. 2017 Jack Swift ’17 recently started a new role with In The Groove Music as a publishing assistant. As an Augsburg student, Swift majored in business administration with an emphasis on music business. Vision Bagonza ’17 conducted research through the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity. See page 20. 2018 The NBC Nightly News featured Neil King ’18 in a story about his success at Augsburg in the StepUP® Program. After graduating from Augsburg and StepUP, King started a master’s degree in integrated behavioral health at the University of Minnesota. The Twin Cities Arts Reader interviewed Brid Henry ’16 regarding her work in the Minneapolis theater scene. Henry has performed in the Minnesota Fringe Festival and has directed and co-produced the first year of the Minneapolis branch of the Future Is Female Festival. Henry chose to study theater at Augsburg because the university’s program was ranked among the top opportunities outside of New York. 30 AUGSBURG NOW Blair Stewig ’18 and Abigail Tetzlaff ’18 delved into student research with the Office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity. See page 20. GRADUATE PROGRAMS Matthew Halley ’97 MSW serves as executive director for Cookie Cart, a nonprofit youth program that equips young people with employment and life skills. Halley was interviewed by the St. Paul Pioneer Press for an article highlighting the program’s continuing success since its founding in 1988. Halley is focused on expanding the program by adding more youth workers. This spring, Education Minnesota named Kelly (Sheehan) Holstine ’12 MAE the 2018 Teacher of the Year. An English teacher at Tokata Learning Center, an alternative high school in Shakopee, Holstine created a new English curriculum and developed policies that the school has implemented. Lavender Magazine featured Holstine’s accolades and focus on diversity in education. As Teacher of the Year, Holstine is an ambassador for 86,000 teachers in Minnesota. Chung Eang Lip ’18 started a new role as a graduate school teaching assistant at Columbia University in New York City. Lip is working on a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in infectious disease epidemiology. AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS ’16 St. Olaf College hired Gregory Mitchell ’18 as a wide receivers coach for the 2018 season. Mitchell was a receiver on the Augsburg football team. He previously coached receivers at Centennial High School and Southwest High School. Augsburg alumnus Scott Cooper ’13 returned to the university this August as a full-time staff member serving as an alumni engagement manager. Cooper started his undergraduate degree at Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minnesota, before transferring to Augsburg in 2011 where he completed a bachelor’s degree in communication. Cooper was a member of the Augsburg Choir and the 2012 and 2013 Auggie football teams. Prior to ’13 SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE joining Augsburg’s Alumni and Constituent Relations staff, Cooper served in Minneapolis Public Schools’ high school special education programs. In his free time, Cooper has enjoyed public speaking engagements in which he has discussed his experiences as an Auggie football player. ’12 Rick Wolke ’12 and Ashley (Carney) Wolke ’13 welcomed Aurora Jo Wolke on AUGGIES HONORED Orville “Joe” Hognander Jr. received a Spirit of Augsburg Award at Homecoming for his thoughtful stewardship and responsible leadership. Although he was not a student at Augsburg, he is a noteworthy Auggie through and through. His grandfather was an Augsburg graduate more than 100 years ago, his parents were highly involved in the music program, and his ties to alumni and faculty run deep. A retired naval officer and private investor now living in Edina, Minnesota, Hognander’s longstanding involvement with Augsburg speaks to a family history of commitment and engagement, particularly in the continued support of Augsburg’s Department of Music. ’16 ’13 Professor Emeritus John Holum, Ph.D., received a Spirit of Augsburg Award at Homecoming. A beloved retired professor whose legacy spans more than 30 years, Holum is a prolific writer who has published dozens of scientific textbooks and peer-reviewed papers. He came to Augsburg with a doctorate in organic chemistry and taught chemistry until his retirement in 1993. Holum, who lives in St. Paul, Minnesota, has demonstrated a lifelong passion for academic excellence and support for students on their educational journeys. ’12 ’09 Tell us about the news in your life—your new job, move, marriage, and milestones. Visit augsburg.edu/now to submit your announcements. ’15 January 8. Rick and Ashley both majored in business administration/economics. Caitlin (Hozeny) Lienard ’09, ’17 MSW and Seth Lienard ’11, ’16 MBA were married on September 23, 2017, in Stillwater, Minnesota. There were several Auggies in attendance. Pictured are [front, L to R]: Seth Lienard, Caitlin (Hozeny) Lienard, Morgan (Bray) Thompson ’09, Amanda (Chmiel) Spence ’09 ’09 [back, L to R]: Wade Wojick ’11, Ryan Wilsey ’12, Erika Osterbur ’11, Aren Olsen ’11, Luke Lienard ’16, Aaron Rosell, Stefan Swanson, Sheridan Lienard, Lindsey Graff ’11, and Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11. Laura (Swanson) Lindahl ’15 MBA and her husband, David, welcomed a son, Lawson Robert, on April 26. ’15 ’10 Jonathan Chrastek ’10 and Katie Pendo ’10 were married on July 7 in Leesburg, Virginia. Several Augsburg alumni joined the couple as they celebrated their wedding, which was officiated by Sylvia Bull ’10 and Emily Wiles ’10. Augsburg alumni Alissa Nolan ’09, Nick Blixt ’10, and Cait Kortum ’10 were in the wedding party, and Kate Edelen ’11 was in attendance. ’10 FALL–WINTER 2018 31 IN MEMORIAM Lydia C. (Mitlyng) Pokrass ’35, Ashburn, Virginia, age 104, on May 29. Eunice C. (Knudson) Iverson ’42, Richmond, Minnesota, age 97, on September 9. Joyce M. (Reitan) Knutsen ’43, Fridley, Minnesota, age 93, on May 30. Richard J. Koplitz ’45, Minneapolis, age 95, on June 15. Lenore “Beth” B. (Buesing) Opgrand ’45, Wilmington, North Carolina, age 95, on May 25. Adele L. (Anderson) Cupit ’46, Walnut Creek, California, age 94, on May 26. Jack E. Jacobsen ’46, Minneapolis, age 95, on January 11. Duane J. Christensen ’53, Bemidji, Minnesota, age 87, on May 7. Clara A. (Hookom) Cobb ’54, Willmar, Minnesota, age 85, on May 26. Daniel “Dan” E. Peterson ’66, Clear Lake, Minnesota, age 75, on March 4. Niles R. Schulz ’66, Minneapolis, age 74, on July 10. James E. Leschensky ’67, Minneapolis, age 73, on March 25. John “Johnny” M. Burke ’94, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 54, on March 20. E. William “Bill” Anderson ’56, Plymouth, Minnesota, age 84, on May 16. Judith A. (Anderson) Woods ’67, Brainerd, Minnesota, age 73, on March 7. Rebecca E. Rehfeld ’95, Minnetonka, Minnesota, age 62, on February 19. Lloyd C. Grinde ’56, Minneapolis, age 92, on July 1. Dolores “Dee” M. (Larson) Fagerlie ’72, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 90, on August 23. Phyllis A. Lee ’96, Frederick, Maryland, age 76, on January 18. Russell C. Lee ’56, Albuquerque, New Mexico, age 86, on August 17. Roger K. Ose II ’56, Minnetonka, Minnesota, age 84, on May 9. Sidney D. Berg ’57, Minneapolis, age 88, on May 29. Kathleen E. Tinseth ’74, Minneapolis, age 66, on September 4. John R. Burgeson ’75, Andover, Minnesota, age 66, on May 19. Leroy H. Conyers ’57, Marshall, Minnesota, age 88, on June 13. Margaret “Marie” (Salmonson) Marx ’78, Scandia, Minnesota, age 89, on September 7. Arthur E. Marben ’47, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 95, on July 14. Charles H. Erbstoesser ’58, Little Falls, Minnesota, age 88, on July 18. Estelle M. (Uleberg) Swanson ’47, Madelia, Minnesota, age 92, on August 2. Stephanie J. (Torgerson) Sipprell ’81, Eden Prairie, Minnesota, age 59, on May 5. Harlan J. Jacobson ’59, Ashby, Minnesota, age 81, on July 20. Milan J. Sedio ’48, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 94, on May 18. Joyce K. (Johnson) Rudi ’62, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 85, on August 29. Mary J. Andersen ’84, Afton, Minnesota, age 61, on March 10. Richard J. Thorvig ’49, Minneapolis, age 93, on August 4. Lynn B. Lundin ’50, Pelican Rapids, Minnesota, age 90, on May 29. Verna M. (Haverly) Brue ’51, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, age 90, on July 16. Gloria A. (Metcalf) Kubnick ’63, Rice Lake, Wisconsin, age 77, on July 12. Susan D. (Graff) Mills ’96, Fargo, North Dakota, age 65, on July 3. Scott W. Schuck ’97, Minneapolis, age 63, on August 31. John M. Welch ’07, Sudbury, Massachusetts, age 34, on June 30. Marlene M. Taylor ’09, Plymouth, Minnesota, age 31, on May 16. Jennifer L. Lovering ’10, Bemidji, Minnesota, age 29, on April 26. Cheryl L. Miller ’10, Altoona, Wisconsin, age 52, on August 9. Jon “Ryan” R. Benson ’12, Chanhassen, Minnesota, age 40, on June 1. Karlton “Karl” I. Bakke ’64, Roseville, Minnesota, age 77, on July 18. Jon M. Leverentz ’92, Hopkins, Minnesota, age 67, on August 16. Jacalyn “Jackie” S. (Ruschmann) Pederson ’14, Danbury, Wisconsin, age 65, on August 28. Bruce E. Braaten ’64, Prior Lake, Minnesota, age 76, on May 27. Alisa J. (Norvold) Leonard ’93, Northfield, Minnesota, age 48, on July 8. David “Alex” A. Jenny ’16, Kansas City, Missouri, age 29, on May 27. Charlotte K. (Jensen) Duty ’65, St. Joseph, Missouri, age 75, on March 24. A. Richard Petersen ’51, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, age 89, on August 21. Cengiz Gokcen ’66, St. Pete Beach, Florida, age 74, on August 5. AUGSBURG NOW Linda J. (Skay) Weinberg ’87, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, age 69, on March 13. Alice E. (Barden) Mapes ’96, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 56, on August 24. Eileen M. (Henkemeyer) Saldana ’91, Minneapolis, age 82, on January 6. Erika R. (Staub) Niemi ’51, Tucson, Arizona, age 91, on April 16. 32 David R. Berken ’94, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 50, on May 19. Duncan D. Flann ’55, Overland Park, Kansas, age 85, on April 9. Helen “Merle” M. (Houser) Campbell ’47, Newberg, Oregon, age 94, on June 27. Donald L. Sween ’49, Lakeville, Minnesota, age 93, on April 25. Scott D. Syring ’93, Minneapolis, age 48, on August 24. Shirley A. Sopkiewicz ’93, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 60, on February 27. John E. Sorlien ’93, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 55, on July 19. Cole R. McAdam ’17, Faribault, Minnesota, age 23, on April 7. The “In memoriam” listings in this publication include notifications received before September 15. VISIT CAMPUS ALUMNI Whether you’re on campus often or haven’t been back in years, there’s always something new to see. Schedule a personal tour by contacting the alumni office at 612-330-1329 or alumni@augsburg.edu. PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS Augsburg could be right for you. Traditional undergraduate students who are children or spouses of Augsburg graduates or the siblings of current Augsburg students are eligible for a minimum scholarship of $16,000 per year. Schedule a campus visit at augsburg.edu/visit. Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Augsburg’s press box, completed in 2008, was made possible by gifts from Oliver Dahl ’45, John ’36 and Christine Haalan, E. Milton “Milt” Kleven ’46, Glen Person ’47, President Paul C. Pribbenow, Dick “Pork Chop” Thompson ’61, and Gunner and Mary Wick. Augsburg press box name commemorates Campus Pastor Emeritus Dave Wold Augsburg University dedicated the press box at Edor Nelson Field in honor of the late Rev. Dave Wold during the Auggie football team’s home opener this fall. Augsburg’s campus pastor from 1983 to 2013, Wold died April 21 at age 72. In addition to his service to the Augsburg community as a faith leader, Wold was a constant presence in the Augsburg athletics community, serving as public address announcer for football, men’s basketball, and wrestling home competitions, along with events in many other sports. The breadth of Wold’s pastoral care supported generations of Auggies, and he is beloved by alumni and Augsburg community members around the world. PHOTOS BY KEVIN HEALY 2211 Riverside Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55454 Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 2031
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Title: Augsburg Now Spring-Summer 2019:
Collection: Alumni Magazine Collection
Search Result: Auggie friendships Learning across abilities Sesquicentennial preview The new age of artisans SPRING–SUMMER 2019 | VOL. 81, NO. 2 INSIDE AUGSBURG NOW AUGSBURG NOW Vice President of Marketing and Communication Rebecca John ’13 MBA rjohn@augsburg.edu Spring–Summer 2019 Director of Mark...
Show more Auggie friendships Learning across abilities Sesquicentennial preview The new age of artisans SPRING–SUMMER 2019 | VOL. 81, NO. 2 INSIDE AUGSBURG NOW AUGSBURG NOW Vice President of Marketing and Communication Rebecca John ’13 MBA rjohn@augsburg.edu Spring–Summer 2019 Director of Marketing Stephen Jendraszak jendra@augsburg.edu NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW Augsburg at 150 It is indeed remarkable for any of us today to stand in the shadows of an institution that has existed for 150 years. Institutions such as Augsburg University—no matter their meaningful legacy and inspiring mission—are viewed with some skepticism by a citizenry more and more committed to going it alone. I am privileged to lead Augsburg on the occasion of its 150th anniversary and dedicated to ensuring that our academic mission and democratic engagement remain firm for the next 150 years. In that way, the history of Augsburg is in service of going forward together. There are four themes that I believe are at the heart of this university’s identity. The themes are abundance, generosity, engagement, and service. Throughout Augsburg’s 150 years, there is ample evidence that the interplay of those themes has helped to shape what Burton Clark has called “the saga” of Augsburg. A saga is more than a story or a parable. It is an unfolding narrative anchored in mission, values, rituals, and objects. This issue of Augsburg Now offers us a glimpse of the ways in which our saga continues to unfold in rich and meaningful ways. From the yearlong celebration of our sesquicentennial, to urgent interfaith and human rights initiatives, to new academic programs, to the remarkable accomplishments of the many alumni, faculty, and students featured in these pages—we are reminded again and again of how Augsburg is both faithful to its historic values and relevant to the needs of the world today. Augsburg alumni David Cherwien ’79 and Gracia Grindal ’65 painted with music and words this saga of faith, educational aspirations, and public service in a hymn commissioned for my inauguration in 2006. The final stanza of the hymn proclaims: Send, oh God your Holy Spirit, Give us wisdom, love, and faith. Faith enough to move a mountain, Love that died to conquer death. Wisdom crowned with healing leaves, Truth made flesh to set us free. Let your glory bear rich fruit, Growing from your sturdy roots. Alleluia, Alleluia! And so we join with the company of saints and witnesses who have lived in the shadows of our beloved Augsburg to renew our vow to hold fast to all that is good. Faithfully yours, Director of Public Relations and Internal Communications Gita Sitaramiah sitarami@augsburg.edu Assistant Director of Marketing Management Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA swansonl@augsburg.edu Senior Creative Associate, Design Elizabeth Kästner kaestner@augsburg.edu Senior Creative Associate, Design Denielle Stepka ’11 stepkad@augsburg.edu Marketing Copywriter John Weirick weirick@augsburg.edu Communication and Social Media Specialist Briana Alamilla ’17 alamilla@augsburg.edu Advancement Communications Specialist Kaia Chambers chamberk2@augsburg.edu Web Manager Joe Mann mannj@augsburg.edu Contributing Writers Katie (Koch) Code ’01 Kate H. Elliott Augsburg Now is published by Augsburg University 2211 Riverside Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55454 Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now do not necessarily reflect official university policy. PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT ISSN 1058-1545 AUGSBURG HOSTS ANNUAL INTERFAITH GATHERING This February, 130 young people from across Minnesota came together at Augsburg University for the fifth annual Interfaith Youth Day of Service presented in partnership with Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul. Augsburg students, staff, and faculty offered programming assistance for the youth-designed initiative tailored to those in grades 6–12 and aligned with the United Nations’ observance of World Interfaith Harmony Week. The event featured a keynote address, breakout workshops, musical performances, and service projects before attendees concluded their day on campus with an Augsburg tour. 02 Around the quad 24 Auggie friendships 08 All in the family 27 Auggies connect 12 Learning across abilities 28 Class notes 15 A year of celebration to honor 150 32 In memoriam 19 The new age of artisans On the cover: Augsburg’s Hagfors Center supplies an illuminating contrast to the backdrop of downtown Minneapolis. All photos by Courtney Perry unless otherwise indicated Send address corrections to: alumniupdate@augsburg.edu Send comments to: now@augsburg.edu AROUND THE QUAD AROUND THE QUAD AUGGIE RESEARCH WOWS AT THE ROTUNDA Augsburg TRIO McNair Scholars Breanne Sande-Martin ’18 and Andy Thao ’20 presented their research during the 16th annual Private College Scholars at the Capitol event this January. As a member of the Minnesota Private College Council, Augsburg was invited to send Auggies to the event, which recognizes the scholarship of students and the efforts of their faculty advisors. Psychology student Sande-Martin presented her research on “The Impact of Smartphone Notifications on Proofreading Accuracy.” Biology student Thao shared his “Exploration of Local Field Potentials and Spiking Activity in a Genetic Model of Schizophrenia.” FOSTERING FUZZY FEELINGS A new venue, a grand scale Augsburg University will host this year’s commencement ceremony May 10 at U.S. Bank Stadium in downtown Minneapolis. This is the first time Augsburg will use the multi-purpose facility that’s home to the Minnesota Vikings as the site for commencement events. In making this change, Augsburg is responding to consistent concerns raised by graduating students regarding the limited number of tickets available for their guests to attend on-campus ceremonies which were held most recently in Si Melby Hall’s gymnasium. Augsburg will use a portion of U.S. Bank Stadium, and the change in venue and dramatic increase in total available seats will enable all graduates, their families, their friends, and members of the Augsburg community to celebrate together. HONORING Two faculty members are retiring this spring following years of dedicated service to Augsburg University. Augsburg is grateful for their commitment to advancing the university’s mission and supporting student learning within and beyond the classroom. ROBERTA KAGIN Professor, Department of Music—joined Augsburg in 1974 DAVID CONRAD HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM at Augsburg THE AUGSBURG PODCAST: SEASON 2 After a popular first season of the Augsburg Podcast, season 2 kicked off with President Paul Pribbenow, Campus Pastor Rev. Sonja Hagander, and Professor of English Doug Green [pictured], among others. The podcasts offer wide-ranging perspectives on the university’s critical work of educating students for the future. Listen to the new season at augsburg.edu/podcast or in your podcast app. AUGSBURG NOW Announcing the Retiring Faculty Associate Professor, Department of Business Administration—joined Augsburg in 2000 2 PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE COURTESY PHOTO COMMENCEMENT 2019 At the Ed Saugestad Rink, pucks glide across the ice and stuffed animals fly through the air. In January, Augsburg students on the women’s hockey team and in the Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies program collaborated to host a teddy bear toss in which fans pitched plush toys onto the ice during the first intermission in the Auggies’ home contest against Gustavus Adolphus College. The teddy bear toss concept originated in Canada in the early 1990s and has grown in popularity through support from hockey teams at the collegiate and professional levels. The 48 toys collected January 19 were donated to Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, where each year up to a dozen Augsburg physician assistant students complete clinical placements as part of their studies. Fans also created greeting cards with encouraging messages for hospital patients. Building on a 30-year history with the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and as part of the university’s sesquicentennial celebration, Augsburg is launching a new event this fall: the Human Rights Forum at Augsburg. The event will bring students, thought leaders, global changemakers, and local activists together to explore innovative ways to take action in our ongoing pursuit of racial justice, indigenous rights, and environmental sustainability domestically and globally. The Human Rights Forum will be held October 28-29 on Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus and is open to the public. Tickets will go on sale this summer. SPRING–SUMMER 2019 3 AROUND THE QUAD MEDIA COVERAGE WORTH MENTIONING THE GOLDEN NIGHT GLEAMS; STUDENTS GROOVE The Augsburg Student Activities Council treated Auggies to a formal, Roaring ’20s-inspired event that added zest to campus following a stretch of bitter cold winter weather. A NEIGHBORLY GESTURE Augsburg University students distributed jackets, blankets, children’s toys, and meals to families in need at a homeless encampment near Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis in November. “It’s basically in [Augsburg’s] backyard, and helping the community is a really big thing for me,” student Tyler Johnson ’22 told Fox 9 reporter Christina Palladino. This day of service was the brainchild of Augsburg student Inam Al-Hammouri ’20, and other students quickly joined. “Cooking a hot lunch and serving it to hungry families out in the cold is not something most college kids would do on a Saturday, but these youth at Augsburg University are not just your average students,” the Fox 9 reporter said. “The students believe it is their responsibility to take action and empower their generation to build bridges to those less fortunate.” A NOTEWORTHY LINEUP Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder journalist Charles Hallman wrote about this year’s Augsburg University women’s basketball team when its starting lineup included five African-American students—a moment believed to be a first in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play. Augsburg University students Arianna Jones ’20, Camille McCoy ’20, Tamara McLenore ’20, Camryn Speese ’20, and Kaezha Wubben ’20 made history at the November 19 game against the University of Wisconsin— Superior, the story said. Go to augsburg.edu/news to learn more about the university’s media buzz. 4 AUGSBURG NOW COURTESY PHOTO COURTESY PHOTO The three-story mural “Emergence” adorns the Hagfors Center’s west stairwell. NEW PROGRAM LAUNCHES: The Augsburg University Convocation Series is an annual speaker series that includes long-standing endowed and special programs. Recent presenters included: • Terrance Kwame-Ross, associate professor in the Department of Education at Augsburg, who delivered “Our Conversation with Dr. King: Class in Session” at the 31st annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation in January. • Jin Y. Park, professor of philosophy and religion and founding director of the Asian Studies Program at American University, who shared a presentation at the Batalden Seminar in Applied Ethics in March called “Ethical Imagination: Buddhist-Postmodern Approaches.” • Pamela Ronald, distinguished professor in the Plant Pathology Department and the Genome Center at University of California—Davis, presented “Serving Up Science: Plant Genetics and the Future of Food” for the General Leif J. Sverdrup Visiting Scientist Lecture in April. Augsburg University is accepting applications for a new Master of Arts in Education program that offers a non-licensure track for teachers and educators looking to enhance their skills within and beyond the classroom. This program includes 30–31 credit hours and can be completed in less than two years. Students have the opportunity to choose from two concentrations: Culture and Community, which focuses on the tools educators need to navigate complex systems and co-construct curriculum with their students, and Community Engaged Learning, which looks at the problems students, schools, and communities face when seeking meaningful change. FOR CONVOCATION SERIES AN ARTFUL COLLABORATION The artwork in Augsburg’s Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion always captivates eyes. Recently, the collection also attracted the ears of Minnesota Public Radio listeners. That’s because MPR highlighted the successful partnership between Augsburg and Forecast Public Art, which helped guide the university’s effort to commission original art for the campus’ newest academic building. Now in its 40th year, Forecast Public Art is regarded as one of the nation’s leading nonprofits committed to communityengaged design and placemaking. Augsburg benefitted from the organization’s expertise as the university worked to acquire art to reflect the diverse communities that make up the Augsburg student body and to knit together the various academic disciplines housed in the Hagfors Center. Today, the facility has more than 25 art pieces on its walls and six works of art built into its structure. AUGSBURG WELCOMES LEADING SCHOLARS MASTER OF ARTS IN EDUCATION Go to augsburg.edu/gpe to learn more about the Master of Arts in Education. SPRING–SUMMER 2019 5 AROUND THE QUAD WOMEN’S ATHLETICS ARCHIVE NEARS THE FINISH LINE The James G. Lindell Library’s digitization lab team has been working with an impressive collection of projector slides and photographs that document women’s athletics at Augsburg from the time Title IX took effect in 1972 to the present. With more than 7,000 images, this archive will become one of the largest online collections of women’s athletic history in the country when processing is complete in Fall 2020. The collection was started by Joyce Pfaff ’65, retired Auggie coach, instructor, and director of women’s athletics who launched several women’s teams and The Augsburg women’s basketball team posing for a served the university for 43 years. photo in the locker room, 1978. Gwen Walz is still surprised to be addressed as first lady. “I sometimes walk right past people or don’t turn around when someone says it because I just don’t hear it like I hear ‘Gwen,’” said Walz, whose husband, Tim, became Minnesota’s governor in January. While Walz may not be used to being called first lady, she’s jumping into the role. She’s the first Minnesota first lady to have an office at the state Capitol and plans to focus on education and corrections as policy issues. Walz also recently joined Augsburg University as an independent contractor serving in two roles: as special assistant to the president for strategic partnerships and as a fellow in the Sabo Center for Democracy and Citizenship. Here is a glimpse into her connection to Augsburg and new life. President Paul Pribbenow has described you as a friend of Augsburg. How have you worked with Augsburg in the past? Q: A: A: President Pribbenow and I met in Rochester when Tim (then U.S. representative for Minnesota’s 1st congressional district) asked us to facilitate a series of community-wide conversations on education. Through this partnership, I knew that I shared Augsburg’s deep commitment to equity. Q: You are the first Minnesota first lady to have an office at the state Capitol. Why was that presence important to you? A: Tim and I work closely together. We do our work differently at times, though, so having our own spaces is important. I also work with the staff very closely, so it is more convenient for them if I have an office near them. I am still learning how to best use this space to do meaningful work and build meaningful relationships. 6 AUGSBURG NOW Your mother, Linnea Wacker ’60, is an Auggie. What did she say when you told her about coming to work at Augsburg? She told me that I had better bring my “A” game. My mom told me that Augsburg is a very important place, and I must make sure I am prepared to bring focus and energy to the task. The mission of Augsburg University is very important to her, and she wants to make sure I help advance it! My mother was a teacher and first-generation college graduate. She and my father, a long-time educator, are committed to providing opportunities in education for everyone. Q: You started your career as an elementary school teacher. How does your passion for teaching and learning suit your roles at Augsburg and the Capitol? A: On the campaign trail, Tim and I both used the phrase that teaching was not just how we paid our bills; it’s how we live our lives. I have never been able to separate things in my life; I have a pretty holistic approach to who I am and what I bring to something. I have a lot to learn from Augsburg and the people here. All of that informs how I am thinking about how I might best serve all of the people of Minnesota. Search or browse at archives.augsburg.edu. Insta Augsburg: A few square snapshots showing significant #AuggiePride. Q: What’s your favorite thing to do in your free time now that you’ve moved to the Twin Cities? A: Each Sunday evening, I invite my three sisters and their families to have dinner. Everyone who can come does, and it is lovely to have a moment to pause as one week ends and another begins—we all sit a little longer at the table. We even have dessert on Sunday evenings! @riverside_innovation_hub COURTESY PHOTOS Q: Use Augsburg’s digital archive to find every Echo issue dating to the 1890s, as well as photographs, yearbooks, oral histories, videos, speeches, and more. Head under heels Auggie image shines in anthology “Illuminated,” a photo by Ava Fojtik ’21, will appear in plain china (plainchina.org), a national anthology of undergraduate creative writing and art based at Virginia Commonwealth University. Fojtik’s artwork was first published in the 2018 issue of Murphy Square, Augsburg’s literary and visual arts journal. Fojtik pursues portrait photography as a hobby while studying religion, theater, and English literature at Augsburg. She said she’s particularly fond of “Illuminated” because the image is expressive without showing an individual’s face. The image is part of a larger collection titled “Pity Party” that focuses on the themes of absurdity and things being upside down. Recognize those limbs and laces? They belong to Adam Ruff ’18. The Augsburg greenhouse @orchidhunter She’s beauty, she’s grace, she stinks up the entire place. It’s the voodoo queen herself, Amorphophallus konjac, serving sinister lewks and foul odors to attract pollinators. #plantdiversity @augsburgauggies SPRING–SUMMER 2019 7 All in the Family I t could have been worse. Their parents could have made them hold hands (or even smile). But after each game during last year’s Auggie football season, the parents of the team’s four sets of siblings lined the eight players up for a Kodak moment. “We loved the tradition, but there was a bit of that ‘Come on, mom’ feeling, especially when they made us take a photo before our last game,” said wide receiver Nick Heenie ’19, whose not-so-little brother, Frank Heenie ’23, protects the Auggie line. “We were all so in the zone that we look mean, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. It was such a special year and an honor to play with brothers.” Rounding up the octet was easy, especially after home games, when those same parents—led by the Heenie family—prepared meals for 80 players and their families. Head Football Coach Frank Haege said the team traditionally shares food and fellowship after one home game each year, but the siblings’ parents united the Auggie football family in an unforgettable way during the 2018 season. “It was such a joy to coach four sets of siblings last year, particularly 8 AUGSBURG NOW BY KATE H. ELLIOTT since I have twin boys, and I played football with my brother,” said Haege, whose 9-year-old son, AJ, spends so much time with the team that he maintains an Auggie locker. “Our team always feels like family, but we were especially close last fall. It reinforced that Augsburg is where students learn to be part of something bigger than themselves.” Coaching four sets of siblings at one time was unprecedented for Augsburg Athletics, but siblings are not uncommon. Haege estimates he has coached eight sets of siblings during his 15-year tenure. In addition to football, siblings have competed on several teams recently: The Wilson twins dominated the wrestling mat, the Everett sisters commanded the lacrosse field, and the O’Conner brothers scored big on the ice. Relatives on the roster The list of sibling alumni who have played together at Augsburg could fill a football roster, not to mention the generations of families with Auggie pride running through their veins. An example: Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79 wrestled and coached for 25 years at Augsburg. His sister, Marie (Swenson) Hechsel ’90, played volleyball. Her son, Matt Hechsel ’15, wrestled, and her daughter, Stephanie Hechsel ’19, played volleyball. Augsburg women’s ice hockey’s Megan Johnson ’19 also is playing out a family legacy. Her grandfather, Bob “Badger” Johnson, attended Augsburg for a year before transferring to the University of Wisconsin—Madison, where he secured seven NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championships. Her father, Mark Johnson, was a member of the fabled “Miracle on Ice” 1980 U.S. Olympic team and coach of the 2010 U.S. Olympic women’s silvermedal hockey squad. Megan’s brother, Chris Johnson ’10, ’14 MAL, slapped the puck around for Augsburg and later served as men’s ice hockey assistant coach for seven seasons. It was during that time Megan picked Augsburg over the University of Wisconsin, where her grandfather, father, and two other siblings played. Although the colors of their jerseys differed, every member of the Johnson family has donned No. 10. Women’s Ice Hockey Head Coach Michelle McAteer said that although Megan no longer has a sibling at Augsburg, members of the team Mustafa Adam ’18, left, and his brother Shihab Adam ’22 “Augsburg—even beyond the field—is a tight-knit community, where everyone looks out for one another. Teachers care about your education and are always willing to provide you with extra academic support. At Augsburg, they truly care about you as an individual, and they will do whatever they can to ensure that you succeed inside and outside of the classroom.” — Linebacker Mustafa Adam ’18, a three-time cancer survivor who studied business and economics and plans to go to medical school SPRING –SUMMER 2019 9 are like family. Third- and fourthyear student-athletes have begun to mentor newcomers, calling each other big and little sisters, respectively. on the football roster was “a dream come true.” But he doesn’t have one brother on the team. “I have 80,” said Mustafa, a two-time team captain and nominee for Mayo It was such a joy to coach four sets of siblings last year.” “These mentor relationships are lasting, and it’s an intentional effort players established to support each other on and off the ice,” McAteer said. “As a two-time team captain, Megan has been integral in helping us foster that sense of togetherness.” Family legacies are part of the game To Haege and others, the influx of legacy families and sibling teammates is no coincidence. Augsburg draws families, he said, because the campus feels like a family and students know they will gain a solid education and passionate sense of vocation. Older siblings often make recruiting easy, Haege said, by “talking up the program naturally,” as they share their good experiences with siblings. Mustafa Adam ’18 said having his younger brother, Shihab Adam ’22, 10 AUGSBURG NOW Clinic’s 2018 Comeback Player of the Year Award, which honors college football players who have returned to the field of play after overcoming major life challenges. Mustafa sat out his first year at Augsburg when the cancer he beat in high school returned just prior to signing on at Augsburg. He played the entire 2016 and 2017 seasons, but the disease returned at the conclusion of his second season, in which he finished second in tackles (93) in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He underwent chemotherapy and had to have his right ear amputated to prevent the cancer from spreading. In Fall 2018, he returned to the field and played in all 10 games. “I know it pained Shihab and all my teammates to see me go through this disease, but having a little brother only further motivated me to keep my head up and stand strong throughout this whole process,” said the linebacker from Wisconsin. “Envisioning the football field was truly the driving force behind my will to fight. I was willing to persevere through anything to accomplish my dream to play college ball, and my willingness to fight inspired many of my teammates to look inside themselves to find their ‘why.’ Going through this—together—has created lifelong bonds and friendships.” Siblings and teammates keep each other on track Nick Heenie ’19 said growing close to dozens of teammates from different states, cultures, and life experiences has broadened players’ worldview. The football team’s inclusive culture, Nick said, has inspired him to explore and appreciate Augsburg’s setting in one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. The Heenies room with brothers linebacker Xavier Hanson ’23 and defensive lineman Christopher Hanson ’19. “So our moms always know where to get ahold of us,” Frank added. Wrestling twins Aaron Wilson ’21 and Alex Wilson ’20 also share a residence, not to mention a major—biology. The two are rarely apart. “I started wrestling in kindergarten. Alex started a year later, and we both dreamed about wrestling at Augsburg as kids,” said Aaron, whose proudest moment was being ranked nationally alongside his brother. “We knew it would make us the best versions of ourselves on and off the mat. Augsburg’s small class sizes have allowed me to make meaningful relationships with my professors and pursue research of my own.” Lacrosse player Delaney Everett ’18 is equally ambitious, with plans to own an accounting firm. Having sister, Demey Everett ’20, by her side has pushed the midfielder to achieve in competition and in the classroom. Head Lacrosse Coach Kathryn Knippenberg has had a front row seat to the dynamic duo’s inspiring support. “The two are in sync on the field, and their intuitive play challenges the rest of the team to follow suit,” said Knippenberg, who is in her sixth season at Augsburg. “Their majors are different—biology and accounting—but Augsburg’s impressive academic programs were able to support both their interests. Not many schools in the area offer lacrosse along with such diverse academic options.” ‘Here’s to quadruplets in 2021’ The Kordah brothers are a few years beyond graduation, and these stories of campus life and sibling bonds call up fond memories for the former Augsburg soccer players. Lekpea Kordah ’15 is raising two kids while working as a high school administrator and as a certified tax professional. Barinedum Kordah ’17 works in health care administration in the Twin Cities. Adulthood keeps them from kicking the ball around together, but they do find time to talk about the “good old days as Auggies,” while they watch professional soccer, Barinedum said. Campus, he added, became home to them after their nine-member family migrated from Nigeria. “I learned some of my greatest lessons at Augsburg. On the field, my brother taught me to never give up and to work with intensity,” said Barinedum, a defender who majored in exercise science and minored in psychology. “Coach [Greg] Holker taught us to consider details, which was tough because I wanted to just get out there and play. That study of each opponent and the game itself helped us outsmart our opponents and waste less energy than if we were always trying to beat them athletically.” Haege knows the Kordah brothers, as most coaches and players do. That’s how it works at Augsburg, he said. Players— siblings or not—don’t only support their team, they are among the loudest fans at all Auggie contests. Whether that sense of support stems from family connections or not, Haege doesn’t make that call. He does, however, predict the trend will continue. “Here’s to looking at quadruplets in 2021,” he joked. “The two are in sync ...” —Head Lacrosse Coach Kathryn Knippenberg Demey Everett ’20, left, and her sister Delaney Everett ’18 LEARNING ACROSS ABILITIES The Center for Learning and Accessible Student Services champions students with a broad range of disabilities on the path to academic success. BY KATE H. ELLIOTT Maura Gunter ’19 S ince second grade, Maura Gunter ’19 relied on accommodations for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and a word processing disorder. So when she started college, Gunter knew the drill. But on her way to class that fall semester, Gunter’s vision blurred and a metallic taste coated her mouth. She lay in the snow for four hours before paramedics arrived. When she woke, doctors greeted the then 19-year-old with another diagnosis: epilepsy. As her peers at Colorado State University prepped for finals, Gunter was pricked and scanned for two weeks. Catch up, you can do this. Seizure. Someone stuffs a wallet in her mouth. Doctors: “Episodes might pass or might not. Try this medicine—no, this one.” Catch up, you can do this. Seizure. Hospital stay, stares, and bruises. “You need to find a way to complete assignments, Maura.” Can I do this? Brain throbbing. More pills. Less sleep. No. “When I started having seizures, I didn’t know [my illness] was considered a disability. Support services at my college at the time were fine but not personal. I didn’t have an advisor to help me navigate my college education with this invisible illness,” Gunter said. “So, nearly every time I had a seizure, I had to medically withdraw.” “I felt like such a failure—lost and alone” Without campus advocates and close teacher relationships, Gunter turned to doctor-prescribed opioids for support and became addicted. She found Augsburg University’s StepUP® Program—a residential recovery support community—and decided to transfer in 2015. Disability Specialist Anne Lynch 12 AUGSBURG NOW was there to greet her, then walk the Georgia native through her rights and responsibilities, documentation forms, exam scheduling, and more. When Gunter made the dean’s list, Lynch was the first person she called. “Anne has been my rock,” said Gunter, who plans to graduate in May with a degree in social work. “When people cautioned me against seeking departmental honors because they were worried ‘it’d be too much for me,’ Anne pushed me. She lets me determine and define my own limits. People don’t realize that it’s as equally stressful and offensive to be coddled as it is to not be believed and supported. Anne took the time to know me, to listen, and to empower me with information and guidance.” Sober since August 2014, Gunter thrived with newfound campus advocates and with caring professors at Augsburg’s tight-knit, affirming campus. Driving that advocacy and service is the university’s Center for Learning and Accessible Student Services, known as CLASS, where Lynch has worked for 20 years. The center’s influence is woven throughout every aspect of Augsburg: CLASS informs administrative policies, advises on housing accommodations, monitors updates to the physical campus, and ensures students’ dietary requirements are met. They offer professional development across campus, introduce assistive technologies, and meet one-on-one with professors about universal course design. Disability specialists connect with parents, meet regularly with students, and coordinate a range of accommodations—from exam and tutor scheduling to notetakers and sign language interpreters. The office serves those who need temporary accommodations, including injured student-athletes, and engages in community outreach and education. CLASS maintains a robust website with links to programs, software, and apps for anyone to access. When Lynch started in the late ’90s, she worked with about 30 students. Now, that number is 100. “It’s been amazing to see Augsburg embrace diversity and grow the reach and reputation of this critical office,” Lynch said. “CLASS empowers the students we serve, but our work also informs and inspires faculty, other students, and the communities in which we live and work. It’s a gift to see employers, faculty, parents, and even the students themselves shed misconceptions about disabilities after working with our office.” Lynch calls herself a partner. She spends her days partnering intentionally with each student—to listen, to solve problems alongside them, and to empower them to better understand themselves and their abilities. “‘Disability’ is not a bad word; it is tied to rights and protections,” she said. “I love when students get to a place where they can say, ‘Yes, I have a disability, but I am not a disability.’ Let’s move beyond the word and come up with solutions for making sure all students have the same opportunities afforded to others.” education and contribute their wisdom to solving the problems of the world.” A 2018 report from the American Collegiate Health Association indicated that in the past year, three out of five college students experienced “overwhelming anxiety,” and two out of five students were “too depressed to function.” With increased stressors and public services cutbacks, Carlson said, Augsburg has rallied to strengthen safety nets. “We strongly believe in helping students put together teams of support so they can navigate college successfully. For students with a mental health or other disability, CLASS is part of that team,” Carlson said. “Augsburg is blessed with faculty who ‘get’ mental health issues and want to support their students and advisees. Together, we help students feel connected on campus, and that sense of connection can increase students’ likelihood of success.” CLASS Director Kathy McGillivray said this focus on “together” is what distinguishes Augsburg and draws students to study and grow alongside the support of CLASS’s comprehensive services. “Our focus is on each individual student,” McGillivray said. “But we are part of a larger mission to connect Augsburg students to academic support, resources, and services that will help them create and achieve their educational goals. Prospective students see that seamless student support, all housed within the Gage Center for Student Success.” Within the Gage Center, CLASS includes the Groves Accommodations Lab, which provides assistive technology and testing accommodations for students with disabilities, and the Groves Technology Center, which is a fully equipped computer lab that is available to all students. Resources for students with disabilities are offered within a suite of services for all. “‘Disability’ is not a bad word” Augsburg’s team approach weaves a strong safety net Although her focus is on students, Lynch said the office invests a tremendous amount of time and energy in partnering with the campus community to ensure Augsburg meets its commitment to provide equal access to higher education and campus facilities. Among CLASS’s greatest collaborations is with Augsburg’s Center for Wellness and Counseling. CWC Assistant Director Beth Carlson said that with the strong connection between mental health and academic success, CWC staff have found their work with CLASS invaluable in helping students thrive. CLASS is distinct, Carlson said, in its deep connections with students and collaborative, creative approaches to overcoming complex situations. “Many students who are academically capable might not be able to graduate from Augsburg if they didn’t have the support of CLASS. In the past, a student with a significant mental health disability may not have been encouraged to go to college; now, our campus is much richer and more diverse because we’re embracing all of our students, supporting them as they gain a liberal arts Matthew Glaven ’21 has built a team at Augsburg. The history major serves on the board of Augsburg’s chapter of Women for Political Change, manages the baseball team, and has traveled overseas with fellow Auggies. CLASS is a major player on “Team Glaven,” given that the Minnesota native is deaf/hard of hearing and has cerebral palsy, which makes it difficult for him to write and speak. “One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned at Augsburg is that you need to have a team, no matter who you are, to get through life. As your life goes through different stages, your team of personal and professional supporters evolves with you,” said Glaven, who uses ASL interpreters, a microphone for his hearing aids, notetakers, and testing accommodations. “CLASS also taught me that advocacy is key to getting what you need to make your life better. If you don’t advocate for yourself, you won’t be as successful.” That embrace of advocacy will serve him well as he plans to enter public office. The Queen fan and BBC-listening cat lover is driven to improve public health care, protect minorities, and continue to fight climate change, among other initiatives. SPRING–SUMMER 2019 13 The paw-fect solution Matthew Glaven ’21 Faculty advocates embrace universal design Glaven gained that passion for policy from instructors who were eager to make lectures and content accessible—educators like Rich Flint, assistant professor of mathematics, who teaches core math courses required of all students. In Spring 2009, Flint taught a pre-algebra course of 24 students, 10 of whom had documented disabilities. “If I hadn’t known the CLASS staff before that semester, I got to know them all very well that spring,” Flint said. “We now give all of our students a Math Anxiety Bill of Rights, which includes statements like, ‘I have the right to need extra help,’ and ‘I have the right to not understand.’ Many of us [math professors] include statements about relaxation on our exams. In fact, yesterday I proctored a Calculus 2 exam for a colleague that stated: ‘Relax. You have done problems like this before.’ Without our work with CLASS, I don’t know if we would be so attuned to using straightforward strategies that benefit all test takers.” Professor of Mathematics Suzanne Dorée said the department’s embrace of universal design is a habit that emerged from experience. Dorée has taught Auggies for 30 years. When she started, parents sometimes needed to attend classes to assist their children. Now, because of the resources and accommodations Augsburg has to offer, students are able to enjoy more independence, Dorée said. “I love a good problem, and there’s an element of creativity required in adjusting my teaching style to reach all my students. Over time you realize that the new practices you adopt are good for all students. For instance, I had a student who was blind so I began narrating everything I was doing on the board. It slowed me down but I noticed that all my students were processing the information better,” she said. “The difference between a 50-minute test and a 70-minute test’s ability to assess student learning is not significant, so I always write a 50-minute test for my 70-minute classes. English learners, students who didn’t get much sleep the night before, and students with test anxiety all appreciate the extra time to check their work.” That problem-solving can take many forms. During Gunter’s freshman year, it barked and was named Gus. Gus was Gunter’s service dog. He was trained to sense when Gunter might have a seizure and assist her if and when she fell. His vest detailed her diagnosis, which was helpful since doctors previously missed her medical ID bracelet three times, Gunter said, while “Gus was tough to miss.” “Was,” because Gunter hasn’t needed a service dog since identifying the proper blend of medicine, sleep, and support. The 24-year-old has been seizure-free for the past year, and Gus has enjoyed the time off to play with Gunter’s three other four-legged pals: Nelson, Susan, and Shana. Each of her pups, other than Gus, is a rescue with “some special needs,” Gunter adds, proudly. Health and stability, Gunter said, means she can set her sights on the horizon— toward research and graduate school. Lars Christiansen, associate professor of sociology, is collaborating with Gunter on research about street equity, city planning, and movement. This semester, Gunter is focused on roadside memorial ghost bikes, which are white-painted bikes placed near streets not safe or accessible to cyclists. She received travel funds to present her findings at the Midwest Sociological Society’s annual meeting in Chicago. “Augsburg gave me the tools and space to figure out my passion, understand my responsibilities, and advocate for my rights. A world that felt small years ago now seems open and exciting.” A year of celebration to honor Augsburg’s leading approach to disability services didn’t just happen. Paired with staff expertise and an inclusive campus culture, it took the vision and support of proud parents, alumni, and industry partners. Auggie mom and Regent Emerita Barbara Gage, who served on Augsburg’s Board of Regents for 12 years, led the charge to uplift Augsburg as a national leader in holistic student support services. In the 1980s, Barbara and her husband, Skip Gage, along with the Carlson Family Foundation, donated and raised funds to support the program that ultimately became CLASS. In 2011, the Gage Family Foundation and the Carlson Family Foundation contributed $900,000 to create the Gage Center for Student Success. This centralized, supportive learning space in the James G. Lindell Library provides resources for all students—regardless of learning style, preference, or need. It houses the Office of Advising and Academic Excellence, TRIO/Student Support Services, and CLASS. A preview of Augsburg’s sesquicentennial plans: September 27, 2019, to September 26, 2020 ARCHIVE PHOTOS Sesquicentennial events calendar From 1869 to today Augsburg’s sesquicentennial celebration will feature diverse opportunities that uplift the university’s founding principles, honor its history, and look toward its future. Augsburg will: • Showcase academic excellence • Present historical elements • Tell its institutional story through art and design • Host high-impact experiences • Bring together thousands of alumni and friends from all generations Augsburg’s community-wide events will include a gala, reunions, convocations, art shows, concerts, book readings, theater performances, and lectures. Follow the sesquicentennial calendar today for easy access to event details, possible weather-related changes, and parking information. Here’s a glimpse at some of the signature events so you can start planning for this historic year. H O M E C O M I N G 2 0 19 September 23–28, 2019 New events along with traditional favorites make Homecoming one of the most festive times on campus all year. The majority of this year’s events will occur Saturday, September 28, and special reunions will honor the classes of 2009, 1979, and 1969. S E S Q U I C E N T E N N I A L G A LA September 27, 2019 Kick off Augsburg’s sesquicentennial at this once-in-a-lifetime event in downtown Minneapolis. This gala will acknowledge Augsburg’s history of pursuing the call to serve the community, and it will rally energetic support for the next 150 years of Augsburg University. I N A U G U R A L A LL- S C H O O L R E U N I O N September 25–26, 2020 This all-inclusive gathering is for Auggies from every class, every degree program, and every decade—Augsburg athletes, musicians, artists, scientists, student leaders, and everyone in between. Learn how to coordinate a reunion for a specific area of interest or identity by emailing Katie (Koch) Code ’01 at codek@augsburg.edu. Sesquicentennial book Augsburg is publishing an institutional history book as part of its sesquicentennial celebration. “Hold Fast to What is Good,” by History Professor Phillip Adamo, uses 10 objects from the university archives to tell stories from Augsburg’s first 150 years. Signed, limited edition, hardcover copies of this book are available for preorder until May 1, 2019. SESQUICENTENNIAL Register for Homecoming, purchase Sesquicentennial Gala tickets, learn more about the All-School Reunion, and order your commemorative book at augsburg.edu/150. COURTESY PHOTOS International travel opportunities BY JOHN WEIRICK Augsburg will host four alumni trips to locations in Germany and Norway that are central in the university’s history. Find details for each trip at augsburg.edu/alumni under “Travel.” NORWAY ARTS AND CULTURE Tentative dates May 8–18, 2020 The tour will include theater productions, concerts, and historical landmarks, and it will focus on the rich and vibrant arts and culture of Norway. Explore Norway alongside Augsburg Theater Program alumni, co-leaders Darcey Engen ’88, Augsburg University professor of theater, and her husband, Luverne Seifert ’83, Minneapolis actor and instructor at the University of Minnesota. NORWAY NOW: EXPLORING PEACEMAKING, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND CLIMATE CHANGE GERMANY AND AUSTRIA FEATURING THE OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY Tentative dates July 15–26, 2020 This tour will focus on Bavaria, with stops in Nuremberg, Salzberg, and additional nearby locations. The hottest ticket in Europe every 10 years is to attend the centuries-old Oberammergau Passion Play. This trip includes prime seats for this once-in-a-decade experience. As members of the university’s Department of Religion, associate professors Lori Brandt Hale and Hans Wiersma have teamed up to share their expertise and offer a uniquely Augsburg experience. NIDAROS PILGRIMAGE IN NORWAY Tentative dates May 9–19, 2020 Tentative dates in July 2020 This tour will explore Norway’s peace work, government, and environmental agencies. This tour is co-led by Bettine Hoff Hermanson, managing director of the Human Rights Forum at Augsburg as well as the Norway Hub, and Joe Underhill, associate professor of political science, director of environmental studies, and director of the Human Rights Forum. Hike to the Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway—a pilgrimage made by travelers for more than 1,000 years. Augsburg University Pastor and Director of Ministries Rev. Sonja Hagander will lead the trek in which adventurous Auggies will learn about history and culture, and they will experience firsthand some of the most beautiful natural sights in the world. This trip is intended for experienced mountain hikers. For more information, contact Katie (Koch) Code ’01, director of Alumni and Constituent Relations, at codek@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1178. Matt Swenson ’91 displays artisan creations on the Minnesota Art Truck. During an economic downturn, a resurgence of skill-savvy craftspeople revived centuriesold traditions of making highquality goods in small quantities, harnessing the power of modern technology and local communities. Americans plunged into the Great Recession. A wave of new and seasoned workers alike struggled to navigate the economic uncertainty of fewer jobs and growing debt in an ever-changing global landscape. But while the economy grew stagnant, the creative efforts of workers did not. An artisanal phenomenon gained momentum, which affects not only what people buy and the jobs they seek, but also shifts consumer expectations around the country. This is no new trend; it’s actually an old one. SPRING–SUMMER 2019 19 FINNEGANS taproom in downtown Minneapolis LAGER IPA BELGIAN STOUT GROWLER PILSNER CASCADE PORTER PALE ALE BLOND AMBER PILSNER WEISSBIE MAIBOCK HEFEWEIZ DOPPELBO SAISON WITBIER BERLINER WEISSE GROWLER CASCADE PHOTOS COURTESY OF FINNEGANS The modern artisan movement— craftspeople who focus on distinct, skillfully made goods produced in small quantities, often by hand—has deep roots in the past, before the relatively recent industrialization that revolutionized the global market by providing more affordable products to more people. “The United States has had mass production of plentiful and relatively cheap goods for at least a century,” said Nancy Fischer, associate professor and chair of sociology at Augsburg University. “An appreciation for more traditional forms of making things—of craftsmanship—was a reaction to and coexisted with mass production.” Fischer, who has researched vintage fashion and is writing a book on vintage clothing consumers, said artisans in the pre-industrial 1800s could make a living running shops that sold everyday items like furniture, candles, or shoes. However, artisan endeavors today form a niche market, often as side jobs for extra cash and personal fulfilment more than a stable income or employment benefits. The focus is not just on a product; the artisanal approach also 20 AUGSBURG NOW focuses on the origin of the item, what it’s made of, and how it’s made. You’ve seen the items: artisanal breads and cheeses, small-batch ice cream, hand-crafted chocolate and hot sauce. Many major metropolitan areas— and a number of smaller communities as well—boast independent coffee roasters, artisanal pizzerias, and craft butchers of locally raised livestock. Custom jeans and hand-tailored leatherworks are neighbors to yoga instructors, artisanal pickle producers, and specialty popcorn shops in tiny storefronts. Even international corporations and fast food franchises attempt to pique consumer interest using the terms “artisanal” and “handcrafted,” much like they appropriated “gourmet” and “specialty.” Artisans appear in three oftenintertwined variations: 1. maker artisans who produce tangible products, 2. personal service artisans who offer curated experiences, and 3. knowledge artisans who bring together people and ideas to enhance social capital. “Artisans can look a lot different than what most would expect,” said Brian Krohn ’08, co-founder of Mighty Axe Hops, which supplies Minnesotagrown hops to craft brewers around the state. After studying chemistry at Augsburg and finishing graduate school, he became a serial entrepreneur, launching a company that uses 3D printing to make flame-emitting wizard staffs and founding Soundly, a smartphone app designed to reduce snoring. “A woodworker would normally be considered an artisan, but I think an experienced engineer who uses CAD [computer-aided design] and a CNC [computer numerical control] to mill wood or aluminum can also be an artisan.” To seek a simple explanation for the artisan economy’s proliferation would be to ignore the multifaceted appeal of such products and services, as well as the diverse array of people who sell and buy them. Consumer boredom, dissatisfaction with mass-produced options, and the feeling of overall instability could play a psychological role in the appeal of artisan alternatives. “When you think about the current state of economic inequality, recessions, an affordable housing shortage, multiple wars, everchanging technology, outsourcing of jobs, and terrorism, we live in a pretty uncertain world,” said Bridget Robinson-Riegler, cognitive psychologist and professor of psychology at Augsburg. “We value nostalgic products because they make us feel more secure. The new wave of such products is possibly indicative of a society in turmoil and people in angst searching for comfort.” The search for comfort doesn’t stifle the curious desire for variety, though. “If it’s beer, consumers are looking for something that is different, not formulaic,” Fischer said. “With woodworking items, ceramics, or clothing, they are looking for something that will last, as well as something that is unique.” Jacquie Berglund ’87 found a unique angle in a competitive market: craft beer with a cause. After graduating from Augsburg and studying in Paris, she returned to Minneapolis and co-founded FINNEGANS Brew Co., whose profits are donated to alleviate hunger in the markets that serve FINNEGANS beer. “When I started my beer company, there were a handful of breweries. There are now more than 150 in Minnesota. FINNEGANS needs to make high-quality beer, differentiate our brand as a FINNEGANS co-founder Jacquie Berglund ’87 social business with more than $1.3 million in impact, and connect with our consumers and supporters.” The craft beer boom is representative of the growing artisan movement in many industries. Almost half of the 150 breweries in Minnesota have opened in the past eight years, including Boom Island Brewing in Minneapolis, another brewery with an Auggie connection. Qiuxia Welch ’99 studied music at Augsburg and became a professional French horn performer and teacher. Today, she is Boom Island’s marketing manager and runs the business with her husband, Kevin, its founder and head brewer. “Most of Boom Island’s beers are brewed using traditional Belgian techniques,” Welch said. “This requires expensive ingredients, no preservatives, years of experience, and time. It’s difficult for the large breweries to do this.” Craft beer sales have grown to nearly 13 percent market share, according to the Brewers Association, which offers “certified independent craft” labels for breweries not owned by the handful of multinational corporations that have maintained dominant market share following the repeal of Prohibition. Because consumers pay more for craft beer, these corporations seek higher profits through consolidation, buying craft breweries with national reputations, and creating “craft” sub-brands to mass produce. “Mass production is not able to work with the small, local suppliers of ingredients like artisans can,” said Berglund, whose FINNEGANS pale ale features Krohn’s Minnesota-grown Mighty Axe Hops. “We have made more than 100 different beers in our taproom in the past 11 months with five barrelaged brews—mass production is not this nimble.” Though craft beer brewing and buying demographics skew toward Gen X and Millennial white males, some signs point to a more diverse artisan future. “More women, and particularly women of color, are playing important roles,” Welch said. “They are opening breweries, making great beers, and changing how we market and drink craft beer.” SPRING–SUMMER 2019 21 When you visit a Twin Cities craft brewery or farmers market, you also might see another kind of artisan: artist and curator Matt Swenson ’91, founder of the Minnesota Art Truck. Swenson displays local artists’ work in the truck to connect with people who don’t realize they can purchase original art at prices comparable to big-box stores while sustaining the local art community. “I don’t see art as just for the middle class or upper middle class or the wealthy. Art really is for everybody, and the more I get to interact with people, the more they see that themselves,” he said. Before he started this “food truck for the soul,” Swenson studied communication and English at Augsburg and worked in sales and marketing management for 13 years. Today, he feels lucky and grateful that his wife supported his departure from corporate America in search of creatively fulfilling work: “We had to adjust how we live, but she knows Minnesota Art Truck and founder Matt Swenson ’91 22 AUGSBURG NOW that it’s something I’m passionate about, and I think it can be sustainable.” Billy Mzenga ’13 is another Auggie who left the corporate world, turning his attention to graduate school and a new entrepreneurial initiative. The venture started when his wife, Megan, fine-tuned recipes of homemade almond butter, cashew butter, and peanut butter. In 2017, the couple launched these products into a small business: NutMeg’s Nut Butters. The Mzengas now live in Chicago and continue to develop new recipes. They distribute NutMeg’s products online and at farmers markets and Chicago-area grocery stores. Like FINNEGANS, NutMeg’s is a social enterprise. NutMeg’s donates half of its earnings to humanitarian nonprofits in Kenya. Staying nimble and avoiding stockholder pressures are key factors for artisan entrepreneurs like the Mzengas. “We are accountable to our customers to make sure we are providing a good product, and to the charities we partner with, making sure we provide them with financial resources,” Billy said. Billy believes his Augsburg University education equipped him to see how his purpose intersects with causes bigger than himself. “My experience there opened my eyes to the issues facing the world, Minnesota, and those who were on the front lines as problem-solvers,” he said. Berglund, whose social impact model with FINNEGANS inspired the Mzengas, can relate. “I got a strong sense of ‘We are here to serve others’ by going to Augsburg,” she said. “It shaped my world perspective and the way I designed and run my business.” Augsburg’s communal support was also obvious to Boom Island’s Welch when she arrived in the United States to study music. “I came from a very warm place in China,” she said. “I didn’t come to Minnesota prepared for the winter. Professor Roberta Kagin from the Department of Music sent out a campus email asking for donations of winter clothing. I don’t think I bought any clothes for two years after that.” Welch wants the same qualities of Augsburg in her business today. “This is a very caring community with an appreciation for a well-balanced life. I like to think Boom Island Brewing is the same,” she said. FOAT co-founders Zoë Foat Naselaris ’96, left, and Kaja Foat ’96 Boom Island Brewing’s Qiuxia Welch ’99 What prevents the artisan niche from drawing more consumers away from massproduced items? “The choice is between a $40 hand-crafted wood cutting board or a $7 one from Target,” Fischer said. “That kind of price differential for most Americans’ financial situation—which is more heavily weighted for folks with fewer resources—eliminates the choice, even if they would prefer the $40 cutting board.” The higher price doesn’t necessarily mean artisan products are luxury items. In fact, artisan entrepreneurs often justify the higher cost of crafted goods in pragmatic terms. With some massproduced products, Krohn is concerned that consumers will end up spending more money in the long run on subpar items that wear out rather than a quality item that lasts—“You get what you pay for,” as the adage goes. Augsburg alumni craft a variety of artisan goods and services. From a sociological perspective, the benefits of less expensive production and more affordable mass-produced goods come with the risk of exploitation of workers and the environment in the supply chain and manufacturing processes. “Organizations and activists have encouraged us for decades to question the unsustainable model of buying more cheap goods shipped from overseas where the pay, working conditions, and factory harms to the environment are jaw-droppingly horrible,” Fischer said. The relationship between quality, cost, and ethics is especially tangible in fashion. Zoë Foat Naselaris ’96 and twin sister Kaja Foat ’96 created FOAT, an environmentally conscious women’s fashion brand with a personal touch. Based in their Charleston, South Carolina, and northeast Minneapolis studios, they design, cut, and sew garments by hand rather than outsource the work. “We are not interested in massproducing our patterns and clothing overseas because it is important to us to produce our items ethically, locally, and with a lot of care,” Naselaris said. “When garments are mass-produced, they are designed with one body type in mind. Handmade garments are tweaked and tucked, pushed and pulled into a COURTESY PHOTOS shape that is both comfortable and complementary to the customer’s body.” Like FOAT, many artisans extend their care for customers and details to the overall industry and consumer expectations that NutMeg’s co-founders Billy Mzenga ’13, left, and Megan Mzenga influence business practices. “Most Americans are not accustomed to paying attention Artisans offer alternate products as to, or even caring about, how their well as an alternate story, a different products are made,” Naselaris said. way to engage with the American “There has to be a change of mindset.” tradition of consumerism. They invite FOAT encourages people to buy fewer others to see that more isn’t always well-made garments that last longer better, that making something beautiful rather than many poorly made products and enduring takes time. Many that tend to fall apart more quickly. consumers are rethinking their economic Billy believes many consumers are relationships in society: how they engage ready for change: “People are speaking with what they eat, what they buy, the with their dollars and moving their issues they care about, and ultimately, business to more locally owned, how they engage each other. locally made products.” “The craft-brew taproom has become a vital part of the community like you find in Old World Europe,” said Welch, who co-leads Belgium brewery tours to Will some consumers continue to stay tethered to a historic beer tradition. lack the financial resources to choose “Our typical customer wants to connect more artisanal options? Will others with the people who make and serve grow weary of paying more for local, their beer. They want to know where sustainable, quality products? Might their food and drinks come from, how this artisan movement form a robust they are made, and who made them. economy of the future? It doesn’t show This is how we lived for centuries. Now signs of slowing, perhaps because of artisans are back.” the connection between crafters and those enjoying the craft. SPRING–SUMMER 2019 23 Professor of Psychology Assistant Professor of Psychology They became colleagues at Augsburg roughly a decade ago. BY COURTNEY PERRY AND LAURA SWANSON LINDAHL ’15 MBA Community is an undeniable fixture of the Augsburg experience, and nothing makes a campus feel small like the familiar faces of those who’ve become friends. Countless Auggies have forged lifelong connections—whether in an instant during their first days on campus or over time through shared classes, interests, residence halls, occupations, and stories. Here’s a taste of the many rich friendships that have grown at Augsburg and carried on across time and geography. Robinson-Riegler: “We’re both cognitive psychologists, so we have a mutual interest, which was probably the initial thing that brought us together. Then once we got to know each other, we just realized how similar we are.” Professor Bridget Robinson-Riegler, left, often stops into the office of Assistant Professor Ben Denkinger to talk about everything from their shared field of study to baseball. Major: Communication Arts/Literature and Secondary Education Denkinger: “We’re excited about the same things in psychology, and maybe riled up about the same things in politics and culture.” Meeting in the James G. Lindell Library, Joaquin Delgado-Ortiz, left, and Ann Sheely discuss a project she’s working on for her residence hall. Majors: Film and Communication Studies They helped each other on move-in day and became intramural soccer teammates. Harris: “Anthony is one of the greatest students I know in the area of academics . . . my grandad always used to say, ‘If you want to get good at something, then surround yourself with people who are already outstanding in that area.’ So I see him in that. He inspires me.” Villagrana: “Likewise, from day one, Mallory has always been positive—the energy he gives is positivity. Always smiling, always talkative. He’s never gloomy, you know? He brings this energy to the room. I’m just glad I met Mallory this year because I was pretty quiet and kept to myself last year. He’s a transfer student, and he’s older than me. He introduced me to a lot of people, and I made a lot of friends. His character has inspired me to be more open and more social in this environment at Augsburg.” 24 AUGSBURG NOW Major: Psychology Anthony Villagrana, left, and Mallory Harris head off to class. Majors: Life Sciences and Secondary Education After being assigned to the same lab group, they formed a friendship and ended up laughing their way through their final presentation for their course. Sheely: “One thing I’ve noticed about people at Augsburg is that everybody is really open and accepting and willing to just be there to help you. They’ll actually return your smiles, generally. So that’s been really helpful for me—not being afraid to reach out to people even if I don’t know them really well yet, and then friendships can grow.” Camryn Masse, left, and Jen Meinhardt study together, as they do at least twice a week, in Christensen Center. Major: English (Creative Writing) “That’s a cool pen.” One seemingly simple statement made in a 12:30 p.m. religion class on the first day of the semester sparked a friendship. Meinhardt: “We both transferred here from a different school— from the same school, in fact— but we didn’t know each other there. It’s been fun because we have the same perspective of someplace different—of going from a small community college to this school. The city is kind of different for us, and we didn’t know anybody else. For me, our friendship just gave me something more concrete and grounded at this school, which helped me transition better. And it’s given me somebody to study with. She’s inspired me to hit the gym; she’s inspired me to work instead of goof off. She kind of just keeps everything rolling.” Enrollment Communications and Event Specialist AUGGIES CONNECT FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT Dear alumni and friends, COURTESY PHOTO Major: Elementary Education The Augsburg University Alumni Board supports the university’s mission by finding meaningful ways for our members to contribute their time, talent, and treasure. Members meet regularly to create and enhance events where Auggies can network, collaborate, and serve together. This fall, we partnered with the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work to co-host a mock interview event for current students. We then brought Auggies together again this February at our annual networking event. This year’s networking workshop offered students the chance to practice their networking skills in a friendly environment, and attendees heard from an impressive panel of alumni who discussed how networking helped further their careers. This spring, the Alumni Board has been busy working on events like an Augsburg Beer Choir, A-Club Spring Happy Hour, and our first All-School Reunion Stewards Meeting, which is coming up May 20. Of course, the big event we’re gearing up for is Augsburg’s sesquicentennial celebration. After we kick things off at the Sesquicentennial Gala and Homecoming 2019, the Alumni Board will focus on the ways it can support Augsburg at a number of additional low- or no-cost events and new, family-friendly opportunities. Augsburg’s sesquicentennial will truly be a year to remember, and you can learn more on pages 15–18. There are plenty of ways for alumni to give back to Augsburg as a volunteer this year. Consider becoming a Sesquicentennial Steward, joining the Alumni Board, or serving on one of our other leadership boards. It’s been a pleasure to serve as board president for the past two years. I’ve enjoyed working with current Alumni Board Vice President Lori Higgins ’94, ’12 MAL, and I’m confident she will be a terrific Alumni Board president going forward. Assistant Director of Admissions PICK THE PATTERN Denielle Stepka ’11, a senior creative associate at Augsburg, has created patterns for elegant neckties, scarves, and—of course—bow ties inspired by art from around campus, Augsburg’s “A” mark, and university seal. Help decide which designs should be put into production. Take a look at the options and “like” your favorites on the Augsburg Alumni Association Facebook page: facebook.com/augsburgalumni. HAGFORS CENTER TRANSFORMS AUGGIE EXPERIENCE It's been three years since Augsburg University broke ground on the Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion, and 16 months since the facility opened for classes. These fast facts from the building’s inaugural year illustrate its remarkable impact and the new opportunities it affords Augsburg students, faculty, staff, and community members. FAST FACTS Go Auggies! Office space for They first worked together at another college but both found a home at Augsburg. NICK RATHMANN ’03, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT of Augsburg’s full-time faculty Sotos: “Someone saw us playing racquetball here together one day and asked us if we were married. I said, ‘Well, we’re not married, but I did marry him!’ because my wife and I officiated his and his wife’s wedding. It’s always good to have a familiarity with how people work best and what their strengths are, so it’s nice working alongside a friend.” 40% PARTICIPATE IN THE SESQUICENTENNIAL MUSICAL Colleagues who once competed for the same job, Maggie Sotos, left, and Josh Owens, right, are now friends on staff in Augsburg’s Admissions Department and opponents on the racquetball court during their lunch hour. Among the many faculty-led projects in development to celebrate Augsburg’s 150th anniversary is a new work of musical theater about the university community, past and present, to be performed in Spring 2020. Members of the community are invited to take part in every step of the process, from creating material to performing in the production. Learn more at engage.augsburg.edu/sesquicentennialmusical. 29 THE HAGFORS CENTER HAS: 139,000 square feet of collaborative learning areas with 32 open study spaces laboratories, four 30-seat classrooms, and the largest classroom on campus, which seats up to 100 people If you are interested in learning more about projects in the Hagfors Center or taking a tour, contact Heather Riddle at riddle@augsburg.edu. SPRING–SUMMER 2019 27 ALUMNI CLASS NOTES 1960 Lowell “Zeke” Ziemann ’60 wrote a new book titled “A Kaleidoscope of Baseball.” The publication shares quotes, poetry, stories, odd facts, and historical information related to baseball as a national pastime. Ziemann previously authored several books in the Old West genre. He studied mathematics at Augsburg. Jacquie Berglund ’87 discussed her craft beer company’s social impact and collaborations with local ingredients suppliers. See story on page 19. 1977 Zoë Foat Naselaris ’96 and twin sister Kaja Foat ’96 create fashionable, ethically sourced, one-of-a-kind women’s garments by hand. See story on page 19. The Augsburg men’s soccer program celebrated its 50th anniversary this fall with a lunch and reception attended by more than 100 Auggies. The celebration brought together Auggie soccer players from many decades and was led by a host of Augsburg alumni including Darcy Debing ’77, Gary Dahle ’79, Mike Kennedy ’79, Don Potter ’79, Vinnie Brooks ’07, Alex Hildebrandt ’10, and Van Hong ’11. Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79 has deep family ties at Augsburg. His sister, Marie (Swenson) Hechsel ’90, played volleyball. Her son, Matt Hechsel ’15, wrestled; and her daughter, Stephanie Hechsel ’19, played volleyball. See story on page 8. 1982 Augsburg alumni Deb Krueger Knight ’82, Mike Cunningham ’10, Janice Gladden ’12, and Cyrus Batheja ’08, ’11 MBA offered networking and career advice as panelists at the 2019 Augsburg Alumni and Student Networking Event. Attendees gathered to practice networking skills, discuss career paths, and get to know other Auggies. Matt Swenson ’91 took inspiration from the food truck phenomenon and created a mobile opportunity to buy local art. See story on page 19. 1999 Tammy Sinkfield-Morey ’99, ’13 MAN, ’17 DNP received the 2018 March of Dimes Distinguished Nurse of the Year award. She is the first African-American recipient of this top honor, which recognizes experienced nurses’ community service and professional and personal development. Qiuxia Welch ’99 builds community around Belgian beer made with traditional techniques in Minneapolis. See story on page 19. 1998 Scott Erickson ’98 opened an independent insurance agency, State Insurance, in Otsego, Minnesota. The business serves all of Minnesota. 2003 Linnea Benton ’03 moved to Okinawa, Japan, with her husband who serves in the U.S. Navy. Her oldest child started kindergarten, and Benton, who graduated from Augsburg with a degree in English, volunteers in the school library to stay active in her field. 2004 Darin Rowle ’04, ’15 MSW accepted a manager role for the Department of Human Services HIV Program. Most recently, Rowle served JustUsHealth (formerly known as the Minnesota AIDS Project) as a director of prevention and coordinated care/integrated services. Rowle has more than 20 years of experience working with HIV-related concerns and helping people navigate complex social service and medical systems. of development at Fordham University School of Law. She and her family reside in Brooklyn, New York. They’re Auggie hockey stars, and they’re siblings. Meet Chris Johnson ’10, ’14 MAL and Megan Johnson ’19 in the story beginning on page 8. 2008 2013 Ben Katz ’08 produced a podcast mini-series for the New Yorker and New York Public Radio that tells the story of his wife investigating a family secret. Serial entrepreneur Brian Krohn ’08 demonstrates the breadth of diverse artisan endeavors in today’s economy. See story on page 19. 2005 MK Gibbs ’05 opened the Mary Katherine School, which is an early education center serving children and parents through infant, toddler, and preschool programs in Bloomington, Minnesota. 2009 Lisa Peterson ’09 is taking on additional leadership roles with the Northfield Area Chamber of Commerce as she transitions from serving as its director of tourism to her new position as chamber president. Peterson studied marketing and business administration at Augsburg. 2006 Ramsey County named Kari Collins ’06 director of community and economic development. Collins worked as a community development manager with the city of Roseville, Minnesota, since 2016. She previously served as an assistant to the city manager of Roseville and as zoning administrator and board secretary for the city of Milwaukee. Evelyn Tsen ’09 and her husband, Alec, welcomed a baby boy, Abraham Fenlason, on January 18. 2010 The Litchfield Independent Review reported that Brandon Begnaud ’10 organized a Christmas cantata, “The Glory of Christmas,” at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, Minnesota, where he serves as director of worship and music. A graduate of Augsburg’s music program, Begnaud recruited for, led, and participated in the pre-Christmas cantata that included a choir of 53 singers and 29 instrumentalists. 2007 Grant Hemmingsen ’07 and his wife, Kari, welcomed a baby girl, Quinn Joann, on January 26. Hemmingsen is the men’s basketball head coach at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Molly (Shortall) Kaszuba ’07 and her husband, Brian, welcomed a baby boy, Jack, this winter. Kaszuba is an associate director Augsburg biopsychology major Alix Young ’13 taught psychology for two years in China’s Guangdong province following graduation and opened the Brain and Psychophysiology Lab at United International College. Now living in Houston, Young is a coordinator of clinical studies at MD Anderson Cancer Center. 2016 Former Auggie women’s basketball player Abbey Luger ’16 teaches and coaches at Transfiguration School in Oakdale, Minnesota. 2017 Kaylee E. Gueltzow ’17 is teaching English in Germany through the Fulbright Program. She lives in Greifswald and is traveling throughout Europe. 2018 Ricki Larson ’18 is a fourth-grade teacher in her first year serving her home district. Billy Mzenga ’13 and his wife, Megan, turned their hand-crafted nut butters into a small business that supports nonprofits in Kenya. See story on page 19. Brothers Mustafa Adam ’18 and Shihab Adam ’22 were among four sets of siblings on the 2018–19 Augsburg football roster. See story on page 8. 2015 GRADUATE PROGRAMS Awale “Wally” Osman ’15 and Felecia Zahner ’15 served as keynote presenters at Augsburg University’s TRIO/SSS 50th Anniversary Celebration in November. More than 130 of the program’s students, supporters, and graduates attended the event, which included a reception and dinner. Osman is also a new member of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Community Leadership Network. He also serves as a community innovation program associate at the Bush Foundation and has received accolades from the Center for National Leaders, NAACP, TRIO, and the National Newman Civic Fellowship. Lekpea Kordah ’15 and Barinedum Kordah ’17 found that their brotherly bonds strengthened their Augsburg experience. See story on page 8. Carola Thorson ’07 MAL became the vice president of enrollment management at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, in September. Thorson served in several roles in Augsburg’s Admissions Department from 2003 to 2013, and she most recently was the executive director of admission and scholarships at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota. Physician assistant Sarah Pattison ’12 MSPAS joined the internal medicine department at Carris Health Clinic in Willmar, Minnesota, where she also assists in urgent care. She previously worked at High Point Family Practice in North Carolina. AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS Annika (Spargo) Eriksson ’09 and Carl Eriksson were married November 17 in Stillwater, Minnesota. ’09 Taneasha Muonio ’18 joined People’s Center Clinics and Services as a substance abuse program manager in May 2018. Just a few weeks before being hired, Muonio completed a case management internship at the People’s Center and earned her bachelor’s degree at Augsburg with a double major in biology and psychology. In her full-time role, ’18 ’09 ’18 28 AUGSBURG NOW ’01 ’05 ’13 ’87 Muonio serves 150 patients dealing with substance abuse concerns and works with doctors to integrate patients’ medical and behavioral health care. On November 11, Jill ’01 Mintz-Hoydl ’01 married Andrew Hoydl. Augsburg alumna Jeni (Eckman) Linnenberg ’01 [pictured, left] was in the wedding party. The Mintz-Hoydl family resides in Denver. ’05 Erika Hiland ’05 welcomed a baby girl in November. Shannon (Connaughton) Grindal ’13 and Erik Grindal ’13 welcomed a new baby who someday could be fourth-generation Auggie. ’13 Richard Bahr ’87 released a book about homelessness in Twin Cities. “Those People: The True Character of the Homeless” includes anecdotes about people with whom Bahr has worked and seeks to counter stereotypes and dispel myths about people experiencing homelessness. ’87 SPRING–SUMMER 2019 29 ALUMNI CLASS NOTES Tina (Anderson) Boe ’04 bought a home in Forest Lake, Minnesota, and works for Aveda as a distribution supervisor. Her daughters are 6 and 8 years old. In September, longtime friends [L to R] Mary (Boraas) Janotta ’73, Jill Steele ’72, Mary Lynn (Monson) Ogelsbee ’72, Lennice “Sparky” (Nordaune) Keefe ’72, and Julie (Hagberg) Swaggert ’73 traveled to upstate New York. The Augsburg alumnae once lived together in Chi House and have been traveling yearly since their graduation. A highlight of their most recent trip was visiting Niagara Falls. Augsburg Assistant Volleyball Coach Colleen (Ourada) Enrico ’14 and her husband, Zach Enrico ’12, welcomed a son, George, on May 23, 2018. In December, Susie (Emmert) Schatz ’09 MSW was named vice president and chief advocacy officer for St. Paul-based Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. Schatz now oversees state and national advocacy initiatives for the organization. Schatz joined LSS nine years ago as an advocacy manager, and she has received numerous accolades for her work, including the LSS CEO Leadership Award. Since 2011, Schatz has served as an adjunct instructor at Augsburg. This fall, Tina Nguyen ’08 and her fiancé helped connect more than 250 people at Minneapolis’ Franklin-Hiawatha homeless encampment with supplies and blankets. Nguyen also served on the Augsburg University Alumni Board. Allyson (Ruedy) Dooley ’13 and Eric Dooley ’13 welcomed twin boys in February named Jason Timothy and Lucas Anthony. Arianna Genis ’13 was the campaign manager for Jeremiah Ellison for Minneapolis City Council. Currently, she’s merging both her creative and political skills at Wellstone Action as a deputy communications director. Genis also creates a podcast, “Latina Theory,” to unite the voices of Latinx people in Minnesota. Kevin Butcher ’13 and Kacie Lucchini ’13 were married on August 18 at Surly Brewing’s Beer Hall in Minneapolis. Connor Krenik ’13 married the couple, who celebrated alongside family, friends, and fellow Auggies. The newlyweds live in south Minneapolis as they both pursue graduate school at the University of Minnesota. This fall, Reginaldo HaslettMarroquin ’03 received a lifetime Ashoka Fellowship for social entrepreneurship. A graduate of Augsburg’s business administration and management program, Haslett-Marroquin is the principal architect of a poultry-centered regenerative agriculture model. As part of his new role with the Ashoka organization, Haslett-Marroquin contributed to a commentary on nonlinear farming that was published in Forbes in October. AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS Leah (Jacobson) Soland ’12 and Cody Soland were married this November in Owatonna, Minnesota. Leah graduated from Augsburg with a bachelor’s degree in social work. 30 AUGSBURG NOW Alom (Martinez-Aleman) Walters ’13 and her husband, Seth, welcomed a baby boy, Søren James, in October. Former head coaches [L to R] John Grygelko and Jeff Swenson ’79 were among more than 200 attendees at the Augsburg wrestling program’s 70th anniversary celebration held this February. The reunion took place the same evening as Augsburg’s meet against rival Wartburg College—a competition known as the Battle of the Burgs. Anna (Ferguson) Rendell ’05 released a new book titled “Pumpkin Spice for Your Soul: 25 Devotions for Autumn.” This is her third book featuring devotionals for women and moms. Greg Schnagl ’91 published the book “Not My First Classroom: A Guide to Supporting Experienced Teachers in New Roles.” Schnagl earned a bachelor’s degree in business management at Augsburg and also holds master’s and doctoral degrees in education. He is the founder and owner of TeacherCentricity, which supports experienced educators. Schnagl is married to Molly (Fochtman) Schnagl ’92. Lauren Webber ’14 welcomed a baby boy in November. “MN Original,” an Emmy Awardwinning program produced by Twin Cities PBS, featured Alison Price ’08 and her painting series “Witnessing Waves” in an episode that aired in November. The artwork was created during her undergraduate years at Augsburg and was inspired by the trees of the Mississippi River gorge. SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE Tell us about the news in your life—your new job, move, marriage, and milestones. Visit augsburg.edu/now to submit your announcements. Augsburg alumni [L to R] Dave Ogren ’91 MAL and Eric Galler ’91 MAL visited Devils Tower, Wyoming, this October and participated in the KannonFall Charity Fun Rally. Devoney Looser ’89 visited Augsburg University in February to discuss her new book, “The Making of Jane Austen.” Looser, who was featured in the Fall 2018 issue of Augsburg Now, returned to campus for two days to meet with faculty and students. She is a professor at Arizona State University. SPRING–SUMMER 2019 31 Celebrate 150 years of Augsburg and launch another 150 years of Auggie legacies. IN MEMORIAM Gertrude E. (Larson) Franzen ’43, Hastings, Nebraska, age 97, on February 1. Marlys A. (Backlund) Morland ’54, Newberg, Oregon, age 88, on November 19. Thomas A. Steenberg ’58, Missoula, Montana, age 83, on October 20. Milton L. Anderson ’44, Willmar, Minnesota, age 96, on October 29. Grace M. (Larson) Anderson ’55, University Place, Washington, age 85, on September 22. Paul H. Almquist ’59, Edina, Minnesota, age 81, on November 7. Arnulf Maeland ’55, Royal Palm Beach, Florida, age 85, on February 7. Harry C. Collin ’60, Gold Canyon, Arizona, age 86, on December 21. Lorna M. (Wilberg) Sanders ’47, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, age 93, on November 20. Jeroy C. Carlson ’48, Edina, Minnesota, age 95, on November 20. James C. Record ’55, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 85, on May 20. Lorraine “Lee” M. (Gimmestad) Clyne ’48, Coldwater, Michigan, age 92, on November 19. Jeanette I. (Olson) Locke ’57, Lakeland, Minnesota, age 83, on February 10. Llewellyn “Llew” (Rustad) Smith ’48, Twentynine Palms, California, age 90, in August. John H. Olson ’57, Richfield, Minnesota, age 88, on October 31. Jean (Christenson) Sverdrup ’49, Edina, Minnesota, age 91, on September 12. Einar D. Unseth ’51, Lester Prairie, Minnesota, age 93, on January 2. Harvey M. Peterson ’52, Minneapolis, age 91, on December 10. Joan E. (Carlberg) Nordenstrom ’53, Cambridge, Minnesota, age 87, on September 8. Lowell H. Kleven ’54, Golden Valley, Minnesota, age 86, on October 11. 32 AUGSBURG NOW Gudwren “Goodie” L. (Ellingson) Belkholm ’58, Ogilvie, Minnesota, age 86, on January 20. Kenneth J. Belkholm ’58, Ogilvie, Minnesota, age 90, on January 28. Roger R. Brandt ’58, Sonoma, California, age 82, on January 8. Mabeth L. (Saure) Gyllstrom ’58, Minneapolis, age 82, on September 22. Betty J. (Johnson) Hass ’58, Rio Rancho, New Mexico, age 82, on November 4. Carl L. Hellzen ’58, Litchfield, Minnesota, age 83, on January 24. Gerald “Jerry” E. Hendricks ’60, Watertown, Minnesota, age 81, on December 10. Edward J. Olson ’60, Mauston, Wisconsin, age 86, on January 3. David G. Torgerson ’60, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 84, on April 9. Russell D. Osterberg ’63, Alexandria, Minnesota, age 82, on October 1. Jeffrey H. Barbour ’70, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 71, on January 27. Mary K. Ratzlaff ’74, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 66, on September 26. Elin K. Ohlsson ’77, Edina, Minnesota, age 63, on June 19. Francine B. Chakolis ’78, Minneapolis, age 73, on January 15. Carol L. (Watson) Saunders ’79, St. Paul, Minnesota, age 72, on November 1. Bonnie R. (Lindgren) Reeb ’81, Willmar, Minnesota, age 60, on October 3. Jeffrey C. Yue ’81, Wayzata, Minnesota, age 59, on January 10. Henry F. Groth ’64, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, age 77, on August 31. Bob S. Dayton ’90, Maplewood, Minnesota, age 52, on November 26. Diane K. (Rife) Notch ’64, Northfield, Minnesota, age 77, on November 28. Julie A. Tanner Fischer ’92, Minneapolis, age 48, on January 19. Dwight J. O’Bert ’66, Minneapolis, age 74, on February 4. George “Bruce” B. Sorrells ’07, Minneapolis, age 60, January 11. Lois A. (Barnaal) Ryan ’67, Lilburn, Georgia, age 73, on January 7. Frances E. Cleveland ’10, Minneapolis, age 48, on November 18. Linda D. (Letnes) Lewis ’69, Hastings, Minnesota, age 71, on January 3. + The “In memoriam” listings in this publication include notifications received before March 1. Attract future leaders and eliminate barriers so more students can thrive at Augsburg and explore their vocations. Give any amount to the Sesquicentennial Scholarship to support students in financial need. augsburg.edu/giving Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID PHOTO BY DON STONER 2211 Riverside Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55454 Twin Cities, MN Permit No. 2031 Auggies win 13th national wrestling title In March, the Augsburg University wrestling team claimed its 13th NCAA Division III national championship, winning all four of its individual national title bouts. Seven Auggies earned All-American honors in the finals of the national tournament. Visit augsburg.edu/now to learn more about the university’s national tournament win.
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Title: Murphy Square 2019: Murphy Square Literary Magazine
Collection: Literary Journals
Search Result: ISSUE 44 2 019 MURPHY SQUARE LITERARY MAGAZINE AUGSBURG UNIVERSIT Y SQUARE Copyright © 2019 Do not copy or redistribute without permission. All rights reserved. Printed on 100% post-consumer waste Cover design and layout by Megan Johnson “Here we are, trapped in the amber of the momen...
Show more ISSUE 44 2 019 MURPHY SQUARE LITERARY MAGAZINE AUGSBURG UNIVERSIT Y SQUARE Copyright © 2019 Do not copy or redistribute without permission. All rights reserved. Printed on 100% post-consumer waste Cover design and layout by Megan Johnson “Here we are, trapped in the amber of the moment. There is no why.” - Kurt Vonnegut special thanks to Augsburg University Day Student Government Augsburg University English Department Augsburg University Art Department The Echo Bookmobile editoral board Gabriel Benson, Editor in Chief Sonja Mischke, Associate Editor Megan Johnson, Designer Doug Green, Faculty Advisor Lindsay Starck, Faculty Advisor art editors Rachel Brown Olivia Fitch Rachel Lindo Jen Meinhardt Rachel Thell poetry editors Rachel Brown Abigail Eck Jen Kochaver Yoko Kofuji Rachel Lindo Gabriela Lucía Ryan Moore Emilie Tomas prose editors Julia Charron Abigail Eck Jen Kochaver Rachel Lindo Gabriela Lucía Jen Meinhardt Jessica Mendoza Ryan Moore Morning 3 ON THE USS ALBATROSS by D.E. Green 5 ODE TO MANGOS by Saira Montes Moore 7 UNTITLED by Bridgette Boone 10 TEGUCIGALPA bY Sarah Degner Riveros 11 TEGUCIGALPA by Sarah Degner Riveros 13 16 22 ELAINE RAMSEYER, DAYAMPUR FARMS, CARBONDALE, IL by Grant Berg 23 PERPENDICULAR by Julia Charron 25 AFTER CHARLOTTESVILLE by John Weirick 29 I WILL GIVE BIRTH TO AN EGG by Rachel Lindo 29 CONFLUENCE by Clara Higgins 33 ROCK AND ROOT by John Weirick 34 DAVID by Daniella Clayton 35 HAIL MARY by Kalie Havener ROSA by Saira Montes Moore MANIAC! by Ava Fojtik 17 THREE HEADED SELF PORTRAIT by Ani Cassellius 19 SHE TASTED OF GRIEF by Abigail Eck Noon 42 DAZZLE by Ava Fojtik 57 STORY OF A BROKEN GIRL by 43 NOT A LOVE POEM BUT DEFINITELY Gabby Brooke SOMETHING by Terrence 63 BETWEEN BORDERS by Saira Shambley Jr. Montes Moore 47 BREEZE by John Weirick 65 FREEDOM AND TENSION by Ani Cassellius 49 STORMS AND HOUSES by Rachel Brown 67 GLENN ELEMENTARY, 2 PM by Allison 50 ALMOST EDIBLE by Ava Fojtik 51 REVENGE OF THE SOLENOPSIS by Rachel Lindo 53 POISONED SOIL by Kathryn Graham 55 RIVER KIDS, DAYEMPUR FARMS, CARBONDALE, IL by Grant Berg Uselman 75 UNTITLED by Bridgette Boone 77 TEOTIHUÁCAN, CIUDAD DE LOS DIOSES by Sarah Degner Riveros 80 TEOTIHUÁCAN by Sarah Degner Riveros 81 SOLITUDE by Jen Meinhardt 83 TAKE A DEEP BREATH by D.E. Green 84 FANTASY by Nou-Chee Chang 85 BIG MUDDY MIKE WASHING DOLLY, ST. LOUIS, MO by Grant Berg 87 I AM NOT DECEIVED by Rachel Brown 89 HOLDING ON by Saira Montes Moore night 95 NAKED IN THE NIGHTTIME by Anders Sateren 121 STRANGER by Jen Meinhardt 103 A WARM PLACE TO SLEEP by Jen Meinhardt 123 FRIENDLY by Kathryn Graham 105 IDENTITY CIRCLE IN 3 PARTS, ENDING 125 DAD by Jen Meinhardt WITH A TREK THROUGH THE ANTARCTIC 129 LIFE OF A DESIGNER by Nou-Chee DESERT by Terrence Shambley Jr. 109 MICKEY by Melissa Flores 111 LIES MY DRUG-DEALER TOLD ME by Michael Levine 115 WORRY by Daniella Clayton 118 THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS by Meredith Chang 131 I AM AN ALCHEMIST by Jen Meinhardt 131 A DATE WITH DEATH by Carson Hughes 141 LIGHTS IN THE DARK by Elizabeth Ihekoronye 143 PERCOLATING by Gabriela Lucía 145 AMERICAN ECSTASY by D.E. Green Carstens 119 THE STREETLIGHTER by Gabriela Lucía 147 BULLETS, CARDBOARD, AND SLOBBER by Carson Hughes 153 MY DAD WAS[N’T] AN UNCAUGHT SERIAL KILLER by Jen Meinhardt 155 STAGES OF SLEEP by Gabriela Lucía 157 SUMMER NIGHT HAIKU by Rachel Brown Morning 16 On the USS Albatross D. E . G R E E N This is our ship We will lose our way various as a city our fragile home intimate as a village each other and ourselves less like a nation more like a world But this is our ship with all the possibilities We do not have to drown of neighbor and friend nor to die of thirst on these ironic waters This is our ship We can traverse these seas together swift in the currents winds behind us but in frigid seas This is our ship and dark wintry North We do not need another it grinds through We will not get another excruciating ice Together we can reach our ports of call This is our ship This is our ship We will not get another If we cannot pull together our lips will dry and split our tongues crack and swell our ears blister shut 4 Ode to Mangos SA I RA M O NT E S M O O R E your skin so soft and gentle don’t call me jealous I remember every time but not everyone can appreciate I get to taste your warmth in sweet and caring are you the humid summer nights let me unwrap you all I wish is to with your sweetness dripping be with you all year long you leave me with color no matter the color of the leaves my face flush and sticky or the coldness of my apartment everyone around is envious it’s hard in your absence when I’m with you no song floats in the air how can you let others no other can replace caress you? what we will always have tell me, will you be with me tonight? 6 7 B R I D G ET T E BO O N E Untitled 8 Tegucigalpa SA RA H D E G N E R R I V E RO S Al no verte, te imagino. Although I don’t see you, I imagine you. “Entre las montañas” anuncia tu nombre. “Between mountains,” announces your name. Los gallos cantan tu amanecer, y te rondan The roosters sing your dawn, and trucks camiones sin mufle en tus calles. Without mufflers circle about your streets. The metal roofs frame out the pink houses Los techos de acero encuadran tus casas In the first light of day, their whiteness rositas en la primera luz del día, Blindingly brilliant in the sun. su blancura alumbrante en el sol. And between blocks made of cement, Y entre cuadras de cemento, I feel what lies rooted beneath. siento lo que radica abajo. You tread on the earth with your profound feet, Pisas la tierra con tus pies profundos. In your towns, I have seen the mud En tus pueblos he visto el lodo Of your entrails, the free breeze de tus entrañas, la brisa libre Of the hills crowned by your palm trees. del cerro que encabellan tus palmeras. Beneath all this civilization Por debajo de toda esta civilización, There you are, the lifeblood of the town, allí estás vos, la sangre del pueblo, The River Choluteca. el Río Choluteca. Teguzgalpa, te llamabas, Teguzgalpa, you were called back then, cuando todavía se veía When the reddish mud could still be glimpsed entre tus fundamentos el lodo rojizo. Amidst your foundations. Te rodeaban los cerros de plata, Silver hills surrounded you, coronados de cedro, caoba, y guayabo. Crowned with cedar, mahogany, and guava trees. Todavía se siente el aire de tu selva pluvial. Your rain forest can still be felt in the air. Tegucigalpa, although I don’t see you, I imagine you. Tegucigalpa, al no verte, te imagino. 10 11 SA RA H D E G N E R R I V E RO S Tegucigalpa 12 SA I RA M O NT E S M O O R E Rosa I n the mercado everything holds color. The yellow on the kitchen wall, pots where the frijoles cook for of sunflowers vibrates on the hand-painted toys. hours, and beautiful mugs. Now these mugs, the ones Dulces wrapped in red, yes it will be spicy. Anything dripped with glaze on the inside, are the best for a you could want lives in mercados. The fruits are fresh. chocolate caliente and pan dulce when the sun retires Vendors say, “Ovas, una caja por cuarto! Prueba!” You and the crickets chirp. listen to the vendor, usually a man with kind eyes and you take the grape (you always do). Its skin taut with with such love and care (like everything is here). The the promise of relief and you find yourself with a box salsa for the tacos is always spicier than the merchants of them. It is fine, it is only four dollars. The best smells live here, la comida is made confess. “Pica esa salsa verde?” “No, no pica,” but it is The pottery is handmade with cariño and sits always spicier than they let on. La gente drizzle that on white tablecloth. It drips with glaze that shines in salsa verde and noses soon run. The aguas frescas the sun. All kinds of pottery, small lizards that hang are swallowed down burning throats. Antojitos are 13 sold in abundance. There is nothing you can’t find in el asks, “Cual quieres mija?” She looks, with such focus mercado. Here in the mercado we find her, amid the that children rarely hold, at all the alebrijes. She ignores sellers of pottery and food, amid the mugs with color the ones that cost siete. She knows her dad will buy dripped on them and the salsa que no pica. one that’s siete but she also knows how money seems to disappear quickly and quietly. So many to choose She loves the mercado for these reasons. The from, animals and non animals, all colors that god has colors are her blanket, her relief in this heat. She is safe created sit on the alebrijes skin. here, among her people, among memories of what she once knew. Here people do not look at her when she speaks to her ama in the language her ancestors were thinks, which do I want? Which alebrije will sleep next forced to learn. Here she can wander around, look at to me and ama? Her dreams wake her, when the night the alebrijes that she so much loves, here she is safe. is silent and the air is stiff with knowledge. Which will be Cual quieres? That’s a good question, she able to protect me from nightmares of that night? The She and her papa are standing in the middle burden Rosa carries is much too heavy for a child. It of the mercado, between all vendors and colors. He’s manifests where she cannot escape, her sueños. a man whose hands are rough with labor and life filled with love. Eyes dark brown, with wrinkles that wink at you, and make you feel warm. It is Friday, the end of the from the night Rosa and her padres came. How dark quincena, when money seems plentiful. The mercado and cold it was, in the desert at night. Her ama gave is busy, everyone buying what they need and what her the last of their water. Rosa, the girl with braids and they don’t. Her papa wanted to surprise her with a new focus to what others cannot see, did not know hunger addition to her collection. So they stand in the heat of there but she knew pain (it was a different pain, one the midday, her eyes big, sweat on her forehead. that she could not see, a pain that nestled itself into It is hard for her to separate her nightmares her tummy). She knew how hungry her parents were. She stares at them in awe. Their heads She saw the light from her papa’s eyes become dull. bobble. Up, down, up, down. Left to right. Her dad asks, She saw how her ama was always careful never to be “Cuanto?” The man with skin loved by the sun replies, alone. The men who led the group were not good “Cinco, y estos—” he moves to his left and points at men, neither was the land forgiving. Do not complain, the more carefully painted alebrijes, “A siete.” Her papa her padres made her promise. She still has not broken 14 SAIRA MONTES MOORE | ROSA it. Rosa saw many things, pobrecita. one of the ugliest pig/not pig things that he had ever seen but Rosa sees what others cannot. She knows In her dreams, she walks the desert alone. There are no no one will take him, he’s a beautiful pig in his own sounds, just the thumping of her heart in her ears. Her right but will not sell. He’ll be there, on the tablecloth, feet, so tired. The landscape never ending. The earth heat beating down on him for months maybe, alone. feels dead, only the restless souls of those who did not Two lovely creatures, Rosa and the puerco will find make it are stuck here with her. They cry and hope that kinship instead of loneliness. He will keep her sueños she, a beautiful child, will make it out and grow like the away some nights, and that is enough. “Aye que feo, cactus flower in a desert. She is their cactus flower. si lo quieres?” Is she sure she wants this ugly pig? “Si!” Be careful of the snakes, the bad men told He laughs, what an ugly pig! She likes when he laughs her. In her dreams she is also careful of the snakes. She because she can see papa’s gold tooth. does not know what will happen if they bite her. There is no color, just the shadows playing tricks and objects wrapped up. It’s hot, they all know it. They look up on melting into others. “I do not want to die here,” are her occasion, hoping to see a cloud close by, hoping. None only thoughts. Like the cactus flower, maybe she will come. The girl feels the sun, how it seeks to touch spend her whole life here. Her (re)birth, her blooming, more than her exposed neck. She wishes this moment her death. She always wakes next to her ama and papa, won’t end. She’ll be okay with standing here, focused safe. The alebrijes, animal and non animal are there on the alebrijes, watching how their heads bobble too, on the windowsill. Her papa tells her que todo va with the absent wind. Standing with her papa, with the estar bien, we’ll never do it again. Who will protect her? They stand by the vendor while the pig gets vendor whose skin was loved by the sun and her new So many to choose from. Animal and non puerco wrapped in newspaper. animal. Rosa, her soul now many years old, finally decides, “Quiero este!” She points to the one in the middle. Her dad looks, and wonders for a minute, Que es eso? What is it? It looks like an animal. Rosa sees her dad’s confusion. “Es un puerco, papa.” A pig. A pig that does not look like a pig. It was honestly 15 Here, I will repeat again, she is safe. AVA FOJTIK Maniac! 16 ANI CASSELLIUS Three Headed Self Portrait 17 18 She Tasted of Grief ABIGAIL ECK I live among ghosts. I can feel them there, all the time. Listening, sitting in the rocking chair as I read poetry aloud to them, looking at me patiently as I take breaks to absorb sections, coming over to lean on my shoulder when I close my eyes. They are strangers and loved ones alike, peering in curiously as I tend to my plants and then vanishing, popping in if I mention a name that they are connected to, stopping to smell the mint and the incense and enjoying the fires I light for them on the coffee table. I am - not quite afraid, but I am buzzing, anxious. It is just under the surface, all the time - that pull of the connection, to the spirits that show up around me. In this, I have become more aware, that when I close my eyes, I can feel something within me - my spirit, my soul, the ants that creep along my veins They are trying to detach from my physical being, become moths to force their way out of my pores, and the only thing keeping me anchored is the cat lying on my hips, the only thing keeping me rooted her steady breathing to remind me of her living heart. In this, someone - perhaps, myself - has pried apart my ribs so that my heart and lungs are out in the open, panting, beating, desperately gulping in air and blood, and I am exposed and aware of everything I can feel the oil under my skin, pooling in my elbows and my left hip, circling around my spine and my throat and attempting to creep up up up to join with the dark something that sits in my mid-left-frontal Cortex And in all of this people tell you to conquer your biggest fear, but how the fuck are you supposed to conquer it when that fear is the death of a loved one? Nineteen, and, just like, that he is gone. No one is supposed to be fatherless at nineteen, at eighteen, at twelve - and yet this is all across the world, these griefs and sufferings. It was impossible for me to imagine a world without him, but now - it’s my reality, and it feels more like a dream 20 ABIGAIL ECK | SHE TASTED OF GRIEF And then, it is almost fascinating, how quickly a heart can be snuffed out of this world. They find a trapped mouse, still alive on its trap, slowly dying of starvation, dehydration, of the twisted position it is stuck in, and there are choruses of ewwww and oh my gosh! Gross! They discuss what to do with it - and it is going to die, no matter the conversation I listen to, no doubt about that. I can feel the mouse, though, and I am struck silent - I can feel her spirit seeping away, the quiet struggle and the unknown acceptance, my heart matching hers (it is a female, I know it, somehow), and I feel like collapsing in sorrow for another life(s) gone. I can’t stand it, now, the consistent death of people and animals, guns and bullets senselessly taking lives, human cruelty destroying more and more of the world every day. It is morning, and I am mourning again. All I want is to feel alive, in this dead world of spirits and the creeping fingers of death, always reaching, reaching. I am Itching for my body to bloom - bloom with ink, spiraling out of my skin in all the just-hidden places, to make physical my thoughts and aches and pains. At least this is something I can control, right? And, Among all of / the spirits /death / anger / sorrow / denial / grief / loss / ants / sympathy / flowers / writing / of / the / obituary / guns / money / signatures / the / ghost / in / the / passenger / seat / don’t / you / see / her / ? / the / hand / that / rests / on / my / shoulder / the / pictures / voicemails / almost / deleted / ink / skin / cigarettes / candles / cats / and / mice / fears / and / truths / - / - / . / . / . / / I / hold / my / fingers / to / my / throat / to / check / that / my / heart / is / still / beating / - / / and / all / is / - / / quiet / . / 21 G RANT BE RG Elaine Ramseyer, Dayampur Farms, Carbondale, IL 22 Perpendicular JULIA CHARRON Even in the quiet of the morning there are people on the sidewalks and cars on the streets. When did the World start to feel so empty, so cavernous? It’s impossible for me to decipher whether it was them or me that began to ignore the other. Perhaps, at a point of intersection we agreed to exist outside one another, and carried on- perpendicularly. The wind is the only direction I can find- although fickle and inconstant. I hear it whisper through the trees and I find more meaning in the leaves than in the voices of any person around. It is me and it is them and I am lonely. But I’d rather be completely empty than feel just short of whole. I can only wait and hope that the quiet emptiness pacifies my bleeding mind. 24 After Charlottesville JOHN WEIRICK “This isn’t America” shouts echo off buildings and blood-stained pavement. “Racism has no place here” confidently declared from states near and far connected long ago by railroads built by Chinese laborers over water and soil abducted from the only non-immigrants the land has known. “Society is equal now” say those whose families once owned other human beings. “Racism is still a problem” cry the families who lived by the law only to lose unarmed sons to bad apples that continue to fall from the diseased tree. “We will not be replaced” shout those whose forebears have never lacked opportunity only grace. “You can’t erase history” protesting removal as if the line vanished between remembering history and memorializing its demons. 26 42 JOHN WEIRICK | AFTER CHARLOTTESVILLE Voices pile up like dry grass and we all carry flames. When will we set down torches and talk through the night catching glimpses of each other’s ragged humanity? After we pause once naïve now ignorant refrains of “All lives matter” baptized well-meaning cliches and meager attempts if any of empathy. “Shut up about Charlottesville” he reminds himself for his prompt opining feels true until he steps beyond the echo chamber humbled yet welcomed to those night talks where he finds his place which today is to listen. And then what? 28 I Will Give Birth to an Egg RA C H E L L I N D O No matter how much time the traveler spends as she attempts to invent a wild contraption to give herself and her friend, a witch, time-and-space whiplash or how many times the witch summons a spell that won’t give them split ends, they always end up at a movie theatre. The time traveler sat down next to the witch at a bench outside, both an hour early to a movie they managed to be two hours late to. Thanks to the traveler’s mother who also bends space and time like pipe cleaners. Before the movie can even dance with British action movie stars, the mother calls. The traveler’s father once told his daughter, while he stood in the middle of their clustered time machine, Your mother is going to have a bird. Before the traveler answers the call, her hair a wild mass thanks to the flawed witch’s spell, she yells, I will give birth to an egg! The phone vibrates and cracks the witch’s last-minute incantation made to save their chances at seeing the film. While the mother sprouts a kuku bird over the kitchen floors that the traveler scrubbed clean that aren’t clean enough, the witch closes her eyes and prays for the traveler to smash her egg on the kitchen’s tile to fly. 30 C L A RA H I G G I N S Confluence 31 32 Rock and root, glistening slick from night’s refreshment. Away from rain-shy crowds JOHN WEIRICK Rock and Root left at the rolling hills. Higher in, peaceful fog, the cover of wistful solitude. The forest’s silence broken only by distant planes, brutish trains, and emergence of human voice, strained. In morning’s solace, nothing clearer. Steady footing a luxury, light and swift on narrow paths. Mountain’s peace, effort’s reward. DAN I E L L A C L AY TO N David 34 KALIE HAVENER Hail Mary A damp, crumpled yellow piece of notepad still clutching the yellow paper. Grandma Mary had paper was being passed around the stuffy written her dying wishes so openly and honestly, and hospice room among my aunts, uncles, and her tender words were just too much to handle right cousins. It was the middle of March, and unseasonably now. I read her words over and over, and before long I warm. I sat cross-legged on the sticky floor, out of walked back to the room, and no one commented on the way and quietly writing in the visitor’s journal that my absence. I was just in time to hear my aunt retelling the nurses claimed to read to my dying grandmother the story of how she discovered the yellow paper every night. The wrinkly sheet finally made it into my when she was cleaning Gram’s little back bedroom. In sweaty palms, and I immediately felt her words pull at a twisted sort of way I think we were all thankful she a soft spot inside me: Carry a rose down the aisle for was not conscious right now. The nurses told us each me, and I will carry you in my heart. time she woke up she asked them when she was going home. I don’t think any of us would have had the heart Growing up I always hid boyfriends, tattoos, to tell her she would never be returning to her cardinal piercings, and underage drinking from my family, red cottage on West Road. and yet here I was having a raw moment with them watching me. Feeling unhinged by my sudden onset of tears, I peeled myself off the ground and swiftly left, Catholic Church. It had been a month since I held 35 The tolling bells rang out above Saint Joseph’s that yellow paper with my Gram’s words, her final like wisps became brown barrel curls precariously thoughts recorded in shaky handwriting. The whole pinned up around her neck. She held a single rose. church was filled with clean white candles. There were white calla lilies that looked like tiny upside-down and those around me were laying sniffling heads wedding gowns, delicate yellow layered roses like the on shoulders and clutching the arms of loved ones. pages of an old Bible, and the belles of Ireland which Father Mark was wearing his vast robes of shiny gold were skinny finger-like stems with a knot of a flower and white that stretched across his giant frame along on each joint with a tiny white blossom inside. The with black loafers that prayed for mercy while they choir voices picked up where the bells left off, and I groaned in the silent church with each step he took. let out a deep breath as I walked forward and picked My cousin whispered something about how the Priest up a single rose and held it in my hand as I followed was crying, but I knew better. Father Mark’s massive Gram’s casket into the church. I smiled into the rose body was glistening with what could have only been and thought about the story she told me right before the Holy Spirit, and he dabbed his face not for tears— I graduated high school. but for sweat. He made his way to the podium and I closed my eyes, and the two of us were in began to speak. her sitting room, sun illuminating the crystal prisms that dangled delicately from her sparkling windows. back to school to support them when her husband of us was sitting in a squishy armchair. died of cancer in 1968.” “You know, Kalie-Illa, when I was graduating from Catholic school they had a ceremony too,” My grandparents met through letters in World War Two. Grandma had been writing to her beau at Gram said. “Sometimes being nervous is a good thing. the time, and at his insistence she wrote letters to his It means you really care about what is to come.” “Mary loved her family and friends and her faith. She went on to raise six kids on her own and went The heavy scent of flowery tea filled the air, and each I took a seat on the glossy wooden bench, friend who didn’t have a girl back home. Grandpa fell I was picturing her at eighteen. Her knobby in love with her through her letters, and when they hands that held coupons and bills before me were walked down the aisle she held white calla lilies. It is now covered in elbow-length white satin gloves. The because of this story that I believe in the power of heated blanket that covered her legs was replaced by writing and the power in my own words. a gown with a white tulle skirt. Gram’s silvery moon36 KALIE HAVENER | HAIL MARY fallen queen by her devoted disciples. Mom squeezed my arm and asked if I was okay. She was handing me a tissue but raised an eyebrow once she saw my dry face. I told her I was The fresh smell of the flowers inside the church was replaced by the earthy scent of wet pavement in fine. I honestly couldn’t bring myself to cry. Maybe the parking lot we had to cross in order to get to the Father Mark and his script of sympathy wasn’t doing muddy graveyard. It was drizzling over my curly red it for me. I felt as though I should cry… if I was going to hair, but I didn’t worry about it frizzing. The slick mud make a big emotional scene, this was the time where clung to my black velvet heels. My family members it would be most acceptable—even welcomed. And were weeping all around me as we made our way to yet here I was coming up empty in the emotions the open wound in the ground. So this is where Gram’s department. Soon it was over, and the choir began to body is going to lie from now on? I shifted my weight sing once more. from foot to foot in order to steady myself on the We were once again back at the entrance hall, uneven hollow ground. The ground groaned in protest with its candles burning brightly and flowers spread as if to say, “Hey! It’s not that bad here!” My Gram, the all over like an Irish garden. I looked at my family so light of my life, was going to be buried beneath this distraught and I felt out of place, but what else is crooked red headstone and sloshy wet grass. Father new? I touched the little green-looped ribbon with a Mark had sent his assistant out to say his blessings. blossom in the middle that I made into a pin. I stayed up all night making them for Gram, amid bottles of “So he was too fat to walk thirty feet!” I heard my uncle’s voice griping beneath his bushy beard. It alcohol and old Irish pub tunes she used to sing to me. had been Gram’s dying wish that Father Mark lead the I made enough so everyone could wear green in her funeral procession, and he couldn’t be bothered to honor. My little Irish grandma, who celebrated Saint bury her in the rain, apparently. Patrick’s Day religiously and always made sure we had enough shamrock-shaped cookies to last all spring, was buried wearing a soft green ribbon pinned over skinnier and dressed in street clothes led the Hail her heart. The pall bearers now had the casket once Mary: “Hail Mary full of grace! The Lord is with thee…” He more and were making their way up the aisle, and rushed through this, and said some quickly thought- we all fell silent. I moved out of the way and stood by of condolences and ushered us to come forward with myself, and I smiled. This was her final time making her our final goodbyes. My cousin lay spread-eagle over way through a church aisle, and she was carried like a the casket, and I looked down at the charm bracelet 37 The second-hand priest who was much hugging my wrist. life and death. Gram and I loved to speculate about the deeper meanings of dreams, and so she indulged Once again I was back in her warm cottage, me with this gem. steamy tea billowing out around us causing the whole room to look misty. Gram asked me to reach for a catalogue. It had fallen by the wayside from the in my childhood bedroom but I can’t find the light fortress that was her great brown leather rocking chair. switch.” Gram coughed painfully and her body lurched Her hands grabbed the catalogue from me, her skin as forward and she made to hide the blood that came up thin as crepe paper. in her lily white handkerchief. I winced. Gram carried on as if nothing happened. “Now, Kalie-Illa, I want you to pick out something from here, my treat!” “Well, Kalie-Illa, I keep dreaming that I am “It seems funny I wouldn’t be able to find the light switch in the home I grew up in. I don’t know what I knew money was tight, and I didn’t want to it means but I have had this dream every single night be the reason she didn’t have something she truly since I came here,” Gram told me. needed. Gram was so excited though, and in the end I settled on a silver charm bracelet with shamrocks and tiny silver keys. was rising, and the light spilled over everything like a Gram passed on Easter morning as the sun golden halo. When I woke up that morning, I saw that I continued to look down at the charm my light switch had been unexplainably turned on, and bracelet, on display in a very different atmosphere, I smiled, knowing she had finally finished her dream. and I wondered if Gram knew one day I would wear it to her funeral. I spun it around and it made a tinkling sound, as if it were laughing, and it drowned out the memories carrying me and keeping me safe. As long weeping around me. I couldn’t help but think about as I have the memories, I never really have to say what she told me before she passed. This was the last goodbye to her. I walked toward her casket, my long time we spoke, when she first entered the hospice lace shawl swishing in between the raindrops as I did and the pain wasn’t bad enough for them to increase so. I placed my hand on the smooth mahogany wood, her doses of morphine. the bracelet tinkling along as I reached for a single Though it was her funeral now, I felt the rose. I was squeezing her hand one last time. The burial The hospice walls were listening in on us. The was over, and we slowly drifted away. walls were saturated with the secrets uttered between 38 54 Noon 56 AVA FOJTIK Dazzle 42 Not a Love Poem but Definitely Something T E R R E N C E S H A M B L E Y J R. You look good in my sloppy camo sweater. I lent it hoping it would catch your aroma the only part of your ugly ass that isn’t bitter. Girl, if you don’t get yo ole talk so loud on the phone booming at your mom so steady while we in the library and students studying ole one word response ole Crimson Chin forehead ole too cool to show teeth in your pictures but when you do smile make me wanna get my life together Ole when I ask you what is this, you say What do you mean? and I say what is this you kill it all with a damn nigga I can’t just come sit next to you? Ole always wanna be in my space ole too strong to send a I miss you text ole fat nose bean neck peanut head ole seem too disinterested to send a come thru text ole cute belly gloss skin clout eyes 44 60 TERRENCE SHAMBLEY JR. | NOT A LOVE POEM BUT DEFINITELY SOMETHING ole I don’t have an answer for you right now Ole why you assuming I was on that when I was just asking but you too slick to answer a goddamn question girl I barely know you but when we together I feel so settle I write poems after and air more than I should. 46 Breeze JOHN WEIRICK Sore. that kind of contribution? Did you ever think you would feel so sorely ready Well, for that summer breeze did you expect it to turn out that whipped up dust and grass clippings well after you spoke your mind the day you packed your books and trinkets at lunch and all the extra notepads and everyone was silent? with your name next to theirs There’s not enough vinaigrette to (too many notepads to just throw away), cover the wilted arugula and sour tomatoes, and you walked out the doors let alone your expired belonging. that used to unlock with your badge, But you are less concerned back when you had one? because you feel it again, that summer breeze, More. too hot to befriend— Bid adieu to any morsel where will it carry dry leaves of future memories you believed about when summer is gone? your contribution to the cause, like a volcanic island: heat, light, molten core spewing, relegated to slip down the rough mountainside into the ocean— 48 Storms don’t form they’re built like houses on gravel RA C H E L B RO W N Storms and Houses with bricks and white plaster cloistering the heavens. But houses aren’t homes they’re goods situated on beds of sand and engraved imprinted like pirate treasure lost in a sea of lifelong guarantees. Roses aren’t gifts they’re dust turning brown and crisp crushed by the weight of the sun in a vase in a house not a home. Roses are dust blowing in the storm that was built not formed. AVA FOJTIK Almost Edible 50 Revenge of the Solenopsis RA C H E L L I N D O Red ants stumbled past me and bit my pal Greg. Myself a survivor, I boasted. Greg told me I better harvest my luck during a luck famine. I panicked and threw off my shoes believing the red ants tore through the soles. My lungs were gnawed on. I forgot how to breathe and shook him, begging that he’d give me his lungs. He refused. I pushed his shoulders, like how an infant slapped his mother’s hand away when she airplane’d orange muck into his mouth. Our struggle needed an audience and Hermes arrived, but not for free. His golden eyes shifted to my great-grandmother’s necklaces, riches dangling around my neck. He stretched out a hand. I dove into the sea, my right hand over my left to become a sharp knife that could cut through choppy waters. I needed to make a bouquet out of deceased coral, believing there was a chance my lost humanity would scamper back and lock itself into my hands. 52 Poisoned Soil KAT H R Y N G RA H A M If you want to talk about painful love, because you’re so tired of caring let’s talk about a flower born into poisoned soil but it refuses to live or die about carefully measured cups of water about how some people call your flower about weeds that have grown with it a weed that have grown into it about how much you love this stupid little flower. strangling it with faulty love about how despite everything you’ve done If you want to talk about painful love, the flower is practically dead let’s talk about my sister about the room full of books on and the time I found blood in the bathtub gardening, weeding, soil, flowers, loving and a torn apart razor on the floor. about the frustration of suggestions try weeding water it just let it die about how sometimes you get angry and just pour every drop of water you have into its dry cracked ground or rip out every weed you see until the earth around it is ruined or spray it with herbicide to just kill it already or neglect it for weeks or months or years 54 55 G RANT BE RG River Kids, Dayempur Farms, Carbondale, IL 56 GABBY BROOKE Story of a Broken Girl T he first time I ruined my father’s life was unaware of the life of imperfection it would soon lead. long before I emerged from the womb. He This wasn’t revealed until later, though. At the time, and my mother had been arguing again, one my father took my mother’s words at face value and of the many that were destined to occur throughout decided he was done. the course of the unplanned pregnancy. The power struggle between the two came to an abrupt halt as street to the park by the house he lived in at the time. my mother said the one thing she knew could be used He looked around for a little while before finally finding to force my father to back down: “I lost the baby.” Later that day, my father wandered down the what he thought to be the perfect spot. The branches It wasn’t true, of course. The bundle of cells of the tree looked sturdy enough to support the rope growing and developing into the baby girl that would he had brought with him and any additional weight become me remained firmly attached to my mother’s that happened to be attached to it, so he tossed the uterine lining, perfectly healthy and completely piece of cotton over and tied a knot he knew wouldn’t 57 slip. He then proceeded to place his head through the birth a boy. My father therefore put more effort into loop this knot created, tightening the rope until he making his relationship with her work than he could stopped taking in air. muster for my mother. The desired effect wasn’t achieved, however. They made it through the first three years of Instead of being embraced by the darkness of death, my brother’s life before their relationship fell apart. It the rope snapped. Instead of the permanent crushing was within the first two years of this timeframe that I of his windpipe, he got a couple scrapes and bruises started to notice my father preferred his new son to me. from hitting the ground below. Instead of escaping for a better, less painful world, my father found himself eight years at this point, I knew I couldn’t do anything stuck suffering through the unjustness of this one. Having grown up under my father’s rule for fun until I mastered all my homework, both what my The first time I disappointed my father was on teacher assigned and what my father did. Because of the day I was born. The sound of my parents fighting this, I lay on the floor in the dining room of the woman’s filled the hospital room as they tried to establish a house finishing up the last couple of problems. It only name for me. Both parents were not far out of high took a few minutes, so I quickly put the packet back school and were unmarried. As such, my mother into my folder and shoved it in my backpack, climbing wanted me—not her first child but her first child by up off the floor as I did so. this man and her first daughter—to carry out the judgment that came with her last name. Much more wandered into the living room in hopes of watching traditional, my father thought I should share in the some TV. The sight meeting my eyes seemed normal fame that came with being so close to the heights. enough at the time: my baby brother, his mother, and Their words permeated through the air for quite some my father cuddling on the couch. Similar expressions time before they finally reached a conclusion. In the filled all three of their faces, a mixture of happiness end, my mother won. Done with everything required of me, I and contentment. I felt my mouth turn up in a smile The first time I noticed my father’s feelings as I looked at them. “Oh, what a happy little family,” I for me was when he was still dating the next woman said. They laughed, I walked over to the armchair in the to get pregnant. She, unlike my mother, managed to corner, and we sat watching cartoons together. 58 GABBY BROOKE | STORY OF A BROKEN GIRL Later that night, after my father and I had that I’m not good enough. Why did I get stuck with this returned to our own home, I found myself struggling failure of a daughter? to fall asleep. My eyes were drawn to the darkened periwinkle of my bedroom wall time and time again. hatred was a month before I went back to college. I Shadowy fingers skittered across the paint as the wind didn’t want to admit he only cared about the mold blew through the lilac bush outside the window, and I he kept shoving me into. I wanted to believe that he realized I hardly ever saw that look on my father’s face would back off enough to let me live my own life if it when we were alone. looked like I was starting to achieve some semblance of The day my best friend and I went into the success. One warm, sunny day in July, however, he threw counselor’s office at my high school to find out our his true feelings for me in my face like a vat of acid. results for the ACTs, I was ecstatic. I expected to get a score similar to hers, only a couple of points above His first text that day was something that I probably should have seen coming. For years I had the average. Instead, I somehow managed to get one taken the brunt of my father’s anger and frustration, of the highest scores in my class. Once the shock of so I should have been used to it. Still, the message seeing the handwritten number on the little slip of came as a surprise. I paused my conversation with paper wore off, I pulled out my phone and texted my my boyfriend and unlocked my phone to see what father. “I got a 31 on the ACTs!!!” The first time I acknowledged my father’s the message contained. I regretted it almost instantly. A few minutes later, I got a reply. “Who “After sunday your phone will be turned off,” the text did better?” The ecstasy I felt earlier faded into read, containing the numerous spelling and grammar nothingness as I stared down at my phone. errors that I had learned to ignore. “If you want to keep your number you will need to be back here tomorrow My first semester of PSEO, my GPA was a 3.62. with enough time for us to go to a sprint store to “Why didn’t you get all A’s?” transfer it into your name. You a grown. Time to start “Why aren’t you home to watch the pups?” taking financial responcability for yourself.” “Do you have a job yet?” Silence. A deadly stare, eyes screaming at me Reading the words off my phone screen, fury started to bubble up inside of me. I hadn’t done 59 anything to prompt this sort of reaction from my my anger into a full-on rolling boil intense enough father. In fact, I hardly ever did. Knowing that any sort to send the water of my sanity over the edge of of misstep could lead to this sort of reaction, though, the pot. As it came into contact with the burner, it I had made sure to tell him before I left that my completely evaporated. boyfriend worked at 4:00, so we couldn’t have stuck around like he asked. “He’s not going to pick me up icon next to my father’s name on the screen. My rage for another ten minutes, though,” I mentioned, trying continued to double in size with each subsequent dial to still be of help. When my father chose to ignore me tone until finally he picked up the call. “What?” he said and go inside the house, I figured he no longer wanted gruffly, sounding as angry as I felt. my assistance and that I was in the clear. Apparently, this wasn’t the case. I immediately hit the small telephone-shaped “I’m not waiting until tomorrow to talk about this. We are going to talk about this right now.” The fiery I stewed in the heat of the cherry-red Impala anger coursing through my veins caused my vision to but said nothing. He takes his frustrations out on you blur. Instead of a three-lane highway, all I saw was a sea all the time, I thought to myself. It always blows over of black. The pounding of the warriors desperately in a couple of days. I stared out the window at the wanting to draw blood blocked out every other sound trees whipping by, but I didn’t really notice them. filling the car. Every sound except my father’s breathing I focused instead on the pounding of my heart, on the other end of the line. calling out like a war tribe about to go into battle. Slowly but surely the screaming started to settle into a whisper, at which point I turned to continue after a few seconds of silence. “Do you really want to my conversation with my boyfriend. talk about this when I’m angry? Because you already know how this is going to turn out if we start talking Not even two minutes later, my phone pinged about this right now. It’ll go so much worse for you, again. “Will wil also discuss the terms of your rent and you know it.” With each word came a new wave tomorrow,” my father now wrote. “Payment will be due of hatred that stacked upon the one prior. When the on the 1st.” “Do you really want to do that?” he asked culmination of waves built itself into a tsunami he This statement sent the gentle bubbling of released it, directing all of that power at me. In one 60 76 GABBY BROOKE | STORY OF A BROKEN GIRL fell swoop, my father managed to not only crush the Dear Father, rebellion but drown all of the battle-crazed warriors I’m sorry I ruined your life so thoroughly. I’m sorry I failed marching out to meet him. The battlefield was empty to become the child you thought you deserved. I tried my save for a few raging questions. best to live up to your standards and be everything you What kind of father comes to hate his wanted me to be, but I couldn’t force myself into that own daughter? What kind of father can focus so mold. Maybe it would have been better for both of us if I intensely on creating the perfect daughter that he had been able to. Maybe you could have had a better life can completely ignore his breaking of her? What than the one you’re stuck with now. I’m sorry we’ll never kind of father can see the damage he causes and have the chance to know. Maybe your other child will do doesn’t care? a better job at pleasing you than I did. Not just for your sake, but for his. The hatred in my father’s voice and the words accompanying it finally broke me completely. I had If things still fail to go as desired, however, know that I done absolutely nothing wrong, and yet he still felt refuse to give up hope. You may have succeeded in it was necessary to tell me, “You fucked up your life breaking me once, but I survived. And I will continue to too many times and I am done dealing with it. You are survive, despite all that you put me through. You may an adult and it’s time for you to act like it. It’s time for tear me down time and time again, telling me about you to suffer the consequences of your actions.” The how I will never amount to anything in life, but that won’t fire fueling my anger gone, I felt nothing but sadness. ever stop me from trying. I will continue to persevere until Tears welled up in the corners of my eyes, and my I either gain the approval I so desperately want from you throat swelled to the point of almost entirely closing. or I die trying. Either outcome will have the same effect. I no longer wanted to tell my father his decision was Love, going to make it impossible for me to go to college. The Failure I didn’t want to confront him about the fact he was attempting to ruin my life in much the same way I had ruined his. At that moment in time, I no longer had a life to ruin. 62 Between Borders SA I RA M O NT E S M O O R E I was born but I can’t go back to where I was born. My brownness is stuck between borders. It is stuck between: whites mispronouncing Saira for they do not know how to caress my name on their tongues and a land I do not know. I ache. I exist between borders. I grow with the little water that’s in the desert. I heal and allow myself to grieve over what has been taken. I allow myself to grieve and remember I resist between borders. My skin is blessed, with the color of earth. I allow myself now to live, to love between borders. 64 65 ANI CASSELLIUS Freedom and Tension 66 ALLISON USELMAN Glenn Elementary, 2 PM I t was the second week of October, and the air outside was cool and the leaves on all the trees on When did Mrs. Carpenter say she was coming?” the lawn outside John H. Glenn Elementary were turning red and yellow and gold. Inside the school’s “When did you say the mother would be here? The secretary twisted the phone cord around her finger and looked once at little James Carpenter, main office, which was usually all but deserted at this sitting in the gray plastic chair just next to the teacher’s. time of the afternoon, the school’s secretary sat with “I told you, Ms. Heller. She didn’t say,” the secretary said. the phone cradled between her left shoulder and “And I can’t call her again, she’s probably left already.” ear, a pad of white paper on the desk in front of her. She didn’t bother to cover the mouth piece of the She was in the middle of writing down the name of phone as she spoke. a particularly uncooperative postal worker when the teacher sitting in the corner chair, just across from the desk, stood up and asked the question she had been and walked back over to the seat she had been sitting intermittently posing for the past twenty minutes. in but did not sit down. Instead, she crossed her arms 67 Ms. Heller, captain of room 307, let out a sigh and planted her loafer-clad feet firmly on the floor. already taken care of it.” “No, honey, I wasn’t talking to you,” the At the mention of the girl Alice, James had let secretary said into the phone and then rubbed at her out a groan and doubled over in his chair in a position temples as if the postal worker’s apparent confusion that might have been impressive due to the flexibility had the instant and singular ability to produce a required of the performer but under the circumstances headache in whoever happened to be on the receiving just looked sad. He sat with his forehead touching his end of it. knees and his arms wrapped under his legs for only a few seconds before Ms. Heller dropped her hand from “Well I don’t know what I’m going to do if her ear and spoke again, all sense of a kindly pretense she doesn’t get here soon,” Ms. Heller said. “I just leaving her voice. don’t know.” “Hang on a minute,” the secretary said into “What did you say? Did you say something?” she said. A muffled reply came from the region of the phone, and then, after pulling the receiver slightly James’ knees. “Sit up, please, so that I can hear you.” away from her mouth, she said to the teacher, “Why don’t you go back to your class? Why don’t you just go back to your class and leave him here with me?” said, ‘I didn’t say anything.’” Ms. Heller either didn’t hear the secretary or James sat up. “I didn’t say anything,” he said. “I “Oh, I’m sure,” Ms. Heller said, and began chose to ignore the suggestion. She uncrossed one twisting her earring again. Then, turning to the arm and lifted a hand up to her ear, twisting the back secretary as if James wasn’t there at all, she said, “Do of one of the little pearl earrings she was wearing back you know how many times we’ve been through this? and forth between her fingers. “I have a whole class of Do you know how many times in just this year? Seven.” students back in that room waiting for me, and that The secretary nodded. she said, her voice taking a tone of pity. “What am I “Or something around that number, I can’t supposed to do about that? What am I supposed to remember.” poor girl Alice still has pencil lead stuck in her hand,” tell her parents?” “It’s only October,” the secretary said “I don’t know,” the secretary said. “I told you, observationally. James, who was listening to all of what just go back to your room and see if they haven’t was being said, didn’t seem to mind so much what the 68 ALLISON USELMAN | GLENN ELEMENTARY, 2PM secretary said. He didn’t appear to be upset at the use while the secretary turned back to her pad of paper. of the phrase “only October” in relation to his seven visits to the office, didn’t seem to feel accused by said once the secretary was faced away from him. it. It was as if the secretary had asked if anyone else thought it was too warm in the office or if she had pointed to the fluorescent lights on the ceiling and said, “These sure don’t help my complexion any.” It was The secretary snorted. “Nothing right now,” shook his head no. “I’m going to go back to my classroom now,” “It means I’m waiting for the person on the other line to come back. Right now they’re doing and you can deal with him. I can’t wait around all day something else, and I gotta wait.” just for the mother to show up.” “Alright, alright. You do that,” the secretary James nodded the nod of a child that doesn’t quite understand but wants to give the illusion of said, and watched out of the corner of her eye as Ms. understanding, the same nod that could be found Heller turned on her heels and walked through the adopted into the behavior patterns by any number of doorway of the office. children at Glenn Elementary. Once she was sure the teacher was gone, the secretary turned to James, her hand covering the James waited for the secretary to turn away from him before posing his next question. mouthpiece of the phone, and said, “I told her to go “Ma’am?” back to her room a hundred times, didn’t I? I swear I told her to go about a hundred times since she came in here.” James watched the back of her head for a means?” She turned around to face James again. He Ms. Heller said. “I’m going to leave him here with you, she said. “I’m on hold, dear. You know what ‘on hold’ not say anything. “The post office,” she said. Abruptly, Ms. Heller reached out a hand and patted the desk twice. The secretary looked up but did moment and then spoke. “What’s it saying?” strictly an observation. “Who are you talking to on the phone?” James “Yes? What is it?” the secretary said. She didn’t turn around. James didn’t say anything. He squeezed his knees together and tapped his shoes lightly on the floor 69 “How many kids usually come here? I mean— how many kids usually end up here on a regular day?” never arrived in the first place?” she said, and that was when James stood up from his chair and pulled “You mean how many kids come to the office the door to the office open just wide enough for him like—like you do? Is that what you mean?” “Yeah,” James said. “Oh, I don’t know. Not too many.” “How many of them are weird? Are a lot of to slip through. Which he did without making a noise until the door slammed shut behind him and he broke into a run down the deserted hallway. quickly descending a flight of stairs, James hooked them weird kids?” James said and waited. Being a boy all too familiar with the perils of his index fingers through the two belt loops on the The secretary, as if only now understanding outermost sides of his pants and pulled as he ran just what it was James was getting at, turned around down the school’s front steps. Outside, in the October and arranged her face into a smile, tilting her head afternoon, the school grounds were empty. The only a bit to the left− that is, as far as she could without movement came from the rustling of the trees out the phone slipping out from her shoulder’s grip. She by the playground and the occasional bird flying over probably thought the motion looked kindly, maybe the athletic fields. Even the sky appeared still, the few even sympathetic, which it might have if it weren’t clouds slightly covering the sun hardly moving at all for the self-satisfied look in her eye, the look that so that the whole scene gave off the impression of suggested what she was about to say was going to a photograph. James stopped and looked at it all for make her feel better rather than the child she was a moment, his fingers still hooked around his belt supposedly comforting. “None of them are weird, loops, before he started down the pathway to the honey. None of them are weird at all,” she said and playground. About halfway down the path, he stopped then turned back to the papers on her desk. and veered off to the right so that instead of walking directly down to the play equipment, he was standing Evidently, the postal worker on the other in place just before the ground dropped off and was end of the line began speaking then, as the secretary held up by a concrete retaining wall. picked up her pencil and began writing something down. “Uh-huh,” she said into the phone, and then stopped. She set the pencil down and switched the tapped at the concrete with the toe of his shoe. Then, phone to her other ear. “So you’re telling me they as though there were nothing else he could do, he 70 He squinted out at the playground and ALLISON USELMAN | GLENN ELEMENTARY, 2PM lowered himself down onto the wall and sat. Although coat, and looked rather casual standing there in the the ground was soft, it was still cool on his skin. He grass with his hand in his pockets and his tie loosened dug the heels of his hands into the dirt and rubbed around his neck. He looked like the type of man whose at it until the friction warmed it and the dirt smeared desk probably contained at least one drawer with, if across his palms. He was occupied with the dirt for not a full-sized at least a travel-sized, bottle of aspirin. only a minute before he heard the distant creak of the “Is this seat taken?” Mr. Mitchell said and nodded to school’s front door and, soon after, the sound of dress the space beside James where the boy had wiped the shoes on pavement. dirt off his hands. He didn’t turn to look at who was coming. Instead, he pressed his open palms flat onto the top “No, it’s not taken,” James said. “But there’s dirt there.” of the wall on either side of him and rubbed the dirt away, leaving his palms slightly pink. Then, with great “There’s dirt everywhere,” Mr. Mitchell said, and lowered himself down onto the concrete. ceremony, he lay back in the grass and folded his hands across his stomach, his legs hanging down in front of him. He was positioned in such a way that if don’t you have a jacket on today?” someone happened to glance at the retaining wall “Where’s your jacket?” James asked. “Why “I didn’t feel like wearing one,” Mr. Mitchell said. of small legs from the knees down, three inches apart “Oh yeah?” James said. By now both his eyes and seemingly unweighted by an attachment to any were open but he was still lying flat on his back. from a distance, they would only be able to see a pair human form. nice a day for jackets. All this beautiful weather and all.” James was lying in this exact position, with his eyes closed, when the sound of the dress shoes on the pavement stopped, and a shadow crossed over where At this, James sat up. “You can still wear a jacket even if it’s nice out,” he said. Mr. Mitchell shrugged. No he lay. He opened one eye, his nose scrunching up on one spoke, there didn’t seem to be anything to say, one side with the movement, and looked up into the until James stared at the junior counselor long enough face of Junior Counselor Mitchell—or, as the children to wonder what was going on in his brain. at Glenn Elementary usually called him, Mr. Mitchell. “Yeah,” Mr. Mitchell said. “I thought it was too Mr. Mitchell was in his shirtsleeves, no sport 71 “What are you thinking about right now?” James said. I guess.” “What am I thinking about right now?” Mr. Mitchell repeated. He scratched at his head and then crossed his arms. “Ticonderoga pencils,” he said. James frowned at this but did not say anything. “Alright then, I guess I’m thinking about “Well you just asked me what I was thinking Mr. Mitchell let the question mull over in his down the front of his shirt. When he found the words he wanted, he spoke, although pensively as to give the illusion that he was finding the words as he went. began to walk along the edge of the concrete. loose and so he undid it altogether and just let it hang James jumped up suddenly from the wall and “I don’t want to talk about that,” he said. “Am I weird?” James said again. out his tie, but it kept feeling either too tight or too their hands.” brain for a bit. While he thought, he tried to straighten Ticonderoga pencils and little girls with them stuck in Mr. Mitchell shrugged. “That’s fine. That’s fine, “I’d say you’ve got about, oh, I don’t know, slightly more weirdness than your average third grader. About. If I had to guess.” about,” Mr. Mitchell said. “And that was it.” James nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t want to talk about that.” “My mother always tells me I’m not. Well, my Mr. Mitchell watched as James teetered on mother and father I guess. And this morning, that lady told me I wasn’t.” the wall. “Would you sit down?” he said. “I don’t like you being that close to the edge.” “Lady. You mean the−?” “Sec-retary.” James pronounced the word in “It’s not that high,” James said. He kicked at a few leaves on the wall and spoke again. “Am I weird?” two, his expression serious as he did so. “Oh,” was all Mr. Mitchell could think to say. James twisted his face into what looked more “Why don’t you just sit down, huh? Why don’t you just sit down here?” Mr. Mitchell patted the concreate beside himself where James had been like an imitation of a sneer than an actual sneer, like he sitting just moments before. didn’t want to actually wear the expression but more “I don’t think I want to,” James said. so wanted to try it on for size. He bent down then and 72 ALLISON USELMAN | GLENN ELEMENTARY, 2PM picked up a leaf from the ground. It was red along the not looking and didn’t need to be to know what Mr. inside, near the stem, but the outside edges were a Mitchell was talking about. “He ran all the way in less bright yellow. He pinched the stem between his index than thirty seconds. I couldn’t believe it.” He shook his finger and thumb and spun it back and forth four times head for emphasis. before letting it drop to the ground. He watched it until it lay still. “I guess I’m pretty sorry about that girl Alice,” “In twenty-seven seconds,” James said, still digging the hole. he said then. “Her hand was just sitting there and all, on the table. I didn’t mean to do it, it just happened.” “I think it was twenty-eight.” “Sure,” Mr. Mitchell said. “I see.” “No,” James said, looking up now. “No, it was “It really did. I really don’t even know how it twenty-seven. I remember.” happened. I don’t.” delinquent, always in the principal’s office, always “Okay.” spending your lunches with the counselors−” “Really.” “Oh? And why should I believe you? A “Because I did it,” James said, not quite James crouched down in the grass and believing that Mr. Mitchell didn’t know this already wrapped his arms around his folded knees. The but still insisting on it nonetheless. “I ran all that way in grounds around the two were still, no movement in twenty-seven seconds. That was me.” the athletic fields or the playground. Only occasionally a wind came through and shook the trees, but even Mr. Mitchell wagged an I-should-have-known finger in the air and nodded his head theatrically. that didn’t last for long, and everything grew still again. “That’s right,” he said. “That’s right, it was you. It was.” Before long James began to occupy himself by digging a small hole in the ground with a twig he found lying by his shoe. just long enough for a bird to sound its call somewhere There was quiet between the two for a time by the athletic fields, the sound itself ringing hollow “You know,” Mr. Mitchell said, breaking the and thin throughout the school grounds, the way silence. “I once saw a kid run all the way from that bird calls in the fall often sound to those privy to hear field to that swing set right there.” He pointed as he them. Just after the far-off bird fell silent, the quiet spoke to illustrate what he meant, although James was between the two by the wall was broken. 73 started to scream and−” “I’m not a delinquent.” The assertion came softly from the space just beside the freshly dug hole in the ground, in the voice of someone trying to He broke off at the same moment that he dropped from his squat to fully sitting on the ground, convince themselves of a thought while not quite sure his knees folded in front of himself where he could about its truthfulness. On the wall, Mr. Mitchell shifted easily hug them to his chest. his weight so that he could get a better look at James, who had by now dropped the twig altogether and was again hugging his knees. With his right leg pulled up He breathed in as if he were going to say something onto the grass now and bent at the knee, Mr. Mitchell else but then stopped, apparently thinking better of raised his eyebrows at the boy and waited for him to it. James, too, took in a rather deep, although shaky, say something else. When he finally did speak, it was breath and then remained silent. He began to wipe at in the same small voice as before. his face with seemingly no specific intent. He might “Alright,” Mr. Mitchell said. “That’s alright.” have been wiping away tears or frantically feeling to “It wasn’t my fault, with the pencil. It wasn’t see if his eyes, nose, and mouth were still where he my fault.” left them, it was difficult to tell which. Whichever one “Oh?” Both parties were hardly speaking it was, though, the two sat there in the grass, holding above a whisper; if there had been even a slight wind, their respective positions for an impressive amount neither would have been able to hear one another. of time, until in the parking lot, a good fifty feet away from the retaining wall and just out of earshot, a car “Her hand was just sitting there on the table. pulled up and parked. It was just sitting there.” Mr. Mitchell was still; he was waiting for James to speak, not prompting the boy in the slightest. In fact, he looked almost accustomed to the act of silently waiting for the boy to speak, hardly moving at all for fear of disrupting him. “It looked soft, and I had the pencil in my hand.” James paused, starting to cry now. “And I don’t know what happened, I just know that girl Alice 74 75 B R I D G ET T E BO O N E Untitled 76 “For Carl Brandhorst” Teotihuácan, ciudad de los dioses SA RA H D E G N E R R I V E RO S La puerta de la ciudad del fuego y del agua The door of the city of fire and of water es la calzada de los muertos que guía Is the pathway of the dead who guide a través de un arco iris celeste. Through a celestial rainbow Pasa por el camino de las estrellas, That passes along the way of the stars orientada al norte astrológico Oriented with the astrological north a la entrada del paraíso Tlolcán. To the entrance of paradise, Tlolcán. Entre nopales y agaves, sobre las piedras Between prickly pear cactus and agave, sube el pirámide de la serpiente emplumada, The plumed serpent’s pyramid rises over the stones hecho de los restos de las esculturas caídas Built with the remains of fallen sculptures, de la cabeza del jaguar, un templo From the jaguar’s head, a hidden and discovered escondido y encontrado en las entrañas Temple in the womb of a volcanic mountain. de un monte volcánico. On these rocks depends the fertility of the earth. De estas piedras depende The gods keep watch; Cipactli, la fertilidad de la tierra. Scaled monster from the underworld, Guardan vigilia los dioses Cipactli, The caiman lizard and its duality, monstruo con escamas del inframundo, Tláloc, god of the water from the sky, the rain, el lagarto caimán, y su dualidad In feline form representing the morning. Tláloc, dios del agua del cielo, la lluvia en forma felina que representa la mañana. Further along the walk of dead, Rows of pilgrims wind along the profile Más allá en la calzada de la muerte, Of the sun pyramid. los peregrinos hormiguean en fila To the right of the stone road, they walk por el perfil de la pirámide del sol. Along the horizon that passes through worlds. A la derecha de la calzada, pisan The grey temple remembers when it wore 78 SARAH DEGNER RIVEROS | TEOTIHUÁCAN, CIUDAD DE LOS DIOSES el horizonte que traspasa mundos. Smooth stucco painted red, El templo gris recuerda cuando llevaba And when the gods were honored un estuco pulido pintado de rojo, In the form of a fetus buried inside the uterus of the earth. y cuando se honraban a los dioses, The death overcame them in asphyxia, plantando la semilla del cuerpo humano Their last breaths choking on the dust en forma de feto en el vientre de la tierra. In the womb of the volcanic earth. La muerte les sobrevino en asfixia, su últimos suspiros ahogados de polvo At the far end of the walk, the pyramid of the moon en las entrañas de la tierra volcánica. Rises up in light, reflecting the sun. The energy crisscrosses the stone steps Al fondo de la calzada, se levanta iluminada From side to side, zigzag. The angle detains la pirámide de la luna que refleja el sol. Human breath amidst the heights. La energía cruza las escaleras de piedra Raising the gaze to observe the mountains de lado a lado, diagonal. El ángulo detiene And pyramids from afar la respiración humana con la altura. Is to feel for a moment in time, looking down from heaven, Levantar la vista para observar de lejos Like a god of history, as the owner of the past, los montes y las pirámides abajo The present, and the future. The moon keeps watch es sentirse por un momento desde el cielo And remembers everything that has taken place, un dios de la historia, dueño del pasado, Illuminating prophesies with every cyclical turn in the del presente, y del futuro. La luna vigila years to come. y recuerda todo lo sucedido y profetiza cada giro del ciclo del porvenir. 79 SA RA H D E G N E R R I V E RO S Teotihuácan 80 81 JEN MEINHARDT Solitude 82 Take a Deep Breath D. E . G R E E N Even the air we breathe is processed, has to be now that the fires in the north and west have flung particulate matter across the continent. So we carry on, don our masks and our oxygen tanks before we sit down to play the harp or piano—no trumpets or trombones since we cannot inhale enough to blow, Gabriel, blow any more—and pretend life is good, still pretty good, as my friend Bob likes to say, just as the gauge on the tank veers toward empty and the lightning cracks and the floodgates open and we become curios and knick-knacks in nature’s wild parlor. NOU-CHEE CHANG Fantasy 84 G RANT BE RG Big Muddy Mike Washing Dolly, St. Louis, MO 85 86 I am not deceived RA C H E L B RO W N I am not deceived No I am not deceived I am not totally made of water even if I can’t get you now but like liquid I seep through the cloth when the ice caps melt that wraps around your wide shoulders there will be no more places and I warp your bones for you to slither the way rivers shape canyons and your high ground cutting will be under my waves. cutting eroding away until you’re brittle. I will not be deceived not again I have seen the way you snake inside of girl’s hearts flick them with your split pink tongue and lap away at the moisture there and while I am not water like liquid I will encircle you ophidian snakes can swim but only for so long. 88 Holding On SA I RA M O NT E S M O O R E mami does not speak sunflowers & white roses about the past of Mexico she died from the mistakes of my abuelo abuela’s favorite flowers in hushed voices I heard: sida. of crossing acquired immune deficiency syndrome, how did we cross? AIDS eso que no te importa it does not matter, what matters is that we are her daughters do not grieve her anymore here I do but here we have enough no la conozco. maybe one day I can stand on the soft earth, it’s not enough but the past won’t catch up if with sunflowers and white roses in my hand you forget and are gone her name etched in the gravestone maybe one day I’ll— my phone shelters notes of scattered words Mami lets slip from the life before me, some days all I smell is patchouli, my father loves the smell she gives me these gifts eres como el, inteligente with softness and in passing mami always compares me to him but at night when all is quiet I wonder memories barely clinging to reality memories that could mean nothing but how can you leave your niña? I hold with a clenched hand at night 90 106 SAIRA MONTES MOORE | HOLDING ON how do you sleep at night, when all is quiet and your daughter does not love you? el no es mi papa, no lo conozco I hold on to the past with love and coraje I sleep at night with memories in my phone with dreams of patchouli, sunflowers & white roses No los conozco maybe one day I’ll know them maybe it will not matter because I’m here 92 night 108 AN D E R S SAT E R E N Naked in the Nighttime I awoke in the fetal position, huddled under the miles per hour. I sat alone in a seat toward the front warm glow of a vending machine. As I sat up, of the bus, head propped against the window, feeling there was a nice, chilly sensation as my bare the vibrations as we thundered along the highway. butt cheeks pressed against the concrete floor. I sat For the last fifteen minutes, my attention had been there half-asleep, feeling the gentle rumble of the split between the pages of the book in my lap and the coin-operated soda dispenser against my back and passing landscapes to my right as it changed from tried to figure out what exactly was happening. In my flat farmland to a wall of towering pine trees. befuddled state, I didn’t fully realize the disturbing reality of my current predicament. I was lost, drew closer to our destination: Camp Wijamego. At disoriented, and entirely nude. A tangible excitement could be felt as we my high school, there is a tradition in which, once The bus traveled northward along Interstate a year, the band, choir, and orchestra kids pile onto 35 toward Duluth, Minnesota, doing just over 70 buses and go on a fun little retreat together to 95 someplace the teachers deem exciting enough. We that things would be okay, the lingering fear that my then spend a few days engaging in miscellaneous sleeping disorder would act up on this trip would not musical activities, participating in team-building leave the back of my mind. exercises, playing games, before performing in a final concert. I was a freshman, so I’d never been on the under the vending machine, it didn’t take long for me to realize that I was, in trip, but from what I’d overheard, it can be pretty fact, not dreaming but rather living through the lame. I took it over the alternative: going to school absolute worst-case scenario for any high-school and doing homework. Back student: being caught naked at a school function. A low hum of high-school voices filled the Understandably, I began to panic, my heart beating bus, mostly originating from the back of the bus, out of my bare, hairless chest. Given that my wiener which was where the upperclassmen dwelled—the was fully exposed, I quickly scurried out of the open cream of the crop from Central High School. I sat and into the dark nook behind the vending machine. up front, listening, and could make out the voice of I must’ve looked like Gollum or some other type of Ryan Norman above the rest. We played on the tennis demented creature while nakedly sulking in that team together last year. Well, I was on the B-team, damp corner. There were so many questions being and he was on varsity. He was a junior, and I was in hurled in my direction, and I had no answers for any eighth grade so we never talked, but I’m pretty sure of them; it reminded me of math class. Am I still in he at least knows my face. Of course, he was also the lodge? Why am I naked? Where are my undies? the captain of both the hockey and soccer team, so I doubt I was even a blip on his radar. Okay, let’s pause for a second. While my current predicament may seem rather odd to most Anyway, we were all assigned random ordinary people, waking up in places other than roommates, and with my luck, Ryan and I were set to my bed has actually been somewhat of a common be roomies on this trip. I had not yet talked to him, but occurrence throughout my life. I believe the formal I could only imagine how disappointed he must’ve term for the bizarre sleep disorder that I suffer from is been to have to room with a freshman. That was not somnambulism; however, most people affectionately what was worrying me though. I had never been on refer to it as sleepwalking. Throughout my childhood a trip like this, and despite my mom’s assurances and into my early teens, I would occasionally wake 96 ANDERS SATEREN | NAKED IN THE NIGHTTIME up downstairs on the couch, on the comfy leather Ryan would be fast asleep on the other side of it. News chair in the living room, or in our creepy, dungeon- travels fast in high school, and if even a single soul like basement with the multitude of centipedes and were to find out about this, the entire school would spiders. One time, I even woke up in our front lawn, know in a matter of minutes. I don’t know Ryan, but cuddled up in the long grass. When I slept over at somehow I doubt he would keep this secret for me. friends’ houses, my parents would have to call ahead The sheer embarrassment would be more than my and warn that I might wander around their house or fragile teenage psyche could bear. Every ounce of raid their fridge in my sleep. It goes without saying my being wanted to cower in my safe haven behind that I wasn’t invited to many sleepovers. that vending machine until the end of time, but that would basically ensure my capture come morning Anyway, as I made my way through puberty, time. Eventually, I would have to leave my cove and these nighttime escapades became less frequent, journey out into the frightening world. and by high school, they had all but stopped. I was happy to have left my sleepwalking and bed-soaking days behind me. Fast-forward to the end of freshman formulate in my mind. I imagined that I was James year. At that point in time, my sleepwalking had Bond planning an elaborate infiltration of a Russian become so infrequent that I wasn’t overly worried embassy, except naked. My dossier made it clear that about staying in a lodge in Northern Minnesota for a avoiding detection would be absolutely imperative in few days. Oh, how wrong I was. order to complete the mission with my dignity intact. Slowly but surely, a loose plan began to It also read that in order to stand any chance of ever Okay, deep breath, dude. Pull yourself together. reaching my destination, I would need to figure out Let’s try to be rational about this. Obviously, I need to exactly where the hell I was. This meant that I would get back into my room and for reasons that need not be have to sneak around and find my bearings. I took stated, nobody can witness me doing this. The problem a deep breath, said a quick prayer under my breath, is that the doors in this lodge lock automatically and gestured a cross across my chest (I’m not Catholic, specific key cards are required to unlock them. I highly but I could use all the help I could get), and slithered doubt that my sleepwalking alter-ego was considerate out from behind the vending machine into the enough to grab one of them on his way out. Simply illuminated hallway. knocking on the door is out of the question because 97 With one hand permanently cupped over placed decorative plants. Similar to the Predator my genitals, I tiptoed through a long hallway. Staying scanning the jungles of Val Verde in search of its next as low to the ground as possible, I glided down the trophy-kill, I scanned the room for any signs of life. I long corridor, all the while keeping my bloodshot detected no movement and picked up no auditory eyes peeled for any clues regarding my current cues; everything was eerily quiet, a little too quiet whereabouts. Dorothy’s yellow brick road may if you ask me. Concluding that the coast was clear, have led her to Emerald City, but mine led me to I cracked the door a little bit more and prepared to a door marked “Lobby.” My situation was still quite make my big entrance; that’s when I saw him. dire, however. I was at the very least relieved that I was still in the hotel. There were no stairwells or overweight, middle-aged man with a rosy-red nose, a elevators leading out of the hallway. It seemed that shiny baton hanging off his utility belt, and powdered proceeding through the lobby was the only viable doughnut residue caked onto the large caterpillar- course of action. I stood in front of that door for a few like mustache rested upon his top lip. I’m surprised minutes and cursed this entire awful situation. What a stream of urine didn’t go shooting down my leg as had I done in a past life to deserve such dreadful I lunged backward through the lobby door and, with luck? There was a good chance that once I passed two hands, covered up my nuts like a greedy squirrel. through that door, I could very well become the first Dear baby Jesus, tell me that he didn’t see me, I thought documented case of non-consensual streaking. I to myself. Every second felt like a million lifetimes as was never cool enough to have been assigned a I waited for that door to come swinging open and nickname in the past, but now my fate as the “Camp for my cover to be blown, but that time never came. Wijamego Streaker” seemed all but sealed; social Eventually, the stress-induced heart palpitations died demise was inevitable. He was your prototypical security guard: an down and I gathered enough courage to peer into the With my naked body as my witness, it was lobby once again. The man (who I will affectionately time to make my move. Slowly, I edged the door refer to as Paul Blart from now on) was seated open, one creak at a time and peered through the motionlessly behind the front desk with his head slit into the well-lit lobby. The large room seemed tilted back slightly. The adrenaline pumping through all but uninhabited, aside from a few strategically my naked body must have heightened my senses 98 ANDERS SATEREN | NAKED IN THE NIGHTTIME because I swear that I could see his long mustache sleeping security guard, I got down on all fours and whiskers quivering in the hot wind escaping his stopped breathing entirely. There was no way that I nostrils. Paul was definitely fast asleep. was going to risk disturbing Paul’s beauty sleep. Like a Paul’s poor work habits were a ray of sunshine in an otherwise dark, hellish nightmare. It was this stroke of good fortune that gave rise to a tricksy, devilish idea. Up to this point, I had no clue how I was planning on actually getting into the room little, naked mole-rat, I quietly crept along the ground, inching ever closer to the treasure awaiting me behind the desk. I was nervous, exhausted, and sweaty, but I had to endure. There was too much on the line to turn back now. once I arrived at my destination. Paul’s deep slumber provided me with the means of entering the room tentative crawling, I arrived at the side of Paul’s desk. undetected: a room key. On the shelf directly behind I couldn’t see him yet, but I could hear the deep, the dozing behemoth were a few small stacks of key reverberant rumble of his breath. I’m sure it also cards. If I could slip past Paul and grab one of the reeked of powdered doughnuts and cheap coffee. keys, I would practically be home free! This would As I peer around the edge of the desk, I found myself be an extremely delicate and potentially hazardous face-to-face with a pair of stained khakis. Now was not maneuver, but acquiring one of those fabled key the time to be distracted by Paul’s life habits; I needed cards would be necessary if there was any hope of to focus, retrieve the key card as quickly and quietly this infiltration ending in success. as possible, and put as much space between my As I slowly crept into the lobby, I felt like Bilbo Baggins entering Smaug’s lair for the very first time. I was fully exposed. If only I had a ring that could grant me the power of invisibility. Stealthily, I slithered across the large room, getting closer and closer to the front desk. The gravity and sheer ridiculousness of what I was about to attempt felt like the weight Hand. Knee. Hand. Knee. After ten feet of naked body and the crime scene as humanly possible. Without making a peep, I rounded the corner of the desk, made my way past the dirty khakis, and headed towards the prize. Almost there, almost there... Then out of nowhere, I heard a heavy grunt and cough echo out behind me. Every nerve in my body tensed up and I curled up into a tiny ball on the floor. of a thousand suns on my bony, teenage shoulders. With only around ten feet separating me from the Considering how startled I was, I’m surprised that a 99 In his deep slumber, Paul had stirred. little turd didn’t plop out of my bare bottom onto the around and began cautiously crawling away from carpeted floor. I lay there on the ground scrunched Paul, my unclothed booty raised with pride. into a ball, eyes plastered shut and completely in the nude. I didn’t move a muscle. I was so nervous that I in unnoticed. Compared to everything that I just wouldn’t be shocked if my heart had stopped beating endured, this would be a piece of cake! On the other entirely. After a few of the tensest moments of my life, hand, walking around the halls of a camp in the nude I opened my eyes and slowly looked behind me. Paul was no time to get cocky. When I eventually pass had shifted slightly, but he was still out cold. If I dared away, I guarantee that Lady Luck will track down my to make any noise, this is when I would’ve left out a gravestone herself and chisel in, “Pride goeth before massive sigh of relief. I had to put this minor speed the fall.” My room was on the fourth fl oor, and I guess bump behind me and continue on my quest, though. that it was too much to ask for me to walk up four God, what I would give to be back in my bed right now, flights of stairs because some irrational, stubborn wrapped in a warm blanket. No, stop! Now is not the time part of me decided that it would be a good idea to to fantasize! At this point, I was a mere foot from the take the elevator. Like a stupid lab rat, I was enticed key cards. They were so beautiful that I could’ve cried. by the cheese and foolishly entered the trap. Upon At that moment, I wanted one of those keys more entering the metal box of doom, I nonchalantly than anything in the world; it would be my ticket out tapped the button for the fourth floor and watched of this nightmare and back into reality. the heavy doors slowly screech shut. I had traversed the lobby, slipped past Paul—the fearsome, slumbering All I had to do was get to the room and slip dragon—and The elevator jerked up floor by floor as I leaned against the wall, eyes closed and head resting finally, I had arrived. The treasure was within reach. contentedly upon the cool metal. Things were going Despite the circumstances, I felt a very real sense well, considering the position I was in less than an of accomplishment. With a slight grin, I hooked my hour ago. At this point, I had gotten quite used to my arm up and grabbed a handful of key cards off of au naturel state, but even at four in the morning, I was the counter. There was no way I was going to risk fearful that the elevator would come to a halt and an the card not working, so I took a few backups, just in unsuspecting visitor would enter my naked, metal case. After retrieving the precious cargo, I shimmied tomb. Yet in a surprising turn of luck, I reached my 100 ANDERS SATEREN | NAKED IN THE NIGHTTIME floor without any hiccups or roadblocks. I was home room behind him. free at last! Yeehaw! I could hardly look at Ryan as I passed him, but Despite this, upon exiting the elevator, I I wasted no time getting into the room, immediately checked both ways to make sure the coast was slipping into my Pink Floyd boxers. He followed me clear. It was, thankfully. Yet again, as I made my way into the room. down the hallway, I found myself close to the ground, sneaking like a ninja in the night. But then, I saw it. “I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t fall back asleep. It took a while to notice you The promised land, Heaven, Valhalla, whatever you weren’t here.” want to call it; it was there: my room. Okay, just sneak in unnoticed and put all of these shenanigans behind you. Upon approaching the door, I let out a deep sigh, once more cursed my dreaded somnambulism, and “Yeah, I had some business to attend to.” That was all I could come up with. I was now perched on the side of the bed, looking down at the reached out for the door. But just then, with a creak, ground in shame. the doorknob began to turn from the inside. Again, as if on cue, the fear I had felt many times that night flooded my senses. I watched in horror as the circular “Apparently.” knob rotated ninty degrees, turning and turning, “With no clothes on?” Ryan eyed me down, looking for answers. I sighed. It would be easier just to explain. figure, gawking. It was Ryan, the senior, in his pajamas, “Well, this has happened before. Well, never looking down at me, eyes wide as saucers. It was quite like this but...yeah, I sleepwalk.” Ryan stood there clear he was trying to comprehend exactly what he for a moment, nodding, before going off on a tangent. before letting out a slight click and popping ajar. The door opened, and before me stood a was looking at and really struggling with it, looking at this skinny, pale, naked body in front of him. After a sleepwalked into my room and peed all over my few moments, he blinked as if coming to his senses. “You know, one time my little brother Pokémon cards, a whole binder full.” “Uh...come in,” he said, gesturing towards the 101 I looked up and Ryan was now smiling, telling his story. same way it had been all year, only a nod from Ryan as he looked up and saw me passing by. “And then he walked over to the other side of the room and peed on my Godzilla comics. Everything I had ever loved!” Now I was smiling. “Man, I tell ya, I was so mad I could’ve killed him. I screamed at him for hours the next day, How hard is it to make it to the toilet!” I was in no mood to laugh, but the conclusion of his story made me chuckle. Ryan let out a smile, now done reminiscing. “I would’ve been mad too,” I agreed. I awoke the next morning in my own bed, thankfully, yet still filled with the dread and embarrassment of the night prior. Ryan wasn’t in the room, and I assumed he was already down at the mess hall for breakfast. I slipped on my jeans, a hoodie, and my sneakers and went off to face my social reckoning. Upon arriving at the mess hall, I found Ryan and posse already gathered there at a table in the corner, no doubt waiting to get a peek at the freshman who was found wandering the grounds of Camp Wijamego in the nude. Yet as I walked past their table, there were no jeers, no taunts, no social ridicule. There was nothing from the seniors, the 102 JEN MEINHARDT A Warm Place to Sleep 103 104 Identity Circle in 3 Parts, Ending with a Trek through the Antarctic Desert T E R R E N C E S H A M B L E Y J R. The only glow radiated from a string of icicle lights laid semi circle in the center of the room. Our group gathered in a nervous halo around it, the lights candle dim hypnotic & spook. The leader of the halo, a little black girl turned self assured chair woman says take a step into the circle if you identify as African or black and we all step. Step into the circle if most of your friends are the same racial or ethnic background as you and we all step. Step into the circle if you ever felt like you don’t belong and we all step. Step into the circle if your authority figures look like you and no one steps. Step into the circle if you ever watched the fire die in a set of eyes that are brown as yours, whether in person or on video and we all step. Step into the circle if you routinely hear stormtroopers spit I feared for my life as an apology 106 TERRENCE SHAMBLEY JR. | IDENTITY CIRCLE IN 3 PARTS and we all step. Step if you ever felt unsafe walking the streets at night and we all step. we all step. we all step. My eyes are fixed on the icicle lights the whole time. As we step its glow is a swinging medallion a spoon tap to a coffee mug a calm hand up a puppet’s back and when the leader says take a step if one of your parents is an alcohol or drug user I’m the only one that steps enough for the both of them. Take a step if you a stutterer only I step. Take a step if you identify as queer only I step. only I step. only I step. Take a step if you identify as non-binary my feet twitch whole body jerk and stop like slammed brakes a myriad of irises pierce holes in my skin and my eyes are fixed on the icicle lights laid semi circle in the center of the halo the whole time. Its glow is a sneaky portal. A lone body landlocked like a peeling corpse gawked by a ring of crows. And as the lone body stands 107 idle there’s a snap in landscape a poof of halo a vanish of room and lights and emerges a plot of bald frozen snow repeating into the distance. The lone body steps. 123 109 MELISSA FLORES Mickey 110 Lies My Drug-Dealer Told Me MICHAEL LEVINE Television, as dramatized as it may be, can only teach you so much I thought I had it all figured out at eighteen, but rather the drug had me as its crutch. I tried it. I loved it. I used it more than anything in life, And the only thing that I carry with me today is the awarded t-shirt and much strife. Years went by and a decade removed, While looking back, I am the only one that noosed. When I went to buy drugs for the first time, No one told me that these drugs would become more important than a perfect rhyme. Not only lies my drug-dealer told me, but lies I told me So that I convinced myself that this is who I wanted to be. Once it set in that I made a mistake, I thought that I could undo it by a few more extra minutes to bake. Treatment centers, jails, and suicide attempts became more of who I am Than scholarships, marathons, and a full container of jam. I have been caught in a cyclone of cynicism meshed with regret, Even Eddie Vedder living my life would have missed that fret. 112 128 MICHAEL LEVINE | LIES MY DRUG-DEALER TOLD ME Retiring my drug catalog, Now the time has come where my fog Has begun to dissipate, And those lies I am beginning to hate. I know the direction in which I am starting to lead And thankfully I no longer have to worry about putting in a not-guilty plea. 114 115 DAN I E L L A C L AY TO N Worry 116 The Seven Deadly Sins MEREDITH CARSTENS Beware: Violet-armored horses trot with hubris Orange-tongued pigs leave fields fruitless Emerald-eyed dogs covet man’s glories Midnight blue cows graze warm bodies Crimson-stained bears break spears and quivers Yellow frogs desire more than the golden rivers Sapphire goats idle by celeste waves and will stay ‘til the end of days. They lurk in the shadows, A dark reflection which shows Our flawed mortal souls bare. 118 The Streetlighter GABRIELA LUCÍA Do I know you? I feel I should as a flame dances in your hand like sunset on your palm. Meandering down my calf, meeting the underskin of my knee. Every knot untwists, Bluedark slips between our fingers, and my body bends for you. The fire undying patterns my side and the warmth crawls like rainfall from the ground. Now your hands are laced around my waist, a binding I cannot escape. And every unsung lullaby seeps from my heart when you do let me go. 120 121 JEN MEINHARDT Stranger 122 Friendly KAT H R Y N G RA H A M There is a man like a ghost, who is taller than me like a monster, and broader than me behind me, and much, much older than me in the dark. and whom I know to be a bit too friendly. There is a man who took my safe place There is a man and poisoned it with terror, who sends spiders crawling under my skin, with dread of a surprise. brews witches’ potions in my stomach, grows vines up my throat, Because there is a man and shakes the earth around me. who is taller than me, and broader than me There is a man and much, much older than me, who never touched me, and whom I know to be never spoke a threat, a bit and yet there’s fear too that fills me up, friendly. that drains me. There is a man I avoided in memories and pushed aside like someone I never met, until he appeared again 124 Dad JEN MEINHARDT Aries is incompatible with Cancer, and he was Aries and yet the cancer got him. A fire sign standing on the beach where Cancer became a wave, a chitin tsunami rising dark across the horizon. Cancer sucked the shoreline of his future out, out, o u t, and then sent it crashing back in again. Cancer covered the Aries fire, dousing his flame and finding its way into the brain and with the lunar pull of the moon it tracked, down, down, down, pulled by gravity along the outer orbit of his spine, paralyzing lungs as Cancer flooded them even after the waters receded. Dry drowning, a doused fire sucks out oxygen 126 142 JEN MEINHARDT | DAD leaving no flow to the brain. Cancer laps at the banks where Aries stood and each wave that hits the ground strikes, eroding it in a crumbling chorus of Abide With Me Fast Falls the Evening Tide. 128 NOU-CHEE CHANG life of a designer 129 130 I Am an Alchemist JEN MEINHARDT I submerge my skin and transmute the water no forlorn contemplation, the past spirits away from clear to deep blue, a hue the shade along with the steam and I breathe, lungs of distant Neptune, and I expanding further then they have before. This is have been immersed in stars. the alchemy of life turning the lead of the everyday I stare, enraptured into golden, glittering sparkles. at the captured heavenly bodies, twisting and turning they glint around my heavenly body, reflecting the light of the lamp that makes my distant sun. Comprised of a stick of sandalwood incense, a flame in the cosmos burning down and pressing into every gap like the way a child might press her nose into her papa’s neck looking for cologne and after shave, safety and musk combined into one. Together smoke and steam are breathed in through my lungs and with another spell are expelled into the air where they circle the room in a translucent veil of lazy cosmic ghosts looking for their next haunting. Puckering my lips I blow a steady stream of magicked air and they dissipate before the power of my voiceless incantation. Banished remembrance, 132 CARSON HUGHES A Date With Death L ike everything else in his life, Ted had managed nebulous, pitch-dark cloak. Ted could only nervously to screw this date up. He knew he should have stare as a putrid brown rapidly devoured the crimson called in and made a reservation at L’arnaque petals of the half-dozen roses he had bought for her, Chère, the most luxurious, yet quaint French eatery in twisting and wrinkling their foliage into dried tendrils. town. Instead, Ted sat with his date Lady Death, Reaper It was becoming quite clear that the roses wouldn’t be of Souls, Mistress of the Damned, and Goddess of the up to the standards of Target’s return policy. Styx, at the local Olive Garden, waiting on another round of unlimited breadsticks. It certainly didn’t help Ted thought of what he could say. What does one say to the living embodiment of death itself, that his chosen topics of conversation, ranging from let alone a woman? Ted’s efforts to say something how surprisingly little traffic there was on the way witty, charming, or insightful were a futile practice. here to the ridiculously high prices of gas these days, He was simply not the type of person who could say didn’t seem to interest her at all. He could already feel witty, charming, or insightful things. On the contrary, the disappointment radiating from underneath her 133 most of what Ted had spoken throughout his life was that seemed to emerge over and over again no matter completely unnecessary. Ted’s words swam where the how many times Death popped the pus out of it. tributaries of cliché entered the river of small talk. His openers for any conversation were, “Some weather “I think I’m going to head to the washroom,” Death finally replied. we’re having,” and, “Did you catch the game last night?” which lacked any reverence for the type of weather or game being discussed. Prying an original sentence catching himself mid-blunder. from Ted’s lips was like trying to extract the last drop of toothpaste from a flattened tube. Whether it be “Wait, you go to the—” Ted asked before Death sighed. “This was a mistake.” This wasn’t the first time Ted felt his name tied to the word for a best man speech or for the eulogy at his father’s “mistake,” and he was confident it wouldn’t be the funeral, Ted could never be expected to summon up last time either. Mistakes defined Ted’s life before he anything greater than a “Merriam-Webster’s dictionary was even born. He was the unfortunate byproduct of defines fatherhood as…” four Coors Lights, three sunrise margaritas, the men’s “You know, these breadsticks are actually bathroom at a Chili’s in Gainesville, Georgia, and a pretty good,” Ted offered with a nervous chuckle. broken condom. After the inevitable shotgun wedding, “Not as good as how you look tonight, of course,” Ted was born feet-first in the breech position, resulting Ted stammered a few moments later with a line as in a cesarean scar his mother never forgave him for. smooth as extra-chunky peanut butter. The steam from his minestrone that had tickled his lightly Death gazed down upon the insignificant, cowering mortal. “I thought the man who could see whiskered upper lip withered away as Ted waited for Death would be a lot more interesting.” an acknowledgement from the ceaseless, encloaked void. What thoughts could be dancing in that shadowy ether? wrong foot,” Ted responded. “But you have to give me “Look, I think we may have gotten off on the a chance.” That motherfucker, Death thought. Not this shit again. Unfortunately for Death, it was this shit “I don’t have to do anything!” wailed Death. again. This mortal male habit of interpreting any and “R-right,” stammered Ted. “What I mean to say all kindness as insatiable lust was an annoying blemish 134 CARSON HUGHES | A DATE WITH DEATH is, I’m sorry the reservation fell through, but this is a here and a grandmother there, Death’s visits turned unique experience for the both of us. It would mean a from calamitous uncertainty to comforting certainty. lot to me if you stayed, just for a few minutes. I mean, Death’s arrivals were a routine reassurance that the what’s a few minutes to a timeless, eternal, and, may I world was operating how it was supposed to be, like say, quite beautiful being like yourself?” a rolled-up newspaper waiting at the doorstep every morning. Ted became so well-acquainted with Death’s If Death had eyes she would have rolled habits that he wasn’t the least bit surprised when he them. Unique this certainly wasn’t, though a State found his father choking on his own hunting rifle and Farm Assistant Manager professing his love in the his brains splattered across the attic of his parents’ confines of a faux Italian restaurant was new for home. her. The Ernest Hemingways, Cleopatras, and Kurt Cobains of the world had all tried to woo her and even they weren’t able to tie her down. Still, within the confessed. “And I know you’re probably just waiting to manatee-shaped man before her was a dangerous get out of here so you can collect more souls, but I think secret she needed to know. So Death responded it’s good to recognize that first impressions can often the only way she could. “Oh my god! You think I’m be deceiving. You probably know more than anybody pretty?” she expressed coyly. how misleading first impressions can be, right?” Ted couldn’t believe his luck. As they sat down, Ted breathed in Death’s familiar chill that was “Look, Death, I gotta say, I like you a lot,” Ted “Wow, you’re sooo clever!” Death cooed while tossing her head back as if she had hair to flip. more bittersweet than bitter. His longing looks into the obsidian void where her face should be would Ted blushed. “Well, State Farm doesn’t let just anyone be employee of the month five months have disgusted Ted when he was younger. Ted was in a row.” just six years old when he and Death first met. Sparky, the family basset hound, was crushed underneath Dad’s 1988 Dodge Ram after he returned home at 3 appreciation flattered Ted, though he couldn’t recall AM from the pub, forever staining its “MILF Hunter” telling a joke. bumper sticker. Like most children, Ted hated Death at their first encounter. However, after a few goldfish 135 Death giggled. “You’re so funny, Ted.” Her Ted spent the next 22 minutes and 46 seconds regaling Death with his most famous end waiting for everyone. I have always belonged with exploits, from the time he spotted a mouse by the you, I just never realized it until now.” copying machine and heroically alerted his coworker Fred Pawlenty so that he could catch it to the time his “I feel the same way,” Death responded. “I knew it ever since you roamed through all those expert couponing skills landed him 78 percent off of a different rooms at that hospital trying to find me. Tide detergent combo pack with a second pack free. Speaking of which, how were you able to find me? And All the while, Death responded with equally impressive please, be specific.” contributions to the conversation such as, “You look really good in that polo,” and, “You have such a great taste in dining.” cheery “How are you liking your meal, folks?” Ted became transfixed by the waitress’s blue eyes. Her “I feel so connected to you right now,” Ted blonde curls, round cheeks, and open smile made her professed. “Can I tell you something?” “Of course,” said Death. “If there’s one thing you should know about “Well you see—” He was interrupted by a appear like a golden retriever with two tennis balls in its mouth, wagging its tail in anticipation for another round of fetch. She wore a black button-0down shirt with a green button that greeted, “Hospitaliano!” me it’s that I have always felt off,” Ted admitted. “It’s like I’m not supposed to be here and I just got squeezed into the middle of everything. I’ve never got some reports of a manchild talking to himself, so been particularly important to anybody. I’m just an I decided to take over. How’s it going, Death? I didn’t assistant manager at the State Farm down the road. If expect to see you in a place like this.” I fell into a ditch tomorrow, someone would be there to take my place before you even got to me. Dad’s “I hope you folks don’t mind a new server. We “That’s interesting, Life,” Death retorted. “Because a place with plastic scenery is exactly where with you and Mom’s down in Florida getting Julian to I would expect to find you.” lather suntan oil all over her. Point is, life hasn’t been kind to me, and at a certain point a guy has to start asking himself ‘What has everything been for?’ I finally such a charmer. Speaking of charmers, I see you figured it out. You are the goal. You are the one at the brought a friend, and it looks like he’s one of mine. 136 Life giggled. “Oh, Death, you always were CARSON HUGHES | A DATE WITH DEATH What’s your name?” horseshit. What made you decide to go into that The bright glow that radiated off of life hospital and try to find me?” seemed to seep into every pore of Ted’s body. “T-t-t-tted Ted Butkus, ma’am.” “No, no,” Death exclaimed. “Skip all that “Well, my life was going nowhere, and I was looking for some finality and…” “Well aren’t you as cute as a deer in headlights,” cooed Life. “That cocksucker!” Death shouted. “Y-y-you think I’m c-c-cute?” “Excuse “Sure, in a sickly kind of way. If dying elephant me?” Ted replied. “Is there something wrong?” seal is your type,” Life growled. “You always did like the ones who were pale, bloated, and infested with pests, to kill themselves because they’re thinking ‘Hey, that didn’t you, Death?” Death chick is pretty cool. Black looks really slimming on her. It sure would be fun take a drive out with her “Shouldn’t you be out earning your minimum while we sing Ramones songs at the top of our lungs.’ wage by getting us our check?” hissed Death. “Life! It’s always Life. Nobody ever decides Nope, it’s because Life started to treat them like shit, “Of course, sweetie,” Life bubbled. “But I’ll give which she always does, by the way, and they think, ‘Oh, you two lovebirds plenty of time to catch up while I well Death isn’t so bad I guess. I can settle for her. She’s do it.” Ted turned around to watch her walk away and a pretty good number two and she’ll take anyone. Yep, didn’t even mind it one bit when Life jammed her heel she’s reliable like a goddamn newspaper!’” into his toes. Suddenly, Ted began to shiver as an icy aura began permeating throughout the room. sick, moist texture of living flesh. “You know…” started “Here’s a question,” Death growled. “I want Ted. “I could always take you out driving—” you to think carefully. Think hard. Actually use your feeble little mind for once to actually think. Why did “Oh stop it, you creep!” Death slapped his hand away, leaving a little bit of rot on his palms. “One you decide to come and profess your love to me?” Suddenly, Death’s pearly white hands felt the more comment like that and I swear to God, I’ll make “Well, it started with my childhood…” you immortal.” Ted jerked his hand away and nursed 137 too-hard-to-swallow ego of yours for twenty minutes the curious new bumps with his thumb. and you feel like you’re on top of the world. Welcome “I just don’t understand why people like to Life. That’s what she does, lifts you up to take you her more,” Death grumbled. “All Life does is toy with down when you have something she wants to take people. She turns every person into her own little from you.” game manipulating them from winning the state soccer tournament to fracturing their spines, getting married to the loves of their lives and finding out Life had a different plan, birthing their first children “Life’s a bitch,” Ted offered. “Please don’t patronize me,” Death responded. “The only reason I’m telling you any of this is because only for them to grow up to be disappointments. It’s there isn’t a singular person in the entire history of the wave after wave of happiness, shit, happiness, shit, world whose opinion I care about less than yours.” happiness, and do you know what comes next? Shit. I don’t play games. When you’re with me, you know how it is. There’s stability. If I want to hurt you, I always will. If Ted replied. “One time I almost got on Jeopardy. I I want to love you, I always will. I’ll never lay my lips on filled out the registration, took the test, auditioned, a man I hate or wrap my hands around the neck of a everything. They told me I qualified and was all set woman I love. The most influential book in the entire to go on the show, but they accidentally invited the world promises that being with me will be a paradise, wrong Ted Butkus. In the end, I just had to settle for an but still no takers.” autograph from Alex Trebek. So trust me, I know all the “Death, you know you’re the only one for me.” “I cannot believe this. Are you really so dense? “I’m serious. I know exactly what you mean.” crazy turns Life can put someone through.” “Look, I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s clear that even you, ordinary, mediocre, forgettable I don’t care about you. I never cared about you. I’m just you, would still prefer Life than settle for Death. I trying to get you to tell me how you can see me, how mean, look at where we are right now. If you wanted to you can sneak up on me. You think that bubbly ‘You’re find me, if you really wanted to find me, all you had to so smart and talented, Mr. Butkus’ is me? No, that’s do was take the rifle out of daddy’s mouth and put it in just my impression of Life, and you fell for it. That’s yours. Instead, you wandered around, looking for me, shallowness for you. All I had to do is raise that not- still clinging to her.” 138 154 CARSON HUGHES | A DATE WITH DEATH The conversation settled, and all was quiet. better when I saw you for real, in your real form.” The table became a bubble of silence in a room filled with the slurping of soup, the crunches of breadsticks, as though the void within the cloak was churning, and the whining of children. Ted stared at the noble, bubbling, stewing. Had this been another mistake? eternal figure of Death, hunched over, swirling a lone He knew he should have said nothing. Death slowly finger in her zuppa toscana. turned to meet Ted’s eyes. “Would you like to see my It was in that moment that the most unique face?” she whispered. thing happened to Ted. A thought. A simple little thought. Ted hadn’t experienced a thought in ages, Ted nodded. Death pulled her hood back. Ted’s flesh began to tingle. The hairs on his arms but here it was. The thought planted its roots into twitched and stood upright as goose bumps began the fertile, untouched landscape of Ted’s mind. The to rise. They expanded and grew bulbous and filled thought bloomed and grew larger and larger still, until with pus. The swelling spread until it looked as if the point Ted could no longer contain it, until the point tumors covered Ted’s entire body. They bubbled and Ted finally had something to say. Death was a corpse, still and silent. Ted felt swallowed his eyes and lips, turning his face into a mass “I’ll tell why I can see you. It’s Life. Or actually of red, wriggling bumps of flesh. His body ballooned the absence of life. Nobody knows, you Death, not as if it were being pumped full of helium. Within just really. You drift in and out of Life so infrequently. And one second, it was over. Ted exploded, pieces flying well, that’s what I do too. I spend so little time with Life across the restaurant, covering the ceiling, floors, and that I got stuck in the same plane as you. That’s why even customer’s entrees. Death wore a smile as she even though we’ve met so many times before, I didn’t laughed with delight. really see you until Dad died. When I climbed up that attic staircase, I didn’t feel frozen like all of those times before. You weren’t a thief in the night this time; you were a healer. You cured the house of being filled with demented wailing in the halls and fist-sized holes in the walls. You’re a miracle-worker that puts an end to age, disease, and mortal wounds. That made it all the 140 ELIZABETH IHEKORONYE Lights in the Dark 141 142 percolating GABRIELA LUCÍA Let it come creeping Let her sigh into your bones seep like rain or ocean into bedrock. Let it slosh against the sides Of your veins. Let her sing and fill up your spaces, your darkness with sound— cold, loud sound— Like rain on the ocean. Let her love you and she’ll love you until she doesn’t. 144 American Ecstasy D. E . G R E E N Jazz in my ears yeah I want all of you the east classic vocals west north and the south of you the American Songbook & want you to take all of me too I love like I love you go to my head you champagne you my dearest bubbles sparkling Burgundy brew my potato-potahto got that old feeling once again tomato-tomahto more than you know – pow! – I love you my all-I-do-is-dreamof-you-the-whole-daythrough beloved my delightful delicious delirious delectable deluxe de-lovely you must remember this when we two lovers woo when we still say I love you you are my oh-my-man-I-lovehim-so my all-through-the-night girl my anything-goes mate 146 CARSON HUGHES Bullets, Cardboard, and Slobber I hate dogs. I mean that and not in a “Oh, I’m not on a planet that has over 70 percent of its surface really a dog person” kind of way. I hate dogs with covered in the stuff. a gluttonous fire in my belly, the kind that inches through your blood and scrapes at your flesh and I can already hear a chorus of protests shouting, “But dogs are man’s best friend,” but the bone. And what’s not to hate about them? They’re a truth is, dogs are every man’s best friend. A dog’s bunch of freeloaders that will tear your socks apart love is unconditional in the worst possible way. You the moment you take your eyes off of them. A dog is one of the most poorly designed animals there is. They drop hair, saliva, dirt, fleas, just about anything you can think of, like a piece of macaroni art held together by a purple Elmer’s gluestick. Worse yet, some moron could club seals for a living and every dog on Earth would still love you. Even Hitler had a dog who loved him. That kind of love is just a feeble imitation of the real thing. I love yous shouldn’t be handed out like candy. Embraces and kisses are precious, and like all thought it would be a great idea for dogs to release a precious things, they have to be earned. pungent stench as soon as they’re exposed to water, 147 It turns out there is a limit to my anti-dog paper and a bright red bow. After hanging up the agenda; that’s why I found myself spending my phone, Mom led Dad to our living room as I ran in Saturday night 25 miles from home with a nearly dead loop-de-loops around our tree. flashlight and thorns in my legs trudging through the heart of the Montgomery Woods. Olaf is his name, a sing-song voice she used only for special occasions. massive, dark-furred hellbeast (Newfoundland) with I plopped down next to her and Dad on the couch, an empty-eyed smile and a white crescent moon on but my legs still ran right above the floor. “Now Max, his chest. He’s lousy, even for a dog, but Mom loves can you sit still and smile for me?” she sang. I happily him, so I guess it’s worth the scars. “Sweetie, over here,” Mom called in that obliged and stretched my mouth agape into a toothy The thing is, Olaf was never supposed to be almost-smile. The press photographers snapped our dog in the first place; he was a replacement. The our pictures, and Dad handed the box to me. “You first dog I had ever received was a golden retriever can open your present now, dear,” Mom cooed after named Freya. It was an exciting time for everyone. It receiving a thumbs-up from the lead photographer. was Christmas, and Mom had just won her first Senate I opened up the box to see two chestnut eyes and a campaign with a 5 percent margin of victory the sunny face peering up at me, sparkling in the flashes previous month. I remember lying on the floor with a of the cameras. “According to the breeders, her, her new package of markers in hand, drawing smiley faces name is Freya,” Dad slurred. I pressed her tightly into on Mom’s ankles while she babbled on the phone with my chest until she started pawing to get free. words that meant nothing to me as a seven-year-old. Suddenly, Dad burst through the front door looking Loosening my grip, I allowed Freya to leap free. I was delighted to see her turn in a circle and begin like he’d come from the North Pole. His red cap and scratching her ear with her back paw. I crawled down shoulders were covered in patches of snow, and his on the floor next to her and ran my fingers through beard was flipped upwards, veiling his nose and eyes. her fur. Mom bent over on the couch to get a better “Ho, ho, ho!” he bellowed with a voice that stank of a look. “Hello, Freya,” she gushed in a high-pitched voice. sourly sweet concoction of candy canes and vodka. I Freya turned from me and wagged her tail in response. squealed with glee as Dad lumbered forth, carrying a “Come on up here, Freya,” Mom encouraged. She box decorated with Christmas tree-themed wrapping clapped her hands on her knees and showed Freya 148 CARSON HUGHES | BULLETS, CARDBOARD, AND SLOBBER her famous smile. It was tender smile, the kind that After bringing the box to my bed, I held it tight to my radiated a soft glow and made your anxieties drip chest. I was kept awake by Freya’s whimpers and the away like a popsicle at the beach. It was the smile she scratching at the cardboard, but after a few minutes wore every time she had a picture to pose for, a voter the sounds ceased. to sit down with, and a kid to tuck in. It was the smile that made Dad, me, and now Freya fall in love with many parenting books on what to do if your kid her. Drunk under my mother’s enchantments, Freya accidentally kills his new puppy, so I guess Olaf was jumped into her lap and proceeded to cuddle with her as good a solution as any. But instead of becoming the rest of the evening. Enter Olaf, the replacement dog. There aren’t my childhood trauma band-aid, Olaf became my With the night over, the photographers worst nightmare. What they don’t tell you about gone, Dad passed out on the couch, and Mom on a Newfoundlands is that underneath all that fur is conference call in the study, I took the opportunity 200 pounds of pure canine muscle that will come to have Freya all to myself. I carried her into my room barreling at you every time you get home from school. and allowed her to lie by my pillow. A clattering noise Of course, it’s not enough for Olaf to incrementally shook me up from my sleep. Freya barked frantically. shatter my ribcage day by day. When that animal Holding my palm to her mouth, I tried to listen. Not a hammers me into the dirt, he has to come over and burglar, just another one of Mom and Dad’s shouting inspect me and press that massive tongue on my matches. After a while, everything was silent, and Freya face. Then comes the drool. This frothing, soggy, pasty stilled, until Mom’s voice rang through the house. secretion dribbling down from a mouth which spends “Freya!” The little golden retriever burst with energy most of its time eating unidentifiable substances but was held back my embrace. I felt a sharp pain in found in-between couch cushions, onto my already my finger from the sudden clenching of teeth into starstruck face. Olaf is more slug than dog, leaving a my skin. I whimpered and held Freya so tight that she trail of slime wherever he goes. whimpered too. Determined to keep her from leaving, I grabbed a shoebox out of my closet and pinned her in the box. I placed the lid on top and weighted it down However, none of that compares to his neediness. Personal space must not be something they teach in dog training. If I sit down for a moment, with a large textbook filled with pictures of dinosaurs. he comes trotting over and rests his head in my lap 149 like he deserves to be pet just for being there. If I’m But soon enough, I didn’t have to worry about that at the dinner table, he’s there right under my feet, happening anymore. not even begging for scraps. If I’m in bed, he’ll jump up and even when I push him off the mutt will still A bullet changed everything. Some deranged lunatic thought he was a holy prophet, and of all the lie down at my bedside. Even when Mom gets home seven billion people in the world, he decided that my from Washington and she gives him a smile and a Mom was the antichrist. I was in the middle of one of kiss on the head, he’ll just wag his tail in response and my drawing sessions when I got a call. A bullet lodged head over back to me. Them Mom will always say, “I in her neck. At the hospital. May never walk again. guess not everybody’s excited to see me,” and, “Max Possibly terminal. I don’t remember the trip there. I you should be spending more time studying and less can’t remember what the doctor said or how I even time with Olaf.” ended up in a room with my mother’s body, tubes As much trouble as Olaf was, he was at least good for protruding from her skin. Nothing we can do right now. keeping me preoccupied. I didn’t need an excuse That’s what he said. Or she. I just remember leaving anymore when Mom tried to bring me along to the hospital. ‘I’ll go back,” I thought. “I just can’t take fundraisers or dinners with her colleagues. Instead of waiting alone. I’ll get a book to read to her.” dodging questions like, “Have you thought any more about working at Senator Murray’s office?” and “You I forgot about the book as soon as I opened the front door. Pow! I felt Olaf’s head tackle right thinking about Princeton Tiger like your mother?” I into my stomach. He approached, ready to lick his could sit at home and draw. Nothing profound really, slobbering tongue all over me. “Enough!” I shouted. just comics. People consider it to be a low art, but That’s when I noticed it. Chunks of paper in between there’s something about them that speaks to me. It’s his teeth. I darted into the front room, and I could the one thing I do that Mom would never approve of. If barely breathe. There were bite marks on the dining she found the stacks and stacks of comics that I keep room table’s legs. Pillows and socks were shredded hidden under my bed, she would pin me to the wall all over the floor. A trail of slobber led directly to my with her eyes. Her voice wouldn’t be angry, or sad, or room. My comics, everything I had ever written kept even disappointed. With a cold utterance, she would in a shoebox under my bed, had been ripped apart. simply state, “You’re becoming just like your father.” There were pages where a clean bite had been taken 150 CARSON HUGHES | BULLETS, CARDBOARD, AND SLOBBER from them. Others laid finely shredded like confetti. laugh while tears stream down your face and you grab Some were no doubt in Olaf’s stomach, and other the leaves, the branches, and the dirt around you. pages, as I would soon find out, laid in a pool of vomit You toss everything wildly into the air because who on the kitchen floor. I didn’t cry. I didn’t yell. I smiled, cares anymore. And then you realize something is off. with the most intoxicating smile I could and said, There’s something wrong with the grass below you. “Come here boy!” We got in the car and drove straight So you run your fingers through the ground below to Montgomery Woods. you, and you realize it’s sticky. You stop because it’s familiar and you’re right to think it’s familiar because I don’t know why I went back for Olaf. Maybe it holy shit, Olaf, for once in your life your drool is useful was for Mom. Maybe it was out of guilt. I just remember for something! sitting in the hospital room with a notebook in hand, trying to recreate all the work I had done. It was useless; I couldn’t even pick up the pencil. I sat curled long, following the trail of slobber. Eventually, I made it over my bruised stomach running my fingernail over to a river’s edge. That’s when I saw two sparkling brown the cardboard backing of my notebook and listening eyes look at me from across the bank. “Olaf, come on, to the whine of the machines. Right then, something buddy!” I shouted. He didn’t move and as my eyes told me that I had to go back. adjusted to the darkness, I saw that his face was not I crawled on the ground for I don’t know how as dopey as it was before. “Olaf, come on!” I shouted. When you’re in the middle of the woods “Mom needs you!” Olaf started to turn around, and I searching for a dog that has ruined your life’s work dashed down the river bank and through the river. at 1:18 AM and you have no idea what’s happening to Splash! A pain seared through my foot, and water filled your mom in the hospital and your flashlight dies, do into my lungs. My body was soon swept up by the river, know what you think? You don’t pray for your mom, and my hands felt withered and torn as they scraped you don’t curse the God who made this world, you along the sediment at the bottom. I reached out for think, “My fucking flashlight is dead. My Fucking a large boulder in the middle of the river. Slick with Flashlight Is Dead!” Then the panic sets in and you blood and water, my hands couldn’t grab on and I was start realizing the dog is probably dead, either caught once again dragged by the current. Suddenly, a tug at by a bear trap or eaten by a bear, and your dumb ass my back stopped me in my place. I could feel myself has no way to get home. So you kick around. You 151 being pulled against the current and onto shore. Olaf stood above me, and licked and licked and licked, but this time I didn’t resist. I simply held Olaf close in my arms and for once I didn’t care that his wet fur smelled like shit. 152 My Dad Was[n’t] an Uncaught Serial Killer JEN MEINHARDT I once thought my dad was an uncaught serial killer stalking The gated California communities because once I was scrolling through some web pages and I saw a sketch that looked like him but like, younger? As young as I remember him when he died, swollen face, bald, and leaking pus from the cracked edges of his putrid dry skin. And maybe because I was young, And maybe because he was young? And maybe because the article said he smelled sick. And maybe it’s because I barely remember him but the time he stuck his salty fingers in my mouth and told me to suck that I’m inclined to be so mean as to believe he could be a serial killer. And maybe it’s even because in his first round of cancer as a young man doing IT work between Omaha, Nebreaska and along the west coast of California leaving his young wife alone With three kids in a trailer that I’m inclined to be so mean. Or it’s probably because he wasn’t really there, but neither was mom but the occasional Saturday where the social worker would drive us to see them. This is your parent, see, even though They don’t like? Parent? You? Anyways. It was a cold case and it wasn’t him because he died in 2000 at 34 and this happened In the 70s and the case was only concluded in 2018 when they caught the ex-cop who Was killing people in an unofficial capacity. Anyways, boy did I feel silly. Sorry, Dad. 154 GABRIELA LUCÍA stages of sleep T hough I don’t have a thing for bad boys, I do name into my skin. have a thing for mediocre ones with absent fathers and degrees in film, a subset of boy incessantly kicking me in the head. I can’t fall asleep which is arguably much worse. knowing he’s sleeping somewhere, undreaming, and I I keep picking his name into my skin. I can’t fall can’t stop having nightmares, even while my eyes are asleep because I keep picking his name into my skin. open and staring at the red 4:05, :06, :07, :15, :28. The red collects underneath my fingernails. I can’t fall asleep with 50 mg of Trazodone Though I was blessed with no acne on my Red 4:04 glows on my face, reminding me ass, I was also blessed with long, strong fingernails that I can’t fall asleep because I keep picking his for reopening closed wounds all over my body, over 155 and over again. Like I’m retreading my footsteps. A fretting, spitting, and affixing my fists but never flexing or nightly ritual. sticking the landing. Moon peers in through the slats of my blinds and paints a square of light on my legs. I look at moon, imagine liquifying her and pouring her over my Frosted Flakes. I imagine Tony the Tiger sitting at the foot of my bed, smoking a cigarette. I imagine having sex with Tony the Tiger. I regret this. I know I should have broken up with him (not Tony the Tiger) when I tried to spoon him one night near the end, and he pushed me out of bed, and while I hunched on the floor, I imagined for one brief, electric moment that I grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head clean off. Oh What is this? Oh I think I feel it coming now. Grease lick, steep slick, spilled liquid underneath and spreading, heading east or was it west, unsending every letter I’ve ever regretted sending, ending every era of dick-clit contact and that’s that. Instead of nibbling split ends, spending and sweating, flipping and 156 Summer Night Haiku RA C H E L B RO W N Shadows flit like moths outside my bedroom window; It’s too hot to sleep. 158 ISSUE 44 2 019 MURPHY SQUARE LITERARY MAGAZINE AUGSBURG UNIVERSIT Y
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Title: Augsburg Now Winter-Spring 2005
Collection: Alumni Magazine Collection
Search Result: A P U B L I C AT I O N Winter/Spring 2005 F O R A U G S B U R G C O L L E G E A L U M N I & F R I E N D S Vol. 67, No. 2-3 EEditor’s DITOR’Snote NOTE Learning by seeing and doing I usually write this piece at the very last moment, after all the page layout is complete and after ...
Show more A P U B L I C AT I O N Winter/Spring 2005 F O R A U G S B U R G C O L L E G E A L U M N I & F R I E N D S Vol. 67, No. 2-3 EEditor’s DITOR’Snote NOTE Learning by seeing and doing I usually write this piece at the very last moment, after all the page layout is complete and after we’ve proofed everything. At this point, the magazine is finally in order, and, freed of the editorial minutiae, I can more easily take in the content as a reader. I always seem to discover unexpected themes and threads among the stories. Sometimes they’re serendipitous, and sometimes it’s as if the stories fall together to create something greater than the sum of their individual parts. When I “read” through this issue, I was struck by how much of the content deals with learning outside the classroom. Moreover, the one story that is about classroom learning lauds the new ways that technology links us with classrooms, students, and teachers around the world. Experiential learning, the learning that takes students outside of books, and mostly outside of classrooms, is powerful. It’s an Augsburg hallmark, enhanced by the vast resources of the neighborhoods, city, and world around us. I felt the power of experience when student Anna Warnes talked about how the tsunami didn’t kill faceless people on the other side of the world, but people she knew and had learned from in Thailand. I also felt it in hearing from our nursing students who learned about Lakota culture and the inequalities of health care from the nurses and residents they met on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Names also became real faces and people for the school children participating in the Peace Prize Festival who had “adopted” Nobel Peace Prize laureates and spent months developing creative projects around their lives. And, after hearing Dr. Sima Samar speak at the Peace Prize Forum, it will be difficult to read about Afghanistan without thinking about the persecution and hardships she has endured in her life. The timing of the article in this issue about Professor Garry Hesser—honored as Minnesota Professor of the Year—was serendipity, but couldn’t have fit better with themes about experience in an Augsburg education. His vision, wisdom, and leadership at Augsburg and across the nation have enabled students to learn more fully through internships, service-learning, cooperative education, and by getting out of the classroom and into the community. So, read on and experience an education exemplified, I believe, by the phrase on many of the publications from our Center for Global Education—“See the world through their eyes, and your world will never be the same.” Augsburg Now is published quarterly by Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454. Editor Betsey Norgard Assistant Editor Lynn Mena Graphic Designer Kathy Rumpza Class Notes Coordinator Sara Kamholz ’04 Photographer Stephen Geffre President William V. Frame Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Amy Sutton Director of Public Relations and Communication Dan Jorgensen Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now do not necessarily reflect official College policy. ISSN 1058–1545 Postmaster: Send address corrections to: Advancement Services Augsburg College, CB 142 2211 Riverside Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55454 healyk@augsburg.edu E-mail: now@augsburg.edu Telephone: 612-330-1181 Fax: 612-330-1780 Betsey Norgard Editor Augsburg College, as affirmed in its mission, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, or disability in its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and/or school administered programs, except in those instances where religion is a bona fide occupational qualification. Augsburg College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to its employees and its students. www.augsburg.edu 10 A PUBLICATION FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS Winter/Spring 2005 Vol. 67, No. 2-3 FEATURES 22 22 Through the eyes of teachers, the eyes of students by Kathy Swanson, Anna Warnes ’05, Jeff Moores ’05, Sue Kneen ’04, and Rachel Schuette ’03 28 Learning with your heart by Judy Petree 8 10 13 2005 Nobel Peace Prize Forum Garry Hesser: Minnesota Professor of the Year Vision, news from Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College DEPARTMENTS 2 Around the Quad 6 Sports 17 Faculty/Staff Notes 34 Alumni News 37 Class Notes 43 In Memoriam 44 Auggie Thoughts inside back cover 28 Calendar 50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-consumer waste) On the cover: The 2005 Nobel Peace Prize Forum brought together nearly 1,000 people to hear, consider, and discuss issues of women’s rights, honoring 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. Photo by Stephen Geffre. AROUND QUAD Around THE the Quad NEWS NOTES Campus Kitchen receives honors The Campus Kitchen at Augsburg received one of nine Harry Chapin Self-Reliance awards given by World Hunger Year (WHY) to “outstanding grassroots organizations in the U.S. that have moved beyond charity to creating change in their communities.” WHY is devoted to finding grassroots solutions to hunger and poverty. Campus Kitchen at Augsburg is a partnership with The Campus Kitchens Project and local community agencies to use food donations from campus dining operations, student organizations, and Second Harvest Heartland in preparation of meals delivered to community service agencies. Since Augsburg’s program began in October 2003, over 10,000 meals have been served and 300 volunteers involved in Augsburg’s program. Thrivent grant will help strengthen planned giving program Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has awarded Augsburg $99,935 over two years to support the College’s plan to strengthen its planned giving program. The grant will expand Augsburg’s congregational outreach to inform, motivate, and engage Lutherans through seminars, individual visits, direct mail, and Web site content in the charitable giving options available to them. Rochester Program relocates After five years at the Rochester Central Lutheran School, Augsburg’s Rochester campus program moved closer to downtown with its new location at Bethel Lutheran Church. In January, the College officially celebrated the move and dedicated the new location. Speakers included Rochester mayor Ardelle Brede; Rev. Gary Benson ’70, Augsburg regent and minister of Zumbro Lutheran Church in Rochester; Rev. Norman Wahl ’75, executive pastor of Bethel Lutheran; and Pat Engstrom, a current graduate nursing student in Rochester who spoke on behalf of the Rochester students. Augsburg’s Gospel Praise, a student music ensemble that performs across the nation, also took part in the celebration. Robert Stacke ’71, the group’s director and chair of the Music Department, used the occasion to note that Augsburg would continued on page 3 2 A college with a conscience A ugsburg College is one of the nation’s best colleges fostering social responsibility and public service, according to The Princeton Review and Campus Compact. It is one of 81 institutions in the nation featured by The Princeton Review in its book, Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement, to be released in June. “A college with a conscience,” said Robert Franek, vice president for admission services at The Princeton Review, “has both an administration committed to social responsibility and a student body actively engaged in serving society. Education at these schools isn’t only about private gain: it’s about the public good.” The Princeton Review, an organization that prepares online test-prep courses, books, and other education services, partnered with Campus Compact, a national organization committed to the civic purposes of higher education, to choose the schools and develop the book. Colleges were also nominated by organizations with expertise in campus community service and engagement. Criteria included the college’s admission practices and scholarships rewarding community service, support for service-learning programs, student activism, student voice in school governance, and level of social engagement of its student body. From over 900 nominations, the list was shortened as editors collected data about the nominees’ programs and policies, and surveyed their students, faculty, and staff. Parker Palmer is the 2005 Commencement speaker P arker J. Palmer will present the Commencement remarks, “Living the Questions,” at the 2005 Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 7. Palmer, a respected writer, lecturer, teacher, and activist, focuses on issues in education, community, leadership, spirituality, and social change. His work speaks deeply to people in many walks of life. He serves as senior associate of the American Association of Higher Education, and senior adviser to the Fetzer Institute. He is the founder of the Center for Teacher Formation, which oversees the “Courage to Teach” program for K-12 educators across the country and a parallel program for people in other professions. Palmer’s work has been recognized with eight honorary doctorates, two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association, an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press, and major grants from the Danforth Foundation, the Lilly Endowment, and the Fetzer Institute. He has published a dozen poems, more than 100 essays, and seven best-selling and award-winning books, including A Hidden Wholeness, Let Your Life Speak, and The Courage to Teach. In 1998, The Leadership Project, a national survey of 10,000 administrators and faculty, named Palmer one of the 30 “most influential senior leaders” in higher education and one of the 10 key “agendasetters” of the past decade. Winter/Spring 2005 New regents elected to board Frank Cerra, M.D. Anthony (Tony) L. Genia, Jr. ’85, M.D. T hree new members and one re-elected member were welcomed to the Augsburg College Board of Regents at their meeting in January. Re-elected to a second term is former Minneapolis city councilmember Jackie Cherryhomes ’76, a government relations consultant and current chair of Augsburg’s Government and Community Relations Committee. Frank Cerra, M.D. Dr. Frank Cerra is senior vice president for health sciences at the University of Minnesota, one of the most comprehensive academic health centers in the U.S. He graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton and received his medical degree from Northwestern University School of Medicine. In 1991, he came to the University of Minnesota as director of surgical critical care, and in 1995 was appointed dean of the Medical School. He is co-developer of the bioartificial liver, a device similar to a kidney dialysis machine. Anthony (Tony) L. Genia, Jr. ’85, M.D. Dr. Tony Genia graduated from Augsburg in 1985 with a major in biology. While a student, he served as president of the Intertribal Student Union. He earned a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School, and Winter/Spring 2005 Beverly (Halling) Oren ’55 completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University of New Mexico Hospital in 1993. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine and a fellow of the American College of Emergency Medicine. His principal practice is at Fairview-University Medical Center in Minneapolis. Beverly (Halling) Oren ’55 Bev Oren graduated from Augsburg in 1955 with a major in history and a minor in English. She taught school for several years and then served as vice president of human resources during the 1980s and 1990s at Dart Transit Company, a nationwide trucking and logistics company of which her husband, Donald Oren ’53, is president. She remains a principal and adviser in the company. She currently serves on the boards of Minnehaha Academy and Dart Transit Company, as well as having formerly served on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club, YWCA, and the Covenant Pines Bible Camp. The new board members were elected to four-year terms by the Augsburg Corporation at its meeting in October. The Augsburg Corporation is comprised of representatives elected by the assemblies of the Minneapolis, St. Paul, Southeastern Minnesota, and Northwest Wisconsin Synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. NEWS NOTES begin offering music courses in Rochester next year. The Rochester Program began in fall 1998 with 65 nurses, mostly employees of Mayo Clinic, studying toward a bachelor’s degree completion. Now, at nearly four times that size, 230 students are currently enrolled in bachelor degree programs in business, management information systems (MIS), education, and nursing (BSN completion), as well as in the Master of Arts degree in nursing. Augsburg Academy needs high school students The Augsburg Academy for Health Careers is recruiting 9th-, 10th-, and 11th-grade students interested in math and science for its first class beginning this fall when doors open in St. Paul. The academy is a new charter school, sponsored by Augsburg, Fairview Health Services, and Faith in the City, a collaborative of seven Lutheran-based Twin Cities institutions. Centered on health as a vocation and a way of life, the free school receives grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Focusing on math and science within a regular curriculum, students will gain immediate skills, graduating with certification in CPR and first aid, and either as a nurse assistant or first responder. Mentoring and job-shadowing will begin in grades 9 and 10. For information, contact Linda Packard, Fairview Community Health Outreach, at 612-672-6322. Augsburg gains European partners Augsburg has established academic partnerships with universities in Poland, Slovenia, and Finland. Business professor Magda PalecznyZapp is co-coordinator of two partnerships—one with the Krakow University of Economics in Krakow, Poland, and the other with University of Ljubljana in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Opportunities will include faculty exchanges, research collaboration, curriculum development and teaching, and study abroad for students. Augsburg’s International Partners program has established a partnership with Arcada College in Helsinki, Finland, for students in business, economics, and MIS. All course credits taken there will apply to Augsburg majors. 3 Around the Quad A ugsburg’s Speech Team placed among the top teams in the state with a second place sweepstakes award in their division at the Minnesota College Forensic Association’s annual tournament in February. Since Minnesota teams routinely place in the top 20 nationally, the state tournament serves up some tough competition. “Our students have won awards at almost every tournament they attended this year,” said coach and communication studies professor Bob Groven, “and routinely beat some of the best competitors in the country. After placing second at nationals last year in our division, it’s nice to continue building our success.” According to assistant coach Brad Christ, Augsburg’s Speech Team has already this year amassed 22 finalist trophies, with several tournaments still left in the season. Senior Ryan Sobolik took top honors with a second place in Impromptu Speaking and fifth place in Communication Analysis. His success comes after three years of hard work. “It took me a while to get the hang of impromptu,” said Sobolik. “It’s tough because you don’t know the topic beforehand, and you only have two minutes to prepare your speech.” Erik Helgeson placed sixth in After Dinner Speaking, which requires presenting a funny speech about a serious topic. His The Augsburg speech team’s success grows with a second-place finish in the state tournament. (L to R) Francis Rojas ’05, Brian speech highlights the Mumford ’08, Ryan Sobolik ’05, and Erik Helgeson ’05 ways that “free speech zones” have been should be allowed to voice their opinion, abused to limit a protestor’s free speech even if those in power don’t always want rights. After working extensively in to hear the message. It’s important that radio, he feels a special connection to we preserve everyone’s right to protest.” this topic. “I really believe that everyone Augsburg presents Native American voices in film series F or the second year, the Augsburg Native American Film Series (ANAFS) has collaborated with local and regional film organizations to offer regional venues for Native American filmmakers. This year, ANAFS has partnered with a new film organization, Independent Indigenous Film Minneapolis (IIFM); continued to work with the Fargo International Film Festival; and is planning programs for fall 2005 with the University of Minnesota’s American Indian Student Association and IIFM. The series of films being shown on campus and in community locations aims to engage viewers in dialogue about indigenous film and forge collaborative relationships with the local Native American community. 4 The spring schedule of screenings has included a five-film documentary series at Augsburg with special hosts and panel discussions, and continued with a threeday series at the Center for Independent Artists that showcased local new media artists and the best of the Native American Voices selection from the Fifth Annual Fargo International Film Festival with a special panel of filmmakers. The fall schedule, still in the planning stage, would show a number of feature films at the University of Minnesota. The series is also linked to the American Indian Studies program’s Indigenous Filmmakers course, offering students an interactive environment in which to discuss issues of America’s history, contemporary culture, and social justice raised by Native filmmakers with community members. For a schedule of the remaining screenings or for more information, go to <www.augsburg.edu/ais/filmseries> or contact M. Elise Marubbio at 612-330-1523 or <marubbio@augsburg.edu>. Winter/Spring 2005 Staff photo Speech team wins sweepstakes award Auggies win national title while records fall Stephen Geffre by Don Stoner T ying national records with 10 AllAmericans, six wrestlers in national championship finals, and four wrestlers repeating as individual national champions, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed its ninth NCAA Division III national championship in the last 15 seasons with a dominating performance in the national tournament, March 4-5, at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Augsburg put together the secondhighest point total for any championship team in Division III history, and the most ever for an Augsburg team at the national championship tournament. Augsburg claimed 10 All-Americans, a first in program history and the second such occurrence in Division III history. Augsburg head coach Jeff Swenson has guided 143 All-Americans in his 23 years of coaching (1980-84, 1986-present). Junior Marcus LeVesseur became just the eighth wrestler in Division III history, and the first in Augsburg history, to win three consecutive national titles, as he claimed the 157-pound crown. His 124-match collegiate unbeaten streak is now the second-longest winning Augsburg’s wrestling team claimed the NCAA Division III national championship on March 5 at St. Olaf College—its ninth wrestling national title in the last 15 seasons. streak in college wrestling history behind the 159 of Cael Sanderson at Iowa State (1998-2002). LeVesseur has yet to lose a collegiate wrestling match. Augsburg’s four repeat national champions all finished their seasons unbeaten, bringing the Auggies’ all-time national championship total to 39 in school history— and a record 35 in Division III competition. “Not only did they repeat, but they were undefeated champions—it’s almost unheard of at any level for a guy to do something like that—and to have a team that had four guys repeat and go undefeated in that year, it’s just mindboggling,” Swenson said. “This will be in the storybooks long after I’m done coaching.” Augsburg finished 14-1 on the season in dual meets, earning Swenson his 300th career coaching victory along the way. He is now 302-40 (.883 winning percentage) in his career. Don Stoner is sports information coordinator. A ugsburg has joined the Lutheran World Relief’s Wave of Giving campaign to rebuild resources in South Asia devastated by the December tsunami. Augsburg’s goal is to raise $35,000; while it will contribute to LWR’s overall rebuilding plan in the area, the focus will be on the rebuilding of a cyclone shelter/school in India. Student organizations have jumped on to “ride the wave” with creative fundraising events. For Valentine’s Day, the LINK, a student service organization, collected money for their singing telegrams and a raffle. Winter/Spring 2005 On March 13, Pi Day, the student math club, Unbounded, charged students money for the opportunity to “pi” their favorite professor—by tossing a whipped cream mini-pie at them. Students also took turns reading the digits of pi, reaching a grand total of 24,401. Augsburg’s Center for Global Education (CGE) and LWR have shared their common strong commitments to experiential education as a learning tool with trips over the past two years to Courtesy photo Ride the ‘Wave of Giving’ for tsunami relief Nicaragua to educate about the LWR coffee project and fair trade. Contact David Fenrick, Center for Global Education, for further information or to donate, at <fenrick@augsburg.edu> or 612-330-1669. 5 Sports Gridiron guru by Erin Peterson hen Jack Osberg ’62 walked off the football field for the final time as head coach of the Augsburg team following the Auggies’ game against St. Olaf at the Metrodome on Nov. 12, he departed as the winningest football coach in the school’s history. But for him, that legacy isn’t nearly as important as the one he’s had on a generation of players. Take Craig Peroutka ’99. Long before Peroutka ever donned an Augsburg uniform, he knew that Jack Osberg would be his college coach. As a senior at Faribault High School, the offensive lineman hadn’t attracted notice from any Division I or Division II schools, but he had caught the eye of Osberg. “Jack was the only one who took the time to visit me at my house after a high school football game,” he says. “He really took time to get to know me.” Peroutka would go on to be a part of the 1997 Augsburg squad that finished 10-2 and earned a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) crown for the first time since 1928, while advancing to the NCAA Division III national quarterfinals. Now a financial analyst, Peroutka says Osberg wasn’t just a football coach for him; he was a life coach. “He focused on values,” Peroutka says. “He didn’t want us to succeed just on the field, he wanted us to succeed in the classroom and in everything we did.” This is the kind of praise on which Osberg thrives. During his 14-year tenure as head coach at Augsburg, he’s garnered his share of accolades, from winning the MIAC championship to surpassing his former coach and mentor, Edor Nelson ’38, as the winningest football coach in Auggie history. But he’s much quicker to recount the weddings of former players he’s attended recently, and the friendships he’s formed with many of his players. He’s happy to talk about the successes of his players 6 not just on the gridiron, but in the business world. “I want my players to understand that there’s a bigger world than football, but that there are many things we can learn on the football field that will help us, whether it’s our careers, our relationships, our spirituality, or anything else,” says Osberg. It’s the wisdom of a coach who’s played the game for his entire life, and coached for nearly three-quarters of it. An Auggie himself, the offensive and defensive lineman played under the legendary Edor Nelson ’38, and he knew by the middle of his freshman year that he would coach. He spent 30 years teaching biology and coaching at Minneapolis Roosevelt, Bloomington Kennedy, and Wayzata high schools, where he says he quickly learned that good coaches aren’t necessarily the best athletes, they’re the best teachers. “You need to know how to motivate and work with young people,” he says. “I’ve always said that if I’m teaching a class of 30 students and I get 28 positive evaluations, I’ll wonder what I could Head football coach Jack Osberg ‘62 retires with the most wins in Augsburg coaching history. Charles Walbridge W Charles Walbridge Augsburg coach Jack Osberg shares his philosophy on football and life Coach Osberg celebrates with Auggie players in 2003 after a win over Hamline. Winter/Spring 2005 Archive photo begin to turn the have done for those program around, even if other two. Coaching they would not be the is the same way. I ones to finish first in want to be able to the MIAC. relate to all of the These days, says players.” Osberg, it’s tougher to While he’s had succeed than it used to plenty of role models be. Many players, even on and off the field, at the Division III level, his goal was never to are pressured to emulate the style of specialize in a single any of them. “As a Jack Osberg began his football sport, and with everyoung coach, I went career as an Auggie offensive and defensive lineman. improving technology, to a clinic and I heard play is far more [former Vikings sophisticated than it was when he was a coach] Bud Grant speak,” he says. “I player. came back with all these great Bud Grant “We have video tapes now that we ideas, but I wasn’t Bud Grant.” can just copy and give out,” he says. As he looked to many people for “We used to have just one 16-millimeter ideas, he ended up building his own film, and we couldn’t copy that. It was coaching philosophy and style. For better difficult to run, and it broke all the or worse, the young men who played for time.” him would look up to him, and he Even as players feel that they must stresses that he tries to be a role model do more work in the weight room and for them. He is demanding but respectful spend more time in the offseason of his players; he focuses on the preparing for the following fall, Osberg fundamentals of the game while tells them to find balance. College is a acknowledging that his players and his crucible, but it is only through the coaches have much to teach him. balance of sports and academics, work, “If you think you have all the answers and friendships that they will be to everything, you’re not going to make prepared to enter the world and the rest it,” he says. of their lives. As a Division III coach, Osberg hasn’t In retirement, he says he is looking had access to the kind of talent available forward to spending more time with his to large programs, but he’s a proponent wife, Nina, and six children and of making everyone—even those who grandchildren. He may also spend more will never be stars—feel valued. time on the golf course. But retirement “Jack made me think I could will be bittersweet because of the joy accomplish anything,” says Mike that his tenure at Augsburg has brought. Weidner ’83, a defensive end who played “I was here 40 years ago, and in that while Osberg was a defensive coordinator time buildings have changed, technology under Al Kloppen. “I was 6-feet-1 and has changed, and administrations have 177 pounds, and he convinced me I changed,” he says. “But the thing that’s could do the job. I don’t think we had stayed constant is the [encouragement] one guy who was over 200 pounds, but for individuals to be who they are. That he always got the most out of is something that persists.” everybody.” Osberg will remain on the Augsburg Indeed, he says one of the squads he staff, assisting in the school’s Alumni and was most proud of during his tenure at Parent Relations and Development areas, Augsburg was the group of players he to develop connections with athletic started with during his first year as a alumni and parents. head coach, in 1991. Augsburg had compiled an abysmal 7-61-2 record in Erin Peterson is a freelance writer based in the previous seven seasons, and he Minneapolis. marveled at the 1991 group’s ability to Winter/Spring 2005 Frank Haege to replace Osberg by Don Stoner F ormer Augsburg assistant coach Frank Haege has been named to replace retiring coach Jack Osberg. He will be the 14th head coach in the 74-season history of the school’s football program. Haege brings a 64-24 record as a professional football head coach to his new post at Augsburg. Most recently, Haege spent three seasons as head coach of the Arena Football League’s Las Vegas Gladiators, posting a 25-23 record (including playoffs). “I’m very excited about this position,” said Haege, 36. “Working at Augsburg, and at the small-college level, has always been a long-term goal for me. I’ve really enjoyed the 10 years that I coached in Arena Football, and I’ve had a lot of success at that level. But there is a lot more stability at the small-college level, and that is important to me and my family.” Haege served on the Augsburg staff under Jack Osberg as offensive coordinator from 1996-98. “Ever since I started coaching with Jack in 1996, I fell in love with Augsburg,” Haege said. “It is a great atmosphere in which to coach and teach. People work hard, have fun, and always look out for the student-athletes.” Don Stoner is sports information coordinator. 7 The 17th Nobel Peace Prize Forum and Peace Prize Festival Left: Dr. Sima Samar, chair of the Afghanistan Human Rights Commission, spoke about her struggle as an Afghan woman to become a medical doctor, establish the first hospital for women in Afghanistan, and continue her pioneering work on behalf of women in her country. Right: Augsburg student Sam Kanenwisher ’06 (left) presents a gift of the waters brought to this year’s forum to a representative of Luther College, which will host the Peace Prize Forum in 2006. Left: Students from CitySongs children’s choir performed at the forum prior to the Friday evening plenary session. Above: Augsburg was host in February to nearly 1,000 college, university, and community participants in the 17th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum honoring Nobel Peace laureate Shirin Ebadi of Iran. Above: National Public Radio producer Davar Ardalan spoke in a plenary session about rediscovering her native country of Iran and learning about the legacy her family left in the national struggle for reform. 8 Above: Augsburg student Katie Bickel ’05 participated on a student seminar panel examining human rights issues in China, Iran, and East Africa. Winter/Spring 2005 Above: Frances Moore Lappé, author of Diet for a Small Planet, spoke about the politics of food and consideration of food as the central issue through which to understand world politics. Above: Augsburg sociology professor Garry Hesser, with students Krista Dahlke and Riley Conway, presented to a standing-room seminar audience their research on demographics, resources, and revitalization in lowincome neighborhoods. Above: Students from the Prairie School of Dance in Eden Prairie performed a modern dance, “The Wall.” Above: Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and U.N. high commissioner for human rights, talked about her global experience as an advocate for human rights and the use of law to bring about social change. Above: A participant from one of the five sponsoring colleges brought water to the Peace Prize Forum cauldron. Winter/Spring 2005 Above: Ole Mjøs, chair of the Nobel Peace Prize Committee in Oslo, Norway, gestured in his greetings from Norway and spoke about the significance of the forum, sponsored by the five Norwegian Lutheran colleges. 9 Stephen Geffre G A R RY H E S S E R M I N N E S O TA P R O F E S S O R O F T H E Y E A R Augsburg News Service and Betsey Norgard 10 interdisciplinary metro-urban studies program. He was instrumental in the creation of Augsburg’s Center for Service, Work, and Learning—a center marking the marriage of the classroom and the city that has not only emerged as a hallmark of an Augsburg education, but also has served as a service-learning model across the nation. For 28 years Hesser has been a national leader in assisting students in taking fuller advantage of Augsburg’s urban location through wide-ranging internships, community servicelearning, and cooperative education. Education Award (National Society for Experiential Education) • 1998, Thomas Ehrlich Award for national leadership and scholarship in advancing the field of service-learning (Campus Compact) Stephen Geffre A ugsburg sociology and urban studies professor Garry Hesser was named 2004 Minnesota Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). The day of the announcement, November 18, was proclaimed as “Dr. Garry Hesser Day” in Minnesota by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. A special chapel service and luncheon marked the day on the Augsburg campus. In reflecting on his time at Augsburg, Hesser said, “This has been an extraordinary place to be all these 28 years. The gift of community is about the greatest gift to be given to anybody in one’s life.” Hesser joined Augsburg’s Sociology Department in 1977. Since that time he has served as chair of the Natural and Social Sciences Division and chair of the His awards include: • 2004, Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning (Augsburg) • 2002, Distinguished Sociologist of Minnesota (Sociologists of Minnesota) • 2001, Pioneer in Experiential Professor of the Year Garry Hesser is introduced at a special chapel service by Frankie Shackelford, associate dean for teaching and learning enhancement. Winter/Spring 2005 Stephen Geffre Hesser represents the very best teacher any of us ever have had. He’s that teacher we think about with gratitude decades later. —Doug Grow Star Tribune columnist Hesser is Augsburg’s first recipient of the professor-of-the-year honor, which is given annually by the Carnegie Foundation and CASE, two Washington, D.C.-based organizations. It is the only national award that recognizes excellence in undergraduate teaching and mentoring. More than 500 nominations were submitted. The nominees were evaluated on criteria including the impact on and involvement with undergraduate students, scholarly approach to teaching and learning, contributions to undergraduate education within the institution and community, and support from colleagues and students “In my view, Garry Hesser represents the best Augsburg College has to offer in respect to innovative teaching, engaged scholarship, and service to the institution and the community,” noted President William Frame. Augsburg provost and dean Christopher Kimball wrote, “His unique preparation as a theologian and sociologist has proven fertile soil in which to cultivate a teaching life. He does so with energy and care and thereby provides a compelling example of Christian vocation for his colleagues Winter/Spring 2005 and students.” Minneapolis Star Tribune columnist Doug Grow led his column about Hesser’s honor by fantasizing about a time when media would get as excited about people who matter as they do about celebrities and sports stars. He wrote, “Hesser represents the very best teacher any of us ever have had. He’s that teacher we think about with gratitude decades later.” Hesser is past president of the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) and the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA). As a consultant, he has led workshops on service-learning and experiential education on over 50 campuses and at professional meetings. Hesser holds degrees from Phillips University in Oklahoma, Union Theological Seminary in New York, and the University of Notre Dame. He makes his home in the Seward neighborhood where he and his wife, Nancy Homans, have raised their five children, two of whom are Augsburg graduates. He is the author or editor of numerous publications and articles in the areas of experiential education, service-learning, and neighborhood revitalization. Courtesy photo At a luncheon in his honor, Garry Hesser acknowledged and greeted his friend and mentor Professor Emeritus Joel Torstenson ’38, founder of Augsburg’s Sociology Department, as Fran Torstenson looked on. In 2000, Prof. Garry Hesser and then-PanAfrikan Center director Joe Young taught an Interim course on civil rights history that included a 10-day bus tour to spots where historic civil rights events occurred—Selma and Birmingham, Ala.; Little Rock, Ark.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Atlanta, Ga. For most students, it was their first trip in the south, and left a strong impact as they immersed themselves in the history. Here, the group posed on the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. 11 Robert Frost poignantly reminds us of roads not taken, as well as those that are taken. In 1984, I was engaged in a faculty development internship related to affordable housing policy and programs. I was preparing for a sabbatical leave to write a book with an economics colleague focusing on neighborhood revitalization using data that my students and I had collected from a sample of 500 Minneapolis residents. Then the dean called and invited me to accept an appointment as founding director of the newly funded Cooperative Education program, stressing the importance of faculty leadership in this new undertaking. My colleague wrote the book that we had planned together, but the alternate “road taken” enabled me to become one of the early faculty members who led in the “rediscovery” and validation of experiential education and servicelearning. Because there were so few faculty members whose colleges supported their involvement in servicelearning, I stood out and became president of the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE), which collaborated with Susan Stroud and Tim Stanton as they worked with the university presidents who founded Campus Compact. These were heady times for all of us in experiential education. I found myself at Wingspread on a task force which was deliberating on whether to call it “service-learning” and played a leadership role in NSEE when we convened Wingspread gatherings that produced the “Principles of Good Practice in Service-Learning,” designed a research agenda under the leadership of Dwight Giles, and commissioned the now classic NSEE three-volume Combining Service and Learning, edited by Jane Kendall. All this also opened the door to my becoming a FIPSE-NSEE consultant (which has evolved into the Campus Compact-AAHE Consulting Corps). This 20-year interchange and dialogue has enhanced our programs at Augsburg and 12 by Garry Hesser Stephen Geffre T H E R O A D TA K E N An unexpected career path and serendipity led Professor Garry Hesser to the forefront of leadership, as experiential education, and especially service-learning, was embraced and developed in higher education. the over 50 campuses where I have been privileged to conduct faculty and staff development workshops on experiential education and service-learning. Serendipity played a key role in recentering my teaching and scholarship in the very values that had led me into the academy in the first place, namely a desire to combine knowledge with civic engagement that could lead to thriving and integrated communities open to all. These opportunities have been gifts in a 20-year “faculty development process” and dialogue with colleagues from across the globe, enabling me to be a bridge between Augsburg, HECUA, and others on the cutting edge of experiential education. My teaching has certainly benefited from an expanded utilization of community-based pedagogy. And it would appear that Augsburg has also benefited from this disciplinary and interdisciplinary exchange. This summer two of my students will collaborate with me as we expand upon and synthesize the community-based research of other students over the past five years as we deepen our understanding of five Minneapolis neighborhoods and compare their community-building endeavors with five neighborhoods involved in Annie E. Casey’s “Rebuilding Communities Initiative.” I do not know the roads that I might have traveled by pursuing more traditional forms of scholarship. But the decision to focus my teaching and sociological journey on experiential education and community-based servicelearning has provided countless opportunities in higher education and the discipline of sociology. … My colleagues and students, both within the academy and the community, young and old, have shared their gifts and accepted mine. We have challenged and changed one another as a community of learners and engaged scholars. How could any professor ask for more opportunities than I have had or more reasons to celebrate the joy of being a teacher, a student, a sociologist, an urbanist, and a citizen? ■ Excerpted from the personal statement by Garry Hesser that accompanied his nomination as Professor of the Year. Winter/Spring 2005 ‘Many Houses’ author found Augsburg home With many men serving in the Armed Forces during World War II, most Augsburg students were women. It was here that writer Marie (Gjenvick) Knaphus ’45 found a home. “The entire school was like a family,” said Knaphus. “Augsburg means a lot to me. I received a good education and made many lifelong friends.” In addition to studying, Knaphus kept involved with oratory and debate, singing in the Mendelssohn Chorus, and participating in the International Relations Club and the Writers’ Club. At the same time, she was engaged in community and faith-based activities through Girl Scouts and the church. Making Iowa her home for many years, Knaphus last visited the campus in 1996 for the 50th anniversary of campus ministry among students attending state-supported colleges and universities. Shortly after leaving Augsburg, Knaphus served as counselor to Lutheran students attending the Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, Iowa. It was there that she met and married her husband, George, and together they became the ministry’s first counselors. During her visit, Knaphus was amazed at the growth of Augsburg’s Weekend College (WEC) and feels a connection with WEC students because, she, too, lived off campus. However, she took a streetcar to attend Augsburg. Winter/Spring 2005 A great-grandmother at 81, Knaphus continues to use her education and serve others. Currently she is working on her third book, this one about her father, a Norwegian immigrant. ■ Marie (Gjenvick) Knaphus ’45, then and now. “I am impressed with what’s happening to Augsburg today,” she said. “Students should work hard and take advantage of every opportunity to grow and develop their abilities. I feel Augsburg did this for me.” Knaphus also thinks “it’s important for alumni to help support the College. It takes so much money to run a college, and people who have benefited from it need to help.” She recently made a significant gift of stock to the Bernhard M. Christensen Endowed Fund “out of gratitude for a good education. It [Augsburg] offered me the incentive to go out and offer myself in service to others. I believe there is a place for the small college that has a mission like Augsburg.” Knaphus was fortunate to have Bernhard Christensen as a professor and keeps in contact with his widow, (Lilly) Gracia. “I have fond memories of Dr. Christensen’s religion class that pulled everything together for me. Attending Augsburg helped me crystallize my faith,” she said. Marie Knaphus’ story may be similar to yours. She held stock for many years and wanted to give to Augsburg instead of taking the capital gain from the sale of stock. Her gift helps build Augsburg’s endowment, and Knaphus benefits as well. Augsburg is focusing its endowment growth in three ways: • NEW FACULTY CHAIRS AND PROFESSORSHIPS Endowed chairs and professorships allow the College to attract and retain the most qualified and talented faculty. • NEW ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS By expanding the current level of endowed scholarships the College is able to attract talented students from all backgrounds. • PROGRAM SUPPORT AND FACULTY DEVELOPMENT A strong endowment is essential to sustaining distinctive programs, supporting innovative faculty-student research projects, and enhancing professional development programs for all faculty and staff. You may designate endowment gifts to areas of your specific interest.Your appreciated securities of stock, bonds, or mutual funds may be exempt from capital gains taxes when you transfer them to the College, and you may receive a tax deduction equal to the market value of the securities at the time they are transferred. Contact the Development Office at 612-338-0002 to discuss how your gift can best help others. 13 Goal reached through the 3M Foundation challenge grant The challenge went out this past fall to Augburg alumni and friends who are 3M employees to give back to their alma mater through the 3M Foundation Challenge Grant. “I think the 3M Foundation structured the grant appropriately,” said Ron Nelson ’68. “I am pleased to see we achieved the match.” Augsburg College and 3M partnered to Ron Nelson ’68 successfully raise $100,000 from 69 3M employees in support of the new Science Center. The special challenge match opportunity offered by the 3M Foundation ran for eight weeks. Under the 3:1 challenge, the foundation matched the $100,000 in contributions from employees, retirees, and friends with a $300,000 gift. Additionally, the foundation contributed a $200,000 grant to the new Science Center. “There is a long-standing relationship between Augsburg and 3M,” said Nelson. “This challenge grant gave many 3M employees and retirees an opportunity to reconnect with the College and play an important part in the capital campaign.” Sandra Wollschlager ’94 was compelled to contribute because “my education made a challenging 3M career possible. Many 3M employees completed degrees in a nontraditional fashion when taking Augsburg coursework. We obtained an 14 Augsburg degree while working full time and raising a family. “My daughter was one-year-old when I took my first Augsburg class. I commuted Sandra Wollschlager ’94 a long distance. Because Augsburg chemistry professors came to the 3M campus, it enabled me to juggle my work schedule so I could take classes. If it wasn’t for 3M and Augsburg making it easier for me, I wouldn’t have gone to college.” Nelson came from the small Minnesota town of Dawson, and life at Augsburg was his first introduction to the city. “It became my window,” said Nelson. “All is available within the city, and students should plug in culturally, through sports, and experience activities relative to societal diversity.” Students should “participate in the hands-on experiences made available in the classroom and the laboratories, and take advantage of the research work,” he said. “These are extremely important building blocks for the future.” “The connection with Augsburg to the scientific community is imperative,” said Wollschlager. “Students need to see and understand the big connections. 3M is a global company so it is involved in global issues. So what can we do to lessen global warming, for example? Students need to learn air and water transport modeling so they can see how the world is connected. “Our generation needs to make improvements in the environment (sustainable chemistry, technological advances) and we need to figure out how to educate the public about our improvements and, in general, the value of a science education/background.” “The contributions made in sciences are important to everyone,” continued Nelson. “We want the science programs to continue to be competitive and turn out leaders like Dr. Peter Agre ’70, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.” ■ MAKE A DIFFERENCE Many people made a difference through the 3M Foundation Grant Challenge—please consider how you can make a difference, too. Does your company offer a matching gift program? If so, please let us know. Remember, all gifts are tax deductible. Contact Sherry Jennings-King at 612-338-4823 or jenningk@augsburg.edu to discuss giving options. Vision is published by Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454. Editor and Writer Lynn James Graphic Designer Kathy Rumpza www.augsburg.edu/campaign Winter/Spring 2005 A FINE FIRST LADY Leola (Lee) Anderson served as the first lady of Augsburg College during her husband’s presidency from 1963 to 1980. President Emeritus Oscar Anderson focused on three main areas during his term in office: to meld Augsburg into its new family of colleges in the American Lutheran Church (it had been the college of the Lutheran Free Church); to experiment with programs that involved the city as a learning laboratory; and to strengthen the College academically, which resulted in an invitation to join the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC). As the president’s wife, Lee was active in the Augsburg College Women’s Club, now called the Augsburg College Associates, and hosted College functions. She raised four children during her husband’s tenure, served on the first task force of the American Lutheran College, and was involved in the church. She is remembered as a warm, friendly person who cared deeply about social issues, was a strong advocate for women, and was close to her children. Family was very important to her, and, at age 86, she experienced the joy of seeing her first great-grandchild. TIME OF REMEMBRANCE Donna (Anderson) Hoekstra ’68 spoke at the memorial service about her mother, Lee Anderson. Excerpts are reprinted here with permission. “She was a lovely lady with a unique, one-of-a-kind personality and a name to Winter/Spring 2005 Archive photo In Memoriam Leola G. Anderson, April 17, 1916–December 4, 2004 Leola (Lee) Anderson match. Mom was generous with her myriad talents. She could sing beautifully, strum a guitar (though upside down and backwards), sew professionally, entertain with class, sashay with flair on the dance floor, draw and paint, and write with depth and feeling. Mom was generous with her treasures, too. She gave, with no strings attached, to her family, but she also gave to the far ends of God’s world to suffering people in places like Rwanda. Mom embodied for me Christian discipleship. She tried to live the godly life—her life bore the fruits of the Spirit: patience, kindness, goodness, compassion, and self-control. She exemplified how I wanted to live my life. Mom gave of herself in service to others. She was all too often selfless to a fault. In her early years she served as choir director, youth leader, Sunday school teacher, newsletter editor, and worked in various jobs to support the family during difficult times in Chicago. In her years as wife of a traveling Luther League director (that would be my dad), Mom formed the Traveler’s Aid group to provide mutual support for other staff wives. In her role as pastor’s wife, she served gracefully. I can remember food-laden tables at open houses and family gatherings at holiday times, Bible studies she led, sharing fresh insights, overflowing Christmas baskets for the poor, and quiet living room conversations with hurting parishioners. continued on page 16 LEOLA G. ANDERSON SCHOLARSHIP Appreciating the legacy a scholarship offers, in 2002 President Emeritus Oscar Anderson established the Leola G. Anderson Scholarship in Mathematics to honor his wife. “My wife had a love of math, but was a very modest person,” said Anderson.“I wanted to do something to honor her, so with agreement from my family, the Leola G. Anderson Scholarship in Mathematics was established.” It is designated that one or more students who have demonstrated academic achievement and financial need be awarded the scholarship. Special consideration is given to assisting women in mathematics. If you are interested in contributing to this scholarship, contact Jennifer Kahlow at 612-338-6540 or <kahlow@augsburg.edu>. 15 F In Memoriam, continued Mom was an open person. She opened her mind—especially during the 17 years at Augsburg. I found speeches she had given in front of learned college groups. And I remember a particular Mother/Daughter Banquet. Her talk was brilliant. How I admired her and was so proud to be her daughter. She opened her home—to the freshmen for Welcome to College Week, to friends we brought home, and to faculty for college functions. She opened her heart to students she tutored and to the needs of patients at Fairview Hospital. Books were her love from when she was young to just three months before she died. They informed her thoughts and shaped her opinions. I had a mom who was on the cutting edge, though often herself teetering precariously. With heartfelt empathy from her own personal loss, she championed the poor, the oppressed, and the disenfranchised. She fought for peace and justice through written word and voice forming the MS (Miscellaneous) group of gals to hone shared thoughts and strategies for change. She took on Enhancements made to Thrivent’s GivingPlus Program Thrivent Financial for Lutherans offers a charitable/match gift program to alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the College. Changes to the program for 2005 include: • • • • • no minimum gift required, increased member giving range, multiple gifts option by members to same organization, equal membership status for gifts, and additional Lutheran organizations eligible. Contact Stephanie Malone, director of The Augsburg Fund, at 612-338-4825 or <malone@augsburg.edu> for details on how your participation benefits Augsburg. the “isms” of race, gender, and culture. My mom was a flaming liberal and an authentic feminist. She could talk your arm off sharing her causes. After her death, we discovered volumes of prose and poetry on all kinds of subjects. She will live on in her written words. Mom gave her love unconditionally. She saw God as unconditional lover and tried to model that love. She was generous, open, and loving even during her darkest times. Mom modeled for me how to give, how to really see the other person, how to serve, and how to love.” ■ SUPPORT STUDENTS Hurry! Your annual fund donation to The Augsburg Fund for this fiscal year must be received by May 31. Your tax-deductible gift will accomplish many things: help students by supplementing their tuition, provide enriching campus experiences, enhance technology and curriculum, and prepare future leaders for service in the world. Contact Stephanie R. Malone, director,The Augsburg Fund and Maroon & Silver Society, at 612-338-4825 or <malone@augsburg.edu>. Campaign Progress $37.5M of $55M goal as of 3-10-2005 16 Winter/Spring 2005 FACULTY /STAFFNotes NOTES Faculty/Staff Connecting with classmates around the world by Judy Petree new program at Augsburg connects students and faculties around the world via Web cam and e-mail, offering one way for students to gain global perspectives without leaving campus. Augsburg social work professor Rosemary Link, along with Robert Bill from Information Technology, received a State Department grant to develop the “Exploring World Cultures” project as a module in a social work class. Augsburg is the only Minnesota institution among the 10 funded grants. The goals of the project are to increase understanding of world cultures and systems of human service; to increase students’ abilities to explain their own culture and respect others; to identify the variety of cultures worldwide and to recognize their interdependence; and to develop crosscultural communication skills, including conflict management. Link said they began with schools where Augsburg already had connections. At the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia, where student summer exchanges have become a tradition, Professors Gabi Cacinovic Vogrincic and Lea Sugman Bohinc were “delighted to participate in this venture.” A second project site is the National University of Singapore. The third partner, Tata Institute in Mumbai, India, has been delayed by technical and structural difficulties. To prepare for the project, Link and Bill visited the three overseas schools and researched their political, economic, historical, and social characteristics, plus technology resources. They received training at East Carolina University, where this technology concept initiated, to develop curriculum using video technology and to review steps to establish crosscultural relationships. They also prepared for the reality of different approaches to technology, firewall status, bandwidth issues, and availability of an academic technology team. Winter/Spring 2005 Stephen Geffre A Students in an Augsburg social work class “study” with classmates in Slovenia, pictured on the screen. Back row (L to R) Professor Rosemary Link, Kelly Sve, Cody Swanson, Stacy Anderson, Amanda Dowdy, Emily Lunemann, Dan Quance, Carolyn Herman, IT coordinator Robert Bill. Front row (L to R) Erin Olsen, Walter Gies, Shannon Rynders, Amanda Bockmann and Joelle Bickel. “One of the unique elements of the project is the opportunity to share innovations in teaching and local challenges with colleagues across the globe,” Link said, “and to understand different perspectives on issues which affect us all, such as health, migration, international adoptions, and conflict management.” The Augsburg students participating in the project are taking Social Work 257, Exploring Human Services in Global Context. They were matched with students in either Slovenia or Singapore and are exploring each other’s culture, social well-being, and current issues such as homelessness, SARS, and migration. Two logistical challenges, Link said, have been the different semester schedules and the time differences. The joys, however, far outweigh the challenges, and students even come in on Sunday evenings to ‘meet’ their Singapore classmates. “I didn’t know much about the rest of the world before this class,” fall semester class student Samantha Privratsky said. Another student, Brooke Vasseur, commented that this is “way cool to be making friends on the other side of the globe.” “Our colleague in Singapore, Dr. Ngoh Tiong Tan, is an expert in cultural conflict and mediation,” says Link. “His class was well underway when we joined in. His students gave excellent presentations and our students joined enthusiastically, although initially they were somewhat alarmed at the view of American culture from Asia.” She added that this was mitigated as students emailed each other and explored concepts of individualism and collectivism, as well as distinct characteristics of culture alongside common human needs. According to Link, the project director, and Bill, project technology director, “the project has been quite a roller coaster, but also enthralling, and students have said they will never forget it.” Judy Petree is media relations manager in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. 17 Faculty/Staff Notes Toward spiritually-sensitive social work A calling to social work came to Leola (Dyrud) Furman at age 12 during a career session at a summer Luther League convention. She followed family members to Augsburg College and graduated with a major in sociology and minors in social work and religion. She then pursued graduate degrees in social work and human development. She taught social work for 25 years at the University of North Dakota. During that time it was a personal and spiritual crisis—the death of her husband from cancer—that called her to the forefront of a new movement in her field. While in the role of a client needing support during her husband’s illness, she realized that not only could spiritual support help people cope in a crisis, it could help them grow personally and spiritually. She understood the importance of spirituality and religion as necessary aspects of human identity. Her research connected her to Edward Canda, at the University of Kansas, who had recently founded the Society for Spirituality in Social Work. Together, they co-authored a textbook, Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice, The Heart of Helping that was hailed as “a ‘state of the art’ expression of a newly re-emerging theme, spirituality.” This refers to the fact that social work’s roots came from the work of 19th-century religious charity organizations. Their book defines the values and issues inherent in spiritually-sensitive social work practice and offers practical guidelines and strategies. In 1997 Furman and Canda developed a national survey of social workers, asking their views on the appropriateness of religion and spirituality in social work practice—the first of its kind. The survey defined spirituality as search for meaning and purpose in either religious or nonreligious forms, and religion as “an organized set of beliefs and practices shared by a community related to spirituality.” The survey results showed that not only did social workers affirm a role for 18 the discussion of these topics (82%), but that many of them had already been doing it in various ways (75%). An important finding, however, was that 73% of respondents expressed a lack of any spiritual training. That began to change as social work schools developed curricula and new courses. Today, most textbooks integrate spirituality within discussion of treating the client as a whole person. Spiritually-sensitive social work practice is becoming especially relevant in diverse communities where an important way to reach ethnic minorities is through their faith and spirituality. Three years later, Furman repeated her survey in the U.K., with similar results. Then, building on connections she made while a visiting professor in Norway, Furman collaborated with Mari-Anne Zahl, a professor in social work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Trondheim) who has a graduate degree from the University of Minnesota. Zahl translated the survey instrument into Norwegian, and surveyed Norwegian social workers. The results, while similar to the U.S. and U.K., demonstrated cultural differences in religious institutions. The Norwegian Lutheran Church, until recently, did not have the same kind of social network and function as American church congregations, and social workers were not accustomed to considering religious referrals. Also, church attendance is less frequent there. Zahl sees the survey results as valuable. Social workers can understand better how discussion of religion can be appropriate and they gain insight into working with increasing numbers of immigrants arriving in Norway. “Since social work deals with everyday social functioning,” Zahl said, “[a client’s religion] is part of what social workers deal have to deal with. Are they open to, are they sensitive to, do they listen to, and are they comfortable enough to deal with that aspect of life?” by Betsey Norgard Adjunct social work professor Leola (Dyrud) Furman ’61 (left) and Norwegian social work professor Mari-Anne Zahl are collaborating to study social workers’ perspectives towards inclusion of religion and spirituality in social work practice, as thoroughly presented in the book Furman co-authored. This means that social workers need to have understanding of their clients’ culture, religion, and the place that religion plays in their culture. She said that while fewer than half of the survey respondents had any training in dealing with religious and spiritual issues, 70-80% of them said they desire it. With her husband, Hans Eriksson, who returned this year as visiting professor in Augsburg’s social work department, Zahl is in Minneapolis on sabbatical, continuing her collaboration with Furman. Zahl is compiling the Norwegian information and, along with Furman, is writing comparative studies of the three countries surveyed. Together, they are presenting at national social work meetings, and jointly teaching some of Furman’s classes. Leola (Dyrud) Furman ’61 is an adjunct professor at Augsburg and the University of Minnesota. She is a Distinguished Alumna of Augsburg College and associate professor emerita of the University of North Dakota. Mari-Anne Zahl is an associate professor in the Department of Social Work and Health Sciences at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim. Winter/Spring 2005 Presentations Laura Boisen and Maryann Syers, social work, have published articles and presented nationally on their integrative case analysis model, including at the annual program meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in February. Blake Boursaw, Tracy Bibelnieks, Nick Coult, Matthew Haines, and Su Dorée, mathematics, presented at the annual meeting of the Mathematical Association of America-American Mathematical Society (MAA-AMS) annual meeting in January. Mathematics/ computer science major Dan Wolf ’05 presented a poster about his NSF-funded research last summer. Lars Christiansen and Diane Pike, sociology, led a teaching workshop, “Teaching Organizational Theory,” at the American Sociological Association in August. At that meeting, Pike became chair of the Undergraduate Teaching Section and the Ethics Committee. Jacqueline deVries, history, presented “New Women, New Religion: Feminism and the Victorian Crisis of Faith” at the American Historical Association meeting in January. David Fenrick, Center for Global Education, was an editorial team member in an issue group, “Effective Theological Education for World Mission,” at the Forum 2004 on World Evangelization in Pattaya, Thailand. He also presented “Transforming ShortTerm Mission through Service-Learning” at the Annual World Mission Conference of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in St. Paul in March 2004. In November he co-presented a workshop, “Reciprocity Leads to Culture Learning,” at a workshop of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Annette Gerten and Lois Bosch, social work, presented a workshop on using creativity to enhance learning relevance for policy students at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Conference on Social Work Education in September. Winter/Spring 2005 Orv Gingerich, international programs and Center for Global Education, participated on a panel, “Why Do They Hate Us So Much? Encouraging Student Geopolitical Awareness in a Post-9/11 World,” at the Council on International Educational Exchange in November. He also participated in a panel, “Interdisciplinary Learning, Internationalization, and Study Abroad,” at the Study Abroad Curriculum Integration Conference at the University of Minnesota last April. Doug Green, English, read a poem “A Topography of Love,” now published online, at the Northfield Arts Guild Writers’ Night in November. He also presented a paper, “Estranging Bedfellows: Early Modern Cinema Today,” for the seminar on Shakespeare, Gender, and Sexual Orientation at the Shakespeare Association of America’s annual meeting. Garry Hesser, sociology, presented a paper co-authored with Augsburg students Riley Conway ’05 and Krista Dahlke ’06, “Rebuilding Communities: Comparing a National Model (Casey) and Minneapolis Neighborhood Revitalization Program,” at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in August. Norm Holen, art, emeritus, was present for the dedication of the F. Scott Fitzgerald alcove in the St. Paul Central Library, where his terra cotta bust of Fitzgerald was unveiled. Holen’s works have been included in two recent books, The Sculpture Reference Illustrated, by Arthur Williams (2005) and 500 Figures in Clay: Ceramic Artists Celebrate the Human Form (Lark Books, Sterling Publishing, 2004). Gretchen Irvine, education, was a panel member on “Service-Learning: Connecting Schools to the Community,” at the Minnesota Alliance of Black School Educators (MABSE) Education Summit in October. She also presented, “Learning Outcomes One Year Later” at the Hawaii International Conference on Education in January. Mary Jacobson and Vicki Olson, education, and Robert Bill, information technology, presented at the National Reading Conference on the study they have carried out focusing on teacher preparation in the state of Minnesota as it relates to reading. Mark Lester, Center for Global EducationNicaragua, spoke at Seattle University in the Salon Series, on “U.S. Consumption and the Needs of Developing Nations: A View from Nicaragua.” He also presented there on the U.S.Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and spoke to theology, business, and social work classes. David Matz, psychology, was a co-presenter of “The Social and Evolutionary Psychology of Hair Color Preferences on the Northern and Southern Prairie,” at the January meeting of the Society of Personality and Social Psychology. Curt Paulsen, social work, with Cathy Paulsen, graduate programs, presented “From Spirituality to Empathy: Application to Dialectics in Marital Relationships,” at the National Council on Family Relations in November. He also presented “From Chaos to Order by Way of a Seven-Step Process from Freedom to Love” at the Lilly Conference West on College and University Teaching. Tim Pippert, sociology, presented “I Ain’t Seen Them in Awhile: Created Familites of Homeless Men” at the American Sociological Association annual meeting in August. Nancy Rodenborg and Lois Bosch, social work, presented a paper on using dialogue groups in teaching Master of Social Work students at the annual program meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in February. 19 Faculty/Staff Notes Presentations (continued) Patrice Salmeri, StepUP, and Ann Garvey, student affairs, presented about Augsburg’s StepUP program to the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Minneapolis branch, in September. Nancy Steblay, psychology, presented “Reforming Eyewitness Identification: Convicting the Guilty, Protecting the Innocent,” at a conference at the Cardozo Law School in New York. She also presented on lineup identification issues with real officers and real cases at the American PsychologyLaw Society conference in California, and on blind sequential lineup identifications in the field at a Hennepin County conference of law enforcement officers. Kathryn Swanson, English, served as a panelist for Theatre Unbound’s production of “Girls Got Pluck” and presented a paper titled “Ten Thousand Cups of Tea: American-born Chinese Women Sleuths” at the Popular Culture Conference in San Diego in March. reflection in a curvilinear magnetic field and formation of Alfvenic resonators on open field lines,” in the Journal of Geophysical Research, in 2005. In the same journal, Engebretson is lead author, along with co-authors Jennifer Posch ’94 and Brian Anderson ’82, at Johns Hopkins University; and acknowledged student contributors Geoff Shelburne ’05, Heather Greene ’05, Jon-Erik Hokanson ’05, and Ryan Nevin ’04, for “Ground and satellite observations of Pc 1-2 waves on open field lines poleward of the dayside cusp.” Engebretson is also a co-author of a study, “Density enhancement in plasmasphere-ionosphere plasma during the 2003 Halloween Superstorm: Observations along the 330th magnetic meridian in North America,” which recently appeared in Geophysical Research Letters. syllabi in international social work being published by the Council on Social Work Education. James Vela-McConnell, sociology, participated in a department chairs workshop at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association. Publications Beth Alexander, physician assistant studies, was lead author of “Methods of Pain Assessment in Residents of Long-term Care Facilities: A Pilot Study” which appeared in the March/April issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. Tony Bibus and Rosemary Link, social work, published a chapter, “The Impact of U.S. Welfare Reform on Children’s Well Being: Minnesota Focus,” in Promoting the Well Being of Children, Families, and Communities, edited by Harriet Ward and Jane Scott and published in 2005. Jacqueline deVries, history, published an essay, “Rediscovering Christianity after the Postmodern Turn,” in the winter issue of Feminist Studies and two essays, “Women’s Religious Organisations” and “Women’s Charity Organisations,” in A Change in Attitude: Women, War, and Society, 19141918, edited by Susan Grayzel. Mark Engebretson, physics, and David Murr ’92, at Dartmouth College, are coauthors of an article with lead author Slava Pilipenko, Institute of the Physics of the Earth in Russia, and frequent visiting scientist at Augsburg for “Alfven wave 20 Bill Green, history, published an article, “Brown, Adequacy, and Young Men Getting Real about One Big State,” in the December/January issue of Minnesota Law and Politics, about the desegregation of Minnesota schools and the legal doctrine of “adequacy.” Rosemary Link, social work, is co-author with Lynn Healy of a collection of model David Matz, psychology, co-authored “Cognitive Dissonance in Groups: The Consequences of Disagreement,” in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 88. He also co-authored “Social Norms and Identity Relevance: A Motivational Approach to Normative Behavior,” in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 30. Bruce Reichenbach, philosophy, published “Miracle Cure or Moral Quagmire?” about the ethics of stem cell research in the October issue of Covenant Companion. He also published “Dances of Death: SelfSacrifice and Atonement,” in Mel Gibson’s Passion and Philosophy, edited by Jorge J.E. Gracia and published by Open Court in 2004. He also authored “The Cosmological Argument,” for the online Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy in 2004. Nancy Rodenborg, social work, published an article, “Service to African American Children in Poverty: Institutional Discrimination in Child Welfare?” in the fall issue of Journal of Poverty: Innovations on Social, Political, & Economic Inequalities. Glenda Rooney, social work, is co-editor of the seventh edition of Direct Social Work Practice, published this year by Brooks/Cole. Winter/Spring 2005 An April 1999 article in Law and Human Behavior, by Nancy Steblay, psychology; Solomon M. Fulero; and students Jasmina Besirevic ’97 and Belia Jimenez-Lorente ’97— “The Effects of Pretrial Publicity on Juror Verdicts: A Meta-Analytic Review”—was one of the magazine’s top 10 downloaded articles in 2004. Francine Chakolis, social work, president of the Minnesota Alliance of Black Educators, coordinated a three-day summit on the Augsburg campus in October, “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow,” addressing disparities in educational achievement. Kathryn Swanson, English, has been a team member for several accreditation site visits under the auspices of the Higher Learning Commission (North Central Association) and has served on readers’ panels and as part of the accreditation process. She is also an elected ARC (Accreditation Review Council) member. Honors/Awards Retiring football coach Jack Osberg ’62 was honored by Minnesota collegiate football coaches as the 2005 Man of the Year for his valuable contribution to football. Tony Bibus, social work, was elected chair of the Minnesota Board of Social Work, a board appointed by the governor that regulates social work practice in the state. Five Augsburg staff members won top honors at the annual awards banquet for the Minnesota Chapter of International Special Event Services (ISES) in March. Jodi Collen, event services, won the top prize for Best Event Logistics for her planning work on Homecoming 2004. She, Heidi Breen, alumni/parent affairs, and Marc Skjervem, student activities, won first place for Best Corporate or Non-Profit Event Planning—also for the weeklong Homecoming 2004. Kathy Rumpza and Sara Kamholz, public relations and communication, won top prize for Best Use of Graphic Design for the range of publications and promotional materials used for the 25th anniversary of Advent Vespers. Winter/Spring 2005 ‘Thirsty for God’ R eligion professor Brad Holt’s recent book seeks to help readers understand the thirst they experience in their relationship with God, but may not realize or understand. Thirsty for God is an updated and expanded edition of Holt’s work by the same name from 1993 that now broadens the survey of persons and institutions included under Christian “spirituality.” It expands the body of non-Western Christian materials and includes maps identifying locations of people and movements described. “This is a needed text for students and for the lay person,” says Holt, “to help them understand the global perspectives of Christian spirituality. It is not just about Europe and the U.S.” Holt makes the distinction between “spirituality” and “religion” within the context of 20thcentury scholar Baron von Hügel’s tripartite nature of religion as intellectual, institutional, and mystical. Holt equates spirituality with this mystical dimension, and thus a necessary component for well-rounded Christians. The book is accessible and free of the jargon that writer Kathleen Norris, by Betsey Norgard who is included in the book, refers to as “scary words” in the theological lexicon. Holt intends for this book to be as much about “formation”—what he calls “discovery of new being, new relationships, and new practices”—as it is about “information.” Each chapter contains spiritual practice exercises. Organized chronologically, the survey of Christian spirituality begins with early Christian times and carries forth into the 21st century to include such disparate Western contemporaries as Jean Vanier, Jim Wallis, Cesar Chavez, and Robert Schuller. From the Third World, Holt discusses, for example, the Virgin of Guadelupe, liberation spirituality, Pentecostalism, and African indigenous churches. Holt will travel to Italy for six weeks this summer, as one of 15 scholars in various disciplines selected by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), to study one of the subjects in his book, St. Francis of Assisi. The scholars will examine source texts and visual representations of the saint within his 13th-century world to better understand his meaning for today, beyond the popular images. Stephen Geffre Noteworthy Professor Brad Holt’s recent book expands the survey of Christian spirituality. 21 4 THROUGH THE EYES OF TEACHERS, THE EYES OF STUDENTS English professor Kathy Swanson and her husband, Jack, both former Peace Corps volunteers, led a group of nine Augsburg students to their Thai village home of 35 years ago for an internship in teaching English. The students lived Thai culture through the eyes of teachers Kathy and Jack; through the Thai teachers, some of whom are former students of the Swansons; and through the schoolchildren. Excerpts from the Augsburg students’ final papers describe their experience. 4 SEEING THE ‘REAL’ THAILAND I’ve never even seen the ocean!” …“I can’t wait to see Bangkok.”… “Do you think it’s safe?”… “Does the flight really take 26 hours?”… “I already miss my mom!” These were some of the comments we heard as nine Augsburg students, my husband, and I waited to board the first leg of the flight that would take us back to the place we had called home 35 years ago. Jack and I served as Peace Corps volunteers, teaching English in a small rural village, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand, during the height of the war in Viet Nam. Now we were returning, for the second time, but with the responsibility of nine students, some of whom had not traveled beyond the Midwest. “We want to see everything through your eyes,” Jack had told the students. We all expected adventure, some chaos, and wonderful experiences. We knew these three weeks would open our students’ eyes and hearts; we didn’t know how significantly it would change their lives. Our family had returned to Thailand several years before the Augsburg trip and had found that Bangkok had become a huge, modern city, but that our village had remained essentially unchanged. Yes, there were now a 7-Eleven store that offered ice cream and pizza, an ATM machine, and Internet cafes, but the essence of Thailand was there. Prachuab had remained a sleepy, beautiful, fishing village. Walking through the market in the center of the village, we found piles of fish and shrimp 22 by Kathy Swanson from the morning’s catch, baskets of chilies ready for curries, mounds of chicken feet, stands with mangoes and sticky rice, and hills of pineapple, durian, and mangosteen fruit. Most importantly, we found that time had not erased memories we had for our former students and they for us. Returning to the schools where we had taught English, we found that several of our former students were now teachers. They welcomed us with gifts, hugs, and tears and we began thinking about sharing this magnificent place with Augsburg. “You can bring students to teach us,” we were told—and the seed was planted! After my course in Teaching English in Thailand was approved as an English elective, Jack and I began making plans for the trip. We knew that the heart of the experience was to be living and teaching in our village. We also wanted students to see parts of Thailand that tourists likely would miss. Arranging to be present in the village school when classes began after the rainy season, we planned to begin the adventure in Bangkok, then travel to Chiangmai, and then south to Prachuab Kirikhan. Most important to us was that our Augsburg students experience the real Thailand as we had so many years before. And so, after crossing many time zones, watching many inflight movies, and trying to sleep in cramped airline seats, 11 Auggies arrived in Bangkok, Thailand. Even though it was Winter/Spring 2005 2 midnight, traffic was heavy and the heat was oppressive. Too excited to sleep, we checked into the hotel and all set off down Sukhimvit Road. Smells of unrecognizable things, sights of unfamiliar occurrences, and sounds very non-Minnesotan overwhelmed us until we had to give in to sleep. We spent the next several days seeing Bangkok’s magnificent temples and palaces, sampling foods students had never imagined existed, holding giant snakes at the Pasteur Institute, winding through old Chinatown, riding in both tuk-tuks and the new skyway train, and trying to survive humid, 100+ degree temperatures. Ready for a respite, we flew north to Chiangmai. Here we were met by representatives from Payap University who made sure Midwest students understood proper and polite Thai behavior. “Don’t cross your legs so that your toe is pointing at anyone;”… “Never touch anyone on the head;”… “Wear skirts and long pants in the temples;” … “Acknowledge one’s social status by the appropriate wai (bow).” In Chiangmai, we learned about Thai history and culture, spent time at the night markets (after practicing bargaining in Thai!), visited a mountaintop temple, rode elephants through the jungle, trekked on a visit to hill tribes, and rode bamboo rafts down a jungle river. Despite these exciting events, I believe all the students would agree that the highlight of the trip occurred during a stop on our way to the airport as we were leaving Chiangmai. The grandma of one of our students, Rachel Schuette, and her church friends had sent handmade quilts with each of us. We had carried these 15 quilts until we stopped at an orphanage to deliver them to the children. Seeing excitement and joy on the faces of these children as they sang for us and finding tears on our own faces as we left them is a memory none of us will forget. After Chiangmai, we took a long, hot, Thai travelers’ trip by train south to Prachuab. Located on the Gulf of Siam, with the mountains of Myanmar to the west, Prachuab is unspoiled paradise. Here students marched to the secondary school, notebooks and lesson plans in hand, to join Thai students on that first day of the term. We were introduced and welcomed at the opening assembly and then began teaching. Moving from class to class, level to level, each class period, Winter/Spring 2005 Left: Kathy Swanson (back row, sixth from left) poses with students she and Jack taught in their Peace Corps days in Prachuab Kirikhan. Many are now teachers in the school where the Augsburg students practice-taught. Right: Nine students traveled to Thailand to practice-teach English with Professor Kathy Swanson and her husband, Jack, in the village where they had served as Peace Corps volunteers 35 years ago. (back row L to R) Jack Swanson, Carl Butler, Jeff Moores, (third row L to R) Kathy Swanson, Stephanie Nichols, Rachel Schuette, (second row L to R) Sue Kneen, Sabrina Jurey, Bekah Chell, (front row L to R) Annie Reierson, Anna Warnes. Augsburg students learned quickly how to gesture and communicate with just a few Thai words. Jack and I moved around with them, helping occasionally, but mostly sharing in this wonderful experience. After a few days, students felt at home. Every morning as we participated in the school’s opening ceremony, Thai students waved and welcomed us. One of our students received a Thai name, many received gifts, and all realized we were receiving much more than we were able to give. Teachers hosted a party for us toward the end of our time in Prachuab and we reciprocated the next evening. Some of our former students from our Peace Corps days joined us and led rounds of the Peter, Paul, and Mary songs we had taught them 35 years ago. There were no dry eyes in the room after we all joined Ratchana, one of my former students and now a teacher in the secondary school where Augsburg students had spent their time, in “To Sir, with Love,” the song she chose to honor us as teachers. Carrying gifts and e-mail addresses from their Thai students and unconsciously humming “500 Miles,” Augsburg students left Prachuab for Bangkok and Minneapolis. “Saying farewells amid smiles, hugs, and many tears, we promised to return someday soon—and I’m sure we will. For, as one student said, “There’s so much about the world I didn’t know. I thought this trip would change me; I just had no idea how much!” Kathy Swanson is professor of English and chair of the English Department. She directs the English as a Second Language program. 23 j TOUCHING MY HEART by Anna Warnes ’05 Above: For Anna Warnes, traveling in Thailand was an experience for all five senses; but most important were the friendships she made that touched her heart. Thailand is an experience, not just of the mind or for the eyes, but a complete immersion into the culture. Unless you stay at a pristine, exclusive hotel in Hua Hin, it is hard not to touch all five of your senses in Thailand. For me, Thailand was an adventure of smell, sound, taste, sight, and touch, and most importantly, an experience of the heart. The sounds of Thailand are like nothing else. After spending 26 hours on a plane listening to movies, people snoring, and babies crying, the drone of traffic is a welcomed sound in Thailand. Bangkok always had the sound of buzzing tuk-tuks in traffic and trains overhead, but it also had more profound sounds. The sound of complete silence in the wat (temple) with the many pagodas and the loud, but quite musical, sound of blind musicians singing into microphones as they wandered the streets come to mind. Chiangmai had the sound of rushing water over rocks as we slipped by in our open raft and the constant sound of bartering hill tribe women with their silver jewelry and colorful hats. Chiangmai also had the sounds of Doi Suthep with its deep bells booming over the hill and children playing amongst the tourists and monks. Prachuab had the sound of rain, whether misting or pouring, washing the market streets. Prachuab also had the 24 sound of monks blessing people in the early morning hours, speaking and singing prayers over women bowed before them. Amusingly, the national anthem was played at school every morning by the marching band and on the loud speakers, and it also played in my head for the remaining 23 hours of the day until my roommate would throw a pillow at me! My favorite sound of Thailand was the sound of singing. Several times the former students, Kathy, and Jack sang “500 Miles” by Peter, Paul, and Mary. It certainly wasn’t the beauty of the singing that struck me, but the fact that the students remembered all the words and sang them so faithfully. It was obvious that the students had been significantly moved by their teachers. As the students sang, you could see the love and appreciation exuding from them; so much so that it made my eyes water every time they would sing. When I heard the students sing, I could only hope that I too would have such an influence on a group of people. … Forming relationships with my students was an aspect of teaching that really touched my heart. I was able to get especially close to two of my students, Maew and Por. These students were extremely helpful to me in the classroom and they both wanted to learn English so badly. On the Friday evening of the teachers’ dinner, Maew and Por were able to eat dinner with me. I loved talking to them about anything from music to Por’s schooling abroad to my family and America. Maew and Por have e-mailed me several times since our group returned to the United States. They like to ask me questions about my jobs or different musical acts in the U.S. I think it is great that I was able to connect with these students in such a way that they feel comfortable e-mailing me and talking to me about their lives as well as mine. … Thailand is not a place that can be seen on a National Geographic episode and be fully comprehended. I had to smell the markets, hear the temple bells, taste the pineapple, see the countryside, touch the silk, and feel my gia (heart) warmed by the people in order to know Thailand. The exciting part of my experience in Thailand is knowing that there is so much more waiting for me to encounter when I go back. Anna Warnes completed her studies in December 2004 with a major in English. She plans to attend law school. Winter/Spring 2005 BECOMING A TEACHER 1 In his first teaching experience, Jeff Moores ’05 just barely got his feet wet in the classroom and left Thailand wishing he had more teaching opportunities, as well as anticipating his next return trip. “Tomorrow,” I wrote in my journal on Sunday, May 16, “I become a teacher.” Unofficially, of course, and I’m technically still very much a student; but, I’ll be stepping into a role, a job, that rivals that of prostitution for the title of the world’s oldest occupation. I’m feeling what every teacher—from Kathy in her initial teaching years, to Aristotle—must feel when faced with the daunting task of instilling knowledge upon youthful minds: nervousness, anxiety, fears of inadequacy. But mostly, I’m excited. Excited for something new, something frightening, an experience that might open my mind along with those of Thai students. … My most challenging teaching experience in Prachuab happened at the end of Thursday. … At 3 p.m. I returned to the English office to track down a teacher-less class to take over or an occupied class to observe. I was quickly told that Stephanie was teaching level 6/9. I hadn’t taught or observed a high grade level yet, so I thought it would be worthwhile to attend. … Outside the classroom, the slightly older students relaxed on the benches, some slumped over with the end of the day, others energetically giggled with friends. One thing was certain: Stephanie had not yet arrived. I looked at the students in a way that hopefully said, “I’m the teacher; time to start. Get in. Sit down.” Friendly, of course, but I wasn’t about to let the older students walk all over me. Meanwhile my head was reeling: Stephanie’s not here; my lesson plans are for younger students; are they expecting Stephanie? What if they already know everything I’m teaching them? A deep breath later, I calmly flipped through my Winter/Spring 2005 by Jeff Moores ’05 notebook as they settled down. Dictation. That was it, an exercise I had not yet utilized. I slowly read four sentences about a man going to a market and then returning home to eat dinner and watch TV. Their attentive gazes and lack of utterly confused looks encouraged me, but it was difficult to discern whether they were genuinely interested or if they were simply patronizing the new foreign teacher. A few of the boys, including one who sat in the middle of the front row, were energetic and active, sometimes scratching their heads and employing grimaces of misunderstanding or raised eyebrows of clarity. Stephanie showed up about halfway through the class, hopefully adding to any authority I had over the classroom. In the end we walked away not knowing what to conclude. I had felt a lack of influence with level 3/9, and now I felt a lack of respect from level 6/9. On top of it, inadequacy stemmed from having viewed [regular teachers] Charles and David wielding their experienced skills. The mere 10 pages of this essay cannot begin to explore the intense realizations I began uncovering about my future as a mentor, a teacher, a parent—an adult. Luckily, as I suspected it would, my thirst for Thailand continues. A week in Prachuab was not enough time teaching English. I wanted two, three weeks to practice my skills. I wanted to tutor university students and come into contact with all age levels. After my first trip, I predicted that I would definitely return to Thailand someday. I found myself in Bangkok’s busy streets sooner than I thought. Jeff Moores is in the Honors Program and is a senior majoring in English with a concentration in writing. He is news editor of the Echo. This was his second trip to Thailand. c 25 ef MY GOD AND YOUR BUDDHA— THE SAME, ONLY DIFFERENT by Sue Kneen ’04 As a religion major and a prospective seminary student, I was most anxious to see and experience Buddhism first hand. … As I really thought about it, there is much that our faiths have in common: God or Buddha, do good works, eternity or Nirvana, God is omnipresent or eternal nothingness, prayer, denying self, look to pastors/monks, churches and temples, worship, help the poor and taking care of your neighbor. There really isn’t anything so unusual—only different. I thought [our Bangkok tour guide] Panya’s comment summed it all up well as he said with great feeling, “My Buddha and your God, they are the same. When we are sad, we talk to Buddha. Sometimes we talk to a monk, and he makes us do better with what he says, but sometimes we don’t want to tell anyone, so we talk to Buddha. And we feel better; we feel lighter and THE REAL happier.” Now that sounds just like me and my God. I’d like to quote what I wrote in my journal as I stood on top of “Monkey Mountain,” listening to the hauntingly beautiful Buddhist music and the chanting of the monks, and the pungent aroma of their incense lifted to my ears and nose, and the cool breeze smoothed against my face: “It was a beautiful view from on top of the hill over the ocean, Prachuab Kirikhan, and a big sprawling temple to the west. What was especially significant to me was seeing the building where the monks had their evening meditation and hearing them chant and hearing their music. I will never forget that feeling. I imagined and hear them praising their God as I do mine (for lack of better words). It was a feeling and very real sense of oneness while very different. It was surreal and profound. I am thankful for this experience.” FACES IN THE Prachuab Kirikhan is located on the east coast of Thailand, on the Gulf of Thailand. It escaped the massive destruction of the tsunami that devastated areas farther south on the west coast. Of course, when the tsunami hit, everyone from the trip feared for his or her old and new friends. Anna Warnes was the first to hear news from Prachuab. “The day before the tsunami struck I received an e-mail from one of my Thai students. Maew, a sweet 12-yearold, wrote me one of her typical e-mails: ‘Hello Miss Anna, how are you? How are your studies? I am fine. My family went on holiday. It was fun,’ etc. “The next day I heard about the tsunami on the news. I immediately thought of Maew. I wrote her an e-mail: 'Maew, 26 Sue Kneen ’04 gained a rich introduction to Buddhism as she prepared for her own seminary studies. It seems I am very fortunate indeed to have been introduced to a culture such as this through the lens of respect and deep affection. … I will never be the same, and my daughters and those with whom I have the privilege to share about my trip will be able to see some of Thailand and foreign travel for themselves. Sue Kneen graduated from Weekend College in 2004 with majors in English and religion and is now studying at Luther Seminary. TSUNAMI are you safe? Were you hit by the wave?' I received a response within a day. Maew was in fact safe, although her father had been working near Phuket, and he was injured but alive. “By expanding the world classroom and making connections with people in Thailand, the tsunami affected real people, people I knew. The tsunami did not kill thousands of faceless people on the other side of the world; the tsunami killed people I may have met and learned from.” Winter/Spring 2005 C ONE STUDENT I MAY HAVE TOUCHED by Rachel E. Schuette ’03 SEEING THAILAND THROUGH KATHY AND JACK’S EYES “Kathy and Jack also had endless tidbits about Thai culture to share with us throughout the three weeks. Whether we received lessons about teaching English, how to eat at a Thai restaurant, or when to take our shoes off at a Buddhist temple, Kathy and Jack’s previous knowledge of Thailand was a critical part of the wonderful experience we shared.” —Jeff Moores “The entire trip was affected because Jack and Kathy led Rachel Schuette ’03 compiled a lesson plan book, in collaboration with Professor Swanson, with materials from the Augsburg students’ lessons “to show appreciation for the gracious welcome they received from everyone in Prachuab Kirikhan.” It has been three weeks since we returned home and I am still on “Thai time,” meaning I feel much more laid back and not really pushed to do anything in a hurry. … I learned so much from this experience; it is difficult to pinpoint the important issues. Being a teacher is not always about teaching test-ready material. It was not until about the third day of teaching in Prachuab that I realized this. I wasn’t there to teach them how to conjugate verbs perfectly, or to show them how to use articles all the time. I was there to learn from them and to hopefully share my culture with them. There was no test on Friday or review of information; the visit was much more than that. It was an experience that I will keep with me for the rest of my life. It will serve as a reminder every time I walk into a new classroom or job. It made me appreciate what I have here in America, but still understand that just because some people do not have these luxuries, they may be just as happy as I. It was apparent through the interactions among Professor Swanson, her husband, and the former Thai students that a lifetime connection can be made. Truly, for me, it was finding that one student whom I feel I may have touched, but who really touched me, that makes me say, “YES! That is why I went to Thailand.” ■ Rachel Schuette graduated in 2003 with a double major in English and secondary education/communication arts licensure. All photos were taken by participants on the trip. Winter/Spring 2005 the way, I suspect. On just a superficial level, the heat, the smells of the streets, some of the foods, and the different standard of living we enjoy could have easily been turned into disgust by travelers not accustomed to such extremes and who were not constantly challenged to look deeper for beauty and meaning and perhaps a different way of living life.” —Sue Kneen I 27 28 Winter/Spring 2005 Learning with your heart by Judy Petree photos by Stephen Geffre A Long distances and remote locations make healthcare delivery difficult on the reservation. Winter/Spring 2005 visit to the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation helps nursing students bridge cultural differences to experience health care from the perspectives of a community long underserved by mainstream healthcare systems. Last November, three Augsburg nursing students—Sharon Gentile, Susan Loushin, and Cathy Miller—spent several days on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. Led by Cheryl Leuning, professor and chair of the Nursing Deptartment, and Susan Nash, nursing professor in Augsburg’s Rochester program, the experience is one of several nursing practicums offered in the Master of Arts in Nursing program. Augsburg’s graduate nursing program prepares nurses for transformational leadership and transcultural practice across care settings, especially as they address health inequities. At Pine Ridge, they became immersed in a community with different cultural values and traditions that has long remained outside the mainstream of the health care system. The Pine Ridge Reservation encompasses about two million acres and is home to approximately 40,000 Lakota people. Pine Ridge is also home to two of the poorest counties in the nation. According to the “Village Earth” online newsletter and “Pine Ridge Reservation” (pineridgerez.net), the unemployment rate is 86 percent, versus a 5.5 percent national average; and 63 percent of the people live below the federal poverty level. Alcoholism affects 8 out of 10 families, and half of the people over the age of 40 have diabetes. The infant mortality rate is the highest in this continent, and the school dropout rate is more than 70 percent. The Indian Health Service is understaffed and ill-equipped to 29 Pastor Larry Peterson, director of the Pine Ridge Retreat Center introduces the students to Lakota culture before they begin their home visits. (L to R): Cheryl Leuning, Nursing Department chair; Susan Loushin; Sharon Gentile; Cathy Miller; Sue Nash, Rochester program nursing professor; and retreat center director Larry Peterson. fully address the health needs of the community. Consequently, health inequities continue to increase. The students spent two days shadowing the Indian Health Service (IHS) nurses from the reservation who served as cultural guides. However, before the students became immersed in the program, they gained a brief insight into the Lakota culture and history through visits to Prairie’s Edge Native American Cultural Art Center in Rapid City, and short stops at Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial. At Pine Ridge the students stayed in 30 the Pine Ridge Retreat Center, run by Pastor Larry Peterson. Peterson sat down with the group the first night to give them a brief lesson on the Lakota people, some dos and don’ts, and what they should expect when going on home visits. “Knowing the culture of the Lakota people is really important when interacting with them,” Peterson said. Another history lesson came from Leonard Littlefinger, Lakota cultural teacher at the Loneman School in Oglala. Littlefinger has been the IHS hospital administrator at Pine Ridge for a number of years, and is also the great, great grandson of Lakota Chief Big Foot, who was slain in the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. Littlefinger shared with the students the key values integral to the culture of his people, their past and future. “The Lakota people are the fastest growing people, yet have the greatest health issues,” he said. “It’s not just about a healthy body, but about a healthy spirit and soul as well.” Karen Red Star, health educator with the Indian Health Service, also shared her experiences as a healthcare provider on the reservation. She advised the Winter/Spring 2005 For Leonard Littlefinger, Lakota cultural teacher and great, great grandson of Chief Big Foot, a healthy spirit and soul are as important to his people as a healthy body. Augsburg student Sharon Gentile (background) shadowed Indian Health Service nurse Sally Mercier (left) in home visits on the reservation. students to be “culturally sensitive,” as there is a high turnover of healthcare providers on the reservation and the clients see different people all the time. “This makes it more difficult to establish any sense of trust and familiarity.” Equipped now with some background information, the students were ready to pair up with the public health nurses at the Indian Health Service and begin their home visits. For the next two days, the students set out with registered public health nurses Rod Sahr, Sally Mercier, Kendra Lone Elk, Mary Moussear, and Andrea Pond, visiting homes in town and out in the countryside. The nurses clued the students in on what to expect in the coming days. Sahr said that much of his time is spent simply tracking down clients, as families on the reservation move frequently. And, as frustrating as that can be, he said, you learn when to keep searching for them and when to move on. “There are hundreds of people we have to see, but just don’t have the time,” Sahr said. “Actually, there is probably someone we’re supposed to see in every single house.” Not only is relocation a factor, but Winter/Spring 2005 also many of the homes in the country are miles apart. Some people live on long, rut-filled, one-lane dirt roads, miles off of the main highway. Obviously this causes problems in the wintertime, Sahr commented. One of his clients is an elderly woman struggling with diabetes. She and her husband are also raising their two grandsons, not uncommon on the reservation, said Sahr. Family connections are a strong part of Lakota culture and tradition. One of the keys, he told the students, is to listen and treat the clients with respect. He demonstrated this by just visiting with the client at first, asking her about their grandsons and family, and only after this initial conversation moving on to the health issues. Lone Elk, another public health nurse, also modeled how relationships were built during each home visit. “You need to build up a rapport with the people. You need to get them to trust you, or they will agree with whatever you say just to get rid of you.” Many of the visits throughout the two days included varied services—vaccinations, monitoring of blood sugar levels and blood pressure, new mother and baby checkups, and post-surgical visits. Throughout, however, was what one student described as the “wonderful way the nurses have of working with the clients.” “There’s more to health care than just the medical side of it,” nursing student Sharon Gentile said. “I feel there is a need to find a better way, a better approach to health care.” Cathy Miller, a public health nurse in the Rochester, Minn., area, shadowed Lone Elk one of the days, and told Lone Elk that much of what she does is not that different from what she was seeing on the reservation. “The first time you visit you see so much, you just want to jump in and fix everything,” Miller said, “but you have to take it slow and gain their trust first.” Miller came to Augsburg because she was looking for a program that would enhance her own work as a public health nurse. “Some of the art of nursing has gone by the wayside,” Miller said. “It’s not enough to know what the diagnosis is, but what the barriers are that may be preventing treatment. Many times it’s just a cultural misunderstanding.” 31 Miller added that she sees transcultural nursing as giving nurses the tools to practice both the “art of nursing and the science of nursing,” and a way to bridge barriers through understanding culture and cultural differences. “It has opened my eyes to see that there are other ways to look at problems. Ten years ago I never would have done that.” At the end of the day, all of the students remarked on the value of the experience. “The nurses all showed empathy, respect, persistence, and true interest in their clients,” Miller said. “The healthcare provider needs to truly listen, be present, and value what the Lakota person shares as being important to them. Only then can they (the provider) move on to an effective partnership.” Listening in an intentional way, Leuning said, is a skill that needs focused practice. It is an integral part of Augsburg’s nursing program, built into classes from the very beginning of the students’ educational journey. “I think the uniqueness of these practicums is that we can more easily identify preconceived ideas that block true listening and hearing of the other person’s voice,” Leuning said. “Experiences like this uncover our own biases and values. Once we experience that ‘aha’ kind of moment, it provides a prototype for applying skills to our own daily life and interactions.” Nash added that this practicum opens the world to the students. “Having this opportunity to closely experience other cultures first hand will give the graduate nursing students an incredible opportunity that expands their world view.” These aren’t sightseeing trips, Nash continued, but rather opportunities to walk side by side with other people and to view the horizon from the other person’s perspective. “That kind of experience is truly life changing and transforming,” she said. “It is more than head learning. It is heart learning.” ■ Small medicine bags hang on the chainlink fence surrounding the mass grave at the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre on the Pine Ridge reservation. Judy Petree is media relations manager. 32 Winter/Spring 2005 Learning nursing care across cultures H ealth is influenced by culture, belief, and values, and it often suffers when the culture is not understood. Today, the influx of immigrants to the United States, particularly to Minnesota, is severely challenging social service programs. A disproportionate burden of disease and suffering experienced by minority and foreign-born populations in the United States is but one indication that the healthcare system is ineffective. Given the current shortage of nurses, it is not surprising that there is an increasing demand for professional nursing leadership to provide culturally-congruent health care to people of diverse cultures with emphasis on holistic care, cultural diversity, and community-focused practice. Augsburg’s graduate nursing program prepares nurses for advanced transformational leadership and transcultural practice across care settings. Through nursing practicums, Augsburg students form relationships with persons representing diverse cultures both locally and globally in order for the students to understand the health inequities that people experience. Learning how to do this while preserving the cultural dignity of others goes Winter/Spring 2005 beyond basic nursing skills. The aim of the program is not for every student to become an “expert” in every culture, but rather that every student will learn skills that are necessary to become a culturally competent nurse, such as basic knowledge of cultural differences and the awareness of differences in delivery of patient care; recognition of the nurse’s own bias and influence of personal culture views and practices; and an awareness and respect for cultural communication issues, etiquette, and problem solving. The practicums are a vital part of Augsburg’s nursing program, says Cheryl Leuning, nursing professor and department chair. The focus is on reaching populations underserved by traditional healthcare systems. “If a student can see the world through another’s eyes, it changes how they see their own world. It is the unique balance of in-class and incommunity opportunities that attracts students to the nursing programs.” Augsburg offers nursing practicums for both graduate and undergraduate students in several cultural contexts: Namibia, Mexico, Guatemala, the inner cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul and Rochester, and at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. ■ 33 AAlumni LUMNINews NEWS From the Alumni Board president’s desk… A ugsburg College alumni are a pretty amazing bunch. Consider Carol (Johnson) Casperson ’60 (profiled in this issue on p. 38), who is working to create affordable housing nationwide with Habitat for Humanity. I’m thinking also of 2004 Distinguished Alumnus Dr. Brian Anderson ’82, who is working on pioneering physics research, as well as Alumni Board past president Dr. Paul Mueller ’84 from the Mayo Clinic and First Decade awardee Susan (Horning) Arntz ’94, city manager for the City of Waconia. These folks and many others have passed through Augsburg on the front end of their life journey, and all have significant, everyday impact on the lives of other people. They all have very different vocations, but share one similarity—they all received an undergraduate degree at Augsburg College. Which other group of amazing people is forming new ideas, creating new journeys, and setting new standards? Why, that group is attending Augsburg right now! They are participating in one of many world-class Augsburg programs that deliver transforming education: • The Center for Global Education connects students with learning opportunities around the world, while the Center for Service, Work, and Learning finds opportunities for experiential education locally. • Augsburg offers great athletics including a nine-time national championship wrestling team along with superb women’s hockey. • The nationally recognized StepUP program offers a supportive educational environment for students in recovery. • Augsburg is one of 12 colleges nationally chosen for excellence in its first-year program. • The Weekend College program offers the most comprehensive and quality adult learning program in the region. • New graduate programs like the Master of Business Administration are providing expanded and growing learning opportunities for adult learners. There is a renewing group of leaders attending Augsburg right now. They are future alumni who will go out into the world and impact our lives and communities. I am so proud to be part of this transforming educational community, and all that we do! Bill Vanderwall ’93 WEC President, Alumni Board Alumnae present gift to the Women’s Resource Center I n December, five Augsburg alumnae presented a special gift to the Anne Pederson Women’s Resource Center in honor of former Augsburg professor Dr. Gerald Thorsen and in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of their graduation from the College. The five women, who refer to themselves as the “619 Club” (so named for the house they resided in as students on 22nd Avenue—the site now occupied by Foss Center), are Class of 1964 alumnae Betty (Hanson) Rossing, Karen Kohout, Ellen (Paulson) Keiter, Sandra (Simpson) Phaup, and Deanne (Star) Greco. The women met during their freshman year in the advanced freshman English/Western literature course taught 34 by Thorsen. “Dr. Thorsen, never one to slight the intellectual talents of women, encouraged us to stretch our critical abilities and tackle literary analysis,” says Greco. “Two of us became English majors, in part inspired by our experience in his class. “Thank you, Dr. Thorsen, for the part you played in forming our lives and careers,” continues Greco. “We are pleased to honor you, a ‘feminist’ before it was fashionable, by making a gift to the Women’s Resource Center in your name.” Five alumnae presented a special gift to the Anne Pederson Women’s Resource Center in honor of former Augsburg professor Gerald Thorsen and in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of their graduation from the College. Pictured, L to R, are Deanne (Star) Greco, Sandra (Simpson) Phaup, Ellen (Paulson) Keiter, Karen Kohout, and Betty (Hanson) Rossing. Winter/Spring 2005 Third annual Connections event honors Jane Freeman J ane Freeman, former first lady of Minnesota, was presented the “Leading Leaders” award at the third annual Connections—A Women’s Leadership Event in January. The award, which recognizes those who have inspired others to high levels of achievement through vocational, community, and civic leadership, honors Freeman, who has led by example as the first lady of Minnesota from 1954–60, and as president of Girl Scouts of the USA from 1978–84, building the organization and shaping the futures of many young women through her vision and dedicated service. Frances Hesselbein, current chair of Jane Freeman (front row, right), former first lady of Minnesota, was presented the “Leading Leaders” the Board of Governors of the Leader to award at the third annual Connections—A Women’s Leadership Event in January. She is pictured here along with fellow event presenters: (front row, L to R) Ami Nafzger ’94, Frances Hesselbein, and Jane Leader Institute and former CEO of the Freeman; (back row, L to R) Jennifer Martin, Gloria Lewis, Jean Taylor ’85, Kathryn Tunheim, and Phebe Girl Scouts, made a special trip to take Hanson ’50. part in this year’s event to help present the award to her friend and former Girl Scouts colleague. Hesselbein defined leadership as “a state of being” and not something that you “do,” and offered her friend, Jane Freeman, as the perfect example of grace and leadership. Co-sponsored by Augsburg and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, this year’s gathering joined more than 100 women from Numerous Augsburg students participated in the event’s throughout the community these two students gained valuable insights from for a morning of inspiration, activities; Koryne Horbal during a roundtable networking discussion. encouragement, networking, and empowerment. Board of Regents, who inspired the group Several Augsburg alumnae provided with her own discovery of how she is able Frances Hesselbein (left), former CEO of Girl an excellent program with Augsburg to share her unique gifts and talents with Scouts of the USA, presented the “Leading Leaders” award to her friend and former Girl regents Gloria Lewis and Jennifer Martin others more effectively after learning how Scouts colleague, Jane Freeman (right). providing the welcome and the closing. to also receive gifts from others. Ami Author Phebe Hanson ’50 set the tone Nafzger ’94 shared her journey as a Link (G.O.A.L) to provide services and with a poem from her new book Why Korean adoptee of finding her place in support for other adoptees on their path Still Dance—75 Years: 75 Poems. the world. She spent several years in of self-discovery. Featured speakers included Jean Korea after graduating from Augsburg Mark your calendars for the fourth Taylor ’85, president of Taylor exploring her heritage, and ultimately Connections event next January 28. annual Corporation and chair of the Augsburg founded the Global Overseas Adoptees Winter/Spring 2005 35 Alumni News Alumni events calendar Please join us for these upcoming alumni and parent events (see also the college-wide calendar on the inside back cover for additional events): April June 28 Senior Reception hosted by the Alumni Board, East Commons, Christensen Center, 4:30–6 p.m. 14 Auggie Hour at Three Fish, 3070 Excelsior Blvd., Minneapolis (near Lake Calhoun and Whole Foods), 612-920-2800, 5:30 p.m. Meet the new Auggie coaches! May 6 Special reception for business graduates (all Augsburg faculty, alumni, and 2005 business graduates are invited), Christensen Center, 4–6 p.m. 10 Auggie Hour on-campus reception for all current and former Alumni Board members, 5:30 p.m. 24 Class Agent Year-in-Review, Minneapolis Room, Christensen Center, 5:30 p.m. 23 Alumni Board meeting at Canterbury Park, 5:30 p.m. July 12 Auggie Hour at Trattoria Da Vinci, 400 Sibley St., St. Paul, 651-222-4050, 5:30 p.m. August 9 Auggie Hour at Dock Café, 425 Nelson St. E, Stillwater, 651-430-3770, 5:30 p.m. 18 Canterbury Park Alumni Event (Watch for details this summer!) ALUMNI TOUR TO CHINA Join alumni and friends of the College on a discovery tour of China hosted by Brad Holt, professor of religion. Plans are in progress for a May 2006 two-week tour featuring the history, culture, and scenic beauty of China. Discover treasures of this ancient land and witness China’s rapid growth in the 21st century. The tour begins in Beijing with visits to the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Ming Tombs, and the Summer Palace. Marvel at the thousands of terra cotta warriors uncovered in Xian in 1974 and dated to 221 BC. Experience China’s historic and majestic Yangtze River on a four-night cruise. Few places on earth match the splendor of the Yangtze River’s Three Gorges, which will be flooded by the dam project at the end of this decade. The international city of Shanghai concludes this travel experience. More details available later this spring; call or e-mail the alumni office at 612-330-1178 or <alumni@augsburg.edu> to get on a special mailing list for further information. 36 Parent Council is invited… Parent Council members are invited to attend the annual New Student Orientation, June 17–18. Contact Alumni/Parent Relations at <alumni@augsburg.edu> for more information. Auggie Day at Como Park Bring your family to Como Park in St. Paul on June 4, 11a . m. –1p. m. , for this fun annual event. Bring a picnic lunch (BBQ grills are available) and Augsburg will provide beverages and goodies, giveaways, and fun for the kids. For more information, contact Alumni/Parent Relations at <alumni@augsburg.edu>. Annual golf tournaments Alumni are invited to participate in Augsburg’s Annual Men’s Hockey Golf Tournament on June 10 at Manitou Ridge Golf Course in White Bear Lake, Minn; cost is $90 per person (contact Mike Schwartz ’83 at 612-330-1163 for more information). Alumni are also invited to the 42nd Annual Clair Strommen A-Club Golf Tournament on June 27 at Pebble Creek Golf Course in Becker, Minn. (contact Ron Main ’56 at 612-338-4824 for more information). Homecoming 2005 Attention Auggies from the classes of 1955, 1965, 1980, and First Decade, 1995–2005: This is your reunion year! Plan now to join your classmates this September 26–October 1 for the annual Homecoming festivities and your reunion reception! Watch your mail and upcoming editions of the Augsburg Now for complete details; please let us know your current e-mail address at <alumni@augsburg.edu>. You can also stay up-to-date by visiting the alumni Web site at <www.augsburg.edu/alumni>. Winter/Spring 2005 CLASS NOTES Class Notes Rev. Jim Glasoe recently published The Immigrant’s Treasure (Publish America), a factbased, fictional biography of his late grandfather, Michael Glasoe, an ambitious young Norwegian who emigrated to America in 1886, settling first in Minnesota and eventually homesteading in North Dakota. Jim and his wife, Nicole, are retired and live on a lake in the north woods of Minnesota, where he does his writing. From 1972–97, he served as executive director of several non-profit corporations that provide residential and developmental program services for children and adults with developmental disabilities. He also served as a Lutheran parish pastor for 10 years. 1964 Deanne (Star) Greco, Bloomington, Minn., was elected president of the Ordway Circle of Stars. 1966 Alan Stensrud, Plymouth, Minn., recently retired as president of the Animal Humane Society, a position he had held since 1975. He was also awarded the Glen Summerlin Service Award, presented by the Society of Animal Welfare Administrators at a conference in San Diego, Calif. He looks forward to spending more time with his wife, Shirley, his son and two daughters, and his four grandchildren. 1969 Mark Lund, professor of economics and director of international education at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, was appointed as the college’s Dahl Professor of Economics for Winter/Spring 2005 the 2004–05 academic year. As the Dahl Professor of Economics, Mark devotes part of his professional time to teaching activities that encourage students to develop sound analytical and critical thinking skills, become active participants in community and civic activities, and understand the importance of incorporating personal responsibility and accountability into their work and lives. Mark has served on Luther’s faculty since 1978. 1971 David Siedlar, previously of Concord, Mass., emigrated to Netanya, Israel, a port on the Mediterranean between Haifa and Tel Aviv, by virtue of the Law of Return, an Israelian policy that grants automatic citizenship to any Jew of the diaspora. David is retired from the U.S. Navy. Lieutenant Colonel Jerry Steinke, began service at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq, about two weeks before she left Kuwait. Prior to Kuwait, she owned a dental practice in Maplewood, Minn.; Kristin and her husband reside in North Oaks, Minn. 1975 Brad Forsythe, Cincinnati, Ohio, published his debut book, Bulletproof Your Business— Cutting Risk for Small Business Owners and Managers. The book has been featured in several media outlets and reviews from across the country, and serves as a “plainEnglish guide that shows companies how to simply and cost-effectively conduct risk management on a do-it-yourself basis.” Brad is founder and president of Best Practice Advisors. Patricia (Reuter) Georg, Hopkins, Minn., was selected as the Minnesota State Teacher of the Year in 2003 by the United States Air Force Association/ Aerospace Education Foundation; she was honored in November 2003 at the Rawlings Chapter Fall Awards Banquet. Patricia teaches at Franklin Elementary School in Anoka. AUGGIES ON TV Courtesy photo 1957 1972 Kristin Rajala, an Army major, returned home in April 2004 from Camp Udairi in Kuwait, where she served as a dentist for three months to incoming U.S. troops and nationals. She also donated a keyboard and served as organist at the camp’s chapel, where she also conducted the service when the chaplain was unavailable. In addition, Kristin created three banners for the soldiers who attend camp Udairi chapel, as well as for both her family home church and for her husband’s home church (she is pictured here with her husband and one of her banners). Her husband, Augsburg alumna Linnea Mohn, Class of 2003, recently completed work on the first season of the Channel 45 (KSTC-TV) show, Nate on Drums. Hosted by local musician Nate Perbix, the half-hour program stars Mohn along with fellow actors David Harris and Motion Price, and showcases comedy segments coupled with local music and original animation. During its premiere season, the show won the 2004 Minnesota Music Academy Award for Best Audio-Visual Production. Pictured from the show, clockwise from left, are David Harris, Nate Perbix, Motion Price, and Linnea Mohn ’03. 37 Class Notes ALUMNI PROFILE Carol (Johnson) Casperson ’60: Building hope one home at a time by Bobbie Chong A physical education and biology major, Carol (Johnson) Casperson fondly recalls hanging out at “the grill” and wild ping-pong tournaments at Augsburg. Originally from St. Paul, she chose Augsburg because some of her cousins were current students. After graduating in 1960, she taught at Shakopee Public Schools and served as its only P.E. teacher. She went on to teach at a school in the New Hope district that she describes as having been the epitome of “brand-new.” Casperson later married, had two children, and moved to California where her (now former) husband attended medical school and completed his internship and residency. During this time, Casperson says “Vietnam happened,” and her family received military orders to relocate to 29 Palms Marine Base or “MCB.” In the 1960s, 29 Palms was literally in the middle of nowhere, and Casperson describes the desert location of what was to be her family’s new home as “465 square miles of kitty litter.” Flash-forward to the present day and 29 Palms isn’t the “middle of nowhere” anymore. Reflecting on her former city of residence and the dramatic change it’s undergone, Casperson says, “Now when you fly into Orange County Airport you can’t believe the new houses. There are massive developments, roofs touching, [many cost] $500,000.” As executive director of D.C. Habitat for Humanity, Casperson is familiar with the national housing crisis and the realities and hardships of the real estate market. She made the leap from California to Washington, D.C., after she helped a former neighbor campaign for Congress. He won and asked if she’d be interested in working at the home office. She needed to send a copy of her résumé but didn’t have one because at the time, “as a teacher in Minnesota, when I graduated, they came looking for you.” She quickly threw one together and was hired on the spot. A few years later she got bored and asked if she could come out to D.C. and work on the select committee her boss served. While newly transplanted in the D.C. area, an Iowan friend of Casperson’s stayed with her for three years. This friend was registered in the volunteer clearinghouse and asked if anyone in the area inquired about Habitat for Humanity because, at the time, there wasn’t an affiliate in that area. “I didn’t know anything about it [Habitat] at the time.” Recalling the beginning of the D.C. Habitat, “Three people came to town to start one,” Casperson said. She was invited to go with her friend into a questionable part of the D.C. area for one of the very first meetings. “I drove down there and went to the meeting with her and I thought, ‘What a great idea. I wonder if this really works?’” So the two friends both began volunteering. Casperson was still working full time then. “We had such a terrible time in the beginning,” laments Casperson, “First of all, we’d never done anything like this so who’s going to believe you, that you can actually do this? I mean, it sounds good, [but] people have pulled so many schemes on people in D.C. that no one trusts anybody.” Despite obstacles, the group persisted and “we got the first two houses done, then we started on the next two. Then our ‘blueprintist’ got this brilliant idea to apply to be the site of the Jimmy Carter Work Project (1992).” Casperson then became director for what she says “should’ve been a one-year assignment, but I’m still here.” In 1988 when she first began volunteering with Habitat, there were about 200 chapters across the United States. Today, there are over 1,700 worldwide. Casperson pointed out that a common misconception about Habitat for Humanity is that it’s only about construction. “We have 12 committees, including the Family Selection Committee, which tends to [include] people such as loan officers or mortgage bankers—people who know about the mortgage business because that’s really what you’re doing. Based on Habitat’s criteria, you’re picking people for a mortgage because there aren’t too many banks that want to carry a no-profit, no interest mortgage.” Another opportunity for volunteerism is the Family Partnership Committee. This committee helps provide moral support to families because many are first-time homeowners and the process can be scary and can literally throw a person into a panic. Much of D.C. Habitat’s fundraising comes from direct mail, donations, and their once-a-year, one-hour breakfast that generated $150,000 last year. And though it is rare, occasionally a developer or landowner will donate plots of land. The D.C. Habitat has built two homes on Capitol Hill that turned out to be model green homes. Currently, the group is working on a 53-house project on 4.3 acres of land. When asked what job advice she would impart on current Auggies or recent alumni, Casperson said, “I would say the same thing I said to my daughter when she was in school forever. She said, ‘Mom, I don’t know what I want to do when I graduate.’ You know, what you want to do is not necessarily what your major subject was. But it’s whatever makes you happy. And that’s what you have to follow. If things aren’t making you happy in your job, you need to pick out the things that you do like and then follow that path.” For more information about the D.C. Habitat for Humanity, go to <www.dchabitat.org/>. Bobbie Chong is an administrative assistant in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. 38 Winter/Spring 2005 1978 P. Dawn (Heil) Taylor, Des Moines, Iowa, was honored as one of 10 “Women of Influence” in August for her volunteer work and activism. She has been an advocate for Iowa’s Latino communities, serving on the Iowa Commission of Latino Affairs and as vice president of the Hispanic Educational Resource Center, which operates a bilingual preschool and provides outreach assistance to families. She currently serves on the boards of the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation and the Red Cross of Central Iowa Foundation, and is an Augsburg regent. In addition, she is an adviser to the Center for New Communities and the Iowa Project, an immigrant rights organization geared toward Latinos. She has served as an advocate for Latinos who were in the process of being deported, and has assisted them in finding resources and guidance. 1979 Barb Ahl, Evansville, Minn., received the Evansville Public School Teacher of the Year Award for 2004–05. Barb is a music teacher for Evansville Public Schools. Kathy (Gray) Dohner, Fairbanks, Alaska, is a sign language interpreter. AUGGIE AUTHORS Courtesy photo LaJune Thomas Lange, Minneapolis, was featured in The Minnesota Women’s Press’ annual “changemakers” issue, which salutes 25 individuals and organizations whose actions in the public arena over the past two decades have promoted greater self-determination, equality, and justice for women and girls. LaJune is a judge on the Hennepin County 4th Judicial District Court; she has held this seat since 1986. 1980 Robert Stanley Peter Gardner, Rochester, Minn., composed original music for the Saint Paul City Ballet’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. A blend of ballet and theatre, the production was presented in December at both the O’Shaughnessy in St. Paul and the Paramount Theatre in St. Cloud. 1981 Walt Johnson, Minneapolis, completed a two-year fellowship at the Patent and Trademark Depository Library (PTDL) Program in Arlington, Va. During that time, he researched patent and trademark questions from PTDLs throughout the country and spent many days on the road conducting public and PTDL-staff training sessions. He returned to his former position as a reference librarian at the downtown Minneapolis Public Library. 1982 Rev. Rebecca Sogge received a doctor of ministry degree in single parent ministry from Luther Seminary last May. Before entering Luther, Rebecca served for five years as co-pastor of Christ, Marble, and Singsaas Lutheran churches in Hendricks, Minn. She then spent another five years as pastor of Trinity and West Lake Johanna Lutheran churches and Union Presbyterian Church in Brooten, Minn. She is currently an associate pastor at Zion Lutheran Church in Buffalo, Minn. Three alumnae authors were featured as special guests at a recent Auggie Hour celebrating Augsburg authors. Pictured, L to R, are: Erika Hammerschmidt ’04 (Born on the Wrong Planet, Tyborne Hill Publishers LLC); Doris Rubenstein ’93 MAL (The Good Corporate Citizen: A Practical Guide, John Wiley & Sons); and Phebe Hanson ’50 (Why Still Dance: 75 Years: 75 Poems, Nodin Press). 1983 Gordon Sandquist, Ballwin, Mo., began a new call at Trinity Lutheran Church in Chesterfield, Mo. in September. He and his wife, Sonja, recently adopted two girls, ages 6 and 7. 1985 Ron Munkittrick, Westfield, N.J., was appointed chief financial officer of Ramp Corporation in October; he had been working with Ramp since June as a consultant on operational and financial initiatives. Ron has 20 years of experience in corporate financial management with companies such as Fingerhut Corporation, Hanover Direct, Genesis Direct, Site59.com, and Decima Ventures. Most recently he was CFO of CapeSuccess LLC, a staffing and information technology consulting company. Ron has an M.B.A. from the University of St. Thomas. 1986 Michael A. Johnson accepted the position of director of Winter/Spring 2005 dramatics at Trinity High School in Trinity, N.C. His wife, Ann Marie (Glover) ’84, has contributed to the field of early childhood education as a Head Start administrator and teacher for more than 20 years. 1987 Rev. Tammy J. Rider, Claremont, Minn., was a finalist in a national sermon contest sponsored by the FaithTrust Institute (formerly known as the Center for the Prevention of Sexual and Domestic Violence) with her sermon, “Sleeping Women.” As such, her sermon was published in The Journal of Religion and Abuse (Haworth Pastoral Press, Vol. 6, No. 1, 2004). 1988 Carl R. Holm (formerly Holmes), Albertville, Minn., was recently promoted to northern regional sales manager at F.A. Davis Co. Publishers. His wife, Chrisanne D. (Rebertus) ’89, began her fifth year of homeschooling their three children: Emilyanne, Mark, and 39 Class Notes James. They can be contacted at <arenzano1@earthlink.net>. 1990 Vicki (Janssen) McDougall, North Branch, Minn., is the new dean of students at Forest Lake Senior High School. 1991 Rev. Judith A. (Benson) Bangsund received a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary last May. She is a missionary at the Division of Global Mission for the ELCA in Chicago, and following graduation, Judith returned to Makumira-Tumaini University in Usa River, Tanzania (where she served as an intern as part of her degree requirements), to serve in an ordained role in missions. written exams. Sharol specializes in coaching nurses and “peak performers” from all walks of life through her company, Life Illumination Keynotes, Seminars, & Coaching; Sharol can be reached via her Web site at <www.lifeillumination.com>. law degree at William Mitchell College of Law. Cindy (Kostusak) Waldron, Fairfax, Va., graduated from George Washington University, Washington D.C., in 2004 with an M.B.A. specializing in finance and entrepreneurship. She works for Freddie Mac in the Financial Research Department. Julie (Holmquist) Sellers, Duluth, Minn., is a media planner for Out There Advertising, a Duluth advertising firm. She was previously a media director for von Goertz & VanHove (also in Duluth), and a senior media planner and account executive at Haworth Marketing and Media Co. in Minneapolis. She was also a media analyst at the Minneapolis-based Campbell Mithun Esty agency. 1993 1994 Michael H. Haukaas, Brooklyn Center, Minn., is a clerk at the law firm of Schwegman, Lundberg, Woessner & Kluth for a second year. He is pursuing a Bill Gabler, Prior Lake, Minn., married Corinne Lindborg, a 1998 Gustavus Adolphus alumna, last May. In addition, Bill was inducted into the 2003 Prior Lake High School Hall of Fame for his achievements in athletics in both high school and college—he was a standout three-sport athlete (football, wrestling, and baseball). He is the youngest male to be inducted. Dan Sweeney, Minneapolis, recently opened his own business, Keep In Touch Massage, in Uptown Minneapolis. The company offers a wide range of massagespecific services and natural skin care products. Dan can be reached via his Web site at <www.keepintouchmassage.net>. 1995 Deb (Bellin) Smith, Neenah, Wis., is a recruiter for TEKsystems, an IT services THE AUGSBURG CENTENNIAL SINGERS Courtesy photo 1992 David Murr, Orford, N.H., was presented the F.L. Scarf Award in December during the 2004 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco for his thesis, “Magnetosphereionosphere coupling on mesoand macro-scales.” The award is given annually to a recent Ph.D. recipient for outstanding dissertation research that contributes directly to solarplanetary sciences (David earned his Ph.D. at Boston University in 2003). David also received the National Science Foundation Geospace Environment Modeling (GEM) postdoctoral researcher award in 2003. He currently works with William Lotko at Dartmouth College. Sharol Tyra, Hanover, Minn., recently completed the Coaches Training Institute’s Certified Professional Co-Active Coaching Certification Program and passed both the oral and 40 The Augsburg Centennial Singers recently completed a tour of Arizona, sharing their passion and enjoyment of singing with congregations from Green Valley to Scottsdale. They are pictured here in Sun City West, where they performed at Lord of Life Lutheran Church. The Centennial Singers will perform in the Twin Cities: THURSDAY, MAY 12, 7 P.M. Calvary Church of Roseville, Lexington and County Road B Free will offering Winter/Spring 2005 recruiting firm in Appleton, Wis. She has been married for four years to her husband, Scott, and she enjoys spending time with her son Noah, 3, and her stepdaughter Andrea, 9. Rev. Kari L. Burke-Romarheim is pursuing a master of divinity at Luther Seminary. She previously worked for three years as a youth and family minister in Bergen, Norway. 1997 Arlo Miller, Brookline, Mass., successfully defended his thesis, “The Regulation of Melanoma Antigens by the Microphthalmia Transcription Factor,” and received a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular pharmacology from Harvard University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. 1999 Rev. Deborah Hutterer recently relocated to Pontiac, Ill., where she is serving as pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church. She received her Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary last May; she also received the A.E. Hanson homiletic award in preaching, which recognizes the importance of preaching as seminary graduates move into the next chapter of their ministries. The award was established by the family of the late Rev. Arthur E. Hanson (1894–1966), former president of the ELCA’s Northern Minnesota District. Megan Renze, Miami, recently graduated cum laude from the University of Miami School of Law. She passed the bar examination in Florida and is now working as associate general counsel for Banco Santander International in Miami. 2000 Rev. Melissa G. (Moyle) Pohlman, St. Paul, received a master of divinity degree from Luther Seminary last May. 2001 Jessica Norman married Eric Hafemeyer in February 2004. Eric is a carpenter and Jessica recently ALUMNI PROFILE Courtesy photo Alumnus wins state technology award by Beverly Deming Mark Deming, a 1993 graduate of Augsburg, was honored in November as the inaugural recipient of the statewide Minnesota TEKNE Award for Innovation in Teaching. Deming is the media specialist at Orchard Lake Elementary School in Lakeville, Minn. Each year the Minnesota High Tech Association, Minnesota Technology, Inc., Medical Alley, and Minnesota Project Innovation recognize start-up and giant corporations in Minnesota for their achievements in technology. This year a new category was added to recognize and honor educators for their contributions and innovations in teaching. Its purpose is to recognize an educator who demonstrates leadership in creating learning opportunities for students using innovative technology in Minnesota’s classrooms. The TEKNE Award has been described as the “Academy Award” of the technology industry in Minnesota. Deming was one of three finalists from an overwhelming number of nominees for the new category of Innovation in Teaching. Deming has been a media specialist for nine years, the last four being at Orchard Lake Elementary. He was nominated for his work in bringing the oldest elementary school in Lakeville up to the same level of technology as Lakeville’s new schools. When faced with a space problem, Deming designed a mobile computer lab to take to the classroom. He has taken time to help fellow educators make adjustments in their classrooms using the technology available to them. Physical education teachers are using Palm hand-helds instead of paper-laden clipboards to keep their records at hand. One fifthgrade teacher who was avoiding technology entirely credits Deming with bringing him around to using the latest in technology. WCCO News anchor Don Shelby (right) presented Mark Deming ’93 (left) with the TEKNE Award for Innovation in Teaching at the Minnesota TEKNE Award ceremony at the Minneapolis Convention Center in November. Deming also received a monetary award and multimedia projection system for Orchard Lake Elementary School, where he is the media specialist. Deming was also recognized for turning the school’s morning announcements into a student-run multimedia show. Students now eagerly apply each spring for a position the following year on The Morning Crew. A group of 10 fifth- and sixth-grade students meet Deming an hour before school starts most days to prepare the school’s daily announcements, which include reviews of popular books and videos, music and graphics for the opening and closing credits, lunch menus, and a Friday bloopers show. This by-kids-for-kids morning news show is considered a daily “must see.” When asked by the awards committee why he gives his personal time to promoting technology, Deming stated that “It’s not just a job, this is a lot of fun—I really enjoy it.” Deming and his wife, Jean, reside in Farmington, Minn., with their 5-year-old son, Randall, and 1-year-old daughter, Jaela. A former basketball player with the Auggies, Deming is also a ninth-grade basketball coach for the Farmington School District. Beverly Deming, a student in Augsburg’s Rochester program, is also Mark Deming’s mother. Winter/Spring 2005 41 Class Notes received her J.D. degree from William Mitchell College of Law. The couple resides in Northfield, Minn. Stacy Waterman, Pinehurst, N.C., graduated from West Virginia University with a master’s degree in counseling. She is in her second year as a middle school counselor in Pinehurst. Stacy can be reached at <stacywaterman@hotmail. com>. 2003 Kristopher Freeman, Minneapolis, was hired as an account executive at City Pages, a Twin Cities weekly newspaper, after completing an internship in its promotions department. Christina Markwood-Rod, Wayzata, Minn., created an exhibit in the St. Cloud State University’s Archives and Special Collections that uncovers the intriguing tale of world traveler and late SCSU adjunct professor William Lindgren. The William Marcellous Lindgren Interpretive Exhibit, located in the Kalm Family University Archives and Special Collections on Miller Center third floor, opened in October 2004 and will remain open through the 2004–05 academic year. Christina is a graduate student in SCSU’s public history program, and spent a year processing Lindgren’s collection. Orion Wisness married Erin Dablow in August in Butte, Mont. The couple resides in Hackensack, Minn. Heather Wessling married Andrew Maki in October. Heather is a Northwest Airlines biller for Carlson Marketing Group, a subsidiary of Carlson Companies, Inc. 2004 Christina M. Boe married Michael T. Anderson II in October. The couple resides in Roseville, Minn. Rev. Linda (Brandvold) McPeak is pursuing a master of divinity at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. She previously worked in a variety of positions in Minnesota: as a youth and family minister at Cross of Peace Lutheran Church in Shakopee, as church secretary at Discovery United Methodist Church in Chaska, as a benefits specialist/administrator at Andersen Consulting in Minneapolis, and as a benefits administrator for OTC/Power Team SPX Corporation in Owatonna. Courtesy photo GARRY HESSER HONORED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. Augsburg professor Garry Hesser gathered with Augsburg alumni and friends in December in Washington, D.C., for a special celebration honoring his selection as 2004 Minnesota Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (see p. 10 for more information). Pictured, L to R, are: Sylvia and Martin Sabo ’59, Garry Hesser, William V. and Anne Frame, Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe. 42 Glendine M. Soiseth (’04 MSW) received an M.A. in pastoral care from Luther Seminary last May. She plans to pursue work at either a Christian counseling agency or a social service agency that will provide the necessary supervisory requirements to allow her to become licensed for independent counseling practice. Births/Adoptions Norm ’57 and Gayle (Engedad) Matson ’57, Chicago, Ill., are the proud grandparents of grandson Lars Engedad Matson, born in July to Hans Engedad and Holly Matson. Jeannie (Shaughnessy) ’88 and Joseph Hodges, Alexandria, Minn.—a daughter, Celia Marie, in May. She joins older sister Campbell. Jeannie is the owner/president of Pathwise Partners. Nnamdi Okoronkwo ’89 and his wife in Minneapolis— a son, Spencer Ajah, in March 2004. Nnamdi is associate corporate council to Best Buy Company and practices in the area of retail litigation. Kelly (Moore) ’92 and David Lozinski ’91, Bloomington, Minn.—a daughter, Elizabeth “Libby” Grace, in January 2004. Brent Anderson ’93 and his wife, Marilyn, Burnsville, Minn.—a daughter, Maizie Margaret, in January 2004. Michelle (Eaker) ’94 and Frank Steever, Cranston, R.I.—a daughter, Genevieve, in July. Susan Irene Forsmark ’95 and her husband, Bill, Minnetonka, Minn.—a daughter, Abigail Rose, in January 2004. She joins older brothers Reilly, 7, and Cole, 3, and big sister Libby, 3. Melanie (Main) Johnson ’95, Fayetteville, Ark.—a son, Calvin Jeramiya Johnson III, in September. Melanie is the office manager for Sonstegard Foods of Arkansas and can be contacted at <melanie@sonstegard.com>. Connie (Arndt) ’96 and Andy Clausen, Blaine, Minn.—a son, Aaron Andrew, in April 2004. He joins older brother Adam, 2. Connie is a business analyst with the ELCA Board of Pensions in Minneapolis. Aaron was baptized by his grandfather, the Rev. Charles Arndt ’63, pastor of First Lutheran Church in Cushing, Wis. Tracy (Holloway) ’97 and Thane Drier ’99, Eau Claire, Wis.—a son, Tristan Thane, in September. Tracy is a CPA for Chippewa Valley Technical College and Thane is a pharmacist for the Marshfield Clinic Regional Cancer Center. Matt Topp ’03 and his wife, Trisha, South St. Paul—a daughter, Emma Marie, in January 2004. Also welcoming Emma are proud grandparents Gary and Carol (Watson) Topp ’76; Carole can be contacted at <carolet4@excite.com>. Winter/Spring 2005 In Memoriam Gertrude Hognander ’36, longtime activist, dies ertrude (Lund) Hognander ’36, a longtime activist for world peace and higher education, died January 13 in her Edina home after suffering a stroke. She was 89. “She had this way about her that allowed her to gain the confidence of those around her, without ever aspiring to lead them,” her son, O.C. “Joe” Hognander, Jr., told Sun Current newspapers. “That’s why I believe she was so successful at a time when women were not always embraced in leadership roles.” Born in Marinette, Wis., Gertrude was raised in a church background that included music and educational instruction. In the late 1930s, she honed her musical talents (which included the gift of perfect pitch, an inheritance from her father, Augsburg alumnus Rev. L.R. Lund) at Augsburg and later at Rockford College in Illinois, where she received a bachelor’s degree in music. She directed several church choirs in Michigan and then in Minnesota, often adding her talents as pianist and organist. During the late 1940s and early 1950s she was the accompanist to citywide ecumenical events at the Minneapolis Armory. Outside of church, Gertrude also actively applied her leadership skills to community and state organizations, serving as president of the St. Louis Park Woman’s Club, the Minneapolis branch of the American Association of University Women, and the United Nations Association of Minnesota. She was also one of three members of the St. Louis Park Charter Commission, and served on many boards including the Minnesota International Center, Hennepin County American Cancer Society, Minnesota Board of Correctional Services, Abbott Hospital Auxiliary, and Hennepin County Mental Health Association. Augsburg recognized Gertrude’s commitment to church and community with the Distinguished Alumni Award in 1973. She was also honored with the Minnesota Distinguished Service Award and the WCCO “Good Neighbor” Award. Gertrude and her family generously established the Anna Manger, Augsburg’s first female instructor, dies Anna (Gjesdahl) Manger, who died in January just days shy of her 104th birthday, was hired by Augsburg as its first female instructor, teaching higher algebra and geometry. Even after marrying and leaving the College in 1925, Manger continued to be involved with Augsburg, volunteering her time in the Augsburg Associates and other groups to help raise money. Both of her daughters, Elizabeth Anderson ’53 and Margery Torgerson ’47, are Augsburg alumnae who enjoyed becoming part of the community where their mother had taught. Lutheran missionary Malvin Rossing ’30 dies The Rev. Malvin Rossing ’30 died of natural causes in January in Viroqua, Wis.; he was 96. Rossing spent three decades as a Lutheran missionary in Madagascar, starting in 1937, when he, his wife Anna, and toddler daughter Gertrude boarded a freighter in France and headed to the island in the Indian Ocean. He believed that education would eliminate poverty, and his main job was as director of a teacher-training school. He retired from missionary service in 1967 and served as a minister in Viroqua and in Houston, Minn., and retired from pastoral service in the mid-1980s. His wife, Anna, preceded him in death in 2003. He is survived by four children: Elizabeth, Gertrude, Martha, and Melvin ’66; nine grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Wesley Sideen, Class of 1958 ‘class agent,’ dies Wesley Sideen, dedicated class agent for Augsburg’s Class of 1958, died in January; he was 69. A lifelong St. Paul resident, Sideen was a retired English and social studies teacher—he spent all but one of his 38 years in teaching at Hazel Park Middle School. Following retirement, he worked at Byerly’s grocery store. He was an active member of East Park Lions Club and current Lion’s district governor. He is survived by his wife, Carol Ann; four children: David, Diane, Daniel, and Denise ’94; and four grandchildren. G Winter/Spring 2005 Orville C. and Gertrude O. Hognander Family Fund at Augsburg in the 1990s to recognize exceptional music performance and achievement. The scholarship is based on merit, specifically to provide encouragement to outstanding music students. Gertrude was preceded in death by her husband, Orville Hognander, Sr., in 1997. She is survived by her son, Joe. Matthew Woodford, PA student, dies in car accident Matthew Woodford, a student in Augsburg’s Physician Assistant Program, and his unborn son, Logan, died in December 2004 as the result of a car accident in Baldwin, Wis. His wife, Lora, and daughter, Madalyn, were also injured in the accident. Woodford, 27, worked at Methodist Hospital as a phlebotomist, and entered the Augsburg PA Program in 2002. The PA Program is pleased to announce the creation of the Matthew Woodford Memorial Scholarship in honor and in memory of Woodford, to be awarded annually to a third-year Augsburg PA student. 43 AUGGIE THOUGHTS Auggie Thoughts Ted and Fern Hanwick, 1909-2005 ‘A perfect ending’ to a shared life I n what was described by their pastor as “a script that only God could write,” Professor Emeritus and a pioneer of Augsburg’s physics department Theodore “Ted” Hanwick and his wife of 64 years, Fern, died within 19 hours of each other on March 2 and 3, each at age 95. The story of their life together was recounted at their memorial service and also in a Star Tribune front-page column by Nick Coleman, titled “Lifetime of Love Endures to a Couple’s Dying Day.” Hanwick was chair of the physics department at Rutgers University when he was recruited in 1956 by thenpresident Bernhard Christensen to start a physics major at Augsburg. Hanwick has said that he heard the voice of God tell him that the small liberal arts college in the Midwest was the place where he should be, despite the prestige and salary he would leave behind. “He firmly, honestly believed that God called him here,” said Rev. Howard “Skip” Reeves, a close family friend and pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church, where the Hanwicks had been active members. by Betsey Norgard Hanwick developed a major in physics and launched a number of new courses, including astronomy. His daughter, Linda (Hanwick) Putnam ’64, tells of his love for astronomy and how he made telescopes at home, grinding the lenses himself. When an Augsburg graduate offered to provide a telescope for an astronomy course at Augsburg, Putnam says that her father—who was “always looking for a good deal”—needed housing for the telescope and found a place in Minnesota that sold silo domes. The “silo” was donated to Augsburg and became an unlikely addition to a city campus. Hanwick retired in 1978, but has remained connected to the Augsburg community. Ted and Fern were last on campus at Homecoming 2003 for a science alumni gathering. Both of their children are Augsburg alumni—Linda (Hanwick) Putnam ’64 and Theodore Hanwick, Jr. ’66. Physics professors Ken Erickson ’62 and Stu Anderson ’78, were both Physics professor emeritus Ted Hanwick and his wife, Fern, last visited campus for a science alumni gathering in 2003. 44 Hanwick’s students in the department— Erickson studied during Hanwick’s early years at Augsburg, while Anderson was one of his last students. In 1976, the Physics Department established a scholarship in Hanwick’s name to honor his 20th anniversary at Augsburg. “He had such a passion for this place,” says Reeves. “When you mention Augsburg, even in his later years, his face would brighten up, and he’d smile. … He wore Augsburg—he was Augsburg to a lot of people.” Reeves describes Ted Hanwick as “a blend of intelligence and humility.” Fern Hanwick, Reeves says, was “pure grace.” For a number of years, until she was 90, she directed Calvary Lutheran’s program for women prisoners in the Hennepin County workhouse. Their life together was a storybook romance. They met in New York City, were attracted from the first moment, and became engaged in three weeks. Since then, they’ve been inseparable. The circumstance of their death just 19 hours apart—Ted died in his sleep on March 2 and Fern died peacefully while visiting with friends the next afternoon— was described by Coleman in his column as “a love story with a perfect ending.” Granddaughter Christine Hanwick, in speaking at the memorial service, said that she thought her grandfather must have wanted to go on ahead and “check things out to make sure it was OK.” Winter/Spring 2005 CCalendar ALENDAR Music Exhibits For music information, call 612-330-1265 For gallery information, call 612-330-1524 April 27 Chamber Music Recital & High Tea 4 p.m.—Sateren Auditorium April 30 Augsburg Jazz Ensemble Concert 7 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel May 1 Augsburg Concert Band Concert April 8–May 8 3 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel Juried All-Student Art Exhibition May 8–18 Augsburg Concert Band Norway Tour • Baccalaureate Service 10 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel • Commencement Brunch 11 a.m.—Christensen Center • Commencement Ceremony Featured speaker: Parker Palmer, bestselling author, lecturer, teacher, and activist 1:30 p.m.—Melby Hall Seating begins at 12:30 p.m.; tickets required • Commencement Reception 3 p.m.—Murphy Park Gage Family Art Gallery, Lindell Library April 8–May 20 Senior Art Exhibition Theatre Christensen Center Art Gallery For ticket information, call 612-330-1257 Seminars, Lectures, and Films February 23–May 19 Augsburg Native American Film Series 2005 April 15–24 Our Country’s Good By Timberlake Wertenbaker Directed by Darcey Engen April 15, 16, 21, 22, and 23 at 7 p.m.; April 17 and 24 at 2 p.m. Tjornhom-Nelson Theater April 29 Senior Acting Recitals 7 p.m.—Tjornhom-Nelson Theater May 4 Stage Direction Class Recital 6:30 p.m.—Tjornhom-Nelson Theater In collaboration with Independent Indigenous Film Minneapolis; various dates and times. For schedule information, call 612-330-1523, e-mail <marubbio@augsburg.edu>, or visit <www.augsburg.edu/ais/filmseries> Other Events May 6–7 Commencement Weekend May 6 • Honors Convocation 4:30 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel • Commencement Dinner 6 p.m.—Christensen Center • Commencement Concert 7:30 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel May 7 • Eucharist Service 8:30 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel May 16 Second Annual Healthcare Conference: “Building Minnesota’s Healthcare Workforce Through Diversity” A collaborative conference sponsored by Augsburg, Minnesota Hospital Association, Fairview Health Services, and United Health Foundation 8 a.m.–5 p.m.—Melby Hall For information, call 612-330-1171, e-mail <croyle@augsburg.edu>, or visit <www.augsburg.edu/healthcare> June 16 Graduate Programs Discovery Evening Gathering for prospective graduate programs students; includes dinner buffet and break-out sessions 5:30–8:30 p.m.—Christensen Center For information, call 612-330-1150 or e-mail <parkp@augsburg.edu> June 27 42nd Annual Clair Strommen A-Club Golf Tournament See p. 36 for more information See the alumni calendar on p. 36 for additional events Send us your news and photos! Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos! For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice, or program from a memorial service. Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55454, or e-mail to <alumni@augsburg.edu>. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Maiden name Class year or last year attended Full name __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street address __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip Is this a new address? ■ Yes ■ No ________________________________________________________________________________ ■ Okay to publish your e-mail address? 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Title: Augsburg Now Fall 2004
Collection: Alumni Magazine Collection
Search Result: A P U B L I C AT I O N Fall 2004 F O R A U G S B U R G C O L L E G E A L U M N I & F R I E N D S Vol. 67, No. 1 EEditor’s DITOR’Snote NOTE What is an Augsburg education? Joan Griffin, Augsburg’s director of general education, writes that an Augsburg education is an education for a...
Show more A P U B L I C AT I O N Fall 2004 F O R A U G S B U R G C O L L E G E A L U M N I & F R I E N D S Vol. 67, No. 1 EEditor’s DITOR’Snote NOTE What is an Augsburg education? Joan Griffin, Augsburg’s director of general education, writes that an Augsburg education is an education for action. It is an education to prepare students to become effective, informed, and ethical citizens. It asks students to explore answers to the big questions within the context of values and beliefs that matter. At Augsburg students are challenged to discover the very best in themselves. The new Augsburg Core Curriculum, highlighted in this issue, truly gives distinction to an Augsburg education. The result of several years of thoughtful and deliberate collaboration, the new core curriculum offers a blueprint for a learning community that connects each and every element of the College’s mission with its vision. It respects and reflects the College’s heritage, including its vital role in the community, working in partnership to prepare students for responsible citizenship. Augsburg has long believed, before many other colleges around the country, that students learn best when combining their classroom learning with experience outside the classroom. In the Augsburg Core, every student is required to complete an Augsburg experience— through internships (and student teaching, practica, cooperative education, etc.), faculty-student research, service-learning, study abroad, or other off-campus immersion activities. Augsburg’s leadership role in this area has been affirmed repeatedly—most recently and importantly by the honor bestowed upon sociology professor Garry Hesser as Minnesota’s Professor of the Year, from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Hesser has also received national awards for his pioneering work in developing experiential education and continuing national presence in promoting it. Augsburg’s Center for Global Education and service-learning program have also received national and regional awards for their excellence in programs. The new Augsburg Core has good reason to make all Augsburg alumni proud of their Augsburg education. Enjoy reading about it, as well as about some important events in our campus life—Homecoming 2004, Advent Vespers 25th anniversary, and the upcoming Nobel Peace Prize Forum and Festival in February. Augsburg Now is published quarterly by Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454. Editor Betsey Norgard Assistant Editor Lynn Mena Graphic Designer Kathy Rumpza Class Notes Coordinator Sara Kamholz ’04 Photographer Stephen Geffre President William V. Frame Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Amy Sutton Director of Public Relations and Communication Dan Jorgensen Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now do not necessarily reflect official College policy. ISSN 1058–1545 Postmaster: Send address corrections to: Advancement Services Augsburg College, CB 142 2211 Riverside Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55454 healyk@augsburg.edu E-mail: now@augsburg.edu Telephone: 612-330-1181 Fax: 612-330-1780 Betsey Norgard Editor Greetings of the season Augsburg College, as affirmed in its mission, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, or disability in its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and/or school administered programs, except in those instances where religion is a bona fide occupational qualification. Augsburg College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to its employees and its students. www.augsburg.edu A PUBLICATION FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS Fall 2004 Vol. 67, No. 1 Features FEATURES 15 The Augsburg Core Curriculum: Educating for work, educating for life This special issue introduces readers to the new Augsburg Core Curriculum—the broad general education that forms the foundation for an Augsburg education. Signature elements of the Augsburg Core draw on the College’s heritage, values, and mission. 11 Vision The newsletter for Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College 4 Advent Vespers celebrates 25th anniversary year DEPARTMENTS Departments 2 Around the Quad 6 Sports 8 Homecoming 2004 Awards 27 Alumni News 30 Homecoming 2004 Photos On the cover: 34 Class Notes 40 In Memoriam inside back cover Calendar 50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post—consumer waste) Over 300 first-year students begin their educational journey through the Augsburg Arch, the visual representation of their Augsburg education, at the Opening Celebration, where they are welcomed into the Augsburg community. Photo by Stephen Geffre. AROUND QUAD Around THE the Quad Notes in brief Namibia center celebrates 10 years Convo series explores social justice themes PA students excel on exam The May graduates in the Physician Assistant Program received among the highest scores in the country on the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants board examination. The Class of 2004 received a mean score of 613, ranking in the 99th percentile, as compared to the national mean score of 510. Augsburg’s program is Minnesota’s only PA training program; in 2002 it became a graduate program and received full accreditation. The Class of 2004 is the first to graduate at the master’s level. Augsburg moves up in college rankings Once again, U.S.News & World Report has included Augsburg in the top tier of its annual ranking of best universities, tied for 20th place—a move up from 24th place last year. The College is ranked among 142 institutions in the category “Best Midwestern Universities-Master’s” and is compared with other area colleges and universities that offer both undergraduate and graduate degrees. Also, The Princeton Review has once again included Augsburg among the 170 colleges named “Best in the Midwest,” based on student responses as well as on recognition by the media, other institutional leaders, and educational organizations. Augsburg was recognized for its dedication toward diversity. THE 17TH ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM February 11–12, 2005 www.peaceprizeforum.org 2 Center for Global Education Namibia director Pandu Hailonga welcomed guests of the center’s 10th anniversary celebration, with associate dean Orv Gingerich and President William Frame looking on. “Justice for All,” the theme of the 2004-05 Augsburg Convocation series, challenges consideration of how issues of justice bring into focus one’s gifts, interests, desires, and passions; and connects them with diverse careers, occupations, and ministries that benefit others and selffulfillment. The remaining presentations are: New MBA program in full swing Forty-four students filled two cohorts to launch the new Master of Business Administration program this fall, and additional cohorts will begin in winter and possibly spring. About 30 percent of the first class is made up of Augsburg alumni. The 20-month MBA program includes several cross courses with the Master of Arts in Leadership program and a strong emphasis on application of classroom learning to the business environment. Garry Hesser is prof of the year in Minnesota Nov. 18 was designated “Dr. Garry Hesser Day” in the state of Minnesota in honor of the announcement that Hesser had been named Professor of the Year in Minnesota by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Hesser was lauded in the citation for his pioneering efforts in developing experiential education, a hallmark of an Augsburg education. See the next issue of Augsburg Now for the full story. • JAN. 17—Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, with speaker Victoria Jackson Gray Adams, a spiritual, social, political, and civil rights activist. • FEB. 11—In conjunction with the 2005 Peace Prize Forum, former United Nations high commissioner for human rights and former president of Ireland Mary Robinson will speak about security in an unsecure world. • FEB. 16—Jane Jeong Trenka ‘95, award-winning author, will speak on transracial adoption and memory/writing as a site of resistance. • MARCH 4—Craig Kielburger, children’s rights activist and founder of Free the Children, in the 2005 Batalden Seminar in Applied Ethics. • APRIL 11—2005 Sverdrup Visiting Scientist lecture, to be announced. For further information, call 612-330-1180 or visit <www.augsburg.edu/convo>. Fall 2004 Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College Fourth annual Scholastic Connections celebration Goal: $55 million $33 million Read more campaign news in Vision, the campaign newsletter, on p. 11. Welcome, Class of 2008! WELCOME TO 343 NEW FRESHMEN … • 10 states represented, with 81% from Minnesota Five new scholarship recipients and six returning scholars were honored along with their mentors at the fourth annual Scholastic Connections dinner and program in October. This program pairs student leaders of color with alumni mentors of color. The emcee for the evening was Vineeta Sawkar, news anchor at 5 Eyewitness News. The welcome was presented by actor and vocalist T. Mychael Rambo. Front row (L to R): Xia Xiong ‘05, Eloisa Echávez ‘94, ‘98 MEL, Melat Woldegebriel ‘05, Vineeta Sawkar, and Renzo Amaya Torres ‘05. Back row (L to R): Franklin Tawah ‘83, Alex Gonzalez ‘90, Nhia Lee ‘02, Saroja Thapa ‘06, Robert Amaya ‘05, Chris Adams ‘07, Maria R. Johnson ‘94, Adela Arguello ‘05, Jim Genia ‘87, Diane Love-Scott ‘98, Leah Carlson ‘01, and Audra Johnson ‘06. Forging exchanges with a Polish university Courtesy photo News: • 3M is partnering with Augsburg to raise $600,000 in support of the Science Center that will come through a combination of gift and challenge match. • 89% live in residence halls on campus • 37% are Lutheran • 11.3% are students of color • 2,600 hours of service-learning in the community given by first-year students as part of the Augsburg Seminar ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS … • 3,375 students (1,826 day, 1,090 weekend, 459 graduate) • Average age is 21 in day, 34 weekend, 33 graduate • Students from 40 states and 33 countries • Students of color—10.2% Fall 2004 Amidst their European and African travels last summer, President and Mrs. Frame, along with business professor Magda Paleczny-Zapp, visited the Cracow University of Economics in Poland, an institution of 20,000 students, to discuss exchanges of faculty and students in business and the social sciences. The university is also interested in starting a program similar to Augsburg’s CLASS program to support students with learning disabilities. (L to R): President William Frame; Anne Frame; Chancellor Ryszard Borowiecki; Professor Magda Paleczny-Zapp; Professor Janusz Teczke, vice chancellor for scientific research and cooperation; and Agnieszka Nawrocka, head, Office of International Relations. 3 Around the Quad ADVENT VESPERS celebrates 25th anniversary year ‘With Peaceful Wings’ offers theme of peace and comfort Augsburg College’s Advent Vespers program celebrates its 25th anniversary around the theme “With Peaceful Wings.” The four services, this year held Friday and Saturday, Dec. 3 and 4 at 5 and 8 p.m. at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, usually draw over 8,000 people. Advent Vespers combines more than 300 participants from choirs, instrumental ensembles, readers, and a full liturgical party. Through the majestic celebration of music and word, the message of Christ’s coming to the world is conveyed. Augsburg’s annual advent program began in 1979 around the vision of Larry Fleming, then-director of choral activities, to offer a service of meditation and prayer as a gift to the community during the advent season. The tradition continues today under the direction of Peter Hendrickson ’76, director of choral activities, and the Rev. David Wold, College pastor and director of ministries, with active support from Augsburg College students, faculty, and staff. “With Peaceful Wings” focuses on the message of assurance that in the wings of the Savior Jesus Christ rest and comfort 4 Fall 2004 SPECIAL BROADCAST Add this special 25th anniversary Advent Vespers broadcast to your holiday plans. can be found through all good and ill. The wings of the Savior provide the strength and shelter to live in the unconditional grace of God, and the strength and comfort to know the peace of God that passes all understanding, the peace of God that keeps hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The service provides an opportunity to reflect first on the coming of Jesus, initially announced by John the Baptist; second, on living in the promise that Christ will come again; and third, in knowing that Christ comes through people constantly and regularly, even now. To mark this special 25th anniversary, Augsburg College collaborated with Twin Cities Public Television (TPT) to produce a onehour program to be broadcast during Christmas week. The majesty of Central Lutheran Church and the intimacy of the service are captured by a multiple-camera production crew that followed the drama of the processions and recorded the splendor of the sounds from the choirs scattered through the sanctuary. The program is also offered statewide to the stations of the Minnesota Public Television Association, and nationwide, via satellite, to public broadcast services. Commemorative DVD, VHS, and CD recordings of this production will be available following the event. For more information about Advent Vespers, call 612-330-1444 or go to <www.augsburg.edu/vespers>. ■ Fall 2004 The service will be aired in Minnesota on Twin Cities Public Television: December 22, 8 p.m. on TPT2 December 23, 2 a.m. on TPT2 December 25, 10 a.m. on TPT2 and 7 p.m. on TPT17 Check local listings for broadcast times on public television stations. The 25th anniversary Advent Vespers broadcast is made possible through a major gift from the 11 Hoversten families who have supported Augsburg worship, music, and education programs for generations, and with additional support from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. TWIN CITIES PUBLIC TELEVISION 5 Sports Women’s hockey celebrates 10 years ugsburg College has played a major role in the growth of women’s hockey, one of the fastest growing sports in recent years. As the first college or university in the Midwest to sponsor the sport on the varsity level in 1995, Augsburg was a leader in sparking major interest and impacting the lives of thousands of young girls and women. This year Augsburg celebrates its 10th season of varsity women’s hockey—an achievement that speaks volumes to the College’s commitment to the sport’s growth. Over the past decade, 97 young women have donned an Augsburg uniform, for a team that has gone 131-86-13 entering this season under Jill Pohtilla, the only head coach in the program’s history. “What I’m most proud of is that, year-in and year-out, the types of individuals who play here have great character and great motivation,” Pohtilla said. “They work hard, and they care a lot about the legacy they are going to leave behind.” When Augsburg announced in February 1995 that it was going to field a varsity women’s hockey program for the 1995-96 season, there were only 15 varsity teams nationally—all on the East Coast (members of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference) and none in the Midwest. Girls’ hockey was just starting at the high school level in Minnesota—the first state to sponsor a girls’ hockey high school state championship tournament —even before it became an Olympic sport. Both location and funding made Augsburg’s situation unique. In its announcement, Augsburg was believed to be the first collegiate team to fund its women’s hockey program on a level equal with the men’s program, in terms of equipment, uniforms, ice time, training, games, publicity, and awards. A Highlights from Augsburg’s first decade include: • 1995-96—Augsburg went 16-5 in its first season against club and women’s adult teams in the Midwest, including three games on the East Coast against varsity teams. • 1997-98—Augsburg faced the University of Minnesota in the Gophers’ first varsity contest. The crowd of 6,854 in Mariucci Arena remains the largest-ever crowd for a U.S. collegiate women’s hockey game. by Don Stoner • Winter 2003—Members of the team traveled to Italy and Austria to play and win three games against local club teams. A 10th anniversary dinner and program was held in November. For more information about women’s hockey, go to <www.augsburg.edu/athletics>. Don Stoner is sports information coordinator in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. • 1998-99—Augsburg won a share of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) title, which was the first Division III conference to sponsor the sport at championship level. • 1999-2000—Augsburg won the MIAC play-off to go to the Division III national championship, where they lost the national title series to Middlebury (Vt.). • 2003-04—The playoff semifinal game against the University of St. Thomas, a 6-5 loss, was the longest women’s hockey game in conference history, a two-overtime, 96-minute, 9-second marathon. A plaza in front of Augsburg’s Ice Arena was dedicated as “JC’s Place,” in honor of James “JC” Carey, athletic facilities director for 30 years. New seating and memorial plaques honor Carey, who died of heart failure in 2003 at the age of 54. The 1999-2000 women’s hockey team posed, following the Division III national championship, where they lost to small-college power Middlebury (Vt.). 6 Fall 2004 17 AUGSBURG COLLEGE HOSTS T H A N N UA L N O B E L P E AC E P R I Z E F O RU M Around the theme “Striving for Peace: Uniting for Justice,” Augsburg College will host the 17th annual Peace Prize Forum, Feb. 11-12, 2005. This forum honors the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer and human rights activist who was recognized for her efforts for democracy and human rights. In cooperation with the Norwegian Nobel Institute, five Midwestern colleges of the ELCA—Augsburg College, Augustana College (Sioux Falls, S. Dak.), Concordia College (Moorhead, Minn.), Luther College (Decorah, Iowa), and St. Olaf College—host the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, the Norwegian Nobel Institute’s only such program or academic affiliation outside Norway. The colleges, all founded by Norwegian immigrants, sponsor the forum to give recognition to Norway’s international peace efforts and to offer opportunities for Nobel Peace Prize Fall 2004 by Betsey Norgard laureates, diplomats, scholars, students, and the general public to engage in dialogue on the dynamics of peacemaking and the underlying causes of conflict and war. The first Nobel Peace Prize Forum took place in 1989 at St. Olaf College, and rotates each year among the five ELCA colleges. Augsburg last hosted the forum in 1999, and honored Peace Prize laureates Jody Williams and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Over the years, more than 21,000 participants have become involved in the forum, which has received an even broader audience through national and regional media coverage. The Peace Prize Forum program also includes a series of seminars and discussions of issues around the theme. Plenary speakers scheduled for the 2005 forum include: • Mary Robinson, the first woman president of Ireland and more recently United Nations high commissioner for human rights; • Davar Ardalan, a producer for National Public Radio based in Washington, D.C., who has lived in Iran under both the shah’s reign and that of the ayatollah’s; • Sima Samar, pioneer for almost 20 years in the cause for women’s rights in war-stricken Afghanistan; and • Frances Moore Lappé, author and global citizen who started a revolution in the way Americans eat. Her most recent book is You Have the Power: Choosing Courage in a Culture of Fear. For more information about the 17th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, go to <www.augsburg.edu/ppf> or call 612-330-1383. Children celebrate peace at the Nobel Peace Prize Festival More than 700 students from 27 Peace Site schools and youth groups across the Twin Cities will gather at the 10th annual Nobel Peace Prize Festival at Augsburg on Feb. 10. This year’s festival will honor Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The festival was first organized in 1998 as an expansion of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and in response to the growing interest to involve children and youth of all ages. The event is designed to connect students in grades K-12 with Nobel laureates. Students study a laureate or peace theme, create a related interactive exhibit or performance of their subject, and bring it to the one-day festival. Along with the Peace Prize Forum, the festival has the endorsement of the Norwegian Nobel Institute. The 2004 festival honored Nobel laureate Jimmy Carter, who visited the J.J. Hill Montessori School in St. Paul, Minn., along with the former first lady. ■ 7 HOMECOMING 2004 TWO HONORED AS 2004 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI T wo alumni join 164 others as Distinguished Alumni of Augsburg College. Recipients are recognized for significant achievement in their vocations and outstanding contributions to church and community, through years of preparation, experience, dedication, exemplary character, and service. Brian J. Anderson ’82 Dr. Brian J. Anderson graduated from Augsburg in 1982 with a B.A. in physics, mathematics, and religion. From 1983-1987, he served as a research associate at the University of Minnesota, where in 1987 he earned a Ph.D. in physics. In 1986 he returned to Augsburg as a visiting lecturer in physics, and in 1987 as an assistant professor of physics. During his two years on the Augsburg faculty, he was instrumental in securing a grant from the National Science Foundation for the establishment of a vacuum technology laboratory for advanced physics students. In 1988, Anderson relocated to the East Coast to serve as a postdoctoral associate at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, where he is currently a senior physicist. He also supervises the magnetic fields section of the APL’s Space Physics Group, and is a member of the science team for NASA’s Messenger mission to Mercury, among others. Anderson is internationally recognized in space physics for his innovative and wide-ranging contributions to the understanding of the dynamic particle and magnetic field environment of near earth space. In addition to his duties at Johns Hopkins, Anderson also serves as president of Division III (Magnetospheric Phenomena) of the International Association of Geomagnetism and Aeronomy, the international scientific association that brings together space scientists worldwide for biennial scientific congresses. He recently completed service as an editor for Geophysical Research Letters, the premier international journal of earth and space sciences. He was also a member of a panel convened by the National Academy of Sciences to provide guidance over the next 10 years to all U.S. government agencies in the areas of solar and space physics. Anderson is an active member of Evangelical Lutheran Church in Frederick, Md., where he serves on the church council and on various committees. He also serves as an assisting minister in worship and is a regular participant in other congregational events. His wife, Dr. Leeann Rock, is a 1981 graduate of Augsburg. 8 by Lynn Mena Fern L. (Hanson) Gudmestad ’41 As a child growing up in Seattle, Wash., Fern L. (Hanson) Gudmestad learned about Augsburg from her uncle, the Rev. Frederick Iversen, an early 1900s graduate of Augsburg College and Seminary. Although she enrolled at the University of Washington—where she ultimately received a B.A. in art in 1941—she convinced her parents to send her to Augsburg for her sophomore year. Gudmestad’s time as a student on the Augsburg campus produced numerous lifelong bonds—particularly to one alumnus, the Rev. Lawrence Gudmestad ’39 (1983 Augsburg Distinguished Alumnus), whom she married. Three of their four children also attended the College—one graduating in 1965 and the other in 1968—as well as a daughter-in-law and a grandson, making theirs a four-generation Augsburg family. Gudmestad has remained a loyal and active alumna of the College, having served as an adviser to the College of the Third Age, as a longtime member of the Augsburg Associates, and on the committee assisting with the recent Lutheran Free Church celebration held on campus in June. In addition, she has been a regular contributor to The Augsburg Fund and a member of the president’s Maroon & Silver Society. She generously funded a pipe in Hoversten Chapel’s new organ for each of her children, and after her husband’s death in 1986 she directed memorial gifts to Augsburg. As a young woman in the 1940s and ’50s, Gudmestad answered the call to serve along with her husband during his years as a parish pastor in both Washington and North Dakota. As his partner, she managed a myriad of responsibilities, and in the 1970s and ’80s she held successive and increasingly comprehensive leadership positions in the American Lutheran Church Women (ALCW) organizations, beginning as president of her local ALCW, later as president of the ALC’s Southeast Minnesota District ALCW Board, and ultimately as president of the national ALCW. Recognized as a wise and quietly powerful woman, Gudmestad’s special combination of faith and skills in leadership continues to bring many invitations to speak at events and participate on committees and boards. Fall 2004 HOMECOMING 2004 FIRST DECADE AND SPIRIT OF AUGSBURG AWARD RECIPIENTS NAMED FOR 2004 by Lynn Mena A ugsburg is pleased to announce the 2004 recipients of the First Decade and Spirit of Augsburg awards. The First Decade Award is presented to Augsburg graduates of the past 10 years who have made significant progress in their professional achievements and contributions to the community, and in so doing exemplify the mission of the College: to prepare future leaders in service to the world. Graduates from the day, weekend, and graduate programs are eligible. The Spirit of Augsburg Award honors alumni and friends of the College who have given exceptional service that contributes substantially to the well being of Augsburg by furthering its purposes and programs. FIRST DECADE AWARD SPIRIT OF AUGSBURG AWARD Susan Arntz ’94 Arthur V. Rimmereid ’53 Susan (Horning) Arntz graduated from Augsburg in 1994 with a B.A. in political science and a minor in metrourban studies. In 1999, she earned a master’s degree in public administration from Hamline University. Despite her young age, Arntz possesses a vast amount of knowledge and leadership skills related to public affairs and government, and has utilized these for an exemplary career in public service. Following her graduation in 1994, she served as an intern to Commissioner Peter McLaughlin of Hennepin County, Minn. During that same time period, she served as assistant administrator and economic development coordinator of the City of Chaska (Minn.), and from 1998–2001 as the assistant city manager of New Brighton, Minn. Over the last several years, she has served as the city administrator of Waconia, Minn. She has skillfully managed increasingly larger city projects, and has directed major projects in the rapidly growing community of Waconia. Clearly, Arntz is driven to excel in her chosen field of city management; she approaches the responsibilities and call of public service with tremendous enthusiasm and dedication. She has worked tirelessly to construct an innovative and successful partnership between the city and the development community and other agencies. Since 2001, Arntz has served as a member of Augsburg’s Alumni Board of Directors, contributing a valued voice of vision, reason, and influence. In addition to sharing her time with the College, Arntz is also a member of Augsburg’s Century Club. A woman of deep faith and Christian values, Arntz is an active member of her church and community. She and her husband, Jonathan ’95, have two children. The Rev. Arthur V. Rimmereid graduated from Augsburg College and Seminary in 1953 and 1956, respectively. His first call was to a parish in north central North Dakota—Bisbee Lutheran Church— where he served as pastor from 1956–1962. He then served as pastor of Advent Lutheran Church in Coon Rapids, Minn., where he was asked to develop a new mission congregation. From 1967–1983, he served first as assistant pastor and then as senior pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Brainerd, Minn. Rimmereid’s 27 years of distinguished parish ministry—in a rural community, in a mission congregation, and in a larger established congregation—served as excellent preparation for his next call to serve as assistant to the bishop of the Northern Minnesota District, ALC, from 1983–1987. He served in that capacity until the merger and was called to a like position in the new Northwestern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA, serving again as assistant to the bishop from 1988–1991. In 1991, he was elected bishop and served until his retirement in 1995. A strong supporter of his alma mater, Rimmereid often and proudly encourages others to attend the College and also to provide financial donations to support its programs and its mission. In addition, he is a regular participant and speaker at College events—particularly in chapel, where he shares his spirit of dedication, his love of people, and his message of faith. Rimmereid has distinguished himself as an active member of Kiwanis International for a number of years. He and his wife, Charlotte (Kleven) ’52, reside in Maplewood, Minn., where in addition to church activities, they are active volunteers in the community. A person of compassion and integrity, Rimmereid’s achievements and service exemplify the ideals and mission of Augsburg. Fall 2004 9 HOMECOMING 2004 THE NYDAHL FAMILY honored with the Distinguished Service Award by Lynn Mena T Courtesy photo he Distinguished Service Award recogizes “formative families” who have made a substantial and continuing contribution to Augsburg and to its mission in the world through their vocations, their philanthropy, and their citizenship. This year’s recipient is the family of Johannes and Tabitha Nydahl, honoring their Norwegian and Lutheran heritage and their generations-long connection to the College. Over the years, many descendents of Johannes and Tabitha have attended Augsburg, including their three sons, Theodore, Malvin, and Harold. The Nydahl family members, through their careers and avocations, have long illustrated Augsburg’s mission of “education for service,” and it is a great honor to recognize them with this special award. Johannes Ludvigson Nydahl was born Feb. 20, 1863, at Sondfjord, Norway, to Ludvig Olson Nydahl and Nille Johannesen Holsen. As the oldest son, Johannes stood to inherit the family farm. However, he relinquished this right in order to realize his dream of exploring the world. He considered going to South Africa or the Sandwich Islands (Hawaii), but chose instead the United States, emigrating in 1882. When Johannes arrived in the United States, he first worked as a lumberjack in northern Minnesota and then as a stonemason in Minneapolis—the First Baptist Church was one of his masonry projects. By these jobs he earned enough money to attend Augsburg. Johannes’ wife, Tabitha, was born to immigrants on a southern Minnesota farm. She was the daughter of Torger T. Rygh, who arrived in America in 1845 along with several siblings and their parents. Johannes Nydahl Johannes graduated from both the College and the Augsburg Seminary, attending from 1883–1891. Although he was never ordained, he was deeply involved with the Lutheran community, and served as a vicar in Watertown, S.Dak., in 1891. He then served the College as a professor of history and Norwegian from 1891–1920, before beginning in 1920 as Augsburg’s head librarian, a post he held until his death in 1928. During his years at Augsburg he also served as an instructor at Deaconess Hospital in Minneapolis from 1909–14. Among his many community and church activities were serving as Sunday school superintendent at Trinity Church, as president of the Minnesota Total Abstinence Society, secretary of the Folkebladet Publishing Company, treasurer and then president of the Board of the Deaconess Home, and secretary of the Lutheran Free Church, being listed as one of the 10 prominent men in the church’s development. An outstanding musician, too, Johannes was a member of the Augsburg Quartette, which toured throughout the 10 Johannes and Tabitha Nydahl pose with their six children. Pictured from L to R are: Ragna, Tabitha, Malvin, Agnes, Harold, Theodore, Johannes, and Valborg. upper Midwest and Michigan through the late 1880s and early 1890s. In 1895, the Quartette toured Norway, the first concert tour by Norwegians in America back to the fatherland. The Nydahls also were members of the Saga Hill community, a colony established in the 1880s by Augsburg professors, ministers, bankers, and professional men, most of them being members of Trinity Tabitha Nydahl Church who were deeply interested in the College and its success. They purchased 40 acres from a farmer in the Lake Minnetonka area where they built summer cabins. Johannes and Tabitha—who lived on the Augsburg campus for more than 30 years in what was to become known as West Hall when it became a girls’ dormitory—raised a family of six children. Ted became a history professor at the University of MinnesotaMankato, and later head of their Humanities Department; Mally became an orthopedic surgeon in Minneapolis after a standout athletic career in football, basketball, and baseball at the University of Minnesota. Harold became a pastor and counselor, and Ragna, Agnes, and Valborg all married Lutheran pastors and Augsburg graduates—Melvin Olson, Clarence Carlsen, and Torgney Kleven, respectively. All six children were great musicians, the three sisters singing in a much sought-after trio, and the three brothers being both singers and choir directors. This award celebrates the contributions and legacy of Johannes and Tabitha and the extended Nydahl family. Fall 2004 BY PAUL S. MUELLER, M.D. ’84 Scientific inquiry will reveal truth and lead to more questions “Where truth is, there is God.” —Miguel de Cervantes I give thanks and praise for my years at Augsburg. I am grateful for the knowledge I learned, the skills I acquired, and the experiences I had. But I am especially grateful for the professors, fellow students, and other individuals at Augsburg who encouraged me to think about science and the physical universe in the context of the Christian faith. Faculty members like John Holum, Earl Alton, Ralph Sulerud and others patiently spent countless hours with students like me, helping us not only to understand the universe, but also the relationship between the universe and God. Kermit Paulson and Mark Engebretson, persons of faith, encouraged my wife Nancy (Mackey) ’85 to pursue a degree in physics, an advanced degree in engineering, and ultimately careers in engineering and science teaching. To me, these teachers made physics understandable and God’s universe more spectacular. The desire for truth at Augsburg continues today. I am awed by the innovative education and research programs conducted by the science faculty. Seeking scientific truth at Augsburg is not simply memorizing and reciting facts. Instead, it is learning Fall 2004 methods of scientific inquiry that reveal truth and lead to more questions. The cycle of hypothesis, inquiry, discovery, and generating new questions and hypotheses about the universe leads to new knowledge and understanding. Whereas ignorance leads to fear and conflict, knowledge and understanding lead to comfort, joy, and peace. In other words, the truth makes us free. A tour of the current science building reveals how innovative and vital the science faculty is. This education is made complete by the Augsburg experience, a liberal arts education that places scientific truth in the context of other truths such as spiritual, humanistic, and philosophical truths. This milieu encourages the Augsburg science major not to seek just a job, but a true vocation, which Frederick Buechner describes as “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.” A major focus of the current campaign, Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College, is a new Science Center. It is widely acknowledged that the current Science Hall is inadequate to fulfill and sustain the vision for science education and research at Augsburg College. Despite the limitations of the current facility, the sciences at Augsburg have grown. In addition, the number of science majors, education opportunities, and research programs has grown. Indeed, the College and the science faculty have been very creative in using and modifying the current facility, which is now more than 50 years old, to meet new challenges as they arise. For example, the site of an active living coral reef on the second floor of Science Hall in the Biology Department is truly amazing. Yet, this example of creativity reflects the enthusiasm the Augsburg science faculty has for teaching and research irrespective of the facility. This enthusiasm has undoubtedly played a crucial role in the growth and success of the science departments. Nevertheless, the time has come for a new Science Center at Augsburg College. This center will provide an environment conducive to teaching and mentoring science students and conducting research (SCIENCE continues on page 12) Vision is published by Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454. Editor Lynn James Graphic Designer Kathy Rumpza Photographer Stephen Geffre Contributing Writers Lynn James Paul Mueller, M.D. ’84 www.augsburg.edu/campaign 11 3M Foundation partners with Augsburg in gift and matching grant challenge The 3M Foundation has announced a partnership with Augsburg College to raise $600,000 in support of its new Science Center. For every dollar donated by a 3M employee or retiree, the 3M Foundation will contribute three dollars. Under this 3:1 challenge, the foundation will match up to $100,000 in contributions from employees or retirees with a $300,000 gift. Additionally, the foundation itself is contributing $200,000 to the Science Center. The grant challenges the College to raise up to $100,000 in gifts and pledges from 3M employees and retirees between Oct. 15 and Dec. 10, 2004, according to Alex Cirillo, Jr., vice president for the 3M Foundation. “This is a tremendous gift that provides Augsburg the opportunity to raise $600,000 in new funding for our campaign’s top priority—the new Science Center,” noted Sue Klaseus, Augsburg’s vice president for institutional advancement. “We are excited about the 3M Foundation leadership commitment.” Gifts toward the 3M Foundation challenge grant can come from any of its employees or retirees, Klaseus said, but the College’s primary effort will be geared toward the hundreds of Augsburg alumni and parents who work for the company. SCIENCE continued from page 11 at 21st-century standards. It will, in part, preserve and grow opportunities to explore science at Augsburg. Finally, the Science Center will be a major focal point of the Augsburg campus, where faith and reason are reconciled, where truth is loved and sought, and God is found. What can you do? • Keep Augsburg leadership, faculty, staff and students in your prayers. • Be an ambassador of Augsburg. Share with others, especially family, friends, and potential students, the good things that are happening at Augsburg, especially in the science departments. Encourage them to partake in the Augsburg experience, a place where the search for truth is encouraged and 12 nurtured, where science meets and honors God, and where seeking and finding the truth makes one free. • Get involved. Visit the campus and see what is happening at Augsburg. Attend alumni events. • Give generously to Augsburg. Consider joining the Maroon & Silver Society. Prayerfully consider committing to Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College. Include Augsburg in your estate plan (e.g., will, insurance policy, annuity). ■ Paul S. Mueller ’84, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.P., is a consultant at the Mayo Clinic Rochester and a member of the Science Advisory Board. He is a former president of the Augsburg College Alumni Association Board of Directors. 3M hosted a campaign “event” at its headquarters in November to help raise awareness for both the campaign and this special matching gift opportunity. Joining Klaseus at the event was Augsburg President William V. Frame, Provost Christopher Kimball, Professor Nancy Steblay, science faculty, students, and alumni. For additional details on this challenge, contact Sherry Jennings-King at 612-338-4823 or <jenningk@ augsburg.edu>. ■ SAVE THE DATE JANUARY 7, 2005 Friday Forum—noon-1 p.m. Featured speaker Senator Dave Durenberger Brown bag luncheon, Christensen Center Call 612-338-4821 for details JANUARY 29, 2005 Women’s Connections,Thrivent Financial 625 4th Ave., Minneapolis FEBRUARY 4, 2005 Friday Forum—noon-1 p.m. Brown bag luncheon, Christensen Center Call 612-338-4821 for details FEBRUARY 10, 11, and 12, 2005 17th Annual Nobel Peace Prize Festival and Forum, Augsburg College campus MARCH 4, 2005 Friday Forum—noon-1 p.m. Featured speaker Senator Mark Dayton Brown bag luncheon, Christensen Center Call 612-338-4821 for details MAY 16, 2005 Second Annual Healthcare Conference Details to follow www.augsburg.edu/healthcare Fall 2004 Director of development named After a national search, Stephen Preus assumed his role as director of development in October. “Preus brings a strong background of corporate and community experiences to the role,” said Sue Klaseus, vice president for institutional advancement. “Stephen articulated well his passion about Augsburg’s mission and vision. We feel confident that his expertise and external perspective will continue to enhance the success of Augsburg’s current capital campaign and our long-term advancement program,” she continued. Preus succeeds John Knight, who left Augsburg in May to pursue opportunities with his church, and interim director Richard J.Weiland, of Northfield. Prior to joining Augsburg, Preus owned CM IT Solutions in Edina, Minn., and was a longtime employee and officer of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and its predecessor company Lutheran Brotherhood. Preus is active in numerous community organizations and lives in Burnsville with wife, Martha, and their two children. ■ CAMPAIGN CORNER • An anonymous endowment gift of $2 million was given this fall. • Thrivent Financial Services is offering alumni, friends of the College, faculty, and staff the opportunity to join Thrivent’s GivingPlus charitable/matching gift program. For details, contact Stephanie Malone, director of The Annual Fund, at 612-338-4825. • Broadcasting of Advent Vespers nationwide this year was made possible by generous lead gifts from the extended Hoversten family,Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and a number of other friends and alumni of Augsburg College. (Read about the broadcast on p. 5.) If you’d like to consider a gift to the Advent Vespers broadcast, funding is still needed. Contact Sherry Jennings King at 612-338-4823 by December 31 for this year’s pledge form. WE’VE MOVED Institutional Advancement moved from Smiley’s Point recently when Fairview Health Services exercised its option on Augsburg’s lease to house the Fairview Foundation. Vice President Sue Klaseus, administrative assistant Kathryn Croyle, and the Institutional Advancement and Alumni and Parent Relations departments are located in Science Hall 152. Development, Government and Community Relations, and Advancement Services are in downtown Minneapolis in the Crown Roller Mill Building next to the former Whitney Hotel, just off Washington Avenue near the new Guthrie Theater site. All email addresses are the same, but to contact individuals in the Crown Roller Mill building, please call the phone numbers listed. Fall 2004 KAY AHLSTROM 612-338-4818 STEPHANIE MALONE 612-338-4825 MELISSA BAWEK 612-338-4819 DONNA MCLEAN 612-338-4826 TRACY BECKMAN 612-338-6536 KIM OLMSTED 612-338-4827 DAVE BENSON 612-338-6539 STEPHEN PREUS 612-338-4828 JEROY CARLSON 612-338-4820 PHIL QUANBECK, SR. 612-338-6539 CHRISTIN CRABTREE-MCWETHY 612-338-4821 PATRICK SHEEHY 612-338-6533 KEVIN HEALY 612-338-6537 BARBARA HUTSON 612-338-4822 STEPHANIE STUART 612-338-6534 GEORGE SVERDRUP 612-338-6539 SHERILYN YOUNG 612-338-6535 SHERRY JENNINGS-KING 612-338-4823 JENNIFER KAHLOW 612-338-6540 SUE KLASEUS 612-338-6538 FAX 612-338-6542 MAIN OFFICE NUMBER 612-338-0002 RON MAIN 612-338-4824 13 Superb results through Class Challenge Strides to increase annual giving continue as “alumni participation for the past five years has increased to 20 percent,” said Stephanie Malone, Augsburg Fund director. For fiscal year ending May 2004, $825,000 was raised to support the lives and education of Augsburg students. New this year was the Class Challenge. “We issued a Class Challenge in hopes of involving more individuals in supporting their alma mater.” The criteria used included individuals who could be located within each class year and who held a day student status. Using the aforementioned criteria, the Class of 1937 had 100 percent participation. The Class of 1946 was the top giver, with an average gift size of more than $13,000 and a class participation rate of almost 81 percent. The class of 1985 also significantly increased their participation from past years. “We really appreciate the efforts of each of the Class Challenge participants,” said Malone. “The Augsburg Fund touches every aspect of the College at every moment of a student’s educational experience. It offers financial aid through scholarships and programs that transform students’ lives.” There are many stories of individuals giving to the Class Challenge who have never given to the College or who haven’t given on a consistent annual basis. Richard Koplitz ’48 has given to the College’s athletic programs in the past, but liked what he saw with the College expansion and wanted to support The Augsburg Fund. “Our annual fund support also was made possible by leadership donors, many of whom are Maroon & Silver Society members. Their gifts of $1,000 or more accounted for 75 percent of the annual fund goal this past year,” reported Sue Klaseus, vice president of Institutional Advancement and Community Relations. Augsburg’s goal is to nearly triple annual fund giving by 2006 to reach a 30 percent alumni participation rate. “This is a vibrant, evolving college,” said Malone. “Alumni giving to enhance the institution makes an Augsburg degree more meaningful. There are so many ways to support Augsburg, and contributing to the annual fund to support scholarships is one meaningful way.” ■ Contact Malone at 612-338-4825 or by e-mail at <malone@augsburg.edu>. Dorothy and Richard Koplitz ’48 CLASS CHALLENGE RESULTS (as of May 31, 2004) Class of Class Part. Class of Class Part. ’30 33.33% ’69 21.50% ’33 16.67% ’70 24.82% ’34 28.57% ’71 21.28% ’35 22.22% ’72 19.93% ’36 40.00% ’73 16.33% ’37 100.00% ’74 20.28% ’38 83.87% ’75 10.50% ’39 41.94% ’76 29.80% ’40 43.90% ’77 16.49% ’41 22.81% ’78 20.14% ’42 32.73% ’79 27.71% ’43 38.60% ’80 14.33% ’44 20.69% ’81 24.73% ’45 97.78% ’82 12.61% ’46 80.95% ’83 15.76% ’47 60.00% ’84 24.91% ’48 55.68% ’85 31.67% ’49 44.80% ’86 6.93% ’50 51.58% ’87 11.62% ’51 50.68% ’88 17.97% ’52 51.91% ’89 11.73% ’53 63.03% ’90 11.07% ’54 30.97% ’91 8.45% ’55 21.51% ’92 7.43% ’56 55.65% ’93 9.94% ’57 40.00% ’94 13.47% ’58 53.97% ’95 7.47% ’59 42.96% ’96 4.94% ’60 25.63% ’97 10.54% ’61 32.45% ’98 11.95% ’62 23.21% ’99 11.80% ’63 41.71% ’00 2.70% ’64 35.96% ’01 2.70% ’65 33.93% ’02 4.69% ’66 37.67% ’03 1.21% ’67 22.12% 27.27% ’04 0.29% ’68 14 TOTAL 20.57% Fall 2004 THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM Fall 2004 THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM core curriculum T H E A U CORE G S B UCURRICULUM RG THE AUGSBURG THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM is designed to E D U C AT I N G F OCURRICULUM R WORK, THE AUGSBURG CORE THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM prepare students to become effective, informed, and SM E D U C AT I N G F O R L I F E ethical citizens through their engagement in a THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM curriculum that: provides a liberal arts foundation and CURRICULUM promotes the THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE ▼ acquisition of intellectual and professional skills; THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM calls for common inquiry into questions of Christian ▼ faith and the search for meaning; and, THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM ▼ cultivates the transformative discovery of, and appreciation for, the student’s place ofCURRICULUM leadership THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE and service in a diverse world—vocatio and caritas. THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG CORE CURRICULUM THE AUGSBURG core curriculum E D U C AT I N G F O R W O R K , E D U C AT I N G F O R L I F E BY BETSEY NORGARD ▼ DESIGN BY KATHY RUMPZA When students look at colleges, one of the first areas they ask about is the list of majors or academic disciplines offered. Seldom are they as interested in other required courses, usually called the general education or core curriculum. What they don’t realize, however, is that this part of their college study is recognized within the higher education community to be as important as their major or area of specialization in preparing them for an increasingly technical, complex, and diverse workplace. Following extensive study, a national panel of the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) issued a report in 2002 that makes the case for a “liberal” education, meaning one that will “help college students become intentional learners who can adapt to new environments, integrate knowledge from different sources, and continue learning throughout their lives.” A liberal education prepares students with skills beyond the theory and depth of a specialization that they will need to meet the challenges of a global society— critical thinking and communicating, the knowledge of how to learn, and the preparation for responsible citizenship. One hallmark of a liberal education is the integration of classroom learning with practical application through internships, community service, and other forms of experiential learning. A liberal and practical education educates students for responsible citizenship as well as for 16 ▼ work and careers. The good news for Augsburg is that educating for citizenship has always been part of an Augsburg education. Joan Griffin, Augsburg professor of English and director of general education, wrote in a recent discussion paper, “Education for citizenship may be trendy now, but as many of us discovered … it’s been in the bones of this College at least since September 1874 when the faculty approved a science division that would provide ‘a practical general education’ to prepare Norwegian immigrants to flourish as citizens of their new world.” In the area of experiential education, and especially in servicelearning where community service is integrated into classroom learning, Augsburg has been a national leader for many years. In 2003, U.S.News & World Report, in its “Programs to Look for,” included Augsburg among 20 schools nationwide as a “stellar example” of a service-learning program. PHOTOS BY STEPHEN GEFFRE previous general education course requirements spread over eight liberal arts “perspectives,” and—most importantly—that aligns it more closely with Augsburg’s vision document, Augsburg 2004: Extending the Vision. LAUNCHING THE AUGSBURG CORE In fall 2003, Augsburg launched the Augsburg Core Curriculum, or Augsburg Core, a new general education curriculum that incorporates the best practices from national research, that streamlines the At Opening Celebration, new first-year students process into Hoversten Chapel through the ballooned arch and through a line of welcoming faculty and staff. Fall 2004 For more than two years, several committees involving over 25 faculty and students worked to define the underlying principles of general education at Augsburg. Then, over several months a design team collaborated to construct the new curriculum. The full faculty discussed the proposal in open hearings and finally voted its approval. The Augsburg Core Curriculum Design Team CORE PRINCIPLES A number of key principles make up the heart of the Augsburg Core. Augsburg believes that students learn best in community. Thus, “learning communities” are at the center of the Augsburg Core. Students begin their college careers in the Augsburg Seminar learning communities, and they complete their careers in their major keystone communities. Both connect students with faculty and with fellow students. In the first year almost all courses are taught by full-time faculty, not adjuncts, to encourage these connections. The community of learners is strengthened by having all students share educational experiences at several places during their studies where common questions are considered and continually revisited. This is accomplished through common readings, through required courses, and through required experiences to which students apply their classroom learning. At the heart of the Augsburg Core are Joan Griffin, chair . . . . . . . .English Lori Brandt Hale . . . . . . . .Religion Dal Liddle . . . . . . . . . . . . . .English Merilee Klemp . . . . . . . . . . .Music Diane Pike . . . . . . . . . . .Sociology Ambrose Wolf . . . . . . . . . .Physics The result of this work over these several years is a carefully crafted, cohesive education that blends broad, general learning with depth in one or more specific areas and prepares students with tools to succeed. The Augsburg Core combines hallmarks of the College’s Lutheran (and, specifically, Lutheran Free Church) heritage, its long-standing commitment to educating students for service in the world, its commitment to provide access to a diverse learning community, and its location in the center of an urban area. Woven throughout are the themes of Christian faith, exploration of vocation, the city, diversity, and global awareness. It is an education distinctive to Augsburg College, and it offers a life-changing journey for students, truly a transforming education. Fall 2004 In their Augsburg Seminar, first-year students begin learning about the city in which they will study, live, and work by exploring its resources and opportunities and engaging in community service projects. Sociology professor Diane Pike (right) leads an AugSem group as they explore downtown Minneapolis streets. 17 the two signature courses called Search for Meaning that are required of all Augsburg students. In these courses, the themes most important to Augsburg’s mission and vision—vocation, identity, and Christian faith—are introduced and revisited as students begin to reflect in more substantive ways about these issues. The Core Curriculum is designed to be developmental. From the first year onward, the curriculum introduces shared themes through common experiences, engages students in the city, builds skills in the major, broadens perspectives through the liberal arts, requires application of learned theory, and, finally, pulls everything together in a keystone course before graduation. Augsburg students continually have Becoming an orientation leader is one way in which students can grow as leaders on campus. Here, during summer orientation, Laura Prasek ’05 helps a new student figure out his academic schedule for the first semester. 18 opportunities to develop leadership skills for service in society: through knowledge gained from the breadth of their liberal arts courses, through the embedding of skills development in their major courses, and through the many forms of experiential education in the Twin Cities or elsewhere where they can apply their classroom learning to practical situations. An Augsburg education places emphasis on the whole student, both in academic classroom study and activities outside of the classroom. Working in tandem with the academic curriculum is the co-curriculum, i.e., the rich variety of college life that includes support services such as advising, tutoring services, and accommodations for physical and learning disabilities, as well as student government, sports, residence life, campus ministry, and many other social organizations. All of this helps students build the confidence and skills they need to become leaders. Two significant aspects of an Augsburg education—the commitment to a diverse learning community and the importance of global awareness—are intentionally infused throughout both the core curriculum and the major, rather than being targeted in specific courses. Students will encounter these themes inherent in Augsburg’s identity throughout their studies. In several cases the themes are imprinted in a common experience. For example, the Effective Writing course, required of first-year students, includes a common text chosen for its culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse content. Throughout the core curriculum, students will encounter opportunities to experience and discuss the nature of human differences. The Augsburg Core is designed for all undergraduate students and is required of all, including those in the traditional day program, in Weekend College, and the Rochester program, albeit with some adjustments and slightly altered format for weekend and transfer students. While weekend and Rochester students do not participate in the firstyear program, they must fulfill all other requirements of the curriculum. For the most part, adult working students value the Augsburg Core for its emphasis on liberal arts, and they understand its application to their work or life situation. They often use their own workplace as the setting for a project to fulfill the Augsburg Experience. Many students also take advantage of shortterm study seminars to experience another country or culture. Augsburg’s Honors Program is rooted in the Augsburg Core and offers an enriched and interdisciplinary environment in which students explore the many dimensions of ideas and uses of knowledge. Its courses lead students through a specially-designed core curriculum for academically-qualified students. IMPLEMENTING THE AUGSBURG CORE In 2003, Augsburg’s Center for Teaching and Learning received a three-year grant from the Bush Foundation to help faculty implement the new Augsburg Core. During the past year, faculty have met in learning collaboratives to address best teaching and learning practices. The grant has also funded workshops, materials, and research collaborations. For faculty, the new core curriculum has resulted in a significant shift. Formerly, faculty members generally designed, taught, and evaluated their own courses within departments. The new curriculum calls upon faculty to Fall 2004 collaborate across departments and disciplines, since all courses now serve the broader goals of an Augsburg education, including embedded skills, service-learning, and other kinds of learning beyond the specific subject matter. “It’s work that will have as much payoff for faculty, if we do it well,” comments Diane Pike, professor of sociology and director of the Center for Teaching and Learning. “Faculty gain a much better understanding of how the curriculum meets its goals; it gives us an intentionality and explicitness that we didn’t have before.” The Augsburg Core’s distinction has not gone unnoticed. While higher education is clearly moving towards the “liberal education” called for in AAC&U’s national report, Augsburg shows clear leadership with its emphasis and commitment to service-learning and the development of learning communities. The College is actively participating in this national discussion and is being recognized for the distinctiveness and coherence of the new core curriculum. Representing the Augsburg Core graphically as an arch becomes an effective tool to explain the comprehensiveness of the curriculum as well as to help students navigate through the courses to graduation. Creating the Augsburg Core has been a self-examination of the most fundamental values of Augsburg’s heritage, mission, and vision. An Augsburg education is now more closely aligned with the vision of “transforming education” the College understands itself called to offer, helping students to find their place in the world and reach their potential. Provost Christopher Kimball sums it up on Augsburg’s Web site, “We are one college with one mission, offering one unique experience.” Fall 2004 The Augsburg Arch The Augsburg Arch visually demonstrates the structure, relationships, and coherence of the Augsburg Core Curriculum. It shows how the liberal arts, academic majors, and general education intersect, and how the liberal arts are foundational, both in content and skills. The keystone brings it all together and supports the whole as an integrated education. The Augsburg Core has three major components: ▼ The Signature Curriculum ▼ The Liberal Arts Foundation ▼ Skills Requirement The Signature Curriculum sets Augsburg apart from others. It includes both specific courses and elements of courses that engage students with the core values inherent in Augsburg’s mission and heritage. 1. THE SIGNATURE CURRICULUM Augsburg Seminar (first-year program) helps first-year weekday students make the transition to college in “learning communities” based on their major or other academic interests. In these courses students learn what it means to become a citizen of an academic community. Many of these courses also include an Engaging Minneapolis component, which introduces them to life in the Twin Cities—by exploring the local arts scene, studying environmental issues on the Mississippi, bicycling the downtown riverfront, tutoring neighborhood immigrant children, sampling the local ethnic cuisine, and much more. Search for Meaning 1 and 2—These two religion courses present Christian theology as well as non-Christian faiths and guide students in exploring and reflecting on Augsburg’s concept of vocation—discovering and using one’s own talents and passion in service in the world. Augsburg Experience—All students will complete a required experience that links their academic study to involvement in the broader community, either locally or globally. This experience can be study abroad, an internship, research with a professor, community service-learning, or an offcampus immersion experience. Senior Keystone—The required senior keystone course revisits conversations on vocation, now within the context of the major, and builds on the cumulative combining of theoretical classroom knowledge with experiential applications of it. It also reflects the developmental nature of the Augsburg Core—beginning with Augsburg Seminar, Search for Meaning, and Engaging Minneapolis; then adding growth in major skills and practical application in the Augsburg Experience; and, finally, a uniting of everything in the keystone. 2. THE LIBERAL ARTS FOUNDATION In order to learn and appreciate different ways of knowing and modes of inquiry, students take two courses from different departments in each of the four academic domains. Students may take “connections” courses that are team-taught and examine the liberal arts around themes and across disciplines. 3. SKILLS REQUIREMENTS Courses throughout the four years provide skills beyond the specialization that responsible citizens and successful employees need in the global workplace—in critical thinking, speaking, writing, and quantitative reasoning. Entrance assessments prepare students to take the courses that fulfill graduation requirements in these areas. Core skill requirements include writing, modern language, and lifetime fitness. 19 core curriculum Augsburg Seminar THE FIRST-YEAR PROGRAM BECOMING AN AUGGIE For most first-year students, college is a big change. It may be the first time they have left home or have lived in a city. Many will find that high school did not prepare them for the demanding work load of a college schedule or the cognitive challenges and skills that they will need to flourish in their new academic environment. Augsburg recognizes that first-year students need support as they make the transition to college and successful academic careers. Because of the attention that it pays to the experience of first-year students, Augsburg was named as one of 12 Founding Institutions in the Council of Independent Colleges’ Foundations of Excellence™ in the First College Year Project. Augsburg’s first-year program, Augsburg Seminar, introduces first-year weekday students to the Augsburg learning community. It helps them become intentional learners as they develop the skills and strategies that will lead to success in college. It introduces them to the signature themes of an Augsburg education: vocation, caritas, and community. It introduces them to what it means to be an educated person: an effective, informed, and ethical citizen. From their first day on campus, everything is geared to helping students get off to the right start. Augsburg Seminar courses join students, professors, peer leaders (AugMentors), and campus staff together in “learning communities” based on a student’s major or other academic interests. In these communities, students may work on joint projects, getting to know the Twin Cities cultural scene, meeting and tutoring newly-arrived immigrants in the neighborhood, and writing reflections on these experiences. On the day before classes actually begin, AugSem sections spend the afternoon in community service projects, mostly in the neighborhoods around campus. This year, Kristin Snartland is one of the AugSem students who rode the new lightrail from near campus to downtown, finding out how easy it is to get around. 20 first-year students worked a total of more than 1,000 hours on their AugSem community service projects. In the process they become acquainted with each other, explore the resources of the College community, get connected with the city—and have fun. Many students find college-long (and life-long) friends in their Augsburg Seminar. They get to know their professors—and their professors get to know them, both in class and outside the classroom in AugSem activities. Biology professor Bill Capman’s AugSem section is paired with the Introductory Organismal Biology course, which also includes a service-learning field project. This fall, his students visited a local nature preserve, Dodge Nature Center, to learn about and work to remove invasive plant species from their grounds. As part of their AugSem curriculum, Capman’s group spends time on broader topics—developing good study skills in the sciences, exploring biology and medical-related careers, and, for biology The AugSem/Biology 103 class spent time at the Dodge Nature Center, studying invasive plant species and helping to remove them from the preserve. Professor Bill Capman points out differences between the buckthorn to be removed and ash trees to Brittany Grudem (left) and Jennifer Moe (right). Fall 2004 A Somali community leader, Abdirizak Bihi, introduces an AugSem group to a Somali shop in the Cedar-Riverside area. The class was getting acquainted with Somali culture to prepare them for their later visits in the neighborhood to give people information about voting and registration. majors, getting to know upperclass biology majors and becoming involved in department activities. In Professor John Shockley’s Augsburg Seminar section with its paired Political Patterns and Processes course, students took advantage of the events around the presidential election to study the challenges and opportunities people face in trying the make the world safer and more peaceful. On the AugSem city service projects day this group visited shops and businesses around campus owned by Somali immigrants to learn about their culture. During the semester they met with people in the neighborhood about voting and voter registration. Getting off to the right start Over the past decade, Augsburg has intentionally developed a first-year program that helps incoming students ease the transition to both college life and to the city in which they’ll live, work, and find many kinds of opportunities. Because of this commitment and a readiness to evaluate and improve its program, Search for Meaning All freshman students are required to take the first of two Search for Meaning courses, Christian Vocation and the Search for Meaning. This course explores the broad questions of existence—who we are, why we’re here, etc.—and examines the Christian notion of vocation as a lens through which one’s own life can be considered, informed by faith within the context of these larger questions. Some of the Search for Meaning Fall 2004 sections are paired with Augsburg Seminars, and some have community service-learning components. Religion professor Russell Kleckley’s Search for Meaning section is paired with music professor Merilee Klemp’s Introduction to Music and the Fine Arts, and together they co-teach the Augsburg Seminar. These two courses will jointly study larger questions of meaning in the context of the Judeo-Christian musical tradition—from medieval chanting to today’s rap music. The second Search for Meaning course invites students to think about the role that religion, the Bible, and their own beliefs play in the vocational choices they make in their lives. Students who are not Christian will consider their own religious and spiritual beliefs and how they affect their vocation and place in the world. Augsburg was named one of 12 “Founding Institutions” to participate in a national project to develop a model first-year program that can be used by small, private colleges to help their students reach graduation. The project, Foundations of Excellence™ in the First College Year, is co-sponsored by the Policy Center of the First Year of College and the Council on Independent Colleges. Funding for the two-year project is provided by Lumina Foundation for Education and The Atlantic Philanthropies. 21 core curriculum Engaging Minneapolis “MEETING” THE CITY The first-year orientation booklet tells incoming day students, “When you come to Augsburg, you arrive at the heart of a vibrant city.” While most students have probably visited the Twin Cities before, it was most likely while visiting family or as a tourist, which gave them little knowledge about studying, living, and working in this area. Engaging Minneapolis highlights the importance of Augsburg’s urban location and introduces new students to the resources, issues, opportunities, and diversity of the city. This is the urban context that enables Augsburg to fulfill its mission to prepare students as responsible citizens and leaders in service to the world. Engaging Minneapolis is not the name of a single course, but rather an added course component that makes intentional and substantial use of city resources. Courses with Engaging Minneapolis components are not about the city, but engage the city as a learning laboratory in which students study their particular liberal arts or general education subject matter. Activities in Engaging Minneapolis courses can vary widely— attending concerts and other cultural events, exploring the ethnic restaurants in the neighborhood, tutoring immigrant children or adults preparing for citizenship tests, helping care for community gardens, or discovering the many bike and walking paths along the Mississippi River near campus. Some of the Engaging Minneapolis courses also include courseembedded service-learning—an Augsburg signature. In these classes service experiences and reflective learning are integrated Bicycling Minneapolis is a lifetime fitness course that fulfills Engaging Minneapolis by exploring the history and culture of the city along its bikepaths and trails. 22 As part of her Search for Meaning course, Ashley Boyd helps Somali high school students with their homework and has opportunity to learn about their religion and culture. into the students’ coursework, and the community experience becomes a “text” for the course. Both the students and the community partners learn from each other. Very few colleges include service-learning in first year courses. Mary Laurel True, director of community servicelearning, says that community service is “part of who we are,” and that it’s important for new students right away to get a taste of what it means to be engaged in the community. Several of the AugSem paired classes work with new immigrants in the neighborhoods surrounding the College. In Professor Janelle Bussert’s Religion 100 class, students spend 15 hours at Trinity Lutheran Church in the CedarRiverside neighborhood helping Somali high school students with their homework in Safe Place, an afterschool program. The students study Islam in their religion class, and then find opportunities to talk further and ask questions of the Somali high school students about their religious traditions. Bussert says that some wonderful conversations have arisen while they work together. English professor Bob Cowgill’s Effective Writing students spend 15 hours during the semester working with adult immigrants, mostly from East Africa, at the Franklin Learning Center in the Phillips neighborhood near campus. The students review English lessons or help with flash cards as the adult learners study for citizenship tests. Cowgill’s English course investigates how one knows and accounts for identity through language. He says that his students benefit from meeting and working with the immigrants, and have remarked about how hard the immigrants work to learn English and become Americans. Fall 2004 core curriculum A LESSON IN COMPUTERS AND CULTURE Business/MIS professor Lee Clarke student wrote. “He handed me teaches a first-year course, MIS 175 a piece of paper that said, Principles of Computing for Business. ‘Thanks for helping me.’ It It’s an introductory course for was typed in real big, bold management information systems (MIS) letters. He then looked at me students to learn Microsoft Office and said, ‘Look, I learned how programs and how they are used in to use Word.’ ” business to reach goals and solve A disabled student business problems. thought he would not be able The course is designed to include an to help, but later wrote, Engaging Minneapolis component. That “Little did I know that I was part of the course, which Clarke calls about to prove myself wrong, the experience “text,” involves a very wrong.” The computer partnership with the Cedar-Riverside instructor told him that since Plaza Residents Resource Center. There, he was not able to actually do Augsburg students work 15 hours per Freshman business student Jerrad Honstad helps a Somali woman the computing for the at Riverside Plaza learn computer skills. semester as assistants in the computer residents, it was more class or open lab. The residents are beneficial for them, since mostly Somali refugees; many have they had to listen to the student’s One student wrote, “This experience limited English skills and some have never explanation and do the work themselves. helped me to meet [new immigrants], and touched a computer. For the young business students in I can look at the world and America in a Clarke requires three assignments that his class who have always had computers whole new light. … I feel that you can connect the subject matter with the in their lives, Clarke knows they are now learn more in the short 15 hours I worked service experience. In one, students reflect more aware of the disparities of wealth there than you can in some classes you go on the digital divide with its issues of and technology in the world. The to daily for a whole semester.” technology “haves” and “have-nots” and experience of working with new Another student talked about an talk about how the Resource Center helps immigrants, many of them close to the unforgettable moment after helping an the residents overcome these barriers. The students’ grandparents’ ages, also gave older man learn to use Microsoft Word. last assignment asks the students to reflect them a greater appreciation of culture “Then one day he came in quite as usual personally—what they learned at the and citizenship. but with a huge smile on his face,” the center and how it relates to their course. Keystone PUTTING IT TOGETHER If Engaging Minneapolis is the bookend on the front end of an Augsburg Fall 2004 education, the keystone experience is the final bookend. During the years in between, students delve into a major, build professional as well as life skills, apply their classroom learning, explore faith, and experience the city. The keystone course usually occurs in the senior year, close to graduation. The keystone in the Augsburg Core, as in architecture, provides the shape and support to the structural elements of the arch. It connects the broad liberal arts foundation with the professional skills and the in-depth study in the major. It helps students begin the transition to their after-college life. Learning goals include a revisiting of the critical conversations about vocation that were begun in the first Search for Meaning course. Attention is paid to reflection on vocation, leadership, and service in a diverse world. The value of the keystone, says MIS professor Nora Braun, who piloted an MIS keystone course, is that it’s time focused on thinking about all the pieces in an Augsburg education and what the student has done with them. “It’s a reflection and a pulling together of the total experience in and out of the classroom.” Braun asks her students to write an “education autobiography” that reflects on the identified outcomes of their Augsburg education. 23 core curriculum Augsburg Experience CONNECTIONS TO COMMUNITY Augsburg recognizes that today’s citizens need new kinds of competencies— abstract and complex problem-solving, systems thinking, and collaboration, among others. These are skills that cannot be learned in normal classroom activity alone, but are enhanced with direct experience in the workplace and community. In the Augsburg Core all students are required to complete an approved Augsburg Experience, one of the signature elements in the core curriculum that adds value to an Augsburg education. The Augsburg Experience can be completed in one of five ways: ▼ internships, cooperative education, practica, fieldwork, and clinicals ▼ faculty-student research ▼ community service-learning courses and experiences ▼ study abroad ▼ off-campus immersion experiences The Augsburg Experience, in short, links the theoretical with the practical, and links on-campus experience to the wider community. Every approved “experience” must engage the student in the community away from campus. To help them tailor an experience to their studies and interests, students work with faculty; the staff and resources of the Center for Service, Work, and Learning; and the Office of International Programs (OIP). Internships and cooperative education have traditionally been the most common choices for work-based 24 experiential education. Several professional studies majors already require student teaching, practica or fieldwork, and internships. Some Weekend College students who are working full time find they are able to develop an Augsburg Experience in their own jobs by compiling a formal plan, approved by the Center for Service, Work, and Learning, identifying a minimum of three learning outcomes that make deliberate connections between their education and work. Augsburg offers outstanding opportunities, especially in the sciences, for student-faculty research. Students work with their professors on original research that is usually more common at the graduate level. Through this, students learn to apply knowledge from their major and engage in the research process and in the discoveries, both successes and failures, that contribute to the body of knowledge in their discipline and benefit the wider community. Augsburg’s Physics Department collaborates on a number of ongoing research projects with major universities and government agencies, giving its students original research opportunities from their freshman year forward. The department enjoys an international reputation for research excellence, and its students have won several awards for outstanding presentations. Students can also meet the Augsburg Experience through courses with servicelearning components. A portion of course time is spent in service at the site, reflection, discussion, and related activities. Or, students can work at approved sites and carry out reflection activities with Augsburg faculty or staff members. Augsburg has built partnerships with more than 30 community organizations and is a recognized national leader and awardwinner. Students have a variety of choices for study abroad through the Center for Global Education’s study centers in Sociology and metro-urban studies students visited U.S. Rep. Martin Olav Sabo ’59 on their study trip to Washington, D.C., last spring to talk with people in public service about their vocations and working “on the hill.” (R to L): Lois Olson, Center for Service, Work, and Learning; Jennifer Nacey; Jessica Howard; Lori Cain; Amanda Froiland; Ray McCoy; Ted Arrindell; Maria Belen Power; Adela Arguello; Krista Dahlke; Kendra Kahlow; Kate Loyd; and Garry Hesser, professor of sociology and metro-urban studies. Fall 2004 Central America, Mexico, and southern Africa. Also, the International Partners program offers opportunities in European countries where Augsburg has formal university partnerships and internship opportunities. Other programs are available with approval from OIP. The fifth possibility for an Augsburg Experience is through off-campus immersion. These are typically weeklong experiences away from campus where students are engaged in learning that helps them understand, apply, and appreciate their Augsburg education in a diverse, global society. One example of off-campus immersion includes the visits made by Weekend College nursing students to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. There they meet with public health nurses, shadow them in their daily work, and learn about Lakota culture. An English major looks at rap music by Keme Hawkins It was the summer before my senior year and I knew I wanted to apply to graduate school. It was important for me to get some research experience and quick. The University of Minnesota’s McNair Summer Research Program accepted me, and I worked with the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Community under the mentorship of Dr. Oliver Williams from the College of Human Ecology, School of Social Work. It seemed a strange home for an English major, but my McNair adviser assured me that it would be a valuable experience. The Institute holds annual conferences that focus on specific aspects of domestic violence and this year’s conference theme was “Domestic Violence and the Hip-Hop Generation.” In keeping with the theme I tailored my research to complement the research already in progress and formulated a study that looked at whether or not people are influenced by the suggested gender identities in rap music and how that affected their dating and marital relationships. The scholar’s group reported weekly to the seminar, where we would be debriefed on each aspect of the research process: developing an introduction, explaining the significance of the study, forming a hypothesis, doing a literature review, forming methodology, compiling results, creating a discussion, and making recommendations for further study. The dispensing of our stipend was contingent upon completing each research step by a certain time, while also doing work to help prepare us for graduate school, like writing a personal statement, putting together a curriculum vitae, and making Fall 2004 a list of graduate schools to apply to. My research concluded with the Domestic Violence and the Hip-Hop Generation conference at York College in Queens, N.Y. Because my professor thought so highly of my work and was impressed with my knowledge of hiphop music and culture, I was invited to take part in a plenary session where I discussed the impact of sexist rap lyrics with the rap group Holla Point and practitioners who work to combat domestic violence. As an English major, entering the world of social science was not as unnatural or discomforting as I would have imagined. While the social sciences study human behavior, literature is a study of the human condition through non-fiction accounts and human imagination. Having the opportunity to do interdisciplinary work has not only given me another perspective on how to think more broadly within my own field, but it has also allowed me to get better focus on the kind of graduate program for my interest. African-American literature can offer me the best of those worlds—having a definite house or genre or body of literary work to study based in a social science is the ideal place for me. Keme Hawkins is a Weekend College senior English major and a McNair Scholar. Weekend College senior English major Keme Hawkins used her knowledge of hip-hop music and culture in research on domestic violence that she carried out last summer with a professor in the Institute on Domestic Violence in the African American Family at the University of Minnesota. 25 Meet Joan Griffin PROFESSOR OF ENGLISH D I R E C T O R O F G E N E R A L E D U C AT I O N Joan Griffin has lived and breathed the mission and values of Augsburg College. She is the co-author of the College’s vision document, Augsburg 2004: Extending the Vision, that was approved in 1999, and has also co-authored its update and revision, presented to the Board of Regents for approval in January 2005. Augsburg Now posed the following question to her: What are the most important core values from the College’s mission and vision that are now imprinted in the new Augsburg Core Curriculum? One, of course, is vocation … the idea that each student brings a unique set of talents and abilities and potential. We need to cultivate all of these abilities, not just the academic ones, but all the talents that students bring with them. Certainly, also important is citizenship, or “the city.” We tried to expand the notion of city, so that it’s not just an urban studies requirement, but it really has to do with providing an education for citizenship. The College has always done that; it’s part of why the College is a college rather than a seminary—early leaders were concerned with how to prepare Norwegian immigrants to become citizens. Right away we want students to know they they’ve come to a terrific place and that they can learn here, both inside and outside the classroom. We introduce this theme in Engaging Minneapolis and repeat it in the Augsburg Experience, where once again we ask them to go beyond the classroom and actually put into practice what they’ve learned in the classroom. For the first time we have overall goals in our curriculum—we want students to become effective, informed, and ethical citizens. The emphasis on ethics comes from our Lutheran heritage, but we want it to pervade the entire curriculum. Effective citizens need the skills of knowing how to write, to read, to think critically. Those skills should be addressed intentionally throughout the curriculum, but general education can be particularly accountable. We know too that effective citizens will need to function in a diverse society. Although we explicitly introduce the theme of diversity through the Many Voices Project in the first year, the new Augsburg Core calls for an infusion model of diversity whereby we’ll ask the entire curriculum—especially majors— to think about the skills and knowledge that their students will need to be responsible citizens of an increasingly global society. The Signature Curriculum does really hit these distinctive parts of an Augsburg education. The two Search for Meaning courses address vocation through the lens of our Lutheran heritage. The city, of course, we address within our metropolitan setting through the Engaging Minneapolis requirement. There is also the notion of caritas, the demand for God’s love to be enacted in the world. An Augsburg education is an education for action. We see this throughout the curriculum—in Augsburg Seminar, in Engaging Minneapolis, and in the Augsburg Experience. Contact information Office of Undergraduate Admissions Weekend College Admissions 612-330-1001 or 1-800-788-5678 admissions@augsburg.edu www.augsburg.edu/day 612-330-1101 wecinfo@augsburg.edu www.augsburg.edu/weekend 2 2 1 1 26 R i v e r s i d e A v e n u e , M i n n e a p o l i s , M N 5 5 4 5 4 For information about Augsburg’s Core Curriculum: Barbara Edwards Farley Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs 612-330-1024 farley@augsburg.edu w w w. a u g s b u r g . e d u Fall 2004 AAlumni LUMNINews NEWS From the Alumni Board president’s desk… ello Augsburg alumni! As the first Weekend College graduate to serve as Alumni Board president, I’ve been spending some time considering both the similarities and the differences among our alumni and their experiences. Augsburg has done an incredible job of creating educational programs that fit the contrasting needs of students. In years past, the College was smaller and offered fewer programs. Today, our students may choose from the weekend, Rochester, graduate, or traditional day programs. They may live on campus or they may commute from home. It’s only natural, then, that graduates of 20 or more years ago are likely to have very different memories from those who graduated more recently. In turn, this H also means that the “Augsburg experience” will mean different things for our alumni—their memories are unique and the connection each feels toward Augsburg varies. For example, many adult learners do not feel the same long-term association and affection for the College as do those students who live on campus. However, we all share in the traditions and events that have been treasured to this day, like Advent Vespers and Homecoming. One important goal of the Alumni Board is to help create meaningful relationships between all Augsburg students and alumni. We want everyone to share a deep “Augsburg experience” and a continuing connection with the College—which we believe will help to spread Augsburg’s educational and vocational values throughout the community. All alumni have one thing in common: the great benefit of an Augsburg degree, which does not differentiate between student types. Five alumni appointed to Alumni Board he Augsburg Alumni Board of Directors appointed five new members and elected Bill Vanderwall ’93 WEC as president and Karina Karlén ’83 as president-elect. To view the complete list of board members, visit the Alumni/Parent Relations Web site at <www.augsburg.edu/alumni>. The new members are as follows: T Buffie Blesi ‘90, ‘97 MAL Blesi graduated from Augsburg with a B.A. in business administration and a Master of Arts in Leadership. She is senior vice president and director of operations for TCF Investments. Andy Fried ‘93 WEC Fried graduated from Augsburg Weekend College with a B.A. in management information systems. He is operations Fall 2004 and systems support manager for WindLogics, Inc. Calvin Hanson ‘98 Hanson graduated from Augsburg with a B.A. in history. He is a senior admissions counselor at Augsburg. Joyce Miller ‘02 BS Nursing, Rochester Miller graduated with a Master of Arts in Nursing from Augsburg’s nursing program in Rochester, Minn. She is a registered nurse at the Mayo Clinic and an adjunct instructor at Augsburg. Elizabeth “Liz” Pushing ‘93 Pushing graduated from Augsburg with a B.A. in business administration. She is director of financial services at Providence Place. Of special note in this issue of the Augsburg Now is the article on page 28 about the newly formed Weekend College Alumni Network (WECAN). This group is already developing some great strategies on how we can better connect with current Weekend College students in order to establish a strong alumni relationship later. We value your input on how to accomplish this, so please call the director of Alumni/Parent Relations, Amy Sutton, at 612-330-1525, or e-mail <suttona@augsburg.edu>. You may also e-mail me at <bvanderwall@lssmn.org> with your ideas. I look forward to serving as your new Alumni Board president! Bill Vanderwall ’93 WEC President, Alumni Board Alumni Board elects first WEC alumnus as president ugsburg’s Alumni Board of Directors is pleased to announce the election of Bill Vanderwall ’93 to serve as the 2004–2005 board president. Vanderwall is the board’s first Weekend College alumnus to serve as its president. “I am honored to bring in some new ideas to further connect Augsburg to nontraditional students,” says Vanderwall. “Personally, my degree from Augsburg has had great impact in helping me discern my vocational direction and in setting a course of action on how to get there—ultimately enabling me to work and live in a way that is consistent with my values.” Vanderwall was recently promoted to vice president of family services at Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. He previously served as LSS’s senior director of housing services. A 27 Alumni News Augsburg student and alumni win legislative and judicial seats by Lynn Mena n November 2, an Augsburg graduate student and three alumni won seats in various legislative and judicial races, while two alumni—Sandy (Voss) Wollschlager ’94 and Kathryn Ness ’02 (both DFL)—were narrowly defeated by Republican incumbents for seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives. O Larry Hosch, MSW student Hosch (DFL) won a seat in the MN House, District 14B. He has served as mayor of St. Joseph for four years, and at 27 is the second youngest mayor in Minnesota history. He is also coowner of Lamar Homes & Remodeling, LLC, and is enrolled in Augsburg’s Master of Social Work program. LaJune Thomas Lange ‘75 The honorable LaJune Thomas Lange retained her seat as a judge on the Hennepin County 4th Judicial District Court. She has held this seat since 1986, previously serving as a judge on the Hennepin County Municipal Court (1985–1986) and as an assistant public defender for Hennepin County (1978–1985). She is also an adjunct professor at William Mitchell College of Law, where she teaches international human rights and civil rights. She is an Augsburg Distinguished Alumna (2002) and a former member of the Board of Regents. Diane Loeffler ‘75 Loeffler (DFL) won a seat in the MN House, District 59A. A lifelong resident of Northeast Minneapolis, her career has been spent in public service. She has worked as a budget and policy analyst on education issues for state and local government. She currently works for Hennepin County in healthcare policy analysis on issues of services to seniors and persons with disabilities, health promotion and protection, and how to ensure more persons have access to affordable and effective health coverage. Martin Olav Sabo ‘59 Sabo (DFL) was elected to a 14th term in the U.S. House of Representatives, MN District 5. He has held this seat since 1979, previously serving as a representative of the MN House before his election to Congress. In 2003, he became the ranking member of the newly created Homeland Security Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. Sabo also serves on the Defense Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee, where he is known on Capitol Hill as one of the leading voices on arms policy. An Augsburg Distinguished Alumnus (1976), he served for 12 years on the Board of Regents, and also received the College’s first honorary degree—the Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris Causa)— in 2000. Weekend College Alumni Network (WECAN) established by Amy Sutton lumni of Augsburg Weekend College have established a group to represent and advocate for WEC students and graduates. Although initially launched a few years ago, the Weekend College Alumni Network (WECAN) has been reinvigorated in recent months. “The Weekend College program is such a vital part of Augsburg, and we want to bring attention to that,” said Andy Fried, a 1993 graduate who also serves on the Alumni Board of Directors. “We believe that a group of alumni who have actually experienced the unique challenges of WEC students can be strong advocates for positive changes that will enhance the Augsburg experience for current WEC students.” A 28 WECAN members also hope to bring visibility to the value that WEC alumni and students bring to the College, as well as to develop programs and communications that provide support and encouragement to current WEC students. “Our opportunities to attend Augsburg have had a tremendous impact on our lives and we want to give something back,” says Fried. If you are interested in joining WECAN or have suggestions for the group, please e-mail Members of the newly established Weekend College Alumni Network (WECAN) gathered recently to strategize ways to represent and advocate for WEC students and alumni. Pictured here are (L to R, front row) Heather Birch ‘96 and Anne-Marie de Jong ‘01, and (L to R, back row) Andy Fried ‘93, Jeff Gilbertson ‘04, Bill Vanderwall ‘93, and Meri Pygman ‘93 (not pictured are Pete Hespen ‘92 and Terry Marquardt ‘98). Fall 2004 Alumni events calendar Please join us for these upcoming alumni and parent events (see also the college-wide calendar on the inside back cover for additional events): January April 11 Auggie Hour celebrating Augsburg authors, Shelly’s Woodroast (I-394 & Louisiana in Golden Valley), 5:30 p.m. 12 Auggie Hour on campus for graduates of the Honors Program (meet current students in the program and learn about the changes to the curriculum), 5:30 p.m. 18 Parent Association gathering, Augsburg House, 6-8 p.m. February 8 Auggie Hour luncheon on campus for alumnae business owners (please e-mail <alumni@augsburg.edu> with your information if you are selfemployed or own a business and wish to network with other women business owners), noon 15 Alumni Board meeting, Minneapolis Room, Christensen Center, 5:30 p.m. March 8 Auggie Hour wine tasting hosted by Jennifer Tome ’99 of Grape Beginnings, Beaujo’s Wine Bar, 50th & France in Edina, 5:30 p.m. 14 Auggie Hour senior reception on campus (all alumni are invited to join us in welcoming the 2005 graduates to the Alumni Association), 5:30 p.m. May 6 Special reception for business graduates (all Augsburg faculty, alumni, and 2005 business graduates are invited), Marshall Room, Christensen Center, 4-6 p.m. 10 Auggie Hour on campus for all current and former Alumni Board members, 5:30 p.m. Holidazzle Parade Event Always wanted to see the Holidazzle parade without the hassle? Augsburg alumni and their families are invited to gather at Augsburg at 5:15 p.m. on Dec. 19. A bus will depart at 5:45 p.m. to take you to the parade and then return you to Augsburg where holiday goodies and hot chocolate will be waiting to warm you up. There is no cost but limited transportation is available, so please call the RSVP hotline at 612-3301598 or e-mail <rsvp@augsburg.edu>. Business alumni events All business alumni are invited to attend the Second Executive Management Lecture: “Key Success Factors in Starting a Business,” presented by Richard Brimacomb (partner, Sherpa Partners, and previous vice president of finance, Cartia Inc.) on Feb. 26, noon-1 p.m., Christensen Center. Alumni may also attend the Spring Business Forum: “General Systems Theory Unites Diverse Disciplines,” on April 21, 4-6 p.m., Christensen Center. Presented by Augsburg’s Department of Business Administration. The Lion King THIRD ANNUAL CONNECTIONS EVENT The third annual Connections—A Women’s Leadership Event, co-sponsored by Augsburg and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, will be held January 29 from 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. “What makes this women’s event unique compared to others is that we invite students to participate in this leadership development opportunity so they may network and be encouraged by the experiences and stories of the amazing women who attend,” said Sue Klaseus, vice president of Augsburg’s Institutional Advancement. Presenters this year include author and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Frances Hesselbein, and alumnae Jean Taylor ’85 and Ami Nafzger ’94. For more information and to register online, please visit <www.augsburg.edu/alumni>. The Augsburg Alumni Association invites you to attend The Lion King performance at the Orpheum Theatre on April 22. A limited number of tickets are available to alumni at a special discounted price of $50, a value of over $80 that includes a reception, roundtrip transportation to the Orpheum from Augsburg, and a balconyseating ticket. For more information or to secure your ticket, please visit <www.augsburg.edu/supporting/>. Alumni Tour to Norway Interested in an eight-day tour to Norway in May 2005? The Augsburg Concert Band is touring Norway in May and the alumni office would like to know who would be interested in participating on the companion tour. Please e-mail <alumni@augsburg.edu> for more information. Fall 2004 29 [ Spark Your Spirit ] Left: Students gathered with Augsburg alumni, faculty, and staff for the third annual Homecoming reception celebrating the College’s four ethnic programs: the American Indian, Pan-Asian, Pan-Afrikan, and Hispanic/Latino student service areas. Right: As part of the Homecoming festivities, students constructed elaborate hats—such as the hat pictured [at right]—to express their Auggie pride. Above: The Auggie cheerleaders kept spirits high at the Homecoming football game despite Augsburg’s 13-point loss to Gustavus Adolphus College. The Auggie Eagle entertained fans at the Homecoming football game. 30 Left: Recipients of the 2004 Distinguished Alumni, First Decade, and Spirit of Augsburg awards were honored along with the Golden Anniversary Class of 1954 at the Homecoming chapel service on Oct. 8. Pictured [at left] are (L to R): Dr. Brian Anderson ‘82, Distinguished Alumni Award; Charlotte (Kleven) Rimmereid ‘52, wife of the Rev. Arthur Rimmereid ‘53, Spirit of Augsburg Award; Fern (Hanson) Gudmestad ‘41, Distinguished Alumni Award; and Susan (Horning) Arntz ‘94, First Decade Award. A future Auggie had her face painted by an artist before the football game. Fall 2004 Above: Norman Nielsen ‘44 (left) was presented with a commemorative archival photo of the Augsburg campus in recognition of his pioneering efforts in development for Augsburg during a special Class of 1944 reunion breakfast. Pictured with Nielsen is “Mr. Augsburg” Jeroy Carlson ‘48 (right), a senior development officer. Above: The Auggies huddled before the game, which despite a near-record running day by junior quarterback Marcus LeVesseur, they lost to the Gusties, 34–21. LeVesseur rushed for 207 yards on 32 carries, just 10 yards shy of the College’s single-game rushing record 217 yards by Marty Alger ‘94 in a 1993 game. Above: Members from the Class of 1994 gathered before the football game to celebrate their 10-year reunion. Above: Auggie wrestlers gathered for a reunion and party in Murphy Park; they continued the celebration at Grandma’s after the football game. Above: Bobby Brown (left) and Hannah Dietrich (right) were crowned as the 2004 Homecoming King and Queen. Above: Jack Osberg ‘62 addressed the team during what would be his final Auggie Homecoming halftime as Augsburg football head coach; Osberg retired from his coaching position at the end of the 2004 season, capping a 14-year career that has produced the most victories in school history. He will remain on the Augsburg staff, assisting in the school’s Alumni and Parent Relations and Development areas, to develop connections with athletic alumni and parents. H o m e c o m i n g Fall 2004 2 0 0 4 31 [ Spark Your Spirit ] GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY CLASS OF 1954 (L to R) ROW 1 (front): Theodore W. Anderson, Donald J. Dill, Marlys (Ringdahl) Gunderson. ROW 2: Joyce (Weber) Krueger, Ruth (Pousi) Ollila, Donald A. Norum, Winifred (Nystuen) Nyhus, Janice (Anderson) Rykken, Gary R. Rust. ROW 3: Ardelle Skovholt Quanbeck, Mary Lee Peterson Leak, Shirlee Blake Olmstead, Roger E. Carlson. ROW 4: Helen Jensen Myhre, Orpha Hushagen Iseminger, Marilyn Soiseth Boraas, Yvonne Oudal Rhodes, Jane Collins Cornelius, Marlys Harkman Schmidt, Edward O. Nyhus. ROW 5: Ardis Dorr Nystuen, Arlene Larson Nelson, Wallace L. Hafstad, Joyce Fossum Pflaum, Florence Helland Borman, Jerome S. Elness, James L. Shiell, Wallace L. Hanson, Marlys Backlund Morland, Russ Lance. ROW 6: Clinton J. Peterson, Arlene (Reinertson) Rolf, Leland E. Evenson, Carl Jensen. ROW 7: Louis O. Becker, Louis P. Rolf, Mark L. Johnson, George W. Fisher, Valborg (Kyllo) Ellingson, Barbara Tjornhom Nelson, James A. Sorenson. ROW 8: Robert E. Twiton, Herbert W. Chilstrom, Virgil R. Gehring CLASS OF 1964 (L to R) ROW 1 (front): Anita (Martinson) Mock, Karen (Henry) Steenson, Jean (Pfeifer) Olson, Carla (Quanbeck) Walgren, Dorothy (Borsgard) Berkland. ROW 2: Deanne (Star) Greco, Verlie (Block) Jorenby, Rondi (Rindahl) Suppiah. ROW 3: Joyce (Leifgren) Young, Stella (Kyllo) Rosenquist, Sandra (Simpson) Phaup, Ann (Tjaden) Jensen, Mary (Fenrick) Olson. ROW 4: James W. Parks, Ellen (Paulson) Keiter, Karen L. Kohout, Arlan Oftedahl, Raul A. Jackson. ROW 5: Charles W. Schulz, Betty (Hanson) Rossing, Andrew Berg, Charlotte (Gerdeen) Oswood. ROW 6: Robert A. Nordin, Carolyn (Aadland) Allmon, Mary (Munson) Peterson, Linda (Hamilton) Senta, Ted W. Olson. ROW 7: Philip M. Dyrud, Sharon (Lindell) Mortrud, Avis (Hoel) Dyrud, Karl I. Bakke, Michael W. Walgren. 32 Fall 2004 CLASS OF 1979 (L to R) Row 1 (front): Julia (Davis) Styrlund, Gary C. Dahle, Sally (Hough) Daniels, Sandra (Spitzack) Elhardt, Laurie (Hoversten) Busch. Row 2: Carol (Dubovick) Hard, Paul A. Daniels, Holly (Groten) Krekula, Katharine E. Skibbe, Pamela (Hanson) Moksnes, Mark A. Moksnes, Lynn Schmidtke, Brian J. Carlsen. Row 3: Jay K. Phinney, Philip Styrland, Eric Anderson. RECIPIENTS OF THE 2004 DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: THE FAMILY OF JOHANNES AND TABITHA NYDAHL The extended family of Johannes and Tabitha Nydahl gathered at Homecoming Dinner on October 9 to accept the Distinguished Service Award and to celebrate their generations-long connection to Augsburg—beginning with Johannes Nydahl in the 1800s (read more on page 10). H o m e c o m i n g Fall 2004 2 0 0 4 33 CLASS NOTES Class Notes 1965 Mary Jean (Danger) Holmquist, Braham, Minn., is a retired music teacher, and can be contacted at <jeanie@ecenet.com>. Rev. Dr. Dennis Morreim is a pastor in Cloquet, Minn., and has worked with Alcoholics Anonymous throughout his 35year ministry. He has served as a consultant and speaker at treatment centers and is the author of three books, two of which were translated into Spanish. Over the past four years, he has twice led work groups to Santa Barbara, Honduras, to help build homes and schools and to bring medical help to those in poverty. His wife, Jeanne (Wanner) ’66, taught in public schools for several years, directed youth music and education programs in church, and currently serves on the volunteer network for Compassion International. The Morreims have two grown children, Edward ’93, an educator with the Mahtomedi public schools, and Sarah, a psychotherapist with Hoistad and Associates in St. Paul. Duane Westfield lectured onboard the Marco Polo cruise ship this past summer. 1956 Arlen Stensland was featured in an article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “A Keystroke of Genius.” Arlen and his wife, Lois, were missionaries to Madagascar for 22 years and now organize a program that sends manual typewriters to Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar. 1958 Wes Sideen, St. Paul, was elected district 5M6 governor of the Lions Club, and is currently planning an April benefit concert for the Lions Club International Foundation on the Augsburg campus featuring the Centennial Singers. 1959 Rev. Eugene S. Peterson retired from the active clergy roster. He is doing international interim ministry. He lives with his wife, Paula, in Jackson, Minn. 1960 Lois (Richter) Agrimson is director of social services at Rose of Sharon Manor nursing home in Roseville, Minn. She lives with her husband, Russell, in Eagan, Minn. 1962 Deloris (Olson) Norling, Willmar, Minn., is enjoying her retirement from teaching with her husband, Palmer, and their 18 grandchildren. 34 Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. Barb Youngquist, Willmar, Minn., and Nancy Sandro ’74, Hendricks, Minn., co-wrote a book for handbell choirs entitled Bell Prayers (Lakeside Press). The book is a nine-month devotional that includes inspirational quotes and a collection of 35 corresponding pieces for bell choirs to play at weekly rehearsals. The book also includes original watercolor prints by Barb that divide the book into the seasons of the church year. 1971 1966 Sandra (Welin) Grunewald, Ventura, Calif., was named a senior accounting lecturer at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif., beginning this fall semester. She is a licensed CPA and a partner at a Thousand Oaks-area CPA firm and has served as an adjunct instructor at CLU in both the day and evening undergraduate programs. Carmen (Neseth) Berg, Fergus Falls, Minn., recently retired. 1972 Sylvia (Steinbeck) Torstenson, Hayfield, Minn., recently retired from teaching for the Hayfield School District. The town held a weeklong celebration and parade in honor of her contributions to the school district. Diane Thompson, Wayzata, Minn., received her master's degree in special education in 1994 from the University of Minnesota. She is currently on leave from teaching to pursue research, and can be reached at <djunet2000@yahoo.com>. 1967 Marlys Ruona Thomsen, Apple Valley, Minn., co-chairs the Sons of Norway First District 2000 Convention Committee and is the head of the library committee at her church. She enjoys traveling the United States with her husband, who is retired. 1969 Jackie (Kniefel) Lind ’94 MAL, Lilydale, Minn., is the volunteer coordinator for the Travelers Assistance Program at the 1973 Lyth Hartz recently celebrated 25 years of employment at Midwest Special Services, Inc., an agency that provides employment and training to adults with disabilities, where he is currently president. He lives with his wife, Mary, in St. Paul. Rev. Gary M. Wollersheim, St. Charles, Ill., was elected to a second six-year term as bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod of the ELCA at the synod assembly in June. During his first term as bishop, he served in numerous denominational capacities, including as chair of the ELCA Evangelical Task Force. That effort resulted in the adoption of an evangelism strategy for the ELCA at the 2003 Churchwide Assembly in Milwaukee. 1975 Olando Smith is a weekend international flight attendant with Northwest Airlines. She is also a cheerleading and track and field coach at St. Cyril elementary and middle school in E. Lansdowne, Pa. Her 11-yearold daughter, Narita, holds the 2004 record for the one-mile run from the Penn Relays novice division. Olando lives with her daughter and husband, Dan Sweeney, in E. Lansdowne, Pa. ALUMNA RECEIVES NORWEGIAN MEDAL Courtesy photo 1955 Leona (Eng) Rokke ’52 (left) was presented one of Norway’s highest distinctions, the St. Olavs Medallion. The medal was presented to her in July at a banquet of the Seven Lag Stevne in Willmar, Minn. Norwegian Consul Anita Helland (right), presented the award, and commented that Rokke’s extensive and gracious work over the years have helped to keep and strengthen the strong bonds between Norway and the upper Midwest. Fall 2004 1977 Staff photo Staff photo Laurie (Barrett) Burns, Stillwater, Minn., is pursuing a career in import/export operations after 25 years as a travel agent. She can be contacted at <robertr.burns@netzero.net>. OPEN HOUSE HONORS CLASS AGENTS Rev. Jon Schneider, Minneapolis, is senior staff hospice chaplain at North Memorial Medical Hospital, and can be reached at <jschap123@msn.com>. Rev. Eric Burtness recently published a book, Leading on Purpose: Intentionality and Teaming in Congregational Life, available through Augsburg Fortress Publishers. Eric is senior pastor at St. Matthew Lutheran Church in Beaverton, Ore. 1980 Dawn (Zocher) Nelson, Minneapolis, is a radiology supervisor at Abbott Northwestern Hospital and is enrolled in Augsburg’s Master of Arts in Leadership program. She can be reached at <autumnmoon morn@mcleodusa.net>. 1982 Katie (Erdahl) Gussman earned tenure as the orchestra director for Marlboro and Marlboro Memorial middle schools. She is also a freelance violinist, has been a member of Monmouth Symphony Orchestra for 20 years and the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea for 17 years (she has made six recordings with the latter). Katie’s husband, Roy, is the music director and conductor for both the Monmouth Symphony and the New Jersey State Youth Symphony. The couple traveled to Eastern Europe with AllAmerican Youth in Concert and Fall 2004 President William V. and Mrs. Anne Frame hosted an open house at the Augsburg House on October 26 in appreciation of Augsburg’s class agents. Pictured above (left) are 1974 class agents Marlene Chan Hui (left) and Laurie Thorpe (right). Also pictured above (right) is President Frame (left), who visited with class agent Sam Walseth ’02 (center) and his wife, Stephanie Lien ’02 (right). performed in Budapest, Prague, and Berlin this past summer. The couple resides in Neptune, N.J, with their three cats: Claude, Lucy, and Beans. 1983 Sharon (Copeland) Booth, Blaine, Minn., is a music therapist at Hospice of the Twin Cities. 1984 Lisa Rykken Kastler is middle school ministry director at Faith Lutheran Church. She lives with her husband, Brent, in Champlin, Minn. She can be contacted at <middleschool@ faithlutherancr.org>. 1985 Barbara (Haack) Ross teaches Suzuki violin from her home studio and is the K-3 choir director at St. John’s Lutheran Church. She and her husband, Tim, live in Lakeville, Minn., with their three children: Jordyn, 13; T.J., 11; and Jamie, 8. 1986 Scott Finsrud, Clifton Park, N.Y., received a master's degree in history/political science from the College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y., in June. 1987 Joel Engel, Chaska, Minn., is corporate sales manager for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx basketball teams. Patrick Hilger is a commercial support manager at Tetra Rex, Inc. He lives with his wife, Suzi, in Circle Pines, Minn. 1988 Jeff Carlson, Linwood, Minn., teaches music at Highland High School in St. Paul. 1989 Jean Hunter, Minneapolis, teaches second grade for Minneapolis Public Schools. 1990 Jenny Peterson, Mound, Minn., is featured in the Courage Center’s 2004 holiday card and gift catalog. After a skiing accident in 1983, Jenny became a quadriplegic, and she credits the Courage Center with helping her to learn skills that enabled her to succeed in her new life. She now owns her own jewelry design business and some of her jewelry is sold through the catalog. She is also a motivational speaker and consultant and serves as executive director of Helping Paws of Minnesota. 1991 Kristen Hirsch, St. Paul, is a senior field communications specialist at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans in downtown Minneapolis. She also recently joined the Morris Park Players Board of Directors and serves on the Augsburg Alumni Board of Directors as the Events Committee chairperson and is the class agent for 1991. She can be contacted at <kmhirsch@aol.com>. Tommi-Riva Numbala is the personal assistant to the CEO and acting company secretary of NamWater (Namibia Water Corporation Ltd). Tommi, an internationally acclaimed 35 Class Notes 1992 Rev. Sven Erlandson recently celebrated the publication of his second book, Rescuing God from Christianity: A Closet Christian, Non-Christian, and Christmas Christian’s Guide to Radically Rethinking God Stuff (heliographica). Sven has spent the last several years in California as a preacher and writer dedicated to meeting the spiritual needs of people who find themselves outside of organized religion. Walt Filson retired from police work in 2002 and is now a teacher in the Anoka-Hennepin ISD #11, teaching the only high school law enforcement program in the state. He lives with his wife, Anna, in Brooklyn Center, Minn. Robert Manning, Apple Valley, Minn., completed his third tour of duty in support of Iraqi Freedom, earning three air medals and four aerial achievement medals with more than 300 combat hours. He was promoted to the rank of major (O-4) after completing inresidence squadron office school at Maxwell Air Force Base. 36 Stacie (Edlund) Reynolds is pursing a Master of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. She lives with her husband, John, in Buffalo, Minn. A-CLUB 5K RACE Stephen Geffre Lynelle Osgood is co-owner and treasurer of Terra Productions, Inc., an artist agency representing artists for commercial advertising, such as makeup artists, stylists, etc. She lives with her husband, Lawrence, and children in Minneapolis, and can be reached at <lyn@terraproductions.net>. 1993 1994 Amy Gehring, West St. Paul, is a professor at Anoka Ramsey Community College and recently moved back to Minnesota after attending graduate school in New York. Bruce Nelson, Roseville, Minn., is a solutions lead at Affinity Plus Credit Union. He is building a home in Farmington, Minn., with his wife, Cristine, and their son, Daniel, 2. 1996 Michael P. Schmidt, Minneapolis, recently signed with G.S. Associates Artists Management and will debut at Carnegie Hall and Berlin Stadtsoper in 2005. Most recently, he was featured as Don Alfonso with Lyric Opera of Cleveland, Danilo with Western Plains Opera, Marcello with Kenwood Chamber Opera, and as Dr. Falke with Pine Mountain Festival. Some of Michael’s other roles include: Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), Dr. Bartolo (Il Barbiere di Siviglia), and Horace Tabor (The Ballad of Baby Doe). Also an active concert artist, Michael has performed as soloist in such works as Mozart’s Coronation Mass, Haydn’s Creation and the Durufle Requiem. Upcoming performances include a solo recital featuring works of German composers, Leporello in Don Giovanni, and concert appearances in the upper Midwest. He is an adjunct faculty member at Macalester College and is set to complete his D.M.A. at the University of Minnesota in 2005. More than 100 runners took part in the inaugural A-Club 5K run on Sept. 19. The fundraising run, organized by A-Club Executive Committee member Tracy Tomforde ’92, took participants around the Augsburg campus and along the Mississippi River Road on a scenic fall afternoon. Winners from the event: Tim Nelson, first male finisher; Eileen Uzarek, first female finisher; Scott Peplinski, first male alum finisher; Laura Simones, first female alum finisher; and Doug Pfaff, JC Award winner (for finishing closest to 25:00, in honor of the late James Carey). ALUMNUS RECEIVES DOCTORATE Courtesy photo musician, was recently featured in the company’s newsletter in a story detailing his musical career. He can be reached at <NumbalaT@namwater.com.na>. Lars Dyrud ’97 (right) received his doctorate in space physics at Boston University in May and has stayed to pursue a postdoctorate. Mocha Holmgren Dyrud ‘97 (left) is completing her doctorate in clinical psychology at Suffolk University. The couple has a son, Finn, born in September. Fall 2004 1997 Jacki Brickman, Coon Rapids, Minn., recently directed a performance of Romeo and Juliet for fourth graders at Elizabeth Hall Community School in North Minneapolis. Jacki teaches fourth grade at the school and also teaches education courses as an adjunct faculty member at Augsburg Weekend College. Sarah (Gilbert) Holtan teaches at Concordia University in Wisconsin and recently entered the doctoral program in journalism education at Marquette University. She was married in June and resides with her husband in Milwaukee, Wis. Lena Stackhouse-Rogers was named one of three recipients of the charter school teacher of the year award in Minnesota by the Minnesota Association of Charter Schools. Lena is a kindergarten teacher at the Partnership Academy charter school in Richfield, Minn. 1998 student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, pursuing a Master of City and Regional Planning. Gretchen Meents ’02 MSW, So. St. Paul, recently raised more than $6,000 for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training when she ran the Honolulu Marathon in honor of her brother who is battling leukemia. She is a senior social worker for Hennepin County. Benjamin Hoogland, Stillwater, Minn., is pursuing a master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in marriage and family therapy. He works for Faith Inkubators as their Faith Stepping Stones director and can be contacted at <hoogland98@hotmail.com>. Paul Pierson, Alma Center, Wis., is associate registrar at Walden University in Minneapolis. 2001 1999 Deb Cortes received a TOP Award for outstanding teaching in the Anoka-Hennepin School District for 2004. 2000 Rebecca Lynn Brown, Carrboro, N.C., is a graduate Kari Burke-Romarheim recently started the M.Div. program at Luther Seminary. She spent three years in Bergen, Norway, working in youth and family ministry. She lives with her husband, Vidar, in Menomonie, Wis. 2002 Adrienne (Kuchler) Eldridge, Staff photo ALUMNI TOUR TO EUROPE Minneapolis, works for Vibe Urban Youth Ministries in St. Paul. Jackie Heyda, Savage, Minn., is a first-grade teacher at New Prague Primary School. Darryl Sellers completed his master’s degree in broadcast journalism at the American School of Journalism in Los Angeles. He recently accepted a position as weekend sports anchor at the ABC-affiliate in Austin, Minn. Emily Shelton, Minneapolis, teaches at Cedar-Riverside School in Minneapolis. Brooke Stoeckel, Minneapolis, is sales manager of meetings and conventions at the Minneapolis Metro North Conventions and Visitors Bureau. 2003 Melissa Bawek, Minneapolis, is assistant director of The Augsburg Fund at Augsburg. She can be contacted at <bawek@augsburg. edu>. Staci Owens, Minneapolis, works for Hennepin County and is pursuing a master’s degree in elementary education. She can be reached at <staciowens3411@ msn.com>. Liz Sterbentz, Lindstrom, Minn., owns Break on 8 Coffee Shop, where she serves Peace Coffee and Fair Trade fruits to help cooperative farms-both are product lines she became interested in after participating in Augsburg’s Center for Global Education’s WEC class on liberation theology in Cuernavaca, Mexico. 2004 In October, participants from the Augsburg Alumni Association-sponsored tour to Germany and Eastern Europe gathered in Wittenberg, Germany, for a photograph. The tour, which ran from October 15-27, visited Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary, and featured the places of Martin Luther’s life and ministry as well as a special worship service at the American Church of Berlin, where Augsburg alumnus Rev. Ben Coltvet ’66 is currently pastor. Augsburg professor Dr. Mark Tranvik and his wife, Ann, hosted the tour. Pictured are (Front row, L to R): Darryl Carter ’65, Ann Tranvik, Cecilie Teerink, David Berg ’66; (Row 2, L to R): Pris Fieldhammer ’65, Sue Kneen ’05, Vi Aaseng, Lynn Stertz, Sally Tonsager, Elaine Harder; (Back row, L to R): Ruel Carpenter, Darrell Strand, Larry Turner ’69, Chris Kneen, Karen Bolstad, Sue Turner, Clarice Johnson, Marek Tysek, Peter Ern, Sue Klaseus, Mark Tranvik, Paul Fieldhammer ’65, Tom Stertz, Rolf Aaseng. Fall 2004 Kristi Hartway works at Abbott Northwestern and is also an adjunct faculty member in the nursing program at Minnesota State University-Mankato for the 2004-05 school year. She lives with her husband, Mark, in Wekston, Minn. She can be contacted at <Kristi.Hartway@ allina.com>. 37 Class Notes ALUMNI PROFILE Carrie McCarville ’01: Building on a foundation of success Stephen Geffre by Rebecca Welle ‘05 Carrie McCarville’s decision to attend Augsburg was due in large part to the strength of its women’s hockey program and to its head coach, Jill Pohtilla. Indeed, Augsburg was a natural fit for McCarville, who as a high school student at Benilde-St. Margaret’s played on its girls’ hockey team—one of the first in Minnesota. At Augsburg, she played center position on the women’s hockey team, participating on the team that took runner-up honors in the first-ever NCAA Women’s Division III National Championship series in 2000. “Although we didn’t win, it was a blast going to Boston and representing Augsburg,” said McCarville. After graduating in 2001 with a bachelor’s degree in both studio art and art history, McCarville began searching for her next challenge, which presented itself a short time later when she and her parents opened a liquor store in September 2002. Carrie McCarville ’01 gives strong credit to Augsburg for instilling the self-discipline needed to successfully manage her business, coach and play hockey, and volunteer in her community. “We opened it because the store a block away was torn down due to road construction and was never replaced,” said McCarville. After a space in a nearby strip mall opened up they purchased it and immediately began the two-month remodeling process on what was previously an audio-visual store. McCarville stated that she received a great deal of help putting the store together from fellow Augsburg friends. “We also managed to contact all the right people, and before we knew it there were reps from all the liquor and wine distributors setting up our store,” said McCarville, who found it enjoyable to watch how the store came together from start to finish. Although the first two years of operation were difficult due to nearby road construction, McCarville stuck with her business and today is pleased with how well her store is doing. “Now we are enjoying seeing how everything we do affects our business,” said McCarville. Aside from running her business, McCarville is also very active with the Hopkins Raspberry Festival during the summer months. She donates her time by outfitting the royalty, “making sure they look their best wherever they go,” and volunteers as a chaperone to the young women throughout the year. McCarville herself was the 1997-1998 Hopkins Raspberry Festival Princess and enjoyed her experiences throughout her reign. “It was a great learning experience and I will forever be grateful to the Raspberry Festival for giving me that [opportunity],” said McCarville, which explains why the backroom of her store serves as headquarters for the festival. “I made sure everyone got what they needed,” said McCarville, all in the comfort of her own business. McCarville is also still involved in hockey. She has coached the Hopkins JV girls’ hockey team for the last three seasons and will coach the Wayzata girls’ hockey team this season. She is also a member of the Owl’s team, which is a women’s A-Club team comprised of Augsburg alumni. McCarville plays one to two times a week, mainly at Augsburg, and can be found playing any position—except goalie. As a student at Augsburg, McCarville learned skills that enabled her to juggle her studies as a double major with both her hockey and work schedules. Today, she gives strong credit to the College for instilling the self-discipline needed to successfully manage her business, coach and play hockey, and stay organized with the Hopkins Raspberry Festival—all while remaining appreciative for everything that she has accomplished. 38 Fall 2004 AUGSBURG CENTENNIAL SINGERS 2005 ARIZONA APPEARANCES JANUARY 27—Centennial Singers concert, Desert Hills Lutheran Church, Green Valley, Ariz., 7:30 p.m.* FEBRUARY 2—Centennial Singers concert, Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Sun City West, Ariz., 5 p.m.* JANUARY 28—Centennial Singers concert, United Methodist Church, Catalina, Ariz., 7 p.m.* FEBRUARY 3—Centennial Singers concert, Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Phoenix, Ariz., 7 p.m.* JANUARY 29—Centennial Singers worship service, American Lutheran Church, Sun City, Ariz., 4 p.m.* FEBRUARY 4—Centennial Singers worship service, Victory Lutheran Church, Mesa, Ariz., 4 p.m.* JANUARY 30—Centennial Singers worship services, American Lutheran Church, Sun City, Ariz., 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.* FEBRUARY 5—Centennial Singers worship services, Pinnacle Presbyterian Church, Scottsdale, Ariz., 9:30 and 11 a.m.* *Coffee receptions sponsored by Augsburg will be held prior to these concerts or between services Courtesy photo AUGSBURG GIVING Pamela Moksnes ’78 (left) and Joy Peterson (right) of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans presented a check to Sue Klaseus, vice president for Institutional Advancement (center), in support of Connections, the women’s leadership event co-sponsored by Augsburg and Thrivent. Rachel Kreger, Richfield, Minn., teachers seventh- and eighth-grade English at Minnesota International Middle School, a charter school for Somali immigrants. Weddings Carl Priest ’78 married Kathryn Kraker in June. Carl is a certified project management professional and in January celebrated his 25th anniversary with IBM, where he has been a project manager for the past 10 years. He also plays string bass with a variety of groups in the Twin Cities area. The couple resides in Minneapolis. Fall 2004 Melanie Main ’95 married Calvin Johnson in April. She is an office manager for Sonstegard Foods. The couple resides in Fayetteville, Ark., and can be contacted at <melanie@ sonstegard.com>. Amorita Larson ’96 married Jeff Linner in October 2003. She is a docket clerk for the U.S. District Court-District of Minnesota. The couple resides in Lino Lakes, Minn., with their daughter, Alexis, 5. Amy can be contacted at <amorita_larson@ yahoo.com>. Alisa C. Berg ’01 married Jeremy Anderson in December 2003. Alisa is a music therapist for the Robbinsdale School District and Jeremy teaches in Intermediate District 287. Erica Bryan ’01 married Jason Wegner ’01 in May 2003. Erica is the volunteer coordinator for Kinship of Greater Minneapolis and can be contacted at <ericajayne@hotmail.com>. Jason is enrolled at Luther Seminary. Births/Adoptions Kiel Christianson ’88 and his wife, Jennifer, Champaign, Ill.—a son, Erik Douglas, in October 2003. He joins older sister Sophia. Kiel is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Illinois; he previously served on the psychology faculty at the University of MassachusettsAmherst. Kiel is also a senior writer and equipment editor for <TravelGolf.com>. Mark Keating ’91 and his wife, Amy, Edina, Minn.— a son, Carson Mark, in February. He joins older brother Owen. Mark works for BladeLogic. Melissa Kaltenbach ’92 and her husband, John, Madison, Wis.—a daughter, Vivianne Helene, in May. Laura (Ferry) ’92 and the Rev. Matthew Lee, Prentice, Wis.— a daughter, Elizabeth Hannah, in December 2003. She joins older sister Catherine, 2 (3 in January). Laura can be reached at <blndcaml@pctcnet.net>. Kirk Litynski ’95 and his wife, Kara, Savage, Minn.— a son, Kahler Michael Edward, in October 2003. Kurt works for Motorola in the commercial government communications sector for radio communications and covers Iowa and the southern half of Minnesota. Rodney Dewberry, Minneapolis— adopted two sons in November 2003. Rodney is president of the Circle of Men Institute and is pursuing a teaching career at the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. He can be contacted at <dewbery47@msn.com>. Jennifer (Runke) ’01 and Ryan Cobian ’01, Blaine, Minn.—a son, Caleb Ryan, in March. Jennifer is a kindergarten teacher for ISD #282. Cole Trimble ’01 and his wife, Gina, Independence, Iowa— a daughter, Alison Sue, in September 2003. Cole is a school social worker for the Keystone Area Education Agency and can be reached at <trimble@indytel.com>. Lori Strand Fenske ’02, Ham Lake, Minn.— a daughter, Allison Marie, in August 2003. She joins sisters Haley, 6, and Nicole, 3. Also welcoming Allison are proud grandparents Delmour ’53 and Luella Fenske. Kelly (Saur) ’92 and Dustin Sims, Minneapolis—a daughter. Kelly works at United Defense. 39 In Memoriam Rev. Martin D. Larsen ’45, Fargo, N.Dak., died in June; he was 81. After his ordination in 1951, he served parishes in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. He recently served as visitation pastor at First Lutheran in Fargo from 19881996. He is survived by his wife, Marguerite (Greguson) ’45; six children; and eight grandchildren. Rev. Olin “Ole” Nordsletten ’49 died in February after a long illness. He was pastor of Prince of Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kenmore, Wash., for 32 years. He retired in 1987. Before serving Prince of Peace, he was pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Fort Atkinson, Wis. He is remembered for his determination and sometimes unorthodox approach in serving others. A sign outside his church read: “Pray, but swing the hammer.” He was known to live that motto throughout his life— for him prayer was important and action was critical in making a difference in other’s lives. In 40 addition to serving at Prince of Peace, he helped county officials establish the Paramount House low-income apartments for the elderly and disabled. He also wrote and produced Christmas plays, performed by young people both at the church and on local television. He is survived by his wife, Arlett; four daughters; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. Harold Schwartz ’49, Minneapolis, died in October; he was 81. He served in the Army Air Force during WWII from 1942-1945, and again during the Korean War from 1950-1951. He later worked for the U.S. Postal Service, retiring in 1982 after 26 years of service. Throughout his later years his faith in Christ and his Jewish roots became increasingly important to him. He was a member of Ebenezer Lutheran Brethren Church and an enthusiastic supporter of Lutheran Brethren World Missions and Jewish Christian organizations. He will be remembered for his special ministry of encouragement to others. During his life he sent out thousands of cards and letters letting people know that he was praying for them and that he appreciated them and their work. He is survived by his wife, Carol; a daughter, Linda (Dean Bengtson); and two grandsons, Joshua and Christopher. Rev. Erling Carlsen ’50, Eau Claire, Wis., died in August from acute leukemia; he was 77. He served in the U.S. Navy, stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Base from 1945-1946. He served parishes in North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Illinois. He is survived by his wife, Beverly; five sons; and nine grandchildren. Veola Y. (Soberg) Ellingboe ’50, Lakeville, Minn., died in June; she was 74. She served as a member of the Augsburg Associates. She is survived by her sons, Rev. Craig (Mary), Randy (Lynn), and Bradley (Karen); nine grandchildren; and one great-grandson. Rev. John Miskowiec Jr. ’58, Mounds View, Minn., died in June at Mercy Medical Center during a surgical procedure; he was 68. He served Lutheran congregations in Kansas and Minnesota for over 36 years, including 29 years at Abiding Savior Lutheran Church in Mounds View; he retired in 1998. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Linnea; two sons, John III and Allen (Lisa); and four grandchildren. Rev. Lewis John Sundquist II ’62, Sturgeon Lake, Minn., died in September; he was 72. After serving in the U.S. Navy, he became a radio broadcaster in Minnesota, Texas, Michigan, and Ohio. In 1965, he became an ordained ELCA minister and served parishes until his retirement in 1993. Recently, he had become pastor emeritus of North Emanuel Lutheran Church in St. Paul, his childhood church. He is survived by his sons, Lewis John III ’88 (Gretchen) and Martin Laurence ’93 (Melinda). Iris Burlock ’94 MSW, Farmington, Minn., died in September; she was 51. Iris made a difference in the lives of many children while working as a social worker for Hennepin County Children and Family Services. She is remembered for her spunk, warmth, and compassion, and was loved by many friends, co-workers, and clients. She is preceded in death by her parents Amelia and Phillip Burlock; she is survived by her sister, Ellyn (Lou) Romano; a niece, Nicole; lifelong friends Barbara Higens and Bill W.; family members Vickie Berg and her sons Joe (Mandy) and Derrick; and a granddaughter, Emma. Dr. Paul LeRoy Holmer, St. Anthony Village, Minn., died in June; he was 87. He was the Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology at Yale Divinity School. He also taught at Augsburg, Gustavus Adolphus College, and for 14 years at the University of Minnesota. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Phyllis; a daughter, Leanna Wren; two sons, Jonathan (Cathy) and Paul (Suzanne); and a granddaughter, Nayla. AUGSBURG MILESTONES Archive photo Rev. Lynn Hanson Luthard ’36, Paynesville, Minn., died in September; he was 90. After graduating from Augsburg Seminary in 1939 (also the alma mater of his father, the Rev. Louis T. Hanson ’11), he legally changed his name from Luthard E. Hanson, and was later ordained as a pastor in Fortuna, N.Dak. Prior to his retirement in 1979, he served parishes for over 65 years, including those in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Iowa. He served as an interim and supply pastor for nine years after his retirement. He was preceded by his wife of 62 years, Thelma, who died just four months before Lynn, and by his daughter, Grace Moore Meske, who died at age 48. He is survived by two daughters, Lois (Charles) Anderson ’65 and Twila (John) Edmunds ’71; six grandchildren; and one greatgrandson. November 8 marked the 70th anniversary of the first annual Augsburg Alumni Association banquet. Fall 2004 CCalendar ALENDAR Music For more information on any of these events (unless otherwise noted), call 612-330-1265 December 22-25 Special Advent Vespers Telecast Special one-hour broadcast of the 25th anniversary Advent Vespers celebration on Twin Cities Public Television Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. (TPT2); Dec. 23 at 2 a.m. (TPT2); Dec. 25 at 10 a.m. (TPT2) and 7 p.m. (TPT17) Gage Family Art Gallery, Lindell Library Opening reception: Jan. 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Gallery talk: Jan. 27, noon February 11 “Wearable Resistance,” by Mary Laurel True Christensen Center Gallery Opening reception: Jan. 21, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Mary Robinson, former United Nations high commissioner for human rights 10 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center For information, call 612-330-1006 February 25-April 3 February 11-12 “Meditating on Seasons and Light,” paintings by Joonja Lee Mornes 17th Annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum Gage Family Art Gallery, Lindell Library Opening reception: Feb. 25, 5-7 p.m. January 12-17 Sculpture by Karen Searle Gospel Praise Tour Christensen Center Gallery Opening reception: Feb. 25, 5-7 p.m. Performances in southeastern Minnesota and northern Iowa February 4 2005 Music Listening Contest Annual music listening contest featuring teams of 100 Minnesota-area high school students 1-5 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center For information, call 612-330-1180 February 15 Michael Jacobs Concert Native American recording artist 7 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center For information, call 612-330-1144 Theatre Feb. 4-13 Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare Directed by Martha Johnson Feb. 4, 5, 9, 10, and 12 at 7 p.m. and Feb. 6 and 13 at 2 p.m. Tjornhom-Nelson Theater, Foss Center For tickets, call 612-330-1257 Exhibits January 14-February 18 “Voice To Vision: Holocaust Survivors Share Their Experiences Through Art” A collaborative project directed by David Feinberg Seminars, Lectures, and Films January 17 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation: “Building Peace in our Community” Victoria Jackson Gray Adams: spiritual, social, political, and civil rights activist 1 p.m.—Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center For information, call 612-330-1006 Nobel Peace Prize Forum Convocation: “Finding Security in an Unsecure World” This year Augsburg hosts the annual two-day forum, which will honor 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi For information, call 612-330-1383 February 16 “Outsiders Within” Jane Jeong Trenka ’95, awardwinning author 10:20 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center For information, call 612-330-1006 Other Events January 24 Fine Arts Night January 29 High school students are invited to visit campus and meet the admissions and fine arts departments 5-8:30 p.m.—Christensen Center and Foss Center For information, call 612-330-1585 Connections: A Women’s Leadership Event February 5 8 a.m.-1 p.m.—Thrivent Financial Corporate Offices, Minneapolis For information: www.augsburg.edu/alumni/connections February 10 10th Annual Nobel Peace Prize Festival This one-day festival is designed to connect students in grades K-12 with Nobel laureates; this year’s festival honors 2003 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi For information, call 612-330-1383 Pan-Afrikan Student Union Fashion Show 7 p.m.—East Commons, Christensen Center For information, call 612-330-1022 February 17 Graduate Programs Discovery Evening Prospective graduate students are invited to enjoy a meal, sample a course, and meet with graduate program faculty and staff 5:30-8:30 p.m.—Christensen Center For information, call 612-330-1150 See the alumni calendar on p. 29 for additional events Send us your news and photos! Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos! For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice, or program from a memorial service. 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Title: Augsburg Now Spring-Summer 2004
Collection: Alumni Magazine Collection
Search Result: A P U B L I C AT I O N Spring/Summer 2004 F O R A U G S B U R G C O L L E G E A L U M N I & F R I E N D S Vol. 66, No. 3-4 LLetters ETTERS Editor’s note I n 1924, at a time of many changes brought by the expansion of Augsburg’s academic program and the introduction of women stud...
Show more A P U B L I C AT I O N Spring/Summer 2004 F O R A U G S B U R G C O L L E G E A L U M N I & F R I E N D S Vol. 66, No. 3-4 LLetters ETTERS Editor’s note I n 1924, at a time of many changes brought by the expansion of Augsburg’s academic program and the introduction of women students, Augsburgian editor Caleb Quanbeck wrote, “Now that we are increasing in numbers and have developed more comprehensive curricula will we be willing to assume the responsibilities which come with the greater Augsburg?” (See Auggie Thoughts, p. 44.) Over the years there is little doubt that the response has always been a resounding “yes.” As readers 80 years from now look back to this day and what is being written about the launching of the largest fundraising campaign in Augsburg’s history, I surmise they will note the same sense of watershed in the College’s life. Augsburg’s tradition of excellence and vision for educating in the sciences necessitates a new center and upgrade to the existing half-centuryold facilities. Our men’s and women’s athletic programs have no further capacity to stretch their space. We seek the addition of facilities on campus to help us nourish and grow the partnerships we’ve built in our neighborhood and community. And, to continue to make an Augsburg education available to many students, the endowment must grow. Through Augsburg Now, news and stories about the campaign, Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College, will be featured in a newsletter called Vision. In this issue, a special edition of Vision presents an overview of the campaign as well as stories about the generosity of donors who have already made significant contributions and about students who benefit from it. This year also marks a change in leadership on Augsburg’s Board of Regents. The six-year tenure of board chair Kathy Tunheim provided vision and direction for Augsburg to leap into national limelight as an innovator in education. For the first time in 40 years a graduate of Augsburg, Jean Taylor ’85, takes over the reins of leadership. Their perspectives on the College, its mission, and their roles are included in this issue. Other features offer different glimpses of service reflected in Augsburg’s motto, Education for Service. Jean Housh, wife of regent emeritus Allen Housh, brought to us a story she wrote about “Major” Bowen, a remarkable high school student and current Augsburg student, who has faced the greatest of challenges in recovery from a devastating brain injury. With the compassion and commitment of Augsburg staff and faculty working with his family, he was able to begin a college career. Stephanie Quick, an Augsburg graduate and seminary student, is also featured. Her efforts to collect donated prom dresses—that most likely would never be worn again—from parishioners at her home church in the Twin Cities and through her sister here at Augsburg, brightened the lives of Native Alaskan teenage girls who could not afford to buy a dress for their special evening. Editor Quanbeck wrote in 1924 that he hoped The Augsburgian would be “an instrument in helping people to realize that our school is doing a great work, an important work.” Augsburg continues this great work, and we take pride in sharing it with you in Augsburg Now. Betsey Norgard Editor Augsburg Now is published quarterly by Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454. Editor Betsey Norgard A PUBLICATION FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS Spring/Summer 2004 Vol. 66, No. 3-4 Features Assistant Editor Lynn Mena Graphic Designer Kathy Rumpza Class Notes Coordinator Sara Kamholz ’04 Photographer Stephen Geffre President William V. Frame 6 18 Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now do not necessarily reflect official College policy. ISSN 1058-1545 Postmaster: Send correspondence, name changes, and address corrections to: Augsburg Now, Office of Public Relations and Communication, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55454. E-mail: now@augsburg.edu Telephone: 612-330-1181 Fax: 612-330-1780 Augsburg College, as affirmed in its mission, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, or disability in its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and/or school administered programs, except in those instances where religion is a bona fide occupational qualification. Augsburg College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to its employees and its students. www.augsburg.edu by Dan Jorgensen and Lynn Mena Major Bowen: a story of courage and determination by Betsey Norgard Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Amy Sutton Director of Public Relations and Communication Dan Jorgensen A change in leadership A Major inspiration by Jean Spielman Housh 24 A Quick connection to prom dresses 16 Fourth Annual International Photo Contest 21 From Flatanger to Augsburg: A century apart by Betsey Norgard 23 Seeing abilities instead of disabilities by Judy Petree 27 Commencement 2004 by Judy Petree insert Vision 1–20 The newsletter for Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College Departments 2 Around the Quad 10 Sports 12 Faculty/Staff Notes 34 Alumni News 36 Class Notes 43 In Memoriam On the cover: 44 Auggie Thoughts inside back cover Homecoming Preview 50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post-consumer waste) Incoming first-year students in the Summer Bridge program (see p. 3) lined up in front of the wall measuring progress for the new $55 million campaign. In part, this campaign ensures the availability of an Augsburg education to a wide variety of students. (Photo by Stephen Geffre) AROUND QUAD Around THE the Quad Augsburg launches $55 million capital campaign Augsburg News Service New Science Center needed to continue excellence in the sciences O n April 18 Augsburg kicked off a $55 million capital campaign—the most ambitious fund-raising effort in its 135year history—to seek funding for two new buildings, a major addition to a third, and support for the endowment to help fund scholarship opportunities for its students. Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College seeks $37 million for the three building projects, $13 million for growth to the endowment, and $5 million in growth to the annual operating fund. Nearly $30 million already has been raised. Individual gifts of at least $1 million have come from James and Kathy Haglund of Golden Valley, Minn.; Kinney L. Johnson ’65, of Boulder, Colo., Jean Taylor ’85 and Roger Griffith ’84 and the Glen A. Taylor Foundation; and Alan Rice of St. Paul. The centerpiece in the campaign will be a new Science Center and renovation of the College’s existing Science Hall, built in 1949. The project will both strengthen Augsburg’s tradition of excellence in the sciences and help expand science learning for both its own students and the community. The 58,000 square-foot Science Center will include teaching and research laboratories and three multi-use halls that will be used for classes, guest speakers, and community events. Renovation of the existing Science Hall, which will connect via skyway to the new building, will bring all of the science and mathematics programs together into one dynamic and interactive facility. “This new facility will be extremely important to Augsburg’s commitment to the health sciences,” noted President 2 William Frame. The center will provide space to help K-12 students explore careers in health science and solidly support Minnesota’s biomedical technology sector through the high quality education of talented science and math majors steeped in Augsburg’s liberal arts tradition. And, thanks to a planning grant from the State of Minnesota, architectural planning for the facility incorporates multiple “green” features in an environmentally responsible structure. The second major campaign project is the construction of a Gateway Building on Riverside Avenue. The building will serve as headquarters for both the College’s Alumni Center and its award-winning Center for Service, Work, and Learning. It also will house StepUP, Augsburg’s program for students in recovery, providing both residential and counseling space for the program. And, it will have space for retail opportunities to serve both the campus and the surrounding CedarRiverside community, including the University of Minnesota—in a model of public and private economic development for the neighborhood. A third building project is a major addition to Melby Hall, the College’s main athletic facility. The project will address pressing space shortages for Augsburg’s academic, intercollegiate, and recreational programs; it will provide classroom, workout, and competitive space, including a new Greco-Roman wrestling center, funded in part through a $1 million gift from Alan Rice of St. Paul. Funding for the endowment will focus on four key areas: several new faculty chairs and professorships, new endowed scholarships to provide access to students from a wide range of backgrounds, program support, and staff development. Augsburg’s first endowed chair, initiated through the campaign, will be named in memory of Bernhard M. Christensen, president of the College from 1938-62. Growth in The Augsburg Fund, the unrestricted annual giving fund, will be used by the College to meet its most pressing day-to-day needs. The five-year campaign, which began its “quiet phase” in fiscal year 2001 will run through 2006, the same year the College hopes to break ground on the new Science Center and Gateway Building. Giving toward the campaign has been broad-based with nearly 70 gifts of more than $100,000 already pledged. The campaign was kicked off— literally—on the Edor Nelson Athletic Field by College officials and hundreds of alumni, staff, and friends at a community festival on April 18. The festivities included a basketball youth clinic led by University of Arizona head coach Lute Olson ’56, a hockey clinic led by Minnesota Wild Wes Walz, music and theatre performances, children’s book readings, and science demonstrations. The evening prior to the festival, donors were entertained at a gala dinner. Augsburg’s last major campaign, the 21st Century Fund, raised $64 million from 1989 to 1997, with the $15 million James G. Lindell Family Library as its centerpiece. Read about Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College in Vision, the campaign newsletter, beginning after p. 22. Campaign goal—$55 million Capital projects . . . .$37 million • Science Center and renovation • Gateway Building • Melby Hall expansion Endowment . . . . . . .$13 million Annual Fund . . . . . . .$5 million Spring/Summer 2004 Around the Quad Dennis Barker—coach to world-class runners Congratulations, faculty! Promotion to professor by Betsey Norgard A ugsburg’s head track and crosscountry coach Dennis Barker spent two weeks in California this summer, but hardly on vacation. His trip took him to Sacramento for the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in track and field where 10 of the runners he coaches hoped to earn a place in the Athens games. As a head coach for Team USA Minnesota, Barker has garnered national attention for the caliber of elite athletes who come to Minnesota to train with him—among them Carrie Tollefson, a native of Dawson, Minn., who became an NCAA-champion at Villanova, and is close to being an Olympian. In an article published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune prior to the trials and distributed nationally by the Associated Press, Barker is noted for his holistic approach to training, focusing Team USA Minnesota head coach Dennis Barker checks the time for one of his elite runners during training. 4 on bringing together all of a runner’s “physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual resources.” Barker coaches Team USA Minnesota at the University of Minnesota track facility and crafts the training to fit each runner’s strengths and needs. His runners trust him implicitly, and the notice being taken of him in the running world attests to this. In Sacramento, Tollefson failed to qualify in her best event, 5,000 meters, but won the qualifying trials in the 1,500 meters. She has one more “trial,” however, since Olympic rules require a minimum qualifying time, which she will have to meet by early August in order to compete in Athens. Another of Barker’s runners, Katie McGregor, came in fourth in the 10,000 meters, but may reach the top three team if one of them chooses not to compete in that event. During the spring, Team USA’s training sometimes overlapped with Augsburg’s track team practices. “It’s really not much different from coaching our athletes at Augsburg,” says Barker. “All the basic things apply. I think this has really helped the Augsburg runners, because they see what these levels of athletes do, how they apply their training, and how they believe in themselves and what they can accomplish.” For the Augsburg athletes, the elite runners were an inspiration. “We often shared training time together and were able to see how hard work and dedication pay off at whatever running level you are,” said Becky Welle ’05, a member of Augsburg’s cross country and track and field teams. “Each runner is unique with different goals and expectations, and Dennis does an amazing job in challenging all of his athletes to be their best, whether they compete at Division III level or for the Olympics.” Joseph Erickson Education Beverly Stratton Religion Promotion to associate professor Nicholas Coult Mathematics Susan Nash Nursing Tenure and promotion to team associate professor Jeanine Gregoire Education and Physics Robert Groven Communication Studies Ashok Kapoor Business Administration Joseph Underhill-Cady Political Science Tenure granted Cheryl Leuning Nursing Spring/Summer 2004 Ron Palosaari retires from long tenure R onald Palosaari, professor of English, began 39 years of distinguished service to the College in 1965, when he joined the English faculty as an instructor. He obtained bachelor’s degrees in both English and divinity from Bethel College and Bethel Seminary, respectively. After three years as a pastor he returned to graduate school, completing a master’s degree in English and a doctorate in American studies with an emphasis on American literature at the University of Minnesota. Prior to coming to Augsburg, he was a college instructor in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Over the years, Palosaari successfully merged his professional fields of English and theology with an interest in society and social change. His sabbatical research in 1994 was also the topic of a lecture he presented at the Augsburg Associates’ 1994 spring seminar: “Jesus and Women.” It was Palosaari’s opinion that Jesus was a revolutionary: “He was very different from the typical Middle Eastern male of his time, an area which continues to be one of the most gender-bound regions of the world,” said Palosaari. Palosaari has remained an active member of several professional organizations and has served as a consultant for area businesses—always making use of his community contacts to enhance his teaching. He has read papers and conducted workshops at state, regional, and national conventions. In addition, Palosaari has shared his love of travel with the Augsburg community, hosting Alumni Association tours such as the “Spectacular Scandinavia” tour in 1995 in honor of the College’s 125th anniversary. He has also traveled to London on four occasions to teach drama. Palosaari has long been a favorite professor among students. He has received the Outstanding Faculty Award multiple times, an award given by graduating seniors to honor classroom teaching. “Ron Palosaari’s extensive knowledge brought to life not only literary works but the periods in which they were written, offering students a more complete sense of an author’s challenges, triumphs, and place in history,” said Kathy Fagen, an Augsburg Weekend College admissions assistant/counselor and current student. Farewell to Ginger Currey A fter working for 15 years in the Department of Business Administration as office manager and administrative assistant, Virginia “Ginger” Currey retired from Augsburg in January. Currey was the first full-time office manager in the department, the largest academic department at the College, that graduates over 200 students per year. She worked under three department chairs— Spring/Summer 2004 by Lynn Mena “Lectures were delivered with a passion that reflected his love for the academic discipline to which he devoted his life. For students fortunate enough to have taken one of his classes, this passion for literature was nothing short of contagious.” English professor Douglas Green fondly recalls Palosaari’s “Ask Ron” column in the Echo. “Ron’s column in the Echo was certainly essential to his enormous contribution to the life of the College over the years,” said Green. “In this column, he satirized just about every aspect of College life and of Augsburg’s various crises, as well as his own character, during his long tenure as an English professor.” Palosaari’s future plans include to “grow much older” and to “continue playing tennis without a backhand, bridge without a clue, and Scrabble despite being the weakest speller in the English department.” “I loved teaching students who were brighter and harder working than I ever was—and I always had some of those,” said Palosaari. “I got a special pleasure when students admitted they were starting to really like poetry, usually against their better judgment.” by Betsey Norgard Amin Kader, Milo Schield, and John Cerrito. On January 29, at her retirement reception, she was presented with a plaque that summarizes the appreciation of her colleagues. “As business department office manager, Ginger established administration procedures that each academic year set the standards for serving the needs of over 40 faculty members and hundreds of business administration students,” the plaque reads. “Over her many years of services to Augsburg College, Ginger earned the admiration of students, staff, and faculty. For 15 years, Ginger was the mainstay of the Business Administration Department. She was a dedicated colleague and a good friend.” The plaque doesn’t list the myriad other duties that Currey took on to assist the faculty, e.g., proctoring tests at the last minute, meeting visiting professors at the airport, and taking the extra steps to help students get the classes they need. Currey was also honored by the College as an Outstanding Employee in 2000, nominated by her department. Her commitment to community service included collecting pop can tabs from across the campus to benefit the Ronald McDonald House. 5 A CHANGE IN LEADERSHIP AT ITS SPRING MEETING ON MAY 1, THE AUGSBURG COLLEGE BOARD OF REGENTS ELECTED JEAN TAYLOR ’85 AS THE NEW CHAIR, TO SERVE A TWO-YEAR TERM. SHE SUCCEEDS KATHRYN H. TUNHEIM, WHO IS RETIRING FROM A 12-YEAR BOARD TENURE, THE LAST SIX OF WHICH SHE SERVED AS CHAIR. TAYLOR IS A CO-CHAIR OF THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN CABINET THAT OVERSEES THE CURRENT $55 MILLION CAMPAIGN. SHE HAS ALSO SERVED AS CHAIR OF THE BOARD’S MARKETING COMMITTEE AND A MEMBER ON THE REGENTS’ COMMITTEE. OTHER OFFICERS ELECTED TO TWO-YEAR TERMS ARE H. THEODORE GRINDAL ’76, VICE CHAIR; JOAN VOLZ ’68, TREASURER; AND TRACY ELFTMANN ’81, SECRETARY. IN THESE STORIES, THE OUTGOING AND INCOMING BOARD CHAIRS SHARE PERSPECTIVES ON BOARD LEADERSHIP, GOALS FOR AUGSBURG, AND THE AGENDA FOR THE COMING TERM. A LEGACY OF INSPIRED GOVERNANCE athy Tunheim likes to say that serving as the chair of a board of a college like Augsburg is a lot more like being a shepherd than a boss. And that, she adds, has been the key to helping shape a shared governance model that Augsburg has embraced, and that she believes other colleges and universities across the nation will strive to emulate in the decade ahead. Tunheim has just completed six years as chair of the Augsburg Board of Regents during a period that has seen the College erupt from what President William Frame once termed “militant modesty,” onto the regional and national scene as an innovative, forward-moving institution. And, despite Tunheim’s own modesty in describing her leadership of the board, Frame said it has been Tunheim’s vision and leadership that can be ascribed to much of the impetus of the College’s movement. K Kathryn H. Tunheim by Dan Jorgensen “Kathy Tunheim is, in the language of one of her admirers, ‘prismatically excellent’,” he said. “That is certainly apt as a description of her work as counselor to me, especially in respect to the Augsburg 2004 vision.” Tunheim said the feeling is mutual. “Those of us serving on the Board of Regents have learned that one of the most important things a college governing board can do is to take very seriously the role we play in the selection and performance of the president. I’m proud of the work of the president and pleased by the board’s partnership with the administration. But another less visible challenge has been transforming the work of the board itself. An institution’s lifeblood is its faculty and students—management, great staff, and volunteer leadership, in general, are critical. But so, too, is effective governance. BUILDING A SHARED GOVERNANCE “During these years of my chairmanship, I feel that our board, the faculty, and the administration have come to terms with our commitment to a healthy shared governance model. It gives the board a better sense of ‘who’s in charge here?’— because now we know that at a college everybody is! Bill Frame has been masterful in helping all of us—board, administration, and faculty—understand this shared governance model. It’s what makes colleges really work; it’s unlike the governance work that occurs in business, so it’s been a great learning experience for all of us as regents.” Just prior to becoming chair, Tunheim served on the search committee that brought not only Bill but also Anne Frame to the College. “We got a wonderful, dynamic duo in the Frames,” she said. “Anne’s professionalism and understanding of the needs and functions of the school make her not only a great partner for Bill, but a great asset for this institution.” continued on page 8 6 Spring/Summer 2004 AN ALUMNA’S CALL TO LEADERSHIP Jean Taylor ’85 s the newly elected chair of the Augsburg Board of Regents, Jean Taylor, president of Taylor Corporation, brings to the seat not only a broad base of knowledge and enthusiasm, but also the valuable perspective that comes with being an Augsburg alumna—an association that distinguishes her from the past several chairs, and which clearly fills her with equal measures of pride, purpose, and calling. “I approach this opportunity not as something that I sought, for indeed I did not,” says Taylor, who received a B.A. in business administration in 1985. “Rather, I truly believe that I was called to do this. It will for me be a tremendous challenge in many, many ways. At the same time, I am convinced that it will be one of the most rewarding and enriching things I will ever do. “I believe that in the coming two years I will discover much more about my own gifts, as well as how to strengthen their use,” continues Taylor. “I am humbled to have this opportunity to return the favor to Augsburg through A Spring/Summer 2004 by Lynn Mena my leadership—this place has changed my life in so many positive ways and I will always be indebted to this college. The history of Augsburg is rich, storied, and full of successes, and I will focus my energy on making the next two years the best ever in this college’s history.” Taylor, who has served on the board since 1994, is also co-chair of Augsburg’s Capital Campaign Cabinet, which oversees the College’s newly announced $55 million campaign—Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College. During her board tenure, she has chaired the Marketing Committee, and served on both the Regents’ and Executive committees. She also holds an M.B.A. in management support systems from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, earned in 1988. In addition to her board leadership at Augsburg, she is active in a number of other community and nonprofit organizations—all while raising a one- and a three-year-old with her husband, Roger Griffith ’84, who serves as chief financial officer of the Minnesota Timberwolves and chief operating officer of the Minnesota Lynx professional basketball teams. “This is a wonderful ‘fit,’ not only from my point of view, but from our— the College’s—point of view,” says President William V. Frame. “Having Jean Taylor as the next chair feels right, seems right, and is right. “Jean has grown remarkably in management acumen during her 10 years as an Augsburg regent,” continues Frame. “This growth was recognized by her peers as a solid supplement to her notable collegiality and personal commitment to her alma mater. I am very glad of the prospect of serving with her over the next two years to accomplish the work to which we have agreed—to clarify and extend the College vision and to strengthen the integrity of the Augsburg brand.” SERVING THE COLLEGE Taylor organizes her goals as board chair under the framework of two distinct paths—those that serve the College, and those that serve the regents. “Looking at it from this perspective, I see three critical things that the College needs from me as board chair to accomplish over the next two years,” says Taylor. “One is to continue to extend Augsburg 2004 [the College’s vision document], not only in a way that supports the work that professors Mark Engebretson and Joan Griffin are doing in terms of refining that vision and taking it farther into the future. But also in terms of taking Augsburg 2004 deeper within the Augsburg community, so that as a whole we can all enjoy greater ownership and understanding of that strategy, and so that we’re able to share this strategy more broadly with our larger community. “When I talk about community, I believe Augsburg’s community has many layers,” continues Taylor. “There’s certainly the immediate and very important campus and Cedar-Riverside community that surrounds us, but there’s also the Minneapolis community, the Twin Cities community, and the Minnesota and Upper Midwest community. And I think as one considers Augsburg’s vision, we really also think about ourselves as part of the world community.” Taylor’s second goal is to steer the capital campaign toward a successful continued on page 9 7 A LEGACY OF INSPIRED GOVERNANCE (CONTINUED…) During Tunheim’s three terms as chair, the institution successfully added many new programs and partnerships, established a branch campus in Rochester, embarked on its first major capital campaign, reached new highs in enrollment at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and more fully engaged its alumni—something she has worked toward from the moment she took a seat on the board. “It should not be lost on our alumni, by the way, that up until Jean Taylor’s recent election as board chair, the past six chairs have all been non-alumni,” Tunheim said. RAISING E X P E C TAT I O N S O F AUGSBURG “When I first joined the board, I think the College was ranked lowest among the ELCA colleges in terms of alumni philanthropy. So my goal was to find a way to help change attitudes and set a collective expectation of ourselves as stewards of the school. I wanted alumni to think in terms of giving back: serving on the board, being partners in all that we needed and wanted to do. “I remember having breakfast in 1998 with the woman who was then chair of the College’s alumni association. I could clearly see she was frustrated, so I asked her, ‘What is it that you want from the College?’ Her answer was clear and immediate: ‘We want a degree from Augsburg to be more valuable in the future than it was when we got it.’ Together, I think we’ve been committed to ensuring that we create that future— and we all agree how important the College’s alumni are to making it happen.” Tunheim noted that when people look across the nation and point out the strongest higher education institutions, they are always the ones that have engaged, passionately loyal alumni. 8 “Augsburg has a lot of passionate and loyal alums,” she said, “but in the past we didn’t always find a way to engage them. But now, especially with Jean’s election, there are some great role models in terms of what alumni can and should do for their school. AT T R A C T E D B Y MISSION AND VISION “Having said that, I also want to point out that non-alums like me have seen something in Augsburg that attracted us to the mission and vision. That’s a tribute to Augsburg and its past leadership. My message about Augsburg to the marketplace is this: Augsburg College will be more important in the future landscape of higher education than it has ever been, because its strengths will serve the future needs of the community so well. But institutionally, we’re not ready to meet all the needs that will come to us—financially, or in terms of buildings and infrastructure. Our responsibility is to make sure that the College IS ready to serve as it is called to serve.” Tunheim, who is a graduate of the University of Minnesota and CEO of Tunheim Partners, a leading Twin Cities public relations firm, first came to Augsburg in the late 1980s to talk about how the College might improve its relationship with the city of Minneapolis. At the time, the city seemed to be courting institutions like St. Thomas, while Augsburg, already well-established and involved in the city, was being ignored. “I was struck by the many fine programs the College had and how little was known about them. As a professional in public relations, I was intrigued by what might be done to share that story. That’s what first attracted me to the board.” When President Charles Anderson decided to step down due to an illness, she was asked to lead the search committee for the new president, but declined initially, citing business obligations. But neither Anderson nor Barbara Gage, who was then board chair, would take ‘no’ for an answer. “Barbara told me that this is what I needed to do, that when you’re asked to do something for which you’re a good fit, you need to respond to the call.” Other highlights of her three terms, she said, were developing a better understanding and working relationship with members of Augsburg’s Corporation—the four Lutheran synods that “own” the institution; establishing the Regents’ Committee, a group that has been key to evaluating who is on the board, what their expectations are, and how new board members are recruited; and working with the president on setting a clear vision of what the College is and where it wants to go. “I was honored to be asked to serve on this board, and then to serve as chair, but I’m also extremely excited about where this College is now heading,” she said. “While other schools are working to discern their uniqueness or their future, Augsburg is already there. The light coming from Augsburg is inspiring already—I have no doubts about its strength and constancy.” ■ Spring/Summer 2004 AN ALUMNA’S CALL TO LEADERSHIP( CONTINUED…) conclusion, and third, to start the search for the next Augsburg president. “It is so critical to find the right leadership for the College,” says Taylor. “Augsburg has been absolutely blessed with incredible leadership in terms of its presidents, and I think Bill Frame has done a remarkable job during his tenure. So, we really need to establish a process to make sure that we find a new president who is truly called to be the next president of Augsburg and continue the legacy that has been created.” “And this goal is about helping board members to really understand their role and to understand more about the College, and putting each regent in appropriate leadership positions, so that not only two years from now, but five years from now we’ll have a group of regents able to utilize their talents to their highest capability.” SERVING THE BOARD Professionally, Taylor has an outstanding track record in leadership development. At Taylor Corporation, where she served first as vice president of development before becoming president in 2001, she has led several successful initiatives to revitalize and restate the organization’s core purpose and core values, formalize leadership development, alter its approach and philosophy to the role and use of information technology, and encourage and promote women in leadership roles. In 1998, CityBusiness magazine cited Taylor’s commitment to networking opportunities for women in business When Taylor looks at how her election as board chair can specifically serve the regents, she cites two main goals, beginning with a pledge to continue the work of outgoing chair Kathy Tunheim. “Kathy has done incredible things with this board,” says Taylor. “One aspect that she has undertaken that I would like to continue is to refine the governance roles at the College. I see three components to that leadership—the regents play a key role, as do both the administration and the faculty. I think there’s still critical work to do in terms of refining how these three leadership components work together—where do each of us take the lead responsibility, and where do we stand alongside the others in order to ensure that the College achieves its vision? “The second piece relative to the regents that I’ll focus on over the next couple of years is determining how we can most effectively utilize the talents of our regents,” continues Taylor. “We have an incredibly active and engaged group of regents; every time I’m in a full board meeting, I look around the room and I am just amazed and blessed that I’m sitting in this room with these incredible people whom I learn from all the time, and who put all this time and devotion into the College. Spring/Summer 2004 O U T S TA N D I N G BUSINESS LEADERSHIP when it selected her as one of its “40 under 40,” a prestigious group of 40 business professionals who have achieved distinction and risen quickly in their fields—and who are all under the age of 40. Prior to joining her father, Glen Taylor, at Taylor Corporation in 1994, Taylor was senior vice president of E.W. Blanch Co., a global reinsurance intermediary. As Taylor embarks on her two-year term as chair of the Board of Regents, it also represent her final years of a 12-year tenure as a board member. “Over the last 10 years I’ve learned so much about the history and the foundation of the College and where it came from,” says Taylor. “It’s incredibly satisfying for me to see the linkage between what the founders of Augsburg envisioned and all that Augsburg has accomplished over the ensuing 135 years—and then to witness how we’re currently extending that vision. “I am so impressed by the history of the College, and at the same time I am so excited about its future, because I think that Augsburg is positioning itself to have an even greater impact on its community. I’m incredibly proud to be an alumna of the College, and my pride continues to grow because I know that this college is just going to get better and better—our diamond is really going to shine.” ■ 9 Sports Wrestlers, track, and women’s hockey lead a solid year for Auggie athletics by Don Stoner A Division III second-place finish by the wrestling team, which tied both NCAA and school records with four individual champions and nine AllAmericans, respectively, and standout seasons for the track and field and women’s hockey teams paced a solid year for Auggie athletics. Senior Joe Moon earned the Outstanding Wrestler honors after scoring a 13-6 upset of top-ranked and four-time All-American Eduard Aliakseynka of Montclair State (N.J.) in the 174-pound national finals. Sophomore Marcus LeVesseur extended his school-record winning streak to 84 straight matches, finishing 40-0 and winning his second straight national title at 157. Juniors Mark Matzek, at 133, and Matt Shankey, at 125, each claimed a first national crown. The Auggies also finished third in the NWCA Scholar All-America Team program with a 3.39 team grade point average, the seventh straight top 10 ranking. Augsburg leads the nation with 81 NWCA Scholar All-Americans since 1983. Augsburg’s women’s hockey team, under coach Jill Pohtilla, finished 15-10-2 overall, 10-6-2 in MIAC play, earning a spot in the playoffs for the second season in a row. The Auggies closed with an eightgame unbeaten streak, going 9-2-2 in their final 13 games before ending with a 6-5, double-overtime loss to St. Thomas in the MIAC semifinals, a game played in a conference-record 96:09. Senior Annie Annunziato led the team with 36 points and was named to the Division III JOFA All-American West Region team, joining juniors Lauren Chezick and Melynda Kleewein on the AllMIAC first team. Freshman Stacy Anderson earned honorable-mention and All-Rookie recognition. And track and field, led by sprinters Mathew Shannon, Tonnisha Bell, and Alana Carter; hammer-thrower Jon Dahlin; and distance runners Ellen Waldow, Hannah Dietrich, and Angie Bergeson had 10 two All-American honors, eight MIAC titles, and 24 school records. At the MIAC indoors, Shannon, a senior, and Bell, a sophomore, earned Most Outstanding Performance honors. Shannon also earned MIAC Most Outstanding Indoor Track Athlete and USA Track and Field Minnesota Athlete of the Month honors, winning the men’s 400meter dash in a record :48.78. He also won the 55-meter dash and set or tied school records in the 55 and 200. Bell, Waldow, Dietrich, and Bergeson combined on the All-American distance medley relay team, finishing seventh nationally, and Bell set school and MIAC records in the 200 (:25.52 ), shattering the meet record by nearly a half-second. Senior Jon Dahlin won the hammer throw title and set a school record at 54.01 meters (177-feet, 2-inches). Waldow won the 800 in a school-record 2:16.36, breaking a mark set earlier by Bergeson. Waldow and Bergeson joined teammates Amy Mackner and Dietrich in winning the 3200-relay. In other 2003-04 sports highlights: • Augsburg finished with a 5-5 record (4-4 in the MIAC) in football, and 13-year head coach Jack Osberg became the alltime win leader with 60. Osberg’s teams have had seven .500-or-above seasons, second only to Edor Nelson’s eight .500or-above seasons. Auggie runner since 2001 to earn AllMIAC honors, with a 5,000-meter time of 19:24. • Under co-coaches Troy Nygaard and Laura Levi, Augsburg produced its finest women’s golf season in history. The Auggies tied their previous best-finish at the Minnesota Women’s Collegiate Golf Association championships—10th against all of the state’s Division II and Division III programs. Freshman Marisa Navarro blistered school records with a 85.63, 18-hole stroke average, and a 12th place finish in the MWCGA meet. • The men golfers—with just one senior—finished with a 314 spring stroke average, under 16th-year head coach Brian Ammann. The team was fifth in the MIAC, led by freshman Erik Helgerson, who earned all-MIAC with a 36-hole total of 154. • In women’s basketball, center Selina Theisen led both scoring and rebounding at 17.1 and 10, respectively, and was the only freshman selected to the 16-player All-MIAC first team. Theisen also was selected to the conference’s All-Rookie team, was named to the D3hoops.com All-West Region third team, and was named to the Freshman All-American team by Women’s DIII News. • Head coach Mike Navarre’s women’s soccer team finished 11-5-2 overall (5-42 in the MIAC), tied for the second-best record in school history. Sophomores Millie Suk and Nora Austin were named to the All-MIAC team. Senior Laura Hoffman closed her career as one of the school’s best goalkeepers, recording a 114-2 record, seven shutouts and a 0.95 goals-against-average. • Under first-year coach Keith Bateman, the young Augsburg baseball squad finished 16-22 (7-13 in the MIAC), nearly doubling its overall victory total from each of the previous two seasons. Sophomore pitcher Jeremy Nelson (allMIAC) had a 5-4 record and 2.91 earned-run average, throwing six complete games, striking out 33, and allowing only 15 walks and a .269 opponent batting average. • Augsburg’s cross country teams logged 29 personal-best times (19 women and 10 men). Ellen Waldow became the first Don Stoner is sports information coordinator in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. Spring/Summer 2004 Five senior athletes are honored F ive senior student-athletes received Augsburg athletic awards for the 2003-04 school year. Three Auggies were named Honor Athletes, the highest honor the College gives its senior student-athletes—Melissa Lee, Brandon Fox, and Mathew Shannon. Earning Augsburg Senior Athlete of the Year honors were Kristen Lideen and Joe Moon. Lee was also given the Julie Ellingson Leadership in Women’s Athletics award, an honor given periodically to female athletes who have displayed qualities of outstanding leadership and service to Auggie athletics. The award is named for Julie Ellingson ’98, a softball catcher who was a devoted worker in many aspects of Augsburg’s athletic department. 2003-04 HONOR ATHLETES Brandon Fox A three-year starter and four-year letterwinner in football, Fox earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference second-team honors in both his junior and senior seasons. His senior year, he led the Auggies in tackles with 103. In 2003, he had the second-most tackles in the MIAC and led both the conference and team in tackles for loss. He added 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries his senior year. He was named the team’s Outstanding Player on Defense, Most Valuable Player, and earned the Edor Nelson Auggie Award in 2003. A business management major with a 3.63 GPA, Fox earned Academic All-MIAC honors twice and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District second team in 2003. Melissa Lee Lee was a four-year starter in softball and also played basketball for two seasons at Augsburg. In softball, Lee will Spring/Summer 2004 go down as one of the “ironwomen” of Auggie softball history. Augsburg’s third-baseman played in every inning and started every game of her four-year career—141 games, 141 starts, and 964 innings. She closed her career with a .296 batting average and a.962 fielding percentage. A health and physical education major with a 3.507 GPA, Lee has earned Academic All-MIAC and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athlete honors three times. She is a Student-Athlete Mentor, copresident of the Augsburg College Education Students (ACES) program, and has been active as a student worker in many aspects of Augsburg’s athletics program. Mathew Shannon A 17-time All-MIAC performer, Shannon became the first Augsburg men’s track and field athlete to earn All-American honors in both indoor and outdoor events in the same year in 2003 at the NCAA Division III national championships. This season, Shannon placed fifth in the indoor 400 at the national meet, and qualified for the outdoor national meet in the 400. A three-time MIAC titlist, Shannon earned both the Outstanding Indoor Championships Performance and Indoor Track Athlete of the Year honors from MIAC coaches this season. He also was named USA Track and Field Minnesota Co-Athlete of the Month in April. A business and communication major with a 3.155 GPA, Shannon has earned Dean’s List honors. Shannon is also a recipient of a Scholastic Connections scholarship, which pairs students of color with alumni mentors in the community. by Don Stoner 2003-04 SENIOR ATHLETES Kristen Lideen Lideen emerged as a two-sport star at Augsburg. In soccer, Lideen earned AllMIAC honorablemention honors three years in a row as one of the top sweepers in the conference. In softball, Lideen became one of Augsburg’s best shortstops, holding career school records in three different categories—batting average (.444), hits (175) and doubles (38)—while sitting in the top 10 in school history in seven other career listings. Lideen is one of four players in school history to ever go through a single season without a strikeout. She earned All-Region and All-MIAC first-team honors each of her first three seasons in an Auggie uniform, and earned All-MIAC honors her senior year. In 2003, she earned NFCA AllAmerican honors. Lideen is a philosophy major at Augsburg. Joe Moon Moon won his first national title in wrestling this season with a dramatic upset performance at the Division III national championships, earning the meet’s Outstanding Wrestler honors in the process. Moon finished 392 his senior season and 105-14 in his three-season career at Augsburg. A twotime All-American in wrestling, Moon finished fifth nationally last season at 174 and earned the team’s Outstanding Freshman honors his first season at Augsburg. A marketing major, Moon was also a member of two academic national wrestling teams at Augsburg. Don Stoner is sports information coordinator in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. 11 Faculty/staff notes Creating learning communities at Augsburg F rankie Shackelford, associate Learning Community that dean for teaching and learning took a group of 12 students enhancement, is a national and the two professors to resource leader in promoting the museums in the Twin Cities, concept of “learning Chicago, and Baraboo, Wis. communities,” and a key player The subject matter was not the in Augsburg’s development of content of the museums, but curricular learning communities. rather how the museum In 2000, Shackelford was designed and arranged the named one of 58 fellows of the content and how that reflects National Learning Communities the society that created it. Project (NLCP), funded by the Their study was based around Pew Charitable Trusts and a text on this subject and administered by the Washington discussion with its author. Center for Improving the Quality Associate dean Frankie Shackelford brings best practices from national Shackelford’s continuing learning community resources to Augsburg’s first-year program. of Undergraduate Education at commitment as a fellow of the The Evergreen State College. NLCP is to make site visits to Since then, she has twice served institutions who are community links classes together for a as a core resource person at NLCP’s experimenting with learning communities. common group of students often across summer institutes and presented at Thus far she has held workshops and academic disciplines and usually around a professional meetings. evaluated programs at Wofford College and theme. Besides the faculty and students in Last October, as part of a Midwestern Cottey College. At Augsburg she is active these classes, a learning community often network of learning community leaders, in the faculty-staff task force on includes academic advisers, residence life Augsburg hosted one of 10 day-long “Foundations of Excellence™,” whose staff, student peer leaders, and staff from Open Houses, where Shackelford and work will lead to a strengthening of campus support programs. other Augsburg faculty and staff learning communities in the first-year While serving as co-director of presented Augsburg’s first-year learning curriculum. Augsburg was selected as one professional development, Shackelford was community program, helping others to of 12 colleges in the Council of instrumental in the design and understand the concepts. Independent Colleges (CIC) to participate development of the eight-week Augsburg As associate dean, Shackelford oversees in this national study of ways to improve Seminar for all incoming first-year seven programs that promote student the first college year. More information on students, which was rolled out in fall 1998. academic development and faculty/staff this project is available at This orientation seminar for new day professional development. <www.brevard.edu/fyfoundations>. students is linked to one or two other The concept of learning community courses and includes student leaders as coinvites practices that bring together people teachers to help answer students’ questions NOTEWORTHY and programs on campus to help students about college life. The goal is to help find more meaning in the curriculum, she students transition to college life, connect Tony Bibus, social work, was resays. The approach is an intentional them to the larger campus community, and appointed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty to a restructuring of students’ time, credit, and help them become self-reflective learners. four-year term on the Minnesota Board of learning experiences to build community Augsburg’s new Core Curriculum, Social Work, which is responsible for and to foster greater connections among licensing and disciplining social workers. launched last year, was inspired by the students, students and their teachers, and learning community model. “Learning Trena Bolden, Pan-Afrikan Center, and among disciplines. The learning communities provide the impulse to make Kenneth Turner, Student Support community movement has broad reach meaning across a student’s four years of Services, attended the 28th Pan-African across many kinds of educational learning,” says Shackelford. Leadership Conference at Minnesota State institutions with over 500 colleges and Co-curricular learning communities University in Mankato in February, along universities now registered at the (outside of academic classes) have also with students Hanna Habtemariam, “Learning Commons” Web site developed at Augsburg. Last year, under Hamza Yusuf, Anthony Schaden, (http://learningcommons. the leadership of professors Phil Adamo Robert Jones III, Dega Ali, and Audra evergreen.edu). and Lars Chrisiansen, the History and Johnson. In the curricular sense, a learning Sociology Clubs formed a Museum 12 Spring/Summer 2004 The art of making events shine by Betsey Norgard J odi Collen admits she belonging that Augsburg alumni, can’t go anywhere parents, and donors feel as they without noticing displays, return to campus—including the ways materials are used, current students. “I want current and how decorations are students to feel connected, and to arranged—in short, she walk away feeling that they were can’t turn off her job. part of the event,” Collen says. Collen is events She seeks to work more coordinator at Augsburg, closely with faculty and staff working in the Office of from the get-go, offering ideas to Events and Classroom creatively plan the event from Services. It’s her job—and the beginning, to gain greater her passion—to help make consistency across all campus every Augsburg event look events. professional, run efficiently, Collen considers herself Jodi Collen mixes a combination of inspiration, creativity, and purpose in and communicate the right lucky to know that events planning major events at Augsburg. messages. planning is truly a calling and Since coming to part of her vocation. She can While she entered the program for career Augsburg two and a half years ago, she trace that awareness to a keynote speech development, she has found that her feels lucky to say that she loves what she by David Merrill, a leader in her field own personal development has been does—and she knows she can do it well. (who has since become a friend and more rewarding than prospects of career Last year, Minnesota Meetings & mentor), at the first special events advancement. Her goal is someday to Events magazine named her the 2003 conference she was invited to attend. continue on for a Ph.D. and teach in the “Up-and-Coming Special Events “The minute he started speaking, I industry. Planner”; and the year before that, she knew this is what I’m supposed to do,” At Augsburg, she is responsible for was named one of the top five women to she says. Merrill connected her to the planning and managing summer watch in the Minnesota events business. right people and resources, and her conferences, weddings and receptions, She is currently president-elect of the career took off. and working with faculty and staff to Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter of the During the summer, in addition to plan major campus events. International Special Events Society. managing summer events, Collen is Collen looks forward to working What put her over the top in working with the alumni office to plan more closely with Augsburg faculty and becoming noticed and in giving her Augsburg’s 2004 Homecoming, “Spark staff to plan the College’s major events. confidence was the opportunity to plan a Your Spirit,” to take place Oct. 2-9. Her goal is to increase the sense of major event last summer for her events industry colleagues. With only months to go before the annual conference of the International Special Events Society to be held in Minneapolis, Collen stepped in to plan one of the major evening events—a beach party. With the help of four dumptruck-loads of donated sand and lots of ingenuity, conference-goers partied with hula hoops and parasoled drinks on a sandy beach, with palm trees and beach cabanas—all downtown in Peavey Plaza. Collen recently completed a Master of Tourism and Administration degree at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., specializing in conference and events management. Spring/Summer 2004 13 Faculty/staff notes Postcards from Italy During February and March in the Christensen Center Gallery, art professor John McCaffrey exhibited 34 oil paintings of the sultry Italian landscape in the show “Postcards from Italy.” The paintings are evocative recollections of a visit McCaffrey made to the country several years ago. Though small in size, the works are bold interpretations of some of Italy’s most remarkable scenery and monuments. Captured in the brushwork are narrow streets and sun-baked cobblestones of old towns, the glory of Roman ruins, and the verdant beauty of the rolling Tuscan hills. Even in these small sizes, McCaffrey’s use of light to sculpt form, establish space, and construct volume is revealed upon close observation. John McCaffrey, art, measures to hang one of the 34 small oil paintings in his “Postcards from Italy” exhibit. “Vernazza” (2004) is one of the “postcards” that brought the Italian landscapes to life in the Christensen Center Gallery during the winter. Honors/awards Congratulations to the 2004 faculty and staff who received Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning Awards. Mark Engebretson, professor of physics, for teaching; Ann Klamer, director of residence life, for direct service to students; and Garry Hesser, professor of sociology and metro-urban studies, for advising/mentoring. Carol Barnett, music professor and composition instructor, was awarded the 2003 Nancy Van de Vate International Composition Prize for Opera from the Vienna Masterworks for her work, Snow, based on a short story by Konstantin Paustovsky. Janna Caywood ’04, social work, was inducted into Alpha Kappa Delta, international sociology honor society. 14 Su Dorée, mathematics, received the Mathematical Association of America North Central Section’s Award for Distinguished College or University Teaching of Mathematics, presented in April. It is presented for extraordinarily successful teaching, influence beyond their own institutions, and fostering of curiosity and excitement about mathematics to students. Garry Hesser, sociology and metrourban studies, was honored by the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs (HECUA) for his 25 years of service. Ann Klamer, residence life, received the 2003 Linda Schrempp Alberg Outstanding Contribution to Minnesota Higher Education Award, presented by the Minnesota College Personnel Association in May. Alberg was director of student life and associate dean of students at Augsburg until her death in 1996. Cheryl Leuning, nursing, received an Alumni Achievement Award in 2003 from Augustana College, Sioux Falls, S.Dak. In the award nomination, she was described by her students and colleagues as “a superb teacher, an inspirational leader, and mentor.” Sports information coordinator Don Stoner, public relations and communication, was named CoWrestling SID/Publicist of the Year by the National Wrestling Media Association, an organization representing journalists who cover amateur and college wrestling. Jeff Swenson ’79, assistant dean for athletics and head wrestling coach, was inducted in March into the Minnesota Wrestling Coaches Association/David Bartelma Wrestling Hall of Fame. Spring/Summer 2004 Presentations/publications David Apolloni, philosophy, presented “Puzzles Concerning False Judgment in Plato’s Theatetus” at the 10th Annual Minnesota Conference on Ancient Philosophy in May. Tony Bibus and Rosemary Link, social work, and Michael O’Neal, sociology, presented a paper, “Analysis of Welfare Reform Using a Global Perpsective and Locally Mapped Conditions” at the 50th annual meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in March. Nora Braun, business administration/ MIS, published “Critical Thinking in the Business Curriculum,” in the March/April issue of The Journal of Business Education. Grace Dyrud and Bridget RobinsonRiegler, psychology, along with psychology senior Matthew Plitzkow, presented a poster session, “Lucky Next Time: The Effects of Luck Inducement and Delay on Predictions of Future Wins and Luck Ratings,” at the Midwestern Psychology Convention in April. They also presented at the American Psychological Society in May. Orv Gingerich and Kathy McBride, Center for Global Education, co-presented a session, “Experiential Education: Theory and Practice in Latin America,” at the 15th annual international conference of the Association of Academic Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean (AAPLAC) in February. Shakespeare Bulletin published Douglas Green’s review of Joe Dowling’s production of Othello at the Guthrie Lab in the spring issue (22.1); his review of Ethan McSweeney’s Romeo and Juliet appeared in the summer issue (22.2). In April, at the annual Shakespeare Association of America meeting, Green participated in a dramatic reading of Antony and Cleopatra. (His drunken Lepidus was well received.) Spring/Summer 2004 Gretchen Irvine, education, participated on a panel on international travel experience at the National Society for Experiential Education conference in November. She also presented “Value Added to Global Study/Travel through the Use of Technology,” at the Hawaii International Conference on Education in January. Kenneth Kaminsky, mathematics, published Financial Literacy: Introduction to the Mathematics of Interest, Annuities, and Insurance, with a manual to accompany it, by University Press of America, Inc. in 2003. Jason Kemp, residence life, published “Ally Rally: Problem Solving with GLBTQ Allies on Campus,” in the spring 2004 UMR-ACUHO (Upper Midwest Region, Association of College and University Housing Officers) News. Ann Lutterman-Aguilar, Center for Global Education-Mexico, published “Educating about a Diversity and Global Issues Experientially: A Review of Simulations Games for Use in Community-Based Learning Programs,” in the fall 2003 issue of Transformations: The Journal of Inclusive Scholarship and Pedagogy. Dave Matz, psychology, co-authored “Social Norms and Identity Relevance: A Motivational Approach to Normative Behavior,” in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. He also co-authored an article in Current Psychology, 21. Regina McGoff, Center for Global Education, presented, “Study Abroad for Students in a Weekend College Program,” at the Student Abroad Curriculum Integration Conference in April. Susan O’Connor, education, co-authored a chapter about her five-month faculty exchange in Trondheim, Norway, in Sosialt arbeid: Refleksjon og handling (Social Work: Action and Reflection). Ron Petrich, education, has a selection in Teaching with Fire: Poetry That Sustains the Courage to Teach, published by Jossey Bass. Petrich finished the first two-year Courage to Teach retreat series for K-16 educators and began a second series in May. Bruce Reichenbach, philosophy, contributed “Explanation and the Cosmological Argument,” to Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Religion, edited by Michael Peterson and Raymond Vanarragon, and published by Blackwells in England. Bridget Robinson-Riegler and Greg Robinson-Riegler published two texts: Cognitive Psychology: Applying the Science of the Mind (along with an instructor’s manual) and Readings in Cognitive Psychology: Applications, Connections, and Individual Differences,” both published in 2004 by Allyn & Bacon. Nancy Steblay, psychology, co-authored “Eyewitness Accuracy Rates in Police Showups and Lineup Presentations: A Meta-Analytic Comparison,” in Law and Human Behavior, 27. Andrew Tix co-authored “The Relational Context of Social Support: Relationship Satisfaction Moderates the Relations between Enacted Support and Distress,” in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29. He also co-authored an article in the Journal of Counseling Psychology, 51. Sean Truman, psychology, with students Francis Rojas, Danielle Banaszak, and Janessa Baier, presented “Maternal Substance Abuse and Ratings of Parent Behavior: Do Drugs Matter?” at the Midwestern Psychology Convention. Truman also co-authored “What Are They Thinking? The Mediating Role of Parental Cognitions in the Parenting Processes of Drug-Dependent Mothers and Fathers,” in the NIDA Research Monograph Series in 2003. 15 AUGSBURG’S FOURTH INTERNATIONAL ver 100 entries were submitted in O the fourth annual photo contest for international and off-campus studies. Winners were selected in three categories: scenic landscapes, local people in a cross-cultural setting, and Augsburg students in a host setting. All winning photos were displayed in Christensen Center. Entries were judged on the following criteria: cross-cultural content, artistic and technical quality, and reproducibility. To see all the winners, visit <www.augsburg.edu/international/ photocontest04>. A 1st Place A B B 16 Scenic landscapes. First place. “Prague from the Castle Wall,” Erik Helgeson ’05. Czech Republic Augsburg students in host setting. First place. “Dancing with Locals (Mike Boyle),” Erik Helgeson ’05. Cuba C Local people in a cross-cultural setting. First place. “Lunchtime,” Deb Olson, MA Nursing. Namibia Spring/Summer 2004 OFF-CAMPUS STUDIES PHOTO CONTEST C D D Augsburg students in host setting. Second place. “Namibian Dunes,” Jenna Bracken ’05. Namibia E Scenic landscapes. Second place. “On the Other Side of the Fence: Auschwitz,” Ariann Russ ’05. Poland F Augsburg students in host setting. Third place. “Candomblé,” Ana Gabriela Power ‘05. Brazil. E F Spring/Summer 2004 17 MAJOR BOWEN: a story of courage and determination by Betsey Norgard As Jean Housh (left) coped with surgery to remove a brain tumor, her strength and inspiration came from “Major” Bowen (right), whose brain tumor left him near death and in a coma. She helped direct his path to Augsburg. eople are brought together in unpredictable ways. The friendship between Augsburg freshman Edward “Major” Bowen and Jean Housh, wife of Augsburg regent emeritus Allen Housh, began one day in physical therapy at the Sister Kenny® Rehabilitation Institute, where both were recovering from brain surgery. Because of the friendship that developed from that day in the hospital, the Houshes are largely responsible for Major Bowen enrolling at Augsburg. Three years ago last January, Bowen was an All-State junior goalie on The Blake School’s hockey team. The night he and the team shut out Stillwater High School, he felt sick with what he thought was the flu. By the next evening he was fighting for his life as a tumor blocked the flow of cerebrospinal fluid through his brain. Emergency surgery to relieve the pressure, followed by another surgery a week later to remove the cyst, left him in a coma for six weeks. P 18 “The nurses told us his brain was injured like in a 60-mph crash through a windshield,” recalls Bill Bowen, Major’s father. Miraculously, on Major’s grandmother’s birthday, he began to awaken. Weighing only 95 lbs., he was unable to walk, talk, or eat. Thus began a long rehabilitation at the Sister Kenny Institute, at a clinic in Florida, at Courage Center, and at other out-patient facilities. At Sister Kenny, as he worked to take a few steps, then a few steps more, Jean Housh was also recovering from elective surgery to remove the same kind of cyst before it became the emergency that Major faced. She was undergoing therapy to regain balance, strength, and memory. Excerpts from her story about getting to know Major are on p. 20. By the fall, Bowen was able to return home, but was plagued by short-term memory loss, facial droop, and some balance difficulty. His father tells of how Rod Anderson, a former Blake teacher and hockey coach “unretired” and devoted his time to tutoring Major in the Bowens’ home. During winter semester, Bowen returned to Blake, with Anderson continuing to tutor him at the school. Bowen also began practicing Tae Kwan Do as part of his therapy, and has achieved a second degree purple belt. He is now in training to test for his red belt. Major Bowen graduated with his Blake class in June 2002, but his real achievement came earlier, during Blake’s final hockey game of the year. After weeks of incredible determination and hard work to get back on the ice, he skated out to tend the goal for the last 53 seconds as his team beat Minnehaha Academy. For this, City Pages in their 2002 Best of the Twin Cities, named him the Best High School Athlete. The following year the Bowens began exploring options for college. Sara Kyle, associate director of college counseling at Blake, suggested Augsburg. “[Augsburg] Spring/Summer 2004 for the class. is one of the best (if not the best) Bowen’s determination also impacted colleges in the nation for bright students Maurer. “One of the biggest lessons I with learning and/or physical learned from Major,” Maurer said, “is to challenges,” said Kyle. “I thought it never give up. … I think Major’s refusal would be a natural place for Major to to stop until he had accomplished his continue his education.” She connected best can be inspirational to us all. The the Bowens with Sally Daniels, whole experience was a great honor and Augsburg’s director of undergraduate will remain one of my fondest memories admissions. from my time at Augsburg.” Jean and Allen Housh were also During the second semester, Bowen instrumental in the decision to consider was scheduled for several surgeries and Augsburg. “While Augsburg was in the would miss a considerable number of back of my mind,” Bill Bowen says, “90 school days. He arranged with Gustafson percent of it was the encouragement of to do a directed study in history, centered Allen and Jean.” around the question of genocide and Daniels and the Houshes introduced focusing on Nazi Germany and the Pol Major and his parents to President Pot regime in Cambodia. William Frame and to Augsburg’s Center A highlight of the semester was a field for Learning and Adaptive Student trip to Washington, D.C., to the Services (CLASS), a premier program in Holocaust Museum. While in providing comprehensive support to Washington, the Bowens met with students with disabilities. Minnesota Senator Mark Dayton, a friend Major enrolled in the fall as a partof the family, who had been Major’ s time student with two classes—Spanish baseball coach and who had also been a and history. Bill Bowen credits both hockey goalie at Blake. professors—Kate Reinhardt in Spanish The year proved incredibly difficult, and Don Gustafson in history—with but rewarding, for Major. Bill Bowen being “absolutely wonderful” to Major. recounts that virtually every Gustafson wondered at first how he person at Augsburg “gave would manage to teach someone with 102 percent”—nothing was short-term memory problems in the just average concerning detail-laden discipline of history. “It Major’s experience. He will worked,” he said, “partly because Maj return to classes in the fall came with some excellent high school part-time and then evaluate background; partly because his father what the right course will spent hours and hours going over the be for the future. material with Maj, and Maj on his part The friendship between was not about to give up; and partly Jean Housh and Major because one of our very remarkable remains strong; Bill Bowen students, Eric Maurer, agreed to tutor. talks of how they spend “It was in our weekly meetings (and time reading together—a Eric often was part of them) on a one-topractice that began during one basis that I got a much better therapy to improve their understanding of Major, of his difficulties, and of his incredibly dogged determination.” Gustafson says that Bowen Major Bowen and Jean Housh ended up “at the top of the class in remain good friends and continue terms of effort and hours,” and to read together, a practice that earned a “very creditable 3.0” grade started in rehabilitation. Spring/Summer 2004 enunciation. While her story speaks to the strength she gains from Major, Bill Bowen says that Major thinks Jean is “one of his angels.” It’s clear that Bowen could not have succeeded at Augsburg without the CLASS program and without faculty and staff who became entirely engaged in helping him learn, as they also learned from him. Even outside of class, in one small but significant gesture, President Frame relinquished his reserved parking space to the Bowens so that Major’s shortterm memory loss could not prevent him from always knowing exactly where their car was parked. “Augsburg has been a wonderful experience for me,” says Major. “Each professor has been different, but also the same in being caring, kind, and understanding. They have each also been demanding, requiring me to work hard, complete my assignments on time, to push myself, and to learn the subject matter. Professor Don Gustafson worked with me extensively to become more self-reliant, to trust myself, to think, and to respond. I can never thank him enough.” ■ 19 A M A J O R I N S P I R AT I O N I owe my life to a young m a n n a m e d M a j o r. H e is a guy I’d only heard about in the neurosurgeon’s office. I was being examined and scheduled for brain surgery. But I had the luxury of setting a surgery date, calling family to Minneapolis to help out and bracing myself beforehand. Major, however, did not. According to my neurosurgeon, the 17-year-old hockey player was nearly brain dead the January night he was brought to Children’s Hospital. Imagine playing goalie for your hockey team and near death one day later. I couldn’t. … Eager to read all I could about my condition or anyone else who’d experienced it, I combed back issues of the Minneapolis Star Tribune sports section at the library until I found it. There it was in bold type across five columns of the January 9, 2001, sport page. ‘Blake Goalie Faces Surgery for Brain Tumor.’ Edward “Major” Bowen was his name and his story would change my life. … I wish I could say my surgery was easy. Although I did not feel a thing, my family and friends suffered greatly. It is only through God’s grace and mercy that I am here. … One cold March day [at Sister Kenny Institute], I saw the name Major Bowen handwritten on a label of a headrest on a wheelchair. Could it be the same Major Bowen? I wondered aloud to [my husband] Allen. If he’s here, I have to meet him. After all, he is the reason I went ahead with my surgery. I asked Matt, my OT therapist, if that was Major Bowen, the hockey player. Yes, it was, but due to confidentiality concerns, I couldn’t just walk up and start talking. Matt had to arrange it for us after getting Major’s parents’ approval. The next day, I was introduced to Major, and his parents, Bill and Pat. … The common denominator between Major and me was the same colloid cysts in our brains. A rare and benign tumor, colloid cysts reside in the third left ventricle and restrict the flow of cerebral spinal fluid. In my case, it caused considerable swelling and chronic headaches. by Jean Spielman Housh Major, however, experienced no warning signs or headaches. … After six weeks in Children’s Hospital, Major was released to the Sister Kenny Institute for therapy and rehabilitation. That’s where our paths finally crossed. I was a bit tentative about meeting him. I was concerned his parents might measure me against their son’s progress. Boy was I wrong. I have never been so warmly received. Behind Major’s wheelchair in the computer lab at Sister Kenny Institute, Major’s dad, Bill, shook my hand and thanked me for initiating our meeting. “It’s nice to know someone who had the same surgery as Major and who’s come out so well,” he told me. I tried to tell him that his son was my inspiration. Tears rolled down my face and I couldn’t get the words out. “I cry a lot,” I told him. He smiled, knowing exactly what I meant. Around the corner came Major’s mom, Pat. Awkwardly I began my story again. Lost in my tears were all the words I’d hoped to say. Words like ‘thank you for your son. Thank you for being such loving parents. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to meet my life’s inspiration.’ … During a follow-up visit last year, Dr. Nagib’s nurse practitioner, Therese O’Fallon, told me, “One day, maybe not soon, but one day, you’ll look back on this surgery experience as a gift. Some good will have come from it.” Brain surgery—a gift? Yeah, right. I brushed it off. But today, more than two years later, I’m beginning to see what she means. God has given me a gift of true inspiration in Major. Through him and my surgery, I’ve learned patience, determination, and what family really means. Today, the balance of good days and bad days clearly tips toward the positive. I’ve recovered most, if not all, of my short- and long-term memory. Although, I still lose my car in the Target parking lot and often have trouble remembering how many strokes I had on the golf course. Major and I read Lance Armstrong’s book It’s Not about the Bike last summer. We read it aloud to one another to improve our enunciation. Armstrong’s story of victory over cancer and winning the Tour de France is an inspiring and powerful one. But one no less inspiring than Major’s story of faith, courage, and strength. Jean Spielman Housh is a writer and wife of Augsburg regent emeritus Allen Housh. 20 Spring/Summer 2004 F R O M F L ATA N G E R TO A U G S B U R G : A C E N T U R Y A PA R T by Betsey Norgard THE SMALL coastal town of Flatanger, Norway, has sent two students to Augsburg College, almost exactly 100 years apart. While Ingwald Rosok may not have received a diploma in the spring of 1895 when he left Augsburg, Monica Dahle marched proudly across the stage in spring 2004. Dahle is a senior at Molde University College in central Norway and came to Augsburg as part of International Partners. This program, based on reciprocal agreements between Augsburg and European institutions that offer the equivalent of bachelor’s degrees, allows students from both Europe Norwegian student Monica Dahle stands in front of Old Main, built just three years after Ingwald Rosok, another student from her hometown, attended and Augsburg to take part Augsburg. of their study program at Ingwald Rosok, who attended partner schools. This preparatory class at moved to Arizona and lived there the rest Augsburg in 1894-95, left his enables them to Augsburg Seminary for of his life. small village of Flatanger 100 experience studying years before current student nearly five months until his Although Rosok’s mother was from Monica Dahle. abroad without money ran out. the Sverdrup family, there is no apparent interrupting or delaying In his memoir, Retrospect, Rosok tells close connection to Georg and George their studies. of wanting to go to school and learning Sverdrup, Augsburg’s second and fourth Because of International Partners and about Augsburg from a Norwegian grocer presidents, respectively. the scholarship that participants receive, in Minneapolis. He describes Augsburg’s When Dahle arrived at Augsburg last Dahle chose to come to Minneapolis and location as “in the block between Seventh winter, she recognized Old Main from Augsburg. When she began researching and Eighth Streets, and between 21st and photos she had seen in a history book. information about Augsburg, to her 22nd Avenues South.” He lists the faculty She was one of 34 Norwegian students in surprise and excitement she discovered a that year as six professors. book about Ingwald Rosok, also from Rosok did not want to be a minister Flatanger. He had come to the U.S. in Photo of Ingwald Rosok from Retrospect: An and chose to study engineering at the 1891, worked at a number of jobs in the Autobiography, by I. A. Rosok, edited by O. M. University of Minnesota instead of Norlie, copyright 1957 and printed by Lund Press, Upper Midwest, and attended the second returning to Augsburg. He eventually Minneapolis. Spring/Summer 2004 21 A C E N T U R Y A PA R T International Partners during the academic year, and took social work courses. For her internship, she learned about an agency in downtown Minneapolis offering a needle exchange program, and applied to work there. Her tasks included meeting with drug addicts, homeless people, and prostitutes—work and issues she had never encountered. “I learned so much,” Dahle said, “about nonjudgemental attitudes, about how to treat clients, and about the U.S.” She had not expected the level of culture shock she experienced. Her biggest challenge was language. Dahle said the people who came there often used street slang, but that she simply asked them what it meant. She loves to work with people, and dreams of finding similar ways to work with drug addicts in Norway. During spring semester, two events stood out for Dahle as highlights. In February, when Augsburg hosted the Peace Prize Festival for schoolchildren, she was one of two Norwegian students who greeted and escorted special guests Gro Harlem Brundtland, former prime minister of Norway and director general emerita of the World Health Organization; and Knut Vollebæk, Norwegian ambassador to the U.S. 22 The second highlight was participation in Augsburg’s commencement ceremony. In Norway, college graduates are hosted at a dinner, but without the pomp and circumstance of an American ceremony. Because of the reciprocal agreements between colleges, International Partners students are granted special permission to participate in Augsburg’s graduation. EXCERPTS FROM Monica Dahle (right) and Beate Fjellanger (second from right) greeted Gro Brundtland, former Norwegian prime minister, and Knut Vollebæk, Norwegian ambassador to the U.S., at the Peace Prize Festival in February. “It was amazing, with all the people there,” Dahle remarked. “It’s a really big deal, and I’ve seen it on TV.” Her cap and gown went back to Norway with her as mementos. Dahle has her four-hour final exam to finish at Molde University College. Then she hopes to work for a year or so before possibly returning to the U.S. and Augsburg for a master’s program. ■ RETROSPECT: AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY By Ingwald Andreas Rosok Edited by O.M. Norlie; copyright 1957 by I.A. Rosok. Minneapolis: Lund Press, Inc. 16 ATTENDING AUGSBURG We called on the Norwegian grocer. He advised me to go to Augsburg Seminary, which, at that time, was not only a theological seminary but also a college and an academy. It was a Norwegian Lutheran church school and was located in the block between Seventh and Eighth Streets, and between Twenty-first and Twenty-second Avenues South. I went there, and they took me and accepted my check without any question. … As already stated, Augsburg Seminary had three departments: The Preparatory (Academy) Department which took two years to finish; the College Department which took four years, and the Theological Department which took three years, a total of nine years. When this was completed one was ready to be ordained as a full-fledged Lutheran minister and to be assigned to some congregation as its pastor. The professors that year were: George Sverdrup, president; Sven Oftedal, vice president; John H. Blegen; Edward Hovde; J.L. Nydahl and T.S. Reimestad. When I told them what previous schooling I had had, I was assigned to the second preparatory class. It was a very good school and I enjoyed it very much. It certainly was much better for me than working in the woods in Wisconsin. I studied very hard, never missing any classes and spending all my waking hours in my room doing my homework. I started school at Augsburg Seminary December 7, 1894 and attended until April 13, 1895 when my money was all gone. Spring/Summer 2004 SEEING ABILITIES instead of disabilities Seeing the abilities of people rather than their disabilities has given Cilje Nybord Mosand a dream and a plan, which she has taken back to her native Norway this summer. Mosand, a social work student in the International Partners program at Augsburg, interned during the spring at a non-profit organization called Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, based in Minneapolis. Interact, a multidisciplinary arts center for adult artists with disabilities, features a large art studio and public gallery, rehearsal and performance space, a fulltime faculty of professional artists, a performing arts training program, and a theater company. Mosand was so impressed with Interact that she hopes to start a similar organization in the Scandinavian countries. “We have nothing like this in Norway,” Mosand said. “This has been such a wonderful experience. You don’t see the disabilities of these people, rather the abilities they possess.” During her internship, Mosand assisted the professional artists who work with the disabled artists in all aspects of the theater, from writing the script and by Judy Petree music, to acting. She even took part in the theater performance, playing the part— aptly enough—of a young woman named “Celia,” who is Norwegian. “We really liked having Cilje here,” said Eriq Nelson, performing arts instructor at Interact. “She gave our ‘artists’ individual support and always had time for listening to them. Many times the staff doesn’t have this kind of time.” Nelson added that when Mosand first came, they envisioned her as support staff, doing odd jobs such as filling out paperwork. But, she became so involved with the artists the original plans quickly flew out the door. “We have a large Norwegian population at the center and some have even been to Norway on tour, so they were excited about Cilje being from Norway. She liked being with the artists and they liked being with her.” Nelson said it was also fun to watch Mosand grow during her internship. “We even got her to be a part of the show. It was fun to see Cilje embrace that side of it. She was always willing to do whatever was needed to be done. She’s missed.” Actually, this is not Augsburg’s first encounter with Interact. A few years ago, education professor Susan O’Connor Top photo: At Interact, Cilje Mosand supported and worked with artists with disabilities, and joined them to perform in their production. Spring/Summer 2004 introduced Karl-Johan Johansen, an instructor from Sør Trøndelag University College in Trondheim, Norway, and Per Frederiksen, with PROFF, an organization serving people with disabilities, to Interact while they were visiting Minneapolis. As a result of that visit, Johansen and Frederiksen secured funding in Norway for a group from Interact to travel to Norway and Denmark to give performances. The artists that went on this tour were the same ones who formed a bond with Mosand. “What fascinated me about Interact is it’s so diverse,” Mosand said. “The mix of people from a rainbow of ethnic, age, and disability groups gives one the impression of being in an inclusive Garden of Eden.” The artists help the community understand that gifts are given to all people, Mosand said, and that vision is not lost nor even impaired by a disabling condition. “There are no superiors, inferiors; no staff versus clients. There is only the collegial mix of diverse people who are all focused on the same goals—the creation of beauty, the making of art.” ■ Judy Petree is media relations manager in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. 23 A QUICK CONNECTION PROM DRESSES TO by Judy Petree Stephanie Quick’s passion for working with children and youth, especially those who struggle with lives of poverty and abuse, has taken her to a place far from her Midwestern roots in Mendota Heights, Minn.—to Nome, Alaska, a place so beautiful it’s hard to imagine life could be anything but ideal. Quick, a 2001 Augsburg graduate with a major in youth and family ministry, is currently working on a four-year Master of Divinity degree at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago. She is in year three of seminary, which consists of an internship. Beauty surrounded by poverty The road to Alaska and her internship at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Nome came after she was accepted into a special ELCA program called Horizon. This program offers 22 unique internship sites across the world, including cross-cultural ministry, mission start congregations, and others at rural, urban, and international sites. Quick said that many of these sites, including her current one, cannot afford a second pastor, and provide excellent learning opportunities. Quick said Nome is a beautiful place, surrounded by ocean and tundra. She has seen wildlife from bears to reindeer to seals, eaten a variety of Eskimo foods including Eskimo ice cream (berries mixed with reindeer fat), muktuk (whale blubber), black meat (seal), reindeer, caribou, dried fish, greens, and herring eggs. But, she added, the stark reality is that all of this beauty surrounds a town plagued by alcohol abuse and poverty. “While this town of 3,000 people is in a unique setting, it is also very sad. You can find only two small grocery stores, yet the street is littered with bars and liquor stores. Alcohol abuse is a terrible factor in the community.” In fact, Quick said, it has gotten so bad that alcoholism in Nome and surrounding villages has nearly Above: Stephanie Quick, Class of 2001, is destroyed the Native American (Eskimo) traditional lifestyle. “Sadly, as a pastor, you hear using her seminary internship to work with many stories of family violence, sexual abuse, young people in an impoverished Nome, and substance abuse. There is so much tragedy here it is almost unbelievable.” Alaska church. She brought joy to the high Quick is called to many areas while serving school girls there, as 60 prom dresses she as an intern pastor. Some of her duties include preaching, leading worship, teaching, pastoral collected from family and friends back counseling, home visitations, serving as home were donated for Nome’s big dance. chaplain at the local jail, eating lunch with elders at the senior citizen’s center, and holding 24 Spring/Summer 2004 worship service at the nursing home. However, there is one area where her passion is strong. Quick is concentrating her efforts on working with youth in Nome, even starting a youth group at the congregation, which now draws more than 25 youth. “I have formed some pretty strong connections with some of the high school girls,” Quick said. “These girls have confided a lot of things to me. Recently they told me they couldn’t go to the prom because they couldn’t afford a dress.” While the town is plentiful with bars and liquor stores, Quick said there is not a clothing store to be found. The only way for these girls to get a dress would be to spend $343 on a plane ticket to Anchorage or make a dress. “None of these girls can afford a prom dress let alone fly to Anchorage to buy it. And many of the girls are being raised by their grandparents who just don’t have the time to make a dress.” Quick came up with an idea and she quickly enlisted the help of her sister, Rachel, who is a junior at Augsburg; her parents; and her hometown congregation, St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church in West St. Paul. “I thought, well, I still have my prom dresses, so I called up my mom and asked her to send them here. Unfortunately, she had just given them away to the Goodwill, but my sister, Rachel, still had hers.” Rachel was more than happy to not only ship her prom dress to Alaska, but to send out a campuswide e-mail asking others for their dresses and other prom accessories, such as shoes and purses. When Quick’s pastor at St. Stephen’s found out what she was doing, he made an announcement in church. Her plea was so successful, she received 60 dresses, the majority coming from Augsburg and St. Stephen’s Church in West St. Paul. After the shipment arrived in Nome, Stephanie Quick opened up a “Prom Shop” in the church basement. The ladies’ sewing circle at Our Savior’s Church volunteered to make alterations on the dresses. Quick said the girls were Spring/Summer 2004 “thrilled” with the dresses. “I’m really proud of my sister,” Rachel said. “She is such a kind person and she’s really grown attached to these girls in Nome. She was able to give them something we take for granted—a pretty dress and a really special night.” Quick said she wanted to do this for the girls “simply because I care about them, and feel that their opportunities shouldn’t be limited just because of their finances.” Reaching out Quick followed her passion and calling one step further when she volunteered to travel to a remote village in the wilderness, without running water or plumbing. She spent 10 days in a place called Shishmaref, a tiny island Eskimo village located 20 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The village is entirely Lutheran and is the northernmost ELCA congregation. Most people there still speak their native language of Inupiaq. Quick said the pastor there had resigned in the fall, and it has been difficult to even get an interim pastor, much less a permanent pastor. It is a very rustic place with honeybuckets for toilets and Ladies in Our Savior’s Lutheran Church snow or rainwater for volunteered their time to alter the drinking water. The only donated dresses for the girls. place to shower is at the “washeteria,” which costs money, she added, so obviously people don’t shower much. The roads are all dirt and the houses are primitive. Children, she said, run around very dirty, many visibly with lice. The town is filled with flies, and garbage and raw sewage leak from bins. “It looked straight out of a ‘Save the Children’ commercial,” Quick said. “It was a moving experience just driving down the street.” The only modes of transportation, she added, are fourwheelers; snowmobiles, which the Alaskans call snow machines; and dog sled teams. “I had some amazing visits with the people there,” Quick said, “including a group of elders who showed me some of their sewing. It was a neat experience sitting on the floor watching the Eskimo women sew things like slippers, mukluks, and Eskimo yo-yos out of seal 25 A QUICK CONNECTION TO PROM DRESSES skin and reindeer fur.” Quick’s love and passion for children took center stage there as well, in this remote village. She said the children were excited to see her and she organized many youth activities for them, including baking for elders and confirmation classes. Some days there were more than 50 children that showed up in the basement of the parsonage, which is used for a youth center. “We had a Sunday School turnout of 75 children which is great considering there are only 600 people in the village.” The church services were similar to the ones she helps out with in Nome, part of it being in their native language and part in English. “I have to brag a little that I’m doing quite well on the Inupiaq. The elders tease me that I am becoming an Eskimo!” Quick said because of the lack of a pastor or interim pastor, she was given special permission by the bishop and seminary to administer the sacraments. She presided over Holy Communion and performed her first baptism. The baptism, she added, was especially moving. “I had asked a woman in the congregation to present the candle and recite a special verse. She has cerebral palsy and told me she has trouble reading, so when she came up, she had the verse memorized. It was moving and a true moment of grace.” Augsburg’s transforming education Quick credits the encouragement she received from faculty and staff in the religion department while she was a student at Augsburg for steering her toward the path she is now following. In particular she remembers a lecture she heard about being called to serve God. “I still remember that lecture, and that confirmed my call from God. I began to look for a place to serve the church and I felt not only an internal call to the ministry, but an external call to serve God.” Quick said she wasn’t sure at that point what direction in ministry she wanted to pursue, but she loved the Youth and Family Ministry program and being involved in Campus Ministry, so that excited her about ministry with families. Quick will return to Chicago in the fall to finish her education. Where she will go from there is still a question, but she has many goals, one being a pastor in an inner city church working with families, children and youth; another opening an orphanage or working at an existing one, perhaps in Thailand; or even teaching religion, “especially if it was at Above: A stitch here and there to the Augsburg!” donated dresses made the high school “The education I received at Augsburg helped shape my life in a very positive way. Augsburg girls feel like queens of the prom. helped me realize that all things are possible through God.” ■ Judy Petree is media relations manager in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. 26 Spring/Summer 2004 Students celebrate after receiving their honors cords from academic dean Christopher Kimball at the Honors Convocation on Friday, April 30. The Augsburg Chamber Orchestra performs at the Commencement concert on Friday, April 30, which featured solos by each of the four 2004 Concerto Aria winners: Miya Kunin ’04, violin; Maja Lisa FritzHuspen ’04, soprano; Nicholas White ’05, bass; and Keely Holcomb ’04, soprano. DR. SHIRLEY ANN JACKSON DELIVERS COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS A graduate pays homage to her home state by taping a cutout of Texas to her mortarboard. Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, president of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, spoke at the 2004 Augsburg College Commencement ceremony Saturday, May 1. It is said that Jackson has a “career distinguished by many historic firsts.” Jackson, a theoretical physicist, holds a Ph.D. in theoretical elementary particle physics from M.I.T. and an S.B. in physics from M.I.T. She is the first AfricanAmerican woman to receive a doctorate from M.I.T., and is one of the first two African-American women to receive a doctorate in physics in the United States. Jackson is also the first African-American to become a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and is now the first woman to lead a national research university. Jackson has held senior positions in government, as chairperson of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC); in industry and research, as a theoretical physicist at the former AT&T Bell Laboratories; and in academe as a professor at Rutgers University. While at the NRC, Jackson represented the United States as a delegate to the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna, Austria. Among the number of professional organizations Jackson belongs to, she is president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. She is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the American Physical Society. Visit <www.rpi.edu/web/President/profile.html> for more information about Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. Barbara Lehmann, assistant professor of social work, hugs a student during the procession from Foss Center to Melby Hall. 28 Spring/Summer 2004 COMMENCEMENT 2004 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS URGES EXCELLENCE, LEADERSHIP, AND COMMUNITY Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson, president of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, delivers the keynote Commencement address. Lois Bosch, associate professor of social work, places a master’s hood on a Master of Social Work student. Barbara Forshier, Weekend College Class of 2004 representative, addresses the crowd at the Commencement ceremony. Spring/Summer 2004 Following are excerpts from Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson’s Commencement address; read the complete address at <www.rpi.edu/web/President/speeches/augsburg.html> … A simple message from my own father has always motivated me. … He always would say to us: “Aim for the stars, so that you will reach the treetops, and at any rate, you will get off the ground.” In other words, if you do not aim high, you will not go far. He also believed that it was important to help somebody else along the way. I have taken my father’s advice throughout my career, and woven it into a common thread with three basic strands. They are excellence, leadership, and community. It was Aristotle who said, “Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” After all, if you are going to spend precious time doing something, why not do it well? And, when you do things well, it becomes your habit. Secondly, leadership is a fundamental responsibility we all own. … Leadership encompasses a clarity of vision, an understanding of the broader context, as well as the articulation to share that vision with others. It takes perseverance, and requires very hard work, but an effective leader sets an example by working hard, by being ethical, and by inspiring others to do the same. … The final strand is community. What I mean by community also might be termed inclusiveness. In the global community in which we live, inclusiveness is key, because it is the estrangement of individuals, or of groups, or of peoples, or of nations that is responsible for the divisiveness that haunts us—that makes the world a more dangerous place. … Optimism also is part of my father’s legacy. As a result, I am determinedly optimistic about the future. Optimism and hope are contagious. … Indeed, it is a force for change, and it can move people to take positive action. … So, give generously. Aim high. Lead with your gifts. Stay positive. Look forward. Do not be discouraged. Lead with optimism. Challenge yourselves. Find joy in everyday life. If you do all of these, I am confident that you can lead us to a future of peace, a future of greater safety, security, and health for all—a future in which hope prospers, and love and service guide us. Now is your time. Be that future, and you can change the world. Three graduates smile for the camera during the ceremony in Melby Hall. 29 Gregory McKusky, who received a B.A. in physics, joins family and faculty in Murphy Park after the Commencement ceremony. A graduate poses for a picture following the ceremony. THE AUGSBURG COLLEGE 623 Candidates for graduation 347 Day program candidates 152 Weekend College candidates 83 Graduate program candidates (12 Master of Arts in Leadership, 30 Master of Social Work, 14 Master of Arts in Nursing, 24 Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, 3 Master of Arts in Education) 33 Rochester program candidates 8 10 Jennifer Hagen, who graduated with a B.S. in chemistry, relaxes with friends. CLASS OF 2004 19-64 United Hospital candidates Countries represented (China, Colombia, Republic of Korea, Laos, Liberia, Mexico, Mongolia, Norway, Spain, Taiwan) Age range of graduates in the Class of 2004 MASTER OF ARTS IN NURSING—CLASS OF 2004 A grad poses with her family after receiving a bouquet of roses. 30 The Master of Arts in Nursing program celebrated its third class of graduates. Here, graduates and faculty posed for a picture following the ceremony. Spring/Summer 2004 COMMENCEMENT 2004 The 135TH YEAR of Augsburg College THE CLASS OF 2004’S OLDEST AND YOUNGEST EDUCATION HAS NO AGE LIMIT ABBEY PAYEUR, AGE 19, OF CHAMPLIN, MINN., AND MARYANN KINNEY, AGE 64, OF ROCHESTER, MINN., ARE THE YOUNGEST AND OLDEST OF AUGSBURG’S GRADUATING CLASS OF 2004. PAYEUR ALREADY HAD A TWO-YEAR COLLEGE DEGREE WHEN SHE FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL BACHELOR’S AND DEGREE COMPLETED IN A ELEMENTARY EDUCATION AT AUGSBURG IN TWO YEARS. SHE PLANS TO TEACH AND RETURN LATER FOR GRADUATE SCHOOL. KINNEY HAS BEEN A STAFF NURSE AT SAINT MARYS HOSPITAL IN ROCHESTER FOR MORE THAN 25 YEARS AND DECIDED TO SEEK A MASTER’S DEGREE IN NURSING. SHE HAS NO PLANS TO RETIRE SOON, BUT WANTS TO SERVE PEOPLE WITH LOW INCOME AND HOMELESS POPULATIONS. Spring/Summer 2004 By some accounts, at age 64, Maryann Kinney should be making plans for her retirement. Would she like to travel? Spend more time with friends? Instead, she walked down the aisle of Augsburg’s gymnasium in Melby Hall, adorned in cap and gown. Kinney graduated with a Master of Arts in nursing degree and isn’t considering leaving the workforce anytime soon. “I probably should think about my retirement, but I’m just going to keep on going,” she says. This hospice volunteer for the past 18 years has always spent much of her time serving others. A nurse since 1978, she has worked in Appalachia and with orphaned children in Romania. “Nursing is a profession where care is always our key element,” says Kinney. After three attempts at attaining a master’s degree, the fourth time proved to be a charm. She began at Augsburg in the fall of 2001. Kinney was finally able to reach her goal, with the help of a supportive supervisor at Saint Marys Hospital in Rochester, where she currently works, and close attention from Augsburg faculty whom she says, “build on your strengths and work with your weaknesses.” To Kinney, it was well worth the effort. “To keep up with all of the changes that are going on in nursing, you really need an advanced degree,” she says. “Unfortunately, many nurses who get the degree get out of nursing. They go on to get more administrative roles. Augsburg’s program prepares you to stay in nursing. I think most of the students that finish here stay in patient care.” Kinney has a deep appreciation for Augsburg’s commitment to the community and their awareness of the by Jessica Brown broader issues, outside of what just affects the campus. After graduation she would like to do work with povertystricken or homeless populations, areas where she gained experience through her work at Augsburg’s Central Nursing Center, located in Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis. Kinney was also afforded the rare opportunity to do her clinical practice in London, England, at St. Christopher’s hospice under the tutelage of founder Dame Cicely Saunders. Saunders, at age 85, still works at the hospice every day. She was a true inspiration to Kinney and reinforced a desire to work with those less fortunate. Kinney is no less of an inspiration in her own right, “I carry a bag of dirt in my pocket. I have for a long time. I like to keep it with me to remind me to always stay ‘grounded’,” she says. Often when others around her seem to be feeling overwhelmed she will share her secret—“I take it out of my pocket and everyone knows that they have to get grounded.” At the very least it offers those around her a moment to pause and smile. Kinney is grateful to Augsburg for helping her achieve her goal, “I think Augsburg is awesome. Not only are the school, the classes, and the professors great, but I was also really impressed with the students. I can’t believe how nice they are,” she says. “The greatest gift one can give to another is a chance. That is what Augsburg did for me. It is almost impossible as a staff nurse to have one’s educational needs met. Augsburg went that mile.” Jessica Brown is a communication specialist in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. 31 COMMENCEMENT ON THE FAST TRACK TO A CAREER IN TEACHING At a time when many 19-year-olds are still early in their adventures in higher learning, Abbey Payeur is completing that adventure and embarking on a new one. Payeur, of Champlin, Minn., got on the fast track and never jumped off. She enrolled in the Minnesota Post Secondary Enrollments Option program (PSEO) at the age of 15. The PSEO program allows high school juniors and seniors to take courses for credit at public and private postsecondary institutions while still in high school. Payeur decided to take full advantage of the opportunity before her and enrolled full time at North Hennepin Community College (NHCC). Because of her young age, she had to be driven to her first year of college courses by her mother. Thus, her final two years of high school were spent away from the Champlin Park schools where she’d began. “Mostly I wanted more independence, more choices in the classes I was free to take, more of a challenge,” says Payeur. When she participated in graduation ceremonies at Champlin Park High School in spring 2002, she already had an Associate of Arts degree under her belt from NHCC. Payeur always had a passion for 32 by Jessica Brown learning, and a decision about her learning after high school was an easy one. She went to a guidance counselor and asked about the better schools for elementary education. “I love school and I think I can reach the kids like me [that love school] and also the kids that don’t like it as much,” she says. “I just want to let them know how much your life can change if you choose to do well in school.” Augsburg College was at the top of the recommended list, and after an initial interview with Professor Vicki Olson, it seemed like a good fit. Payeur decided the small class sizes and the personal relationships you make with the professors was what she wanted. Payeur enrolled at Augsburg in the fall of 2002 at the age of 17. Being the youngest in class periodically posed certain challenges. “Sometimes people in class didn’t give much credit to what I would say because I was ‘just a baby,’ ” says Payeur. Very quickly, however, after the other students got to know her, she was on the same playing field as everyone else. Sometimes her youth and experience were advantages in the classroom. “There was a discussion about the Minnesota Graduate nursing student Maryann Kinney reminisces with Tony Bristo about experiences in England at Augsburg’s Central Nursing Clinic at Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis. 2004 graduation standards—profiles of learning,” Payeur says. “The other students were debating them but none had ever experienced them. I was actually in school when those were in place, and so I had a unique perspective that could add to the class.” Payeur graduated Summa Cum Laude from Augsburg with a Bachelor of Arts degree in education and marched with her fellow classmates in the Commencement ceremony. In August she begins her student teaching at Oxbow Creek Elementary School in Champlin, where she lives with her husband, Micah. The next step for Payeur is looking for a permanent teaching position. After that she says, “I may return to Augsburg to complete a minor in special education or get my reading specialist certification, and eventually I would like to get a master’s degree, but I want to teach in the classroom for a while first.” Whatever she decides to do, even Payeur has to agree that she has plenty of time. Jessica Brown is a communication specialist in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. Abbey Payeur, at 19 years old, is the youngest Augsburg graduate in the Class of 2004. With an elementary education degree, she aims to teach full time and then consider graduate school. Spring/Summer 2004 SHARING A PASSION FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE by Keme Hawkins and Judy Petree Though this group of five social work students came from very different walks in life, together they discovered how their shared passions and compassion for each other helped them succeed. Throughout the past two years in Weekend College, as they faced a variety of challenges and demands on their personal and academic lives, collectively they supported each other to achieve their highest potential as students and successful graduates. Vernona Boswell, Lymoua Mouacheupao, Darin Rowles, Sophia Thompson, Matthew Thornhill, and Geralyn Williams all entered the social work program together, and on May 1 they graduated together. “They discovered that they share the passion for social justice and service to others that is the hallmark of Augsburg College,” said Tony Bibus, associate professor and social work department chair, about the group’s commitment. Three of the students shared their stories. LYMOUA MOUACHEUPAO enrolled at Augsburg after her husband lost his battle with liver cancer and left her to raise four sons. Going back to school was her way to deal with grief. “I needed a sense of meaning in life,” Mouacheupao said, and she appreciated the shared common bond of family responsibility felt in this group. GERALYN WILLIAMS came to Weekend College in 1997 after having gone in and out of college programs at other institutions for 15 years. Not sure what she wanted to do, she left school and worked at an office job, but never let her desire to finish college fade. When she finally started looking at schools Spring/Summer 2004 First row (L to R) Lymoua Mouacheupao, Matthew Thornhill, Second row (L to R) Geralyn Williams, Darin Rowles, Vernona Boswell, Sophia Thompson. again, it was the weekend program that attracted her to Augsburg. DARIN ROWLES began taking courses at Augsburg through the postsecondary program during his senior year in high school. He completed his freshman year at Augsburg until family issues, chemical abuse, and other difficulties forced him to drop out. In the mid-90s he completed an associate degree, but wanted a four-year degree. “Education has always been very important in my life, and returning to Augsburg had deep meaning to me. It was part of my plan to finish where I had started years ago.” Before Rowles resumed his education, he worked in corporate America at jobs with great pay and amazing benefits, Rowles said, but that were less than satisfying. He also worked at an adult foster home for people living with AIDS. “I found this work to be very fulfilling,” he said. “I knew I had the knack for working with people in need and keeping a level head during difficult circumstances. Social work seemed a good blend of these strengths.” The students found that studying in their cohort drew them together in rewarding ways. Initially, Rowles said he was concerned about spending two years with people who would end up sharing much of their lives with each other. He quickly learned this wouldn’t be the case. “Even though our group represented a diverse mix of race, gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, employment background, and so on, we formed a very close bond, very quickly. Our diverse backgrounds led to lively, informed debates as we moved through our social work curriculum.” Williams said it was comforting at times going into class knowing this would be there. “I knew them well enough to feel comfortable calling them when I needed help or had questions about class assignments. I really appreciated the relationship I have with them.” Besides sharing help with academics, their mutual support was on a more personal level. Rowles said they listened to each other’s difficulties, and when one person was having an especially rough week, others would step in and be more involved with class discussion to lighten the load. “We let each other vent about the bad times and celebrated the good times,” he explained. “I honestly don’t know how I would have survived the past two years without the support of my classmates.” D.J.M. Edwards, social work undergraduate program assistant, said that weekend students often feel they are on their own, and a support group is a great advantage. “Working in a cohort breaks down barriers over time,” he said. “When ideas can flow without impediments the course material really starts to come to life.” This was an unusual group, he said, and definitely worked together as a unit, “We are so proud to have been partners in their educational journeys,” Bibus added. “The social work profession stands to gain mightily as they embark on their careers. The world will change for the better!” Keme Hawkins is a Weekend College communication major. Judy Petree is media relations manager in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. 33 AAlumni LUMNINews NEWS From the Alumni Board president’s desk… I was honored to speak at Augsburg’s 135th Commencement on Saturday, May 1. More than 600 graduating students participated in the ceremony, and of these, nearly 350 were day students and 152 were Weekend College students. In addition, 33 were Rochester program candidates, and 83 received graduate degrees. These figures are in sharp contrast to those of my own Commencement ceremony 20 years ago when Weekend College had just been launched and the Rochester and graduate programs did not yet exist. Needless to say, the College has evolved in many ways over the past two decades. An Augsburg degree not only indicates that the bearer possesses knowledge, but it also suggests that the bearer has the wisdom to face challenges with confidence, integrity, and honor. In fact, as alumni, we have been blessed by the time spent immersed in the Augsburg community and its ethos—i.e., that we mattered and that with a transforming education we could make a positive difference in the world. We have been given an incredible gift. Indeed, this gift reflects the Christian heritage of Augsburg. In Romans 12, Paul writes, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” An Augsburg education does not end with Commencement. Instead, it is the beginning of a journey of continuous renewal. We have been transformed to appreciate that there is joy doing that which one is called to do in service to others. New graduates are now members of the Augsburg Alumni Association. What does it mean to be a member of the Alumni Association? It means staying connected to the College. Check in with us by phone (612-330-1178 or toll free 1-800-260-6590), the Web (www.augsburg.edu/alumni), or via email (alumni@augsburg.edu). Let us know what you are doing. Tell us about jobs, marriages, children, moves, and other achievements. Being an alum also means serving as an ambassador of the College. Without a doubt, many of you are or will be leaders in your communities and people will wonder what makes you shine, and part of that is being an Auggie! Attend events sponsored by the College such as Homecoming and Advent Vespers. Visit former professors. Support the College with financial and service gifts. Finally, keep the College, its students, and its faculty in your prayers. A great mission is being accomplished at Augsburg, of Auggies at the Minnesota State Fair D on’t forget to stop by the Augsburg booth at the Minnesota State Fair Aug. 26–Sept. 6. Located in the Education Building, the booth will feature alumni prize drawings, give-aways, special guests, and more. For schedule information or to volunteer for a four-hour shift at the booth, call Bobbie Chong in Public Relations and Communication at 612-330-1180 or e-mail <chong@augsburg.edu>. 34 Save the date: Annual ice cream social T he annual ice cream social at the Augsburg House will be held Aug. 31. Watch your mailbox for further details, or call Alumni/Parent Relations at 612-330-1178 or e-mail <alumni@augsburg.edu>. Stephen Geffre On behalf of the Augsburg College Alumni Board and Association, I would like to extend heartfelt congratulations to the Class of 2004 on a job well done! which you and I are beneficiaries. The College depends on your support and enthusiasm for this mission. As alumni, these are gifts that we can give back to the school that has given us so much. Again, congratulations to the Class of 2004. Welcome to the Alumni Association and God bless you on the journey you are about to commence! Paul S. Mueller ’84, M.D. President, Alumni Board 2004-2005 Alumni Board meeting schedule A lumni Board meetings for the 20042005 academic year will be held Aug. 17, Nov. 16, Feb. 15, Apr. 19, and June 21. Meetings are open to the public and all alumni are invited to attend. Meetings are located in the Minneapolis Room in Christensen Center at 5:30 p.m. For more information, visit the alumni Web site at <www.augsburg.edu/alumni>, call 612-330-1178, or e-mail <alumni@augsburg.edu>. Spring/Summer 2004 A-Club and AWAC merger unites resources, strengthens fundraising efforts by Rebecca Welle ’05 with contributions by Lynn Mena W hen we hear the word “merger,” we usually associate it with two organizations coming together to achieve a higher goal. This is precisely what the new Augsburg College A-Club is planning to accomplish. As briefly reported in the winter issue of the Augsburg Now, the College’s two alumni athletics organizations—A-Club and the Augsburg Women’s Athletic Club (AWAC)—merged in November. This joint venture provides an even stronger foundation and organization dedicated to supporting the success of Augsburg athletics. The first official meeting of the new AClub was held November 4, and those involved are prepared for the challenge. The Executive Committee of six men and six women has updated the constitution and has also created a critical structure of committees to move the organization forward. These committees address the Athletic Hall of Fame, the annual golf tournament, membership, special events, communications, and finance/fundraising. Augsburg staff liaisons to the A-Club include Jeff Swenson ’79, assistant dean for athletics and recreation, and Heidi Breen, associate director of alumni/ parent relations. Dick “Pork Chops” Thompson ’61, president of the former A-Club, serves as interim chair, and the first A-Club Executive Committee includes: Kathie Erbes ’70 (treasurer), Dustin Froyum ’98, John Harden ’70, Jane Helmke ’83, Mark Hultgren ’82, Dick Kelley ’72 Ron Main ’56, Lisa Nos ’99, Tracy Tomforde ’92, Lisa Trainor ’81, and Tim Wendt ’83. “We are very pleased that this [merger] has taken place and will be even more pleased with the results,” said Thompson. On June 28, the new A-Club successfully hosted its first joint golf tournament—the 41st Annual Clair Strommen A-Club Golf Tournament—at the Pebble Creek course in Becker, Minn. Proceeds from this annual event underwrite various A-Club activities, including the Hall of Fame banquet. Spring/Summer 2004 taken place and are anxious to make a Deep roots and passionate goals positive impact. On the immediate For more than a half-century, the horizon, the new A-Club will be a major Augsburg A-Club has been a vital link for fundraising force for the proposed South the past, present, and future of Auggie Wing expansion of Melby Hall. The athletics. The original A-Club for athletic project is an important and necessary step letter winners was started in 1937 by four in upgrading facilities for all students, of Augsburg’s top student athletes—Ken staff, physical education majors, and Schmit ’38, Jerry Person ’39, Hoyt intercollegiate athletes. Messerer ’39, and faculty adviser Dick “This merger will combine all alumni Pautz ’37. The club is one of the oldest of Augsburg’s 18 sports into a single athletic alumni organizations in the state. advocate, dedicated to the successful Over the years the A-Club has kept tradition of excellence in education, close ties with the College and its athletes recreation, and athletics at Augsburg,” through social, athletic, and fundraising said Swenson. events. The A-Club was instrumental in As a volunteer membership raising money for numerous major organization, the A-Club is dependent on athletic facility improvements, such as the the support and active participation of all Edor Nelson athletic field, the Melby Hall athletic alumni to make it a success. If fitness center and renovation project, the you'd like more information about how annual Hall of Fame dinner and program, you can help Augsburg’s A-Club, contact the Hall of Fame display in the Melby Hall Merry Ross at 612-330-1245 or lobby, locker room improvements, and <rossm@augsburg.edu>, or contact many other projects totaling more than Jeff Swenson at 612-330-1241 or $4 million in value. <swensonj@augsburg.edu>. AWAC was started as an alumni group in 1983 by Helmke to provide female athletes with the same opportunity to stay connected to Augsburg athletics. In 1989, AWAC honored the first women inductees in the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. “This new joint venture is truly the best future for both organizations,” said Helmke. “It unites all resources, talent, and passion into a single cause directed at supporting the success of Augsburg athletics.” Augsburg’s two alumni athletics organizations, A-Club and AWAC, merged in November 2003. Above, Bob Strommen ’74 (center) Thompson, addresses the audience with President Frame and his mother, Helmke, and all Gladys (Boxrud) Strommen ’46, by his side during the Clair members involved said Strommen A-Club Golf Tournament dinner in June 2003. The tournament, the largest yearly fundraiser for the A-Club, was they are excited this renamed in honor of his father, Clair Strommen ’46, in 2002. merger has finally 35 CLASS NOTES Class Notes Gloria (Greguson) Johnson, Minneapolis, left the Golden Valley City Council after 27 years of service. She will continue to work as a substitute teacher in Robbinsdale District 281 schools, as well as to serve on the Golden Valley Foundation, Envision steering and youth committees, and sing in the church choir. 1950 Phebe (Dale) Hanson, St. Paul, published a new book, Why Still Dance: 75 years: 75 poems. Hanson recently read from her book at Kieran’s Irish Pub in Minneapolis after it was chosen by The Rake magazine’s Happy Hour Book Club as a “selection of the month.” 1953 Quentin Goodrich, Port Ludlow, Wash., was elected vice president of the Washington State School Directors Association, an organization of almost 1,500 school directors in Washington. He served on his local school board for over 16 years and has been re-elected for another four-year term. Quentin is also chairman of the School Trust Lands Task Force for his state association. 1956 Richard Thorud, Bloomington, Minn., retired after 34 years with the Toro Company. He was senior principal research engineer and holds 52 patents. 1957 Lois (Kolden) Larson lives with her husband, Donald, in Seaside, Ore., a small tourist town on the northern Oregon coast where Donald is mayor. 36 The Larsons can be contacted at <larsondonlo@harborside.com>. 1958 Doris (Johnson) Deml, St. Cloud, Minn., received the Ray Johnson Distinguished Service in Senior Housing Award, given annually through the Minnesota Health and Housing Alliance to one recipient in Minnesota. Doris is director of operations at Clearwater Suites, an assistedliving facility in Alexandria, Minn. 1966 Judith Engle Christenson Kerr, Cornucopia, Wis., graduated from Luther Seminary with a Master of Arts in Doctrine and Theology in May 2003. She is pursuing her M.S./Ph.D. in distance learning from Capella University. She can be contacted at <jkcorny@yahoo.com>. Daryl Kosloske, Winston-Salem, N.C., is president and CEO of Behavioral Health Resources, Inc. (BHR), which manages health and substance abuse benefits for health plans and self-insured employers in North Carolina. Daryl was previously vice president of behavioral health services for NovantHealth. He received his M.S.W. from the University of Denver. His wife, Hilary, is a stockbroker and the couple has two daughters, ages 11 and 16. ordained in March 2000. He continues to coach volleyball at Grand Meadow High School, and was inducted into the Minnesota Volleyball Coaches’ Hall of Fame in November. 1968 Jan Pedersen Schiff, Mill Valley, Calif., received the Milley Award for creative achievement in the arts, presented by the Mill Valley Art Commission. She is the artistic director and founder of Singers Marin, a non-profit organization of choruses for youth and adults. Wayne Hansen, Cheyenne, Wyo., is director of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum and the Cheyenne Depot Museum. His wife, Lois B. Hansen ’69, is a quilter and artist and also sings with the Capital Chorale in Cheyenne. The couple recently celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. 1971 Bessie Hughes, Minneapolis, was included in an article in the winter 2003-04 issue of Minnesota History magazine that featured her husband, Solomon Hughes, who before his death in 1987 was a top Minneapolis-based golf professional. The article investigated his 1948 battle with the then “white-only” PGA when he attempted to enter the St. Paul Open tournament. 1973 William Payne, Mendota Heights, Minn., was named an assistant professor in Metropolitan State University’s College of Professional Studies, where he coordinates the alcohol and drug counseling major and teaches undergraduate courses in alcohol and drug counseling, chemical dependency counseling, and dual disorders. William came to Metropolitan State University in 2000; he previously taught in the INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI Courtesy photo 1948 1967 Rev. Ron Prigge, Racine, Minn., is a pastor at the dual parishes of Immanuel (Racine, Minn.) and St. John’s (Sargeant, Minn.) Lutheran churches. After teaching and coaching (football, wrestling, and volleyball) for 30 years, he enrolled at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., and was Nohn Rebecca Kidau ’88 currently resides in Monrovia, Liberia, where she assists the deputy minister for special projects at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs. Spring/Summer 2004 ALUMNI PROFILE by Rebecca Welle ’05 When the Rev. Dr. Ben H. Coltvet ’66 toured with the Augsburg Choir to Berlin in 1965, little did he know that he would eventually return to Berlin as a pastor at the American Church in Berlin (ACB). Courtesy photo Rev. Dr. Ben H. Coltvet ’66: Pastoral call leads to Berlin Coltvet is currently serving as pastor of the ACB, where he and his wife, Margit, reside. He and Margit found their way to Berlin through the Division for Global Mission (DGM) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). “It was in the interview process and selection process for working with DGM that a call was extended to us to serve in Berlin,” said Coltvet. The ACB is an independent church that has close relationships with the ELCA, the American Foreign Christian Union (AFCU), the Association of International Churches in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Evangelische Kirche in Berlin-Brandenburg. Coltvet graduated from Augsburg with a B.A. in biology and a minor in political science. “I was going to be a funeral director,” Coltvet said, but “instead ended up going to the Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul.” Courtesy photo At Luther, Coltvet received a Master of Divinity degree and then went on to attain a Certificate of Supervised Training in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Pennsylvania. Later, he received a Doctor of Ministry degree from Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Philadelphia in Marriage and Family Care. During his time at Augsburg, Coltvet served as president of the Augsburg Choir, president The Rev. Dr. Ben Coltvet ’66 and his wife, of Student Christian Fellowship, and Margit, reside in Berlin, Germany, where was involved in Men’s Senate. It was at Coltvet serves as pastor of the American Augsburg that Coltvet met Margit. Church in Berlin. After two years at Augsburg, Margit transferred to Cornell University for a degree in nursing, and in 1968 they were married. The members of the ACB come from more than 15 Christian denominations and more than 30 different nations. They are united by three commonalities, which include their Christian faith, the English language, and the spirit of tolerance that appreciates and rejoices in the difference. The congregation consists of nearly 280 attending members with an average Sunday attendance of 175 worshippers. Their congregation has been welcoming worshippers to Berlin since the mid-1880s and has ministered to an estimated 1,250 members and countless visitors seeking a spiritual home in the past 25 years. The location of the ACB holds great significance, Coltvet said, not only because of the city it is in, but also because of the building itself. The importance of the city of Berlin has to do with its “unique physical location, its historically symbolic importance, and its current political importance,” Coltvet said. Because of this, “ACB recognizes a compelling need to play a Christian role in building bridges across diversity in the city.” Coltvet and his wife enjoy living in Berlin and have an avid interest in traveling, as they have ventured to Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Kenya, Cameroon, Tanzania, England, Hungary, Austria, and Italy all in the last few years—much of this travel being work related. The Coltvets have five grown children and four grandchildren who are scattered throughout North America. Their youngest daughter attends graduate school at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio, for violin performance. The American Church in Berlin, where the Rev. Dr. Coltvet ’66 serves. Spring/Summer 2004 This October, the Alumni Association tour to Germany and Eastern Europe will feature a special worship service with Coltvet at the ACB. 37 Class Notes Phil Lundin, Apple Valley, Minn., was named the 2003 National Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track Coaches Association. Phil, who is the men’s track and field coach at the University of Minnesota, is the first Minnesota men’s or women’s track coach to earn the national honor. He has been the head coach of the Golden Gophers’ men’s track and field team since 1996. He also earned Big Ten Coach of the Year and the USTCA Midwest Region Coach of the Year honors. He and his wife, Sue, have two children: Dann, 22, and Teresa, 15. Stephen Geffre Stephen Geffre 1974 LUTHERAN FREE CHURCH REUNION AND CELEBRATION Stephen Geffre addiction counseling and human services programs at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. 1975 Patricia (Phelps) Georg, Hopkins, Minn., received both the Minnesota Teacher of the Year Award from the Air Force Association and the R.W. Rawlings Teacher of the Year Award for 2003. 1976 Chris Jensen, St. Paul, is a teacher at Mounds Park Academy, where he has worked for 20 years. From 1994-96 he and his wife, Barbara, a children’s book author and illustrator, traveled to Lima, Peru, to teach at an international school. He receives periodic leaves for education and travel abroad, the two most recent being a trip to Tanzania to accompany elephant DNA researchers, as well as a vacation with his wife’s South African family to Botswana. In addition to teaching and traveling, he continues to enjoy playing and coaching soccer Rev. Dr. Norman W. Wahl, Rochester, Minn., celebrated the 38 A festive celebration of the tradition and heritage of the Lutheran Free Church was held June 12. Alumni and friends gathered at Augsburg for a special day of worship, “singspiration,” testimonials, lectures, dining, and conversation. 25th anniversary of his ordination in June. He is the executive pastor at Bethel Lutheran Church in Rochester, and is married to Kathryn (Anderson) ’76. 1977 Pamela Carlson and her husband, Phil Heide ’58, recently returned from spending a year working and living in Oslo, Norway, where Pamela was cantor, organist, and choir director at Holmen menighet (congregation) in Nesbru, Norway. Holmen is part of the Lutheran Church of Norway. Their 10-year-old daughter, Selena, attended fourth grade in a Norwegian school. Bruce Cunningham, Maplewood, Minn., was elected president of the Minnesota Osteopathic Medical Society for 2004-2006. Bruce is a family physician at MinnHealthWoodbury and serves on the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners and the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. He and his wife, Pam, have four children ranging in age from 11 to 18. Heidi (Leaf) Haagenson, New London, Minn., completed her master’s degree thesis at St. Cloud State University, titled: “The Nonlinear Nature of Jamaican Women’s Writing: Louise Bennett,” and dedicated this work to the children at Sunbeam Boys Home, near Spanishtown, Jamaica, where Heidi has traveled many times since 1995. While in Jamaica, Heidi is involved in work projects at the Sunbeam Boys Spring/Summer 2004 Jacqueline Knight, Minneapolis, was featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for her work as writer and director of Youth Performance Company’s production, Freedom Riders, recently performed at the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center in Minneapolis. Jonathan Moren, Eden Prairie, Minn., has been a dentist with the Boynton Health Service at the University of Minnesota for over 20 years. In addition, he is co-owner of a private dental office in Edina, named Pentagon Dental Group, Ltd. He is the official team dentist of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. Jonathan was recently chosen as president-elect of the Minneapolis Dental Society. He will take over the presidency for a one-year term in April 2005. He is married to Bonnie (Lamon) ’78, an adapted physical education teacher for Bloomington Schools. 1980 Brett Batterson, Gross Pointe, Mich., was named executive director of the University of Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre. Brett was previously chief operating officer of Detroit’s Michigan Opera Theatre, and also served as manager of the Detroit Opera House. Judith Driscoll, Maplewood, Minn., received a master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in May. She can be contacted at <driscoll.j@juno.com>. Carolyn (Johnson) Spargo, Chaska, Minn., was named to the “Who’s Who in America” 20032004 directory. Spring/Summer 2004 Bob Wick, St. Louis Park, Minn., received the “Building Responsible Youth” award from the Minnetonka Rotary Club for his work in youth ministry. He has been an integral part of shaping youth ministry on the junior high and senior high levels. His involvement with mission trips, youth retreats, and mentoring youth in confirmation and beyond has connected him with many of the youth at a critical time in their lives. ALUMNI IN THE MILITARY Courtesy photo 1978 1981 1982 Wendy (Fiscus) Dybdal, Mendota Heights, Minn., completed her master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix in 2002. She works in management at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, and has two children—Kyle and Kira—with her husband, Kevin. 1987 Sharon A. Romano, Minneapolis, is enrollment and student services assistant director and liaison for American Indian students at Metropolitan State University. She previously served as staff assistant at the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council as well as multicultural affairs director at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. Samantha Michele Kronschnabel ’03 graduated as a combat engineer platoon commander from Marine Corps infantry school in Quantico, Va., in March. She reported to Camp Lejuene, N.C., for duty and welcomes correspondence via e-mail at <kronsch5@hotmail.com>. CHAMBER MUSIC RECITAL & HIGH TEA Staff photo Home and enjoys spending time with the boys. She received an American Association of University Women Career Development Grant in 2001. 1988 Eric Sime, Rochester, Minn., received the National Service Provider of the Year Award from the National Association of Career and Technical Educators at their annual national convention in Orlando, Fla., in December. He was named a Minnesota state award recipient in February 2003, making him eligible for the national award. Eric is the special needs advisor/ADA coordinator for Rochester Community and Technical College. Music scholarship donors and recipients gathered April 21 for the annual Chamber Music Recital & High Tea, an event that allows donors to attend a performance by the recipients of their scholarships as well as to enjoy tea and hors d’oeuvres with the students following the recital. Pictured above, Borghild Gisselquist (left) and senior Emily Forsberg (right) are served by Ned Kantar, assistant professor of music (center). 39 Class Notes 1991 Patricia (Noren) Enderson, Elk River, Minn., is senior marketing communications specialist at Kern, DeWenter, Viere, a CPA and business advisory firm located in Minneapolis and St. Cloud. Carolyn Pool, Minneapolis, starred in Mercy of a Storm at Florida Stage in Manalapan, Fla. The production was written by Twin Cities’ playwright Jeffrey Hatcher and directed by Guthrie dramaturg Michael Bigelow Dixon and featured a Twin Cities’ cast. The theatre critic for Florida’s Sun-Sentinel wrote that Carolyn’s performance was “comic but with an edge, making the play sparkle like shattered glass.” Darbi Worley, New York, was cast in the Bat Company at the Flea Theater in New York City, a resident company at The Flea. Each year over 1,000 actors audition for a spot in the 30-person company. She performed in the play Design Your Kitchen, April 14 through May 22. She also filmed scenes for the new Glenn Close movie, Heights, and an episode of HBO’s The Sopranos. Her Web site is <darbiworley.com>. 1992 Heather Johnston was named Minneapolis budget director for the Minnesota Department of Finance. She spent three years at the federal Office of Management and Budget in Washington, D.C. David L. Murr of Boston University, now at Dartmouth College, was awarded the 2004 Scarf Award, given to one person, worldwide, each year for an outstanding Ph.D. thesis in the field of space science. In his dissertation, “Magnetosphereionosphere coupling on mesoand macros-scales,” he uses both data analysis and MHD simulations to comprehensively address the physical processes of two magnetospheric-ionspheric coupling phenomena: traveling convection vortices and the response of the global magnetosphere-ionosphere convection pattern to the Staff photo Staff photo AUGSBURG CONCERT BAND 2004 TOUR changes in the interplanetary magnetic field. David will present an invited talk on the subject of his thesis at the 2004 fall AGU meeting in San Francisco. Lisa (Barber) Zahn, Richmond, Minn., opened a yarn shop called The Itty Bitty Knit Shop, Ltd., in Richmond. She and her husband, an elementary music and band teacher for the St. Cloud public school district, have a son, Elijah, in first grade, and a daughter, Rose, a preschooler. 1995 Daniel R. Werner, St. Paul, is a mortgage broker/loan officer with Regents Mortgage. He can be contacted at <DWerner@ regentsmortgage.com>. Jon Olsen, Minneapolis, is an electronic solutions coordinator at ProGroup, a diversity and management consulting firm. Jon and his wife, Leann (Freeberg) ’96, have a daughter, Eleanor, 1. Jane Jeong Trenka’s book The Language of Blood: A Memoir was named Best Book by a Local Author by City Pages. The book was also cited by the Minnesota Humanities Commission for a “New Voice” commendation, received the Minnesota Book Award for “Autobiography/ Memoir,” and was a Barnes & Noble Great New Writers selection. The Augsburg Concert Band toured the Midwest May 2–8, stopping in Sebeka, Minn.; Rugby, N.Dak.; Glendive, Mont.; The Black Hills, S.Dak.; and Chamberlain, S.Dak. Pictured above is alumnus Dave Kerkvliet ’95 (left), Sebeka High School band director, standing with Robert Stacke ’71 (right), Augsburg Concert Band director, in front of Kerkvliet’s high school band. The Augsburg and Sebeka bands performed a joint concert for the entire (K-12) Sebeka school on May 3. Pictured at right is junior Molly Erickson (left) and senior Sara Lahr (right) posing in front of Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. 40 1996 Tracy Mazion Smith, Inver Grove Heights, Minn., graduated from the University of Maryland in May with a Master of Science in Health Care Administration. She is the coordinator of the donor egg program at the Center for Reproductive Medicine. She lives with her husband, Drew, and children (Thea Ose and Aidan Smith) in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. Spring/Summer 2004 Courtesy photo ALUMNI AMBASSADORS The deployment included training and real-world operations in Iraq and Liberia. 2000 Lewis Nelson is enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he studied Korean at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., for 63 weeks and received an associate’s in Korean. He was then assigned to the 101st Airborne Division’s 311th Military Intelligence Battalion, stationed in Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. He married Holly Ann Downs in 2003 and the couple has a son, Benjamin Lewis, born in December. Lewis is currently in Mosul, Iraq. Sharon (Hendrickson) Gronberg ’67 of Austin, Texas, represented both Augsburg and Texas Lutheran University in March at a Lutheran college fair in Austin. In May, she and her husband, the Rev. Karl Gronberg, returned to Augsburg to attend Commencement and celebrate the graduation of their daughter, Rhia Gronberg ’04, who received her B.A. in international relations and political science. 1997 Renee Blue, Andover, Minn., was named an outstanding teacher by the Anoka-Hennepin School District where she teaches kindergarten at Rum River Elementary School. Renee has been a part of the AnokaHennepin School District for 14 years, including the last three at Rum River. She is part of the Staff Development Committee and the Rum River Family and Teacher Association. Allison Corwin, Salem, Ore., is director of the McKay High School theatre program and teaches theatre and English in the Salem-Keiser School District. Ryan Goetz, Crystal, Minn., became a franchisee of Handyman Connection (www.handymanconnection. com) in March, providing home improvement and repair in the Twin Cities metro area. Andrew Small, Richfield, Minn., was recognized by Minnesota Lawyer magazine as Spring/Summer 2004 one of 15 “up-and-coming” attorneys of 2004. The honorees were selected by the editors from nominations made by bar associations, law schools, judges, lawyers, and other members of the legal community. Andrew works for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. 1998 Natalie K. Abbott, Champlain, Minn., received a juris doctor degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul in January. Ted Schultz, Cannon Falls, Minn., was named athletic director for the Bloomington School District. Previously, he served as activities director and football coach at Cannon Falls. Jason M. Wardlow, a Marine Corps captain, returned from an eight-month deployment onboard the USS Iwo Jima, while assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit based in Camp Lejeune, N.C. Anne Marie de Jong, Bloomington, Minn., was quoted in the Minneapolis Star Tribune after attending a fundraising speech by Vice President Dick Cheney in February. 2003 Matthew Groth, Eagan, Minn., appeared as a contestant on NBC’s Fear Factor in April. Andrew Quandt recently graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Recruit Training Center in Cape May, N.J. Marga Chiri was accepted to graduate school at Purdue University, Ind., to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science. Marga received the GAANN Fellowship and credits his graduate school accomplishment to the McNair Program. 2004 Brian Timm, Minneapolis, was accepted into Luther Seminary and will begin his studies this fall. Weddings Amy S. Ellingrod ’95 married Mark Swain in April. The couple resides in Valencia, Calif. Darlene Mueller ’96 married Matthew Finnerty in March. The couple resides in Tampa, Fla. Jennifer Kettering ’96 married Corey Doerfler in September. Jennifer is a senior project analyst for Qwest. The couple resides in Roseville, Minn. Nicole Warner ’01 married Marc Simml (international student, spring semester, 1999) in June 2003 in Hoversten Chapel. The couple resides in Lippstadt, Germany. Births/Adoptions Bonnie Gutknecht Miller ’91 and her husband, Thurston, Granger, Ind.—a son, Koert Donart, in April. He joins sister Salinda, 2. Bonnie can be contacted at <leaflaker@mail.com>. Heather Johnston ’92 and Dr. Jason Koch ’93, Rochester, Minn.— a son, Simon Koch, in October. Shannon (Schultz) Van Buskirk ’93 and her husband, Renner, S.Dak.—a son, Jacob, in March 2003. Shannon works for Pfizer, Inc., and is pursuing her MBA at the University of Sioux Falls. Dana (Ryding) ’93 and Jeff Martin—a son, Noah Jeffrey, in February. Jessica (Ferrell) ’93 and Brad Zenner ’92, Minneapolis— adopted a daughter, Lily Jin, in October; Lily was born in Hunan, China, in December 2002. Jessica is a business analyst for Marshall Field’s Travel Service and can be contacted at <jessicazenner@ hotmail.com>. Brad works at Fallon. 41 Class Notes Lynnel (Wakefield) ’96 and Ian Taylor, Inver Grove Heights, Minn.—twin sons, Jacob Bruce and Joseph Brian, in November. Lynnel is a business analyst for Express Scripts and can be contacted at <mntaylors@usfamily.net>. Brooke (Manisto) ’96 and Erik Reseland ’98, St. Anthony, Minn.—a daughter, Elsa Leigh, in November. Anne Lalla ’96 and Todd Johnson, Shoreview, Minn.— a son, Evan Edward Johnson, in September 2002. Jessica (Barker) ’97 and Paul Johnson, Minneapolis— a daughter, Lily Grace, in July 2003. Jessica is a business analyst for Target Corporation, and can be contacted at <PaulJessMax@msn.com>. Jennifer (Crego) ’00 and Chad Carls ’00, St. Michael, Minn.— a son, Andrew Joseph, in Send us your news and photos! Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births. Don’t forget to send photos! For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice, or program from a memorial service. Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN, 55454, or e-mail to <alumni@augsburg.edu>. October. He joins brother Tommy, 2. Chad teaches chemistry at Champlin Park High School. Mia Carol (Kordovsky) ’00 and Dr. James Stafford, Bismarck, N.Dak.—a daughter, Madeline Grace, in February. She joins sister Ellie, 3. Mia can be contacted at <miajim98@hotmail.com>. Nathan Kyle Dorenkamp ’00 and his wife, Mary, Farmington, Minn.—a son, Dominic James, in March. He joins siblings Michael, 5, and Adrienne, 2. Nathan is a software tester at Thomson West. Chad Trench ’02 and his wife, Ann, Minneapolis—a son, Ted Thomas, in October. Elisa Titus ’02 MAL and her husband, Matt—a daughter, Abigail Clara. ALUMNI BENEFITS As a member of the Augsburg College Alumni Association, you are a very important part of the College community and are welcome to receive various benefits and forms of communication: • The award-winning College and alumni magazine, Augsburg Now • The Alumni/Parent Relations Web site, www.augsburg.edu/alumni • College updates and news of your classmates from your class agent • Invitations to Homecoming, reunions, and other special events hosted on campus and in your communities • Access to the fitness center (w/picture ID) and Lindell Library (a one-time fee will be assessed to check out materials) • Access to career services resources • Alumni tuition discount • Legacy Scholarship for qualified family members attending the day school program • The opportunity to attend all regular season home athletic events free of charge • The opportunity to volunteer on leadership boards and committees • The opportunity to register for alumni tours around the world Please contact the Office of Alumni/Parent Relations for more information on your alumni benefits, and let us know how you would like to be involved. We welcome your participation, ideas, and feedback and look forward to staying in touch with you. 612-330-1178 • 1-800-260-6590 • alumni@augsburg.edu __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Full name Maiden name Class year or last year attended __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Street address __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ City State Zip Is this a new address? ■ Yes ■ No ________________________________________________________________________________ Home telephone E-mail ■ Okay to publish your e-mail address? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Employer Position Work telephone Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ■ Yes ■ No If yes, class year_______________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Spouse name Maiden name Your news: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 42 Spring/Summer 2004 In Memoriam Elsie (Lokken) Lower ’30, Minneapolis, died in February; she was 96. She taught English and social studies for many years at Phillips Junior High School in Minneapolis. A member of the Augsburg Associates, she enjoyed a lifetime of contact with Augsburg, and counted many Auggies among her closest longtime friends. She and her husband, Kenneth ’28, were among the first residents of Augustana Apartments in Minneapolis, where she became an active volunteer. At the time of her death, she had lived in the apartments longer than any other resident. She is survived by two daughters, Carolyn Bliss ’56 and Mary Farmer ’63; five grandchildren; and three greatgrandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband. Elmer A. Hendrickson ’31, San Diego, Calif., died in May 2003. He was a retired teacher. He is survived by his wife, Marie, and two daughters. Olive (Casperson) Nelson ’38, Burnsville, Minn., died in October; she was 87. Her passion in life was caring for her husband and her children; she loved to travel, entertain, and sew. She is survived by four children, 11 grandchildren, and four greatgrandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd. Harold Schwartz ’49, Richfield, Minn., died in October; he was 81. He served in the Army Air Force in both WWII and the Korean War. As a civilian, he worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 26 years until his retirement in 1982. Throughout his later years his Christian faith and his Jewish roots became increasingly important to him. He was a member of Ebenezer Lutheran Brethren Church and an enthusiastic supporter of Lutheran Brethren World Missions and Jewish Christian organizations. He will perhaps be most remembered for his special ministry of encouragement to missionaries, Spring/Summer 2004 pastors, church staff, and friends from different places. During his life he sent out thousands of cards and letters letting people know he was praying for them and appreciated them and their work. He is survived by his wife of 45 years, Carol; a daughter, Linda; and two grandsons. Rev. Lyle H. Shaw ’50, Covenant Village, Westminster, Colo., died in August 2003; he was 80. He was a member of the Army Air Corps during WWII, earning several service awards including the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Armed Forces Reserve Medal. He served First Lutheran Church in Sioux Rapids, Iowa, for four years, and was then persuaded to join the military chaplaincy. He was stationed in seven states and in both Germany and Vietnam, retiring in 1974 after 20 years of service and having achieved the rank of colonel. He continued his role as chaplain at the VA Hospital in Fort Snelling, working full time and then part time until 1994. He and his wife moved to Covenant Village in Westminster in 2001, where he continued to minister to confined residents with his harmonica and favorite hymns. He is survived by his wife, Delphine; three children; and four grandchildren. Arthur Kuross ’51, Mendota Heights, Minn., died in April; he was 76. He was a retired manager with J.C.Penney Company, and a past president of Augsburg’s A-Club. He is survived by his wife, Val; two daughters, Kathleen ’85 and Nancy; three sons, Steven ’76, Paul, and Peter; and seven grandchildren. Jean C. (Anderson) Peterson ’51, Eagan, Minn., died in February; she was 78. She was a speech pathologist at Kenny Institute and VA Hospital. She is survived by her husband, Warren, and her son, Jon. Else “BJ” Bjornstad ’58, Minneapolis, died in February. She was a research editor for Together magazine (a Methodist publication) as well as a teacher. For more than 25 years, she worked for the U.S. government in the Department of Social Security—first in the regional office in Chicago, then in the Final Appeals Division in Washington, D.C. She also served in the Marines during WWII and continued in the Reserves until 1959, retiring as a major. She is survived by her sister, Elizabeth ’43; four nephews; and three nieces. Erwin W. “Chris” Christensen ’58, Hastings, Minn., died in December; he was 67. He taught middle school science in Hastings from 1970 to 1995 before retiring. He also taught in Rushford, Minn., and Reedsburg, Wis. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Mary Lou (Baker) ’61; two children; and six grandchildren. Donald W. Elfstrum ’59, Verndale, Minn., died in July 2003; he was 66. He worked at the Ford Motor Company assembly plant in St. Paul, retiring in 1987 after 30 years. He is survived by his wife, Claudia; two sons; and three grandsons. Frank D. Hawks ’59, Cannon Falls, Minn., died in December; he was 71. An Army veteran, he taught and coached in Cannon Falls for 32 years. He was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Jean; and two children, Lee ’85 and Susan. Rev. Dr. Richard L. Husfloen ’60 died unexpectedly in September of a heart attack in Phoenix, Ariz., three days before he was scheduled to undergo back surgery at the Mayo Clinic. He had retired July 1 from Augustana University College in Camrose, Alberta, Canada, where he had served as president since 1996. During his tenure he and his administration eliminated salary rollbacks, balanced the budget, and increased enrollment. Husfloen’s background was rich and varied—he held a career in the airline industry, served as an administrative assistant to synod bishops in the ALC for 15 years, and also served as a development director at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and Waterloo Lutheran Seminary. In addition, he served as an assistant professor of sociology at Augsburg and as a visiting lecturer on church and society at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Iowa. He leaves behind a host of friends, across the continent and around the world, who join his brother, Jim ’54, in mourning his passing. Susan Lowe ’74, Denver, Colo., died in August 2003; she was 51. She is survived by her mother, stepfather, and five siblings. Thomas Wyatt ’94, Brainerd, Minn., died in March from a car accident; he was 33. He was a respected member of the law enforcement community. He is survived by his wife, Chanttel; a daughter, Brienna; and a son, Kyle. Sonja Eylandt, St. Paul, died in April; she was 86. Born in Saaremaa, Estonia, her country was invaded by Russia during WWII. She lived in a displacedpersons camp for approximately three years, and in 1951 immigrated to the United States with her mother and her son; her husband died on the operating table during the war. She was driven by an uncommon work ethic, determined to take care of her mother and son. In addition to working for Gould Incorporated for more than 30 years, she also worked in the “Chin Wag” (now Murphy Grill) at Augsburg for nearly 40 years. She held positions with other companies as well, such as Goodwill Easter Seals and Cub Foods. She is survived by a son, five children, and six greatgrandchildren. 43 SPARK YOUR SPIRIT October 2–9 Saturday, October 2 Friday, October 8 Men’s Soccer Alumni Game Heritage Society Breakfast 5 p.m.—Edor Nelson Athletic Field 8:30 a.m.—Christensen Center Monday, October 4 Class of 1954 Reunion Breakfast “Spark the Campus with Spirit Trivia Contest” begins 7 p.m.—Christensen Center Tuesday, October 5 9 a.m.—Arnold Atrium, Foss Center Homecoming Chapel 10 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel Class of 1954 Luncheon “Keeping Your Spirit Healthy” Annual College Health Fair 11:30 a.m.—Arnold Atrium, Foss Center 11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.—Quad Campus Tour Third Annual Powder Puff game* 7 p.m.—Edor-Nelson Athletic Field Wednesday, October 6 2 p.m.—Gather in Foss Center Women’s Soccer vs. Gustavus Adolphus College 5 p.m.—Edor Nelson Athletic Field Augsburg Associates Annual Fall Luncheon Town & Country Club, St. Paul 10 a.m.—Craft Sale 11:40 a.m.—Annual Business Meeting Noon—Luncheon/Program International Student Alumni Reception 4:30–6 p.m.—Minneapolis Room, Christensen Center Augsburg Ethnic Programs Celebration 5:30–6:45 p.m.—Christensen Center Scholastic Connections Social & Dinner Featuring an auction of signed limited edition prints by Minneapolis artist Kenneth Caldwell to benefit the Scholastic Connections scholarship fund 7–8:30 p.m.—Christensen Center Volleyball vs. Hamline University 7:30 p.m.—Si Melby Gymnasium Auggie Variety Show* 7 p.m.—Foss Center Men’s Soccer vs. Gustavus Adolphus College 7:30 p.m.—Edor Nelson Athletic Field Volleyball vs. North Central (Minn.) 7:30 p.m.—Si Melby Gymnasium Faculty Violin Recital 5:30–8:30 p.m.—Christensen Center Big Screen Movie* 9 p.m.—Si Melby Gymnasium Annual Picnic in the Park/Wrestling Reunion and Party 11 a.m.—Murphy Park Campus Tour 11 a.m.—Gather in Christensen Center Volleyball Alumnae Match 11 a.m.—Si Melby Gymnasium Class of 1994 Tailgating Reunion 11:30 a.m.—Class of 1994 tent, across from Murphy Park between Urness & Christensen Music Therapy 30th Anniversary Lunch & Workshop Noon—Riverside Room, Christensen Center 7:30 p.m.—Sateren Auditorium Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) Alumni Gathering Saturday, October 9 Noon—Minneapolis Room, Christensen Center Science Alumni Gathering 9:30–11:30 a.m.—Marshall Room, Christensen Center Football Game vs. Gustavus Adolphus College 1 p.m.—Edor Nelson Athletic Field Annual Social Work Alum Network (SWAN) Brunch 10 a.m.—Augsburg Room, Christensen Center Thursday, October 7 Athletic Hall of Fame Reception & Dinner Original art by Kenneth Caldwell HHomecoming OMECOMING 2004 First Decade/Wrestling Post-Game Party Upstairs at Grandma’s after the game English Dept. Alumni Reunion Nursing Alumni Association Brunch 4–5 p.m.—Lindell Library, Room 301 10 a.m.—Century Room, Christensen Center Homecoming Dinner & Reunion Parties Stephen “Gabe” Gabrielson ’63 Organ Recital 5:30 p.m., Dinner—Christensen Center 7:30 p.m., Reunion Parties (1954, 1964, & 1979)—Locations TBA 10:30 a.m.—Hoversten Chapel This is a preliminary calendar and is subject to change; please watch for your full Homecoming event brochure—due in mailboxes later this summer. * Denotes student activities 2211 Riverside Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55454 Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Minneapolis, MN Permit No. 2031 Vision 2004 BY SUE KLASEUS,VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS Although we’ve called these past four years the “quiet phase” of the campaign, it has certainly been an active and exciting time for all of us here at Augsburg College. It’s been a productive time, too, as we’ve raised nearly 30 million of our $55 million campaign goal during this time. In April, we went public with Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College and we’ve stepped up our activity manyfold. Already we’ve enjoyed many successes. The impact of this campaign will be felt by thousands of students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and most importantly, by our community for decades to come. The effects of our campaign go well beyond our borders as we prepare students to make a difference in many areas critical to the world’s future. We’re drawing top-notch students and faculty; and we’re providing them with the best Vision is published by: Augsburg College Editor Lynn James Photographer Stephen Geffre Graphic Designer Kathy Rumpza Contributing Writers Kristin Anderson Leif Anderson Dave Benson Lynn James Sue Klaseus Betsey Norgard Alice Pepin Nancy Steblay www.augsburg.edu/campaign 2 facilities in which to teach and learn. Our campaign will have a lasting, positive impact on our ability to provide a quality education to a greater number of students now and well into the future. We’re fortunate to have already received many wonderful campaign gifts. We wish to thank all of our donors for their contributions, regardless of the size of their gifts. We’ve been blessed by receipt of six, seven-figure gifts and seventy, $100,000+ leadership gifts to be used in various areas of the campaign. These 70 gifts range from, $100,000 to $999,999. Look for more information on some of these gifts elsewhere in this insert. These donors and many others believe in Augsburg’s long tradition of service to the community and have demonstrated this belief with their generous donations and involvement. However, to accomplish a campaign like Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College, we have to enter an entirely new realm of philanthropic giving. Our alumni giving must increase to be competitive with other private colleges. Our endowment must grow to AUGSBURG CAMPAIGN LEADERSHIP GIFTS KINNEY JOHNSON ’65 $1 million for the new Science Center (lifetime giving in excess of $2 million) ALAN RICE $1 million for Si Melby Hall expansion JEAN TAYLOR ’85 and ROGER GRIFFITH ’84 and THE GLEN A.TAYLOR FOUNDATION $1.5 million for the new Science Center FEDERAL APPROPRIATION $1 million for the new Science Center thanks to U.S. Rep. Martin Olav Sabo ’59 and others JIM AND KATHY HAGLUND and CENTRAL CONTAINER CORPORATION Leading the campaign with a $1 million undesignated gift E. MILTON KLEVEN ’46 and FAMILY $500,000 to endow the first President’s Scholarship (lifetime giving in excess of $1 million) LILLY ENDOWMENT, INC. $2 million for a program titled “Exploring Our Gifts: Connecting Faith, Vocation, and Work” sustain the long-term viability of this fine institution, and we must keep our physical plant vibrant and relevant with state-of-the-art facilities to better serve students, faculty, staff, and the community. Recently I’ve been reading The Greater Good, by Claire Gaudiani, and am intrigued by her assertion that the next 50 years will see the largest private intergenerational wealth transfer in human history. Experts at Boston College have projected that between 1998 and 2052, $31 to $41 trillion of “THE CHALLENGE OVER THE NEXT 20 YEARS IS TO SUSTAIN AND INCREASE GIVING BY PEOPLE OF ALL CATEGORIES.” –CLAIRE GAUDIANI, THE GREATER GOOD wealth will move from one generation to another. During that time, they estimate our economy will produce more than 10 million new millionaires. Gaudiani asserts that despite such wealth, the trend in generosity has remained under two percent of personal income for 30 years. The real problem, according to Gaudiani, is that we have stopped nurturing and building our giving habits at just the wrong time. You also may find this book worth reading. It may help to inspire us all to even greater heights of philanthropy. To reinforce this culture change, our branding and visibility campaign launched this past year helped to get the Augsburg mission out into the world. Breaking ground for our new Science Center, opening the doors of the new Gateway Building, and celebrating the renovation of Si Melby Hall, along with exponential growth in the Annual Fund and our endowment, will send similar messages to the public. Augsburg is strong; it stands on a long tradition of transforming our students and serving the community. We are a major player in this region on compelling issues such as K-12 education, healthcare workforce development, science and math education, theater, fine arts, and so much more. We can stand up and be proud of Augsburg and our many successes. The recent campaign kickoff was a turning point in our history. We must continue building on the tradition of giving by all constituents associated with our fine college, and find new friends willing to help. Our challenge is great, but the momentum is strong, and we have committed faculty, staff, regents, and volunteers who stand ready and willing to make this dream a reality. As you read this campaign update, we hope you will ask yourself, “How can I help?” Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you want to talk about your support of Augsburg. Remember, all gifts are important to Augsburg’s future. ■ CAMPAIGN CABINET MICHAEL O. FREEMAN co-chair JAMES E. HAGLUND co-chair JEAN M.TAYLOR ’85 co-chair RICHARD T. COLVIN ’74 TRACY LYNN ELFTMANN ’81 PRESIDENT WILLIAM V. FRAME KATHRYN H.TUNHEIM REV. DR. NORMAN W.WAHL ’75 SUSAN J. KLASEUS HONORARY CO-CHAIRS PETER AGRE ’70 RODNEY (ROD) BURWELL EDWIN C. (SKIP) and BARBARA CARLSON GAGE BISHOP MARK HANSON ’68 and IONE AGRIMSON HANSON ’68 R. LUTHER (LUTE) OLSON ’56 and CHRISTINE TORETTI OLSON MARTIN OLAV SABO ’59 and SYLVIA LEE SABO GLADYS BOXRUD STROMMEN ’46 Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College was officially kicked off at the Augsburg Community Festival on Sunday, April 18, 2004. 3 Augsburg kicks off campaign at community festival It was a day of promise. Blessed by 80degree weather and a reprieve from rain showers, the College officially kicked off Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College on Sunday, April 18, 2004, during the Augsburg Community Festival. This inaugural event for Augsburg built community awareness and fortified community partnerships. Neighbors, alumni, and supporters of the College were invited to join students, faculty, and staff in a campus-wide family celebration for the campaign kickoff. The afternoon event drew more than 1,500 people. Augsburg’s Camp Cruisers music band was instrumental in rallying the crowd as everyone gathered on the Augsburg football field to literally “kick off” the campaign. Footballs flew toward the goal as a banner announcing the campaign dropped between the posts. In recognition of the $55 million campaign goal, the community was treated to a 55-foot hoagie and a 55-foot cake. Everyone then scattered across campus to partake in the activities designed to appeal to all ages. Demonstrations, sports clinics, author readings, fine art, and musical and theatre performances engaged people around campus. Young readers gathered at the reading corner to listen to children’s authors Rick Kupchella, KARE-11 TV in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Shelly Swanson-Sateren ’82. Adults also enjoyed the literary talents of English faculty member Cass Dalglish. Lute Olson ’56, flew back to Minnesota from his duties as head basketball coach of the University of Arizona to host a youth clinic for boys and girls in grades K-12. Many adults on the sidelines were impressed with how much they learned, too. Murphy Square and Christensen Center busily catered to festival participants as community partners and faculty and students drew crowds with activities, information booths, demonstrations, giveaways, and free food. 4 Science experiments of silly putty, homemade nitrogen ice cream, coral reef research, and many other hands-on activities kept the Science Hall active. The community clamored onto the fire truck driven over by neighborhood Station 7. Down the street, medical personnel in the Augsburg Academy ambulance gave heart analyses and showcased the internal workings of the vehicle. Augsburg’s nursing department offered blood pressure readings, stress level tests, and hand massages. Music streamed out of the cafeteria as bands DoomTree, Heiruspecs, and Medida performed. Reserved seats also were available for the Augsburg theater production of Machinal. Minnesota Wild hockey player Wes Walz drew boys and girls into the ice arena for a hockey clinic. The Minneapolis Figure Skating Club dazzled the crowd with their technique and ability before the afternoon concluded with open skating. The event was so successful people throughout the community were asking for the festival to become an annual event. A gala donor evening Si Melby was transformed the evening of April 17 for a donor dinner and program Minnesota Wild player Wes Walz hosts a hockey clinic for youth in grades K–12. Rick Kupchella, KARE-11 weekend anchor and children’s author, reads his book to eager listeners. Author Shelly Swanson-Sateren ’82 followed with a reading from her children’s book. focusing on Augsburg’s history and its future growth. Lead gifts to the campaign were announced on stages positioned around the event. A campaign video highlighted people transformed by Augsburg and its programs. Guests reveled in the musical talents of Augsburg student musicians, singers, and actors. The evening culminated with rousing songs by Gospel Praise and spectacular in-house pyrotechnics. Special thanks to Institutional Advancement, Ridgeway International, Sodexho, Write 2 Work, Event Services, and the College’s in-house planning committee for making these historical events a reality. ■ Acclaimed hip-hop group, Heiruspecs, rocked Christensen Center during their Festival performance. Fifty-five feet of sandwich and fifty-five feet of cake fed Festival participants. Emcees Gary Rorman ’82 and actor T. Mychael Rambo hosted the magnificent donor event on Saturday, April 17, 2004. Event participant Kim Drangeid and Chemistry professor Joan Kunz make silly putty. Lute Olson ’56 gives pointers during his basketball clinic for boys and girls. 5 Major gifts directed to new Science Center Donors typically have unique, special memories and connections with Augsburg College that inspire them to help the school. Such is the case with these generous gifts that will be used for the new Science Center, the top goal of the campaign. KINNEY JOHNSON ’65 Augsburg College has been a central, significant part of Kinney Johnson’s life–and vice versa–for many, many years. His relationship with the College became closer recently when he joined the Augsburg Board of Regents. Johnson has given generously to Augsburg in various ways over the years. His first $1 million gift went to the Lindell Library to honor his father, Herb ’34, and now he has given a $1 million gift to the new Science Center. In addition, he continues to provide strong leadership for The Augsburg Fund each year. Johnson’s family has a rich history with Augsburg, beginning with Herb Johnson, who was on Augsburg’s Board of Regents for 12 years. Augsburg lost a true friend when he died earlier this year. Herb Johnson’s aunt, LaVonne Peterson ’50, also had an impact on Augsburg. She was a role model and pioneer in women’s athletics and was in charge of the women’s athletic department before the title “director” was applied to that department. Kinney Johnson has been very close to his 6 cousin, Jeffrey Peterson ’63, LaVonne’s son, and the two attended Augsburg College together. Jeffrey is retired from the Federal government and lives in Virginia. Johnson’s sister, Jennelle Cunning, also graduated from Augsburg in 1962. Needless to say, Augsburg has been an integral part of the lives of both the Johnson and Peterson families. We are especially grateful to Kinney Johnson, a highly successful, generous entrepreneur who is a general partner of a venture capital firm in Boulder, Colo. JEAN TAYLOR ’85 Jean Taylor’s passion for Augsburg College is difficult to overstate. A 1985 graduate, Taylor is co-chair of the campaign and began a twoyear term as Board of Regents chair on May 1. She volunteers her time and energy tirelessly and her enthusiasm is felt on the board and the campaign. Her drive is helping to chart the course for Augsburg College now and into the future. “Nothing gives me more confidence than knowing that my successor brings more talent to a job than I have,” said outgoing board chair Kathy Tunheim. “So I am extremely confident that the next phase of Augsburg College’s governance will be even more important and fruitful than the years in which I had the honor of participating. Jean Taylor brings the discipline and experience of business leadership, the passion of her feelings about this College, and the great humor and wit of a wonderful leader.” Taylor is also a corporate leader from one of Minnesota’s most important business families, and she and her husband, Roger Griffith ’84, together with the Glen A. Taylor Foundation, have given nearly $1.5 million in leadership gifts to the campaign that will help build the new Science Center. “The new Science Center is not only the centerpiece of the campaign, it also links the College’s past to its future. Our rich history of talented science faculty and alumni and the importance of science in a liberal arts education are the foundation of using our new Science Center to better serve our community and educate future leaders who will find essential a knowledge of science, health care, and the natural world,” Taylor said. Perhaps her friend and fellow regent Tracy Elftmann ’81 best summarized Taylor’s contributions to Augsburg when she said, “Jean is one of the most strategic thinking people I’ve known and is incredibly accomplished in being able to identify and articulate Augsburg’s vision and values. I think she is going to move us forward in ways we never envisioned. “Jean is grateful for her education here and is committed to giving back to the institution in a meaningful, long-lasting way that is also forward thinking.” (Major gifts continued on page 7) New Science Center planning includes ‘green’ features “Green building” features are the focus of this summer’s design work for Augsburg College’s new Science Center, thanks to a $25,000 planning grant from the Minnesota Office of Environmental Assistance. With a matching grant from the College and another $30,000 from Xcel Energy, consideration of sustainable design is integrated into the design development process currently underway. The architects, engineers, and oncampus planning committee will make a recommendation to College administration later this year regarding sustainable design features for the new building. The term “green building” is synonymous with a high-performance building, sustainable design and construction, and Rendering of the new Science Center at night. (Continued from page 6) MARTIN OLAV SABO ’59 U.S. Rep. Martin Olav Sabo was instrumental in obtaining a $1 million federal grant for Augsburg’s new Science Center. The grant will allow Augsburg to respond to our country’s need for science professionals by educating top- notch scientists for the future. A farm boy from Crosby, N.Dak., Sabo has spent the past four decades in elective public service. He served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1961 to 1978, including six years as speaker of the house and four years as minority leader. Sabo was first elected to Congress in 1978 and is currently running for his 13th term in the House of Representatives. ■ environmental responsibility. A primary objective of sustainable design is to reduce operating costs. Xcel’s contributions include consultant services on energy efficiency and a detailed energy model for the building. Once the building is complete, Xcel will contribute another $14,000 in services to verify that the selected measures have been installed and will provide cash incentives to encourage energy efficient practices. Sustainable design also employs strategies to increase occupant comfort and to reduce negative environmental impact. For example, the team is evaluating expanded use of day-lighting, ways to reduce construction waste, and use of local and renewable materials. “Augsburg is committed to incorporating environmentally-responsible features in the Science Center and is grateful to the OEA and Xcel for providing their expertise and financial support,” said Augsburg professor Nancy Steblay, the Sustainability Project coordinator. In developing a sustainability plan, the building’s architects, Holabird & Root, will use a rigorous green-building rating system for effective sustainable design known as LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The architects will examine LEED criteria as they relate to the Science Center’s design and evaluate the cost/benefit of each. The criteria fall into six categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor air quality, and innovation and design process. ■ 7 Barber gift to go to Science Center Loren Barber’s extensive history in the sciences has resulted in a most generous gift of $50,000 from Barber and his wife, Mary Quanbeck Barber ’77, to be used for the new Science Center. And 3M, Barber’s employer for many years where he served as a corporate scientist, is making the Barbers’ gift even more meaningful through a $25,000 matching gift. In addition, the Barbers are members of the Maroon & Silver Society, providing annual support to Augsburg’s students. Even after Barber retired from 3M in 2001, he wasn’t ready to let go of his work in the sciences, and he continued to work two days a week for a couple of years. Barber is used to hard work; raised on 160 acres in upstate New York, he attended the Rochester Institute of Technology on a cooperative Site plan of new Science Center. 8 work-study program at Eastman Kodak Company with a major in chemistry. That combination of school and work experience made his studies more meaningful and led him to Ames, Iowa, where he received his Ph.D. Eventually, Barber arrived in Minnesota, and Augsburg is very fortunate he did. Science education is very important to Barber and he provides leadership on Augsburg’s Science Advisory Board. Mary Barber has strong connections to Augsburg, beginning with her father, Philip Quanbeck Sr., a distinguished professor of theology who attended Augsburg College and Seminary and subsequently joined the faculty in the 1950s. In his retirement from Augsburg, he serves as visitation pastor at Bethlehem Lutheran Church and is a Mary and Loren Barber’s gift to the Science Center is enhanced by corporate matching. member of the Augsburg Institutional Advancement staff. Mary’s brother, Philip Quanbeck II, is also a prominent professor of theology at Augsburg. Mary Barber received her B.A. in English from Augsburg and her M.A. in speech pathology from Michigan State University. She serves the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale schools as their speech-language pathologist specializing in early childhood education. “Our gift is rooted in our strong belief in supporting scientific literacy in our society and increasing awareness of how science affects each of our lives,” Loren Barber said. The Barbers were married 10 years ago and recently purchased a home on Lake Vermilion. They share a passion for the outdoors, water, and the environment, and Loren has discovered a new avocation—building canoes. For information about making your Science Center gift, contact the Development office at 612-330-1462. ■ McNair Scholar Stephanie Perkins likes Augsburg’s personal touch A science fair project in eighth grade on the oxidation states of iron hooked Stephanie Perkins on the study of science. This fall the McNair Scholar will be a senior at Augsburg College majoring in science and working with other students as a peer instructor under associate professor Joan Kunz in chemistry. Augsburg has transformed Perkins’ childhood curiosity about science into a meaningful education that she will take out into the world. A first-generation college student, Perkins has found the McNair Scholar program to be an indispensable guide along the way. When Perkins first visited Augsburg, she was impressed with the way the chemistry faculty members went out of their way to make her feel welcomed and special, a culture that she says is unique to a small college like Augsburg. Perkins has continued to experience that personal attention throughout her education here. “This is what makes good scientists—the ability to interact with the faculty in this way,” Perkins said. “Science involves communicating with peers and consensus about ideas.” While it was the faculty who attracted Perkins to Augsburg, she feels that facilities are important, too, because they help the school compete for the best students and faculty. She believes the new Science Building will be extremely beneficial to students, the school, and the field of science. According to Perkins, a new facility will allow faculty and students to conduct more effective research and it will house additional and better instruments. After graduation, Perkins is planning to pursue graduate school and a doctorate in physical chemistry. ■ AUGSBURG SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD JAMES AGRE ’72, M.D. Ministry Medical Group, Eagle River,Wis. RALPH SULERUD, PH.D. Professor Emeritus of Biology Augsburg College LOREN BARBER, PH.D. 3M NEAL O.THORPE ’60, PH.D. M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust, Vancouver,Wash. GARY CARLSON ’95 3M, Retired FRED FAXVOG, PH.D. Honeywell, Inc. STEVEN GRINDE ’81, D.D.S. Maple Grove Dental Center JOEL L. HOULTON Honeywell, Inc. DAVID KNUTSON ’69 Park Nicollet Medical Center PAUL S. MUELLER ’84, M.D. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. JOEL T. NELSON ’85, PH.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison RICK PANNING Fairview Health Services RICHARD SEIME ’70, PH.D. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Augsburg Board of Regents and Staff Liaisons RUTH E. JOHNSON ’74, M.D., Science Advisory Board Chair Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. BEVERLY THOMPSON HATLEN, R.N., M.S.N. Minnesota Life College Ex officio— Augsburg College CHRISTOPHER KIMBALL, PH.D. Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and Dean of the College JOAN KUNZ, PH.D. Associate Professor of Chemistry NANCY STEBLAY, PH.D. Professor of Psychology Assistant to the Dean for Special Projects 9 Opening the door to Augsburg— Gateway Building to welcome all RIVERSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD COLLABORATION The Gateway Building will be multiuse and will feature retail space, student housing, and an administrative area. The design will provide greatly needed space for College programs and offices, including the StepUP program; the Center for Service, Work, and Learning; and the Institutional Advancement division, including the Augsburg Alumni Center. The Gateway Building’s commercial hub on Riverside Avenue will contribute to the growth of a thriving urban village encompassing Augsburg’s campus, the CedarRiverside neighborhood, the University of Minnesota’s West Bank, and Fairview-University Medical Center. Landscaping along Riverside Avenue will create a pedestrian-friendly, safe, and attractive thoroughfare for students and community residents and link the campus to the nearby light rail transit stop. This project will increase the physical presence of Augsburg in the surrounding community and is part of the College’s commitment to the Riverside Corridor Project, an economic development collaboration with Augsburg’s neighbors in the West Bank. ■ ACCESS TO EXCELLENCE: The Campaign for Augsburg College THE GATEWAY BUILDING OFFERS: • A new home for the StepUP program, including residential and counseling space. • Strengthened links to community organizations, local businesses and corporations, and service-learning opportunities through the Center for Service,Work, and Learning. Meeting rooms for neighborhood groups. • Retail opportunities to attract students, local residents, and the staff and visitors of the Fairview-University Medical Center complex across the street. Local business owners are excited about the prospects for increased commerce in the neighborhood. • A comfortable gathering place for Augsburg alumni within the Institutional Advancement offices. • A more visible Gage Family Art Gallery providing enjoyment and learning to the entire community. 10 Step up and support the Parent/Family and Friend Challenge Augsburg’s StepUP program for students in recovery from substance abuse will receive a leg up in financing as parents and families respond to a Parent/Family and Friend Challenge offered by a second Gateway gift of $425,000 from Jim Johnson. Through a matching gift program, the challenge is to raise another $425,000 this year to match Johnson’s generous gift to further the construction of the Gateway Building, which will house the StepUP program. Several donors have already committed nearly onehalf of the goal. Johnson was one of the first contributors to Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College when he agreed to fund the planning for the Gateway Building. It was his encouragement that prompted the collaboration between Augsburg, the University of Minnesota, and the local community, and his lead gift of $150,000 helped secure the project. Johnson resides in Washington D.C., with his wife, Maxine Isaacs. As a native of Benson, Minn., he maintains local ties through family, business, and Augsburg College. Johnson has made gifts to Augsburg in memory of his mother, Adeline Rasmussen Johnson ’31; in honor of U.S. Rep. Martin Olav Sabo ’59; and, more recently, toward campaign projects. If you are interested in the Parent/Family and Friend Challenge, please contact Sherry Jennings-King at 612-330-1386. ■ Gift from Mark ’79 and Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes symbolic of their College experience The passion that Pam and Mark Moksnes felt for Augsburg College when they met here as students in the late 1970s continues today—perhaps more than ever. While they were drawn to Augsburg by the small, liberal arts, Christian-based community, situated within the city, what they discovered were professors and staff who cared deeply about them personally and about their life goals. A campus ministry program that nurtured their already strong Christian beliefs, especially the Fellowship of Christian Athletes where they met, particularly touched them. As Pam and Mark reflect on those transformative years, their expressions provide affirmation of the truly inspirational experience they remember. They are grateful that a nurturing culture is still at the core of the student experience today. Their lives have been happily entwined with Augsburg; many of their closest friends are also Augsburg alumni and their daughter, Laura, is a current Augsburg student. “That personal approach has been consistent over the years, and now our daughter is experiencing it, too. It’s part of Augsburg’s core—they’re there to help students build their futures,” Pam Moksnes said. Yet Augsburg has changed a lot since Pam and Mark graduated in 1979, particularly its facilities. They believe that the new buildings have greatly enhanced the teaching and learning Pam Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes’ ’79 recent gift supports the campaign’s Gateway Building. environment so critical to delivering a quality educational experience. They are proud to continue to be part of the campus community, so much so that they’ve made a campaign commitment designated to the Gateway Building, which will symbolically embrace the city as part of students’ learning experiences. This isn’t the first time Pam and Mark have helped out their alma mater; previous gifts have supported the athletic program, the Lindell Library, and campus ministry, and they are lead annual fund donors in the Maroon & Silver Society. Pam and Mark say they are committed to furthering Augsburg’s mission because of what the College has meant to them. Pam Moksnes is a partner at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, and has been instrumental in helping the College launch its annual women’s “Connections” event. Mark is an executive vice president at Delta Dental. Among several board appointments, they both serve on the state board for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Thank you, Pam and Mark Moksnes, for all you’ve done for Augsburg College! ■ 11 Heightened demand for sport facilities drives Si Melby expansion Nearly half of the Augsburg community— students, faculty, and staff—participates pates in some form of athletic activity, contributing to the strong sense of community and camaraderie on campus. Expanded athletic facilities will accommodate the increasing demands of the College’s 18 intercollegiate NCAA Division III varsity men’s and women’s sports, the health and physical education academic program, intramurals involving some 600 students, and workout facilities. The ever-growing popularity of personal fitness, the growth in the number of women’s sports offerings, and the heightened demand by the community for use of the College’s facilities contribute to the pressing need for expanded facilities. A NEW SOUTH WING FOR SI MELBY HALL WILL PROVIDE: • Four new classrooms and related facilities for the Health/Physical Education Department. • More locker rooms, training facilities, and offices for intercollegiate athletic programs. • Expanded fitness facilities, a new aerobics/multi-purpose studio, and new locker rooms for the student body. • Additional wrestling training facilities, which include a new Greco-Roman wrestling center. • Two new student gathering areas, a new hospitality suite overlooking Edor Nelson Field, and a new Alumni A-Club lounge. ■ 12 ALAN RICE, GRECO-ROMAN WRESTLING CHAMP AND PIONEER GIVES ONE MILLION DOLLARS TO ESTABLISH TRAINING CENTER Minnesota native Alan Rice is a dreamer and a pioneer whose lifelong commitment to amateur and Greco-Roman wrestling has culminated in a $1 million gift to Augsburg College to create a Greco-Roman wrestling training center. This generous gift will have a significant impact on the $5 million planned expansion of Si Melby Hall, the College’s athletic, recreation, and physical education complex. Rice, a National Wrestling Hall of Fame member, is giving the gift in memory of his wife, Gloria, who shared a love of amateur wrestling and worked with Rice in establishing Minnesota as a national hotbed for amateur wrestling, especially the Greco-Roman discipline. Rice’s gift illustrates how a partnership can be formed with the community to achieve broader goals in athletics. The addition of the Greco-Roman training facilities will attract senior wrestlers training for the Olympics as well as youth- and student-athletes, and will take Augsburg to a new level of prominence in athletic achievement. Over the past three decades, Rice has helped raise and contribute nearly $1 million to endow the Minnesota club for continued training in both Olympic wrestling disciplines—Greco-Roman and freestyle. His continuing legacy will have an impact on Minnesota for generations to come. ■ MATHEW SHANNON—RUNNER AND ROLE MODEL Mathew Shannon is a man on the move. He runs by day and serves others at night. A 2004 Augsburg graduate with a degree in business and communication, he dreams of success in running and in making a difference for disadvantaged kids. While at Augsburg, Shannon broke records in track, and he hoped to qualify for the U.S. Olympic trials in the 400 meters. One of the top sprinters in Augsburg history, Shannon was a three-time AllAmerican, earned All-MIAC honors 17 times, and won MIAC titles three times. But Shannon is already a winner as a tutor and role model for inner-city kids. He knows from personal experience what they’re going through because he grew up in a low-income, single-parent home in Minneapolis. Shannon’s faith provided him with a strong foundation on which to build. Now he hopes that he can use his business education, too, to bring positive influences to disadvantaged kids. Shannon truly exemplifies the spirit of Augsburg. ■ Annual giving provides opportunities for all When you help Augsburg achieve its annual giving goals, you provide opportunities to students who may never have been able to attend college. Cost can be a significant barrier to obtaining a college degree. With more than 80 percent of Augsburg students receiving financial aid, annual giving is an important way for donors to help ensure that all talented students have the opportunity to receive an Augsburg education. Increasing the number of participants and the level of support in The Augsburg Fund is needed to ensure that no talented student is turned away due to cost considerations. The Augsburg Fund is an unrestricted annual giving fund that aids the College in meeting its most pressing needs. Augsburg’s goal is to nearly triple annual fund giving dollars over five years and to reach a 30 percent alumni participation rate. YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS HELP STUDENTS Each year the College awards more than $10 million in scholarships and grants to students. These include: PRESIDENT’S SCHOLARS $10,500 to $20,260 annually As Augsburg’s premier scholarship, this award is conferred upon the top incoming freshmen based on outstanding academic achievement and on-campus competition. REGENTS’ SCHOLARS $3,000 to $9,000 annually Awarded to high achieving, new students based on academic record and accomplishment. LEGACY SCHOLARS $4,000 annually Granted to qualified family members of Augsburg alumni, current Augsburg students, and ELCA-rostered clergy. THE AUGSBURG GRANT Varies, based on need Awarded to students who qualify and demonstrate need. These gifts make a significant contribution toward the education of many students. Adela Arguello, a Scholastic Connections recipient, is a double major in finance and economics. CLASS CHALLENGE The challenge has been issued, the suspense is building, and the question lingers…What are the results of this year’s annual fund class giving challenge? How does your class giving compare to other classes? What support did my class year provide? Watch for answers in the next campaign newsletter! MANY OTHER SCHOLARSHIPS are awarded each year to students for outstanding academic achievements, community service, and leadership in their home congregation and community. ■ Robert and Renzo Amaya Torres are scholarship recipients. 13 Strong endowment helps build long-term vision A key measure of an educational institution’s strength is its endowment. It provides ongoing resources for needs now and in the future. Augsburg is focusing its endowment growth in the areas of endowed faculty chairs, endowed scholarships, and ongoing program support. ENDOWED FACULTY CHAIRS Your generous gifts will strengthen the College’s endowment in an area that is relatively new. The College’s first endowed chair, the Bernhard M. Christensen Endowed Fund, named in memory of Augsburg’s president from 1938 to 1962, was approved by the Board of Regents in May 2003. Christensen was a central figure in the growth and development of Augsburg and of countless students and teachers whose lives he inspired personally and professionally. ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIPS By increasing its current level of endowed scholarships, Augsburg can attract talented students and provide access for students of many backgrounds. E. Milton Kleven ’46 and his family are helping to do just that through their most recent gift of $500,000 to fund the first endowed President’s Scholarship. The gift was established in memory of their wife and mother, Dorothy Lijsing Kleven ’47. Joining their father in funding the endowment were Bruce and Maren Kleven, David and Barbara Kleven, Zane and Barbara Kleven Birky, and Philip and Diane Kleven Larson. The President’s Scholarship is prestigious and highly competitive, recognizing only the most academically qualified freshmen entering Augsburg each year. PROGRAM SUPPORT Building the endowment is also essential to sustain the long-term viability of Augsburg’s distinctive programs, including StepUP, Augsburg’s innovative program for students in recovery from substance abuse; Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services (CLASS); and the Center for Global Education, providing funding over and above what is available from the operating budget. Support for a growing professional development initiative centered on vocation as well as other research and development opportunities for faculty also are needed. ■ A LIFE OF PROMISE IS GIVEN TO OTHERS Just as her life’s adventures were starting to take shape, melanoma cancer took Heidi Huber’s life at age 33. Wanting to honor Huber and help students at Augsburg who dream of a career in education, Huber’s family, which includes her sisters Wendy and Cindy ’01, her parents Barb and Bob, and her grandmother, Esther, worked with Augsburg to determine how to make this happen. Once the goal of establishing a $25,000 endowed scholarship in Huber’s memory was set, her family dedicated memorial gifts, contributed money, and contacted the Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation for additional assistance. Following in the footsteps of her mother and grandmother, Huber was working at the Carlson Companies at the time of her death. Through the 14 generosity of the foundation and the special efforts of Marilyn Carlson Nelson and Barbara Carlson Gage, family and friends, the Heidi Huber Scholarship will be awarded beginning with the 2005-06 academic year to one or more students with financial need, strong academic achievement, and dedication to the community. Huber graduated from Augsburg in 1992 with a triple major in German, economics, and international business. After graduation, she joined the Peace Corps, serving in Botswana, Africa, until 1996. She then earned her master’s degree in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University in 1998. If you have an interest in establishing an endowed scholarship or in contributing to the Heidi Huber Scholarship, please contact Jennifer Kahlow at 612-330-1185. Currently, $25,000 will establish an endowed scholarship at Augsburg. ■ Gifts of Real Estate Benefit Augsburg and Donor BY DAVE BENSON, PLANNED GIVING SPECIALIST Gifts of highly appreciated real estate are often an excellent means for a donor to make a charitable gift to Augsburg College because they allow you to make a gift larger than you thought possible, plus they provide immediate and long-term tax advantages. The first step is to have an appraiser determine the gift value when the property exceeds $5,000. If you give real estate, you receive a charitable deduction for the full fair market value of the property (regardless of its cost basis). The College may then sell the property for its full market value and use the entire proceeds to support its programs. Everyone wins. Here’s an example of how a gift of real estate will benefit Augsburg: The Andersons own 60 acres of farmland past an outer ring suburb. Recently, they were approached about selling 20 acres of their property for $100,000. The land was purchased nearly 20 years ago for $5,000 and, when sold, they will realize substantial capital gains. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have often thought about making a significant gift to Augsburg College and now it appears this may be an appropriate gift asset to benefit both the College and themselves. By giving the property to Augsburg (that may then sell it to an interested buyer), the Andersons receive a charitable deduction for the full fair market value ($100,000) of the proper- CAMPAIGN GOALS HIGHLIGHTS ty. While their income tax deduction is limited to 30 percent of their adjusted gross income, when filing their taxes, they can claim the gift in the year it was given plus carry forward the allowable deduction for five additional years. Another tax benefit occurs should the Andersons also choose to sell another portion of their land outright. While that sale will have the same capital gains liability, the charitable deduction from the college gift may be used to offset the capital gains obligation on the sale liability were they to sell the land outright. Because your situation will be somewhat different from the Andersons, contact the Development Office at 612-330-1462 for many other gift-giving ideas. Augsburg will provide you with sufficient information so together with your attorney, tax accountant and/or financial adviser you can evaluate your gift giving options. ■ To ensure Augsburg’s transforming education is available for generations to come, Access to Excellence:The Campaign for Augsburg College is focused in the following areas: SCIENCE CENTER A new Science Center and renovation of the existing Science Hall are the centerpieces of the campaign and will strengthen and expand science learning for all. GATEWAY BUILDING The new Gateway Building to be built on Riverside Avenue will link the College and the community. SI MELBY EXPANSION An expansion of Si Melby Hall will accommodate the increasing demands on athletic facilities. ENDOWMENT SUPPORT A strong endowment means the Augsburg model of education will be available to future generations. ANNUAL FUND Increasing the Augsburg Fund will ensure that no talented student is turned away due to financial need. If you would like to support these goals, contact Augsburg’s Development staff for assistance. 15 Help Us Reach our Goal Building a successful campaign involves just the right mix of people, opportunities, and energy. One of those is the outreach of the school’s leaders to encourage others to give of their time, talent, and resources. Augsburg’s leaders are seeking your support through a variety of ways. Help is needed to identify new donors, set strategies regarding cultivation of donors, and assist with cultivation of donors, events, and solicitations. Whether you live in or outside Minnesota, consider hosting cultivation events for alumni and friends of the College. These gatherings, either intimate or large, can be attached to a meal or some type of event, whether on campus, in your home, or some other type of public venue. Development staff will work with you to arrange specifics and carry out the details. It is important to take a role in a student’s life. Think about mentoring and encouraging students to attend Augsburg. Many programs offered at Augsburg aren’t available at other colleges and universities in the immediate area. Augsburg also sits within a vibrant city, which provides opportunities for internships for students and outreach to the community. Discuss with Development staff how to focus your campaign interest. What area of expertise or interest might serve your needs as well as those of the campaign? Determine, too, what fiscal resources you can provide Augsburg. 16 Strong leadership of fully committed and active volunteers is essential to take Augsburg to new levels of achievement. Institutional Advancement and Community Relations staff is sometimes asked whom they should contact with alumni and donor questions. Let us take a moment to introduce them. As always, staff looks forward to deepening relationships with alumni and friends of the College and welcomes hearing from you. SUE KLASEUS, vice president of institutional advancement, has been leading the Augsburg team since June 2001. She is responsible for all fundraising/development, alumni/parent relations, and government/community relations. She also serves as a member of the College’s leadership team on the College Council. Previously, Klaseus served as the associate dean for external affairs at the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management. Her background includes more than 20 years of experience in the financial services industry in management, marketing, sales, and communications, and she has extensive volunteer and fundraising experience with nonprofit and community organizations. Klasues hold a B.A. from Metropolitan State University, and master’s degrees from Hamline and Harvard universitites. DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS TRACY BECKMAN, director of government and community relations, joined Augsburg College in September 2003. He served as a Minnesota state senator for District 26 from 1987 to 1999. Most recently he was a lobbyist for the National Farmers Union in Washington D.C. Beckman holds a B.S. from Mankato State University, and an M.P.P. from Harvard. Beckman and his wife, Janel, owned and operated the local hardware store in Bricelyn, Minn., from the early ’70s until 1985. AMY SUTTON, director of alumni and parent relations. Sutton joined the Alumni/Parent Relations staff as director two years ago. She holds a B.S. and M.S. from South Dakota State University and worked there several years in admissions and at the SDSU Foundation where she was the director of scholarship development and administration. Sutton most recently worked as vice president for Friendship Ventures, a nonprofit organization, serving people with disabilities. She and her husband, John, welcomed their first child, daughter Taylor, in February 2004. KEVIN HEALY, director of advancement services, manages our database and gift acknowledgement systems and staff. He joined the Augsburg team in May 2004. Kevin comes from Community Solutions Fund, St. Paul. His experience in processing and disbursement of charitable donations makes him an asset in the area of donor financial reporting and technical support for the Office of Institutional Advancement. SHERRY JENNINGS-KING is the director of corporate, foundation, and government relations and has been with Augsburg College for 20 months. In addition to developing institutional relationships between Augsburg and corporations and foundations in Minnesota and the United States at large, Jennings-King is also responsible for securing federal appropriations through her work with Tracy Beckman. DICK WEILAND, interim director of development, joined Augsburg in April, to fill the shoes of John Knight, until Augsburg selects a new director of development. Weiland owns Weiland Consulting Group and brings 22 years of development experience and a 47-year career in education to the position. Augsburg is benefiting from Weiland’s leadership in meeting goals for major gifts, planned giving, and The Annual Fund. Weiland has successfully led development teams at both the University of St. Thomas and Carleton College. DONNA MCLEAN, director of principal gifts, has served Augsburg College for 19 years in several roles including director of alumni and parent relations, director of The Augsburg Fund and Maroon & Silver Society, and most recently in the area of leadership gift planning. Her deep knowledge of institutional history and long-standing relationships within the Augsburg community are strengths to the College. McLean’s passion for the mission of Augsburg continues to be inspired by the many outstanding and diverse accomplishments of the College’s alumni and friends. DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS PATRICK SHEEHY, senior director of principal gifts, has been on Augsburg’s Development team since 2000 and brings with him 20 years of experience in the field. Sheehy is also the parent of an Augsburg College student. As such, he not only provides expertise in gift planning but also is well versed in the amenities of each dorm. DAVID BENSON, consultant in the area of planned giving, came on board in spring of 2004 to work with new members of the Heritage Society at Augsburg College. Benson is a specialist in the area of estate planning and philanthropy. His approach includes the creative uses of charitable gift options in financial and estate planning that result in win-win strategies for all parities involved. Development staff not pictured KAY AHLSTROM MELISSA BAWEK ’03 JEROY CARLSON ’48 RON MAIN ’56 JENNIFER (ABELN) KAHLOW ’78, director of principal gifts and planned giving, since 1997, Kahlow has helped donors and alumni interested in making a significant difference in the lives of students at Augsburg College. As an alumna, parent, and volunteer she has maintained a close relationship with Augsburg since graduating in 1978. Her focus is on capital campaign gifts, with considerable experience in scholarship giving, estate giving, and gifts of appreciated assets. STEPHANIE MALONE, director of The Augsburg Fund and Maroon & Silver Society, joined Augsburg in January 2004. Malone came to us from the Girl Scouts of Greater Minneapolis. She oversees the Maroon and Silver Society membership, student phonathons, direct mailings, class challenge appeals, and the faculty and staff campaign. PHILIP QUANBECK SR. ’50 STEPHANIE STEWART GEORGE SVERDRUP ’46 SHERILYN YOUNG 17 Thanks, John Knight Called to speak out about disabilities and the church CONTACT US To learn more about Access to Excellence:The Campaign for Augsburg College, please call Institutional Advancement at 612-330-1462 or 1-800-273-0617, or e-mail us at giving@augsburg.edu. For a complete list of Institutional Advancement personnel visit www.augsburg.edu/campaign. INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Augsburg College 2211 Riverside Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55454 SUE KLASEUS Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Community Relations 612-330-1177 klaseus@augsburg.edu Development DICK WEILAND Interim Director, Development 612-330-1580 weiland@augsburg.edu John Knight receives farewell gift. Development director John Knight left Augsburg in May to answer God’s call to better understand disability through research and writing. During Knight’s five years at Augsburg, he held various positions before taking the helm as development director two years ago. In recent years he has been deeply involved in the management and success of the current campaign. Another of his achievements is the advancement of donor relations efforts at the College. In particular, he improved the system for managing and accounting for gifts. Knight’s current goals with The Pauley Project, named in honor of his eldest son, are to research what the Bible says about disability, write on the subject, and determine ways to include individuals with disabilities in his church. Initially, John’s first two writings will be based on the biblical text of John 9. If you are interested in learning more about The Pauley Project, visit www.thepauleyproject.org. ■ 18 STEPHANIE MALONE Director, The Augsburg Fund 612-330-1179 malone@augsburg.edu MELISSA BAWEK ’03 Assistant Director, The Augsburg Fund 612-330-1652 bawek@augsburg.edu JEROY CARLSON ’48 Senior Development Officer 612-330-1175 SHERRY JENNINGS-KING Director, Corporate, Foundation, and Government Relations 612-330-1386 jenningk@augsburg.edu PHILIP QUANBECK SR. ’50 quanbeck1@augsburg.edu PATRICK SHEEHY Senior Director, Principal Gifts 612-330-1329 sheehy@augsburg.edu Alumni and Parent Relations STEPHANIE STUART Prospect Researcher 612-330-1512 stuart@augsburg.edu AMY SUTTON Director, Alumni/Parent Relations 612-330-1525 suttona@augsburg.edu JENNIFER KAHLOW ’78 Director, Principal Gifts and Planned Giving 612-330-1185 kahlow@augsburg.edu Government and Community Relations DONNA MCLEAN Director, Principal Gifts 612-330-1556 mclean@augsburg.edu DAVE BENSON Planned Giving Specialist 612-330-1616 dbenson@augsburg.edu RON MAIN ’56 612-330-1113 main@augsburg.edu GEORGE SVERDRUP ’46 sverdrup@augsburg.edu TRACY BECKMAN Director, Government and Community Relations 612-330-1575 beckman@augsburg.edu Advancement Services KEVIN HEALY Director, Advancement Services 612-330-1619 healyk@augsburg.edu through the decades BY KRISTIN ANDERSON AND LEIF ANDERSON 1869 Augsburg College is founded in Marshall, Wisconsin. Augsburg’s first president August Weenaas recruits two teachers from Norway—Sven Oftedal and Georg Sverdrup. 1911 George Sverdrup becomes president, proposing to develop college departments with appeal to a broader range of students than those intending to be ministers. 1921 Augsburg considers moving its campus to a suburban location in Richfield, Minn. 1922 Augsburg admits women under the leadership of Gerda Mortensen, dean of women. Sven Oftedal 1872 Georg Sverdrup Augsburg moves to Minneapolis. 1938 Bernhard Christensen becomes president, with his involvement in ecumenical and civic circles making Augsburg a more visible part of church and city life. 1874 President Weenaas and faculty propose three-part plan: train ministerial candidates; prepare future theological students; and educate the farmer, worker, and businessman. The plan stresses that a good education is also practical. 1946 Following WWII, Augsburg leaders expand and improve academic offerings, making the College a larger part of the institution than the seminary. 1963 President Oscar Anderson begins his 17-year term, emphasizing Augsburg’s involvement with city. Augsburg experiences significant campus growth during his years of leadership, including the Christensen Center in 1966 and the Music Hall in 1978. 1980 President Charles Anderson begins a 17-year term, guiding Augsburg to a strong commitment to liberal arts education, diversity in enrollment and programs, and a service-learning curriculum. 1982 Augsburg initates Weekend College programs. 1988 College opens Foss Center for Worship, Drama, and Communication. 1997 Augsburg opens the James G. Lindell Family Library. The StepUP program is founded. 1997 1876 1949 Keeping the vision of the “non-elitist” college, Georg Sverdrup becomes Augsburg’s second president and stresses community involvement, requiring students to get experience in city congregations. Science Hall is built. 1954 Augsburg College is granted accreditation, although many alumni had entered graduate schools and teaching positions much earlier. 1879 1963 William V. Frame becomes Augsburg’s president, sharpening the College’s identity as a college of the city, providing an education grounded in vocational calling as articulated in Augsburg 2004. 2000 Augsburg holds first graduation ceremony. 1890 Augsburg leaders form the Friends of Augsburg, later called the Lutheran Free Church—a group of independent congregations committed to congregational autonomy and personal Christianity. Augsburg Seminary moves to Luther Theological Seminary in St. Paul; the Lutheran Free Church is merged with the American Lutheran Church. Augsburg establishes a branch campus in Rochester, Minnesota. 2003 Alumnus Peter Agre ’70 awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. 2004 Augsburg launches a $55 million capital campaign. 19 SAVE THE DATE 2004 FALL/WINTER EVENTS—PRELIMINARY LIST AUGUST 31 Ice Cream Social 50th Class Year Reunion and Volunteers Augsburg House NOVEMBER 14 “Thanks” giving Scholarship Brunch Endowed scholarship recipients and donors Christensen Center on campus OCTOBER 9 Homecoming All campus See www.augsburg.edu for the latest on Augsburg’s events. DECEMBER 3 Velkommen Jul Christensen Center on campus DECEMBER 3 & 4 Advent Vespers Central Lutheran Church Minneapolis, Minn. NOTEWORTHY A recipe for job success In an eight-week program this summer, the Campus Kitchen at Augsburg College prepared nine trainees from the community with job readiness skills to help them pass the Food Manager Certification Examination and to get jobs in the food services industry. Global partners in the classroom Through a U.S. State Department grant, Augsburg will offer a fall classroom course, Exploring Human Service in Global Context, via the Internet and interactive video in partnership with universities around the world. Rosemary Link, social work professor and project curriculum director, and Robert Bill, liaison for computing and project technology director, traveled to Ljubljana, Slovenia, and Mumbai, India, during July to meet with professors there for curriculum planning and technology testing. A fourth country will be added in late summer. New turf for the athletic field Over the summer, the existing Astroturf on Edor Nelson Field is being replaced by Sprinturf, a “next-generation” synthetic grass surface. The turf is laid over an infill of rubber and sand on the current asphalt base. Athletic teams will begin to use the new surface at the end of August. Former regent honored by Norwegian government Lawrence O. Hauge, Augsburg regent from 1976-88, received the Knight’s First Class of the Royal Norwegian Order of Merit. The honor ceremony took place in Minneapolis on May 17; Hauge was recognized for his efforts to maintain and strengthen the close relationships between Norway and the U.S. Similar honors were conferred upon President Frame in 2002, International Partners director Nadia Christensen in 1996, and President Emeritus Charles Anderson in 1993. Spring/Summer 2004 Augsburg launches MBA program T wo cohorts of students begin classes in September as part of Augsburg’s sixth and newest graduate program—a Master of Business Administration. Students remain together in small group cohorts throughout the 21-month part-time program. Classes meet one evening per week with some Saturday workshops. The curriculum emphasizes core business principles with relevant real-world applications, including special career workshops and a practical field study project. Drawing on the strength of Augsburg’s Master of Arts in Leadership, the MBA curriculum begins and ends with an Executive Leadership course, and weaves the thread of transformational leadership throughout the program. Students will receive a very personalized education, drawing on the strength of the cohort model in encouraging close faculty mentorship. In addition, as teamwork is developed, students will build close relationships with fellow students, who bring varied backgrounds and experiences to the program. In order to apply, students must have two years of work experience and must take the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT). For more information about the MBA, go to <www.augsburg.edu/mba> or call Graduate Admissions at 612-330-1101. A ‘bridge’ into college Nineteen incoming freshmen are getting a four-week jump to help them ease into college academics and campus life. The 2004 Summer Bridge program is funded by the Student Support Services (SSS) program, one of three TRIO programs to help students overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to complete their college education. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the SSS program is committed to helping low-income, first-generation college students and students with disabilities achieve a bachelor’s degree. During the morning classes over four weeks, students will take two courses: Introduction to Liberal Arts, and Christian Vocation and the Search for Meaning. Students also take a supplemental instruction course, attend academic support seminars and workshops about Augsburg College and college life, and enjoy social and cultural activities. 3 COMMENCEMENT 2004 The 135TH YEAR of Augsburg College photos by Stephen Geffre ELSA MAXWELL RECEIVES MARINA CHRISTENSEN JUSTICE AWARD Mathew Shannon, who graduated with a B.A. in arts and entertainment business promotion, pauses to enjoy the beautiful spring day. A graduate kisses her baby before lining up to process to Melby Hall for the Commencement ceremony. Elsa Maxwell, an international relations and Spanish major with a peace and global studies minor, was selected as the 2004 recipient of the Marina Christensen Justice Award. Each year, this honor is presented to the graduating senior who best exemplifies Augsburg’s motto “Education for Service.” The student must have demonstrated a dedication Elsa Maxwell (left), recipient of the Marina to community involvement as Christensen Justice Award, poses with Mary Laurel characterized by the personal and True (right), associate director of Augsburg’s Center for Service, Work, and Learning. professional life of Marina Christensen Justice, who courageously and effectively reached out to disadvantaged people and communities. Maxwell, from Duluth, has carried out a wide range of activities over the course of her Augsburg career that led to her being selected for this special award. Among them is activism in Latin American politics, farm policy, and environmental issues as well as extensive on-campus involvement in both music and Spanish. She has combined her class work and campus activities with work in the community as both a volunteer and organizer, especially at the Cedar Cultural Center. While at Augsburg, she also worked at an organic farm, putting her values to work in sustainable agriculture. She spent two semesters in Chile and Central America, serving as a translator and focusing on issues of social justice and sustainability. And, her senior honors thesis was an insightful study of the impact of NAFTA on corn farmers, both in Mexico and in the United States. She has played a key role in the annual “Action at Augsburg” day and helped organize Augsburg’s Coalition for Student Activism. A faculty letter of nomination, written by Joe Underhill-Cady, stated: “Elsa showed up as a freshman ready to be involved and already politically aware, immediately immersing herself in both campus and community activities. Now, as she prepares to leave Augsburg, she will be sorely missed, but she already has plans to continue her social and political activism, having applied to work for ‘Witness for Peace’ in Latin America.” REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE 2004 COMMENCEMENT ‘FUN FACTS’ ❚ Danielle M. Semling, representing graduate students 3155 Attended the Commencement ceremony 42 Plants ❚ Sarah A. Prozinski, representing day students 2475 Chairs set for the weekend’s activities 2 Pastors ❚ Barbara A. Forshier, representing weekend students 505 Served for brunch 1 Organist 376 Served for dinner 1 Drummer CLASS OF Spring/Summer 2004 18 Flags 27 AUGGIE THOUGHTS IN 1924, Augsburg College was in the midst of great change…and great promise. The first woman had graduated one year earlier, the College was transforming from a divinity school to a modern American college, and there was a great buzz about relocating the College to the suburbs of Minneapolis. As Augsburg launches into a campaign to build new structures and extend its vision and programs, we pause to listen to the editor’s voice of The 1924 Augsburgian—a time 80 years ago that seems not so different from our own. Note that among the yearbook staff pictured is the young intermediate seminary student Bernhard M. Christensen, future Augsburg president. The 1924 Augsburgian As in many other tasks which one begins and works with for some time, it is with some feeling of relief that we are nearing the completion of our work with The 1924 Augsburgian. We have tried to arrange a book which would be a credit to the school it represents, one which would include ideas and pictures that could be enjoyed not only by the students who have been at Augsburg during the past two years, but also by the men and women who during the past 55 years have attended school here or have in some way been connected with Augsburg. In the present increase in attendance at various educational institutions Augsburg has not been left out. We are growing rapidly. The question in regard to location and room will soon not be how much longer we have to stay here, but how much longer we can stay here. We have talked about a greater Augsburg. Now that we are increasing in numbers and have developed more comprehensive curricula will we be willing to assume the responsibilities which come with the greater Augsburg? Some of Augsburg’s friends have already provided suitable grounds for the New Augsburg. A place to build, however, is not enough. We must also have the means whereby buildings may be constructed. We believe that our people will continue to support our school. In so doing they will rise to new victories when they see new fields to conquer. It is the wish of the editorial staff of The 1924 Augsburgian that this biennial may be an instrument in helping people to realize that our school is doing a great work, an important work; that the things which are valued here are those which help young men and women to take their places in the world as contenders for Christian principles in theory and practice, and for personal life in Christ. — Caleb H. Quanbeck ’21 Academy, ’24, Editor 44 Spring/Summer 2004
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Title: Augsburg Now Summer 2005
Collection: Alumni Magazine Collection
Search Result: A P U B L I C AT I O N Summer 2005 F O R A U G S B U R G C O L L E G E A L U M N I & F R I E N D S Vol. 67, No. 4 EEditor’s DITOR’Snote NOTE Staying connected I t seems the talk everywhere is about being “connected.” There’s the daily media buzz about camera phones, text messagi...
Show more A P U B L I C AT I O N Summer 2005 F O R A U G S B U R G C O L L E G E A L U M N I & F R I E N D S Vol. 67, No. 4 EEditor’s DITOR’Snote NOTE Staying connected I t seems the talk everywhere is about being “connected.” There’s the daily media buzz about camera phones, text messaging, chat rooms, etc., but here on campus the conversations focus more on meaningful ways to help our alumni stay connected to the College. While I was thinking about all of this, we received the sad news of the death of Augsburg’s President Emeritus Oscar Anderson. It was a quote included in a newspaper article that sparked more thinking about connections. In 1983, while speaking about liberal arts education, Anderson said that students needed to be as familiar with Captain Ahab in Moby Dick as with the computer HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. “The computer is an extension of the brain, not a substitute for the mind.” To me, this really tells us that as we become more proficient in maintaining the technological connections, we should remember that it’s the fostering of deeper relationships that make people want to stay involved in the life and future of Augsburg. It’s the difference between being brain-connected and being heartconnected. Like family members who grow up and move away, we hope our students will leave us wanting to stay involved in what goes on at this place. We hope this relationship begins with the very first impression a high school junior gets as he or she is led around campus, and with each stop increasingly thinks, “This is the place I really want to be.” Or, when a full-time nurse or a stayat-home mom hangs up the phone, excited about the prospect of finishing college after receiving lots of encouragement from an admissions counselor. Once students are on campus, they discover many opportunities to forge this kind of relationship—with classmates, with athletic teammates, with professors in classrooms and labs, with academic advisers, and with people they meet as they explore the world off campus. Each year at Commencement, we send off our graduates confident that they’ll take their learning in directions that bring meaning to their lives. We fervently hope they stay in touch. After that the connections become more tenuous. Work and family life take over, and again we hope that somehow Augsburg fits into their careers and activities. This summer issue of the Now speaks to this whole process of building Augsburg relationships and keeping the “family” connected. You’ll share the excitement of the 600 graduates we sent off in May with Augsburg diplomas. You’ll be encouraged to return to campus for Homecoming festivities to catch up with old friends and connect with our current students. In the feature stories, you’ll meet bright, young music scholars who have graduated and followed their hearts and talents to places far and near. You’ll also meet students and faculty in our Mathematics Department, and learn how math studies and career exploration go hand-in-hand in a very personal process. And, you’ll read about some very remarkable donors to our Access to Excellence campaign—both Augsburg alumni and others—who are committed to building exceptional opportunities for future students. Alumni president Bill Vanderwall sums it up at the end of his column, “Be connected—stay connected!” And I’ll add, “Stay heart-connected!” Betsey Norgard Editor Augsburg Now is published quarterly by Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454. Editor Betsey Norgard Assistant Editor Lynn Mena Graphic Designer Kathy Rumpza Class Notes Coordinator Sara Kamholz ’04 Photographer Stephen Geffre President William V. Frame Director of Alumni and Parent Relations Amy Sutton Director of Public Relations and Communication Dan Jorgensen Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now do not necessarily reflect official College policy. ISSN 1058–1545 Postmaster: Send address corrections to: Advancement Services Augsburg College, CB 142 2211 Riverside Ave. Minneapolis, MN 55454 healyk@augsburg.edu E-mail: now@augsburg.edu Telephone: 612-330-1181 Fax: 612-330-1780 Augsburg College, as affirmed in its mission, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, or disability in its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, athletic and/or school administered programs, except in those instances where religion is a bona fide occupational qualification. Augsburg College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to its employees and its students. www.augsburg.edu 12 A PUBLICATION FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE ALUMNI & FRIENDS Summer 2005 Vol. 67, No. 4 FEATURES 21 Finding the right career formula by Betsey Norgard 25 Following the Hognander Scholars by Jessica Brown 10 12 16 2005 Fifth Annual International Photo Contest Commencement 2005 Vision, news from Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College DEPARTMENTS 21 2 Around the Quad 8 Sports 28 Alumni News 30 Class Notes 35 In Memoriam 36 Auggie Thoughts inside back cover Homecoming 2005 Preview On the cover: Three education students enjoy the serenity of the Quad to study after their summer school class. 25 Photo by Stephen Geffre. 50 percent recycled paper (10 percent post—consumer waste) AROUND QUAD Around THE the Quad President Frame announces retirement in 2006 Augsburg News Service W illiam V. Frame, who has served as president of Augsburg College since the summer of 1997, has announced plans to retire in the summer of 2006 following completion of his current term. In letters to regents and colleagues and in a talk before a gathering of staff and faculty on the campus, Frame said that he and his wife, Anne, have found the work both rewarding and demanding, with the principal rewards being a deeper understanding of the Lutheran idea of vocation and of the educational regimen that it requires. He saluted faculty, staff, regents, and other supporters of the College as “true partners” in his presidency. “Our work together has helped us draw Augsburg to new levels of recognition for advancing the cause of Lutheran higher education in the city and in the global society of the 21st century,” he said. “Together, we have brought new life and utility to Luther’s idea of vocation, and have organized our general education curriculum and now our graduate programs around this grand idea of the ‘called life of service.’ “Augsburg plays a unique role in the world of Lutheran education. Its service to the city, to the provision of accessibility to first-class educational opportunities for both traditionally-aged students and working adults, and its regard for faith and reason as interactive and mutually reinforcing modes of understanding gives us a special mission which you have helped us to see and pursue. No doubt my successor will rely as heavily upon your counsel and support as have I.” Jean Taylor ’85, president of Taylor Corporation and chair of the Augsburg Board of Regents, said she expects the search for the new president to occupy most of the next year. She has appointed H. Theodore Grindal ’76, partner in the law firm of Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P. and vice-chair of the Augsburg board, to lead the search. Frame, who is the 10th president in Augsburg’s 136-year history, said that while much has been accomplished, he expects his final year to be filled with projects and opportunities. Among those is his continuing work on the College’s $55 million Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College, kicked off in April 2004. Some $41 million has been raised toward that goal, the largest in the College’s history. Prior to joining Augsburg, Frame was vice president for finance and operations at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Wash. He has been a strong proponent of William V. Frame the tradition of Lutheran higher education, which he believes is based on the ideas of vocation and service and requires ongoing dialogue between faith and reason. His advocacy for vocation also has led to his national leadership among college presidents, currently serving as project director for the Council of Independent Colleges’ program designed to guide both current and prospective presidents in reflection about each leader’s sense of calling and its intersection with institutional mission. He also has taken leadership roles with the Minnesota Private College Council—as chair during the 2004-05 academic year—and the Minnesota Campus Compact. A L U M N I A S K E D T O S U B M I T N A M E S O F P R E S I D E N T I A L C A N D I D AT E S The Augsburg College Presidential Search Committee is continuing to seek names of potential candidates for the presidency and especially wants to hear from Augsburg alumni, parents, and close friends of the College during this process. Names of suggested candidates should be sent to Dr. Thomas B. Courtice of the Academic Search Consultation Service, Washington, D.C., who is assisting with the search. Nominators or prospective candidates may contact Courtice at <tom.courtice@academic-search.org> or at 614-405-9209. 2 Summer 2005 David Tiede named to first endowed chair D avid Tiede, president of Luther Seminary for 18 years, has been named to the Bernhard M. Christensen Chair in Religion—the first endowed chair in Augsburg’s history. Known as one of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s preeminent theologians and educators, Tiede was selected following a nationwide search by the College. He earlier had announced his intention to retire from the Luther presidency in May 2005. His appointment to Augsburg begins in the 2005-06 academic year. The chair honors Bernhard M. Christensen ’22, the seventh president of Augsburg College and Seminary from 1938-62 and a central figure in drawing Augsburg fully into the study of liberal arts. Augsburg Seminary was later merged with Luther Seminary. In announcing the selection, Augsburg President William V. Frame noted, “David Tiede is a champion of the Augsburg ideals of vocation and service to the city. These ideals, along with Augsburg’s increasing attention to its role as a college of the church and in a global society—including the formation of a new Center for Faith and Learning under the auspices of our Lilly Endowment grant—were keys in attracting him to this new position.” As the Christensen professor, Tiede will carry out research and writing, including focus on Christensen’s legacy and work. He also will lecture and conduct on-campus workshops, represent the College at various events sponsored by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Fund, work with Augsburg students who have been designated as “Lilly Scholars” and who have demonstrated an interest in studying for ministry, and will seek ways to strengthen the College’s ties to key Christian leaders and communities. In accepting the position, Tiede noted, “Since the days of President Bernhard Christensen, Augsburg College has had a vision of academic excellence for the sake of vocation in the world. Summer 2005 Now faculty, graduates, and administrative leaders are bringing renewed focus, discipline, and strength to this vision. I am grateful the Christensen Chair will allow me to join them in helping make it happen.” Inez Schwarzkopf, former Augsburg regent and chair of the College’s Christensen Endowment Fund Committee, said Tiede graces the Christensen chair with a wide reputation as a scholar, a leader, and a churchman. “We are delighted that he has accepted this new challenge,” she said. “At the same time, the appointment honors Dr. Tiede by association with Augsburg’s solid legacy of scholarship, Christian spirituality, service, diversity, and ecumenism as embodied in the life and work of Bernhard M. Christensen.” Christopher Kimball, provost and dean of the College, who co-chaired the search committee with Schwarzkopf, said, “Tiede provides the College with a voice in the national conversation about the importance of church-related—in particular Lutheran—higher education. So, we are fortunate to have someone of that stature join the faculty.” Tiede’s teaching career began in 1967 as a summer instructor in Greek at Harvard Divinity School, where he became a teaching fellow in New Testament in 1969. Ordained in 1971, he served as associate pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, from 1972-75. In June 2000 he was elected vice president of the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) in the U.S. and Canada. Two years later, he was elected president of ATS. He serves on the board of directors for In Trust magazine. Courtesy of Luther Seminary Augsburg News Service David Tiede, retiring president of Luther Seminary, is Augsburg’s first Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion. Tiede earned the B.A. degree from St. Olaf College, attended Princeton Theological Seminary, and received the B.D. degree from Luther Seminary in 1966. He earned the Ph.D. degree from Harvard in 1971 and began his career at Luther that same year, teaching New Testament, his specialty. In addition to ten books and textual notes, he has written dozens of scholarly articles and book chapters, done a number of audio and video productions, and served on numerous boards and committees for the church, in national and international religious organizations, and throughout the Greater Twin Cities. For the past three years he has been the initial chair of the new consortium, Faith in the City, composed of seven Lutheranbased organizations working collectively and with others to contribute to the wellbeing of the community. Oscar Anderson dies at 89 As Augsburg Now goes to press, we sadly report the death of President Emeritus Oscar A. Anderson, Augsburg’s eighth president, from 1963-80. Read the news release at <www.augsburg.edu/news/news-archives/2005/oscaranderson.html> and see the complete story in the next issue. 3 Around the Quad Larry Crockett recognized for Honors Program leadership omputer science professor Larry Crockett, who directed the Honors Program from 1988 through this past academic year, was honored by the College for his service and vision for the program over 16 years. Crockett will be on sabbatical leave during spring 2006 and return in the fall to teach in the Honors Program and computer science department. “His vision for the Honors Program has shaped its curriculum and the intellectual lives of its students,” said academic dean Barbara Edwards Farley at the April recognition gathering. “Establishment of the Honors Suite gave students a place to call their own; and Larry’s work on the Honors Web page and contributions to the National Collegiate Honors Council have brought the College national recognition,” she continued. For several years, Augsburg’s Honors Program Web site was the top-ranked honors page at both Google and Yahoo. Christopher Kimball, provost and dean of the College, said that Crockett “cares deeply about ideas, particularly those that should shape and be shaped by a liberal arts education.” Kimball recalled a conversation in which Crockett lamented that faculty only gather to take care of questions of governance and legislation, and no longer to converse about ideas. “We never talk about the important stuff,” Kimball recalled Crockett saying. “Those are the things that got all of us into academia.” Crockett’s teaching crosses disciplinary boundaries—computer science, philosophy, history of science, theology, and history. He has served in the clergy of the Lutheran church, and is currently a priest in the Episcopal church. Both former and current students testified to the impact that Crockett’s sometimes unorthodox, but always challenging, teaching made in their education. Erica Huls ’01 recalled the first day of Honors 101 when students were asked to 4 Staff photo C Larry Crockett catches up with former Honors Program students Erica Huls ’01 (left) and Stephanie Lein Walseth ’00 (right) at the reception honoring his leadership and service to the program. count the ceiling tiles in the classroom, before pondering why it was that people don’t sit around all day doing that. She said that Crockett’s goal was to teach them how to think, to make and defend arguments, and to find fallacies in others. “The program wanted us to look at subjects like religion, science, and technology, and see how they could live and work together, just as they live and work together in Dr. Crockett’s person,” she said. Senior Eric Dunens spoke about community. “[Crockett] created a program that surrounds its participants with the best Augsburg has to offer. He’s created an honors community that challenges its participants to reach their potential. He’s also created an honors community that encourages students to interact with other students and create a real community on campus.” Crockett participated on the Honors Program Design Team to develop a new proposal for the Honors Program. The proposal was approved by the faculty, and Crockett has worked with the team implementing the program, along with Robert Groven, the new Honors Program director. Bob Groven named Honors Program director Augsburg News Service R obert Groven, associate professor of communication studies, has been named to a threeyear term as director of the Honors Program. Groven holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School and a Master of Arts in speech communication from the University of Minnesota. He is a 1989 graduate of Concordia College-Moorhead, where he participated in the honors program in humanities. Groven, who has been a member of the faculty since 1997, also is director of Augsburg’s award-winning forensics program and has led it to national prominence in recent years. In announcing the appointment, Christopher Kimball, provost and dean of the College, said, “Dr. Groven’s philosophy of education, his vision for an honors program education at Augsburg, and his commitment to student development and community building make him an excellent choice to assume leadership of the program.” Kimball noted that an Honors Program Council will be established this year to work with the new director to guide the development of the recently revised program. Kimball said that the Honors Program—as noted in its operational statements—both celebrates and enhances the signature elements of Augsburg’s Core Curriculum: Christian vocation, global citizenship, the importance of service, the value of diversity, and the role of the city in framing the College’s beliefs and values. About 115 students participate in the program each year. Summer 2005 Making room for mental illness P rofessor Dan Hanson’s family has struggled for a decade to understand and care for their mentally ill son and brother, Joel. The road has been difficult and, at times, seemingly hopeless. Hanson has transformed that journey into a book that aims to give hope and support to countless other families who also never expected to find themselves in this situation. At age 20, Joel Hanson was diagnosed with severe schizophrenia, and believes that he is God. He lacks the insight to understand why others can’t share his delusion and why he must inhabit his different reality alone. If he discontinues his court-ordered medication, he stops eating and drinking, and becomes severely ill and dehydrated. Dan Hanson explains that his book, Room for J: A Family Struggles with Schizophrenia, evolved in several ways. The simplest is that it started out as a personal journal. “Writing is often my way of dealing with difficult situations,” he says. “[My books] always emerge out of my own struggle.” As Hanson and his wife, Sue, sought care and support for Joel, they also began to consider a book that would help other families navigate the social services system, as well as deal with the sense of loss for a loved one who has become a totally different person. And, thirdly, Hanson wanted to include Joel’s own voice, his own writing about his self-identity, to demonstrate how he, too, Professor Dan Hanson struggles with family and others who don’t acknowledge or understand him for the person he believes he is. The book presents journal entries of the Hanson family members. They talk about good times, even during Joel’s illness, when the Joel they know shines through while out fishing or playing with a nephew. But there are also the most difficult times, when they fear for Joel, when he becomes psychotic, when they must confront him to force commitment, or when they discover he’s gone off medication and disappeared. What the Hansons and other families learn and face is that society does not deal adequately with mental illness. Many institutions and asylums were closed in order to mainstream the mentally ill into society, but the reality is that the programs by Betsey Norgard and support to accomplish this are severely underfunded and understaffed. Some end up reinstitutionalized in nursing homes, prisons, or state hospitals not designed to treat them—or they end up on the street and helpless. Ultimately, Hanson says, Room for J is about making room for Joel in the family, as well as challenging society to make room “for all our Js, and to find ways to do a better job of providing community-based programs that integrate people who cope with severe mental illness back into the community so they feel respected, yet are given the right kinds of program to survive and even thrive in the social structure.” Room for J has been welcomed and critically acclaimed. It was recognized as a “highlighted title” on an independent publisher’s Web site. Hanson appreciates hearing from others who find comfort in understanding that they need not face their challenges alone. Dan and Sue Hanson spoke about the book and insights the family has gained on Minnesota Public Radio’s “Speaking of Faith” program on July 17. That program can be heard at <speakingoffaith. publicradio.org>. Room for J: A Family Struggles with Schizophrenia was published last year by Beaver’s Pond Press. Augsburg gains a provost and three new deans Christopher Kimball Summer 2005 Barbara Edwards Farley Ann Garvey Julie Olson Last September, as part of a restructuring of the College administration, Christopher Kimball became Augsburg’s first provost, as well as continuing as dean of the College. In further changes to the Academic and Student Affairs division, three positions of dean were created. Barbara Edwards Farley became academic dean, while Ann Garvey is now dean of students. Formerly, both positions were associate deans. Julie Olson ’98, ’05 MAL , formerly director of the Enrollment Center, is the new dean of enrollment management, with responsibility for the Enrollment Center; day, weekend, and graduate admissions; and public relations and communication. 5 Around the Quad Music therapy celebrates past, present, and future by Jessica Brown F aculty, alumni, and friends of Augsburg’s music therapy program gathered in April to celebrate its 30th anniversary. They reflected on the growth of the program, affirmed a leading role for music therapy across many careers and vocations, and proposed a vision for its continued growth. The original vision for music therapy at Augsburg was that of longtime music department chair Leland Sateren ’38, who asked Prof. Robert Karlén to attend a national conference in this emerging field. Karlén was impressed, and invited Roberta Kagin to teach the first music therapy courses. She was eager. “As a college student,” she said, “I saw a demonstration by a talented composer and pianist who asked handicapped children to walk across the room to the beat of her piano music. If music had the power to influence the way these children could move, what else might lie in its power?” Today, Augsburg’s more than 100 music therapy graduates live around the world and work in a wide variety of careers and fields that serve people of all ages and needs—working with disabled children to maximize their learning potential, helping elderly people remain active and engaged, and combining music with many forms of treatment and therapy to promote healing and wellness. Keynote speaker Cheryl Dileo, from Temple University, recounted personal experiences from her career in which music therapy is introduced in situations of death and dying, i.e., of aiding people in the transition from life to death. Where communication can be difficult among family members, Dileo says, “songs help families express all the love they hold in their hearts to the dying patient,” as well as provide spiritual affirmation, healing, and a musical legacy. Speaker Bill Bowen spoke personally about the value of music therapy to 6 people with physical and cognitive challenges. He told of the instrumental role that music therapy and Professor Roberta Kagin played in the remarkable progress of his son, Edward “Major” Bowen, following surgery to remove a brain tumor. Kagin, honored as one of the original architects of the program and its current director, presented a slide presentation and oral history of Augsburg’s music therapy program and affirmed its place in Augsburg’s curriculum. “The music therapy major is firmly and without apology steeped in a liberal arts education,” she said. Students study a four-year liberal arts course, followed by an intense six-month internship with a music therapist. Above all, music therapy touches a very basic human need for creative expression. Kagin also spoke about music therapy within a Center for Creativity and Transformational Learning envisioned at Augsburg. In addition, a master’s degree in music and medicine is under consideration. Augsburg remains the Each year Augsburg music therapy students join with VSA Arts of Minnesota in a music festival for developmentally disabled children. only music therapy program among Minnesota’s private colleges. For information about music therapy at Augsburg, contact the Music Department at 612-330-1265. Jessica Brown is a communication specialist in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. 2005 teaching and learning distinctions The 2005 awards for Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning have been announced by the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Office of the Provost. TEACHING— Kristin Anderson (standing), associate professor, art ADVISING/MENTORING— David Wold (seated, left), College pastor and director of ministries, and Sonja Hagander (seated, right), associate College pastor SERVICE TO STUDENTS— Wendi Wheeler (seated, center), Weekend College academic coordinator Summer 2005 Terry Lewis retires from PA program T erry Lewis, clinical site director and faculty member of Augsburg’s physician assistant program, retired from Augsburg at the close of the 2004-05 academic year. He joined the PA program in 1995 as clinical coordinator, having spent several years prior as a physician assistant in the military. Lewis received his initial PA training in 1977 from the U.S. Army/Baylor University PA Program in Texas. He went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in 1983 from Siena Heights University in Adrian, Mich., and his Master of Physician Assistant Studies in 2002 from the University of Nebraska. “Terry and I [joined Augsburg] when this program was new,” says Dawn Ludwig, PA program director. “Terry’s wisdom has been invaluable to me as this program was molded into the premier program it is today. … He is a kind and patient person and I will miss him greatly.” Over the course of his career in the physician studies field, Lewis has received numerous honors and awards, including the U.S. Army PA of the Year in 1990, presented by the surgeon general, as well as 40 additional military honors. He has presented numerous presentations around the world, and his work has been published in several PA reference works. Not one to stand still—even in retirement—Lewis has signed a one-year Getting the project done right P roject management is carried out in all kinds of organizations; and across the board, advances in computer technology and globalization of the workforce have required everyone to become smarter about managing work and resources. Within information technology, it has become a highly specialized field that others are beginning to notice. Business Administration professor Kathy Schwalbe has published a textbook, Information Technology Project Management, now in its fourth edition, that incorporates the guidelines of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), information that the Project Management Institute (PMI) uses as the basis for its certification. Even while the book is aimed at IT students, it is not so advanced to preclude others who could benefit from principles of good planning and management. After teaching a project management course for several years, Schwalbe decided to tackle the project of writing a book the way she would like it, using the PMBOK Guide as a basis and Summer 2005 by Lynn Mena Professor Terry Lewis contract with a small rural health clinic in Melba, Idaho (population 497). by Betsey Norgard advances in the field and updating Microsoft Project software. At her publisher’s request (Course Technology, a branch of Thomson Learning), she is also working on a new project management textbook, not geared toward Professor Kathy Schwalbe information technology projects, to be published including many examples in late 2005. and exercises to help Within the past two students understand and years, the second edition apply project management. Information Technology of Schwalbe’s book has Project Management, In every chapter, case been translated into translated into Japanese studies—both successes Chinese and the third and failure—feature actual edition into Japanese, applications of the project management reflecting the growth and interest framework. A companion Web site worldwide in the project management includes template files for creating profession. various project management documents, A senior project manager for IBM notes, quizzes, case studies, and links. In Germany commented that global IT five years sales of the book have companies—especially in Japan, China, exceeded 120,000 copies. and India—are creating career models On her Web site, Schwalbe explains for project managers based on PMI her intent to release a new edition of the certification credentials. book every spring, continually adding 7 Sports Augsburg nets record number of academic All-Americans by Don Stoner A Charles Walbridge ugsburg student-athletes set a new milestone for academic performance this season, as a record four athletes earned ESPN The Magazine Academic AllAmerica honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Senior wrestler Mark Matzek and junior Ryan Valek earned Academic AllAmerica men’s at-large honors, while junior baseball player Darren Ginther and track and field/cross country senior Riley Conway earned Academic AllAmerica honors in their respective sports. Four Auggie All-Americans represents the most ever in a single year. Since 1981, Augsburg student-athletes have earned 17 Academic All-America honors from CoSIDA. Matzek, a first-team men’s at-large Academic All-America honoree, is profiled in the story about honor athletes on page nine. Ginther, a first-team Academic AllAmerica selection in baseball, is a secondary education/social studies major with a 3.81 grade point average (GPA). He also earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors as well as American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings AllMidwest Region second-team honors in 2005. As the Auggies’ No. 2 starting pitcher, he finished as one of the top hitters in the MIAC this year, and was Darren Ginther Ryan Valek Riley Conway Augsburg’s fourth .400 hitter since 1988. Conway, a second-team Academic Cross Country Coaches Association All-America honoree, was the Auggies’ top Scholar All-America honors his senior year. runner in all seven cross country Valek was a third-team men’s at-large competitions in 2004, earning all-region Academic All-America honoree. He earned honors at the 2004 NCAA Division III wrestling All-American honors for the Central Regional in November. At the second time in 2004-05, finishing second MIAC championships in October, he nationally at 165 pounds. earned all-conference honorable-mention Valek is an accounting major with a honors. 3.789 GPA. He has earned National In track and field, Conway earned Wrestling Coaches Association Division III All-MIAC honors at the outdoor Scholar All-America honors in both 2004 conference championships in May. In the and 2005. indoor season, Conway set a school Top student-athletes from non-Division record as part of the distance-medley I programs, who have already earned relay squad. Academic All-District first-team honors, Conway had a perfect 4.000 GPA and are eligible for inclusion in the ESPN The graduated in May summa cum laude with Magazine Academic All-America program. an English major. He was an Academic They must have a GPA above 3.20 (4.0 All-MIAC selection his junior and senior scale) and have outstanding athletic years in both track and field and cross credentials. The Academic All-America country, and earned NCAA Division III ballot is voted on by a committee of CoSIDA members. In addition to the four Academic AllAmericans, Augsburg had three other student-athletes earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V honors, saluting the top student-athletes in a four-state area of the Midwest. Senior women’s hockey players Lauren Chezick and Laura Prasek were named to the Academic All-District V women’s at-large second team, and junior Millie Suk earned Academic All-District V first-team honors in women’s soccer. For a full list of Augsburg 2004-05 athletic award-winners, go to <www.augsburg.edu/athletics/sportsnews/ 0405athleticawards.html>. Augsburg wrestler Mark Matzek controls Wartburg’s Tyler Hubbard en route to a 4-2 win in a dual meet in February at Si Melby Hall. Matzek repeated as NCAA Division III national champion at 133 pounds in 2004-05. 8 Don Stoner is sports information coordinator. Summer 2005 Eight senior athletes are honored A ugsburg College honored eight senior student-athletes for 2004-05. Athletic awards are voted on by coaches in Augsburg’s men’s and women’s athletic departments. Five Auggies were named Honor Athletes, the highest honor the College gives its senior student-athletes for accomplishment, leadership, and character on the playing field and in the classroom. Three Auggie student-athletes were named Men’s Athletes of the Year. 2004-05 AUGSBURG HONOR ATHLETES Lauren Chezick rewrote the record book in women’s hockey at Augsburg. A three-year captain on teams that qualified for conference playoffs in three seasons, Chezick earned MIAC Player of the Year and American Hockey Coaches Association Division III All-American honors. Chezick was named to the Dean’s List five semesters and graduated with a 3.562 grade point-average (GPA) and a prelaw/communications major. She volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and served as a student-athlete mentor. Joe Cullen earned honors in both football and wrestling. In football, Cullen earned All-MIAC first-team honors in 2004 after honorable-mention honors in 2002 and 2003. In wrestling, Cullen earned NCAA Division III All-American honors in the 2003-04 season. He earned the wrestling team’s Auggie Award his senior season. Cullen was a mathematics major with a 3.500 grade-point-average. He has also earned numerous national and conference academic honors in both football and wrestling. Hannah Dietrich was a four-year member of both Augsburg’s cross country and track Summer 2005 and field teams and played women’s hockey two years. In cross country, Dietrich was a team captain and No. 3 runner her senior season. In track and field, Dietrich was a top middle-distance runner, earning three MIAC championships. In 2005, she qualified and competed at the national outdoor meet in the 1,500-meter run. A psychology major with a 3.672 GPA, she graduated with departmental honors in psychology, national honor and leadership society recognition, and numerous academic athletic and leadership awards. In 2004, she was voted Homecoming Queen. Adam Hoffmann, a three-year offensive line starter in football, was named to the Division III Preseason AllAmerica team by the D3football.com Web site in 2004, and was named to the Football Gazette Division III All-West Region third team at the conclusion of his senior campaign. A two-year captain, Hoffmann was voted the team’s top lineman by his teammates for three years, and earned the team’s highest honor, the Edor Nelson Auggie Award, in 2004. Hoffmann graduated with a 3.770 GPA as a finance major. He was an Augsburg Presidential Scholar and a student-athlete mentor. Mark Matzek, one of the top lightweight wrestlers in school history, won national titles at 133 pounds his junior and senior campaigns, while earning NCAA Division III All-American honors three times. Finishing his collegiate career with a 42-match winning streak, Matzek dominated his weight class in the 2004-05 by Don Stoner campaign. He earned the team’s Coaches Award his senior season, was the team’s Auggie Award winner his junior season, and earned the team’s Most Improved Wrestler award his sophomore season Matzek graduated as a mathematics and secondary education major with a 3.408 grade-point-average. 2004-05 AUGSBURG ATHLETES OF THE YEAR Mike Elcano has been a team leader throughout his career for Augsburg’s men’s soccer team. In 2004 he led the conference in overall scoring. He finished his career with Augsburg’s all-time record for goals with 35, and earned MIAC honors in two years. He graduated with a major in finance. Jeremy Nelson emerged as one of the top pitchers in recent years for Augsburg’s baseball team. He was Augsburg’s No. 1 starter throughout his four seasons, and earned MIAC and regional honors over two years. He graduated with a marketing major, was on the Dean’s List, and served as a studentathlete mentor. Jamell Tidwell was a four-year starter on the varsity squad and a fourtime qualifier for the NCAA Division III national championships. He earned All-American honors three times and finished his career with a 155-17 record, second best in wins in school history. A health and physical education major, he was one of 10 members of an Augsburg academic national team that finished sixth nationally in team GPA this year. Don Stoner is sports information coordinator. 9 Augsburg’s fifth INTERNATIONAL OFF-CAMPUS STUDIES PHOTO CONTEST 1 Scenic landscapes, first place. “MY CHAIR,” Jamie Schiller ’05. Venice, Italy. 2 Scenic landscapes, second place. “STRENGTH, SWEAT, AND SOUL,” Lindsay Plocher ’06. Cuernavaca, Mexico. 3 Scenic landscapes, third place. “BUILDING BRIDGES,” Lindsay Plocher ’06. Cuernavaca, Mexico. 4 Local culture, second place. “SAWADEE CROP,” Rachel Schuette ’03. Bangkok, Thailand. 5 Local culture, first place. “LUK LUK,” Rachel Schuette ’03. Chiang Mai, Thailand. 6 Augsburg students in a host setting, second place. “ON WATCH,” Sari Gallagher ’08. U.S. Virgin Islands. 1 3 2 10 4 Summer 2005 7 5 8 6 7 Augsburg students in a host setting, first place. “A TROPICAL MINNESOTA NIGHT,” Maria Roots Morland ’05. Minneapolis, Minn. 8 Augsburg students in a host setting, third place. “LAST DAY,” David Nash ’04. Edinburgh, Scotland. 9 Local culture, third place. “GAMBLING DURING RAMADAN,” Jake Renze ’05. Morocco. Summer 2005 9 11 COMMENCEMENT 2005 The 136TH YEAR of Augsburg College photos by Stephen Geffre (except as noted) TONY SCHADEN RECEIVES MARINA CHRISTENSEN JUSTICE AWARD The Augsburg campus provided fresh spring blooms as a backdrop for family photos. REPRESENTATIVES FOR THE CLASS OF 2005 ❚ Glenda C. Holste, representing graduate students ❚ Gretchen M. Hemmingsen, representing day students ❚ Nicholas J. Schumm, representing weekend students 12 Tony Schaden, a history major from Minneapolis, was selected as the 2005 recipient of the Marina Christensen Justice Award. Each year, this honor is presented to the graduating senior who best exemplifies Augsburg’s motto “Education for Service.” The student must have demonstrated a dedication Tony Schaden, a history major from to community involvement as Minneapolis, was honored with the 2005 characterized by the personal and Marina Christensen Justice Award during the Commencement ceremony. professional life of Marina Christensen Justice, who courageously and effectively reached out to disadvantaged people and communities. Schaden grew up in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood and was a member of Trinity Congregation, where he has been a longtime volunteer with the Safe Place Tutoring Program. At Augsburg he has held numerous leadership roles, including serving as chaplain for the Pan-Afrikan Student Association for the past two years, as organizer of Peace Day in the Park, and as a member of the Outreach Ministry Team through Campus Ministry. He has done service-learning at Women against Military Madness, as well as volunteered with Campus Kitchens and mentored youth at the Wednesday Night Out program in the neighborhood. Among his numerous awards and honors are the Dean’s Award for student leadership, the Pan-Afrikan Ambassador of the Year Award for commitment to campus and community, the Win Wallin Scholarship, and the Bilkie Scholarship. Paul Cummings, president-elect of Augsburg’s student body, wrote this about Schaden: “Giving back to the community is part of Tony’s very nature. The courageous example he is setting within his community and family has given many people hope that they too may succeed in college. Tony is a role model in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. His actions in service to his family and community speak volumes about his true character.” In the coming year he will expand his work with youth mentoring and counseling, serving in Brazil and Africa under the auspices of the Wapagasset Luther Bible Camp. Students processed from Foss Center to Melby Hall for the Commencement ceremony. Summer 2005 “ON OUR OWN—AGAIN” Excerpts from the Baccalaureate Address William V. Frame, President, Augsburg College May 7, 2005—Ascension Sunday … The thing that Graduation has in common with the Ascension is separation. You are leaving us today and are henceforth and in a new way “on your own;” Jesus leaves the Disciples at Ascension. They are “on their own.” And so—What is the good news in this Separation—either yours from the College or the Disciples from Christ? Staff photo The Commencement concert featured performances by the Augsburg Choir and Augsburg Chamber Orchestra. If we stick with the relationship between you and us, a preliminary and happy interpretation is quite possible. Not that we’re glad to be rid of you … but your separation from the College is a necessary condition of your full engagement with the world. However successfully we have introduced you to the city and to the global society of which it is so much and evidently a part, Augsburg College remains a refuge and a training ground, a harbor ringed round by our core general education curriculum; an open cloister in which we can talk “… of many things: Of shoes—and ships—and sealing wax—of cabbages—and kings … .” All that talking, and especially about such things as these, yields self-knowledge at exactly the rate at which it yields knowledge of the world. … But when we turn to the Easter Story itself, the good news lies deeper and is harder to detect. According to the lectionary passage from Acts, the first consequence for the disciples of their separation from Jesus is the loss of their special access to the Divine Plan. They ask: “Is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” Jesus responds: “It is not for you to know the time or period that the Father has set by his own authority.” Kathy Rumpza, advertising and graphic design manager for Augsburg’s public relations department, posed with her husband, Matt Rumpza, manager of Augsburg’s Central Support Services, prior to receiving her Master of Arts in Leadership. You can sense their stunned reaction. “After giving up everything of our own to follow you; after all that we've been through together-you leave! And at the same time cut us off from the very knowledge you’ve been so anxious to reveal to us. You've left us on our own in this world after pointing us time and again, especially recently, at the other world.” Before they have time to register this complaint with their ascending Lord, he imposes upon them a task—to be performed in his absence. For the sake of this task, he expects them “to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” … Both the good news and the good sense in this is camouflaged by the pathos of the separation. Just behind the fact that the disciplesand, through them, we—have been left on our own by the ascension, lies the fact that we were prepared for this independence by the whole of the Easter story—including the part of it here at issue. Christ’s refusal to answer the disciples’ request for knowledge of the Divine Plan—indeed, his general refusal to give us any detailed portrait of heaven-keeps our attention where the Gospel focuses it-not on the next world but this. The Easter story—all of it, including the ascension-gives us the tools (including a carefully confined ignorance) to take up, for the first time, life on our own. To read the complete address, go to <www.augsburg.edu/president/bacc05.pdf>. Christopher Kimball, provost and dean of the College, handed out honors cords during the Honors Convocation. Summer 2005 13 COMMENCEMENT 2005 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS: “IF YOU CAN'T GET OUT OF IT…” Dawn Ludwig, director of the Physician Assistant Program, placed a master’s hood on Patricia Rodriguez. Nicholas Schumm, Weekend College Class of 2005 representative, addressed the crowd at the Commencement ceremony. Following are excerpts from Parker J. Palmer’s Commencement address; download the complete address at <www.augsburg.edu/president/palmer05.pdf> … I was raised by a father who gave my two sisters and me the perfect graduation speech at breakfast every school day. Dad had a thousand aphorisms, brief and pithy sayings designed to point us kids in the right direction. Well, it seemed like he had a thousand, but he probably only had 50, which he recycled constantly. We’d be almost finished with breakfast, my sisters and I, when Dad would look at us and say, “Just remember kids, add a little ‘oomph’ to ‘try’ and you get ‘triumph.’ Now off you go!” Or on another day he’d look at us and say, “Just remember kids, there’s only one-letter’s difference between hero and zero. Now off you go!” … Now, if I had any sense I’d say “Off you go!” and sit down, having delivered succinct advice from a highly reliable source, my father. But there are a few more things I’d like to say … First, we never outgrow our need for teachers … as you go down the road called life after college, stay alert for your next teacher, and the next, and the next. It may be a family member, a friend, a child, a stranger, it may even be a socalled enemy. If the teacher does not appear, reach out for him or her. Your need for a teacher will draw that person to you if you make your need known. … A second lesson is this: whatever good and true thing you want to do, go ahead and take the first step … of course the big enemy of trust and risk-taking is fear. But here we can take good counsel from the religious tradition in which this college is rooted: “Be not afraid.” Those words do not say that you should not have fear, which we all do (at least I do); instead they say you need not be your fear. Right alongside our fear we have other places within us, places with names like hope, and faith, and trust. We can look at the world from those places instead of from our fears. … Here’s the third lesson: when you face into that fear as you step off the cliff … seek out people with whom you can tell it like it is. … A fourth lesson is this: know that you have an inner guide, an inner teacher, a true self who will be there for you when all else fails. … And finally, a fifth lesson … “If you can’t get out of it, get into it.” Of course there are some things that you can get out of, and you should: a relationship that kills your spirit, a job that contradicts your most basic values … but there are other things that we can’t get out of, so we had better get into them. And one of them is to fully inhabit ourselves, which means making the most of our gifts and being honest about our shadows. … So congratulations to all of you, and many blessings for your journey. And, as my father would surely say, “Now off you go!” Parker Palmer (center), Commencement ceremony keynote speaker, was presented the Augsburg Medal by President Frame and Jean Taylor ’85, chair of the Board of Regents. 14 Summer 2005 Staff photo THE AUGSBURG COLLEGE Twin brothers Robert Amaya (left) and Renzo Amaya Torres (right) celebrated the day with their mother, who flew to Minnesota from Colombia to watch her sons graduate. 630 Candidates for graduation 355 Day program candidates 144 Weekend College candidates 85 Graduate program candidates (20 Master of Arts in Leadership, 35 Master of Social Work, 6 Master of Arts in Nursing, 16 Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies, 8 Master of Arts in Education) 33 Rochester program candidates 9 United Hospital candidates 4 3M candidates 20-65 10 Jubilant students celebrated after the Commencement ceremony. Summer 2005 CLASS OF 2005 Age range of graduates in the Class of 2005 Countries other than the United States represented (Belarus, Bolivia, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Mexico, Norway, Philippines, Sweden, and Vietnam) After the Commencement ceremony ended, students exited Melby Hall to join their families at the reception in Murphy Square. 15 Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy donate $2 million to Melby Hall expansion by Dan Jorgensen The proposed addition to Si Melby Hall, as shown from the southwest corner, is adjacent to Edor Nelson Field, facing 23rd Avenue South. All-American his senior year. He also was a two-time Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion, and twotime MIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player. In dual-meet competition, he lost only one match during his career and had 53 victories his junior and senior seasons. In 1996, he was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. He credits the discipline instilled in him by his coaches and mentors, particularly Mike Good ’71 (a current Augsburg regent) and John Grygelko (Augsburg’s head coach from 1973-80), as keys to his success. Good preceded Kennedy at both Fridley High School and Augsburg where he, too, was a champion wrestler. He went on to a successful business career in New York and has served on Continued on page 19 16 Dean Kennedy ’75 shared a moment of honor with his wife, Terry, when he was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996 for his career as an Auggie AllAmerican wrestler. Thanks to the generous gifts from Augsburg alumni and friends, the ceremonial groundbreaking for the south wing addition is scheduled for Oct. 29. Ground cannot be broken, however, until the remaining $1.5 million in gifts and pledges is secured. Contact the Development Office at 612-338-0002 or 1-800-273-0617. Summer 2005 David Santos/H. Larson Photography A former All-American wrestler and his wife have contributed $2 million to Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College in support of a major addition to the College’s athletic center, Si Melby Hall. The gift, made by Fridley natives Dean Kennedy ’75, and his wife, Terry, was announced recently by Augsburg President William V. Frame, who said the gift not only is “a magnificent gesture of support for the campaign, but also significant recognition for the work of coaches and others who shape the lives of those of our students and colleagues who are engaged in athletics.” Kennedy, an independent businessman, was the first four-time AllLutheran Tournament champion in the tournament’s history. And he was at the front end of what has been built into the most successful small-college wrestling program in the nation. In his senior year as co-captain, Kennedy led Augsburg to a runner-up spot in the NAIA national finals with a third-place finish at 142 pounds. In the ensuing 30 years, Augsburg has consistently finished among the top 10 in the nation, winning a record nine NCAA Division III national titles and taking second place seven more times. A four-year varsity wrestler for Augsburg, Kennedy was a 142-pound The Augsburg Fund annual goal of $1 million reached again Significant growth in alumni giving to The Augsburg Fund made an aggressive goal of $1 million reachable for the fiscal year ending May 31. The annual fund primarily supports student financial aid through scholarships and grants. Since this is unrestricted annual giving, gifts also may be used to provide for the critical needs of the College such as technology advancement and other strategic operations. “This is the second time in Augsburg’s history that $1million has been raised in one year for The Augsburg Fund,” said Stephanie Malone, director of the fund. “The standard has been set, so it should be an achievable goal in the future.” Significant giving this year came from the Alumni Board with 100 percent participation, the Board of Regents, and two class challenges generated by Alumni Board members and volunteer leaders, including the “Decade of the ’70s Challenge.” Ken ’74 and Linda (Bailey) ’74 Holmen provided the lead gift to the challenge, followed by more than 200 fellow alumni from the decade of the ’70s. Five alumni families from the 1970s—Rick Colvin ’74, Mark ’79 and Pamela (Hanson) ’79 Moksnes, Robert ’74 and Andrea (Johnson) ’75 Strommen, Philip ’79 and Julia (Davis) ’79 Styrlund, and Thomas Peterson ’70—issued a $50,000 challenge and 1:1 dollar match to ensure new levels of support and gifts of $100,000 to the College. “The Decade of the ’70s Challenge was a dollar-focused challenge that matched new and increased gifts to The Augsburg Fund,” said Malone. “We are pleased with the results and hope that next year other individuals will come forward and think of creative ways to sustain the College. “It was a highly successful year in terms of participation levels. First time donor giving rose 100 percent, and alumni giving increased from 20 percent to a participation rate of 25 percent.” Repeat and increased giving also were noticeable. All donors at the $10,000 level renewed their gifts, and new donors were added to the $25,000+ level, currently the top tier for gifts to The Augsburg Fund. Reunion year activities and volunteer involvement this year also sparked the growth of annual giving, led by Alumni Board initiatives. Class agents, who engaged their classmates through letters and contacts, were also extremely beneficial in helping to meet annual fund needs. “We will especially miss the efforts of class agent Wes Sideen ’58 who passed away earlier this year,” said Malone. He affected many Augsburg families by his vigor for life and commitment to his alma mater.” Giving to The Augsburg Fund is an important component of the $55 million capital campaign, Access to Excellence: The Campaign for Augsburg College. “We hope alumni and friends of the College will continue to make The Augsburg Fund a priority,” Malone said. “We hope they continue to offer prayers and gifts of support and that the first gift they make every year is a gift to The Augsburg Fund as a way to ‘check in’ annually with their alma mater,” she continued. “After that we hope they will consider special opportunities based on the College’s priorities, like building and endowment initiatives. Gifts to Augsburg offer a future of access and excellence to our students.” For information on how to contribute to The Augsburg Fund, contact Stephanie Malone at <malone@augsburg.edu> or 612-338-4825. ■ Campaign progress $41.1M of $55M goal as of 7-31-05 Summer 2005 17 What is your dream job? For many of us, travel would play a part in our dream. The Reverend Dr. Arne Markland ’49, and his wife, Jean (Swanson) ’52 Markland, have lived their dream of seeing the world. Their gift for storytelling has landed them on the lecture circuit for a number of cruises—162 and counting. Arne first starting working on cruise ships as a chaplain and history lecturer and has amassed a repertoire of 156 lectures on countries and islands around the world. Jean shares her knowledge and expertise of how nutrition affects the brain. They have acted as destination art lecturers and have been fortunate to collect art on their travels. Their cruise travel has taken them mainly overseas. “We’re waiting to cruise to Sri Lanka, India, Havana, New Orleans, and Lake Wobegon,” said Arne. The Marklands have spent their lives encouraging people to enthusiastically embrace learning. Since graduating from Augsburg, Arne became a campus and parish pastor in Georgia, South Dakota, and Utah. He also served as a military chaplain for four years. Jean used her skills as a teacher and taught many different subjects in the public school system as a secondary school educator for 30 years. Recently the Marklands established an endowed scholarship to help support students who want to attend Augsburg from two high schools: Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls, Minn., and Oak Grove Lutheran School in Fargo, N.Dak. Arne grew up in the Norwegian section of Brooklyn, N.Y., but his parents sent him to Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls for high school. Jean is from Bemidji, Minn., and has had an interest in Oak Grove Lutheran School. The scholarship is structured so if there are no students accepted to Augsburg from these high schools in a given year, the scholarship will be given to a current Augsburg student who will attend Luther Seminary or one who has an interest in secondary education. “We have always been interested in Christian education,” said Jean. “I liked the spiritual values of Augsburg when I was attending college. Augsburg has Courtesy photo Marklands endow a scholarship as they cruise into retirement Rev. Dr. Arne ’49 and Jean (Swanson) ’52 Markland are enjoying second careers as cruise ship lecturers while staying connected with Augsburg through an endowed scholarship. always stressed the values of serving and giving to others.” Perhaps like the Marklands you want to make student dreams a reality. After all, 85 percent of Augsburg’s students receive financial aid and scholarship support. Contact the Development Office at 612-338-0002 or 1-800-273-0617 to offer encouragement and significant financial assistance for students. ■ Ellingers support Science Center through student-faculty research Albert Einstein’s words, “It is high time that the ideal of success should be replaced by the ideal of service,” reflect the giving spirits of Patricia (Olson) ’71 and Mark ’71 Ellinger. The Ellingers, both biology majors at Augsburg, have enjoyed success in their careers and are now giving back in ways that will serve others. 18 Last year, they established an endowment, the Ellinger Faculty Scholar, to provide support for faculty research to include student collaboration. “We really appreciated how the research program was developed,” said Pat. “It is our way to support the new Science Center and faculty research because of the positive experiences we had at Augsburg.” “We were both drawn to Augsburg because of the strong science and biomedical programs and its Lutheran heritage,” continued Pat. Mark, who transferred to Augsburg during his junior year, echoed that: “I had a deep and continuing interest in the relationship of Summer 2005 Dean and Terry Kennedy, continued Augsburg’s board for the past three years. Just out of college in 1971, Good convinced Kennedy to come to Augsburg and then coached him his freshman year. Grygelko was Kennedy’s coach for his final three years. “I was fortunate to be on the varsity for four years and take my lead from good leaders who remain my lifelong friends,” Kennedy said. “It was such an important part of my life at the time, and it molded me and shaped my values as a person. “Terry and I have been blessed to be in the position to do this. We’re doing it for Jeff Swenson ’79, Mike Good, John Grygelko, and all the outstanding young men for whom the Augsburg wrestling program has meant so much. And now that we’ve thought it through and made the commitment, we’re feeling very good about it, both of us.” Swenson is current wrestling coach and assistant dean for athletics and recreation. Kennedy said he is a great admirer of Swenson’s coaching, but more importantly how he has shaped his team members into outstanding men who excel in the classroom and in society. “Augsburg has done a very good job in working with its student-athletes. I took great pride in the program when I was there, and 30 years later I’m still able to take pride. When I was at this year’s national tournament (in Northfield, Minn.) I was very impressed by Jeff’s work with these young men. They were articulate and, even with all their success, very humble. I attribute that to Jeff and his coaches. “You see a lot of successful ‘sports’ programs, but you don’t hear them talk about their graduation rates or inclassroom successes. But you do hear that at Augsburg. This is a college that teaches its students how to think critically and care about the world. I wanted to be supportive of that.” Kennedy said he also was spurred into making his gift by an earlier gift science and religion, which continues to captivate me.” Both of them enjoyed learning in smaller classes and taking a wide array of liberal arts in addition to the required biology courses for their majors. Taking Professor Robert Herforth’s Developmental Biology course influenced Mark significantly: it’s where he and Pat met, and it convinced Mark to pursue a Ph.D. Pat has never regretted following a career in medical technology suggested by her chemistry professor Courtland Agre. She went on to specialize in blood banking and obtained a master’s degree in health education. For many years both Mark and Pat Ellinger have mentored students about the importance of science careers and research. The Ellinger scholarship will further those efforts; and for its first recipient, biology professor Mark Strefeler, it will provide enhanced resources for his research and support for a student assistant. Summer 2005 made by Twin Cities wrestling legend Alan Rice—a non-Augsburg alum who donated $1 million to the campaign just a year ago. Kennedy said he had long known and admired Rice, and when he saw that kind of commitment from him, he knew that he, too, needed to step forward to insure that good facilities were available for future generations. The goal for the new facility is about $5 million, and nearly $4 million has now been raised. The College hopes to bring in the last of the money by fall and have a ceremonial groundbreaking soon thereafter. “I hope that Terry’s and my gift will not only spark interest in other generations of Augsburg athletes whose lives have been shaped by the College, but also by Augsburg alumni in general in support of the many other important projects, such as the new Science Center, that will serve so many students in so many different ways,” Kennedy said. ■ The Ellinger Faculty Scholarship has supported the collaborative research of biology professor Mark Strefeler and student assistant Andrea Carlson ’05. 19 Seed family endows StepUP to affirm others SM Adam Seed’s life changed when he attended Augsburg. “It took Hazelden and Don Warren, former StepUP SM director, to jumpstart me,” said Seed. “Don Warren saw my potential and made me believe in myself. He was always available to me and the other students.” Seed was one of the first students in Augsburg’s StepUP program, which supports students in recovery to achieve academic success. Now it’s Seed’s turn to share his passion for the program and offer his unique insight as co-chair of the StepUP Alumni Board. “His leadership, wisdom, and strong recovery are necessary assets for the Alumni Board,” said Patrice Salmeri, StepUP director. “I want to make a connection with others and come up with unique solutions to common problems,” Seed said. “I’d also like to help re-establish alumni connections and contribute to the decisions concerning StepUP’s present and future. StepUP is a major part of who I am today and its health and possibility for the future are very important to me. Augsburg’s part in my Vision is published by Augsburg College, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454. Editor and Writer Lynn James Contributing Writer Dan Jorgensen Graphic Designer Kathy Rumpza www.augsburg.edu/campaign 20 Jim and Adam Seed development was crucial. It’s my hope that students take the opportunity to get uncomfortable and grow in areas that typically don’t occur naturally.” Seed’s family also continues to be involved with StepUP because of the impact it had on his life. In 2003 the Seed family received the Toby LaBelle Award as the StepUP Family of the Year. Recently, they showed support for the program by answering the Parent/Family and Friend Challenge. “By endowing the StepUP program— both as a physical and financial resource—we hope to create more certainty for its future,” said Jim Seed, Adam’s father. “We appreciate what was available to Adam and to others. I’d also like to commend [President] Bill Frame on his dedication to this program and to Augsburg,” said Jim. “I appreciate the commitment and loyalty to the program shown by the Seeds,” said Salmeri. “Since its inception in 1997, when Adam was in the class of founding students, the program has grown from 23 students to 53 students. Our new home, [the] Gateway [Building], will house 84 students.” “The original model for the StepUP program evolved over the last eight years,” Jim Seed said. “Young people are living in a small community and supporting each other. Prior to StepUP it was something that was impossible for them to do on their own. It’s a transformational environment where students break through the memories of failure and then come back into that environment. “It’s a wonderful program. It will be affirming and visionary if this program is constructed and transported to other colleges and universities. StepUP is a paradigm for life. As a collective group we have to help each other.” ■ GATEWAY CONSTRUCTION FURTHERED BY CHALLENGE GIFTS Thanks to the generous support by the Seed family and others, StepUP’s Parent/Family and Friend Challenge met its goal. The challenge, set by Jim Johnson in the spring of 2004, raised $425,000 toward construction of the Gateway Building that will house the StepUP program. Johnson, a former CEO of Fannie Mae, likes the urban village concept of the planned mixed-use office/retail/residential Gateway Building. He also appreciates the collaboration between the University of Minnesota and Augsburg, with both institutions serving the neighborhood and addressing needs for retail and housing. Johnson has been supportive of education and a strong proponent of higher education. At Augsburg, Johnson honored his mother, Adeline (Rasmussen) ’31 Johnson, by establishing a scholarship in her name. Summer 2005 FINDING THE RIGHT CAREER F O R M U L A by Betsey Norgard TRYING OUT THE OPTIONS Senior Jennifer Geis has shaped her own career goals in just this way. She came to Augsburg having been turned on to math in the eighth grade and having studied two years of college math as a postsecondary student. But, she really didn’t have a career focus, and hadn’t even settled on a math major. After two years of Summer 2005 Staff photo S On one of the first nice days in spring, students in Professor Rebekah Dupont’s (second from left) class enjoyed solving their math problems outside on the Quad. Stephen Geffre tudying mathematics can open doors to increasing numbers of varied careers and jobs for students. Often called the “language of science,” mathematics provides a structure and the tools to solve many kinds of problems, especially within the increasing complexity of today’s sciences and technology. In the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2002 Jobs Rated Almanac, eight of the 10 “best jobs”—biologist, actuary, financial planner, computer-systems analyst, software engineer, meteorologist, statistician, and astronomer—all require complex understanding and interpretation of numbers. Even more telling of how mathematics is becoming “cool” is the popularity of the new CBS-TV show, Numb3rs, in which a mathematician helps the FBI solve crimes through mathematical modeling—constructing formulas to reveal patterns and predict behavior. Using mathematics as a complementary skill to a variety of disciplines makes it a valuable second major or minor. Augsburg students combine math with physics, computer science, biology, psychology, economics, as well as music, English, Spanish, and religion. While some students know they want to pursue a degree in mathematics, many students generally don’t enter Augsburg intending to major in math, or even to study it. So, how does the mathematics faculty help students sort out the possibilities for math in liberal arts, for teaching, for research, for graduate school, and for using math in both theory and application? “We encourage them to pursue opportunities for out-of-class experiences such as community service, undergraduate research, paper presentations, and internships,” said department chair Rebekah Dupont. “Then, as part of our advising, we talk about what they liked best, and what perhaps they didn’t. “Our focus is really on helping students to activate their potential by connecting them to opportunities they might not have known about.” Senior Jennifer Geis has taken advantage of internships, tutoring, and research to help her pursue a career in statistics. mathematics courses at Augsburg, she knew she was hooked. “When my professors realized I was spending more time in the math department than anywhere else, they encouraged me to improve my teaching and tutoring skills,” said Geis. She began assisting with grading and tutoring in calculus, linear algebra, statistics, and courses for non-majors. It was a course in actuarial science that really sparked her interest and led to her work with Professor Ken Kaminsky on the textbook he had just completed. While giving the textbook a trial run in one of his classes, Kaminsky asked Geis to help him proofread, review the ease of layout, and 21 Stephen Geffre Stephen Geffre Professor Ken Kaminsky tried out his new textbook with classes over several semesters, and tests his math cartoons with the readers of Augarithms, the bi-weekly department newsletter. Rhythm and ‘Rithmetic—Music professor Bob Stacke ’71 (left) and math professor Matt Haines (right) presented an interactive seminar for Augsburg faculty, staff, and students to demonstrate how counting beats in a measure is really mathematics. verify the accuracy of the answers— while also gaining a bird’s-eye view into how a professor engages in academic scholarship. Kaminsky encouraged Geis to pursue a double major in mathematics and actuarial science, which she is able to do through the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC) consortium, allowing students to take courses at four other private colleges when they’re not learned how to communicate clearly and how to explain myself carefully.” This summer, she left the business world to accept a research internship in statistics at North Carolina State University, funded through the National Science Foundation. This gives her an introduction to the wider application of statistics than actuarial science offers. Mathematics major Tim Bancroft, who is now at Iowa State University T E A C H I N G Mathematics professors Tracy Bibelnieks and Matthew Haines usually focus on helping college math majors head to graduate school or other careers. Recently, though, they have spent considerable time together with education specialists across the country studying the mathematical knowledge needed by college students who are preparing to become teachers. This is important because everyone is learning mathematics differently now than how it was taught years ago—even only five years ago. Starting in early grades, children begin playing games with numbers—tossing pennies and making charts to learn about probability, for instance. In each succeeding year, their classroom learning builds on and expands the knowledge and skills they already have. It means that elementary teachers need to develop a deeper understanding of numbers than just how to add two 22 available on the home campus. Geis put her skills into practice for a year as an intern at Allianz Life Insurance. She became part of a team implementing a major, new actuarial reserving system and feels fortunate to have been given a role and responsibility. Plus, she learned more. “Some of the most important things I’ve learned working at Allianz have nothing to do with math,” she said. “I’ve M A T H E M A T I C S T O numbers, or divide, or multiply. High school calculus teachers must understand how their students learned mathematics as they progressed through the grades—how their thinking developed and how they communicate mathematical concepts. Bibelnieks and Haines focused their research on mathematics content for students preparing to be elementary teachers who have neither a strong background in math nor an interest in teaching it. Already, together with Augsburg’s K-6 mathematics education specialist Linda Stevens, they’ve made content revisions in two mathematics courses. It has been a more difficult assignment than they imagined. “How you teach pre-service teachers [education majors] is different from how you teach somebody who’s going on to graduate school in math, says Bibelnieks. “You have to go out of your comfort zone T E A C H E R S and learn what it means to be an elementary teacher in some sense.” Bibelnieks, Haines, and Stevens received Minnesota State Education Department funding to work with current teachers on acquisition of content knowledge in mathematics and its application to classroom learning. An in-service workshop first focused on mathematics content; Bibelnieks, Haines, and Stevens then advised the teachers during the school year in class activities. The project goal was to develop a “professional continuum,” in which knowledge gained from current teachers informs how future teachers learn, who then go into the field, etc. This summer Bibelnieks and Haines presented papers at an international conference in Brazil outlining Augsburg’s new curriculum as well as Haines’ participation in a wider longitudinal study looking at where education students learn their mathematics. Summer 2005 Staff photo working on a master’s degree in statistics, was able to enter graduate school with solid research experience. He took a project from his Discrete Mathematics Structures class with Professor Su Dorée and developed a research project in combinatorics, which studies the arrangement of objects. For the cointrading game called Bulgarian Exchange, Bancroft took results from the solitaire version of this game and generalized the patterns and repetitive cycle of twoperson play. Together with Dorée, Bancroft presented his research at a national mathematics conference. Stephen Geffre Tim Bancroft began grad school with solid research and presentation skills from a project he carried out with Professor Su Dorée involving prediction of patterns in a coin-trading game. S T U D E N T S AT T H E CUTTING EDGE Professor Tracy Bibelnieks considers herself an applied mathematician, which in her words involves “using theoretical mathematics in innovative ways to solve rich business problems.” She previously worked as a consultant, applying mathematics to the analysis of huge customer databases to help companies address problems or maximize revenue in their marketing and promotional strategies. Bibelnieks is seeking to develop partnerships with local firms that would provide benefit to both the business world and to her Augsburg students. She is looking for rich business problems and projects that will engage students in research beyond the standard classroom theory and models. The mathematical theory involved has to be exacting and validated—risky for a company to undertake—but invaluable for students wanting to get their feet wet in the field. The research generated by such a business/academic partnership gives students an edge as they look for career opportunities in the marketplace. Moreover, it may give the business an edge in the marketplace through the development of new tools, techniques, and solutions for a wide range of business problems. In September, Jennifer Geis begins to work with Bibelnieks on a business partnership research project. Geis is excited because it will require her to learn more about applied mathematics in the business sector, including the use of programming and software, that will hopefully give her that extra edge as she pursues an advanced career in statistics. ENGAGED STUDENTS Professor Tracy Bibelnieks is developing business partnerships to provide problems and projects for students to research and gain experience in applied mathematics. Summer 2005 The mathematics department makes it easy for students to feel connected to R E A D P I — T H R O W P I E ! On 3-14 (March 14, that is), students in Unbounded, Augsburg’s math club, hosted a pi(e) fest, in honor of Pi Day. The event benefited Augsburg's “Ride the Wave” tsunami relief project. From noon until 3:14:15 p.m., students took turns reading the digits of pi— 24,401 at final count. Also, faculty and staff signed up to be “pied,” i.e., to have a whipped-cream minipie tossed at them for a donation— the larger the donation, the closer the pie subject would stand. faculty. Several years ago, a study room was set up in the department to encourage students and faculty to get to know each other. Students spend time there using the telephone or computers, or researching something in the small library. “I practically live in the math suite with the workroom and the study areas,” said Geis. “It’s great just having the professors there. They come in to eat lunch and help you through your homework right then and there.” Dupont adds that it also encourages a supportive environment in which upperclass students can help newer students. The department also brings students together in bi-monthly colloquia where they meet professionals in various fields of mathematics, learn about applications, and hear research presentations. Often the presenters are Augsburg alumni who enjoy keeping in contact with their former professors and getting to know current students. Augarithms, the department’s biweekly newsletter, complete with department news, colloquia information, puzzles, and even math cartoons provided by editor Kaminsky, keeps the department in touch. All of this is to encourage students to connect what they learn in classrooms 23 K E E P I N G A L E G A C Y A L I V E T H E G E O R G E S O B E R G S C H O L A R S H I P Professor George Soberg graduated from communicate to our students that we Augsburg in 1926, and then spent the think they show real potential in next four decades of his life teaching mathematics. As a department, we mathematics at his alma mater. For 32 believe in honoring the level of years he served as chair of the accomplishment seen in junior or senior Mathematics Department. mathematics majors, and also celebrating The 1965 Augsburgian dedication the strong performance and enthusiasm calls out his “constant concern for of a freshman in calculus. In addition, students and his ever-ready willingness since they are named scholarships, they to help them individually.” connect our current students with alumni Donald G. Murphy ’43 and Kenneth A. Gilles ’44 were two of Soberg’s and faculty emeriti. “A named scholarship is one of the students who wanted to keep his legacy many ways alumni give back to our alive and inspire future students to department. Mathematics alumni also achieve their educational dreams. In speak in our colloquia, connect students 2004, Murphy and Gilles endowed a with internship opportunities, serve on scholarship in Soberg’s name to be Augsburg’s alumni board, and participate awarded to a math major or minor. in programs such as the alumni “The value of such gifts to the mentoring program (funded by the Lilly department is immeasurable,” Endowment), which brings together commented Rebekah Dupont, alumni, current students, Mathematics Department chair. “The and faculty.” scholarships funded by these gifts Archive photo Professor George Soberg, who graduated from Augsburg and stayed to teach and chair the Mathematics Department for over 30 years, now has an endowed scholarship in his honor. 24 with real-world mathematics. Last year, Dupont and other faculty and staff from Augsburg attended the Engaged Department Institute in Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Science, and Related Fields. Co-sponsored by Campus Compact and 3M Corporation, the institute aimed to help departments develop strategies to include communitybased work in both their teaching and scholarship and to seek ways to integrate service-learning, community-based research, and civic engagement into the curricula. For example, one of the first-year mathematics courses last fall that was part of the Augsburg Seminar student orientation included service-learning at the Cedar-Riverside Community School. Augsburg students worked with the elementary children to create a store, helping them understand what kinds of data they needed to make decisions about stocking the store, setting prices, etc. All in all, the department seeks to encourage students to explore the possibilities and to help them understand what it means to be successful in the sciences. It’s part of introducing them to the notion of vocation—helping them discover the opportunities within their own interests and abilities. Bibelnieks talks about helping them open doors, which they can leave behind if they wish, but supporting them toward success, not failure. For Geis, it’s made the difference. “All my professors have encouraged me to try things I didn’t think I could do,” she says. “I didn’t think I could get my internship this summer, but I was accepted. I didn’t think about pursuing a master’s or Ph.D. in statistics, but here I am prepping for my GREs. It’s been a lack of self-confidence, and they’ve always encouraged me to push myself from the limit to the next level, and I think that’s the most important thing.” ■ For information about Augsburg mathematics, go to <www.augsburg.edu/ mathematics>. Summer 2005 Music after Augsburg R FOLLOWING THE HOGNANDER SCHOLARS by Jessica Brown adio variety shows … opera … film scores … high school teaching … music education outreach … electronic music … jazz composition … Augsburg’s Hognander Scholars are out making their marks in music around the world. In 1998, the Orville ’36 and Gertrude (Lund) ’36 Hognander Family Fund was established to support Augsburg’s music department. Principally, it establishes the Hognander Scholars, juniors and seniors who receive merit awards for exceptional music performance and academic achievement. The award is based on a résumé, essay, and audition. Here is an update on the Hognander Scholars, now Augsburg alumni, from the past seven years. Stephen Geffre Aaron Gabriel ’00 (below), tenor, graduated with majors in both English and music performance. He is now director of cultural arts at the Sabes Jewish Community Center in Minneapolis, where he supervises the music, theatre, dance, art, literary, and cinematic arts programs. Center Playhouse, the youth theatre program he created does six productions a year and includes a Holocaust outreach program, touching 3,000 middle school age students; a classics series for teens interested in classic playwrights; and two summer musical theatre institutes based on the Wesley Balk training he received at Augsburg. In addition, Gabriel performs regularly with a number of local Twin Cities theatre companies, including the Minneapolis Musical Theatre, which won the Star Tribune Best Small Theatre Award in 2004 for Bat Boy, a musical in which Gabriel played five characters. Qiuxia (Hu) Welch ’99, French horn, was “recruited” to Augsburg by Professor Emeritus Robert Karlén, who met her while teaching at the Sichuan Summer 2005 Conservatory in China. After Augsburg, she studied in the graduate program of the University of Minnesota School of Music and has spent three summers teaching high school horn and performing at the Kendell Betts Horn Camp in New Hampshire. She and her husband, Kevin, are moving to China for several years to continue their teaching and performing careers. Chiho Okuizumi ’00 (above), euphonium, earned an Augsburg degree in music therapy, but also pursued an instrumental career. At Montclair State University she completed a master’s 25 FOLLOWING THE HOGNANDER SCHOLARS degree in euphonium performance, and she continues to play in the New York metropolitan area. She is currently pursuing a second degree at Montclair State University in music therapy. Okuizumi directs the REACH (Resources for Education And Community Harmony) program for the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra and produces orchestra concerts throughout the state. As a one-person production unit for the NJSO, she manages 120-150 concerts each year, serving 20,000 people. Jaime Kirchofner ’00, oboe, has carved out a busy performance and teaching career since graduating from Augsburg. She plays second oboe in the St. Cloud (Minn.) Symphony and regularly appears with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, Amadeus Symphony, Great River Chorale, Minnesota Center Chorale, and chamber groups throughout central Minnesota. She currently has 40 piano and oboe students. Nicole (Warner) Simml ’01 (left), mezzo-soprano, has performed for audiences in the U.S. and abroad. In her junior year at Augsburg, she brought home top division honors in a regional voice competition. After graduating, she completed a master’s degree in classical voice from the Manhattan School of Music and moved to Germany. In December, she sang Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. “Without overflowing emotion, [Simml] convincingly uses the opportunity to sing unpretentiously and stylefully,” read a German newspaper in translation. 26 She is also an active member of the Gächinger Kantorei under the direction of Helmuth Rilling. She teaches voice and piano, and conducts a small community choir. Anna Brandsoy ’01, soprano, studied in Germany at the Mozarteum and the Münchner Singschule with Edda Moser on a scholarship from the Voices of Vienna. She is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota where she has performed in numerous operas. Last December, she won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, South Dakota Region. Joe Tucker ’01, piano, is director of instrumental music at Como Park High School in St. Paul, where he has established an orchestra program which now boasts 40 members, has expanded the band program to two ensembles with a total of 85 students, and has led ensembles to top honors at state contests for four consecutive years. From Augsburg, he earned a master’s degree in music education from the University of Minnesota. He was recently recognized as an “outstanding teacher” in the 2005 edition of “Who’s Who in American Teaching.” Brendan Anderson ’02 (top right), saxophone and composition, made a name for himself as a composer even before leaving Augsburg. In his senior year, he led the Augsburg Choir and Concert Band in the premiere “I Believe,” his interpretation of the Apostles’ Creed in word and music. The work was later performed at the Crystal Cathedral in California during the Concert Band’s spring tour in 2003. In the past two years he has completed coursework in the UCLA film scoring program, and been commis- sioned to compose an arrangement of part of the Lutheran liturgy, as well as a piece for the Lutheran High School of Orange County (Calif.) Handbell Ensemble and Hollywood Brass Ensemble. This spring Anderson was nominated for Best Original Score at the 168 Hour Film Festival in Pasadena, Calif., for his score to the short film, Picket Guy. He lives in Arizona and works in the administrative offices of the Phoenix Symphony while continuing to compose both concert and film music. Lindsay Bonner ’02, soprano, sang in the Augsburg Choir, performed with the Gospel Praise ensemble, and appeared on the theatre stage. In 2002, she studied on scholarship at the Wesley Balk MusicTheater Institute and performed with Nautilus Music-Theater. For two years she has been in Austin, Texas, where she is a featured performer with the Lillian Kaufman Radio Drama and teaches voice lessons at Westlake High School. Bonner has also performed on Eklektikos, an Austin Public Radio variety program. Daniel Luedtke ’02, piano, is exploring the potential for creative expression Summer 2005 Stephen Geffre found in the experimental and electronic genre. He currently works on electronic music and sound design projects, as well as the post-production video editing for the Pilot Chicago Queermedia Conference 2004. In July he began work with the Video Data Bank in Chicago, Ill., a resource for videotapes by and about contemporary artists. Visitors and is performing the part of La Ciesca this summer in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi. FritzHuspen is a teaching assistant and will begin to coach private vocal lessons in the fall. Mark Abelsen (’04), piano, has plans for graduate school in the near future, majoring in either piano or musicology. He currently works for the Schubert Club in St. Paul as a museum docent in the organization’s keyboard and manuscript museums, as well as assists with various recital series, scholarship competitions, and office duties. In addition, he serves as director of music ministries for Epiphany Lutheran Church in Minneapolis and has a piano studio of 12 students. Gertrude Hognander with the 19992000 Hognander Scholars Jaime Kirchofner ’00 (left) and Chiho Okuizumi ’00 (right). THE HOGNANDERS: SUPPORTING MUSIC EXCELLENCE Orville ’36 and Gertrude (Lund) ’36 Hognander created a legacy in Augsburg’s music department that will encourage and support students for years to come. Emily Gerard ’03 (above), harp, studied harp at Augsburg with Kathy Kienzle, principal harpist with the Minnesota Orchestra. She went on to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, where she studied with Gretchen Van Hoesen, principal harpist with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. During her time there, she was able to participate in numerous master classes and perform repertoire with the Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic, and play second harp with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. In May she earned her Master of Music degree in harp recital. Upon completing this degree, she returned to Minneapolis to join the faculty of the MacPhail School of Music. Maja Lisa FritzHuspen ’04 (top center), soprano, currently studies at the University of Iowa with Rachel Joselson and opera director Gary Race. Last fall she performed the lead role as the mother of Amahl in Amahl and the Night Summer 2005 While a student at Augsburg in the 1930s, Orville Hognander sang in the male quartet and the Augsburg Choir. He created and produced “The Hour Melodious,” a weekly radio program that brought the choir to a national audience. Gertrude (Lund) ’36 Hognander, studied music at Augsburg and went on to a career as a church organist and choir director. Andy Peterson ’05 (above with Professor Angela Wyatt), piano and saxophone, will complete his bachelor’s degree in music education following student teaching at Henry Sibley High School this fall. He is currently working on his composition Sound Carei's, a piece for saxophone and piano which was inspired by the music of Minneapolis jazz musician Carei Thomas. ■ Jessica Brown is a communication specialist in the Office of Public Relations and Communication. Together, they provided leadership support to Augsburg music. In 1994, they matched a $25,000 challenge to refurbish pianos and purchase equipment for the music department. The Hognander Scholar awards, aim to attract gifted students and to encourage current students. Orville Hognander died in 1997, and Gertrude Hognander in January 2005. They are survived by their son, O.C. Hognander, Jr. 27 AAlumni LUMNINews NEWS From the Alumni Board president’s desk… I n May I had the opportunity to attend Augsburg’s Commencement ceremony in Si Melby Hall. I also had the privilege to welcome new graduates into the ranks of over 19,000 alumni. Surveying the crowd, I was reminded that Augsburg graduates are prepared to lead and make a difference—wherever their community is and however defined. Augsburg graduates understand that the phrase “values proposition” goes beyond the business marketing context to include living out one’s life in service to community and others. Representatives from each graduating class spoke of their experiences and perspectives as learners. Glenda Holste, representing graduate-level students, shared a story that revealed the important value she places on her education. However, she didn’t mention her career as a member of the Pioneer Press Editorial Board. Her role at the Pioneer Press newspaper exemplifies the Augsburg spirit of leadership and service to others. Holste’s editorial responsibilities and op-ed writing reach many thousands of people each day—and her work ensures that readers have the opportunity to be informed on many viewpoints of important issues of the day. Another example of exemplary service is Dr. Jeanette Vought ’77, profiled on page 31 of this issue. Vought founded the Christian Recovery Center in Brooklyn Center, Minn., which helps many people get the mental health care they need. In today’s world of A-Club making connections with new look and Web site A n old Augsburg tradition has a fresh new face! Earlier this year, the A-Club Executive Committee approved a new logo for the organization that supports Augsburg athletics and physical education. “We hope the bold, clean look will increase awareness of A-Club events as well as our mission of helping today’s student athletes,” said John Harden, A-Club president. The block “A” is just the first step aimed at improving A-Club’s brand. Visitors will see the logo on the debut Web site (www.aclub.org). For the first time, A-Club members and friends can get the latest information on events, activities, fundraising efforts, and newsletters online. “It is critical to stay connected with all our members, and this Web site will help us take giant steps toward improved 28 communication,” Harden said. By browsing the site, visitors will also discover an exciting line of A-Club apparel featuring the block “A.” Hats, shirts, windbreakers, and even stadium blankets are now available online with proceeds benefiting Augsburg athletics and physical education. diminishing access for mental health services, particularly for lower income people, Vought’s service approach is particularly needed and inspiring. Each of us as alumni have the spirit of vocation and leadership potential of Vought and Holste. We are all at a starting point of some kind or another. If you haven’t already, I invite each one of you to connect or re-connect with Augsburg College. Along the way your life experience will grow and be enhanced, your community will benefit, and Augsburg will be enriched many times over. Be connected—stay connected! Bill Vanderwall ’93 WEC President, Alumni Board A-Club 5K Run/Walk The Augsburg College Athletic Alumni Club (A-Club) requests your participation in the Second Annual A-Club 5K Run/Walk. Join us for a fun morning of fellowship and running or walking in the crisp autumn air while helping to support student athletes at Augsburg. The event will take place Sunday, September 18. Check-in begins at 9 a.m. at Melby Hall; race begins at 10 a.m. For more information or to register, please contact A-Club President John Harden at <jharden@hardeninc.com>. Second Annual A-Club 5K Summer 2005 Attention Auggies: Do you have the time and desire to help today’s student-athletes become tomorrow’s leaders? The Augsburg A-Club is looking for women and men who are willing to be active participants on the A-Club Executive Committee. The A-Club is a volunteer organization of former men and women athletes that depends on members to do what they can to help provide today’s student-athletes with opportunities for a quality athletic experience. We are looking for individuals who are dedicated to supporting the College, Augsburg athletics, and physical education. Most important, they must be willing to put in time as a volunteer. The time does not have to be significant, but they do need to be able to follow through on their commitment (we’re big on people doing what they say they will). Members must be able to attend brief quarterly Executive Committee meetings at the College and be willing to work on at least one A-Club committee: Golf, Hall of Alumni tour to China Centennial Singers Fall Schedule Enjoy fellowship, comfort, and enriching educational opportunities on the May 2006 Augsburg Alumni Association China tour: Sights and Spirits. Hosted by Brad Holt, professor of religion, this 15day tour scheduled for May 11–25, 2006, begins in Beijing and includes Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terra Cotta Warriors, and a boat cruise down the Yangtze River past the Three Gorges, which will be flooded by a dam project at the end of this decade. The international city of Shanghai concludes this travel experience. In addition to visiting famous sites in China, the tour will include an investigation of the religions of China, including Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, with special attention to the churches of China. Spaces are filling quickly; to add your name to the waiting list, call or e-mail the alumni office at 612-330-1178 or <alumni@augsburg.edu>. Summer 2005 Fame, Membership, Fundraising, Communications, Special Events, 5K Run/Walk, etc. Are you interested in joining our team? Do you know of someone who would be a good fit on a winning team? If you would like to know more, e-mail A-Club President John Harden (jharden@hardeninc.com), or Jane Helmke (jhelmke@kare.gannett.com). Thanks for your interest! September 25, 4 p.m. Hope Lutheran Church Moose Lake, Minn. October 22, 7 p.m. Salem Covenant Church New Brighton, Minn. October 1, 6 p.m. Augsburg Awards Banquet Christensen Center October 23, 7 p.m. Christ the King Lutheran Church Bloomington, Minn. October 2, 7 p.m. Golden Valley Lutheran Church Golden Valley, Minn. October 29, 7 p.m. Lakeville Arts Center Lakeville, Minn. October 9, 9 and 10:45 a.m. House of Prayer worship services Richfield, Minn. October 30, 7 p.m. Community of the Cross Lutheran Church Bloomington, Minn. October 9, 4 p.m. Westwood Lutheran Church St. Louis Park, Minn. October 17, 7:30 p.m. Wayzata Community Church Wayzata, Minn. November 6, 4 p.m. Our Savior's Lutheran Church Hastings, Minn. November 13, 11 a.m. Fort Snelling Chapel morning worship Minneapolis 29 CLASS NOTES Class Notes 1948 1958 Robert Tharp, Lexington, Va., works as a commercial artist who does illustration, murals, stone carving, and portraits. In addition, Robert works in art conservation, engineer drawing, and ceramics. Doris (Johnson) Deml, St. Cloud, Minn., won the Ray Johnson Distinguished Service in Senior Housing Award, given annually to one winner in Minnesota through the Minnesota Health and Housing Alliance. Doris is director of operations at Clearwater Suites, an assistedliving facility in Alexandria, Minn. 1956 Rev. Arlen Stensland and his wife, Lois, were featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune in a story about how they collect and send portable manual typewriters to the pastors and congregation of the Malagasy Lutheran Church in Madagascar, where the couple were missionaries for 22 years. The manual typewriters are immensely useful in this electricity-starved nation. Arlen and Lois live in Laporte, Minn., on Lake Kabekona; they can be reached at <kabegasy@ paulbunyan.net>. 1957 Rev. Orval Moren, Coon Rapids, Minn., wrote a book, Gospel Stories for Pastors, Teachers, and Parents (American Christian Writer’s Press), filled with 115 children’s lessons he told during his 14 years of ministry at Faith Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, N.Mex. Rev. Neal Snider, Steilacoom, Wash., published two books in 2004: Letter to Jabez: Response to a Prayer, and Spring Training for Christians: Getting Your Faith in Shape (both by Augsburg Fortress). He is pastor emeritus of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Marysville, Wash. 30 1961 Keith Leiseth, Golden Valley, Minn., is an ecology instructor at Benilde-St. Margaret’s; he was featured in a story in the Edina Sun Current for the unique teaching techniques he uses in his honors ecology class. Last year, Keith volunteered his students to partner with the Department of Natural Resources to track white-tailed deer and wolves near Camp Ripley in northern Minnesota. This year, his class partnered with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to monitor water quality. 1962 David Moe, Juneau, Alaska, published My Spirit Sings (Moe Publishing), a collection of poems written over the past 40 years on a variety of subjects. 1968 Duane M. Ilstrup, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, is a retired associate professor of biostatistics at the Mayo Clinic. He was recently appointed by the governor of Hawaii to a four-year term on the Hawaii Subarea Health Planning Council. Bruce Johnson, Plymouth, Minn., received the Minnesota High School Hockey Coaches Association’s 2005 Dave Peterson Award. The award is given annually to a high school coach who has shown great leadership in developing youth hockey either locally or statewide. Bruce, currently the boys’ hockey assistant coach at Bloomington Jefferson High School, previously served for several years as head coach at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School. 1969 John-Mark Stensvaag, Iowa City, Iowa, received the 2005 President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence from the University of Iowa in recognition for his years of outstanding teaching. John-Mark is the Charlotte and Frederick Hubbell Professor of Environmental and Natural Resources Law in the UI College of Law, where he has taught since 1988. He was awarded the university’s Collegiate Teaching Award in both 1989 and 2002, and also received the 1996 UI Instructional Improvement Award, which supports faculty in bringing innovative teaching methods and technologies to the classroom. 1970 Sonya (Hagen) Zieske, Albert Lea, Minn., was one of five finalists for Teacher of the Year in the Albert Lea school district. Sonya is a fifth-grade teacher at Lakeview Elementary School; it is her second year in the district. Her husband, Rev. Curtis Zieske ’69, is pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church, where Sonya serves as director of the children’s choir. She and her husband have two children, Sarah and Aaron. Twin Cities. Previously, she was a vocalist with the ensemble Moore By Four, and has been a solo artist for the past decade, producing six albums on her own label, Minnehaha Music. Ronald Mielke was inducted into the Bloomington Sports Hall of Fame. He is director of sales at Trintel Communications, Inc. Ronald and his wife, Linda, live in Bloomington, Minn. 1977 Rev. Jim Purdham is the minister at Sargeant, Brownsdale, and Lansing United Methodist churches in southeastern Minnesota, leading services at all three each Sunday. He and his wife, Cindy, have two daughters: Katie, 14, and Laura, 12. 1979 David Eitrheim, Menomonie, Wis., was named Family Physician of the Year for 2004 by the Wisconsin Academy of Family Physicians. The award recognizes a physician who exemplifies the tradition of the “family doctor.” David has been a family doctor in Menomonie for 17 years. 1980 1974 Dan Carlson, Excelsior, Minn., is chief of police for Eden Prairie, Minn. This past winter, he and his son, Peter, traveled to Alaska for a month to compete in the international Iditarod dog sled competition, where Peter came in 11th. Connie Evingson was featured in a story in the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Since the 1970s, Connie has been singing jazz in the Lisa Novotny, Minneapolis, was awarded the Woman of Achievement Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners at its awards gala in April. The award honors women who have made Summer 2005 ALUMNI PROFILE Dr. Jeanette Vought ’77: Restoring Broken Lives by Kathy (Kuchera) Gruber ’84 Courtesy photo Dr. Jeanette Vought ’77 has compassion for people of all ages who have experienced traumatic or abusive events in their lives. As a licensed psychologist, she saw many people unable to afford mental health care slipping through the system. So in 1993, she founded the Christian Recovery Center (CRC): a nonprofit, nondenominational charitable organization, located in Brooklyn Center, Minn., to help more people get the mental health care they need. Vought’s career journey began at Augsburg, when she became interested in the social work degree offered. Transferring from Golden Valley Lutheran, known today as Lutheran Bible Institute, was easy. “The degree laid the foundation in the helping field,” Vought said in her calm soft voice. One memory she won’t forget occurred during her first day interning at South High as a high school social worker. “They were a tough group of kids with difficult problems,” Vought said, “and they stole my car.” Dr. Jeanette Vought ’77 began her career working with abuse and trauma victims while working toward a social work degree from Augsburg College. Vought called the police, and they offered to drive her to work. On the way, they heard a call over the police radio about an abandoned car. “It had been left in the middle of an intersection, running, and all the doors open,” Vought said. Today she can chuckle over the event. It was during college that Vought landed her first job at Friendship House I (FHI), a residential treatment center for unwed pregnant teens run by Lutheran Social Services. Once she graduated, there were staffing changes at FHI and Vought was asked to develop programs, write policies, and eventually supervise staff. The focus of care transitioned from unwed pregnant teens to treating emotionally disturbed girls ages 12 to 18 years old. “It was hard to write policies because not everyone on staff had a Christian background,” Vought said. In 1981, she found a job with New Life Family Services, working with families, individuals, and marriage counseling. With her previous leadership and program development skills, Vought eventually became executive director. During her years there, she completed her Ph.D. at Union Institute, co-authored a book with Lynn Heitritter, Helping Victims of Sexual Abuse, and authored another book, Post-Abortion Trauma: Nine Steps to Recovery. “I really loved that ministry,” said Vought, “but I saw [in the helping fields] that people who were being abused sexually, emotionally, and domestically were falling between the cracks—especially the poorer people.” Motivated to action, Vought founded CRC in a small office space with a receptionist, a board of directors, and, initially, no pay. Today, CRC sees over 250 clients a week ranging in age from 3 to 80 years old. A Rule 29 clinic, this state-licensed mental health facility has many programs to help facilitate emotional healing. No one is turned away. Vought has another connection with Augsburg, working with interns from the Master of Social Work program. Vought said she gets together with professors Laura Boisen and Maryann Syers-McNairy to work on intern evaluations. Not only does Vought have a heart for the victims of abuse, but also for giving interns the opportunity to develop their skills in helping to restore broken lives. Kathy (Kuchera) Gruber is a 1984 Augsburg graduate and freelance writer in Brooklyn Park, Minn. outstanding contributions to their company. Lisa is vice president of diversity and staffing at General Mills. Lisa Mae Rusinko married Anthony Michael Vannelli in October. Lisa is an executive liaison at Navitaire, Inc., in Minneapolis; Tony is a fire fighter/paramedic Summer 2005 with the St. Paul Fire Department. The couple lives in Shoreview with their children: Tovah (19) and Christian (16) Rykken and Stephen (21), Brianna (18), and Andrew (17) Vannelli. 1981 Suzanne (Sienkiewicz) Peterson, Burnsville, Minn., directs the Master of Education in Teaching and Learning Program at Saint Mary’s University in Winona, Minn., where she also received her Master of Education degree. 1982 Sandy (Walter) Holten, Plymouth, Minn., wrote an article, “Music Therapy for People with Parkinson’s,” that was included in a Parkinson’s disease reference book published by CRC Press (2005). Debra Krueger Knight, Bloomington, Minn., was awarded the Wise Woman Award from the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners at its awards gala in April. Debra is co-founder of Career Professionals, Inc. The award honors female business owners who have operated a steady business for more than 10 years and who have sustained their 31 Class Notes company through day-to-day obstacles while continuing to build a healthy, profitable business. 1984 Lori Gustafson, Helsinki, Finland, teaches English to children of diplomats. Paul Mueller, Rochester, Minn., received the Outstanding Faculty Award for 2004 from the Mayo School of Continuing Medical Education. Mike Riley, Brainerd, Minn., is pr