BEFORE TODAY
BEYOND TOMORROW
FALL–WINTER 2019 | VOL. 82, NO. 1
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Associate Vice President and
Chief Marketing Officer
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On s... Show more
BEFORE TODAY
BEYOND TOMORROW
FALL–WINTER 2019 | VOL. 82, NO. 1
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Associate Vice President and
Chief Marketing Officer
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On seeing and being seen
We see you!
This summer, Assistant Professor Joaquin
Muñoz from our education department
greeted our incoming students with a
powerful message. He said that every one
of them deserved an adult who loved them
unconditionally. He then looked out at our
remarkable students and told them that he
loved them. He said, “I see you,” and “I will
do all I can to ensure that you are successful
at Augsburg and beyond.”
Joaquin was speaking to students of color
and indigenous students in particular, but
this is our promise to all our students: “We
see you” is at the center of Augsburg’s
commitment to meet students where they are
and walk alongside them as they pursue their
educational goals. What does it mean to say
that “we see you”? It means that your life
experience, your vocational journey, your path
to Augsburg is important to us and will be
taken seriously as we work together to ensure
your success.
It seems especially fitting as we launch our
150th anniversary—our sesquicentennial—
that we renew our promise to meet our
students where they are, to see them in all of
their astonishing and diverse life experiences,
and to accompany them as they pursue an
Augsburg education.
Our promise to see our students is evident
in all of our celebrations of our 150th
anniversary. For example, the remarkable
“Each, Together” art project—part of an
international initiative known as “Inside
Out”—is featured in this issue of Augsburg
Now (see page 16). More than 1,200
photographs are displayed on buildings
across campus: images of current students,
faculty, staff, and alumni alongside those of
historic figures like Bernhard Christensen ’22,
Augsburg’s fifth president, who looks at me
each day as I pull into my campus parking
spot! Every time I look at those photographs, I
think about how they reflect our commitment
to seeing each other, to recognizing that our
various journeys to Augsburg and beyond
are part of a remarkable narrative that has
unfolded over the past 150 years.
Since our founding in 1869 and through
the decades that followed, our institution has
grown and changed, yet our commitment to
our foundational promise has remained the
same. We see you, we love you, and together
we will fulfill our abiding promise that
Augsburg is “small to our students and
big for the world.”
Faithfully yours,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Director of Marketing
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Director of Public Relations
and Internal Communications
Gita Sitaramiah
sitarami@augsburg.edu
Assistant Director of
Marketing Creative
Denielle Stepka ’11
stepkad@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate, Design
Elizabeth Kästner
kaestner@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
Contributors
Kate H. Elliott
Jen Nagorski ’08
Lisa Renze-Rhodes
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
Fall–Winter 2019
During Augsburg’s annual community
engagement and service event—now
known as City Engagement Day—first-year
students volunteer at Twin Cities-based
organizations at the start of the academic
year. On September 3, more than 650
students in Augsburg T-shirts worked
alongside faculty and staff. Some sites
included community gardens and a river
cleanup with the National Park Service.
The Class of 2023 is Augsburg’s largest ever.
See the back cover.
02 Around the quad
16 Face value
08
Annual report to donors
22
10
A September to remember
26 Auggies connect
12
Building on an early lead
15
Honoring Auggies
Balancing the books
28 Class notes
32 In memoriam
On the cover: Portraits of community
members—past and present—create a
tapestry of faces that celebrate, recognize,
and honor the individuals who have
contributed to Augsburg University during
the past 150 years. Read more on page 16.
All photos by Courtney Perry unless
otherwise indicated
Send address corrections to
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu.
Send comments to
now@augsburg.edu.
PHOTO BY REBECCA SLATER
AUGSBURG’S LARGEST CLASS KICKS OFF
ACADEMIC YEAR WITH VOLUNTEERING
PHOTOS BY SHAWN NIELSEN
AROUND
THE
QUAD
Augsburg launches
TRANSIT PASS FOR UNDERGRADUATES
Augsburg University now offers the Auggie Pass, a universal transit
pass that gives undergraduate students unlimited rides on buses
and light rail in a first-of-its-kind partnership between Metro Transit
and a Twin Cities university.
Augsburg’s student government approved increasing the green
fee by $5 to $20 per semester to pay for the Auggie Pass in order
to reduce students’ out-of-pocket costs while improving their
chances of accepting jobs and internships that involve a commute.
Day Student Government is officially responsible for overseeing the
green fee that supports sustainability efforts.
The Auggie Pass is valid throughout the school year and is paid
for from both the student green fee and university operating funds.
All traditional undergraduate students who pay the semester green
fee are eligible for the pass at no additional cost.
“As someone who uses the bus every day, it’s great not to have
that financial burden,” said Skye Ryge ’20, who advocated for the
pass. “It’s really economically advantageous to students who pay
for school, like me, to not have to choose between textbooks and
bus fare.”
2
AUGSBURG NOW
President Paul Pribbenow named
FUNDRAISER OF THE YEAR
Augsburg University President Paul
Pribbenow was named an Outstanding
Fundraising Professional for his effective,
creative, and inspiring leadership.
The highest honor bestowed upon one of
its members, the award was presented by
the Association of Fundraising Professionals
at the International Fundraising Conference
in San Antonio this spring. “The impact
of Paul Pribbenow on the organizations
he has served is only exceeded by the
impact he has had on the entire fundraising
profession,” said AFP President and
CEO Mike Geiger. “It is fair to say that
fundraising—and how we look at ethics
and philanthropy—would look differently
without the contributions of Paul. His work
will serve as one of the cornerstones of the
profession for years to come.”
QUIZ:
OLDER OR
YOUNGER
THAN AUGSBURG?
VARSITY WOMEN’S WRESTLING TEAM
Augsburg announced earlier this year the addition of a varsity women’s
wrestling team.
This new team continues the pioneering tradition in women’s athletics
at Augsburg, which now has the only varsity women’s wrestling team in
Minnesota. In 1995, Augsburg became the first college in the Midwest
to sponsor a varsity women’s ice hockey team. Then, in 2014, Augsburg
became the first collegiate institution in Minnesota to sponsor a varsity
women’s lacrosse team.
The women’s wrestling team is competing this academic year under
head coach Max Mejia, who most recently served as women’s and
developmental coach at the Sunkist Kids Regional Training Center in
Tempe, Arizona.
Mejia, a 2015 graduate of Harvard University, has helped coach a
World Team Trials champion and another finalist; two senior national
team members; a U.S. Open champion, finalist, and placewinner; and
four Arizona high school state champions.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The first recorded baseball
game occurs.
Abolitionists Frederick Douglass
and Harriet Tubman are born.
Leaders sign Norway’s constitution.
Abraham Lincoln serves as
president of the United States.
Victor Hugo publishes the novel
“Les Misérables.”
Pharmacist John Pemberton invents
Coca-Cola.
The first automobile with an
internal combustion engine is
invented.
Answers: 1. Older; 1846. 2. Older; 1818 and 1822.
3. Older; 1814. 4. Older; 1861–65. 5. Older; 1862.
6. Younger; 1886. 7. Older; 1807.
MINNESOTA’S ONLY
In honor of Augsburg’s founding in 1869,
the university is celebrating the past and
the present with sesquicentennial events
all year long. Think you know history?
Test your knowledge: Identify whether
each of the events below is older or
younger than Augsburg.
German scholars and artists join
RIVER SEMESTER
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Augsburg University’s third River Semester launched in August as part of
a prestigious German initiative to explore the Mississippi River.
“Mississippi. An Anthropocene River” is a German research project
involving many communities and initiatives along the river with a focus
on climate change. Joining Augsburg students are German travelers,
including artists, authors, journalists, and scholars from the Max Planck
Institute and the Goethe Institute.
This year’s River Semester voyagers departed from Lake Itasca in
northern Minnesota and, for 100 days, are paddling portions of the
Mississippi River to reach New Orleans. The students will earn 16 to
19 credits.
FALL–WINTER 2019
3
AROUND THE QUAD
NEW AUGSBURG
BOARD OF REGENTS MEMBERS
At its annual September meeting, the Augsburg Corporation
elected four new members to the Board of Regents and
re-elected three members.
Elected to their first term on the Augsburg Board of Regents:
•
Sylvia Bartley, senior global
director, Medtronic Foundation
•
Ellen Ewald, co-owner and
executive advisor at Tysvar LLC
and mobileAxept in Minneapolis
•
John O’Brien, president and chief
executive officer of Educause;
former president of North
Hennepin Community College in
Minneapolis
•
John Schwartz ’67, retired hospital
administrator at Advocate Trinity
Hospital in Chicago and former
general manager of SmithKline
Beecham Clinical Laboratories,
Schaumburg, Illinois
Sylvia Bartley
Upgraded training room
boosts athletes’ efficiency
Augsburg’s athletic training room has moved to a larger,
substantially upgraded space in Si Melby Hall.
In this new space, sports medicine support staff from on
and off campus—including team physicians, chiropractors,
physical therapists, and dietitians—can work collaboratively
with athletic trainers to better serve Augsburg’s more than
500 student-athletes from 22 varsity sports. Philanthropic
gifts paid for the upgrades, with student-athletes gaining the
benefit of more efficient scheduling.
“The ability to serve multiple teams at the same time in
the larger space, with state-of-the-art equipment, will be the
biggest advantage and benefit for the student-athlete,” said
Missy Strauch, Augsburg’s head athletic trainer.
Ellen Ewald
Augsburg hosts inaugural
HUMAN RIGHTS FORUM
Elected to a third term:
•
Karen Durant ’81, retired vice
president and controller of
Tennant Company, Golden Valley,
Minnesota
•
Matt Entenza, attorney in private
practice in St. Paul, Minnesota,
and former Minnesota state
representative
•
Jeff Nodland ’77, retired president
and chief executive officer of KIK Custom Products
John O’Brien
The Human Rights Forum at Augsburg University welcomed
about 800 students, thought leaders, global changemakers,
and activists this fall. In partnership with the Human Rights
Foundation, which also produces the Oslo Freedom Forum,
the two-day event at Augsburg brought together participants
from a variety of institutions and locations around the world.
The first day explored human rights issues in authoritarian
regimes, and the second day focused on racial justice,
indigenous rights, and environmental sustainability.
John Schwartz ’67
See the full list of Board of Regents members
at augsburg.edu/about/leadership.
4
AUGSBURG NOW
2019 Media Sponsor
Learn more at augsburg.edu/humanrightsforum.
OREN GATEWAY CENTER
lobby renovation provides
aesthetic convenience
The Oren Gateway Center lobby and adjoining Nabo cafe were redesigned and
renovated during the summer, creating more inviting campus meeting spaces.
The Nabo security gate was relocated to allow access to the bookstore and seating
area beyond the cafe’s hours of operation. Key pieces of kitchen equipment also
were upgraded. This project was funded by A’viands, Augsburg’s food service
provider, as part of its most recent dining contract with the university.
Augsburg names inaugural
Augsburg welcomes
Sundquist Endowed
Professor of
Business Administration
This fall, Augsburg named Business Department Chair Jeanne Boeh the
Sundquist Endowed Professor of Business Administration.
The Sundquist professorship supports business administration,
Augsburg’s largest academic department with the most undergraduate
students on campus. Boeh, a professor of economics, has been teaching
at Augsburg since 1990 and often appears in media interviews and on
business panels using her talent for bringing complex business concepts
to life.
“Jeanne Boeh will lead Augsburg’s efforts to attract top business
faculty, thanks to this generous endowment,” said Augsburg
University President Paul Pribbenow. “She is known as a faculty
leader on campus and for her strong commitment to students as they
prepare for careers in business.”
This endowed professorship is named for alumnus Dean Sundquist ’81,
an Augsburg Board of Regents member and chairman and CEO of
Anoka, Minnesota-based Mate Precision Tooling. Sundquist and his
wife, Amy, have made several major investments in Augsburg.
The Forum on Workplace Inclusion has a new
home at Augsburg University. Previously based
at the University of St. Thomas, the forum is the
nation’s largest workplace diversity, equity, and
inclusion conference designed for national and
global audiences.
The forum has served as a convening hub for
those seeking to grow professional leadership and
effective skills in the field of diversity, equity, and
inclusion by engaging people, advancing ideas,
and igniting change.
“The Forum on Workplace Inclusion is excited to
begin a new chapter at Augsburg University,” said
Steve Humerickhouse, executive director of The
Forum. “We look forward to the amazing things we
can create with our new Auggie family.”
FALL–WINTER 2019
5
ARCHIVE PHOTO
From disease to remedy: How
nostalgia offers a psychological boost
A special vacation with family members you miss. That unforgettable meal at your
favorite restaurant with your favorite person. The album you used to listen to nonstop
during the ups and downs of high school. You’re happy you have those pleasant
memories, but you’re also sad they’re over. You are experiencing nostalgia.
Throwback TV shows, retro fashion, and reboots of toys, trinkets, and stories from decades ago have people wondering
if American culture is at its peak in terms of nostalgia—and how long it can last. Bridget Robinson-Riegler is a professor
of psychology at Augsburg University. Taking a moment between writing a cognitive psychology textbook, research, and
teaching and learning with her students, she explores what psychology can tell us about nostalgia’s appeal.
Q:
A:
What is nostalgia? How does it
relate to memory?
Nostalgia is a sentimental longing
for one’s past. The emotion is deeply
social and bittersweet but predominantly
positive. Nostalgic memories are
recollections of atypical life events (e.g.,
vacations) that involve close relationships
(e.g., family, friends) or events from
childhood. We view these experiences with
rose-colored glasses so negative aspects
are often not remembered. We miss those
experiences and yearn to relive them.
Q:
A:
Where did the idea of
nostalgia originate?
The word “nostalgia” is a compound
of two Greek words that essentially
mean a sad mood originating from a
desire to return to one’s native land. The
word was coined in the 17th century
by a medical student who was helping
Swiss mercenaries working in France.
He observed symptoms of sadness,
loss of appetite, insomnia, cardiac
6
AUGSBURG NOW
palpitation—things we would diagnose
as post-traumatic stress disorder today.
Much of the early interest in nostalgia
focused on how to stop these thoughts
because it was considered a disease
and the resulting symptoms prevented
individuals from performing at their
military best.
Q:
A:
How does nostalgia affect people
psychologically?
Nostalgic remembering is
most likely to occur in times of
loneliness, negative moods, or feelings of
meaninglessness. It is basically a coping
mechanism to deal with distress. Rather
than being the problem (the disease, as
it was conceptualized when the term was
first coined), it is the way we cope (more
like the remedy or cure). Even if we may
feel bad and disconnected in our current
life, we can “relive” a time when we felt
good and were not lonely. Reconstructing
memories and projecting ourselves into
the future are interdependent cognitive
processes that share a system in the brain.
So, when we think about a time when
we were socially connected and at our
“personal best,” these feelings stretch out
into our future, and we become hopeful
and consequently feel better.
Q:
A:
How is nostalgia active in
society today?
Given the state of the world—
climate change, ups and downs in
the economy, racist acts, problematic
government leadership—it is not surprising
that nostalgic thinking is common.
This type of societal distress can lead
to personal nostalgia and to collective
nostalgia in which people long for a time
when they viewed the world as a better
place, even if it wasn’t. So there is a
resurgence of old TV shows, vinyl records,
throwback uniforms for athletic teams,
retro clothes, and other products. We
seek comfort with familiar products from
childhood or from a time when the world
was viewed as “better” or “easier.”
Visit augsburg.edu/now to read more
about nostalgia.
COURTESY PHOTOS
2019–20 CONVOCATION SERIES
Augsburg University’s annual convocation series provides
dedicated time during the academic year to hear from
outstanding leaders and visionaries.
In October, this year’s series kicked off with the Bernhard
Munib Younan
M. Christensen Symposium featuring Munib Younan,
retired bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan
and the Holy Land and former president of the Lutheran
World Federation, and Hamdy El-Sawaf, founder and
psychotherapist at the Family Counseling Center and imam
of Masjid Al-Iman in
Hamdy El-Sawaf Minneapolis. Through
their presentations, each shared personal
experiences and religious perspectives
Join us January 20, 2020
on hope, reconciliation, and resiliency
for the Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation.
All convocation events are free and open to
in the midst of suffering and struggles
the public. Visit augsburg.edu/convo.
that often are intensified by religious
convictions and differences.
SAVE THE DATE:
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT STUDIES PROGRAM
moves to new Minneapolis location
The physician assistant studies graduate program moved into a renovated, leased
space in the Riverside Park Plaza building.
The building’s location, at 701 25th Avenue South in Minneapolis, puts it
among the medical facilities of the University of Minnesota Medical Center
and the Masonic Children’s Hospital and just a short walk from the Augsburg
University campus. The program’s move in August came after four years at
Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The new space, which features an increased footprint for classroom and clinical
lab instruction, supports potential future departmental growth and allows the
program faculty, students, and staff to engage with Minneapolis campus activities.
“The curriculum was redesigned to be more case-based and hands-on, and this
new space will allow for a more creative and innovative learning environment,”
said Alicia Quella, the physician assistant studies program director and
department chair.
AROUND THE QUAD
AWARDS AND HONORS
Best Regional Universities by
U.S. News & World Report:
U.S. News & World Report again
named Augsburg one of the Best
Regional Universities in the Midwest in
2019. This year, Augsburg is No. 13,
which makes it the top Minnesota school
on the list. Augsburg is also ranked ninth
for undergraduate teaching, eighth in its
support for veterans, top in the state and
sixth overall for innovation, and fourth
in promoting social mobility. Rankings
are based on average first-year retention
rates, graduation rates, class sizes,
student-to-faculty ratios, and
other information.
Best in the Midwest by The Princeton
Review: The Princeton Review
again named Augsburg one of the Best
in the Midwest for academic excellence
this year.
25 LGBTQ Friendly Colleges: College
Consensus, a new college review
aggregator, recognized Augsburg in its
survey of 25 LGBTQ Friendly Colleges of
2019. College Consensus works to bring
attention to schools that other ranking
publishers overlook.
Top Schools for Indigenous Americans:
In 2019, the American Indian
Science and Engineering Society’s Winds
of Change magazine selected Augsburg
as one of the Top 200 Schools for
Indigenous American and Alaska Native
students pursuing degrees in science,
technology, engineering, and math.
Top Military Friendly School:
Augsburg was again named a
Military Friendly® School, a list compiled
through extensive research and a free,
data-driven survey of more than 10,000
Veterans Administration-approved
schools nationwide.
FALL–WINTER 2019
7
2018–19 AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY
ANNUAL REPORT
TO DONORS
You are a part of a large
community of Augsburg donors.
We are so grateful for the
generosity of this community of
people who support our mission.
AUGSBURG BY THE NUMBERS
ACADEMICS
STUDENTS
16.2 average class size
13:1 student-to-faculty ratio
50+ undergraduate majors
10 graduate degrees
2,005
traditional undergraduate students
76%
of traditional undergraduate
first-year students live on campus
Data from 2018–19 academic year
27%
of Augsburg undergraduates
are first-generation college students
47%
of traditional undergraduates
are students of color
38
U.S. states represented by the
undergraduate student body
44
countries represented by the
undergraduate student body
97%
of traditional undergraduates
receive some form of financial aid
AUGSBURG DONORS ENSURE OPPORTUNITIES
Parents:
Hazen and Kathy Graves
• Hazen: Retired partner at Faegre Baker Daniels
law firm
• Kathy: Principal for communications and
planning firm Parenteau Graves
• Priority: Support higher education institutions
that serve students with physical disabilities
When Hazen and Kathy Graves toured Augsburg with
their son, Sam Graves ’16, they found that it offered
the unique assistance Sam needed as a young man
with cerebral palsy who uses a power wheelchair. “As
we learned more about the support Augsburg offers
to students with various kinds of challenges, we
came to understand that Augsburg had been doing
this for a long time,” said Hazen.
Sam graduated with a degree in psychology.
The idea of supporting Augsburg financially
occurred to both Hazen and Kathy independently,
and they decided to donate $50,000 to endow a
scholarship. “Access to higher education is a big
issue,” Hazen said, “and we’re just doing our
little part.”
Find more donor stories at
augsburg.edu/giving.
AVERAGE GIFT SIZE
$2,565
NUMBER OF DONORS LAST YEAR
9,966
Alumni:
Brian Anderson ’82 and
Leeann Rock ’81
• Brian: PhD in physics at the University of
Minnesota, taught at Augsburg, joined Johns
Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
• Leeann: MD from the University of Minnesota,
pathologist at Frederick Memorial Hospital
• Priority: Expand students’ academic
opportunities and multidisciplinary efforts
Husband and wife Brian Anderson ’82 and
Leeann Rock ’81 are donating $50,000 to endow
the Raymond E. and Margaret J. Anderson
Scholarship in honor of Brian’s parents’ legacy, as
well as in honor of Brian’s brother, Augsburg Physics
Professor Emeritus Stuart Anderson ’78.
Brian’s father, the late Raymond E. Anderson,
joined Augsburg in 1949 as a speech and
communications professor. Brian’s mother, the late
Margaret J. Anderson, came to Augsburg in 1967
and became library director.
Endowing a scholarship is “a formal way of
maintaining our relationship with Augsburg while
ensuring more opportunities for students in the
future,” Brian said.
• Retired clinical psychologist who studied at
the State University of New York—Buffalo and
Michigan State University
• Priority: Equitable representation of women in
education and leadership, including in faculty
roles, administration, and political offices
Linda Giacomo was the first in her family to attend
college. She empathizes with immigrant struggles,
recalling impoverished grandparents who left
southern Italy to become naturalized U.S. citizens and
parents who could not afford their children’s college
tuition despite holding four jobs combined.
“Education is transformative in a way that gives
you so much power and choice. People should not
be denied that opportunity because they have no
money,” she said.
Noting that women earn 26% less than men but
carry two-thirds of the nation’s college debt, Giacomo
designated a $30,000 outright gift to the Augsburg
Women Engaged Scholarship as well as a generous
estate gift.
“To not be generous, to not share what you have
with those in need, is heartbreaking,” she said. “In
making these gifts to Augsburg, my heart is full.”
ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE
$48.1
May 31, 2019—$49,644,712
$40.5
$38.3
$32.4
$31.5
$28.2
$49.6
$43.9
$39.4
$34.6
$33.3
$29.8
$24.5
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
REVENUE BY SOURCE
EXPENSES BY SOURCE
39% Salaries and benefits
34% Financial aid
19% Operating expenses
3% Utilities and insurance
2% Debt services
2% Student compensation
1% Capital improvement
Friend:
Linda Giacomo
WHERE GIFTS ARE FROM
72.57% Individuals
14.70% Corporations
12.73% Foundations
79% Tuition
8% Room and board
6% Gifts and private
grants
3% Government grants
2% Endowment income
2% Other
GALA AT A GLANCE
• 1,000 Auggies attended the gala.
• Thanks to our generous guests, we raised a total of
$1.4 million in support of Augsburg’s mission.
• Paul Mueller ’84 and Nancy (Mackey) Mueller ’85
issued a challenge and pledged to match every gift
at the $1,000 level dollar for dollar up to $100,000.
1
A SEPTEMBER
TO REMEMBER
2
SESQUICENTENNIAL GALA
It wouldn’t be right to mark 150 years of Augsburg with a
small affair—so we threw a huge, once-in-a-lifetime party.
On Friday, September 27, Auggies of all kinds dressed up
and headed to Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel—The Depot in
downtown Minneapolis for the Sesquicentennial Gala, a night of
dinner, dancing, revisiting the university’s history, and rallying
support to propel Augsburg into the next 150 years.
10
AUGSBURG NOW
3
1) Gala attendees pose for a photo.
2) Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a guest speaker for the evening,
takes a selfie with Augsburg Day Student Government leaders
Arianna Antone-Ramirez ’20 and Lucia Davila ’20.
3) Provost Karen Kaivola and students dance to live music.
PHOTO BY LAUREN FALK
HOMECOMING 2019
Auggies continued the celebration Saturday, September 28,
with a full day of Homecoming festivities, including Taste
of Augsburg, a chapel service, the football game, and the
Augsburg Music Department Collage Concert. The classes
of 1969, 1979, and 2009 celebrated milestone reunions.
Donte Collins ’18 embraces
English Professor Doug Green.
“Auggie, you are called into the world.
Into your wonder. Your why. To wrestle
with reason. To spot the problem. And propose new
parts. To walk toward your fears. To find the heart.
We are Called. We are Auggies.”
—from “We Are Auggies,” a spoken-word piece
written and performed by Donte Collins ’18
PHOTO BY BOB STACKE '71
Campaign Chair Paul Mueller ’84 joins
President Paul Pribbenow on stage.
“Augsburg is astonishing. Which is really to say that
the people of Augsburg are astonishing—Brilliant.
Committed. Resilient. You might try to hide it or
downplay it, but it is undeniably, unequivocally,
tangibly bursting forth from everything you do. It has
been nearly 15 years since I first stepped on campus.
And, today, the world is noticing Augsburg, what it is,
and does, and stands for. Not just in the Twin Cities,
but nationally and internationally.”
—from President Paul Pribbenow’s gala remarks
FALL–WINTER 2019
11
BUILDING ON
AN EARLY LEAD
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
Athletics secures NCAA grant to fund first-of-its-kind position supporting culture of inclusion
Hop, step, and jump. Hop, step, and jump.
Training for the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Chris Dixon
could think of little else than the triple jump cadence.
Hop, step, and jump. Hop, step, and jump.
Then at practice, hop, step, and crack—followed by intense
pain, doctors, and confirmation that his Olympic dreams
shattered along with his ankle.
Dixon spent the next few years figuring out who he was off
the field—the place where athletic ability and subsequent
praise had become closely linked to his sense of identity. It was
a journey as difficult—if not more so—than his climb to peak
performance. During that dark, confusing time, he promised
himself: If I’m ever in a position to help others transition to life
after sports, I will.
Since July, Dixon has served as Augsburg University’s director
of athletic diversity and inclusion and assistant coach for the
men’s and women’s track and field teams. He is eager to return to
the field as a coach, and he has a game plan to use the new role
to promote a culture of inclusion. This job is personal, Dixon said.
“I was one of only a few African American kids in elementary
school. People would ask to touch my hair, and I felt different
until fifth grade, when I performed in front of my peers and
teachers at a district track meet,” he said. “For the first time, I
felt accepted and embraced, and from then on, my identity was
as an athlete. I loved it, don’t get me wrong, but it was difficult
to adjust once I left the arena.”
Dixon never had an African American teacher or coach other
than a friend’s dad who, after selling insurance all day,
volunteered for Dixon’s high school track and field team.
“I had amazing coaches and teachers, but I never saw
myself in those roles,” he said. These and other life
experiences inform his outlook on this new role
and emphasize the importance of his presence at
Augsburg, where he also teaches Introduction
to Kinesiology.
“I am meeting student-athletes and talking
with them about the challenges they face. I
am working to be a presence on campus—
to break down stereotypes for some and
to be a role model for others,” he said.
“Alongside student-athletes and our athletics
administration, I want to create or enhance
academic resources, life-skills development,
and networking opportunities.”
Personal connections and consistent,
centralized support are critical to the
success of underrepresented studentathletes, Dixon said. “Augsburg is already
ahead of the game. The student body is
diverse, and there are many resources across
campus that support inclusion. I plan to work
with and build on what’s already there.”
A plan—starting with breakfast
Student-athletes attend a networking event hosted by Chris Dixon.
12
AUGSBURG NOW
As the sun rose on the second Thursday in October,
Dixon greeted several tables of student-athletes seated
in The Commons in Christensen Center. The young men
of color connected with each other over breakfast before
hearing advice from Jareck Horton, district sales manager
at PDC IDenticard, and Augsburg Football Assistant Coach
Keanon Cooper. Dixon plans to invite successful men of color
from a range of professions to these monthly networking
socials, and he will hold similar events with other groups.
Alicia Schuelke ’20 MAE, graduate assistant coach for track
and field, said she and other students are thrilled with Dixon’s
enthusiasm and vision for the role.
“In a world where, many times, the odds are stacked
against us, leaders of color provide hope and strength,”
said Schuelke, a student in the Master of Arts in Education
program. “I came to Augsburg for the MAE program, but I was
pleasantly surprised to find how diverse the campus is, and it
is my absolute favorite part of my learning experience.
“If we can move the needle toward a more diverse group of
leaders that better represent our country’s demographics, then
students of color will begin to understand that the
sky’s the limit in terms of their own hopes,
dreams, and aspirations.”
athletics
r
u
o
d
n
a
s
nt-athlete
e
d
u
t
enhance
s
r
e
o
id
e
s
t
g
a
n
e
r
lo
c
“A
ment,
p
, I want to
n
lo
e
io
t
v
a
e
r
d
t
is
ills
admin
es, life-sk
c
r
u
o
s
e
r
academic
unities.”
t
r
o
p
p
o
g
rkin
INCLUSION
and netwo
RSITY AND
—CHRIS
ECTOR
DIXON, DIR
E
IC DIV
OF ATHLET
FALL–WINTER 2019
13
AUGGIES
Position the result of
NCAA diversity grant
Dixon’s position is largely made
possible through a two-year NCAA
Ethnic Minorities and Women’s
Internship Grant, which provides
financial assistance to member
institutions who create full-time,
entry-level administrative positions
for people who identify as an ethnic
minority and/or a woman, according
to federal guidelines. The grant also
supports professional development and
formalized mentoring.
Augsburg was one of only 20
institutions and conference offices
selected to receive the grant this cycle,
and it is the third award for Augsburg
in the past decade. The university first
secured the Ethnic Minorities and
Women’s Internship Grant during the
2012 to 2014 cycle to fund Jennifer
Jacobs’ role as assistant director
of NCAA compliance and assistant
volleyball coach. In 2014, Augsburg
received the NCAA’s Strategic Alliance
Matching Grant, which funds fulltime, mid- to senior-level athletics
administration positions during a fiveyear commitment. Jacobs’ role then
evolved into assistant athletic director
of external relations and diversity and
inclusion, in addition to her role as
assistant volleyball coach. She is
now head volleyball coach at
Augustana University.
Augsburg’s Associate Athletic
Director Kelly Anderson Diercks said
the department is driven to advance
diversity and inclusion. “Embracing
and connecting students of all
backgrounds and experiences is the
right thing to do, but it is also smart,”
she said. “More diverse teams are
often stronger teams. They produce
student-athletes who are better
prepared to excel in play and in life.”
Anderson Diercks is a product of
the NCAA’s diversity grants, first as an
intern for the Minnesota Intercollegiate
14
AUGSBURG NOW
Athletic Conference and then as an
assistant director. The experience,
Anderson Diercks said, transformed
how she operates as a leader in a maledominated profession. More than a
decade has passed, but she remains in
contact with the mentor assigned to her
during the internship.
“These are critical opportunities for
women and minorities to enter into
leadership positions with tremendous
personal and professional resources
designed to equip them with the tools
and outlook to navigate difficult roles,”
said Anderson Diercks, who formerly
served as chair of the NCAA Ethnic
Minority and Women’s Internship
selection committee. “We are
particularly excited about Coach Dixon’s
position because, to our knowledge, it is
the only role of its kind.”
Augsburg is ‘ahead of the game’
Ali Spungen, associate director of
Division III for the NCAA, said that
about 130 positions have been
awarded through diversity grants during
the past five years—that’s more than
$36 million in funds for positions and
professional development. Augsburg,
Spungen said, stands out as a leader in
the division, which is well positioned to
meet the needs of diverse populations.
“Division III allows student-athletes
to play the sports they love within
departments also focused on their
academics and social engagement,”
said Spungen, also a past grant
recipient. “These positions empower
leaders like Coach Dixon to thrive,
which inspires and encourages
students. Augsburg clearly cares for
its student-athletes and is willing to
dedicate time and resources to ensure
they are successful and well-rounded.”
Dixon is ready and grateful to come
full-circle—to be the coach and teacher
he never had and to prepare others for
the transitions he never saw coming.
ARCHIVE PHOTOS
IN MEMORIAM
Merton Strommen ’42 and
Gladys Strommen ’46
Merton Strommen ’42 and Gladys Strommen ’46 were a part of a
family legacy at Augsburg that has spanned generations. The
Strommens have widely shared their gifts and talents with the
university, and their impact on the Augsburg community will be
felt for many years to come.
Mert Strommen died September 2. Youth ministry was the core
of his life’s work—as campus pastor at Augsburg and founder of
Search Institute, which has an international impact on youth work
through research. Mert and his wife, Irene (Huglen) ’44, started the
Youth and Family Institute at Augsburg and also created the David
Strommen Endowed Fund for youth ministry. Mert also served on
Augsburg’s Board of Regents, founded and directed the Augsburg
Centennial Singers, and was awarded Fellow status by the
American Psychological Association for his pioneering research in
psychology and religion.
Gladys Boxrud Strommen passed away May 26. Gladys and
husband, Clair ’46, who passed away in 2001, have served and
supported Augsburg in many significant ways over their lives
and created a lasting legacy through their work and dedication.
Gladys was a supportive partner to Clair in developing his career
in business and leadership with Strommen & Associates and
Lutheran Brotherhood, now known as Thrivent Financial. Gladys
served on the Board of Regents, co-founded the Augsburg
Associates, and hosted many alumni gatherings in her homes in
Minnesota and Florida.
Through a generous gift, the family established the Clair
and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work in 2014 in
recognition of their personal commitment to create meaning and
purpose in work and life.
“Clair and Gladys Strommen are forever woven into the
fabric of Augsburg through their commitment to lives filled with
purpose and meaning,” said Lee George, executive director of the
Strommen Center. “Through the Strommen Center for Meaningful
Work, Clair and Gladys’ legacy is realized in students who commit
themselves to exploring their values, passions, and skills and
understanding how they can be put to use in the world.”
The Strommens also commissioned a sculpture in front of
Christensen Center and have two endowed funds: a scholarship
fund and a program fund for the Strommen Center.
As President Paul Pribbenow said in his campus announcement
of Gladys’ passing, “Her loss is a big one, but her legacy will
continue to be felt by generations of Auggies to come.”
FALL–WINTER 2019
15
Face Value
BY LISA RENZE-RHODES
Dakota and Ojibwe.
Norwegian and Irish.
Art installations celebrate
individuals, expound on
Augsburg’s history, and
expand the boundaries
of community.
Somali and Ethiopian.
On and around the land that today houses Augsburg University’s
Minneapolis campus, they celebrated births and mourned deaths.
They spoke languages of love and laughter, stress and sorrow. They
built families, businesses, and dreams.
They were here and many are gone, at once everywhere and
nowhere because in the blistering pace and abundant distractions
of the human ecosystem we all inhabit, it’s natural that we forget
who came before us.
But what if—even for a moment—we turned our attention to
who we were and who we are right now? To who worships next to
us, or walks by us in the grocery, or shares an apartment wall?
“On This Spot” and “Each, Together”
bring into focus the history of the campus
and the surrounding neighborhood, and
the people who are the Augsburg of
yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
What would we discover if we intentionally took notice of who
we are and where we’ve come from?
This idea is at the core of new art and historical exhibits that
cover collectively four city blocks on 12 of Augsburg’s building
facades and 37 window panes around campus. As part of
Augsburg’s sesquicentennial celebration, artists and designers at
the university wanted to give the community a chance to reflect on
their history and their people. So the works, dubbed respectively
“On This Spot” and “Each, Together,” bring into focus the history
of the campus and the surrounding neighborhood, and the people
who are the Augsburg of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
FALL–WINTER 2019
17
‘Humans at the center’
Photographers capture portraits at Augsburg events to use in
“Each, Together.”
“Each, Together,” the larger of the two projects, is a Group Action of
the international “Inside Out: The People’s Art Project” initiative that
launched in 2011 after a French street artist, known only as JR, won
that year’s TED Prize. First awarded in 2005, the TED (Technology,
Entertainment, and Design) Prize has become synonymous with
visionary thinking meant to spark change throughout the world.
Winners of the award—including educators, artists, chefs, journalists,
and even former President Bill Clinton—have used the $1 million
prize to fuel specific community projects, like healthy food initiatives
and educational innovations. The winning projects all have one
thing in common: They are designed to make people engage in
their communities.
In the case of artist JR’s project, his vision was to create works
that “shine a light on the unsung and give everyone the dignity they
deserve.” And he hoped that beyond his capacity as one artist, people
around the world would join in the celebration of others.
To date, more than 260,000 people in 129 countries have
participated in different versions of the project featuring faces
displayed on billboards, buildings, sidewalks, and in digital
collections. Augsburg is one of the latest communities to answer the call.
“We saw that invitation, that there was a related, common ethos to
what we have here at Augsburg, and that the project was similar to
public works we’ve done here,” said Christopher Houltberg, Augsburg
associate professor of art and design. “It’s really about putting
humans at the center.”
SOCIAL MEDIA
Spotlight
My former college roommate had
eagle eyes today and found me!
Responses edited for length and clarity.
—ERICA HULS ’01
Hey, look who I found! #AugsburgFamous
—SETH RUETER
Look ma I made it!!!!! @AugsburgU
wahooo!!!! #sesquicentennial
—APRIL JOHNSON ’18
18
AUGSBURG NOW
So a team that included a curator, nine photographers,
and three designers—Houltberg, Maggie Royce ’15, and
Indra Ramassamy ’18—worked for several months between
Fall 2018 and Summer 2019. The photographers attended
between 15 and 20 campus events, all working to capture as
many faces as possible to best tell the Augsburg story.
“The way we went about it was really organic,” Houltberg
said. “We started going to events around campus in Fall 2018
and then in the springtime, trying to get to as many different
ones as possible. There’s a really big holiday event called Advent
Vespers, and a lot of alumni come to that.”
All told, the group took more than 900 photos and gathered
about 300 additional images of historic Auggies.
“It’s very democratic; everyone is given the same amount of
space,” Houltberg said. “From our president, Paul Pribbenow, to
people who work on our janitorial staff, to our students, to our
former mayor, R.T. Rybak.
“As we were defining the parameters [of the ‘Each, Together’
project] it was a fun surprise for us to see who self-identified as
part of Augsburg.”
Bigger dose of Augsburg
R.T. Rybak, current president of the Minneapolis Foundation,
was the mayor of Minneapolis from 2002 to 2014. He said it
would be impossible to think of the growth and development of
the city without considering the role Augsburg has played in
that history.
“I’ve conservatively said 1,000 times in public speeches
that the neighborhood where Augsburg is, is our Ellis Island.
One wave after the other washes in and the next wave builds on
top, and it’s something that no one wave could have created in
isolation,” Rybak said.
That’s most certainly the story of the Cedar-Riverside
neighborhood that surrounds Augsburg and the story of
Minneapolis as a whole.
“... I often think we just need a bigger dose
of Augsburg. We need to realize that offering
that ladder of opportunity to someone else
makes all of us able to climb higher. We are
better together.”
—R.T. Rybak, former Minneapolis mayor
“Augsburg is a shining example of the very best parts of
Minneapolis’ history. The university represents opening doors to
people with strange names like Johnson or Anderson or Rybak,
and keeping those doors open for people with names that come
from Africa, Asia, and places across the globe.
“When I get down about what’s fracturing our deeply divided
country and world today, I often think we just need a bigger
dose of Augsburg. We need to realize that offering that ladder
of opportunity to someone else makes all of us able to climb
higher. We are better together.”
Houltberg said the “together” ideal is at the heart of the exhibit.
“As individuals we are showing up, and collectively we can do
something greater than what we can do on our own,” he said. “I
loved seeing the portraits blocked together, seeing people stop and
take selfies. There are people who say, ‘I recognize who that is!’”
Forward facing, historic reflections
Kristin Anderson, a co-creator of these projects as well as a
professor of art history and Augsburg archivist, said she’s only
heard good things about the exhibit.
“I have seen emails and tweets—sometimes emotional—with
people responding to the wall as a whole, as well as to their
individual images,” Anderson said.
The community is responding to the historical revisit that
“On This Spot” installations provide, too, she said.
That exhibit features enormous panels that share Augsburg
moments that photographers captured decades ago. The campus
life of yesteryear includes images of young bobby soxer women
from the 1940s in saddle shoes and flowing skirts in contrast
with men wearing formal suits while tramping across a snowcovered campus.
I’m so proud to be part of the @insideoutproject at
@augsburguniversity in honor of the Sesquicentennial!
—NIK LINDE ’15
FALL–WINTER 2019
19
“It has been a fun way to bring some old photographs to life
and to show how the campus is layered on the site. Those ‘lost’
buildings displayed on the walls of the current buildings help
to connect us to our past, reminding us of the imagination and
commitment of our predecessors,” Anderson said.
The two exhibits are being admired by community members
who see the campus regularly and by those who keep up with
Augsburg from a distance.
Killa (Martinez Aleman) Marti ’08 came to Augsburg from her
home in Honduras. Marti said she brought her own values with
her when she enrolled, “but Augsburg put them to work. The
Auggie community showed me that I wasn’t crazy to want a
career with meaning.”
“Those ‘lost’ buildings displayed on the walls
of the current buildings help to connect us to
our past, reminding us of the imagination and
commitment of our predecessors.”
—Kristin Anderson, university archivist
For Marti, “Each, Together” perfectly sums up her experience
at Augsburg.
“My career is an intersection of what I love to do with the
opportunity to serve,” said Marti, an attorney in Atlanta. “To
think critically, to be socially and community-minded—all of the
things I exercise in my life were supported and further developed
at Augsburg.”
Houltberg said it’s difficult not to consider the greater impact
that art, especially a work like “Each, Together,” has.
“Having a group of artists, designers, and photographers come
together to make something this beautiful and to see it up and
fully functioning is pretty great,” he said.
“It has created a tangible thread between all of us, which
transcends 150 years and all our history,” said Ramassamy, who
worked with the team to design “Each, Together.”
“We live in a visual world yet we can be unaware of each
other,” she said. “This project is making us aware of one
another, making us pay attention, making us curious about the
person in the portrait above or to the left or right of us.”
“I love watching people who are walking down the streets
looking at the portraits,” Houltberg said. “There’s an element of
surprise to it that’s really fantastic. Sometimes the tendency is
to put people in big groups. But if you look at these portraits, look
at the eyes, and look at the humans who are represented here, you
see just how wide a spectrum of humans we are. Anytime we can
show the humans and not the institution, we win.”
“On This Spot” installations show how Augsburg’s landscape, architecture, and people have changed in the past 150 years.
20
AUGSBURG NOW
BY THE NUMBERS
Each, Together
A crew works to install a portion of the 1,246 portraits
that make up “Each, Together.”
302
HISTORICAL
143
STAFF
1,246
PORTRAITS
517
STUDENTS
103
ALUMNI
92
FACULTY
29
COMMUNITY
MEMBERS
installations
37
photographers
60
INCOMING
FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
3,475 1
2
building facade
SQUARE FEET curator
window
panes
9
3
10
building facades
3
designers
12,710
SQUARE FEET
1
curator
BY THE NUMBERS
On This Spot
designers
Members of the university’s faculty and staff launched a
number of special projects, including “Each, Together”
and “On This Spot,” to commemorate Augsburg’s
anniversary year.
See other sesquicentennial projects at augsburg.edu/150.
Catch a glimpse of the Augsburg of yesteryear, thanks to “On This Spot”
displays on window panes around campus.
FALL–WINTER 2019
21
Mary Taris ’04 is a graduate of Augsburg’s Adult
Undergraduate program, which was ranked ninth in
Best Colleges’ 50 Top Colleges for Older Students.
g
n
i
c
n
Bala
s
k
o
o
b
the
LIOTT
BY KATE H. EL
Augsburg alumna starts a publishing
company, creates the diverse book list
she wished she had
Y
oung Mary Taris ’04 was so
thankful to be a girl. The Minneapolis
Public Housing Authority required children of
different genders to have separate bedrooms, so
while her brothers had to share a room, Taris had
her own. Through reading, her bedroom walls grew
into a mythical grove where she’d encounter a
prince or sit for tea with Frog and Toad.
“I escaped into books. Or maybe,” she said, “I
disappeared in them.” Books gave her the life she
longed for, but those beloved tales were someone
else’s story. She was 20 before she read a book with
black characters.
Now 55, the retired teacher is driven to change
that narrative. Last August, at the historic James
J. Hill Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, Taris stood in
front of family and friends to voice her dream, Strive
Publishing, into existence. The startup—based out
of her Twin Cities home—supports emerging authors
of picture books and young adult novels that are
culturally relevant, contemporary, and relatable to
kids of all shades, abilities, and experiences.
“Everyone has a story, and those stories build
bridges to connect us all,” said Taris, a graduate of
Augsburg University’s Adult Undergraduate program,
a flexible degree program that pairs on-campus
FALL–WINTER 2019
23
classes with online coursework
in a dozen undergraduate
majors. “Too often, authors
conform to narrow industry
standards driven by profit, but I
refuse.” At Strive, Taris and her
team work to create pathways
for writers and artists from all
backgrounds to write about
their own experiences and a
wider array of identities.
Publishing stories that
represent and connect
Strive Publishing has released
three titles by local African
American authors, and several
more books are in the works
with upcoming launch dates.
Taris’ efforts have been featured
nationally and celebrated
locally, with invitations to
conduct workshops at schools,
partner with established
publishing companies, and
co-sponsor the inaugural African
American Voices in Children’s
Literature Contest in partnership
with Free Spirit Publishing.
“Strive is more than a
company; it’s a mindset,” she
said. “I was a runaway teen
mom who finished high school
while striving to raise a son
and work for a better life.”
That determination led her to
enroll in Augsburg’s elementary
education program. Juggling
work and family, it took Taris
eight years to graduate,
but she walked across the
commencement stage and into
the classroom where she taught
a range of grades and subjects
(mostly English) for 15 years.
“I became the first person in
my family to earn a college
degree,” she said. “It had been
my dream since childhood.”
Augsburg left a mark on
Taris, as classes exposed her
to inequities in education and
literature. Taris reframed those
inequities as opportunities.
Now, years later, Barbara West,
director of student teacher
placement at Augsburg,
recalled Taris’ embrace of
story-filled, relevant learning.
While student-teaching, Taris
invited a Japanese friend to talk
with students who were reading
a novel about a Japanese girl
during World War II. On her
lunch hour, Taris met with
eighth-graders to advise on a
student-produced newsletter.
She sought to incorporate
diverse voices and stories into
the curriculum.
“Augsburg taught me to
consider the whole child and
to understand the classroom as
a life-giving space where you
can listen and let people tell
their stories,” she said. “As
a teacher, I struggled to find
diverse texts.”
Taris also struggled when
administrators brought speakers
and books that reinforced
cultural stereotypes and
limited experiences rather than
providing real cultural and
ethnic diversity. “I wish they
would have, instead, given kids
diverse books or brought in
local authors who looked like
the students.”
Celebrating voices that
defy stereotypes
Taris launched Strive in 2016
while teaching full time, but
three years later, she took early
retirement to dedicate herself
fully to the publishing company.
Taris remains an educator,
though, as a mentor to young
authors and as an advocate
for change. She challenges
communities, schools, and
publishing houses to invite new
titles that can find their way
onto more readers’ nightstands.
Ricardo Peters is among
Strive’s “founding authors,” as
Taris calls them, and he
says he is indebted to “Miss
Mary” for her guidance and
encouragement. Peters’ book—
the first in a fantasy series—
sold out within months. The
35-year-old stands out, Taris
said, because he is a black man
who loves and lives the arts like
few others.
“Plenty of black men are
deeply connected to their
artistic side, but society doesn’t
celebrate that expression,” Taris
added. “Our sons are not all
basketball and hip hop. Ricardo
defies that stereotype, and his
work will lead others to do the
same.”
Peters had been dreaming up
stories since he filled stapledtogether notebook paper
with “Transformers” stickers.
Publishing a book remained
his dream, but it wouldn’t have
happened without Taris.
“I had been working on
this series for nine years and
likely would have sat on it
forever,” said Peters, who
works as a reading instructor
at Kumon Math and Reading
Center of Maple Grove. “But
Mary presented me with this
opportunity, she believed in me,
and I am eternally grateful.”
Strive Publishing’s Book List
“Under a Cloven Sky” and
“A Wild Nature Embraced”
by Ricardo Peters
Books one and two in the
young adult fantasy series,
“The Scorched Heavens,” in
which the fate of two nations
rests on the city’s young
princess and her protector.
“Red’s Adventures: The Egg
Pie” by Donna Gingery
The hilarious first book in
a picture book series for
children, this story follows
the precocious Red, who
grows up in Alabama under
the watchful eye of her
grandmother.
“Story to Story: A Strive Short
“Isaiah’s Sunglasses”
Story Series,” Volume 1
by Linda Miller
This collaborative book
A short, rhythmic story for
project aims to celebrate and
children about family, hope,
empower emerging authors
acceptance, and learning
about different types of people. and illustrators.
“Who Can I Be?” by
Arielle Grant
Created by Strive’s founding
illustrator, this is a story of
a girl who sees her potential
through the example of women
in her community.
Representation in
literature on the rise
but has ‘a long way to go’
Mary Taris ’04 with two of her children, Jermaine Taris and LaToya Taris-James, who both work with
Strive Publishing.
Making stories more accessible
runs in the family
This sentiment is shared among the
authors who work with Taris. Her
children are equally inspired by her,
so much so that they joined the Strive
team. Her oldest son, Jermaine Taris,
is a book illustrator. Her 16-year-old
daughter, Grace Taris-Allen, serves
as “quality control,” happily reading
manuscripts; and her eldest daughter,
LaToya Taris-James, assists with
marketing and social media.
“My mom makes things happen,”
said Taris-James, a student leadership
program coordinator for Augsburg’s
Sabo Center for Democracy and
Citizenship. “She is resourceful and
passionate, with a unique way of
connecting with and inspiring others.
“When I was 12, she introduced
me to ‘Things Fall Apart’ by Chinua
Achebe. It was the first piece of African
literature I had read on my own, and
it shaped my view of black people
across the African diaspora and helped
connect me with my heritage.”
Through Strive, her mother is
making those connections on a broader
scale, said Taris-James, who hasn’t
fallen far from the tree. Along with a
friend, Taris-James created a social
impact initiative known as Rooftop
(or RFTP) that uses storytelling to
engage communities in dialogue
around difficult, often polarizing,
issues. Mother and daughter are both
driven to make stories of all kinds more
accessible and communal.
“I felt called to create Strive, and to
be honest, it’s been difficult to wear so
many hats and break through,” Taris
said. “Where I have come to see the
greatest need is for a safe space for
all people to tell their stories, whether
they get published or not. I’m working
with PopUp Think Tank to gather ideas
for how Strive can make the greatest
impact, and it’s feeling more like a
social enterprise than trying to operate
as a traditional publishing house.
Whatever Strive looks like in a year—
or five years—I know it will be moving
the dial.”
The Cooperative Children’s Book Center
researched and compiled statistics about the
number of children’s books and young adult
literature published by and about people of color,
American Indians, and those of First Nations.
“Every year, we see amazing books by and
about people of color and first/native nations.
There just aren’t enough of them,” CCBC Director
Kathleen Horning reflected in the ongoing study’s
abstract. “The more books there are, especially
books created by authors and illustrators of color,
the more opportunities librarians, teachers,
parents, and other adults have of finding
outstanding books for young readers and listeners
that reflect dimensions of their lives and give a
broader understanding of who we are as a nation.”
1985
2,500
Children’s books published in the United States
0.72%
Children’s books written or illustrated
by black people
2018
3,312
Children’s books published in the United States
17.8%
By or about Asian Pacific people
17.5%
By or about black people
12.8%
By or about Latinx people
1.6%
By or about American Indians/First Nations
FALL–WINTER 2019
25
AUGGIES CONNECT
ARCHIVE PHOTO
Create inclusive and engaging
experiences for fellow Auggies
The Alumni Board is
the governing body of
the Augsburg Alumni
Association. The board
exists to guide the Office
of Alumni and Constituent
Relations in serving the
valued alumni, parents, and
friends who make up the Auggie community.
All alumni are welcome and encouraged to join the
Alumni Board. See the job description and apply at
augsburg.edu/alumni under “Leadership Boards,” or
contact Katie (Koch) Code ’01 at codek@augsburg.edu.
New video available: MARTIN SABO ’59
Video of an interview with late Congressman Martin Sabo,
whose rise to politics was supported by Augsburg University
students, will be available later this year at the Sabo Center
for Democracy and Citizenship website, augsburg.edu/sabo,
thanks to an Augsburg Sesquicentennial Project award that
paid for an updated video description and closed captioning.
One year after graduating from Augsburg, Sabo —then 22—
was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
During his tenure, he became the first member of the
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party to serve as Speaker
of the House, and he went on to the U.S. House of
Representatives, retiring in 2007. Sabo died in 2016.
COURTESY PHOTO
COURTESY PHOTO
Serve on Augsburg’s Alumni Board
Augsburg’s first
ALL-SCHOOL REUNION
Mark your calendar for the All-School Reunion
during Homecoming: September 26, 2020.
More than 150 enthusiastic Sesquicentennial Stewards have
committed to help plan Augsburg’s inaugural All-School
Reunion. Volunteers are the heart of this sesquicentennial
year of events, and this work is not only more fun but is
strengthened by their participation and input. Volunteers
assist with the All-School Reunion’s schedule, entertainment,
venues, and marketing.
Visit augsburg.edu/150.
26
AUGSBURG NOW
YOU CHIMED IN:
SESQUICENTENNIAL
FAVORITE
FACULTY
IN FOCUS
HERITAGE TRIPS
Augsburg Now staff asked the
university’s Facebook followers for
their most memorable professors.
Here are a few of their responses,
edited for length and clarity.
NORWAY ARTS AND CULTURE
May 8–18, 2020
$4,800
“Mary Lowe—I had a lot of memorable professors, most of them
dear to me, but she and I worked so closely together in my last years of
my degree that I cannot think of Augsburg without thinking of her. She
is a wonderful, insightful, funny mentor who held me accountable and
helped me reach heights I wouldn’t have dreamed of initially.”
—TIMOTHY PAUL BISHOP JR. ’18
GERMANY
July 15–26, 2020
$5,300
“Merilee Klemp ’75—So many lessons learned from her, both
music and life. It’s impossible to forget those in your life who have taught,
pushed, encouraged, and mentored as well as she does. She’s an incredible
human being with such a kind, wonderful soul. Thank you for everything!”
—JENNIFER SCHMITT ’04
Hosted by Religion Department
faculty Lori Brandt Hale and
Hans Wiersma
Oberammergau, Germany
COURTESY PHOTOS
“Oh, do I have to choose? Matthew Maruggi in the Religion
Department—he completely changed how I looked at religion, opened my
mind to new perspectives, and taught me the meaning of ‘vocation.’”
—GINA MARIE GAINOUS ’15
CAMPUS TOUR
Hosted by Theater Professor
Darcey Engen ’88 and
Luverne Seifert ’85
National Theater, Norway
“Kristin Anderson—I wouldn’t be where I am in my career without
her! She taught me how to think critically about the built environment, ask
the hard questions, and think about all of my research from the standpoint of
race, class, and gender. She’s one of the smartest women I’ve ever known.”
—KACIE LUCCHINI BUTCHER ’13
Take a limited-edition
In honor of Augsburg’s 150th
anniversary, three trips hosted
by expert faculty guides will
celebrate the university’s
heritage in Germany and Norway.
NIDAROS PILGRIMAGE
August 4–13, 2020
$3,300
Hosted by Vice President for Mission
and Identity Sonja Hagander
Nidaros Cathedral, Norway
Learn more at augsburg.edu/alumni/travel or contact
Katie (Koch) Code ’01 at codek@augsburg.edu.
Two walking tours are available on campus this year: “Augsburg Nooks and
Crannies” and “Augsburg Campus: Past and Present.” Led by Kristin Anderson,
university archivist, each tour lasts one hour and is limited to 20 people. The tours
move through indoor and outdoor spaces to learn about the evolution of the campus
from 1872 to the present. The Nooks and Crannies tour includes a visit to the old
chapel and gymnasium in Old Main, the Old Main attic, an Art Deco filling station,
and other little-known spots of interest.
Augsburg Campus: Past and Present
Augsburg Nooks and Crannies
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wednesday, April 8
Wednesday, April 22
Tuesday, May 5
Wednesday, April 15
Wednesday, April 29
Wednesday, May 6
Save your spot on a tour.
RSVP required: eventrsvp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1104.
FALL–WINTER 2019
27
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1961
Jim Holden ’61 wrote a new
book called “Heron Thieves,
a Bat Out of Hell, and Other Flyfishing
Stories, Essays, and Poems.” Holden
has been a fly fisherman for more than
40 years, and the book highlights his
experiences on trout streams.
1965
Dwight Olson ’65 presented
President Paul Pribbenow a
copy of his book “Northern Lights: The
Beauty of the Forgotten Scandinavian
Enamel Artisans” for Augsburg’s
library in celebration of the university’s
sesquicentennial.
1969
Cheri (Kraskin) Best ’69,
Pam (Fredrickson) Gunderson ’69,
Sue Kelly ’69, Linda (Stewart) Miller ’69,
Margi Ness ’69, and Anna (Stivland)
Olsen ’69 celebrated the 50th anniversary of
their graduation from Augsburg with a trip to
Boulder, Colorado, in May.
1973
David Colacci ’73 and partner
Susan Ericksen, both classically
trained theater professionals, were featured
in a Star Tribune news story that detailed
their success as audiobook narrators. The
couple records their audiobook narrations in
their St. Louis Park, Minnesota, home. They
have each narrated more than 500 titles.
1978
This year,
Augsburg’s
Excellence In
Coaching Award
recognized Ken
Novak Jr. ’78.
Novak led high
school boys basketball teams at Blaine and
Hopkins to 17 state tournaments, the most
of any boys basketball coach in Minnesota
history. After winning three consecutive state
titles and seven in a 10-year span (2002–
11), Novak was named ESPN RISE National
Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the
Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association
Hall of Fame in 2013, and in 2019 he was
inducted into the second class of the
Minnesota High School Basketball Hall
of Fame.
28
AUGSBURG NOW
1987
Andrew Altenburg ’87 joined
KPMG in a senior associate
role in May 2019. He previously worked
as an events manager for The Bank of
Tokyo for three years. As a freelance event
planner, his clients included MNG, Louis
Vuitton, Colgate-Palmolive, and The Carlyle
Group. From 2005 to 2015, he produced
and emceed 470 bingo events, which
raised $250,000 for dozens of LGBTQIA+
organizations. He also is a wedding
officiant and cartoonist, posting his work
at jumpingforjoy.net. He lives with his
partner, Matthew, and their parrot, Lulu,
on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in New
York City.
Minasie
Theophilos ’87
received the
Distinguished
Athletic Service
Award in honor of
his decades-long
support of
Augsburg’s
student-athletes and coaches. A custodian
in Augsburg’s athletic facilities, Theophilos
has grown close to many people in Auggie
athletics including the men’s hockey team.
He came to Augsburg as a student in 1983
from Ethiopia and had not been able to
return to his home for more than 30 years.
In 2017, after the death of his mother, the
men’s hockey team raised more than
$7,500 to fund a trip for Theophilos to see
his family, who now live in Norway.
1993
Tanya Schwartz ’93 was named
the seventh police chief of
Burnsville and is the first woman to hold
the post. Schwartz has been with the police
department for 23 years, beginning as a
patrol sergeant and then serving as detective
sergeant and captain.
1994
Lori Higgins ’94, ’12 MAL
became president of Augsburg’s
Alumni Board. She currently serves on
several boards including the Minnesota
Amateur Sports Commission. She joined the
Alumni Board in 2016 because of her deep
connection to the university and support of
its mission.
1999
The first NCAA
Division III player
to be selected in
the first round of
the NBA Draft,
Devean George ’99
was inducted into
the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame. George
led the Auggies to two Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
championships and berths in the NCAA
Division III national playoffs, earning
conference MVP honors both times. He
finished his college career with 2,258
career points and 868 career rebounds,
both second in school history, and a 23.5
points-per-game average, the best in school
history. George has played with three NBA
teams and works to develop affordable
housing in North Minneapolis.
Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame
inductee Scott
Hvistendahl ’99
was Augsburg
baseball’s starting
centerfielder as
well an AllAmerican wide
receiver on the football team. He was the
first player to break the NCAA career
receiving yardage record held by NFL
legend Jerry Rice, finishing his career with
285 receptions for 4,696 yards. He now
stands 14th in NCAA all-divisions history in
career receiving yardage. Hvistendahl was
named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference Player of the Year, twice earned
CoSIDA Academic All-America honors,
and won the Gagliardi Trophy for his
performance in academics, athletics,
and community service.
Qiuxia (Xia) Welch ’99 and Kevin Welch,
co-founders and owners of Boom Island
Brewing, hosted Augsburg’s first “beer
choir” in the spring. The couple started
their company in 2011 focusing on
Belgian-style beers, and they recently
relocated the business to a new space in
Minnetonka, Minnesota.
2002
Crescent Cove, a hospice
home for children founded
by Katie Lindenfelser ’02, was featured
in a New York Times story. Lindenfelser,
the executive director and an Augsburgtrained music therapist, opened the
St. Louis Park, Minnesota, care facility
in 2018. Crescent Cove offers respite
and hospice care to children and is the
only facility of its kind in the Midwest.
2003
Kristen Opalinski ’03
began a new professional
chapter as the manager for Ecumenical
and Inter-Religious Relations for
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. This role includes managing
communications, providing staffing for
EIR committees and events, extending
hospitality to ecumenical and interreligious partners at the Lutheran
Center in Chicago, and serving as the
ELCA representative at various EIR
meetings held both domestically and
internationally. This is a new position
designed to meet the needs of the everchanging ecumenical and inter-religious
landscape and the expansion of the
church’s ecumenical and inter-religious
commitments. Opalinski also serves as a
writer for Living Lutheran Magazine.
2004
Max Langaard ’04 was
featured on “Good
Morning America,” where he shared
his journey as a teacher and also
his time as a mentor and coach at a
nonprofit called Playworks in Oakland,
California. Playworks helps schools and
youth organizations create a place on
the playground for every child to feel
included, be active, and build valuable
social and emotional skills. Langaard
also received NBA Finals tickets from
the television show.
Adam Langer ’12 and wife, Alyssa,
welcomed their first child, Addison, in
November 2018.
Dual sport
athlete Kristen
Lideen ’04 was
inducted into
the Augsburg
Athletic Hall of
Fame. As
softball
shortstop,
Lideen was the lone Auggie to hit better
than .400 in their career (.444). Her 38
career doubles remain a school record,
while her 18 doubles and 89 total bases
in 2003 are both single-season school
records. In soccer, Lideen played as a
sweeper for an Auggie defense that
recorded a 1.04 goals-against-average in
her four seasons. Lideen earned
All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors
three times as a soccer athlete and
earned All-MIAC first-team honors four
times as a softball player.
2008
Greg May ’08 was hired
by the University of
Minnesota’s hockey program as the
new director of hockey operations.
May spent the previous three years as
the hockey head coach and associate
athletic director at the Blake School
in Minneapolis. While playing hockey
during his time at Augsburg, he was a
MIAC All-Conference honoree.
AUGGIE
SNAPSHOTS
Christina Olstad ’00, ’05 MSW began her new
role as dean of students at the University of
Wisconsin—Madison in July. Olstad previously
was the interim assistant vice president for
student affairs, housing, and residence life at
Towson University in Maryland. She has worked
in higher education administration for nearly
two decades, beginning with her time
at Augsburg.
2009
Caitlin (Hozeny) Lienard
’09, ’16 MSW passed her
Licensed Independent Clinical Social
Worker exam in April.
The late Donny Wichmann ’89—a three-time
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
champion, a national tournament All-American,
and a longtime assistant coach who was a part
of 10 NCAA Division III national championship
teams with the Auggies—was inducted into the
National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III
Hall of Fame in August.
Augsburg Men’s Wrestling Co-Head
Coach Tony Valek ’12, ’14 MAL and wife,
Kassi (Goranowski) Valek, welcomed a
son, Hudson Ricke, in June.
Denielle (Johnson) Stepka ’11 and Timothy
Stepka welcomed a daughter, Halle Jo Jean,
on September 30.
FALL–WINTER 2019
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Bobby Rose ’16 married fiancée, Amber, in Cottage
Grove, Minnesota, in May.
Mara (Breczinski) Barrozo ’14 and
Enrico Barrozo ’14 welcomed a
daughter, Ryna, in June.
Carlson Inc. announced the
appointment of Richard “Rick”
Gage ’96 as its non-executive
chair of the board in August.
Gage is the founder and
former CEO of YourMLSSearch.
com, a director of the World
Childhood Foundation, and
is on the board of the Carlson
Family Foundation, where
he has served for more than
20 years.
Tyler Heaps ’13, manager of
analytics and research for U.S.
Soccer, was on the staff of the
USA national women’s soccer
team that celebrated a World
Cup Championship victory in
July. Heaps, who helped play a
part in the team’s seven-game
win series to clinch the title,
said it was “one of the most
challenging and rewarding
experiences” of his life. Heaps’
work in data analysis and use
of video coverage enhances
skills on the field and helps
athletes better prepare for their
competition.
Read more of this story at
augsburg.edu/alumni/blog.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
Hayley (Thomas) Ball ’12 and Emerson
Ball ’14, ’19 MSW welcomed a
daughter, Zara, on March 13.
Jessica Barker ’97, Amy (Bowar) Mellinger ’97, Tara
(Cesaretti) McLeod ’97, Christa Winkelman ’97, and
Jane (Ruth) Zirbes ’97 gathered for their annual girls’
trip in Las Vegas. Since their days at Augsburg, they’ve
planned yearly trips and remained close friends.
30
AUGSBURG NOW
Two rural Osakis, Minnesota, churches—with roots dating
back to the early days in the state’s history—are thriving
with the help of their new intentional interim pastor John
Douglas Hopper ’68. Hopper, who lives in Delano, Minnesota,
and spends weekends at Salem and Sauk Valley Lutheran
churches. He began a one-year pastorate on October 21, 2018.
Stephanie Putzier ’16 MBA serves
Minnesota Women of Today at
the state level as the internal vice
president, a position in which she
oversees the organization’s internal
programming. Putzier received the
Programing Award of Excellence for
her commitment and efforts. She
has been an active member of the
organization since 2002.
Ross Murray ’00, ’09 MBA
received the Living Loehe
Award at Wartburg Seminary’s
commencement in May. The
award was given in recognition
of the 50th anniversary of the
Stonewall uprising, the 10th
anniversary of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America’s
steps toward inclusion for
LGBTQIA+-identified people, and
his calling as a deacon to engage
in LGBTQIA+ advocacy in the
church and the world. Murray is
the senior director of education
and training at GLAAD Media
Institute and is the founding
director of The Naming Project.
Read more of this story at
augsburg.edu/alumni/blog.
K. Marshall Williams Sr. ’78 received the Herschel
H. Hobbs Award for Distinguished Denominational
Service from Oklahoma Baptist University. Williams,
who has served as pastor of Nazarene Baptist Church in
Philadelphia for more than 35 years, accepted the award
on June 10 during the Southern Baptist Convention’s
annual meeting in Birmingham, Alabama.
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.
Kristy Millering ’06 became
the new director of finance at
Winona Area Public Schools.
Millering began this role after
eight years in finance at Mayo
Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota,
most recently as a senior internal
auditor. She also worked as an
accountant for McNeilus Truck
and Manufacturing and owned
her own dance studio.
Jason Oare ’05 and wife, Erin,
welcomed a daughter, Remedy
Faith, in April.
Amber (Stransky) Caswell ’07 and husband,
Tavid, welcomed a daughter, Olivia Sandra
Donna, in June.
Mary Christine Kane ’94
released her first book
of poems, “between
the stars where you
are lost.” Kane also
works in marketing and
volunteers for the arts and
animal rescue initiatives. Her poetry and nonfiction
works have appeared in journals and anthologies
including Bluestem; The Buffalo Anthology, Right
Here, Right Now; Ponder Review; and Sleet.
FALL–WINTER 2019
31
IN MEMORIAM
Gladys I. (Boxrud)
Strommen ’46, Edina,
Minnesota, age 93,
on May 27.
Gladys H. I. (Vigen)
Hallstrom ’56, Thief River
Falls, Minnesota, age
87, on March 27.
Omar N. Gjerness ’47,
Fergus Falls, Minnesota,
age 97, on July 19.
Sylva M. (Dahl) Kubicek ’56,
Lake Crystal, Minnesota,
age 83, on March 18.
Prudence V. (Hokanson)
Nystuen ’47, Lakeville,
Minnesota, age 93,
on July 3.
Mary J. (Christiansen)
Meyer ’56, Miami,
age 84, on April 7.
Barbara (Ekse) Carlson ’48,
Minneapolis, age 92,
on April 1.
Catherine A. (Mork)
Kordahl ’48, Fertile,
Minnesota, age 96,
on June 28.
Lorraine W. (Weltzin)
Peterson ’49, Hastings,
Minnesota, age 94,
on May 28.
Sheldon L. Torgerson ’49,
Minneapolis, age 92,
on May 26.
Gordon N. Berntson ’50,
Fargo, North Dakota,
age 93, on April 25.
Wayne H. Wickoren ’50,
Fargo, North Dakota,
age 92, on July 7.
Elizabeth A. Becken ’51,
Shoreview, Minnesota,
age 90, on June 3.
Harriet M. (Haller)
Brown ’52, Hastings,
Minnesota, age 89,
on May 11.
Evonne L. (Emerson)
Johnson ’52, Faribault,
Minnesota, age 88,
on March 9.
Duane L. Addison ’53,
Minneapolis, age 88,
on April 18.
Robert L. Lindquist ’53,
Worthington, Minnesota,
age 87, on April 28.
Arthur V. Rimmereid ’53,
St. Paul, Minnesota,
age 87, on June 24.
Jeannine L. (Torstenson)
Blanchard ’54, Fresno,
California, age 86,
on March 6.
Oliver K. Vick ’54,
Lancaster, Wisconsin,
age 88, on March 22.
32
AUGSBURG NOW
Marvin L. Dooley ’59,
Eagle Grove, Iowa,
age 95, on July 20.
Edean A. Berglund ’73,
Lacey, Washington,
age 67, on April 11.
Nancy J. (Thompson)
Peterson ’75, Minneapolis,
age 65, on May 27.
Bonnie M. Goetzke ’76,
Memphis, Tennessee,
age 65, on April 19.
Pamela S. Slette ’76,
Albert Lea, Minnesota,
age 65, on June 21.
James A. Hanson ’59,
Dodge Center, Minnesota,
age 88, on July 6.
Marcia G. (Thompson)
Turcotte ’78, Chanhassen,
Minnesota, age 97, on
July 19.
Donald E. Jorenby ’59,
Woodbury, Minnesota,
age 81, on March 19.
Michael J. Riley ’84,
Brainerd, Minnesota,
age 58, on July 25.
Bonnie J. (Martinson)
Storley ’59, Minneapolis,
age 81, on March 31.
Donald D. Wichmann ’89,
Minneapolis, age 53, on
July 16.
Arden S. Flaten ’60,
Hastings, Minnesota,
age 82, on May 4.
Thad D. Firchau ’92,
Mankato, Minnesota,
age 48, on March 23.
Marlin B. Aadland ’62,
Delta, British Columbia,
age 82, on May 30.
Marna R. Brown ’93,
Fergus Falls, Minnesota,
age 49, on March 28.
Jerome C. Barney ’62,
Fergus Falls, Minnesota,
age 81, on July 9.
Theresa D. (Holt)
Wimann ’94, Baraboo,
Wisconsin, age 60,
on May 7.
LeRoy E. Lee ’63, Solon
Springs, Wisconsin,
age 79, on March 25.
Gerald A. Carlson ’64,
Pine, Arizona, age 78,
on June 19.
Lennore A. (Bylund)
Bevis ’66, Minneapolis,
age 75, on July 28.
Verland E. Kruse ’66,
Stillwater, Minnesota,
age 83, on March 23.
Richard E. Andersen ’68,
Phoenix, age 73, on
June 2.
Russell K. Jones ’69,
Mercer, Maine, age 71,
on May 9.
Raymond J. Wesley ’69,
Maple Grove, Minnesota,
age 77, on July 27.
Daniel L. Knak ’72,
Hastings, Minnesota,
age 69, on July 19.
Mary S. (Wozniak)
Sergeant ’99, Kansas
City, Kansas, age 61,
on May 25.
Mauris N. De Silva ’00,
Jackson, New Jersey,
age 46, on July 31.
Robin A. Olsen ’01,
St. Paul, Minnesota,
age 48, on April 28.
Amanda J. Kelley ’09,
Ave Maria, Florida,
age 38, on May 25.
Patrick J. Inman ’11,
Rochester, Minnesota,
age 41, on July 9.
Matthew C. Blackburn ’15,
Plymouth, Minnesota,
age 36, on August 19.
The “In memoriam” listings
in this publication include
notifications received
before September 1.
ARCHIVE PHOTOS
Augsburg community – 1931
L
L
A
G
N
CALLI
S
E
I
G
AUG
.
LL
A
N
A
E
M
E
W
—AND
1970
1975
2004
N
O
I
N
U
E
R
L
O
ALL-SCHO
020
R 26, 2
SEPTEMBE
LIS
MINNEAPO
s at
Follow update
u/150.
augsburg.ed
opportunity
e
m
ti
fe
li
a
-in
Join this once
ith
to celebrate w
every class,
program,
e
e
r
g
e
d
y
r
e
ev
e,
every decad
ity.
urg commun
b
s
g
u
A
e
th
everyone in
TURN THE PAGE to see
the Class of 2023.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
PHOTO BY TOM ROSTER
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Augsburg enrolls historic first-year class
A record-setting 636 undergraduate first-year students started at Augsburg University this fall. The Class of 2023 marks the
third year in a row in which a majority are students of color. All told, the university now has 2,159 students in the traditional
undergraduate program, which is also a record for Augsburg.
Show less
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
Show less
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.
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2010
VOL. 72, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
StepUP program Environmental literature
Travel
10 reasons to come back Coach Mark Matzek
®
Commencement
2010 Exploring Our Gifts
page
20
on
Stage
Editor
Bets... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2010
VOL. 72, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
StepUP program Environmental literature
Travel
10 reasons to come back Coach Mark Matzek
®
Commencement
2010 Exploring Our Gifts
page
20
on
Stage
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
notes
from President Pribbenow
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
A new mission statement and Commission Augsburg
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
o
ver the past two years, the Augsburg community has been engaged in a lively and rich conversation about our character and identity.
Augsburg last modified its mission statement nearly
20 years ago, and although much that defines
Augsburg’s distinctive identity as a college of the
church in the city has remained constant, there also
have been some remarkable changes. The expansion
of nontraditional undergraduate programs, several
new graduate programs, campus sites in Rochester
and Bloomington, significant work around the world,
and continuing initiatives to meet the needs of diverse students have combined to make Augsburg a
more complex and, I would argue in addition, a more
innovative and faithful college.
Given the reality of Augsburg’s current missionbased work, the College community explored together
how we might state our mission in such a way as to
affirm our abiding values and commitments, while
also to articulate how the College’s circle of influence
and impact has expanded. The result of those explorations is a wonderfully nuanced and meaningful new
mission statement, enthusiastically adopted by the
Board of Regents at its spring 2010 meeting.
Augsburg College educates students to be informed
citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders. The new mission statement begins
with a bold claim of our aspirations for our students
as we send them out to live their callings in the
world. As citizens, stewards, thinkers, and leaders,
Augsburg graduates bring their education and experience to bear in all aspects of their lives and work.
The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community, committed to intentional diversity in
its life and work. This important statement of our selfunderstanding is an explicit reference to our values as
a participatory community—very much in line with our
Lutheran Free Church heritage—dedicated to the
common work of educating all of our students. At the
same time, we reaffirm our abiding sense of the im-
portance of intentional diversity—diversity of experience, background, and thought—that is supported by
our theological, academic, and civic legacies.
An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in
the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by the
faith and values of the Lutheran Church, and shaped by
our urban and global settings. This closing sentence
lifts up our core values: excellence across all academic programs, the particular gifts of our Lutheran
faith, and the central role that our place in the world
plays in the education we offer.
The circle has been widened to reflect how
Augsburg embraces its distinctive role in higher education. I could not be more pleased with the participation of the entire community in crafting this new
mission statement.
As we move into the next academic year, I am excited to announce an opportunity for all Augsburg
alumni and friends to learn more about how our mission sets in place a clear map for our future. Beginning this fall, we will launch Commission Augsburg, a
series of conversations that bring together those
across the country who care about Augsburg to explore three strategic pathways for Augsburg’s work in
the years ahead:
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
(1) We will create and sustain a culture of
innovation and excellence.
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
(2) We will help all of our students to succeed.
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Jeff Shelman
shelman@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
(3) We will tell Augsburg’s story in word and deed.
ISSN 1058-1545
Please watch for opportunities to gather and to
learn more about the key initiatives the Augsburg
community intends to pursue in order to live out its
mission and to honor its distinctive saga as a college of the Lutheran Church. Your perspectives will
help shape Augsburg’s future.
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
a
summer 2010
7
12
16
Features
24
contents
20
27
augsburg now
7
12
16
20
24
27
Commencement 2010
A step in the right direction
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
10 reasons to come back to campus
by Jeff Shelman
Learning from the environment
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Nine years on the mats
by Jeff Shelman
Making connections
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Departments
inside
front
cover
On the cover
Tessa Flynn ’05, community engagement manager and teaching artist with the
Children’s Theatre Company, is one of the theatre alums who talks about making
connections and the importance of those connections to their life after Augsburg.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
2
4
6
33
36
40
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
around the
quad
A project of steel
Not many senior projects require countless hours spent shaping steel with a hammer
and finishing it with sandpaper and steel brushes. But Josh Davis’ project wasn’t
like most. For more than two years, Davis spent the vast majority of his free time
working to construct a full suit of armor. The project, which was on display during
Zyzzogeton—Augsburg’s celebration of student research and creative activity—was
featured both in the Star Tribune and The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The suit is made out of sheet steel of varying thickness and includes 20 individual pieces, many of which are smaller pieces riveted together, that fit like a puzzle to
form the complete armor. Each leg, for example, is 13 separate pieces of steel,
some of which were placed on top of each other to increase strength.
Building the suit required Davis to
shape the steel with a hammer—pounding heated steel over or into a form to
produce the required curves—while
using a pattern specially developed to fit
him. Davis also made each of the buckles and straps on the suit.
To call it a labor-intensive process
would be an understatement. After originally keeping track of the time on the
project, Davis stopped when he reached
1,000 hours, the equivalent of 25 weeks
of eight-hour workdays.
“The hardest part is finishing it,”
Davis said. “I can rough out a form in an
hour or two, but fine-tuning it, sanding
out the hammer marks, and making the
Josh Davis’ suit of armor took two years and
hinges and buckles took a long time.”
painstaking work to construct.
Dal Liddle receives NEH
summer research stipend
Dal Liddle, associate
professor of English,
received a National
Endowment for the
Humanities summer
stipend for travel to
London to test a hypothesis he’s been
formulating.
Liddle, whose research focuses on Victorian
literature, is spending three weeks in England poring over the private archives of the London Times
and the early Victorian holdings of the British Library. Using Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, editorial articles from British papers, and Brontë’s Jane
Eyre, he will try to test whether current theories
about the historical development of technology
will also fit the way British literature developed
between 1800 and 1850. What if literary history
turns out to change in some of the same ways that
technological history changes? Could the history
of novels and poems show some of the same patterns as the history of steam engines, microchips,
and jet airplanes?
“I'm taking a big chance,” he says about his
research question. “There’s a big disprovability
factor here, but if I’m wrong I want to prove it.”
NewsNotes
The Nursing Department launched a three-year
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), Augsburg’s first
doctoral degree, that prepares nurses for advanced
practice and leadership in transcultural and community/public health nursing. The DNP is a cohort program that begins in the fall.
David Tiede, retiring after five years as the Bernhard
Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, has
accepted the interim presidency of Wartburg
Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa.
Two new summer camps are bringing young people
to campus. Two week-long film camps in July bring
high school students together to work with 16mm
film, teaching them techniques for scripting, directing, and editing.
The Minnesota Debate and Advocacy Workshop
brings middle and high school students together
with the state’s top coaches in a two- or three-week
institute.
The deaths of two retired faculty are noted.
Robert Herforth, professor emeritus of biology, died on
June 18. He is remembered as an extraordinary zoologist who remained very much engaged in current research throughout his life.
Rosalie Clark, who taught in the Social Work Department from 1979 for more than a dozen years, died in
January 2009. She brought perspectives on American
Indian issues to faculty and students and encouraged
social work graduates.
AUGSBURG NEWS SERVICE
2
Augsburg Now
Three faculty members retire from the classroom
Julie Bolton—Theatre’s “artist-educator”
Curt Paulsen—Social work professor, mentor
Paul Grauer—Coach, mentor, teacher
Thirty-five years
ago, Julie
Bolton, a professional actor, was
hired part time
to teach acting.
She soon became full time,
added courses,
hired faculty, and began to build a theatre
arts program, which she then chaired for
12 years, plus four more years when it became a new department.
Building on her connections in Twin
Cities theatre, Bolton both pushed students to get internships in the theatre
community and helped them explore vocations in theatre. And, she brought theatre
artists to campus to work with students.
She hired faculty whose varied expertise
helped create a comprehensive, professional theatre arts program within a liberal
arts education.
Bolton reflects with pride and gratitude
on the collaboration in the mid-1980s
that helped bring about Augsburg’s black
box theater in Foss Center, with the support of President Charles Anderson, Dean
Ryan LaHurd, and donors Barbara
(Tjornhom) ’54 and Richard Nelson.
Bolton considers herself an “artist-educator” and has used her theatre knowledge in the docent tours she gives at the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts. “If we are
looking at Rembrandt’s Lucretia,” she
says, “I introduce similar themes in
Shakespeare’s epic poem Lucretia or
Hamlet’s soliloquies.”
In addition to expanding her role as a
docent, Bolton also looks forward to
spending time as grandmother to her five
grandchildren.
Social work professor Curt
Paulsen often
sang to himself
on the way to his
classrooms—just
one indication of
the joy he received every day
in teaching. “Just as I have pushed my
students,” he explains, “they have also
pushed me, and I’m grateful for it.” He
found continuing satisfaction in the “joint
enterprise of reaching great understanding.”
Paulsen taught both undergraduate and
graduate students in the Social Work Department and, together with his wife,
Cathy, taught a personality theory course
to graduate students in the leadership
program. He has also taught in the Religion Department and Honors program.
Paulsen enjoyed most working with students who weren’t functioning to their
ability. With respect, and in an atmosphere of intellectual rigor, he pushed
them to their point of real reaction, with
high expectations, helping them not only
to learn, but to grow as people. It meant
facilitating a process where students
moved from answers to questions.
Paulsen always considered liberal arts
and crossing disciplines as “just the beginning of lifelong learning.” For him, “To
gain a real understanding of human beings, one must go to the poets and to
great literature.”
Paulsen now anticipates more time for
photography, reading, gardening, and for
his family—Cathy, their two daughters and
husbands, and four grandchildren.
Paul Grauer says
that even after
31 years,
Augsburg has always been “exactly where I
wanted to be.”
He served long
stints as coach,
athletic director, and instructor, and he lists
a whole series of strong relationships, high
points, and changes that kept it interesting.
A big change is the continual improvement of athletic facilities that has made it
more likely that recruits will choose
Augsburg—early in his tenure he recalls
one hockey recruit who told him that
Augsburg “had no curb appeal.”
In addition, the continual development
of the Health and Physical Education Department that now includes exercise science can prepare students for varied
careers in teaching, fitness, and training.
Grauer recalls 1997–98 as “a special,
magical year,” when four Auggie teams—
football, men’s basketball, men’s hockey,
and wrestling—won conference championships and went to national playoffs, resulting in a wrestling championship and a
hockey Frozen Four appearance.
Among the high points was the celebration in 2007 of the 35th anniversary of
Auggie varsity women’s sports, some of
which pre-date the Title IX era. Grauer prepared and submitted early reports for Title
IX that “showed we had to pay attention to
equality,” and which spurred further expansion of women’s sports.
Grauer will always remember the friendships, the colleagues, and the continual
growth he’s seen both with the coaches and
student-athletes in their training, resiliency,
and good sportsmanship in a very competitive athletic conference.
Grauer now looks forward to having more
time to play his trumpet—especially at
Augsburg in the brass ensemble.
For Auggie sports news and schedules,
go to www.augsburg.edu/athletics.
BETSEY NORGARD
Summer 2010
3
auggie voices
Exploring Our Gifts—
looking back over 8 years
In 2002 Augsburg received a $2 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to integrate a theological understanding of vocation into
the life of the College over a five-year period. In 2007 the grant
was renewed for $1 million to cover an additional three years. As
of summer 2010, the funding from the Lilly Endowment has
ended. The College has now established the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning in order to sustain a number of the programs of
the Lilly Endowment grants and to support new initiatives on
vocation.
Mark Tranvik, associate professor of religion and chair of the Religion Department, was director of Exploring Our Gifts. He reflects
about the impact of Exploring Our Gifts on Augsburg’s curriculum
and experience.
Q: Why did Augsburg apply for the Lilly Endowment grant?
A: We should be clear that the Lilly Endowment grant didn’t introduce vocation to Augsburg College. Augsburg began as a seminary,
and it had a sense of calling embedded into its DNA. Throughout
much of its history, students, faculty, and staff came to the College
out of a deep sense of calling. They saw their work here as an expression of what God wanted them to do with their gifts and talents. I think some of that sensibility was lost at a lot of our church
colleges during the 1970s and ’80s, Augsburg included. But the
idea of vocation never went away, and the Lilly Endowment money
provided the school with an opportunity to bring new energy and
imagination to the concept. In other words, it was natural for
Augsburg to apply for the grant, given our heritage.
Q: Why do you think the Lilly Endowment grant has been successful?
A: The group who worked on the original application, led by Carol
Forbes, Academic Affairs, and Bruce Reichenbach, Philosophy Department, did a wonderful job in making sure the proposal “fit”
with the culture at Augsburg. Instead of “top-down” planning, they
made sure to solicit proposals from a wide variety of groups on
campus. They received more than 30 proposals for projects and
were able to whittle that down to 16. When the money actually arrived to fund the projects, a campus-wide conversation had already
been going on for some time. In my mind, the genius here is the
way this is consistent with the ethos of the school. Augsburg is a
college deeply rooted in the traditions of the Lutheran Free
Church, and the egalitarian spirit of that church still pervades this
community.
4
Augsburg Now
Professor Mark Tranvik directed Exploring Our Gifts, Augsburg’s Lilly Endowment program
to explore vocation.
Q. Didn’t a lot of schools receive Lilly Endowment grants? What’s
distinctive about Augsburg’s?
A: The Lilly Endowment’s initiative on vocation was incredibly
generous. More than 80 colleges and universities, many of them
church-related, received grants. And to no one’s surprise, the
grants seemed to work especially well at Lutheran schools. This is
because the theology of vocation was developed in new ways by
Martin Luther and the other reformers in the 16th century. Those
places that trace their heritage back to the Reformation found it
easier, in general, to talk about vocation on their campuses.
One of the distinctive things about Augsburg is the way the College has been willing to integrate a theological understanding of
vocation into its core curriculum. This has been one of the fruits of
our discussion about vocation on campus. All Augsburg students
are required to take two religion classes that have vocation at the
center—Religion 100 and 200, Christian Vocation and the Search
for Meaning I and II, respectively. Furthermore, all students are
asked to think about vocation again in their senior seminars. So,
you could say that vocation serves as the “bookends” for the
Augsburg educational experience. And we also hope that students
will be asked in other classes to think about their sense of calling.
Of course this will happen, but it’s more dependent on the inclination of individual instructors.
Q: What about the specific vocation of ministry? How has the grant helped students
who are thinking about working in the church?
A: One program of the grant that has worked well in this area is the Lilly
Scholars. Every year, 10 juniors or seniors were chosen to take part in a fullcredit seminar dedicated to thinking theologically about vocation and receive
a scholarship from the grant. The main prerequisite for the course is to be interested in studying about vocation in-depth. And some of these students do
not sense a calling in the institutional church, which is fine. But over half of
the participants (about 50 over the eight years) have decided to study theology after receiving their degrees at Augsburg. This is one important way the
College continues its long tradition of developing leaders for the church.
Q: It is especially important for colleges to document their successes. Is there
evidence that the programs of the Lilly Endowment grant have actually made a
difference?
Purpose: To integrate a theological understanding of vocation
into the life of Augsburg College
Programs 2002–2010
Total participants
Alumni mentoring
Student vocation assessments
265
1,962
International exploration
263
Lilly Scholars
82
Church leader development
100
Lilly Interns
54
Youth Theology Institute
~125
Orientation, Augsburg Seminar
2,600
Forums
2,450
Till & Keep journal (copies)
Vocatio Chapel
3,600
~3,600
Interreligious dialogue
471
Courtesy photo
A: Augsburg has been fortunate in that it was selected, along with Luther
College and Augustana College of Rock Island (both of whom also had received Lilly Endowment grants), to participate in a study by the Wilder Foundation that assessed how effectively vocation had been integrated into these
schools. The results were gratifying. They showed significant progress made in
helping students view their lives through the lens of vocation. For example,
students who had exposure to Lilly Endowment programs were more likely
(50% to 23%) to see their life as a “calling,” with a sense of purpose, than
those who were not exposed to the grant. Furthermore, 91%
of the class of 2007 reported that their understanding of vocation deepened while at college. Go to
www.augsburg.edu/cfl to read the full study.
Exploring Our Gifts—Augsburg’s
Lilly Endowment grant program
Q: The Lilly Endowment grant on vocation seems to be strongly
rooted in the Christian tradition. Yet Augsburg also stresses the
importance of diversity and the acceptance of people from a
wide variety of faiths and backgrounds. How do you answer
those who suggest that this stress on vocation is done at the expense of diversity?
A: That’s a great question and one that many of us have
struggled with during the time of the grant. I think I would
answer it on two different levels. First, the emphasis on vocation is a way in which we are trying to be faithful to our
mission statement and its claim that Augsburg will be
“guided by the faith and values of the Lutheran Church.”
We are a college of the church, and that is nothing about
which we should be ashamed.
As one of the Lilly vocation seminars, students in the Religion and the Christian Faith course in 2005
Second—and this is the point that is often misundertraveled to El Salvador to study the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero and to explore the depth of
stood—I would argue that our Christian faith and emphasis
Christian vocation in daily life there.
on vocation do not lead to exclusivity and the formation of a
community of the like-minded. Jesus spent a good deal of his ministry breaking down walls and crossing so-called “forbidden” boundaries.
In a similar vein, I would argue that an emphasis on diversity naturally flows from our Christian faith. We are not diverse in spite of being
Christian. Rather, we are diverse because we are Christian. Now this can make life messy, especially for those who insist on nice boxes with
neat straight lines. But as Christians we gladly welcome the “world” to our campus and the plurality of faiths and beliefs that come with it.
We promise we won’t “coerce” anyone to be Christian (as if that would work!), but we do ask that a respectful and public discussion on faith
occur. And we also insist that both sides be open to be challenged and changed.
Summer 2010
5
it takes an
Auggie
StepUP® parents are grateful for support to students and families
When Maureen and Harold Thompson realized their daughter Anne
was not going to graduate from high school with her friends, they
were devastated but not surprised. They knew that something was
wrong and that their daughter needed help.
Anne went into treatment for drug and alcohol addiction and
then began attending daily recovery meetings. During this second
phase of her recovery, she worked hard to complete her high school
graduation requirements. Anne impressed her teachers and others
with her hard work, and her parents thought the situation was
under control. This sense of security and relief quickly faded when
they discovered that Anne had relapsed.
Anne returned to treatment, this time at the Hazelden Center for
Youth and Families, where she learned about Augsburg College and
the College’s StepUP program for students in recovery. Anne entered StepUP in 2004 and graduated from Augsburg in 2008. She
is now a graduate student in higher education and student affairs
at the University of Connecticut.
“We feel that StepUP has allowed our daughter to attend college, continue with her recovery, and experience college life. Anne
has learned to deal with the stresses of projects, schedules, papers, and exams while developing a safe and solid support network. She worked hard in class, and she has worked hard on her
recovery. We don’t think this could have happened anywhere else.”
Maureen and Harold remain thankful for all that Augsburg did
for their daughter and continues to do for other students. That’s
one of the reasons they consistently support the StepUP program,
The Augsburg Fund, and more. “The StepUP program reinforces
the belief that each program participant is accountable. They are
accountable to themselves, to their peers, and to the StepUP staff.
We believe that the program provided an environment that allowed
Anne to blossom and grow, and allowed our family to heal.”
“We believe that the program provided an
environment that allowed Anne to blossom
and grow, and allowed our family to heal.”
“StepUP allowed me to go to college,” Anne says. “College is
hard for students in general, but students in recovery have all the
same challenges that others have and more. This program allowed
me to have a ‘traditional’ college experience, which would otherwise be unavailable.”
Maureen also noted, “It has been often said that someone with
an addiction impacts at least four other people. We believe that
StepUP not only helps the student, but it also helps the family,
and for that we are eternally grateful.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Courtesy photo
Maureen and Harold Thompson are
proud parents as their daughter, Anne,
graduated from Augsburg and the
StepUP program in 2008.
6
Anne speaks to a campus group about
her experiences at Augsburg and in the
StepUP program.
Augsburg Now
t
n
e
m
e
c
n
e
comm NS
THE TRADITIO
MORTARBOARD TASSELS
There is no official color for bachelor’s degree tassels. Thus, Augsburg
chose maroon and gray, and all undergraduate students wear this tassel.
Tassels for graduate students are different. In 1895, the Intercollegiate Commission was established to standardize academic dress and to prescribe specific colors to represent different fields of
study. This was the last time academic dress has been updated.
Augsburg has six fields of post-baccalaureate study, each with a different color: business—drab;
nursing—apricot; social work—citron; leadership—white; physician assistant studies—green; and education—light blue. Augsburg graduate program students and faculty all wear the colors of their fields.
‰
‰
DOCTORAL DRESS
The academic dress worn today
has its roots in the 12th and 13th centuries when most
scholars were clerics in monastic orders. Today’s doctoral
robe is based on monastic robes; the hood, originally a
cowl, was used to keep the head warm before indoor heating. Robes were formerly all black, but now institutions
choose their own colors, and all official doctoral robes
have three velvet stripes along the bell-shaped sleeves.
Today, professors wear either an Oxford cap (the square
mortarboard) or a Cambridge cap (the decorative, beretlike caps).
This robe belongs to Nathan J. Hallanger, special assistant to the vice president of academic affairs. The four-foot
doctoral hood is scarlet with blue trim, signifying a PhD
from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.
‰
DRUM In 1991, music professor Robert Stacke ’71, a professional drummer,
began to lead the procession of graduates through Murphy Square to Melby
Hall. In this now-beloved tradition, faculty line the street and congratulate their
students as they walk by. In 19 years, Stacke has never missed Commencement
and has only once dropped the drum.
Summer 2010
7
THE TRADITIONS
HONOR CORDS Though a variety of colored cords and stoles show up on students’
shoulders at Commencement, two cords are officially given by Augsburg to undergraduate
students. Students who have earned a grade point average of 3.6 or higher are candidates
for Latin honors, shown by their maroon and gray cords. All students who have completed
the requirements of the Augsburg College Honors program wear gold cords. Other cords indicate that the student has completed a departmental honors project.
THE CROSS
In 1988, Professor Emeritus Norman Holen created the cross used in Chapel and carried in Augsburg ceremonies.
‰
‰
‰
‰
8
MACE The mace, like academic regalia, also originated in the Middle
Ages. First used by medieval European
bishops who were not allowed to carry
swords into battle, the mace was useful as an armor-splitting weapon. By
the 16th century, the mace was converted into a symbol of authority and
was embraced by colleges and universities as a ceremonial icon. At Augsburg,
the mace is carried into all official
College ceremonies by the president of
the Faculty Senate.
Professor Emeritus Norman Holen
created Augsburg’s mace in 1970,
which, until 1988, was laid on a table
during events. Holen was then commissioned to create a stand for it.
MASTER’S HOODS
Like tassels, the hoods given to
master’s degree students have specific meaning. The
main color of the 3.5-foot hoods is black, and they are
lined with the colors of the college conferring the degree. The hood’s trimmings are three inches wide and
correspond to the field of study. For example, the master’s hood shown here is given by Augsburg College
(maroon and gray) in the field of nursing (apricot).
commencement
‰
MAY 1, 2010
PRESIDENTIAL CHAIN OF OFFICE
‰
OTHER COLORS
Augsburg
College’s Chain of Office represents the president’s authority to head the university, and is worn by President
Pribbenow at ceremonial functions such as Commencement. The chain is in fact not a chain but a maroon ribbon
that suspends a medal imprinted with the College seal.
The colorful stoles worn by African
American students are made from a material called Kente
cloth, which originates in Ghana, West Africa. The cloth was
woven by the Asante people of Ghana and was exclusively
made for Asante kings and queens.
Now the stoles are given to members of the Pan-Afrikan
Student Union (PASU) as a way to denote their fraternity and
to connect them with their past.
TEXT AND PHOTOS
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
commencement
JUNE 27, 2010
GRADUATES, FAMILIES, FACULTY, AND
GUESTS CELEBRATE 2010 COMMENCEMENT
MAY 1 COMMENCEMENT
416 undergraduate day students and physician assistant
graduate students
Speaker—Governor Tim Pawlenty
Honorary degree—Father Fernando Cardenal, SJ, educator and activist, Nicaragua
Marina Christensen Justice Award—Jessica Spanswick
Jessica Spanswick graduated with a major in international relations
and a minor in peace and global studies. She has been a Sabo
Scholar in civic engagement, a Hoversten Peace Scholar, a Peace
Prize Forum Peace Scholar, and a Lilly Scholar. Locally, she has
worked with grass-roots organizations on environmental issues and
has tutored Kenyan and Somali immigrants in a neighborhood program. Spanswick studied abroad in Namibia, and while there she
worked on HIV/AIDS events and water rights issues. The Marina
Christensen Justice Award honors a student who has demonstrated a
dedication to community involvement as characterized by the personal and professional life of Marina Christensen Justice, who
reached out to disadvantaged people and communities.
JUNE 27 COMMENCEMENT
492 weekend/evening and Rochester undergraduate students, and
graduate students in business, education, leadership, nursing,
and social work
Speaker—Congressman Keith Ellison
Honorary degree—Peter Heegaard, founder of Urban Adventure
Richard J. Thoni Award—Michele Roulet
Michele Roulet graduated with a major in studio art and a minor in
religion. In immersing herself in student life at Augsburg, Michele
provided leadership, community spirit, hospitality, and innovation
within the adult programs. She served as Weekend College Student
Senate vice president and president and as a student commissioner
in Campus Ministry. Her leadership created the First Word gatherings, an on-campus faith community for adult students. In the wider
community, she has worked with programs to combat hunger. The
Richard J. Thoni Award is given to a weekend student who exemplifies the spirit of community involvement demonstrated by Rick
Thoni’s career at Augsburg.
To view slide shows and a video of Governor Pawlenty’s commencement address, go to www.augsburg.edu and click on the YouTube icon.
commencement
IT’S ALL ABOUT FAMILY AT AUGSBURG
Jeff and Suzi Burt and their daugher, Crystal Studer,
graduated together, all receiving nursing degrees.
Studer is a nurse at the hospital in
Austin. “Augsburg’s been great,” she says.
“It’s made me a more well-rounded nurse,
and the faculty is phenomenal.”
A little more than a year after Suzi and
Crystal began, Jeff returned to the program.
“Mayo is in the process of going bachelor’sonly for RNs,” Jeff says. “If you have an
[associate’s degree in nursing], you'll be required to go back. I just thought it was the
best thing to do.”
All three say there are benefits to having family members in the program at the
same time. Suzi and Crystal were frequently in the same class, and since they
also live across the street from each other
in Blooming Prairie, Minn., they were able
to share textbooks. They have also encouraged and motivated each other as they
worked to balance work, school, and family.
“As a married couple, it’s nice to be in
the same thing because you know what
each other is going through,” Suzi says.
While excited to finish, all three found
the program both rewarding and beneficial.
“It’s been better than I thought,” Crystal
says. “In your first two years, you learn a lot
of skills. In these two years [at Augsburg],
you learn why we do what we do. The content has all been really useful, and it has
inspired me.”
JEFF AND SUZI BURT AND
CRYSTAL STUDER
CAROL DEMULLING, SARAH
DEMULLING, AND HEATHER DEKOK
Jeff Burt was the first member of his family
to enroll in Augsburg’s nursing completion
program. He was working at the Mayo
Clinic when he began taking classes at
Augsburg in 2000. He stopped about
three-quarters of the way through the program to allow his wife, Suzi, to enroll in a
two-year nursing program at Riverland
Community College in Austin, Minn.
In fall 2008, Suzi Burt and Crystal
Studer, one of the couple’s daughters, enrolled at Augsburg, largely because of Jeff’s
positive experience.
Carol Demulling and her daughters Sarah
Demulling and Heather Dekok all ended up
in Augsburg’s business administration program for the same reason—they all knew
the education they had wasn’t going to be
enough.
While all three have positions at Mayo
Clinic and the two daughters have two-year
degrees, they wanted more opportunities for
advancement.
“When I started work in the ’70s, you
could have a high school education and work
your way up,” Carol says. “To make moves
Families have always been a big part of
Augsburg—second- and third-generation
Auggies, Auggies following the paths blazed
by older siblings, and couples who met at
Augsburg and inspired their children to
attend.
The June 27 Commencement, however,
featured a new twist: two families of parents and children from Augsburg’s
Rochester campus graduating together. The
first is a mother, father, and daughter, all
earning bachelor’s degrees in nursing. The
second featured a mother and two daughters who studied business administration
together.
Carol Demulling (center) and her daughters Sarah
Demulling (left) and Heather Dekok (right) graduated
with business administration degrees.
now, you need education.”
Her daughter Heather was a little more
blunt. “I graduated with a two-year degree in
business in 2005,” she says. “And I realized
that a two-year degree doesn’t do anything.”
They all say their Augsburg education
has been practical from the beginning.
Dekok works in the international office at
Mayo Clinic, and what she has learned
about different cultures has been immediately applicable.
“I work in an office full of women,” she
says. “Some of the countries we deal with,
they frown upon women in the workplace.
You realize why you get some of the attitudes that you do at times.”
Carol developed a complicated spreadsheet for a class project that is still being
used by members of her office in the evaluation of grant proposals.
As they finish at Augsburg, they’re
happy to have experienced college together
and appreciate the people they met through
the process.
“I didn’t really realize until the last two
trimesters how many relationships we’ve
built here,” Carol says. “People in the
Mayo system, people at IBM. I’ve really enjoyed that and getting to know these people. We all have something in common.”
JEFF SHELMAN
Summer 2010
11
12
Augsburg Now
step
in the right direction
A
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Editor’s note—In order to be respectful of the students in
the StepUP program, their last names are not used.
StepUP students wear purple cords when
they graduate from Augsburg.
GOING TO COLLEGE
was never a part of Emily A.’s future plans.
She dropped out of high school and eventually
got her GED. When she first heard about
StepUP®, she was in her late twenties and living in a sober house in St. Paul.
“I thought my time had passed,” Emily
said. “College was one of the mountains I just
wasn’t going to climb.”
But she called Augsburg and made an appointment with Patrice Salmeri, StepUP program director. “All the time she was talking to
me, I was saying, ‘Yeah, yeah. Sounds great,’
but I had no intention of applying.”
Then she met Chris Belbeck ’06, an admissions counselor and a StepUP alumnus. “He
asked me, ‘What are you waiting for?’ and he
wasn’t taking no for an answer.” So before she
left campus that day, she had started filling
out an application.
Four years later, Emily graduated with honors from Augsburg this spring. “I didn’t have
any goals when I was using,” she says. “But
StepUP has taught me that I have amazing
drive and potential.” Without StepUP, Emily
says she doubts she would have even tried
going to college.
Since 1997, the StepUP program has
helped students in recovery from addiction to
alcohol and other drugs learn similar lessons
about themselves. To date, more than 400
students from across the nation have participated and have maintained an 85% abstinence rate while in the program. They are
successful in sobriety and in the classroom,
earning a collective 3.2 GPA at Augsburg.
For many StepUP graduates, the thought of
going to college was at one time unimaginable—never mind staying sober in school and
getting good grades. But the StepUP community has given many students in recovery the
opportunity to contribute to society in ways
they never thought they would.
(Photo at left) Emily A. ’10 and Tyler P. ’11
The community is the program
Several colleges and universities sponsor 12-step meetings and
provide academic support or counseling services for students in
recovery. But StepUP goes further by offering chemical-free housing for students in what they refer to as a collegiate recovery
community.
“The community is a safe place where you feel supported,”
says Scott Washburn, the program’s assistant director. The students guard and protect the safety of the community by holding each other accountable.
While they are involved in StepUP, students meet individually with a StepUP counselor each week. They are required to
attend two 12-step meetings per week and to maintain an active working relationship with a sponsor. Students also attend
a weekly StepUP community meeting where they hear from
outside speakers, discuss program business, share service opportunities, and celebrate even the smallest of victories.
“Getting an A on a math test or just making it to the first day
of class, those are chances for us to celebrate,” says Salmeri.
“The little things really make a difference.”
Achieving success—in sobriety, academically, and in the community—is part of the StepUP culture. “We build positive community norms that are geared toward succeeding, growing, and
doing well,” Washburn says. “That’s why it’s different. That’s why
it works.”
The other component of StepUP that makes it stand out from
traditional recovery programs is that the program is constantly
shaped by student input. In particular, students serve on the leadership team, which meets regularly with staff to share what is
happening in the community and to keep the program moving in
the right direction.
“The students really take initiative to make changes
for the better in the community,” Salmeri says. This
mature partnership, where staff and students work
together, gives students the confidence to develop
into leaders. Salmeri adds, “I can see the potential
in them, and it is our role to help them realize it
within themselves.”
A perfect fit
The idea for StepUP began when two students at Augsburg
approached Don Warren, the former director of Augsburg’s
Summer 2010
13
Center for Learning and Adaptive Student
Services (CLASS), to ask for his help. The
students shared with Warren how being in
college was difficult for them. They struggled not only with the usual day-to-day challenges of college life but also with staying
clean and sober.
Warren turned to Dave Hadden, then
the educational and vocational liaison at
Hazelden, for his help. Washburn, who
worked with Hadden at that time, said
Hadden had developed an educational and
vocational packet for patients coming out
of treatment “to get them thinking about
their direction in life,” Washburn says, but
they didn’t have a college to recommend.
In fact, Washburn says, “We would discourage young people from going to college straight out of treatment. We told
them they needed a year of sobriety first
and a really solid foundation.”
Warren and Hadden’s idea for a residential program that would offer counseling and support proved to be just the
foundation students needed to transition
from treatment to college. In the fall of
1997, 23 students moved into Anderson
Hall to begin college and the StepUP program. Thirteen years later, the program
serves 72 students who live in Oren Gateway Center, a chemical-free facility that is
also home to the StepUP staff offices.
Washburn believes the StepUP program
and its students have flourished at Augsburg
due in part to the values shared by the program and the College. “Augsburg’s culture
is about providing access and helping all
kinds of students get the support they need
to be successful,” he says. “That’s perfect
for students like ours.”
Also, as a private liberal arts college of
the ELCA, Washburn says the Augsburg
community is open to conversations about
spirituality. In 12-step programs, students
learn to rely on a higher power or a God of
their understanding. “We work really hard
with students to help them define their
meaning and purpose …” Washburn adds.
14
Augsburg Now
Students receive a medallion when they
complete the StepUP program.
Part of that purpose is being of service
to others, another value in line with
Augsburg’s mission. “We help students
find a vision and see that no matter what
they do, they can make a difference in the
world,” Washburn says. Making a difference means being of service to the community—not just the StepUP community
or the recovery community but at
Augsburg, in the city, and throughout
the world.
Success through service
Being a part of the StepUP community
helps students maintain sobriety because
it gives them a chance to help others.
Being “of service” is an essential component of any 12-step recovery program,
whether it is by sponsoring others, sharing
in meetings, or even making coffee.
Tyler P. has learned that success in college can come through helping others, not
just from studying. After he faced serious
consequences from his drug use, Tyler entered treatment at Hazelden. One of his
friends from treatment, the only one he
knew who had stayed sober, was in
StepUP. Tyler saw that the young man was
a good student and that he wasn’t getting
high or drunk. For Tyler, that kind of life
was hard to imagine.
He enrolled at Augsburg in 2008 and
now participates in the StepUP community, sharing his experience with other
men as a sponsor. “I’ve earned more As
through being of service to others than
when I white-knuckled it for eight hours
cramming for a test,” he says.
In recovery, Tyler has seen students
transform their lives. “I’ve seen guys go
from not being able to sweep the floor
when they first get sober to being able to
run meetings, get on the dean’s list, and
participate in life.”
And Tyler’s life has also been transformed. “I was not an all-star student in
high school, but I’ve found a lot of success here.” He’s been on the dean’s list
for three semesters and has developed a
network of sober friends. Most importantly, Tyler says being a part of the community has given him the chance to
practice the principles he’s learned in his
recovery program.
A new way of living
Salmeri says StepUP also helps students
learn that they are leaders and role models, not only for other students in recovery
but for all members of the Augsburg community. Students can serve in formal leadership positions in StepUP, in student
government, as a member of residence
life, or by participating in athletics. But
many also become role models to their
peers simply by becoming the people they
were meant to be.
When Julia G. first learned about the
StepUP program, she had only been sober
for a few weeks. As time passed and she
neared the six-month mark of her sobriety,
the minimum requirement for acceptance
into StepUP, Julia realized that going back
to college was possible for her.
While in the program, students in
StepUP are required to live on campus.
This meant that Julia, who had been living
in a sober house where she was the
youngest resident, would now be the oldest
woman in her residence hall.
For the first month, Julia says she felt
out of place because of the age difference.
“I thought I was unique because I had more
life experience,” she says. “I judged the
other girls.”
Eventually Julia began to realize she was
more like the other students than she had
thought. “We all had different experiences,
but we also had something very important in
common.” That sense of belonging helped
Julia form “intense, involved relationships”
with the other students. “For the first time
in my life, I was a trustworthy person. It
meant a lot to me that the other women
looked up to me.”
Today Julia has a degree, a career she
calls “fantastic,” and a relationship with her
nine-year-old son. And she’s stayed sober
for seven years. “I really turned into myself
at Augsburg,” Julia says. “StepUP showed
me that anything is possible.”
Moving in the right direction
Over the years, StepUP has provided a safe,
supportive community for hundreds of students. The program has allowed them to
achieve the goal of college graduation while
also staying clean and sober—a goal that
was at one time overshadowed by their addiction. And the confidence students gain in
StepUP keeps them going in the right direction after they move on from Augsburg.
Witnessing this achievement is a great
joy for Salmeri and the other StepUP staff.
“The privilege of my position as director is
to witness the growth of each student as
they experience the transition into mature
adults,” she says.
For 10 years, Salmeri says her dream job
was to work for Augsburg in the StepUP program. “After eight years of working here, I
can still say it is my dream job. I feel honored and humbled to work with the students
and their families.”
“I am your biggest fan”
Every year the StepUP program celebrates the accomplishments of its graduates—
those who have completed their studies at Augsburg as well as those who have
completed their residency with StepUP and will move off campus. The StepUP graduation ceremony is a special time set aside to recognize the outstanding achievements of the StepUP students and for the Augsburg community to hear their
inspirational stories.
The theme, chosen by the students on the StepUP leadership council, was “I am
your biggest fan.”
These are sentiments shared by Patrice Salmeri, StepUP program director, at this
year’s ceremony:
“… let this statement sink deep into your soul. Write it on a rock. Etch it
on a tree. I am your biggest fan. I am rooting for you all the way. And it has
been this way since your first contact with the StepUP program. Through
the ups and downs, the difficulties and celebrations, life’s twists and
turns—I am your biggest fan!
Your legacy here at Augsburg and the StepUP program has already been
left, and it is more than enough! Whether it was a kind word you said or
being a consistent friend in another’s life, you may never know. But each
of you has left their mark on this place and it is forever changed because
of your presence.”
A tradition at the StepUP graduation is for a student to read from “The Awakening,”
an anonymous poem about recovery. This is an excerpt from the poem:
You learn that, for the most part, in life you get what you believe you deserve …
and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy. You learn that anything
worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is
different from working toward making it happen. More importantly, you learn that
in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline, and perseverance. You
also learn that no one can do it all alone and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.
Summer 2010
15
1
10
So try to jog your memory bank and answer this question:
Just when was the last time you were on the Augsburg campus? And we’re
talking about really being on campus. You know, park the car, get out, walk
around, go into a building. Because giving a little wave when you see the
sign atop Mort as you cruise down Interstate 94 doesn’t count.
Has it been a year? Two? Five? That’s all right. We’re not going to judge.
Everybody is busy, you don’t always get to Cedar-Riverside, we get that.
But we also know that sometimes you just need a little inspiration. And
that’s why you need to keep reading. Because while you only need one
reason to come back to campus and remember the role that Augsburg
played in shaping your life, we’re going to give you 10. So stop by, check
the place out, see how much it has changed.
And be an Auggie.
10 reasons to come back to campus
BY JEFF SHELMAN
16
Augsburg Now
1
0
OREN GATEWAY CENTER
If it has truly been a while since you’ve been on campus, well, this
is Augsburg’s new front door. Located on Riverside Avenue, the
Oren Gateway Center is the newest building on campus. The multipurpose building has classrooms, residences, offices, meeting
rooms, and common spaces. And if you want to learn about alumni
programming, our Alumni and Constituent Relations folks are
located on the third floor.
.
2
Campus model
Yes, we know the Augsburg campus has a new look
to it. But it isn’t a finished product either. In the
lobby of Oren Gateway Center is a model that depicts what Augsburg’s campus master plan looks
like. You can see where the planned Center for Science, Business, and Religion will go. Once that is
built, Augsburg’s urban campus will have green
space from 20th Avenue to Kennedy Center.
3 GET SOME GEAR
Let’s be honest, that Augsburg sweatshirt in your
closet is looking pretty grungy, isn’t it? We can fix
that. The Augsburg bookstore in Oren Gateway Center
has many ways for you to show off some Auggie pride.
A hat for the golf course? Check. A sweatshirt for fall
weekends? Yep. Cool workout gear for the gym? We’ve
got that too.
Gear
Summer 2010
17
4
EAT
The food available on campus is no longer how
you remember it. It isn’t mass produced and boring. It actually has, you know, flavor. The folks at
Nabo, in Oren, will make a fresh sandwich or salad
right before your eyes. There’s also homemade
soup and even sushi. At the A-Club Grille in the
lower level of Christensen Center, the options
range from burgers to chicken sandwiches to
wings, and fresh fries are an option. Our choice?
We love Nabo’s Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (left).
You’ll just need a few extra napkins.
5
VELKOMMEN JUL
On the topic of eating, who doesn’t need some
sweets as you head into Advent? Stop by campus on
Friday, Dec. 3, and take part in the Augsburg tradition that honors our Scandinavian heritage. And if
anybody can make treats the way your mother and
grandmother did, it is the Augsburg Associates, a
group of volunteers who support the College.
6 Athletic events
For each of the past two years, Augsburg has
been the most improved athletic program in the
MIAC, and teams are making the playoffs with
much greater frequency than ever before. Why
not load up the family and watch some of our
student-athletes show their Auggie pride? Our defending national champion wrestling team takes
on rival Wartburg in the Battle of the ’Burgs on
January 18, 2011. There’s a home football game
each Saturday in September. Other schedules
can be found at www.augsburg.edu/athletics.
18
Augsburg Now
8
7 Christensen Center
We know how you work. You have a
meeting somewhere in Minneapolis, it
ends, and you proceed directly to Starbucks or Caribou. Right? If you’re near
campus, why don’t you stop by Christensen Center? It’s a little different
than last time you were here. Cooper’s
will brew you up some good java and
you can get a wi-fi password at the
info desk. And you might meet some
current Auggies.
Art on
campus
There’s the Gage Family Art Gallery in Oren Gateway
Center. There’s the Christensen Center Art Gallery.
And there’s also a student gallery on the main level of
Christensen. Stop by, see some of the cool stuff from
local and Augsburg artists in the galleries and across
campus. Exhibit information can be found at
www.augsburg.edu/galleries.
9 DAILY CHAPEL
There are days when you just need a little reflection,
a reminder of what is really important. At Augsburg,
there is time set aside to do just that. On Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:20 a.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:20 a.m., a 20-minute
chapel service is held during the academic year.
While daily chapel is considered a given by Auggies,
it is very much a rarity for liberal arts colleges. Stop
by and take a break from your busy day.
10
Homecoming
If you are only going to make one
trip to Augsburg in the next year,
make it for Homecoming weekend,
Oct. 15-16. Among the highlights is
the expanded Taste of Augsburg
prior to the football game against
Concordia Moorhead. After the
game with the Cobbers, stick
around for the Auggie Block Party
and see old friends and classmates.
Summer 2010
19
E
H
T
M
O
R
F
LEARNING
t
n
e
m
n
o
r
i
v
n
E
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
College students who take a literature course expect to do a lot of reading. But few who
register for a course titled “Environmental Literature” would imagine being asked to go
camping, wear the same clothing for a week, or borrow someone’s book and not return it.
A student wouldn’t expect this—unless he or she had taken a course from Colin
Irvine, associate professor of English and environmental studies. In order to encourage
his students to experience the literal and literary landscape more deeply, students in
Irvine’s spring semester course found themselves taking on some creative challenges.
In addition to reading books and taking exams, students were asked to observe a spot
in nature and note its changes over time, learn to identify Minnesota’s birds, wear the
same outfit for one week, spend 24 hours in the great outdoors, and go “off the grid” for
an entire weekend.
The point of these unusual assignments was to challenge students to move outside of
their comfort zones. “I wanted, as Thoreau suggested at the outset of Walden, to wake
them up to help them see their world—not the distant world connected with wilderness
but the one they inhabit daily—as being connected to a dynamic, ultimately dangerous
living, evolving world. I wanted them, in short, to feel challenged, unsettled, unsafe,”
Irvine says.
“It’s a risk when you put these kind of things in the syllabus, but I got away
with it.”
On the following pages, students share some of their blog and journal entries about Irvine’s challenges.
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only
the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to
teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”
HENRY DAVID THOREAU, WALDEN
20
Augsburg Now
BECOME A BUDDING
phenologist
(pun intended)
Select a plot of land and visit two
to three times a week. Spend time
in your place observing, recording, and reflecting on what you
find, hear, note, and think.
SPRING IN THE CITY
It seems as if my professor was right in his recommendation to visit our sites
twice a week. If I had followed his advice, perhaps I would be able to better appreciate my hillside. Where I stand right now, I am unsure as to how much has
changed and how drastically so. The snow is slowly receding into an indistinguishable brown mass of diamond dirt. Wildlife can be heard through the dripping trees
as well; the chattering squirrels, the squawking crows, the cooing mourning doves.
Something that strikes me as I stand here is the indescribable sense of movement
I feel from my site. The water from the once frozen crack in the concrete dam is
now a dull trickle on the hill. In the right moment, a flash of sun bounces off of
the stream and hits my eye.
This sharp glint always jars me awake from my hypnotized state; I feel a bit
silly admitting this, but I often lose myself in the sight of the hillside. It’s as if all
of the attempts of description are fruitless as my words hold no candle to the majestic power of nature. The subtle movement of the water almost gives the land a
pulse. With each trickle of the stream, the surrounding leaves shift and rearrange.
The grass sways above the mud’s restless state and the flow of the dirty water
draws me in; it’s almost as if the pulse of the hillside is acting as a siren. The
movement in the grounds suggests a voice; a voice that beckons me to join with
the land. To see my plot of land move, so see it breathe, this is an experience I
have never had before.
DAVE MADSEN ’11
THISONE’SFOR
the birds
Learn to identify the birds of Minnesota by their physical
characteristics and by their calls.
MARCH 1, 2010
I’m so pleased that now I know what a cardinal
sounds like—a great mystery of my life, solved!
There are three of them—two males and a huge
female—that frequent my mulberry bushes and
the neighbor’s tree, but somehow I’ve never made
the connection before that they’re the ones whose
song I wake up early to on work days. I’ve been late
more than once on my way to the coffee shop; I can’t
help but pause and watch them hop and flutter from
branch to branch, circling each other in some birdish
dance that I suspect is carefully organized, though I
can’t tell what they’re doing.
The downside of my new bird watching discovery is
that I can’t whistle. When my dad would take me hiking
as a little kid, I was constantly fascinated by his ability
not only to identify birds by their calls but also to repeat
them, and I’ve tried my whole life but never learned how
to do the same. When I was five, I remember writing a
list of things I had to learn how to do: zip zippers, cartwheel, snap my fingers, raise one eyebrow, tie my own
shoes, and whistle. The cartwheel and the whistle have
never been checked off.
DALEY KONCHAR FARR ’13
Summer 2010
21
GOINGOFF
the grid
Go off the grid for three days—a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Though there are
many reasons tied to this course that I am presenting you with this challenge,
here are four of the most important: first, when we are plugged in, we are often
tuned out to the natural sights and sounds specific and central to this course’s
focus on landscape; second, when we are off the grid, we are more inclined to
sync with those around us, an important consideration given the emphasis in this
course on communities; third, unplugging means consuming less and thus preserving/conserving more; fourth (though not finally), much of today’s communications-based technology reinforces the idea that having instant access to
information in small bits represents progress.
Jessica was determined to go off the grid one weekend, but she was waiting
for important news from her family. She received the call and then checked
her e-mail to find a message from her graduate school program, which required her to log on and register for classes. She didn’t make it entirely off
the grid—she didn’t call anyone and checked e-mail only twice a day. She
wrote, “But I know, deep down, that this doesn’t count.”
GOING OFF THE GRID: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE (EXCERPT)
I have become entirely trapped in our mechanized society. The demands
placed on me are not the be-all and end-all of the world, but it is easy to define them as such. This being said, I do not completely resent the technology I have allowed to enter my life.
My family has always been very close, and even now, as a senior in college, my parents call me at least three times a week to check in. I do not resent their phone calls, but I relish the contact I have with my family, it
helps me feel connected to them. In the same way, some close friends that
do not go to school here talk to me via various types of communication. It
helps to keep us together when we cannot be physically together. I think
there is a danger in setting aside the people we are physically present with
for those who are distances away, but there is also a danger in shunning
people we could be communicating with for those that are closer. I don’t
think technology is evil; it, like everything else, can be used poorly and
abused. The key is to use it wisely.
I would like to try to go off-grid some other time, because there is no way
to understand how to truly utilize technology if we don’t know what life is
like without it.
JESSICA FANASELLE ’10
“Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the
mountain is going home; that wildness is necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are
useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”
JOHN MUIR
22
Augsburg Now
Bear Grylls
HASGOT NOTHINGONYOU
By the end of spring break, spend 24
uninterrupted hours in Minnesota’s
great outdoors.
3/21 IT’S FREEZING!!
We didn’t anticipate these temperatures. The night dragged on, freezing temperatures resulted
in tossing and turning and shivering all night. I think we all learned a valuable lesson—it’s impossible to share a mummy bag. 24 hours later and the land seems unchanged except for the
layer of frost that confirmed the freeze. It seemed like time froze along with the water in the
bottle outside of the tent (note: always take the time to tuck the water bottle UNDER the tarp
INSIDE the tent). It was hard to fully appreciate the hours without sun. No sleep, the shivers,
numb toes, sounds like initiation criteria. It’s amazing how a few hours of pain and uncomfortable conditions can change how you feel about the outdoors, I’d been winter camping twice before but this was definitely more of a challenge. We may have underestimated the amount of
preparation and anticipation that was needed but by morning it didn’t matter.
MATIE MINASIE ’11
CAN I BORROW
your book?
Borrow Daniel Quinn’s Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit from someone—perhaps a
stranger—and then convince that person to let you give the book away to someone else.
I USED TO BELIEVE
I used to believe, before coming to Augsburg, that ‘try’ was a useless word. I used to believe that if something couldn’t be accomplished fully, successfully, it wasn’t worth much. I used to believe
that everything I did meant only what value could be found in final
products.
I think my journey away from this belief has taken place slowly
over the last four years but it seems perfect and fitting to me that
this Environmental Literature class, with its challenges, has come
at the end of my Augsburg education. The challenges of this curriculum represent everything I was wrong about before coming
here. Education, growth, things of beauty and worth are rarely born
from end products. Trying to spend 24 hours outside, trying to
spend a week not planning outfits each morning, trying to memorize Minnesota birds, trying to find a copy of Ishmael that someone
would let me borrow then give away, trying to spend hours writing
outdoors in the bitterness of February, these attempts taught me
more about myself and the world around me than easily succeeding ever could have.
Some of the challenges I completed, some I completed creatively, and some I failed but I don’t feel that any taught me less
than another.
Find all the Environmental Literature
challenges at www.augsburg.edu/now
One of the best examples of all this, I think, was the challenge
to find a copy of Ishmael to borrow and give away. In my search, I
learned who around me had read the book and wanted to talk
about it when I’d finished (though none from that group still had
the copy they’d read), who wanted to borrow it from me when I was
done, and what it would mean for me to give up a book that had no
intention of coming back to me in physical form. Now I understand, in a way I didn’t before, that a conversation with my father
(who will receive Ishmael from me) about the book is worth more
that the book’s long life on my shelf.
When I couldn’t find a copy of Ishmael from anyone I knew, I
ended up making a trade for the book at a used bookstore in St. Paul.
“Ishmael?” the girl behind the counter said as she handed it
over, “this book will change your life.”
Having finished reading it, I know she was right but that she
may not have understood entirely what she was saying. The book
has changed my life, to be sure, but the journey to find it and the
conversations that will come are life-changing things as well. We
do not grow through successes, final products, and exams but
through journeys, challenges, and trying things once, twice, or fifty
times without fear of the result.
MOLLY BUDKE ’10
Summer 2010
23
MARK MATZEK
It was spring 2007 and Mark Matzek ’05 couldn’t sleep. He was 25
years old, had just finished his first full year of teaching mathematics at Apple Valley High School, and suddenly was faced with a significant life decision.
Ever since deciding to become a high school teacher, Matzek’s
goal was to return to his hometown of Ellsworth, Wis., coach his
nephews on the wrestling mat, and teach math to his nieces. With
only two coaches over the past 60 years, Ellsworth had become a
wrestling power in Wisconsin, and continuing that interested Matzek.
But Matzek was also an Auggie. The three-time All-American and
two-time national champion had spent two years as a part-time assistant coach at his alma mater.
So, three years ago Matzek had to make a choice. A math position
opened in Ellsworth and plans would be made to make him the
coach-in-waiting. At the same time, Jeff Swenson retired as
Augsburg’s wrestling coach, the assistant coach was promoted, and
Matzek was offered the full-time assistant coach position.
“I kept waking up thinking Augsburg was the right choice,”
Matzek says.
Turns out it was.
BACK ON TOP AT NO. 1
Fast forward three years and Matzek doesn’t have some of the worries
that many 28-year-olds have. He doesn’t worry about whether that promotion is really going to happen. He doesn’t fret about that next job.
And he isn’t in that wondering-what-is-next mode that seems to go
along with that time of one’s life.
24
Augsburg Now
Nine years on the mats
BY JEFF SHELMAN
Fresh off a Colorado vacation filled with mountain climbing,
Matzek couldn’t be more comfortable with where he is. And for good
reason. Sitting in his Kennedy Center office, Matzek has two pieces of
serious hardware within arm’s reach. The first is for the NCAA Division III wrestling national championship that Augsburg won in March.
The second is for Matzek being named Division III Coach of the Year.
“There is no ‘what’s next’,” says Matzek, the youngest coach to
ever win a Division III title. “This is where I want to be. It’s Augsburg. This is the premier small wrestling school in America. This is
a dream job.”
And this winter, the Augsburg wrestling program truly became
Matzek’s program. With former coach/program architect/athletic director Jeff Swenson ’79 simply a spectator, Matzek led the Auggies
to one of its most successful seasons in school history.
The Auggies simply didn’t lose. A team with great balance,
Augsburg was perfect in dual meets; it won every tournament it entered and the Auggies closed the season by winning their 11th national championship in the past 20 years. It was a season that
included dual meet victories over the teams that finished both first
and second in the Division II championship and a drama-free Division III national championship in which Augsburg clinched the
title before the championship matches began.
While there were certainly questions about whether Matzek
would be able to keep the Augsburg wrestling program at the same
level—the fact that he looks both younger than his age and
younger than some of his wrestlers didn’t help—there is little
question now.
“I couldn’t be happier for Mark; they got the monkey off their
back,” Swenson says. “You win one and then you don’t have to answer the question any longer. And I couldn’t be happier that I had
nothing to do with it.”
Matzek says he didn’t feel pressure to win that first title, but he
also knows that there were people nationally who expected a misstep.
“If Augsburg was ever going to falter, it was going to be the last
two years,” he says. “And we finished second and first.”
BUMPS ALONG THE WAY
It was a little more than two years ago when Swenson walked into
Matzek’s office and asked him to serve as the program’s interim
coach. It was the end of July, the school year was less than six weeks
from starting and Matzek was handed the keys.
“Was I prepared as well as others in the nation? No,” Matzek says.
“But I didn’t want it to go outside the Augsburg family. I didn’t really
know what I had agreed to until I went home and told my wife.”
The next eight months were a blur for Matzek, who at times was
just trying to stay a step ahead of his wrestlers and make it to the
next day.
Because in addition to leading the Auggies, he was also part of the
way through a graduate program at Concordia-St. Paul, a program
that was much more manageable when he was an assistant coach.
“I had three full-time jobs,” he joked. “I had Augsburg, I had my
master’s program, and I had my wife. Our guys would study and I’d
be there working on my homework at the same time.”
Summer 2010
25
MARK MATZEK AT AUGSBURG
2001-05: Student-athlete
Two individual national championships
Three-time All-American
The team won two national titles and
had two runner-up finishes.
2005-2008: Assistant coach
Augsburg won the 2007 national
championship and finished third in
both 2006 and 2008.
2008-09: Interim head coach
Team rose to No. 1 in the national
rankings and won the National Duals.
2009-10: Permanent head coach
The Auggies completed a perfect season,
winning every dual meet and tournament.
Augsburg won its 11th Division III national championship in the past 20 years.
Matzek was named Division III Coach of
the Year.
The Auggies finished second at the
NCAA championships.
While athletics may not be as cutthroat
at the Division III level as it is, say, in the
Big Ten, contests are still scored and it isn’t
intramurals.
“I didn’t want to just hold on and be a
bridge from one coach to another,” Matzek
says. “I wanted to win the title for those
guys. It was a year of extreme highs and extreme lows for me. I was learning to manage
all of the different guys, manage personalities and figure out that not all athletes were
like me when I was in college.”
Matzek was certainly more than just the
guy to get Augsburg by. The Auggies defeated rival Wartburg, won the Division III
National Duals, and entered the NCAA
Championships ranked No. 1 in the country.
“I knew we didn’t have as good of a tournament team as we did a dual meet team,”
Matzek says. “We had a couple of injuries,
and we had a couple of matches that didn’t
go our way. After the first day I knew it was
going to be tough.”
The Auggies finished second, but
Matzek did enough to ensure his future as
Augsburg’s head coach. While the search
26
Augsburg Now
committee did bring in two outside candidates to interview for the position, Matzek
was hired.
“Given the circumstances, he did a
great job,” Swenson says. “We were a
lowly-ranked team and he took us to the
No. 1 ranking and a second-place finish.
There was a real strong assumption with
the committee that he had done a good
enough job.”
IN THE RIGHT PLACE NOW
While Matzek has been a head coach for
only two seasons—and only one season in
which he knew the job was really his—he
has impressed the guy who is both his boss
and the architect of the Augsburg program.
“I think Mark has become a quick expert at preparing his teams for competition,” Swenson says. “I think he gets it. I
believe he has taken the Augsburg system
and tweaked it to have Mark Matzek’s
name on it. He’s done it by having a keen
sense of what athletes need.
“He’s a lot closer in age to his
wrestlers. He knows how it feels to go
through this. He’s really in tune to when
the guys need to be pushed, need a day
off, need rest.”
Like anyone in a new job, the second
year was easier for Matzek than the first.
He had a better understanding of what the
job entailed, there were fewer surprises,
and he could learn from both high points
and challenges of his first year.
And when the Auggies reached the
NCAA Championships, Matzek knew the
work had been done.
“I don’t want to sound cocky or arrogant, but we expected [the national championship], we expected to win it,” he says.
“It wasn’t a real surprise.”
While Swenson was happy for Matzek,
Matzek was happy for his boss.
“It was big for Augsburg wrestling to
win it without Jeff in the wrestling room, it
was a big relief for him and the search
committee,” Matzek says. “They took a
chance and it worked out.”
And, as a result, Matzek is exactly
where he wants to be.
m
c
Making Connections
making
connections
In theatre, as in life, finding success is often about who
you know. But knowing the right people isn’t enough. In order
to build the foundation for a thriving career in theatre, students
need to form and maintain connections with the people and
the places that make up the “theatre scene.”
Perhaps this is one of the most important lessons that Augsburg
theatre students learn. Through participation in AugSem, the
Artist Series, internships, and by attending some of the hundreds
of productions staged throughout the Twin Cities every year, stu-
dents are challenged to go away from Augsburg, and sometimes
outside of their comfort zones, in order to make connections in the
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
theatre community.
Summer 2010
27
CONNECTING
TO THE CITY
From the beginning of her Augsburg education, Tessa Flynn ’05 says she was encouraged to get involved in the city. A theatre
arts and mass communication major, she
was particularly interested in the role of
theatre in the public school system. She
was fortunate to land an internship with the
Children’s Theatre Company following her
sophomore year, an opportunity that served
as her introduction to critical literacy in the
classroom.
The Children’s Theatre’s Neighborhood
Bridges program was started in 1997 by
Jack Zipes, fairy tale scholar, and the Children’s Theatre Company artistic director,
Peter Brosius. Using a variety of mediums such as theatre arts, storytelling, and creative writing, students work through issues in their
lives and develop critical thinking and communication skills. “It’s like
a little poison, this whole critical literacy thing,” Flynn says. “It gets
in your system, and your teaching is forever changed.”
Before Flynn’s last year of school, sociology professor Garry Hesser
encouraged her to get involved with the Project for Pride in Living college house in the Phillips neighborhood. She lived there with other
college students and tutored middle school students from the community. “I saw that my students needed to break a cycle of violence and
poverty, and I became even more convinced that theatre could be an
important part of that process,” Flynn says.
“Being in the city, you get to have the Guthrie and so
many other theatres as an extension of the classroom.”
KATIE KOCH ’01/’05
Now Flynn is the community engagement manager and a teaching
artist with the Bridges program at Children’s Theatre. She works with
students in grades 3–8 and has 22 classrooms where she spends two
hours a week. Flynn says the Bridges program engages multiple learning styles and allows students to recognize their individual skills.
“When I see students shine in Bridges, who in other areas of the
school day are thought of as low-achieving or who hide in the shadows, I am convinced that this is important work.”
Flynn says she is grateful for the opportunities she had at Augsburg. “I don’t know if I would be where I am now if not for the encouragement of faculty to get involved in the city.”
28
Augsburg Now
Katie Koch ’01/’05 also made many
connections in the city that led her on
a circuitous path—from campus to
downtown Minneapolis to New York and
back to Augsburg with a few more stops
in between.
Koch started out as a music major,
but when her high school drama
teacher took a position as stage manager at Hey City Theatre, longtime
home of Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding, Koch
was given an opportunity to assist him.
She worked as the assistant stage
Katie Koch ’01/’05
manager and as an actor in Tony n’
Tina’s Wedding at Hey City for three
years while she was in school. “I would be in Augsburg Choir
with my hair in pin curls,” Koch said, “because I literally had
to go straight from rehearsal to the theater.”
She says it was the advice of Sonja Thompson, a piano instructor and vocal coach at Augsburg, that finally convinced
her she could leave the music department. “She said, ‘You’re
doing all this work in theatre … you don’t have to be a music
major,’” Koch says.
Instead of declaring a new major, Koch left school to stage
manage the next show at Hey City, Smokey Joe’s Cafe. She
then became an assistant stage manager for the Minnesota
Opera, went on to work with Glimmerglass Opera in
Cooperstown, N.Y., and freelanced as a stage manager from
Milwaukee to Miami. Eventually she came back to Augsburg
and completed a degree in theatre.
Koch, who was by then a theatre veteran, found herself in
the classroom with younger students. “It was interesting to be
tossed in with a group of young, eager students,” she says. But
she formed relationships with students and even became a
mentor to some. “It was exciting to watch such a talented
group of artists learn and get ready to begin their careers.”
After school, Koch worked at the Ordway Center for the
Performing Arts until a friend encouraged her to respond to a
posting for the assistant to the director of the Guthrie. She
went through several interviews including a very brief interview
with Joe Dowling who, she says, asked her mostly about the
professionals she’d worked with in her career. “I guess he’d already made the decision to hire me,” she says. She’s worked
with Dowling now for three years.
Koch maintains connections to Augsburg, sometimes serv-
“I knew my experience at Augsburg
wouldn’t end after graduation.”
LEE FISHER ’06
Summer 2010
29
Justin Hooper ’07 (left) and Michael Kelley ’05
ing as a guest lecturer and hosting Augsburg student groups who
visit the Guthrie.
“A huge advantage for Augsburg and the theatre department
is the city,” Koch says. “Being in the city, you get to have the
Guthrie and so many other theaters as an extension of the classroom.” She adds that anytime she gets a chance to talk to
Augsburg students, she tells them to take advantage of the opportunities to see high-quality performances in the city. “I say
you need to sit in the seats and watch … this is your
practicum.”
GOING BEHIND
THE SCENES
Each year many aspiring actors come to Augsburg hoping to
make a name for themselves onstage. And while many do just
that, they also sometimes discover and develop their calling to
work behind the scenes by getting involved backstage.
This was the case for Lee Fisher ’06, Michael Kelley ’05,
and Justin Hooper ’07. All three were very talented actors who
performed in a variety of roles while at Augsburg, but each one
also learned a lot about his craft while working on the technical
side of shows.
Fisher, who has taught English and directed the theatre program for five years at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School in
Plymouth, says that being a stage manager was an important
part of his education. “When I was behind the scenes, it wasn’t
30
Augsburg Now
about me. As an educator that has been very helpful,” he says.
“Success happens when the focus is on what the students need
and how I can help them.”
Today he directs two major productions a year and frequently
draws on his connections with Augsburg theatre faculty for advice
about organizing shows. He’s sought out professors Michael Burden ’85, Martha Johnson, and Darcey Engen ’88 for help on developing a curriculum and organizing a show, and he says he wouldn’t
be able to do what he’s done without their help.
Fisher also stays in touch with education and English faculty
who were instrumental in his education because he values the professional connections. “I knew my experience at Augsburg wouldn’t
end after graduation,” Fisher says. He adds that his Augsburg professors continue to be sources of guidance and friendship.
“That commitment to bringing in outside artists puts
Augsburg one step higher than other college programs.”
JUSTIN HOOPER ’07
Kelley and Hooper also had eye-opening experiences working
backstage at Augsburg. Kelley says he came to college wanting
to be a professional actor but became interested in other career
possibilities after working in Augsburg’s scene shop for four
years. And Hooper says his experience was all-encompassing because he worked on- and offstage. “There was always a lot of
good discussion,” he adds, noting that theatre majors tended to
spend a lot of time together and to continue their classroom
discussions outside of class. “You see that everything in theatre is so connected.”
Hooper is grateful for the opportunities he had to work with
and get to know guest artists while he was a student. “In theatre, it’s all about who you know,” Hooper says. In addition to
meeting professionals through faculty connections, he and all
theatre students work with actors, directors, and designers from
the community on Augsburg productions. “That commitment to
bringing in outside artists puts Augsburg one step higher than
other college programs.”
The connections they made while studying theatre at
Augsburg have contributed to their busy and sometimes complicated professional careers. Since graduation, they have
acted in and directed shows, painted and designed sets, and
written original and adapted works. They’ve been from
Winona, Minn., to Acadia, Maine, and back. And now, in addition to maintaining their day jobs, the two are putting their
blood, sweat, and tears into managing 3AM Productions, a
small local theatre company.
At 3AM, Kelley says they draw on their connections with
other artists in the community to create unique and multidimensional productions. “We want every show to be something people aren’t used to seeing,” he says. He adds that
they strive to provide a well-rounded “big theatre” experience
to the patrons who are supporting their small theatre. “I
think it’s what we do well.”
During and after college, Steen worked in the box office at the
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. An actor friend there suggested she become a dramaturg, and eventually she went to Columbia to pursue an MFA.
“When students see other actors on the great stages of
this city, they can read their bios and see their training,
and that helps them see how to get from Augsburg’s
stage to another.” CARLA STEEN ’91
Because she had very little experience in the “creative side” of
theatre, Steen says her MFA was an immersion experience. “I said,
‘Oh, so this is how all this works.’”
Today Steen says it is interesting to come back to Augsburg because as a student she wasn’t really involved with the theatre department. She has taught and been a guest lecturer at the College,
and she tries to see at least one production a year.
Steen says theatre students in the Twin Cities are fortunate because of the opportunities to meet and see high-quality actors, directors, and artists. “When students see other actors on the great
FINDING YOUR STAGE
It takes more than theatre majors and faculty and staff to
stage a production. Often many non-majors get involved in
theatre in college but don’t end up in “the business” until
later in life.
Carla Steen ’91 is one student whose path to professional
theatre went through the English and history departments at
Augsburg.
As a first-year student, she ran the light board for Julie
Bolton’s production of Macbeth—with a set designed by Burden (then a graduate student at the University of Minnesota)
and starring Engen as Lady Macbeth. But that was the end of
her participation in theatre at Augsburg as a student.
Instead, Steen, who has worked at the Guthrie for 12
years as a dramaturg and publications manager, studied literary criticism with English professor Doug Green and worked
on a senior honors project under his direction. She also researched Shakespearean history and sources for her history
senior seminar taught by Richard Nelson, now professor
emeritus.
“In many ways, that was the beginning of me thinking
that research for theatre was an interesting thing I could do,”
Steen says.
Carla Steen ’91
Summer 2010
31
“We hire people because they are active
and are creating their own work, not waiting for someone … And they also have
some other passions that aren’t about
theatre.” JENNI LILLEDAHL ’87
Jenni Lilledahl ’87
stages of this city, they can read their bios and see their training, and that
helps them see how to get from Augsburg’s stage to another.”
Another student who played a minor role at Augsburg and went on to a thriving
career in theatre is Jenni Lilledahl ’87. As a student, Lilledahl took courses with
Ailene Cole, now professor emerita. “She seemed like she lived and breathed theatre and was completely consumed with passion for the forum,” Lilledahl says.
“She influenced me as an artist, and I always admired her from a distance.”
Though Lilledahl took courses to obtain a minor in theatre, she felt the need to
study in a more lucrative field. “I remember hearing voices saying, ‘You have to
pay the bills and have a reliable income.’” Lilledahl majored in communication
and public relations.
After graduating and working in corporate public relations, she decided to try
the “comedy thing,” so she started taking improvisation classes and met her future
husband, John Sweeney. Eventually she jumped off the corporate ladder so that
she and Sweeney could pursue their dreams, and the couple moved to Chicago
32
Augsburg Now
and worked at The Second City.
Then in 1997, along with Mark Bergren, the couple bought the Brave New Workshop from its founder,
Dudley Riggs. “John and I had three or so years of experience in theatre but had a lot more business experience,” Lilledahl says. “I guess we were sort of the
oddballs of the theatre community, but Dudley appreciated that we could manage the business as well as the
artistic side.”
As the current co-owner of Brave New Workshop
and executive director of the Brave New Institute,
Lilledahl oversees the theatre’s school, which reaches
more than 150 students a week, and she conducts improvisation workshops around the country. She is also
on the board for Gilda’s Club Twin Cities, an organization that provides emotional and social support for
families impacted by cancer.
Lilledahl returns to Augsburg at least once a year to
speak in chapel. Often her advice to students, which
she says is based on years of seeing who gets work and
who doesn’t, is to get as much stage time as they
can—wherever, whenever, and however—and to have a
life outside of the theatre.
“We hire people because they are active and are
creating their own work, not waiting for someone,” she
says. “And they also have some other passions that
aren’t about theatre.” Lilledahl adds that an actor’s experiences outside of theatre help them bring life to a
script and creativity to the stage.
And perhaps that is what makes all these alumni
successful.
At Augsburg students are trained as actors, directors, and technicians, but they also learn how to become involved in their community as artists and as
informed citizens. They understand that making connections is important to their careers and to their
personal lives as well. They’re encouraged to explore
many aspects of theatre, to develop their craft, and
to work and learn at Augsburg and in the city.
More than blocking and movement or scene study
and character analysis, these are the lessons that
will stick with them as they make their mark on the
world’s stage.
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear fellow alumni,
ummer is in full swing, and that means one thing—
lots of activities to enjoy with our families. Nobody
celebrates summer quite as well as Minnesotans, and
at Augsburg we are no exception. The Alumni Board has a
number of family-friendly events planned for 2010 and
2011, and we hope you’ll join us!
The annual Auggie Day at the Races, held at Canterbury
Park on August 5, usually attracts more than 700 Augsburg
alumni. It’s a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to enjoy an evening together. If you didn’t get to it this year, we hope to see you at Canterbury next year.
Another summer favorite is the Minnesota State Fair. When you attend the “Great
Minnesota Get-Together” this year, be sure to visit the Augsburg booth in the Education Building and tell us what you’re up to these days.
Believe it or not, Homecoming is just around the corner—October 10–16. This
year’s events feature something for everyone, including continuing education classes,
Auggie Author Book Signing, alumni concerts, 5K fun run, football game against the
Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers, and much more. Don’t forget to stop by the Alumni
Board booth at the Taste of Augsburg to learn how to get involved. This fun event has
been expanded with more carnival-style booths for a great time for the whole family.
The mission of the Alumni Board is to connect alumni with the College to enjoy
the events, friendships, and company of fellow Auggies. Each year the board has a
planning session to ensure that we support our mission to provide great, compelling
programs that renew and sustain your interest in Augsburg. Some ideas for this year
include an expansion of the Uniquely Augsburg series, similar to June’s Dead Sea
Scrolls event at the Science Museum that featured Professor Phil Quanbeck II; networking events; volunteer opportunities; lectures featuring Augsburg’s beloved faculty; and more.
Augsburg was a gateway to the future for us as students. Now, as alumni, we put
the lessons we learned from Augsburg’s unequaled education into action every day.
Thanks to the life-altering experiences we share because of our alma mater, those of
us on the Alumni Board work hard to unite the alumni of Augsburg College.
Enjoy the rest of the summer! I look forward to seeing you at the many alumni
events.
s
Sincerely,
Welcome, new Alumni Board
members!
At its June meeting, the Augsburg College Alumni
Board welcomed four new members who will
serve three-year terms.
Tracy Anderson is a third generation Auggie. She
graduated in 1995 with a major in communication
and a minor in business administration. Tracy attended Augsburg as a post-secondary student,
studied as a day student, and completed her degree in Weekend College. She is a realtor with
Edina Realty in Edina, and looks forward to networking with alumni and becoming involved in the
Augsburg community.
Christopher Ascher, a 1981 graduate with a major
in finance and minor in psychology, played on
Augsburg’s soccer team and is an A-Club member.
He is senior vice president and a branch manager
for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Bloomington.
He enjoyed meeting more than 80 alumni as host of
the January alumni winetasting event.
Sarah Grans is a youth and family ministry graduate from 2001, also with a minor in psychology.
She is director of outreach and faith formation at
St. Peder’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis. As a student she was active in Campus Ministry and was co-commissioner during her
senior year. She wants to give back to Augsburg
and reconnect alumni in meaningful ways.
Sharon Mercill graduated with a bachelor’s degree
in nursing in 2009 in Rochester and is currently a
student in the Master of Arts in Nursing program.
When she attended an Alumni Board meeting for a
study project and enjoyed connecting with other
alumni, she decided to become more involved and
join the board. She is the RN study coordinator of
breast cancer research at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
JOHN STADLER ’07 MAL
PRESIDENT OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Summer 2010
33
auggie
alumni news
Eye-Opener Breakfasts
and Speaker Series
Are you looking for an opportunity to hear from Twin
Cities business leaders? Are you interested in a chance to
network with fellow Augsburg alums? Well, Augsburg—
through a pair of programs—has opportunities for you.
The Eye-Opener Breakfast Series is for Augsburg
alumni who want to network and learn from either a business leader or an Augsburg professor. The Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series provides opportunities for
students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends to hear from
high-level business executives.
Here’s a look at the first speakers of the next academic
year for both programs with dates to mark on your calendar.
President Pribbenow and members of the Alumni Board celebrated with graduating day program
seniors at their reception in May. (L to R) Rob Wagner ’02, John Stadler ’07 MAL, Holly (Ebnet)
Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA, President Pribbenow, Dale Hanka ’60, Dan Hickle ’95, and Jennifer Carlson ’91.
Eye-Opener Breakfast Series:
The first event of the 2010-11 academic year
will be held on Thursday, Sept. 30. In addition to
breakfast and networking, attendees will hear
from Nate Garvis, former vice president of government affairs and senior public relations officer
for Target Corporation. Garvis will present his
thoughts on innovative ways to share the work of
building prosperous communities. Other EyeOpener Breakfasts will be held in 2011 on January 25 and May 10.
The Eye-Opener Breakfasts are held at Town
and Country Club in St. Paul, from 7–9 a.m. The
cost is $5 person, which includes breakfast.
RSVP by September 27 at
www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series:
Richard Davis, CEO of U.S. Bank, will be the featured speaker for the first event of the academic
year on November 18, at 5 p.m., in Sateren Auditorium. Additional events will be held on February 3 and April 7, 2011. The speaker series is
free and held on campus.
34
Augsburg Now
2010 Augsburg graduates were excited to join the Alumni Association as they celebrated their
achievements at the Senior Reception. (L to R) Lisa Yankauskas, Rosine Johnson, Brenna McHugh,
and Barbara Simmons.
go es
i
g
g
u
a
Ruth A. Schmidt ’52—Distinguished alumna and educator
Ruth Schmidt, the first female
president of Agnes Scott College, benefactor to Augsburg’s
Women’s Resource Center, and
Distinguished Alumna, died on
May 24 in Decatur, Ga.
Schmidt graduated summa
cum laude in 1952 with a
major in English and minors in
Spanish and library science.
She continued to study Spanish, earning master’s and doctoral degrees, and taught Spanish at the high school and college
levels, including at Wheaton College and the State University of
New York at Albany. After her appointment as dean of humanities
at SUNY Albany, she went on to become president of Agnes Scott
College in Decatur, Ga., until her retirement in 1994. She remained active in retirement through travel, international development work, women’s social justice issues, and peace initiatives.
Her legacy at Agnes Scott includes establishment of study
abroad programs, and increased diversity among faculty and
students.
Professor Emerita Ruth Aaskov ’52 was a classmate of
Schmidt’s, and they became lifelong friends. As students, both
were close to Anne Pederson, their English professor and mentor.
When Augsburg established the Women’s Resource Center in
2000, it was named in memory of Pederson and funded by a generous gift from Schmidt.
0
1
0
2
G
N
M
O
HOMEC
e it!
2010
c
n
e
i
r
e
exp
Block off your calendar for the weekend of October
15–16 and return to campus for Homecoming 2010’s
fun-filled festivities.
The Homecoming Convocation kicks off the weekend on Friday, Oct. 15, when First Decade, Spirit of
Augsburg, and Distinguished Alumni Award winners will
be recognized. Professor Emeritus Philip Quanbeck Sr.
’50 will provide the keynote remarks at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon.
A number of Augsburg Experience lifelong-learning
sessions are scheduled for Friday afternoon. In addition, the Auggie Author Book Signing and reading will
take place prior to the Welcome Back Banquet.
If you come to Saturday’s football game against the
Concordia Cobbers, plan to get to campus long before
the 1 p.m. kickoff. The day begins at 9:30 a.m. with the
Come back for Homecoming
October 10–16
family-friendly Anderson Hall Homecoming 5K Fun Run,
and campus tours are available from 10 a.m. until
noon. Three hours prior to kickoff, the Taste of
Augsburg in Murphy Square will feature carnival-style
booths operated by student groups, alumni, and local
restaurants. In addition to carnival-style food, there
will be games, inflatable bounce houses, and fun for
the whole family.
Back by popular demand is the Auggie Block Party
(in Parking Lot K, between Melby Hall and Riverside
Ave.) following the football game. Join alumni, students,
and friends for food, entertainment, and camaraderie.
Join fellow Auggies and music lovers after the Block
Party for a celebration concert in Hoversten Chapel
honoring Professor Stephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for information.
Summer 2010
35
alumni class notes
Stan Nelson, Andover, Minn.,
Jerilyn (Bjugstad) Wibbens,
43was selected as one of the
67Mukilteo, Wash., founded the
World War II veterans whose service
would be honored by flying them to
Washington, D.C., at no cost, to visit
the World War II memorial. Stan is
the last survivor of four Navy officers
from a landing craft that participated
in the D-Day invasion in June 1944;
he still attends annual reunions.
Northwest Nordic Ladies Chorus,
based in Everett, Wash., to keep
singing the Norwegian songs she
learned in her family and to learn
songs from the other Nordic countries. They regularly perform at
Scandinavian events and senior
centers.
Vera (Peterson) Rachuy, West-
Peter Agre was honored in
52brook, Minn., a retired
70June, along with four other
teacher, discovered a love and talent
for painting that began during a prolonged and severe winter when she
started to sketch her and her daughter’s dogs.
graduates of Norwegian Lutheran
colleges, with the “Going Viking”
Award by Norway House in Minneapolis. The award recognizes the
contributions of Norwegian Americans to the region.
Rev. Darryl Torrin, Cedar Falls,
66Iowa, retired on July 1 after
serving for 39 years in active parish
ministry. For the past 13 years, he
has served at St. John Maxfield
Evangelical Lutheran Church in rural
Denver, Iowa, where a retirement
celebration was held on June 6.
Alvina Strand Skogen, Eppen, N.D.,
is serving a two-year term as president of Western North Dakota
Synodical Women’s Organization
(Women of the ELCA).
David Siedlar received the “Model Worker Award” from the Communist
71Party, City of Huaian, Jiangsu Province, China, in April, which was published in the party newspaper.
Michael Good, Raritan, N.J.,
71president and CEO of Sotheby's
International Realty Affiliates, LLC,
and chair of the Augsburg College
Board of Regents, was named to the
Inman 100, a list of the top 100
most influential leaders in real estate
for 2009 by Inman News.
department at Lake Superior College
in Duluth. She has a master’s degree in business administration from
the University of St. Thomas, a master’s degree in education from College of St. Scholastica, and a
graduate certificate in educational
computing and technology from
University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Kathy (Langemo) Dugdale, Su-
72perior, Wis., was named director of the business services
Annette (Olsen) Hustad, Glenwood,
Minn., is “Lena” in the comedy
singing duo, “Tina and Lena,” along
with Susan “Tina” Edwards. For 25
years, they have entertained audiences in the Upper Midwest and farther with music, humor, and fun.
With degrees in music therapy and
music education, she taught K-12
music for 10 years. In April they performed at the Lifestyles Expo in
Alexandria.
Lois (Wennen) Larson, White
80Bear Lake, Minn., was named
to a one-year appointment as interim financial aid director at
Metropolitan State University in
Minneapolis, effective Feb. 1.
Joan (Maland) Mussa was re-
81cently named senior vice presiParticipants in the Master of Arts in Leadership study and cultural tour of Norway in June pause for a group photo
in the mountain resort town of Geilo. Twenty-eight Augsburg faculty, alumni, students, and friends of the College
took part in the customized MAL program done in conjunction with Diakonhjemmet University College in Oslo,
Augsburg experts on Norway, and CrossingBorders travel company in the Twin Cities. Pictured are Ruth and
Raymond Burgau; Paul ’65, Priscilla ’65, David, Karen, Andrew, Lynnsey, and Erika Fieldhammer; Professor
Douglas Green; John Grafstrom and Carol Sime ’73; Pete and Glenda Holste ’05 MAL; Lucinda Hruska-Claeys
’10 MAL; Paul ’80 and Rebecca Kilgore; Professor Lynn Lindow; Roger and Linda Nielsen; Angeline and Jeanne
Nelson ’09 MBA; Professor Norma Noonan; Patty ’02 MAL and Warren Park; Tawni Reller; Professor Linda
Stevens; Professor Barbara West.
Look for more about the MAL experiences in Norway at www.augsburg.edu/now
36
Augsburg Now
dent for donor engagement,
advocacy, and communications at
the United States office of World Vision, one of the largest relief, development, and advocacy organizations
in the world. Her responsibilities include overseeing the work of all private fund raising, government
relations, advocacy, internet, publications, and additional communication functions. She and her
husband, Mohammed, and their
three children live near Seattle.
Tessa Flynn, Minneapolis, ap-
05peared in the Frank Theatre
Daniel Werner and Shayne
95Hamann, Little Canada,
Minn., announce the birth of their
daughter, Savannah, born on Feb.
20. Savannah joins her twin brothers, Drake and Dylan, age 3.
Monica Fitzgerald, Washing-
Ryan Carlson BA ’96 and BS ’02 and his wife, Lauren, St. Paul, an-
96nounce the births of identical twin daughters, Adelaine Elizabeth and
Isadora Louise, on Feb. 14. Addy and Izzy join brother Quin, 4 1/2. The family lives in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul. Ryan is an engineer
for Seagate.
Karen Reed, Atascadero, Calif.,
82ton, D.C., is director of CIO
90was appointed program direc-
University and the deputy director of
the IT Accessibility and Workforce
Division in the General Services Administration’s Office of Governmentwide Policy. In 2009 she was
selected as a member of the Council
for Excellence in the Fellow’s Program of the Partnership for Public
Service, which focuses on servant
leadership.
tor in January at Coalinga State Hospital, the newest state mental health
hospital in the California Department
of Mental Health. She formerly
served 18 years as a registered
music therapist at Atascadero State
Hospital. She continues to represent
forensic psychiatric music therapy
treatment at the national and regional music therapy conferences.
Tim Asgrimson, Edina, Minn.,
Anthony Patton has published
83was recently named the chief
91his second novel, Unfaithfully
financial officer of Kraus-Anderson
Cos., where he has worked since
2007 as assistant chief financial officer. For 16 years prior to that he
provided tax, auditing, and consulting services to the company.
Yours, a love story in which he explores how hard-working couples
can achieve happiness and success
in the time it takes to watch a great
movie.
Sharon (Fairbanks) Romano,
Minneapolis, has served as director of the Department of Indian
Work of the St. Paul Area Council of
Churches for the past year.
87
Kristin Eggerling, Hallock,
89Minn., is a freelance writer
and has served on the board of Conservation Minnesota. A recent article
on StarTribune.com featured her
family’s outing to view the giant jack
pine in Lake Bronson State Park.
Nnamdi Okoronkwo, Minneapolis, an
assistant city attorney with the City
of Minneapolis, was appointed in
April by Governor Tim Pawlenty to a
four-year term on the Council on
Black Minnesotans.
Luann Roth, Columbia, Mo., has
been appointed as education coordinator of the Mizzou Advantage, a
collaboration of five programs of excellence at the University of Missouri. She will facilitate
interdisciplinary curriculum and
courses for these five areas. She has
been an instructor in the English Department and is completing her doctorate in American film and folklore.
Heidi (Wachholz) Boll,
Minneapolis, was named vice
president of sales for the Northeast
Region of Allianz Life Insurance
Company of North America. She
joined the company in 2001 and
has held several positions within it.
94
Lori (Langager) Higgins, Blaine,
Minn., became president of the
MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce
in the Twin Cities in May. She has
worked for the chamber since February 2009 and became its first female chief executive officer.
Kari (Schroeder) Prescott, Minneapolis, took a new position as representative for Minnesota to the
American Podiatric Medical Association in Washington, D.C., and will be
kept busy with the current healthcare debate issues.
Matthew Gooding, Sun Lakes,
95Ariz., graduated from a medical assistant program and is currently looking for and interviewing
for jobs.
Carye (Johnson) Bye, Portland
company’s adaptation of Kafka’s
Metamorphosis, which ran at the
Open Eye Figure Theatre in Minneapolis during April. She is also on
the board of the theatre. (Read
more about her on p. 28).
Jessica (Norman) and Eric
01Hafemeyer welcomed Kristen
Marie on February 22. Kristen joins
big sister, Lauren, 3.
Christina (Boe) Anderson,
04Blaine, Minn., and her husband, Michael, welcomed their new
daughter, Charlotte Marie, on Feb. 25.
Chad Darr and his wife, Krista, welcomed a son, Hayden James, on
May 5.
Miranda Nelson, Chicago,
06began the clinical psychology
PhD program at the University of
Illinois at Chicago last fall. She plans
on specializing in pediatric neuropsychology and will graduate with
her doctoral degree in 2014.
Dan Morlock, St. Paul, is site
97Ore., is owner of Red Bat
07leader of a before- and-after-
Press, a print and design company.
She wrote and illustrated a book,
Hidden Portland: Museums &
Collections, in 2010 with Bedouin
Books.
school child care program for the
Roseville school district called
Friendship Connection.
Ted Schultz, Bloomington,
98Minn., started a new position
as activities director at Minnetonka
(Minn.) High School on July 1. He
had served for six years in the same
position at Bloomington Jefferson
High School.
Adam Erickson, Chanhassen,
00Minn., was appointed busi-
ness banking officer at Anchor Bank
in Eden Prairie. Prior to this he was
a business relationship manager for
Wells Fargo Bank.
Maureen O’Shaughnessy was featured as a music therapist on
WCCO-TV about her work with autistic children at Fraser Child and Family Center.
Molly Shortall recently completed
her master's degree at Manhattan
School of Music. She has been in
New York City for two years and
works as a house musician at a
large church in Brooklyn. This summer, she's singing the role of Second
Lady in Die Zauberflöte.
Summer 2010
37
Colonel Steven Charles ’76
receives Legion of Merit
On May 1, Colonel Steven Charles ’76 received the Legion of
Merit, the highest award not received for valor, which is
awarded for “exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.”
While Charles’ 30-year military career began in 1977 as a
navy pilot, he received the Legion of Merit for his work as program manager from 2001 to 2007 in the 87th Air Force Element, and air director of joint operations, Air Force Element,
U.S. Army Forces Command, 87th Battle Command Training
Division in Birmingham, Ala.
The citation states, “In this key leadership position, Colonel
Charles served as project officer for nine major exercises and
15 Command Post exercises preparing over 30,000 Army
troops for Operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom, and the
Global War on Terrorism.”
His duties included training the soldiers how to call in close
air support. By teaching soldiers how to talk to Air Force support, how to call in for help, and what protocols and information they needed, they could quickly be rescued, saving their
own lives and those of other ground forces. He also developed a
successful Train the Trainers program that provided understanding of joint operations within the modern battlefield.
During his military career, Charles served two cruises aboard
the USS Constellation where he had more than 200 carrier
landings. He was chosen to become a Navy A-4 adversary pilot
and graduated from the Navy Fighter Weapons School. He
Rikki Starich, Lexington, Ky., was recently appointed assistant director of
annual giving at Transylvania University in Lexington. In May she completed her Master of Education in
higher education administration/
institutional advancement.
Andrew Sinko, Blaine, Minn., a
teacher in Spring Lake Park, Minn.,
has been accepted to a University of
London doctoral program.
Zac Wooten, New York, received his
master’s degree from New York University and continues to express appreciation for the support of faculty
at Augsburg.
A.J. Hau and his brother, Chris,
10from Fort Collins, Colo., were
signed by the Colorado Eagles
hockey team. They both advanced
through the Northern Colorado
Youth Hockey and Colorado State
University hockey programs.
Christopher Stedman gradu-
08ated with a master’s degree in
theology from Meadville Lombard
Theological School of Chicago.
38
Augsburg Now
Jens Olsen and Heidi Le will spend
the 2010–11 academic year in
Vietnam on Fulbright English Teaching Awards.
Courtesy photo
alumni class notes
Colonel Steven Charles ’76 (left) received the Legion of Merit, presented to him in
Birmingham, Ala., on May 1, by Brigadier General David W. Puster.
crossed to the Air Force and was an instructor in both the
F-111 Aardvark and the F-117 Stealth Fighter. In 1990, he appeared on national television as one of the two pilots flying a
Stealth Fighter during their unveiling.
He left active duty in 1991 and joined the Air Force Reserves before joining the 87th Division. He retired from the military in 2007 and is now a Boeing 767 pilot for Delta Air Lines.
BETSEY NORGARD
Graduate Programs
Sarah Resor ’06 MAL and Eric
Johnson, both of Robbinsdale,
Minn., were married Feb. 27 in Oak
Ridge Conference Center.
Mike Bilden ’07 MAL, St. Louis Park,
Minn., is coordinator of the new
Adult Degree Completion Program in
the College of Business and Economics at University of WisconsinRiver Falls. He has served as
director of continuing education at
North Hennepin Community College
and director of adult and graduate
admissions at Augsburg.
Larry McGraw ’10 MBA, Owatonna,
Minn., has been appointed senior
vice president and chief credit officer of Home Federal Savings Bank
in Rochester. Previously he spent
eight years at United Prairie Bank in
Mankato, Minn.
Hector Matascastillo ’10 MSW is
using his own experience and gift of
compassion to help veterans when
they return from war.
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Olsen, W. Donald ’34, Sioux Falls,
S.D., age 99, on Dec. 20.
Nelson, Gordon A., ’54, Cloquet,
Minn., age 77, on April 9.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
Paulson, Dr. Eric ’38, Spokane,
Wash., age 92, on March 6.
Wolden, Gerhard ’56, Minneapolis,
age 82, on April 5.
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Shebeck, Ethel (Sinner) ’38,
Richfield, Minn., age 93, on November 14.
Welch, Robert ’58, Burlingame,
Calif., age 73, on March 28.
Ronholm, Olive ’47, Golden Valley,
Minn., age 84, on March 9.
Peterson, Robert ’49, New London,
Minn., age 83, on April 8.
Schmeltzer, George W. ’61, Minneapolis, age 70, on March 31.
Faue, Jeffrey L. ’68, Belle Mead,
N.J., age 64, on April 15.
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Bolstad, Nan (Haraseth) ’69, Jefferson, Ore., age 63, on March 2.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Metz, Rev. Richard G. ’74, Sisters,
Ore., age 63, on May 13.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Arney, Claudia (Odegaard) ’78,
Clarkdale, Iowa, age 74, on
April 17.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Davis, Gerald ’51, Litchfield,
Minn., age 82, on April 21.
Haugan, Joan ’80, Spring Lake
Park, Minn., age 80, on Feb. 14,
2009.
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Stenvig, Charles Selmer ’51,
Sun City, Ariz., age 82, on
February 22.
Thayer, Nancybeth (Sedgwick) ’80,
Hermantown, Minn., age 49, on
June 30, 2006.
Schmidt, Ruth A. ’52, Decatur, Ga.,
age 79, on May 24 (See story on
p. 35)
Reinhart, Laura Jane ’82, Livermore,
Calif., age 49, on January 2.
Hegland, Dagny (Quanbeck) ’50,
Brandon, S.D., age 81, on
March 17.
Johnson, Esther ’50, Minneota,
Minn., age 80, on April 15.
Johnson, Rev. LeRoy ’50, Richland,
Mich., on January 11, 2009.
Kjos, Edwin ’54, Abbotsford, Wis.,
age 85, on March 31.
Therres, Emmaline (Schlueter),
Chaska, Minn., age 66, on April 2;
former faculty member.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Summer 2010
39
my
Auggie experience
By all accounts—his own included—sophomore Gottlieb Uahengo
had a difficult first semester at Augsburg College.
Making the move to Minneapolis from his home in Namibia meant
many changes. He missed his family and friends and got sick five
times from the food. He was introduced to Mountain Dew and the effects of over-consumption. “I didn’t sleep for several days,” he says.
And when he witnessed his first snowfall, a fellow student asked
him, “Are you alright? You look disturbed.”
Uahengo is a Legacy Scholarship student. His father graduated
from the University of Minnesota and came to work in Augsburg’s
Physics Department while his wife, Fredericka ’90, completed her
degree in education. Gottlieb was actually born at Fairview Riverside
Hospital but lived most of his life in Oshakati,
Namibia, where his father is a pharmacist and
his mother serves as the rector of Ongwediva
Teachers College.
When it came time to apply for college,
Uahengo’s father said, “I’m sending you
to Augsburg.” Because Uahengo wants
to be an engineer, his father wanted
him to study in a small school
with a good physics department.
“My father holds professors
[Mark] Engebretson and [Jeff]
Johnson in high esteem,”
Uahengo says. “He told
me I would get more out
of my education at
Augsburg than at a
large, public
university.”
His father also told him to be prepared for the challenge of college
life. “He said the best way to overcome adversity is to become part of
the community, to take a leap of faith.” And that’s exactly what led
to a better second semester and a successful first year at Augsburg
for Uahengo.
Greg Holker, Augsburg’s men’s soccer coach, said Uahengo
looked frightened and overwhelmed when the two first met last summer. “I wasn’t sure he would amount to much as a soccer player because he seemed frail physically and psychologically,” Holker recalls.
After a tentative start, Holker says the first-year player definitely
made an impact on the team. “He scored a big goal against Buena
Vista and took off in training from that point on,” says Holker. “He
sought out improvement and soaked up as much information as he
could. Rarely do I see a person that determined to learn and learn
quickly.”
Rebekah Dupont, whom Uahengo calls his mentor, says he displayed the same tenacity in his academics as on the soccer field.
Dupont worked with him in Augsburg’s North Star STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) program. He participated
in the calculus workshop, a class in which students work together on
challenging problems. He also got involved in a research project,
something not many first-year students take on.
“Gottlieb has very high expectations for himself, and I think this
made adapting to so many new things all at once a challenge,”
Dupont says. “As he feels more comfortable and confident, those
high expectations and strong work ethic will serve him very well.”
In addition to conducting research during the school year, Uahengo is working on a summer project with another student and professor Ben Stottrup of the Physics Department. This fall he will be
an officer with Augsburg’s International Student Organization and
will continue to play soccer. He also hopes to compete on the track
team as a sprinter in the spring term.
“When I set my mind to something, it’s hard to sway me,”
Uahengo says. “I am always looking for a way to be engaged.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
40
Augsburg Now
an
augsburg legacy
Joyce Young
“I value the impact of my Augsburg education on my life and career … That’s why I am giving
back through naming Augsburg as owner of a life insurance policy. Augsburg’s gift planning team,
along with my financial adviser, showed me the great benefits.”
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Courtesy photo
Augsburg Choir tours China
The Augsburg Choir and the choir from Guangxi
Provincial Normal University in Guilin, China, pose for a
giant group photo during the choir’s trip through China.
For the choir’s China blog and photos, go to
www.augsburg.edu/music.
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
inside
FALL 2010
VOL. 73, NO. 1
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Meet Martha Stortz Exploring separate worlds
Travel
Celebrating our success Healthcare symposium
Augsburg
annual report Coach Greg Holker
page
20
go
auggies!
Homecoming ... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
inside
FALL 2010
VOL. 73, NO. 1
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Meet Martha Stortz Exploring separate worlds
Travel
Celebrating our success Healthcare symposium
Augsburg
annual report Coach Greg Holker
page
20
go
auggies!
Homecoming 2010
Editor
notes
from President Pribbenow
w
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Coming Home
e celebrated Homecoming this year in
grand fashion, welcoming more than
1,000 alumni, families, and friends at
events during the week.
I am mindful of the many ways in which coming home to Augsburg has meaning for alumni and
those of us on campus. We all share in common
this place and the experience that continues to
shape our lives in the world. And when we “come
home,” we mark just how powerful those connections and shared experiences are to our personal
and common callings in the world.
So what does it mean to come home to Augsburg?
First, it is quite literally a homecoming to this
place in the heart of Cedar-Riverside and Minneapolis, this campus home we have inhabited
since 1872 when our Norwegian-American ancestors first settled here.
Homecoming seems especially meaningful this
year as our campus community is engaged in a Commission on Campus Space and Master Planning—
exploring together what it means that we are in this
urban setting and what our aspirations are for the future of Augsburg’s campus. During this year, we will
plan for new buildings, landscape, and the responsible use of space. And we also will consider what it
means that we are here in Cedar-Riverside, this
neighborhood we share with various neighbors. How
best do we honor our role as neighbor here?
Second, homecoming also marks our return to a
community, a gathering of those who share our commitments to education for service.
There are clear distinctions in the nature of this
community over time. We are much larger—we now
count more than 4,100 students and 650 faculty
and staff. We offer a wider range of academic programs—from our traditional day program to adult
undergraduate and expanding graduate opportunities. We are increasingly diverse—in ethnic and religious background, in age and in socioeconomic
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
class, and in so many other ways. But at its core it
is still Augsburg, a community grounded in offering
a superior educational experience for all students
that focuses on the intersections of faith, learning,
and service.
Augsburg is one of the most hospitable and welcoming communities I know, a place that believes
deeply that access to education demands of us a
commitment to justice for all God’s creatures.
Finally, you come home to a mission, a character,
and a set of values that abide over the years. Here, we
still celebrate the Word made flesh. Here, we still
share with our immediate neighbors an immigrant
sensibility, the belief that education is at the core of
a healthy neighborhood and democracy. Here, we still
work together to ensure that all deserving students
can receive an Augsburg education. Here, we still
help each other discern our vocations and gain the
skills and knowledge to live them out in the world.
In the work and lives of our alumni, we have remarkable stories of how this distinctive Augsburg
mission has made a difference in the world over
the years. For those of us who are the current stewards of Augsburg’s mission, I urge you to listen to
the stories of our alumni for they are our “epistles
to the world,” our parables of what an Augsburg
education means. You will be amazed by what they
have accomplished.
I hope those of you who came to Homecoming
were able to meet our current students, because they
are the most powerful statements of our mission, our
aspirations to make a difference in the world. They
are remarkable signs of what we can look forward to
as Augsburg seeks to live out its mission to educate
students who are “informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
Welcome home to Augsburg!
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
fall 2010
Features
12
18
26
contents
22
12
18
22
26
29
29
augsburg now
On the cover
Auggies are awwwe-some! With boomsticks in hand,
Auggies cheer on the football team at Homecoming.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
Homecoming 2010
She loves being an Auggie: Meet Martha Stortz
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
The Sabo Symposium:
Understanding healthcare reform
by Betsey Norgard
Celebrating our success
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
Annual report to donors, 2009–10
Departments
inside
front
cover
2
9
10
11
43
48
52
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggies on the course
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
around the
quad
Partners in the park
New Board of Regents members elected
Murphy Square, the three acres that sit squarely in the middle of
Augsburg’s campus, is the oldest park in the city of Minneapolis.
It was given to the city by Edward Murphy in 1857, when he platted “Murphy’s Addition.” At that time, however, this first
city park was quite far from the small settlements
in St. Anthony and Minneapolis, and for 20
years or more the park served mostly as cow
pasture.
As Augsburg grew, the park became more
and more surrounded by the College and incorporated into college life and traditions.
Homecoming parades have flowed
around it, science contraptions
have been launched in the annual Agre Challenge, tents have
held formal receptions for commencements and inaugurations, and many games of
Frisbee, grills of hotdogs, and
hours of sunbathing have taken
place in the park.
On October 16 at Homecoming, a formal partnership with the
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board was celebrated in which
Augsburg assumes responsibility for the maintenance of the park.
The partnership serves as the foundation for further cooperative
efforts and engagement with the park board as Augsburg moves
forward with campus master planning, including a proposed
sweeping green landscape across campus.
At their fall meeting in September, the Augsburg Corporation
Governing Board elected four new members to the Augsburg
Board of Regents, and re-elected three members to second terms.
Elected for first, four-year terms are:
Cynthia Jones ’81
Toby Piper LaBelle ’96
LaJune Thomas Lange
Rev. David Tiede
Cynthia Jones ’81, Senior
Technical Advisor for
Nuclear Security, U.S.
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission
Toby Piper LaBelle ’96,
Senior Vice President,
Northland Securities
LaJune Thomas Lange,
Judge (retired), Fourth
Judicial District of
Minnesota
Rev. David Tiede, Interim
President, Wartburg
Theological Seminary;
Bernhard M. Christensen
Professor Emeritus of
Religion and Vocation
Elected to second, four-year terms are:
Richard C. Hartnack, Vice Chairman, Consumer Banking, U.S.
Bancorp
André Lewis ’73, President (retired), RBC Dain Rauscher Foundation
Rev. Norman Wahl ’75, Bethel Lutheran Church, Rochester, Minn.
Christensen
Symposium 2010
On October 3, Gracia Grindal ’65
presented the life and legacy of
Bernhard Christensen, “Devoutly
Would He Teach.” On October 4,
the symposium continued with
the inauguration of Martha
Stortz as the Bernhard M.
Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation (see page 18).
Read Grindal’s address at
www.augsburg.edu/now.
Bruce Rowe, groundskeeper, begins his day beautifying Murphy Square.
2
Augsburg Now
NewsNotes
Urban Scrubs camp on campus
Augsburg joined with HealthForce Minnesota, Fairview Health
Services, the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, and the University of
Minnesota to host a five-day Urban Scrubs camp. Students in
grades 9–12, many from the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood,
lived on campus and explored opportunities in healthcare fields.
Commission Augsburg focuses on mission
At its 2010 spring meeting, the Augsburg Board of Regents
adopted a new mission statement for the College. Following
two years of conversation about the character and identity of
Augsburg, the new mission statement incorporates many
changes that have come about in the past 20 years, including nontraditional undergraduate programs, graduate studies, a campus in Rochester, global study programs, and
continuing initiatives to meet the needs of diverse students.
The new Augsburg College mission is:
“Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens,
thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
The Augsburg experience is supported by an engaged community
that is committed to intentional diversity in its life and work.
An Augsburg education is defined by excellence in the liberal arts
and professional studies, guided by the faith and values of the
Lutheran Church, and shaped by its urban and global settings.”
During this year, Commission Augsburg will present a series
of conversations across the country for alumni, parents, and
friends to learn about how the Augsburg mission sets a clear
map for the future of the College. Watch for opportunities to
meet and hear from President Pribbenow and others from
the College. To learn more about Commission Augsburg, go
to www.augsburg.edu/president/initiatives/Commission.pdf.
To learn more about events in your area, contact the Alumni
and Constituent Relations Office at alumni@augsburg.edu
or 612-330-1085.
Augsburg in the rankings:
• The Princeton Review—one of 152 schools named “2011 Best in the Midwest,” based on excellent academic programs, visits to the schools, and
reports from students.
• 2009 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with
Distinction—115 colleges honored for commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.
• “Cool Schools,” Sierra magazine’s 2010 rankings of colleges’ sustainability efforts. Augsburg placed number 102 in the top 162 schools across
the nation.
• Washington Monthly magazine’s 2010 rankings of best master’s universities in the nation, based on contribution to public good in three areas: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), producing
cutting-edge research and scholarship, and community service.
Augsburg placed 71 of 100.
Grant to support low-income students
The Travelers Company selected Augsburg to participate in the Travelers
EDGE program, a five-year initiative that focuses on recruitment and retention of low-income students of color from the St. Paul public schools.
Augsburg was one of a small number of colleges selected for the program
because of its success in recruiting students from underrepresented
populations.
Pillsbury United Communities Award to Augsburg
Pillsbury United Communities in Minneapolis gave its President’s Leadership
Award this year to Augsburg College for “outstanding contributions to the
Brian Coyle Center and the entire community.” The award especially recognizes MBA student projects, service-learning, community engagement, and
initiatives with the Social Work Department.
Gordon Nelson’s death is mourned
Professor emeritus of sociology Gordon Nelson died
on July 6 following complications from a stroke.
He taught in the Sociology Department, including
serving as chair of the department, from 1967 to
his retirement in 2001. For decades he was a DFL
activist, elected city official, and an aide to U.S.
Rep. Martin Sabo. A memorial service was held in
Hoversten Chapel on September 11.
Welcome, Class of 2014
The first-year, Class of 2014, is one of the most diverse in Augsburg’s history.
419 first-year students
Composition—41% students of color, 43% first-generation college students
Gender—185 male (44%), 234 female (56%)
Geography—351 Minnesota residents, plus 17 other states and 10 countries
Total Augsburg student body—4,109 (2,132 traditional day students, 1,057
weekend undergraduate students, 920 graduate students)
Fall 2010
3
“Gabe” retires after 47 years
When asked how he prefers to be addressed, music professor
Stephen Gabrielsen ’63 always responds, “My friends call me
‘Gabe.’” After 47 years on the music faculty, “Gabe” is retiring in
December. At Homecoming in October, many former students,
friends, and colleagues celebrated his work and legacy at a tribute
concert.
In 1963, while still a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, Gabrielsen received an invitation from Music Department
chair Leland Sateren to return to teach in Augsburg’s Music Department. Since then, Gabrielsen has also served as College organist
and has played organ for chapel every day, which Pastor Dave Wold
figures must add up to more than 5,000 services.
Gabrielsen was at the organ for Augsburg’s first Advent Vespers
service in 1980, and missed only two services in the 30 years
since. He fondly recalls that first Advent Vespers service, which succeeded in creating what he and others had hoped for—an unusual
spiritual experience through music and liturgy. “From the somber
dark of Advent, the service grew to brilliant Christmas light, and
down again to peacefully and quietly end … it was just magic.”
A new organ for the chapel
A high point during Gabrielsen’s tenure at Augsburg was the installation of the Dobson organ in the new Hoversten Chapel in the fall
of 1988. “The building of our wonderful organ in the chapel would
have to be a MOST exciting [highlight],” he says. “I will always be
thankful that the Augsburg Associates financed the organ. They
gave me free reign (within reason) to choose which stops would be
in the organ. Every organist ought to have such an opportunity!”
During the inaugural year of the new organ, Gabrielsen initiated a
series of concerts called “Organ Plus” that featured musician colleagues and friends. Because the series grew so popular, Organ Plus
became an annual event for the next decade.
Gabe’s teaching innovations
David Cherwien ’79 recalled at the celebration concert that he and
other students often would arrive for one of Gabrielsen’s music
classes and find a canon
written out on the blackboard. The class would begin
with all the students singing
in parts.
Music professor Merilee
Klemp ’75 also remembers
those canons as one example
of how “Gabe was great at
making music real, whether
he was teaching theory or
President Paul Pribbenow congratulated
history—it was just his pracStephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63 as he received
tice of making music.”
the Spirit of Augsburg award at Homecoming.
4
Augsburg Now
Stephen “Gabe” Gabrielsen ’63 has played the organ for daily chapel since Hoversten
Chapel opened in 1988.
What may be the most vivid in many students’ memories of
classes with Gabrielsen, however, were his dreaded “drop the needle” music repertoire tests, which he created as a way to bolster
students’ knowledge.
Serving the church as organist
Gabrielsen is a fellow of the American Guild of Organists and studied at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany, as
a Lutheran World Federation scholar. For 50 years he served as
church organist in seven metro area Lutheran congregations, including 10 years each at Holy Trinity in Minneapolis and Calvary
Lutheran in Golden Valley. In addition, he often played recitals and
dedicatory concerts when congregations purchased new organs.
Music therapy professor Roberta Kagin was one of many former
students and colleagues who offered personal notes to Gabrielsen at
the tribute concert. She reflected on the 36 years they shared
neighboring offices in Music Hall. The tribute she read to
Gabrielsen described the care, devotion, and mentoring that he
pays to each of his students. “Years after a student graduated, and
we tried to track them down,” Kagin read, “we would always say,
‘Gabe will know’—and you not only remembered the students, but
also knew their spouses and children.”
At Homecoming Gabrielsen was also honored with the Spirit of
Augsburg award (see page 15). In fact, his entire family shares the
spirit of Augsburg, as Gabrielsen’s wife, Kathleen ’79, and their two
children, Buffy ’89 and Joe ’91, have all attended Augsburg.
Gabrielsen grew up in Norwegian communities, where his father,
a Norwegian immigrant, was a Lutheran pastor. Many know that
Gabe will now have time in retirement to search out and tell more of
the Ole and Lena jokes for which he is legendary. Uff da.
BETSEY NORGARD
Embedded with the National Guard
Augsburg’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship collaborates with
the Minnesota National Guard to offer opportunities for student
journalists to spend a week embedded with the Minnesota National
Guard during training exercises.
Jenny Avery, a senior majoring in English with a concentration in
creative writing, went to the field each day with the soldiers to
identify stories, shoot photographs, and conduct interviews. This is
one of many examples of students enjoying personal experiences in
their learning.
A New Universe
Courtesy photo
by Jenny Avery ’11
24 May, 2010
I had never seen anything
like it before. The split second of each fiery explosion
was almost disturbingly
beautiful as the smoke dispersed into fluffy clouds of
ash. Each moment-long eruption took at least 45 minutes
to prepare for, which is a
generous estimate to say the least. Little did I know that so much
preparation would go into a task that one could miss with a blink
of an eye.
Our van had been driving for about 20 minutes across the
grounds where these sorts of exercises are held before we actually
found the specific land that this particular event was holding. We
parked a ways away though; the remainder of our journey we arrived by foot. I, the four other journalists involved in this embed,
and Specialist Cassinos soon enough found the company we were
told to meet with. A group of maybe 12 men were grouped near
one of the bunkers on top of the hill.
When we first laid eyes on the land spread out in front of us, all
that could be seen was a plain of grass, a small little hut off in the
far distance, and mounds of dirt and sand in between the outstretch of land from the bunkers and the cube-shaped building.
About 15 to 20 minutes after we found the National Guardsmen at
the bunkers, four enormous M113 vehicles started slinking their
way towards us, making their way down the steep hill.
We watched as these gargantuan machines lined up in one row
facing the hut across the way. The back ramps from each of them
slowly lowered themselves to the ground. Emerging then from each
vehicle were 13 soldiers, preparing themselves and their equipment for their upcoming mission.
I watched as a large, collective group jogged over to the heavilysanded portion of the landscape. Essentially, the mission was to
set off the explosions on the land, and eventually inside the house.
As the preparation continued, Lieutenant Matthew Sullivan explained to us the layout of what was about to come.
“So basically what they’re going to do is breach the mine field
here ... breach the wire opposite below, and then breach into the
house. And there’s different levels. There’s gaul stage, block stage,
and run stage, and for a training scenario it’s gonna be a little
slower than what it would be in real life ... a real life operation. A
real life operation, we’d be rollin’ in, throwin’ their targets. Boom.”
Being such a great distance away from the company below, it
was difficult to distinguish what the soldiers were doing precisely,
but I got the gist that they were planting the explosives in the field
and waiting for the cue to detonate. At some point I even saw a
few men crawling across the dirt pit, possibly simulating how one
may have to keep hidden in a real circumstance.
“… You might wanna cover your ears,” a soldier pointed out.
Taking his advice, I temporarily put down my camera and pressed
my inner ears with my index and middle fingers.
Suddenly I saw a gigantic orb of orange flame burst out from the
ground, and a moment later a thunderous rumble shook my entire
body. My chest for two seconds felt like it had two hearts inside of
it, and then it was all over. Puffy mushrooms of smoke wafted into
each other from the aftermath of the explosion. I watched in awe
as the cushiony-looking matter spread into thin swirls, eventually
disbursing itself evenly to blend back in with its invisible counterpart called air. Around me I overheard conversations from small
groups, hearing the words but not registering what they were saying. I was too engulfed in the explosion and the rush that it gave
me to even want to try and understand the clearly spoken English
emitted from their mouths.
Suddenly I saw a gigantic orb of orange flame
burst out from the ground, and a moment later a
thunderous rumble shook my entire body. My
chest for two seconds felt like it had two hearts
inside of it, and then it was all over.
After the first or second explosion I was able to relocate to the
lower bunker, the one closer to the wrecking site. The soldiers in
that spot were just as lively if not more so. We cracked jokes about
Monty Python and discussed laundry mishaps; for that spot in time
we weren’t students and soldiers, we were just people.
To read more of Jenny Avery’s story, go to
www.augsburg.edu/democracy/videos.html
Fall 2010
5
500 years ago in the old
church buildings, pilgrim
paths, and road markers.” He says that while
he went there as a
Lutheran pastor, part of a
Lutheran Church with all
its modern trappings, he
came back with a much
better understanding of
the formation of the early
Lutheran movement.
“Those monks started
Andrew and Sarah Wilson completed the 1,000-mile
reading the Bible in a
pilgrimage that Martin Luther made to Rome in
new way that differed
1510. They presented “Here I Walk” as Augsburg’s
Founders Day lectures in November.
from the institutional
church’s way,” he says.
Wiersma’s “Here I Walk” experience caused him to reflect upon
Luther’s own experience. Luther’s 1510 pilgrimage brought him to
Rome, where he was scandalized by the conduct of clergy and the
religious commercialism. Wiersma understood that Luther’s long
journey back to Germany would have given the monk a long time to
think over and talk about what he witnessed in Rome. Seven years
later, he posted the 95 Theses, igniting the Reformation.
BETSEY NORGARD
Andrew Wilson
Scholars of the Reformation gain deep knowledge by studying the
writings of Martin Luther, but for Hans Wiersma it also became experiential when he spent four days walking in the footsteps of
Luther’s pilgrimage to Rome 500 years ago.
Just before fall semester classes began, Wiersma joined the
project “Here I Walk,” led by Andrew and Sarah Wilson, two
Lutheran ecumenical scholars, who retraced the entire 1,085-mile
route walked by Luther from the monastery in Erfurt, Germany, to
Rome. Wiersma walked with the Wilsons for 66 miles, from Erfurt
to Coburg.
Wiersma had met Andrew Wilson at a conference, and what resulted for Wiersma was a fortunate convergence of his disciplinary
interest in Reformation studies, his research focus on the early
Luther and the Augustinian monks who followed him, and
Wiersma’s undergraduate background and continued interest in
documentary filmmaking.
The modern pilgrims followed the old pilgrim routes, sometimes
spotting stone route markers from the 16th century. They followed
the traditional rules of pilgrimage—prayers, scripture reading,
chores, and conversation. “It gave me a sense of how 16th-century
monks traveled,” Wiersma says, “and what it felt like.” He enjoyed
the absence of modern distractions. As it was for the early monks,
lodging could be found each night, with bigger towns conveniently
spaced a day’s walk apart.
What Wiersma brought back was an “appreciation of how much
Europe is built on its past. It’s still easy to connect with Europe of
Religion professor Hans Wiersma joined the “Here I Walk” pilgrimage during its first four days, from Erfurt to Coburg, Germany.
6
Augsburg Now
Courtesy photo
Here I walk ...
Augsburg stands up
When Taylor Foster heard that one of her
friends had been assaulted because of his
sexual orientation this fall, she decided to
turn her anger into something positive. Her
Facebook event, titled “Stand Up Against
Hate,” was the beginning of a show of support that took Foster, and perhaps others in
the Augsburg community, by surprise.
In her Facebook posting, Foster wrote:
As an Auggie and a member of the GLBT [gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender] community, I am outraged at the fact that these acts are being
committed at such a diverse and accepting place
as Augsburg. For, “The Augsburg experience is
supported by an engaged community that is committed to … intentional diversity in its life and
work.” Intentional diversity is the key part in that
statement. We need to make a statement that we
are not going to tolerate hateful acts at Augsburg.
We need to make it known that it is okay to be who
you are …”
Foster created the event expecting only
her close friends to join. Just two days after
she posted it, more than 600 people had
responded to show their support. President
Pribbenow, faculty and staff, and alumni
across the country joined students and
donned a specific color of the rainbow each
day of the week of October 4.
Students held a rally and prayer service
and a march for equality on campus. Several
local media outlets came to campus to interview Foster. “All of this attention and support
was beyond my wildest dream,” she says.
In his weekly update to the community,
President Pribbenow wrote about the
events. “This past week was especially difficult for our campus community because
of the hateful and hurtful acts of some individuals. These actions were contrary to
everything we value in honoring one another, as clearly stated in our mission. I’m
very proud of our students who took the
leadership in standing up for and demonstrating their support for the values we
share as a community.”
Foster says she feels members of the
GLBT community now have a better
understanding of how many allies are at
Augsburg. She also believes the week of
awareness-building activities helped allies
and others see how GLBT people face discrimination in their lives.
Most importantly, Foster says she hopes
the Stand Up Against Hate event will continue to reinforce the message that discrimination of any kind will not be tolerated at
Augsburg. “I was more than thrilled to see
Augsburg come together as a community
and stand up against hate. It made me
proud to be an Auggie.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Fall 2010
7
Exploring separate worlds
On an October afternoon when icy winds and rain interrupted an
unusually mild autumn, 15 Augsburg students and their professor
donned boots, opened umbrellas, and took a stroll down
Minneapolis’ Park Avenue.
The group began in the Grand Hall of the American Swedish Institute, a Gothic mansion on the corner of Park and 26th, which
once was the home of Swan Turnblad. Guided by Nina Clark, ASI’s
director of programs and exhibits, they walked toward Franklin
Avenue, learning about other historic homes where some of the
city’s wealthiest families lived in the early 20th century.
The students learned that many of the homes still standing are
occupied by social service agencies that serve those without
homes, people facing addiction and mental health issues, and immigrant families.
This expedition was just one of the ways students were able to
see the juxtaposition of poverty and wealth in the city. In “Separate
Worlds: Comparing Homelessness and Affluence in the United
States,” associate sociology professor Tim Pippert hopes to help students understand the variables of economic and housing stability.
Through a combination of readings, speakers, and involvement
in service projects, students learn about housing, financial stability, social networks, and the trend of increased homelessness in
the United States. Hearing many different viewpoints, Pippert believes, will help students recognize and appreciate the reasons behind the increasing gap between the wealthy and the poor.
Students will also hear from a variety of speakers throughout
the semester, helping them to better understand the people and
the issues. Youth and family ministry major Justin Daleiden says,
“City council member Cam Gordon came into our class so we
could discuss how homelessness is affecting our very neighborhood. Hearing these speakers from our city makes the subject a
little more palatable.”
“Being accepted to Augsburg was one of the
best things that has ever happened in my life, and
when people ask where I’m from, I say that I’m
from Augsburg because this really is my home.”
In addition to classroom work, these students are actively involved in the community by volunteering at places such as Peace
House and Secure Waiting. Perhaps their biggest connection is
with St. Stephen’s Human Services, whose mission is to end
homelessness.
“We’re beyond the classroom … in all sorts of arenas that this
city offers,” Pippert says.
These outside experiences help students relate what they are
learning in the classroom to real people and present-day issues.
8
Augsburg Now
Some of the homes of Minneapolis’ wealthiest families now serve as social service
agencies. The Sumner T. McKnight mansion at 2200 Park Avenue is home to American
Indian Services.
“I think this is a great example in which we are able to learn about
a specific topic and serve the community at the same time. I think
more courses should incorporate some kind of service work like
this one,” Daleiden says.
Veronica Berg, a sophomore social work major, has a particular interest in Pippert’s course—before she came to Augsburg last fall,
Berg was homeless. She says the class has given her insight into aspects of homelessness that she didn't encounter because of her age
and the paths she chose. “I feel validated in this class, learning that
my experiences haven’t been that strange and reading about individuals who have walked some of the same paths as me.”
Berg says she is grateful for the support of faculty and staff at
Augsburg and also for the opportunities she has received in college. “Being accepted to Augsburg was one of the best things that
has ever happened in my life, and when people ask where I’m
from, I say that I’m from Augsburg because this really is my
home,” Berg says.
For their final projects, students will compare the differences—
social and physical—between the lives of the affluent and people
who are without homes. Pippert hopes that through this course,
students will develop a deeper understanding of how increasingly
stratified American society is and think about ways to mitigate
what he sees as a damaging and unjust trend.
KATELYN DANELSKI ’13 AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
Auggies on the course
Ladies of the links lift the team
There was a time not all that long ago when simply getting enough
players to field a complete team was a challenge for the Augsburg
women’s golf program. As a result, the on-course performance of
the Auggies wasn’t where it might have been.
Johanna Frykmark (left below) and Stef Zappa (right below)
have changed that. The two seniors have brought stability, seriousness, and increased levels of success to Augsburg’s women’s golf
program. They have both been All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) selections, both have shown great im-
provement on the course, and both will graduate at the end of this
semester after three-and-a-half years on campus.
“Without them, our team wouldn’t be anywhere near where we
are now,” coach Ted Vickerman says. “They’ve really changed the
mentality to where we want to do our best. We’re beating teams.”
The two take pride in how the program has changed during their
tenure. “Our first year, we were last in the conference, but we had
fun doing it,” Zappa says. “Everybody’s improved. Both of us have
had five or six stokes (average per round) of improvement.”
At the MIAC championship meet—her final collegiate event—in
early October, Zappa became the first Augsburg women’s golfer to
earn multiple All-MIAC honors, finishing seventh, the highest-ever
finish for an Auggie at the MIAC championships.
Johanna Frykmark finished in 25th place and joins Zappa as
the second of three Auggie women’s golfers to record 25th-orbetter finishes in three MIAC meets.
Both appreciate their time at Augsburg and the role golf
has played in their Auggie experience. “My first year was
pretty rough,” Frykmark says. “I had a hard time fitting in
and I missed home a lot. I’ve changed so much as a person since I came here. The golf team was a big part of
that; they were my second family when I got here.”
After completing her degree in international
business and business management, Frykmark
hopes to find a position with an international company that does business both in the U.S. and in
her native Sweden.
Zappa is on her way to becoming a teacher,
spending this semester student-teaching
first- and second-graders at Barton Open
School in South Minneapolis. She’s also
helping to coach volleyball at Minneapolis
South High School.
While that’s a heavy load, Zappa wasn’t
going to walk away from the golf team.
Zappa—who had a hole-in-one on her 20th
birthday during a tournament at Carleton—
didn’t practice with the team as often this
fall as she would have liked. Instead, she
practiced in the evenings and remained one
of the team’s top golfers—that is, on a team
much more stable than before Zappa and
Frykmark arrived on campus.
JEFF SHELMAN is the former director of media relations in the Marketing and Communication Office.
Fall 2010
9
auggie voices
Coach Holker becomes an Auggie
Greg Holker knows that his class ring from Gustavus
Adolphus College is in a box at his house. And he’s pretty
sure he knows where his diploma is.
But that is it. Those are the only tangible things the
Augsburg men’s soccer coach has left from his time both
as a player and as an assistant coach in St. Peter, Minn.
Holker openly admits he didn’t think that was going to
be the case when he took over the Auggie program in
2004. His goal was pretty simple: make Augsburg respectable, win some games, and put himself in position to
become the next Gustavus coach.
“I had a five-year plan,” he says. “I thought I’d be here
three years and I’d be out.” But something happened
along the way to mess up those plans—Holker became
an Auggie.
“The institution has evolved significantly over the six
years I’ve been here and I’ve changed as well,” Holker
says. “I started to embrace the institution and our work.”
He also had success. In 2006 Holker led Augsburg’s
men’s soccer team to a 13-victory season and a first-ever
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) playoff
berth. In 2008 Augsburg reached the NCAA tournament for
the first time in school history and reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Loras College in two overtimes.
This past spring, however, brought out the truest example
that Holker had genuinely become an Auggie. When the
head soccer coach position at Gustavus opened, Holker was
approached about the job and spent a day in St. Peter.
Before the search moved any farther along, however,
Holker pulled out of consideration.
And this year, following a record-breaking season for
men’s soccer, Holker was named MIAC Coach of the Year,
and sophomore Chad Gilmer was named MIAC Player of
the Year. The team won the MIAC playoff championship
and advanced to the national tournament for the second
time. It won the first round, but lost to the University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater in the second round.
“At the end of the day, this is where I want to be,”
Holker says. “I like being in the city and I like that there’s
a very true identity here. I think I’m 100% in love with
what this institution does. Seven years ago, this was a job.
Now, it's a part of me.”
And now he’s an Auggie.
JEFF SHELMAN is the former director of media relations in the Marketing and
Communication Office.
10
Augsburg Now
it takes an
Auggie
The student Phonathon—Dialing for Augsburg dollars
ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT, alumni and friends of Augsburg
might receive a call from a student who is working
to secure donations to The Augsburg Fund.
We asked some of the student callers to share their
experiences and knowledge with our readers.
COMPILED BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Chris Fleming ’12
Psychology/Sociology major, Spanish minor
First year as a student caller
Q. What would you like students and
alumni to know about giving back to
Augsburg?
A. When you do become an alum, remember that while you were in school someone
made a way for you to get through college.
Remember to always give back to the community that gave to you. I know we all say,
“Well I will come back to visit and volunteer my time,” but sometimes you must go
beyond. If you dig deep to give a few dollars to support another student, they will
be able to give back when they graduate.
It’s a domino effect.
Elisabeth Clemans ’11
Pa Dao Yang ’11
Social work major, psychology minor
Has been a caller for four years
Sociology major
Has been a caller for four years
Q. Why should alumni and friends support
The Augsburg Fund?
Q. What have you learned about Augsburg
through this work?
A. I am a recipient of financial aid at
Augsburg, so I want to thank all the
alumni, parents, and friends who give to
The Augsburg Fund. It’s really important
for students like me because every gift increases the percentage of alumni who
give back. That makes the College more
reputable and helps me get a job after I
graduate!
A. What I have learned while working at
The Augsburg Fund is the importance of
keeping the alumni updated on Augsburg.
For example, I talk about the new Oren
Gateway Center or speak about events
such as the chocolate tasting event at the
History Center. It’s fun to talk to alumni
about what is happening on campus and to
listen to them speak about their
experiences.
Ember Russell ’11
Elementary education major
Has been a caller for two years
Q. Have you had any especially memorable calls?
A. I was talking with a lady who had studied elementary education. It was really interesting
to hear how much the Education Department has changed! She gave me amazing advice on
what to do when I graduate. I really enjoyed the call, and she made her very first donation
to The Augsburg Fund!
Fall 2010
11
homecoming
go
12
Augsburg Now
auggies!
experience it!
Fall 2010
13
taste of augsburg
14
Augsburg Now
2010 alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni
Robert Hanson ’68
A distinguished
teacher in bio-organic
and medicinal chemistry researche at
Northeastern University.
“Our three Augsburg wisemen were [Earl]
Alton, [Courtland] Agre, and [John] Holum,
and their gifts to us were: inspiring us to
go far, preparing us with the intellectual
and emotional skills to do that, and a dedication to service.”
Don ’53 and Beverly
(Halling) ’55 Oren
Owners of Dart
Transit, a transportation company
nationally-recognized for leadership, innovation, and promotion of safety for its drivers.
“You can choose a career in business and
still contribute to society, and you can
make a difference.” … “We met here, and
that outweighs all other benefits the school
had to offer.”
First Decade Awards
Morgan Davidsen ’00
Internationallyawarded filmmaker
who recalls a special
moment on the soccer
field before a match
after just hearing he had the lead in the
next theatre production.
“Thank you for being part of the greatest
picture of my life.”
“Augsburg gave me a place to listen and it
taught me how to listen.”
Stephen Gabrielsen ’63
College organist,
music professor, and
mentor to hundreds of
students and alumni
for 47 years.
“My delight in being chosen is more significant when I consider all the people who
could be standing here—dozens and
dozens of students who have helped me
become what I am.”
Nicolas Thomley ’06 MBA
CEO of Pinnacle
Services, a successful
company now employing 600 people;
Marine Corps veteran,
political candidate, and world traveler.
“I’ve chosen to live an unconventional
life—for me, it’s about pursuing my
dreams, doing what I’ve wanted to.”
Jack Osberg ’62
Retired head football
coach, teacher, and
mentor who brought
the football program to
its best season in history and continues to feel the spirit of
Augsburg shape his life.
“The spirit of Augsburg moves through its
people.”
Athletic Hall of Fame
Richard Spratt ’74
Congratulations to the alumni who have
been inducted into the Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame:
Social worker dedicated to connecting
people with community resources; adjunct
instructor in Social
Work Department.
Jean Taylor
Respected corporate
CEO and leader; former
Augsburg Board of Regents chair. Learned at
Augsburg how to listen
to what her life tells her and about values
she holds.
Spirit of Augsburg Awards
• John Beatty ’91, wrestling
• Reed Boltmann ’88, football/baseball
• Jeff Dainty ’90, baseball
• Brian DeClercq ’81 (posthumously), men’s
hockey
An African proverb says, “If you want to
walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk
far, walk together.”
• Natasha Hamann ’99, volleyball/women’s golf
• Ann Knutson Brovold ’74, gymnastics
• Astrid Larssen ’97, women’s soccer/women’s
track and field
For the bios and more information about this year’s
alumni award winners, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
• Tom Weidner ’84, football
• Don Wichmann ’89, wrestling
Fall 2010
15
Augsburg dedicates
Ed Saugestad Rink
During Homecoming 2010, Augsburg officially
named its main competition rink in honor of Ed
Saugestad ’59, the coach who led the Auggies to
national prominence in men’s ice hockey during his
storied career. At the Oct. 16 ceremony,
Auggies were able to see the changes that took
place in the arena in preparation for the dedication.
One change in the rink that fans will notice during the season was the addition of three murals depicting the Saugestad legacy as well as the history
of men’s and women’s hockey at Augsburg College.
Saugestad began his coaching career during
his senior year, 1958, and coached the Auggies
until 1996, compiling a 503-354-21 record. His
Auggies won Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference (MIAC) titles six straight years (197782), qualified for national tournament play 10
times, and won the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national championship
in 1978, 1981, and 1982. He coached 22 AllAmericans during his Augsburg career. Saugestad
was named NAIA National Coach of the Year three
times and MIAC Coach of the Year six times.
16
16
Augsburg Now
ed saugestad ’59
augsburg hockey
Augsburg Men’s Hockey
Augsburg Women’s Hockey
Augsburg College has had a long history of excellence in men’s
hockey. The Auggie program dates to the mid-1920s, as one of
the early entrants in MIAC play. The Auggies won state titles in
both 1927 and 1928 coached by future U.S. Hockey Hall of
Famer Nick Kahler.
After not fielding teams from the late 1920s to the late
1940s, the program finally was reestablished under coach Ed
Saugestad, who actually began his head coaching duties while still
a student at Augsburg in 1958. Under Saugestad, the Auggie program thrived, winning MIAC titles six years in a row (1977-82),
while winning National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
(NAIA) national titles in 1978, 1981, and 1982. The Auggies
have made appearances in national tournaments seven times in
school history (five NAIA, two NCAA).
After Saugestad retired, Mike Schwartz was named head coach
in 1996, and he led the team to conference regular-season and
playoff titles, and a berth in the NCAA Division III national championships in the 1997-98 season. Schwartz compiled a 124-11030 record during his Augsburg coaching tenure, and teams he
coached made appearances in the MIAC postseason playoffs six
times. Chris Brown was named the program’s head coach in 2006,
and he has led the Auggies to MIAC playoff berths in three of the
last four seasons.
In 1995, Augsburg College made history by establishing the first
intercollegiate women’s hockey program in the Midwest. The
Auggies were one of the dominant teams in the early history of
women’s hockey in Minnesota, winning Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season titles in 1998-99 and
1999-2000, and the conference playoff title in 1999-2000.
In 2000, the Auggies made history again, qualifying to compete in the first Division III women’s hockey national championship series, the American Women’s College Hockey Alliance
tournament in Boston against Middlebury (Vt.). Over the first 15
seasons of Augsburg’s women’s hockey history, the Auggies have
a 171-177-30 all-time record.
A total of 150 players have competed as part of the Augsburg
women’s hockey program in its first 15 seasons, all under head
coach Jill Pohtilla. Pohtilla finished her career third among all National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III women’s
hockey coaches in career victories and 20th among all collegiate
women’s hockey coaches in victories. Michelle McAteer was named
the second head coach in program history in 2010.
Hockey murals by Stephen Geffre
Fall 2010
17
She loves being an Auggie…
Many who make the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela today
take a scallop shell from the beaches of Galicia, where St. James is
buried, to commemorate their journey. The shells served as the medieval equivalent of a water bottle for travelers and became a symbol of the route. Martha Stortz, however, did not keep a souvenir
when she made the pilgrimage.
At the occasion of her inauguration as the Bernhard M. Christensen
Professor of Religion and Vocation, Augsburg gifted her with a shell
and a painting of the apostle James by Peter Brandes [background].
Brandes calls St. James the “pilgrims’ apostle.”
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
18
Augsburg Now
Meet Martha Stortz
Shortly after she settled into her new home in Minneapolis, Martha
Stortz (she prefers to be called Marty) did four things: she became
a member of the Seward Co-op, she joined the Midtown YWCA,
she took her bicycle in for “retooling” at the Hub, and she took
herself on walking tours of the Seward, Longfellow, and Downtown
East neighborhoods.
And those activities, along with a genuine love for the city and
an infectious enthusiasm for Augsburg’s mission, are what make
her a true Auggie.
Stortz came to Augsburg this summer as the second Bernhard
M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation. She succeeds
David Tiede, who retired and subsequently took a position as interim president of Wartburg Theological Seminary.
The Christensen Chair holds multiple responsibilities including
teaching in the Religion Department, serving as counsel to the
president and Board of Regents, and chairing the advisory council
for the Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning. Furthermore, the
chair plays a fundamental role in the interpretation and advancement of Augsburg’s institutional vocation, its calling as a college.
Stortz says she is honored to be at Augsburg and excited about
her role in the College’s work. “I was quite taken with everything
that you’re doing,” she says. “I love this city. This is a college in
and for and with the city.”
Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow says Stortz’ appointment affirms Augsburg’s vision and direction. “I am grateful
for the experience and wisdom Professor Stortz brings to this important position, and for the leadership she will provide as we continue to explore what it means to be a Lutheran college in the
city,” he says.
Stortz served as a member of the core doctoral faculty at the
Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, Calif., and taught for 29
years at the Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary. She is an acclaimed scholar, teacher, and leader in the realms of the church,
academia, and society at large.
Her interest in the Christian pilgrimage has been an important part of Stortz’ personal and scholarly life. She has hiked
part of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Way of St.
James, in Spain. She and a colleague have also joined two
groups—one in El Salvador and another in Mexico City—as they
explore post-modern “pilgrimages” through educational immersion experiences.
Though some might question her move from California to
Minnesota, from theological education to higher education, and
from seminary to college, Stortz feels as though she’s called to
be at Augsburg and to bring her connections, an eagerness to
share the College’s story with the community, and a commitment
to her position.
She believes that her experience in circles of theological education and religion and education will bring some meaningful
connections to Augsburg. “I’m very enthusiastic about what’s
going on here, and I think my key role is to make sure everyone
knows what is going on.”
“I’m eager to communicate Augsburg’s vision and its sense
of a living and lively tradition that is engaged with the city, the
community, and the world. I’ve been a writer, speaker, and
teacher, and I would now harness those gifts in service of the
College’s vocation.”
When questioned about her decision, Stortz says, “I say to
my friends, ‘You don’t know the Twin Cities, you don’t know how
exciting it is to have colleagues in other disciplines and how vibrant those multidisciplinary conversations can be, and you don’t
know Augsburg.’”
Fall 2010
19
Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation Inaugural Address
EXCERPTS FROM MARTHA STORTZ’ INAUGURAL ADDRESS,
“LOCATION, LOCATION, VOCATION”
“Tell me the landscape you inhabit,
and I will tell you who you are.” —Jose Ortega y Gassett
However much we claim space, making it our own, space also claims us,
telling us who we are.
Location shapes identity and gives the people who inhabit it a distinctive vocation or calling. Like the Irish monks, we too live accordingly. I want to look at three dimensions of Augsburg’s
location—physical, historical, and spiritual—and probe how it shapes
a vocation or calling that is distinctive to this College.
Physical location
… Augsburg is a college in, with, and for the city … [its] urban location is now central to the College’s identity. The Christensen
Center and Memorial Hall do not square off an academic quadrangle; rather, the space between them opens to a public park. The
plan for the new Center for Science, Business, and Religion …
does not feature a closed quad; rather, it imitates the freeway. As
the freeway enables crosstown traffic between the cities, so this
new building opens to the neighborhood; it invites cross-campus
traffic and cross-disciplinary conversation.
Historical location
The College was founded by the Free Church Norwegian Lutheran
immigrants who settled in the Cedar Riverside area in the mid1800s—and never forgot that they’d been strangers in a strange
land … Consonant with that history, the College has welcomed the
various immigrant groups that make up this neighborhood: Hmong,
Somali, Ethiopian, Eritrean. Moreover, Augsburg consistently saw
itself as an institution of higher learning that provided access and
excellence to students who simply couldn’t pay higher fees of other
private schools. At times when it would have made more financial
sense to go after wealthier families and their children, Augsburg
elected to be faithful to its historic base.
Spiritual location
A tradition is not a museum piece, but a lively argument with the
past, and throughout its history, Augsburg has loved a good fight.
Incarnation and the neighbor stand as signal emphases of this tradition, the first witnessing to the fact that God entered the human
condition—to the max.
At its best, Lutheranism is a tradition that has always leaned
into the neighbor, always learned from the neighbor, and always
looked to the neighbor to supply that unexpected bolt of grace that
makes all things new (Revelation 21:5).
The Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning
In the spring of 2002, the Lilly Endowment, Inc.
awarded Augsburg College a $2 million grant to
expand the College’s commitment to connecting
faith and learning. As a result, Augsburg developed and implemented the Exploring Our Gifts
program. After four years of successful programming (2002-2006), the Lilly Endowment awarded
Augsburg a generous sustainability grant, matched
by the College, to help support the project for an
additional three years (2006-2009).
As a direct result of the success and positive
impact of Exploring Our Gifts, Augsburg College is
committed to continuing this important work beyond the life of the Lilly grant. To this end, the
College has created the Augsburg Center for Faith
and Learning (ACFL) to embody and build upon
the convictions at the heart of Augsburg’s educational mission:
“… to educate students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and
responsible leaders.”
The work of the Augsburg Center for Faith and
Learning is guided by the lessons of Bernhard M.
Christensen, president of Augsburg from 1938 to
1962. Christensen taught that:
• Christian faith liberates minds and lives
• Diversity strengthens vital communities
• Interfaith friendships enrich learning
• The love of Christ draws us to God
• We are called to service in the world
The Center’s work focuses on three areas of activity:
1. Student and alumni engagement—Supporting
discovery and development of talents and gifts,
discernment of vocation, and exploration of calling
2. Faculty and staff leadership—Developing curricular and programmatic offerings to guide the
theological exploration of vocation
3. Public witness and outreach—Promoting
Augsburg’s leadership in the pursuit and realization of individual and institutional calling
For more information about the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning, or to read the full inaugural address and other presentations from the 2010 Christensen Symposium, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
20
Augsburg Now
Sammie Guck, Christensen Scholar
WHEN SENIOR SAMMIE GUCK sees another Christensen
Scholar on campus, she greets them with a simple but reverent, “Scholar.”
“It’s just our way of acknowledging each other when we
are out in the world,” Guck says.
Guck is one of 10 students involved in the Christensen
Scholar program. Named for Bernhard Christensen, Augsburg’s
president from 1938 to 1962, the year-long seminar helps students explore the Lutheran concept of vocation and define their
own calling.
Every year 10 junior or senior students are selected for
the Christensen Scholar program, which is sponsored by the
Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning. The heart of the program is a monthly three-hour seminar devoted to texts drawn
from the Judeo-Christian tradition. Authors include biblical
texts, Augustine, Luther, and Flannery O'Connor. Topics can
range from religious pluralism to the art of prayer.
A philosophy major and religion minor, Guck says she appreciates the discussion-based seminar and the free exchange of ideas that happens among the scholars. “It’s not a
professor saying, ‘Let me tell you what you should know.’”
She adds that the scholars, who represent several different
faith traditions, are very respectful of each other’s ideas and
backgrounds. “It’s a great environment to share and explore,”
she says.
Guck says she is having a “senior year vocational crisis.”
She met with religion professor Mark Tranvik, who leads the
scholar seminar, to discuss the idea of vocation. “I grew up
Catholic, so I have a different understanding of vocation than
the Lutheran concept,” she says.
Together Guck and Tranvik explored different ways that a
person of faith can live out his or her vocation. “I realized
that vocation doesn’t have to be one set thing, it can always
be changing,” she says. Guck was considering graduate
school but does not think she will begin immediately after
graduation. Instead, she is looking into other ways that she
can express her vocation through a career in editing or publishing.
Whether she’s pursuing her master’s degree or working in a
publishing house, two things are fairly certain for this Auggie.
One—even after she graduates from Augsburg, she will continue
to discern what her vocation is and how to make it a part of her
life. And two—if she sees another Christensen Scholar walking
down the street, they are sure to greet each other with the brief
acknowledgement of the conversations they had at Augsburg.
21
Augsburg Now
Fall 2010
21
Understanding
healthcare
R E F O R M
BY BETSEY NORGARD
On March 23, 2010, President Obama
signed into law the Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act. It’s complex, difficult-to-understand legislation and is the
product of an extremely contentious
political process.
On October 15, at its fifth public policy
forum, Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning hosted a forum to decode
and discuss the challenges and opportunities this legislation presents for Minnesota
and the nation—that is, how the current
healthcare system will change. The symposium was moderated by retired U.S. Rep.
Martin Sabo and presented speakers who
are leaders in the healthcare field.
Donna Zimmerman, senior vice president of government and community relations at HealthPartners in Minneapolis,
addressed the overall scope of the law and
focused on the impact of provisions concerning changes to insurance coverage.
“It is a major task to think about how
to explain this major piece of legacy legislation our Congress has passed,” Zimmerman said. “I’ll try to demystify this big
bill, and focus on what’s important for us
in Minnesota.”
Her presentation explained various
provisions of the act that have already
taken effect or are being phased in
shortly; for example, extension of benefits
to dependent children up to age 26,
adding more preventive care without costsharing by consumers, and prohibition on
insurance denial to children under age 19
for pre-existing conditions.
Dr. Sanne Magnan, commissioner of the
Minnesota Department of Health, spoke
about changes to health care itself and the
interface with Vision Minnesota, Min-
Demystifying the new healthcare legislation was the focus of the Sabo Center Public Policy Symposium on October 15.
Panelists were (L to R) Martin Sabo ’59, moderator; Donna Zimmerman, HealthPartners; Dr. Sanne Magnan, Minnesota
Department of Health; and Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60, Community Health Innovations, Inc.
nesota’s reform passed in 2008. Her message was that the federal reforms will not
have as radical an effect in Minnesota as in
some states because Minnesota’s quality
and delivery of health care are already consistently higher than in many states.
She spoke about how Minnesota is coordinating with federal initiatives to influence
how health reform is implemented, “so that
we can build on the innovative strategies
Minnesota has been doing as well as learn
from other states who have been doing
health reform.”
She compared provisions for reform in
the new federal law with similar provisions
in Vision Minnesota and showed how a
number of them are already being implemented in this state.
Magnan also explained that much of the
difficulty in enacting reform stems from how
the current healthcare system was set up.
The incentives and payments for health care
are made to doctors and providers for treatment of illness, and not for promotion and
maintenance of health. Payment is made for
office visits, hospitalization, tests, procedures, and drugs, rather than for better
management of chronic disease, prevention,
and promotion of wellness.
Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60, president of
Community Health Innovators, Inc. and assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine, spoke about his
longtime work to seek reform in the healthcare delivery system to provide everyone
with easy access to a team of healthcare
professionals who can provide comprehensive care at lower costs.
Amundson offered a vision of the optimal healthcare model (see next page) that
focuses on a team approach to ongoing, primary care in clinics, which includes clinical
care as well as services in other areas that
affect health. These clinics or “medical
homes” must then be part of, or connected
to, a system that includes specialty-care
and hospital and emergency services.
Sabo Center Public Policy Symposium
2010 Healthcare Reform:
What Will It Mean for You (and the Nation)?
October 15, 2010
Panel Participants:
DONNA ZIMMERMAN, Senior Vice President of
Government and Community Relations,
HealthPartners
DR. SANNE MAGNAN, Commissioner, Minnesota
Department of Health
DR. BRUCE AMUNDSON ’60, President, Community Health Innovations, Inc., and Assistant
Professor, University of Washington School of
Medicine
MARTIN SABO ’59, Moderator; U.S. House of
Representatives, 1978–2006
HEALTHCARE
22
Augsburg Now
To see the slides from these presentations and
view the video of the symposium, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
E
BY DR. BRUCE AMUNDSON ’60
What is ideal healthcare delivery?
The recent health reform legislation primarily focuses on
helping more people
get health insurance
and on addressing
some insurance injustices. It does not
systematically address delivery system reform—how you receive health care—but elements of the act
do support ongoing reform efforts. To understand this, you must have a clearer picture of
what clinical and healthcare leaders see as a
“reformed delivery system” and what we
have been working towards—for years.
Within the past few years a growing
agreement has emerged on what an optimal
delivery system should look like, both to be
able to provide excellent and comprehensive
care and to reduce costs. These are the key
elements:
First, your health care must be anchored by primary care clinicians—physicians (family practice, general internal
medicine, pediatricians), nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. This ensures
that you have a personal ongoing relationship with a clinician who is the “general
contractor” for your health issues and who
is your trusted partner.
Second, you should be part of a clinic
or system that provides a “medical home”
with your primary clinician. Your medical
home must serve as the first stop for ANY
health issues that arise, short of critical
emergencies.
Further, your medical home should have:
• An electronic health record to ensure immediate access to your history for all who
treat you wherever they are located
• More convenient access to your clinicians—same-day appointments, expanded
hours, e-mail to your clinicians
• Management of all referrals to specialists
and other services you may need, ensuring
coordination and avoiding duplication
• Systematic management of common
chronic diseases
• Case management for people with complex and/or multiple health issues including monitoring of prescription drugs
• Healthcare teams to expand clinical competency and services
The emergence of primary care teams is one
of the most important developments in recent years. I would describe the “optimal primary care team” as comprised of:
• Primary care clinicians (physicians, nurse
practitioners, physician assistants)
• Mental health clinician
• Social worker with family therapy skills
• Nurse case manager for patients with
complex conditions
• Chronic disease care nurse
• Patient educator
• Pharmacist
• Physical therapist or massage therapist
Research has shown that with this range of
skills a clinic or medical home can competently handle 80% or more of the health
problems that it receives. It can care for
the whole person and meet total needs.
This is a radical change, but examples of
this model now exist across the country.
The third component is that every clinic
or medical home must be part of an organized system of care that includes most specialty physicians, hospital and ER services,
and other important services. If not within
the same organization, at least there must be
formal ties and relationships between the
medical home and these other elements of a
comprehensive healthcare system.
Because our human condition is complex, people are affected by physical issues,
mental health problems, family dysfunction,
substance abuse, environmental exposures—
and often a combination or all of the above.
Clinical care is, therefore, also very complex
if it is going to be relevant to the person’s
needs and holistic in its aims. The combination of knowledge and skills represented in
the optimal team described above brings the
healthcare delivery system closer in alignment with human needs, with the foundation
being “relationship-based” (versus “diseaseoriented”) care.
The reform legislation recognizes the
work by clinicians and leaders in defining
what we seek as health reform goals. While it
does not fundamentally change the current
healthcare delivery system, it supports clinician-led reform by:
• Recognizing the role of primary care clinicians and increasing financial support for
training them
• Providing bonus payments for care management of Medicare and Medicaid enrollees when needed
• Providing financial incentives for establishing organized systems of care
• Expanding wellness and preventive coverage in insurance plans
• Funding research on the clinical effectiveness of various treatments
• Creating a Center of Innovation
The legislation is not radical. It builds on
our current private insurance and delivery
systems. It may not be able to address cost
issues, but it does represent a huge step
toward ensuring universal insurance coverage and a more effective delivery system. It
also must be seen as a move to narrow the
gap between healthcare “haves” and “have
nots.”
While there’s an immense amount of
work ahead, it’s critical to understand that
for clinicians and most healthcare leaders,
there is no turning back. The whiff of something better, a humanizing system, is in the
air and a national reform process is underway. I could not be more hopeful.
Dr. Bruce Amundson ’60 is president of
Community Health Innovations, Inc. in
Shoreline, Wash.
Fall 2010
23
Reflection by Adam Spanier ’12, film
and English major
Reflection by Khalid Adam ’12,
economics major and Sabo Scholar
I do not plan on becoming a doctor, a
pharmacist, or anything else in the
medical field, and I
am no expert regarding topics like
health insurance.
Yet, the new healthcare system will affect me and everyone else
in this country.
In today’s tense political climate of rumored complete government takeover, socialized medicine, and “death panels,”
misinformation consumes the media. This is
precisely why it is important to sift out all of
the ridiculous rumors and myths of the new
healthcare bill in order to find some truth
and understanding. And this is precisely
why events like the Sabo healthcare symposium are important.
As a Sabo Scholar, but perhaps more
importantly, as an ill-informed citizen, I attended the Sabo healthcare symposium.
Fortunately, the symposium panelists were
all qualified experts of health care; there
was no dumbing down or oversimplification
of the topic as is evident on the 24-hour
news channels. There was a bit of information I did not fully comprehend; however, I
can safely admit that I walked away from
the symposium knowing much more about
the topic.
Fortunately, it’s comforting to know that
the very people I will directly depend on for
my medical needs were involved in this discussion—doctors, nurses, health professionals, and other people involved in the medical
field participated in the symposium.
Events such as the Sabo healthcare
symposium are exactly what this country
needs right now. We need to stop arguing
and have more conversations. Similar events
are important because it will bring us together to better understand complex topics,
and it will allow us to make more informed
decisions in the future.
So just why has
health care spending gone out of control in the U.S.,
consuming nearly a
sixth of gross domestic product
(GDP) spending in
2008? Liberals say
it’s the health insurance companies’ greed
and the government’s inability to contain
costs and to regulate the employer market
for health insurance.
Meanwhile, conservatives argue that it’s
too much regulation, citing the growing
budgets of government welfare programs
like Medicare and Medicaid. They also cite
overuse of healthcare resources as the main
problem, making the problem of health care
a “volume-control issue.” Despite these differing viewpoints, a few observations are
unarguably universal:
• The science of health care has advanced
rapidly in the last 60 years, which has affected prices of medical inputs.
• The increased health costs, outpacing
growth in GDP, have adverse effects on
the economic outcomes on industries
with large percentage of workers with ESI
(Employer Sponsored Insurance); this results in the loss of output and a de facto
loss of jobs in those industries.
• The current trend in the growth of per
capita GDP spent on health care is unsustainable in the long term.
Health spending in the U.S. has increased
dramatically in the course of the past 50
years, from $27.5 billion in 1960 to
$912.6 billion in 1993, and to a mind-boggling $2.4 trillion in 2008. It is projected to
reach $4.3 trillion by 2017.
To read more of Adam’s paper from his
research on healthcare costs, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now.
Reflection by Phong Le ’13 PA
As a first year physician assistant (PA)
student, I’m usually
busy studying and
spending any spare
time with my family.
Thus I’m afraid to
admit I’ve not kept
up with the latest
news. I attended the 2010 healthcare reform symposium hoping to gain a better understanding of the reform and how it will
impact my future as a PA.
According to the HealthPartners presenter, the reform will increase insurance coverage to 32 million more Americans. Thus,
demand for care will greatly exceed the supply of doctors. In addition, there is also
pressure to find a high value but low cost
delivery system. According to Dr. Bruce
Amundson, these factors have led to a consensus of a team approach in which PAs
and nurse practitioners (NPs) will largely fill
the demand gap while still able to keep
costs low.
I was feeling pretty good about my job
prospects as I listened to the presenters.
However, numerous questions began to
emerge as I thought beyond graduation.
How far will the trickle-down effect from
doctors to PAs and NPs to nurses to healthcare technicians go to increase care volume
while decreasing cost? Will money dictate
the quality or type of care I provide? Will I
be forced to choose between quantity and
quality daily?
I left the symposium with more questions than answers. One thing I do know for
sure is that the reform will happen whether
we like it or not, and I believe that any
movement toward increased access to care
is great. However we should proceed with
caution and responsibility to ensure we
don’t compromise the quality of care in the
process. This drives me to stay informed
and involved so that, hopefully, we PAs as a
group can help to shape and guide this inevitable health reform.
HEALTHCARE
24
Augsburg Now
Celebrating our
SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
At Augsburg College, we don’t have a lot of traditions.
Sure, we have Homecoming every year, and we’ve marked the
holiday season with Advent Vespers for the past 30 years.
But there’s no annual canceling of classes so that students can go to a local park to hear bands and eat bratwurst.
President Pribbenow doesn’t trade places with a student for a
day every year. And though we have some important athletic
rivalries, none are so longstanding that the matchups attract
fans far and wide.
There is one thing, however, that Augsburg has done quite
well for a long time: we are very adept at the Lutheran Scandinavian practice of not boasting about our accomplishments.
Now, after years of celebrating achievements with an occasional internal announcement or a round of applause during daily chapel, we’ve decided it is time for our practice of
humility to change.
Fall 2010
25
Shift in expectations
In the past, Augsburg’s tendency toward humility has kept our students from applying
for national scholarships or to graduate
school. But that trend is changing, thanks
in part to the work of one woman—Dixie
Shafer.
As director of Augsburg’s office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO), Shafer gives pep talks, takes
her trademark green pen to students’ personal statements, and shepherds them
through the often daunting graduate school
application process.
For a small, private college, Augsburg
has an impressive résumé of national fellowships and scholarships. In 2010 alone,
four Augsburg students were awarded
Fulbright scholarships, bringing the total
to nine awardees in the last four years,
and Augsburg was recently named to The
Chronicle of Higher Education list of top
Fulbright-producing schools. Five students
received Gilman scholarships for the
2010-11 academic year, and in 2009 one
Augsburg student became the seventh
Auggie to receive a Goldwater scholarship.
And in 2008, lest we forget, Augsburg
added its first Rhodes Scholar to the list of
student achievements.
Shafer’s work involves helping students
conduct faculty-led research during the
summer and school year, advising on the
graduate and professional school application process, and helping students apply for
fellowships and national competitions.
In general, Shafer says she sees students
who don’t believe they can be competitive
at a national level. “I rarely meet a student
who thinks that,” she adds. “We have a
pretty humble group of students.”
But she acknowledges the slow cultural
26
Augsburg Now
Dixie Shafer, URGO director, holds a “bouquet” given to
her by Brian Krohn ’08. Krohn fashioned the flowers
from drafts of his Rhodes application essays.
shift in expectations. “We have more students applying for national fellowships and
more receiving them, and that allows others
to know that they can do it.”
Not just for elite schools
Katie MacAulay ’08 was one of the humble students Shafer typically meets. In her
junior year, she was studying abroad in
Argentina and read a story about two
Augsburg students who received Fulbright
fellowships.
“I had assumed it was a fellowship of
the elite schools, one in which a smalltown, Midwestern girl with a relatively average résumé would be of little
competition,” she says. But the article in-
spired MacAulay, and she made an appointment to meet with Shafer on the day
she returned to Augsburg. “Dixie handed
me the Fulbright information book and
told me to decide whether or not I was serious about applying. As she put it, ‘Once
you start, there’s no turning back.’”
MacAulay says her desire to apply was
motivated out of curiosity to test her beliefs about Fulbrights being only for students from “prestigious” schools and to
challenge personal feelings of inadequacy.
“Dixie helped me realize that, although
I maybe didn’t feel like I had the background, I certainly had the foreground.”
Through the application process,
MacAulay says, “I realized that your socioeconomic status and upbringing don’t
play as large of a role in defining who you
are and what you become.” That insight
inspired her to stop feeling inadequate in
comparison to others and gave her the motivation to challenge her own boundaries.
In November, MacAulay completed a
10-month grant as a Fulbright English
Teaching Assistant (ETA) in Terengganu,
Malaysia. She says it has been the best
experience of her life and a gift that will
continue to benefit her in the future.
“I am of the opinion that you can never
have too many options. Be realistic about
yourself, but don’t doubt your own uniqueness and abilities,” MacAulay says. She encourages other Augsburg students to apply
for national fellowships and programs and to
challenge their own ideas about being competitive at a national level.
Educating the whole person
Tina (Quick) Sandy ’08 is another student
whose path was guided by Shafer’s counsel and by the gentle insistence of a few
determined history professors. A first-generation student who says she almost didn’t
come to Augsburg, Sandy is in her third
year at William Mitchell College of Law in
St. Paul.
At the end of her second year at
Augsburg, Sandy saw a poster advertising
the URGO summer research program. This
program provides a stipend and housing
for students who spend 200-400 hours of
their summer conducting research under
the supervision of a faculty member. To
apply to the program, students must submit a research proposal. Sandy was reading the poster just days before the
application was due.
She had been taking a history class
from Michael Lansing. “He pulled me
aside one day and asked if I had consid-
Tina Sandy ’08 is a third-year student at William Mitchell
College of Law.
ered a history major,” Sandy said. So she
went to Lansing about the summer program, and the two of them drafted her
proposal.
That summer Sandy researched the history of the Ku Klux Klan movement in the
Midwest, a project that led her specifically
to document Klan activities in 1922 in
Minneapolis. Throughout the entire project
she worked closely with Lansing, especially on writing her final report.
“He totally changed my ability to
write,” Sandy says. “His red pen shaped
my experience, and it served me well.” As
a law student, Sandy says she feels much
more confident in her writing abilities
than some of her classmates who did not
receive the same direction and support in
their undergraduate programs.
In her third year of college, Sandy
began considering her plans beyond college with the encouragement of Lansing,
history professor Jacqui deVries, and political science professor Joe Underhill.
Sandy was considering law school. “We
discussed her potential and then rallied
the wagons to get her to think about her
options,” Lansing said.
He recalls that perhaps he tried to be
too persuasive at times. “We wanted to
see Tina set her sights wide because we
knew that she had the potential to go to
any institution. We wanted to see that for
her because we knew that she could really
shine.”
“There were a lot of opinions in my ear
about what I should do,” Sandy says.
That’s when she went to visit Shafer. “She
threw a lot of different ideas at me …
ideas that opened my mind.” But Sandy
says she had a “gut feeling” about law
school.
She wanted to stay in Minnesota to be
close to her family and to her future husband, fellow Auggie Sama Sandy ’08. Because the law school application process
requires significant time as well as money,
Sandy opted to apply to one school only,
something most students are encouraged
not to do.
The easy part was making the decision;
the application process was another story
altogether. She needed to study for the
Law School Admission Test (LSAT), pass
it, and submit the necessary application
materials, including several letters of recommendation and a personal summary, by
the deadline. This she did while taking
classes, working, and trying to have something of a social life.
Sandy says Shafer was by her side
through the entire experience. “She really
ended up being my encourager and sidekick.” As a first-generation student, Sandy
appreciated the support of someone who
knew the process but also understood her
own personal background.
As Tina Sandy’s story illustrates, both
faculty and staff can be instrumental in a
student’s success. Lansing says that as a
professor, he feels that he is called to educate the whole person. “I think that’s the
point of a small college, thinking of a
young person not just as a student but as
a person becoming who they are. You want
the very best for them.”
Discovering and meeting
challenges
Melissa Robertson ’10 is another first-generation student who benefited from the
support of faculty who saw her potential
and persuaded her to go outside of her
comfort zone. Their encouragement
helped her meet the challenges of college
and discover new opportunities.
Robertson’s first year of college presented the common challenges of balancing school work and social life. She
struggled, and her grades reflected that.
But in her second year she became more
serious about school as she focused on
the natural sciences and mathematics.
As she got to know her professors, they
saw promise in her and directed her to
study and research opportunities. “Dale
Fall 2010
27
28
Augsburg Now
school, work, and personal issues, Robertson says there were many times she
wanted to give up and put off graduate
school for a year. “But I told myself to
keep on with the help of mentors, friends,
family, and counseling support. I thought
if I didn’t get in to any programs or didn’t
like the places, at least I would have
tried.”
She applied to five programs, both master’s and doctoral in biostatistics and biology, and she was accepted to all five.
Currently Robertson is studying on a full
scholarship in the molecular biosciences
program at Montana State University in
Bozeman.
From first day to
graduation day
There is more to student success than
national scholarships and fellowships. For
some students, whether they are 18 or 38
years old, the greatest achievement is simply to have arrived at Augsburg. In fall
2010, Augsburg welcomed the largest
first-year class and the largest graduate
school class in the College’s history.
Within this student body is the potential for many stories of students who overcame the odds to get to college and to
obtain a degree. Augsburg has an impressive history of assisting students who
might not otherwise be successful in college—first-generation students including
children of immigrant families, students in
recovery from addiction, students with
cognitive disabilities as well as physical
disabilities, and nontraditional-aged students who are returning to college to complete a degree.
Rich Osborn is an older-than-average
student who found success through
Augsburg’s weekend program. At the age
of 69, Osborn completed his first bachelor’s degree and was one of the oldest
Augsburg for Adults students to graduate.
Read his story at http://bit.ly/djx2nN.
Not only is Augsburg attracting a larger
student body—the College is keeping students and helping them persist to graduation. Augsburg can boast an impressive
86% retention rate in the day college program from fall 2009 to fall 2010. That is
an increase of 3% from last year and significantly higher than the national average
of 73% for four-year private colleges and
universities.
All of this success is reason for Augsburg
to celebrate and to share the stories of student success. Whether it’s the announcement of another Fulbright recipient, a
National Science Foundation grant, or publication in a scholarly journal, these stories
serve as inspiration and motivation for other
Auggies to pursue their goals.
Melissa Robertson ’10 is completing a master's degree
in molecular biosciences at Montana State University.
Kelly Gorham/MSU
Pederson and Matt Haines suggested I
think about biostatistics, a field that
would combine biology and math. I knew I
would have to go to graduate school, but
at that point I hadn’t even thought about
it,” she says.
In the summer before her junior year,
Robertson participated in a short-term
study program to examine the biodiversity
and environmental politics of New
Zealand. She also conducted research
with biology professor David Crowe in the
URGO summer research program.
“I was new to that type of research, but
I was ready and willing to learn,” she says.
“David was a very good mentor, always
willing to help and always told me when I
was doing a great job.”
The URGO program presented a new
challenge for Robertson, who says she was
shy and had extreme anxiety about giving
presentations. “Giving reports about my
research in front of my fellow URGO people during roundtable discussions was
awful for me,” she says, “and I didn’t
even want to think about the final oral
presentation.”
But working with Crowe gave Robertson
the confidence in herself as a scientist and
a scholar. Shafer recalls the change she
saw in Robertson throughout the summer
and her enthusiasm about presenting her
research in a graduate school interview. “To
see her go from this quiet girl who could
barely talk with other students to graduate
school … what an accomplishment.”
Robertson continued her research with
Crowe during the academic year and also
began, with Shafer’s help, the process of
applying to graduate school. Between
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
2009-2010
Fall 2010
29
DEAR FRIENDS,
This past year has been an extraordinary one for Augsburg College. Despite continued challenges in the economy, through the generosity and good work of the entire Augsburg community, we closed the fiscal year with a
solid financial performance and entered the 2010-2011 academic year with a record number of students in
our day, weekend, and graduate programs.
While these achievements are significant, it is your ongoing and steadfast support for the education of our
students that is most gratifying. As a college, we believe we are called to serve our neighbor, and I am humbled by and grateful for the
Augsburg alumni, family, and friends who join with us in pursuing this calling.
Our new mission statement—adopted last spring following two years of rich conversation across the
Augsburg community—makes a bold statement of our aspirations for our students: We educate students to be
informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
Never in the history of this institution has the world had a greater need for future leaders with these abilities. And never before have your gifts been more important to ensuring that this education remains within
reach for our growing and increasingly diverse community of students.
As we continue to live out our mission and provide a uniquely Augsburg education—an education defined
by excellence in the liberal arts and professional studies, guided by our Lutheran faith and values, and shaped
by our urban and global settings—I ask for your abiding engagement and support. Your gifts make possible an
educational experience like no other—one that challenges our students to recognize and live out their individual callings and, through those efforts, make a lasting difference in our world.
Sincerely,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRESIDENT
30
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
2009-2010 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
Where the Money Goes
5%
Government grants
6%
Other sources
4%
Debt service
2%
3%
Equipment
and capital
improvement
Student salary
4%
3%
Private gifts and grants
Utilities
12%
Room and board
44%
24%
Salary and benefits
Financial aid
73%
Tuition
20%
Other
$34.5
2010 Endowment Market Value
May 31, 2010
$28,641,248
$30.5
$28.6
$26.7
$26.6
As of May 31, 2010, we have annual realized
and unrealized gains of 14.65% on our endow$23.2
ment. Our five-year average annual return on
$20.0
the endowment is 1.20% and the 10-year
average annual return is 1.18%. We
$16.4
are committed to maintaining
$14.2
the value of principal gifts
and to provide support to the
$11.5
College in perpetuity.
1995
$33.7
1996
1997
1998
1999
$26.2
$25.4
$24.8
$22.7 $23.3
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
Endowment Assets
(in millions)
June 1, 1995 – May 31, 2010
Fall 2010
31
SCHOLARSHIPS
Gratitude
On April 25, nearly 300 people, including donors, faculty, staff,
and scholarship students gathered to celebrate gifts from the
Augsburg community that make an Augsburg education possible
for many students. Donors enjoyed the opportunity to meet the
students who receive their scholarships.
During 2009-10, 716 gifts to scholarships totaled over
$529,000. Eight new scholarships were started last year:
• L. Gracia Christensen English Scholarship
• Inez Olson Schwarzkopf English Scholarship
• Hazel Stoeckeler Art Scholarship
• Judith (Olson) Nelson Health and Physical Education Scholarship
• Jorgensen Sethre general scholarship
• Dr. Lowell and Janice Kleven Scholarship for pre-medicine
• Leonard and Winifred Leifgren Scholarship for students of color
• Jerome and Winifred Formo Music Scholarship
Simple Gifts
Peter Miller graduated in May 2010 with a major in English and is
the son of an ELCA pastor. He is now studying at Luther Seminary.
Here are excerpts from his talk at the Scholarship Brunch on behalf of scholarship students.
It is truly a gift to honor student success, engaged scholarship,
and active citizenship knowing that each of these simple components is intertwined in my own story. This is a story about how simple gifts transform a community into a simple reality.
… When I was a child, I used to love to listen to my mom play
the dulcimer. She would play “Simple Gifts,” an old Shaker hymn
while my brother and I would run around in the yard.
’Tis a gift to be simple, ’tis a gift to be free; ’Tis a gift to come
down where we ought to be, And when we find ourselves in a
place just right, It will be in the valley of love and delight. When
true simplicity is gain’d, To bow and to bend we shall not be
asham’d, To turn, turn will be our delight, Till by turning and
turning we come round right.
As I recall my mom singing this song and my brother and I turning and turning until we were dizzy, I have come to value the message in these simple words.
We celebrate the success of students because simple gifts are
freeing, liberating, and life changing. Getting into college is a big
deal and it changes you. As students are groomed in success, simple gifts allow us the freedom to engage fully in what we are learning and to develop into the leaders we ought to be, in a college
that is just and right. With an Auggie-assemblage of strong leaders,
32
Augsburg Now
we continue to
build a neighborhood and a city of
love and delight.
And we, too, have
an opportunity to
invest in true simplicity where all
people bow and
bend and never
are ashamed.
Simple gifts
spark the cycle toward a simple reality. I have seen the
spark of a simple
gift in the eyes of
first-year students
Peter Miller ’10 spoke on behalf of students at the
as they acknowlScholarship Brunch.
edge that Augsburg offers them more financial aid than any other school. And I
have seen this simple reality come to life when a former scraping,
struggling business major takes a few philosophy and religion
classes and gets all 4.0s. I have watched it in a group of interfaith
friends who never stand still long enough to watch the paint dry,
whether they are doing service projects at a mosque down the
street, a local church, or a nearby women’s center.
That spark, that simple gift that I saw as an orientation leader,
ignites a question—how do I become a part of this simple reality?
But that was the spark in my eye, too, in the trust that somehow
my family and the Augsburg community would help me afford a
meaningful education and turn my gifts and theirs into something
simple and beautiful. I had to turn from procrastination to participation in simple things like interfaith dialog, global carbon emission regulations, and ending poverty in Minnesota by 2020.
I didn't say it was easy. I said it was simple. It is painting with a
broad brush, or like we did at the mosque, with rollers and a taste
for new colors. This is a simple reality.
Ultimately, I believe the simplest gift is who we are and how
we spend our time—the time to sing a song in the springtime,
study hard, write a thank-you note, share a story, paint, or spare
some change.
I want to thank you all for your simple gifts and the countless
hours you have given to Augsburg, for bowing and bending to the
needs of this community and providing the spark for so many to be
a part of this story. Together, we are a simple reality.
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Scholarships for religion, campus ministry, and youth and family ministry
The Augsburg community continues to keep the College’s roots as a seminary strong as
it provides scholarship support to its students. More than 11% of the value of Augsburg’s endowment supports scholarships for students in religion, campus ministry, and
youth and family ministry—a total of 36 scholarships (12% of the total number).
Kou Lee is majoring in music and plays flute in the
Augsburg Concert Band, the Augsburg Symphony Orchestra, and a woodwind chamber ensemble. His plans after
graduation in 2011 are to pursue a graduate degree in
music composition that will prepare him for a career as an
orchestral director in a university—and hopefully return
to Augsburg some day as a faculty member. He has a
Hognander Scholarship for 2010-11.
The scholarship brunch brought together nearly 300
donors and students to celebrate gifts from the Augsburg
Community.
A number of donors and recipients of these scholarships gathered at the Scholarship Brunch: (seated, L to R) Carl
Vaagenes ’50, Ruth Vaagenes, Dora (Frojen) Quanbeck ’49; (behind them, L to R) Jessica Fanaselle ’10, Sarah Korbel
’12, Emily Wiles ’10, Peter Miller ’10, Morris Vaagenes Jr. ’51, Professor Karl Jacobson, Professor Hans Wiersma,
Whitney Holman ’10, Philip Quanbeck Sr. ’50, Harris Lee ’57, Ivory Phung ’13, and Maryon Lee.
The Sven Oftedal Society exemplifies the legacy of this early Augsburg president
whose leadership and commitment to the growth of Augsburg Seminary secured the
financial future of the College. By reaching out to those who shared Augsburg’s vision
of providing an education not only for its immigrant Norwegian preachers, but also for
everyday people—teachers, farmers, and neighbors in the city growing around
Augsburg—he ensured that Augsburg’s students would become responsible citizens
and leaders in whatever they chose to do.
Planned giving offers a variety of possibilities to provide significant financial benefit to the College while also providing continued income to its donors. Donors and their families can plan with their financial advisors and the College to determine what kind
of gift plan (cash gifts, securities, stocks, and others) can be designed to recognize the donor’s commitment to the College and
still serve their own financial needs. Planned gifts can be made outright or deferred into the future. For many alumni, families,
and friends who are grateful for the education and experience of Augsburg in their lives but have no heirs, planned giving can
help them ensure future students receive that same education.
Fall 2010
33
I ’ M A N A U G G I E — The Augsburg Fund
Your gifts to The Augsburg Fund help to ensure that Augsburg College can continue to support students and give them the opportunity to
make the world a better place. What makes you an Auggie? Why do you give? Make a gift and share your story at www.augsburg.edu/auggie.
Alex Gonzalez ’90
What makes me an Auggie?
I’m an Auggie because of athletics and being a member of the
football team. A lot of the close friendships I have are from
sports, and I love to bring my kids back and see the games. And I
met my wife here—you can’t get much more important than that!
Beyond that, faith is a big part of what makes me an Auggie.
What I’ve learned at Augsburg, I have carried forward with service to the world through my congregation and in the community.
Why do I give?
Augsburg has been such an important part of forming who I am,
and I want to give back. Serving as a regent is a small way of
helping to ensure that this institution continues to make an impact on other people’s lives.
I give because I think it’s important to support the unique
Augsburg experience. An Augsburg degree has a specific intention behind it—of service to the community. It’s a holistic foundation to approaching life in the world.
34
Augsburg Now
Maria Mitchell Helgerson ’07
and Erik Helgerson ’06
What makes us Auggies?
We were both drawn to Augsburg by the feeling of community
and the opportunity to know people and to be a part of something. We loved our four years here and the relationships we
built. We want to keep them going, and we’re so grateful to the
Young Alumni Association for helping us do that.
Why do we give?
We give to Augsburg because we know colleges can’t function
just on tuition, and we know that our gifts will be used to better
the community and to make a place that is important for others.
Augsburg meant a lot to us personally, and giving back helps
give opportunities to other students.
I’M AN AUGGIE!
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
LIFETIME GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College, living and deceased, who have generously given a minimum of $100,000,
including planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
Anonymous (5)
Helen and Ernest† Alne
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Catherine and Charles Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Oscar† ’38 and Leola† Anderson
Leona Radman Antholz ’41†
Clarette† ’29 and Luther† ’29 Arnold
Earl and Doris Bakken
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Barbara and Zane Birky
Carl Blegen†
Roy ’50 and Ardis Bogen
Joyce and John† Boss
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
Bush Foundation
Carlson Companies
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Oliver Dahl ’45
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Tracy Elftmann ’81
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
Raymond Erickson ’50†
Malcolm† and Maybelle† Estrem
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Jerome ’37† and Winifred Helland ’37† Formo
Jerry and Jean Foss
Julian Foss ’30†
William and Anne Frame
Paul† ’42 and Maxine† Fridlund
Barbara and Edwin Gage
General Mills Foundation
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Lynne and Phillip ’55† Gronseth
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
James and Kathleen Haglund
Dale ’60 and Carolyn Hanka
Hearst Foundation
Loren Henderson
Donald Hennings
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Orville ’36† and Gertrude Lund ’36† Hognander
Donald ’39 and Phyllis Holm
Allen and Jean Housh
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Lester Hoversten†
Robert Hoversten
Huss Foundation
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Kinney Johnson ’65
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Bruce and Maren Kleven
David and Barbara Kleven
E. Milton Kleven ’46 and Dorothy Lisjing ’47† Kleven
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
Roy† and Eleanor† Krohn
Harriett Kurek†
Paul ’86 and Rhonda Spitzer ’85 Kwiecien
David Lankinen ’88
Diane and Philip Larson
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
James Lindell Sr. ’46
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Marie and Larry McNeff
Gerard and Anne Meistrell
Hoyt ’39† and Lucille Messerer
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Gay Johnson ’66 Minear and Spencer Minear ’66
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
William and Stephanie Naegele
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
George ’68 and Tamra Nelson
Ida Nelson†
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Clifford and Martha Nylander†
Robert Odegard ’51†
R. Luther Olson ’56
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
John and Norma Paulson
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
George† and Elizabeth† Pennock
Glen Person ’47
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Addison and Cynthia Piper
David Piper
Harry and Mary Piper
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Alan Rice
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Ward C.Schendel ’74 and Catherine L. B. Schendel
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
James and Eva Seed
Rodney Sill ’82
John and Martha Singleton
Glen and Anna Skovholt
David Soli ’81
Paul† and Lorene† Steen
Genevieve Stelberg†
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen and
Clair Strommen ’46†
Conrad Sunde ’15†
Leland and Louise Sundet
Dean ’81 and Amy Sundquist
Helen Sverdrup†
Johan Sverdrup†
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
P. Dawn Heil ’78 Taylor and Jack Taylor†
Teagle Foundation
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Andrew Urness†
Robert Wagner ’02
Scott Weber ’79
Robert Wick ’81
Elsie Wildung†
Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL and Glenn Fuller
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
35
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2009 TO MAY 31, 2010
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously made leadership gifts to the College of at least $1,000.
Founders Society ($100,000 and above)
President’s Council ($5,000 - $9,999)
Anonymous (1)
Donald ’53 and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Dean ’81 and Amy Sundquist
Anonymous (1)
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
Stephen ’74 and Janet Blake
Bruce Brekke
Karim El-Hibri ’08 and Carley Meinert
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
O. C. Hognander, Jr.
Michael and Barbara Hubbard
Eric Jolly
Craig Jones
Cynthia Landowski ’81 Jones and Rick Jones
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Gay Johnson ’66 Minear and Spencer Minear ’66
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Jeffrey ’77 and Becky Bjella ’79 Nodland
Lisa Novotny ’80 and Mark Flaten
Donald Olsen ’60
Karl D. Puterbaugh ’52
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Philip Jr. and Margaret Rowberg
Marilee Alne ’65 Schroeder and William Schroeder
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Kurt Schwarzkopf
Charles and Ritchie Scribner
Gloria Steinem
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Regents’ Fellows ($50,000 - $99,999)
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Alvin John and Ruth Huss
Regents’ Society ($25,000 - $49,999)
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Estate of Gertrude Larson ’35†
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Estate of Myrtle E. Pedersen
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Estate of Olive Ronholm ’47†
Hazel Stoeckeler
President’s Executive Cabinet
($10,000 - $24,999)
Anonymous (2)
Andra Adolfson
Richard ’72 and Tamara Ekstrand
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
Matthew Entenza and Lois Quam
Philip and Jean Formo
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
James and Kathleen Haglund
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Hunt and Diane Harris
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Douglas ’66 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Esther Johnson ’50†
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Marie and Larry McNeff
Allan Nelson
Norma Noonan
Glen Person ’47
Paul Pribbenow and Abigail Crampton Pribbenow
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Eunice Kyllo ’62 Roberts and Warren Roberts
Philip Rowberg ’41
Judith and William Scheide
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Jean Taylor ’85 and Roger Griffith ’84
Dick ’61 and Jane Thompson
Frances Torstenson
Robert Wick ’81
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
36
Augsburg Now
President’s Society ($2,500 - $4,999)
Anonymous (2)
Deloris Anderson ’56
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Robert and Mary Crosby
Oliver Dahl ’45
Mark and Margie Eustis
Anthony ’85 and Traci Genia
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Lisa Svac Hawks ’85
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Allen and Jean Housh
John ’47 and Irene Jensen
Carol Jones
Cynthia Ellman ’80 Kneisl and Gregory Kneisl
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Thomas and Kathy Langdon
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Andre Lewis ’73 and Kathleen McCartin
Donald ’66 and Margaret Mattison
Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod and
Christopher ’00 McLeod
Dennis ’78 and Bev Ranum ’78 Meyer
Deidre Durand ’88 and Bruce Middleton
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Beverly Omdahl ’55 Nelson
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
R. Luther Olson ’56
Mary and William O’Meara
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Sandra Phaup ’64
Curtis and Marian Sampson
John Schwartz ’67
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Betty and Paul Tveite
Jeremy and Tracy Wells
David and Susan White
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
President’s Associates ($1,000 - $2,499)
Anonymous (3)
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Robert and Kristine Ackerman
Kate Addo
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Craig Alexander and Roberta Kagin
James ’58 and Beverly Almquist
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Leif Anderson
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Sheila ’05 and Lee Anderson
I. Shelby Gimse ’56 Andress
Frank ’50 and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Ann and Kenneth Ashton-Piper
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
John Berg ’59
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
Daryl N. Bible
David and Nancy Bieging
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Kathryn and Jim Bishop
Buffie Blesi ’90 and John Burns
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Thomas ’78 and Julie Bramwell
Alan Braun
Marilyn Saure ’61 Breckenridge and
Tom Breckenridge
Michael Brock
Richard Brustad
Aimee Brynildson ’69 Trechok-Peters and
Wayne Peters
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Adam Buhr ’98 and Laura Pejsa ’98
Robert and Brenda Bukowski
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Marion Buska ’46
Christine Coury ’91 Campbell and Craig Campbell
Timothy Campbell
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Carrie and Peter Carroll
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
John and Peggy Cerrito
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Judith Christensen
C. Lee Clarke
Margaret Clyde
Joseph Cook ’89
Pamela Herzan ’81 Crowell and Dring Crowell
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Sigrid Kvenberg ’48 Daniels
Christopher and Britt Dougall
Linda Lundeen ’74 Dunn and Douglas Dunn
Karen ’81 and Charles Durant
Beverly Durkee
Julie Edstrom ’90
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Judy Thompson ’65 Eiler
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Avis Ellingrod
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Susan Engeleier
Dennis ’64 and Mary Lou Ervin ’64 Erickson
Stephen ’68 and Marilyn McKnight ’67 Erickson
Duane Esterly ’75
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
Allison Everett ’78 and Kenneth Svendsen ’78
Jennifer and Dean Eyler
Barbara Farley
Carol Fier
Duncan Flann ’55
Bill and Carmel Fogerty
Dawn Formo
William and Anne Frame
Andrew Fried ’93
Leola Dyrud ’61 Furman
Barbara and Frederick Gaiser
Timothy and Kristin Gamrath
Susan Gangsei ’76 and Gerald Glaser
Ann Garvey
Glen ’52 and Irvyn Gilbertson
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
John and Carolyn Goddard
John and Donde Goldfine
Ellen and Merrill Golliet
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Roger ’61 and Barbara Milne ’60 Gordon
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormley
Paul and Judy Grauer
Charles and Barbara Green
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51 Halverson
Clarence Hansen ’53†
Robert ’83 and Lynne Harris
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
David ’67 and Karen Jacobson ’67 Haugen
Gloria Hawkinson
Mark Hebert ’74
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Raymond Henjum ’55
Bruce Holcomb ’90 and Caroline Vernon
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Paul Holmquist ’79
Elizabeth Horton
Phoebe Hough
Jessica Houlding
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Philip ’71 and Patricia Hoversten
Jerelyn Hovland-Cobb ’63 and Clyde Cobb
Tom ’72 and Karen Howe
Katherine Hoyland Barnett
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Barbara and Michael Hubbard
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Brandon Hutchinson ’99
Deborah Hutterer ’99 and Gary Erickson
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Rebecca John
Bruce Johnson ’68
Carol Oversvee Johnson ’61
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Mark Johnson ’75
Merton ’59 and Jo An Bjornson ’58 Johnson
William and Patricia Kelly
Michael Kivley ’89
Linda Klas ’92
Michael Klutho and Jill Manske
Elsie Ronholm ’49 Koivula
Carmela Brown ’84 Kranz and David Kranz
Robert Kyle
Kathryn Lange ’72 and Dennis Sonifer
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Martin Larson ’80
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Patrick ’88 and Beth Lilja
Brent Lofgren ’88
Dana Lonn
Wenona Strandlie ’55 Lund and Norman Lund
Thomas ’68 and Carol Batalden ’68 Luukkonen
Marissa Hutterer ’99 Machado
Mark Mahowold
Kay Malchow ’82 and Stephen Cook
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Donna McLean
Jan and William Mershon
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Joyce Schroepfer ’02 Miller
Eileen and Grant Mitchell
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Thelma Monson ’41
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Sharon Mortrud
Van and Mildred Mueller
Mildred Nelson ’52
Wedel Nilsen ’45
Robert Nordin ’64
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53† Nyhus
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Bruce L. Olson ’71
Lisa Bradshaw ’79 Olson and Joseph Black
Wanda Warnes ’56 Olson and Ted Olson
L. Beth Buesing ’45 Opgrand
Jack ’62 and Nina Osberg
Beverly Ottum
Patricia Parker
John and Norma Paulson
Barbara Petersen
Corwin and Doris Peterson
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Karin Peterson
Ron ’69 and Jane Petrich
Carol Pfleiderer
Jake and Katrina Phillips
Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck and Philip ’50 Quanbeck
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Laura and Martin Roller
Frances Roller Rockey
Kevin ’91 and Amy Ronneberg
John ’77 and Gail Ronning
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Milo and Cynthia Schield
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Milan ’48 and Marian Sedio
Harold and Phyllis Seim
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Michael and Pamela Sime
David Soli ’81
John ’62 and Ruth Sather ’63 Sorenson
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Royal C. Steen
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Todd ’89 and Amy Steenson
Donald† and Annelies Steinmetz
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Sonya Steven
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Leland and Louise Sundet
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Jo Anne Sylvester ’68 and Larry Dieckman
Christine Szaj
Harold and Maureen Thompson
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
37
Dolores Thornes
David and Martha Tiede
Beth Torstenson ’66
Carol Trotter
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Peter Turner
Catherine and Albert Van Der Schans
Julie Lien Vanderboom ’82 and Steve Vanderboom
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth and Dennis Veiseth
Peter and Linda Vogt
Joan Volz ’68
Robert Wagner ’02
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Ronald Wahlberg ’70
Douglas and Janet Watsabaugh
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
John ’49† and Arnhild Werket
Diane Pike and Stephen Willett
Patrick Wiltgen
William Wittenbreer
David and Catherine Wold
Joyce Leifgren ’64 Young
Lowell ’60 and Margery Ziemann
ORGANIZATIONS
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2009 TO MAY 31, 2010
The following list recognizes organizations that provided generous gifts to Augsburg College of $1,000 or more in the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
3M Foundation
Accenture Foundation
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Ameriprise Financial
Amgen Foundation
A’viands
Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
F.R. Bigelow Foundation
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Bonner Foundation
Bush Foundation
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
CollegeNet
Data Recognition Corporation
Dow Corning Corporation
Drusilla Farwell Foundation
Ecolab Foundation
Sherry Lou Engebretsen Memorial Fund
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Faegre & Benson
Fairview Hospital Alumni Association
H.B. Fuller Company
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
General Mills Foundation
GMAC-RFC
Gray Plant Mooty & Bennett
Gray Wolf Ranch, Inc.
Hearst Foundation
Highland Prairie Speech and Debate Booster Club
HJ, Inc.
Hognander Family Foundation
Huss Foundation
Nilan Johnson Lewis
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Kentron Foundation
Kettering Foundation
James G. Lindell Fund of the St. Paul Foundation
Mary T. Inc
McGough Foundation
McKnight Foundation
Merck Partnership For Giving
Minnesota Private College Foundation
Minnesota Debate Teachers Association
Minnesota Department of Revenue
Ms. Foundation for Women, Inc.
My Sports Dreams, LLC
Network for Good
The New York Academy of Medicine
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Northwest Area Foundation
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation
Play-More Travel, Inc.
PLH Foundation
Presser Foundation
Running All Over Addiction
Schwab Charitable Fund
Sheltering Arms Foundation
St. Paul Public Schools
Surdna Foundation, Inc.
Target Foundation
Target Community Relations
TCF Foundation
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Foundation
Twin Cities Orthopedics Foundation
US Bancorp Foundation
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
Janet Watson Donor Advised Fund of the Women’s
Foundation of Minnesota
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
Wells Fargo Bank
Winds Of Peace Foundation
Women’s Foundation of Minnesota
Zapevent, LLC
S V E N O F T E D A L S O C I E T Y , Supporting Augsburg’s mission into the future
The following list recognizes new members who have documented planned gifts to Augsburg College during the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
Anonymous (3)
Mr. Joseph Black and Dr. Lisa Olson
Oliver Dahl ’45
Roger L. Fisher
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Donald J. and Sonja S. Hagestuen
Rodney (Rock) A. and Jane M. Helgeson
Allen and Jean Housh
38
Augsburg Now
Lorna L. Hoversten
Esther Johnson ’50†
Gertrude Amundson ’35 Larson†
Karla Krogsrud Miley
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Myrtle Pedersen
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Paul Rensted ’87
Olive Ronholm ’47
David G. Soli
Hazel Thorson Stoick Stoeckeler
Robert E. and Margaret H. Twiton
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Bill Wittenbreer
Lisa Zeller ’81,’89 MAL and Glenn Fuller
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
CONSECUTIVE GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years.
Consecutive Giving, 30 years or more:
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Harold ’47† and Lois Black ’47 Ahlbom
Kenneth ’61 and Marilyn Ellingson ’62 Akerman
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Raymond and Margaret Anderson
Kristin Anderson
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Catherine and Charles Anderson
I. Shelby Gimse ’56 Andress
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Andrew ’50 and Barbara Kolden ’50 Balerud
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
John Benson ’55
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
Doris Frojen ’51 Bretheim
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
James ’49 and Barbara Ekse ’48 Carlson
Linda Carlstedt ’63
Joyce Catlin ’73 Casey and Paul Casey
David ’72 and Michelle Karkhoff ’72 Christianson
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Leonard ’52 and Anabelle Hanson ’51 Dalberg
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
James Ericksen ’69
Ruth Ann Gjerde ’67 Fitzke
Alan ’67 and Marilyn Albaugh ’67 Gierke
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Marlys Ringdahl ’53 Gunderson and
Charles Gunderson
Arlin Gyberg
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Cynthia Hanson ’66
Betty Johnson ’58 Haas and Charles Hass
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Howard ’51 and Nouaneta Hjelm
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Gloria Johnson ’51
Marcellus ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Jerome Kleven ’58
Elsie Ronholm ’49 Koivula
William ’52 and Edith Kuross
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey
Marie and Larry McNeff
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Mildred Nelson ’52
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Laverne Moe ’48 Olson and Paul Olson
Roger ’56 and Janet Ose
Glen Person ’47
Robert ’68 and Alice Draheim ’68 Peters
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
James ’61 and BettyAnn Redeske
Arthur ’53 and Charlotte Kleven ’52 Rimmereid
James ’68 and Linda Gilbertson ’71 Romslo
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
James ’54 and Ethel Nordstrom ’55 Shiell
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Evelyn Amundson ’43 Sonnack
Donald† and Annelies Steinmetz
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Allan Tonn ’75
Sheldon ’49 and Margery Manger ’47 Torgerson
Frances Torstenson
Beth Torstenson ’66
Rebecca Helgesen ’67 Von Fischer and Thomas
Von Fischer
25-29 years consecutive
Frank ’50 and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Jack ’49 and LeVerne Berry
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
Leland ’53 and Eunice Fairbanks
Marilyn Pearson ’76 Florian and Kenneth Florian
Paul and Judy Grauer
Paul ’62 and Susan Grover
Sylvia Kleven Hanson ’50
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge ’50
James ’61 and Caroline Holden
Rachel Hendrickson ’71 Julian and Bruce Julian
Sharon Dittbenner ’65 Klabunde and
Richard Klabunde
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Joan Johnson ’53 Kuder and Calvin Kuder
Martin Larson ’80
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Irene Ppedahl ’45 Lovaas
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Gloria Burntvedt ’43 Nelson
Paige Nelson ’74
W. Donald Olsen ’34† and Glenda Olson
Bettye and Howard Olson
Patricia Strecker ’64 Pederson and Dean Pederson
Janet Griffith ’83 Sandford and David Sandford
Joyce Opseth ’45 Schwartz
Luther ’39 and Helen Strommen
George ’46 and Jean Christenson ’49 Sverdrup
Jacqueline ’80 and John Teisberg
Margaret Sateren ’37 Trautwein
Thomas ’63 and Gloria Joyce Wadsworth
Gunnar† and Mary Wick
David and Catherine Wold
20-24 years consecutive
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Julie Teigland ’69 Anderson and Gary Anderson
Charles ’63 and Lois Luthard ’65 Anderson
Ray Anderson ’49
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Hamar ’34 and Wanda Severson ’40 Benson
Theodore ’51† and Carolyn Berkland
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Mary Twiton ’59 Bosben and Robert Bosben
John and Carolyn Cain
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Addell Halverson ’43 Dahlen
Scott Daniels ’82 and Marcia Pape-Daniels
LeVon Paulson Dinter ’52
Fred ’60 and Janet Engelmann
Reynold Erickson ’41†
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Edward Evenson ’41
Rachel Rohde ’76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Sonia Overmoen ’62 Gullicks and Milton Gullicks
Kenneth ’58 and Aldemar Johnson ’57 Hagen
Arvin ’55 and Twila Halvorson
Herbert ’51 and M. Joyce Tallman ’52 Hanson
Carolyn Hawkins
Rodney ’62 and Jane Helgeson
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Norman and Ilene Holen
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Florence Retrum ’40 Hovland
Wayne Johnson ’58
Ruth Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Duane and Ruth Johnson
Marvin ’49 and Dorothy Quanbeck ’48 Johnson
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Daniel ’70 and Ingrid Kloster ’69 Koch
James Kottom ’52
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Lois Knutson ’62 Larsen and Paul Larsen
Robert ’56 and Mary Erickson ’58 Lockwood
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
39
Brent Lofgren ’88
Susan Lageson ’77 Lundholm and Mark Lundholm
Lynn ’50 and Miriam Hoplin ’50 Lundin
John ’65 and Gracia Nydahl ’66 Luoma
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
Kristin Settergren ’86 McGinness and
Steve McGinness
Donna McLean
Victor ’42 and Rhoda Miller
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Bonnie Johnson ’67 Nelson and Bryce Nelson
Shirley Christensen ’75 Nickel and Daniel Nickel
Margaret Nelson Foss ’48 Nokleberg
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Robert Nordin ’64
Jonathan Nye
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53† Nyhus
Maren Lecy ’83 Ogdie and Al Ogdie
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Ruth Pousi ’54 Ollila
Mary Olson
John ’62 and Nina Osberg
James ’64 and Rose Parks
Daniel ’51 and Lois Pearson
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Donald Peterson ’49
David Proctor ’63
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Norman ’59 and Ardelle Skovholt ’54 Quanbeck
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Stephen ’76 and Karen Reinarz
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Judith Sandeen ’72
Gary ’68 and Janice Bell ’70 Schmidt
Kari Beckman ’81 Sorenson and Neil Sorensen
La Vone Studlien ’58
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
James Swanson
Ruth Weltzin ’45 Swanson and Edwin Swanson
Dorothy Swanson ’51 Swanson
Janis Thoreson ’78
Robert Wick ’81
Pamela Zagaria
15-19 years consecutive
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
James ’88 and Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold
John ’79 and Rebecca Lundeen ’79 Aune
Ronald and Anna Marie Austin
Dorothy Bailey
The Batalden Advised Fund
Christine Wacker ’87 Bjork and Steven Bjork
Morris ’63 and Mavis Bjurlin
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Daniel and Irene Brink
Michael Burden ’85
David Christensen ’52
Joseph ’53 and Connie Cleary
Judith Norman ’66 Coppersmith and
Norman Coppersmith
Ann Erkkila ’86 Dudero
Avis Ellingrod
40
Augsburg Now
Valborg Kyllo ’54 Ellingson and Phillip Ellingson
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
Dann Forsberg ’80
Joann Koelln ’72 Frankena
Gary and Barbara Glasscock
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Lloyd Grinde ’56
Richard ’72 and Carol Habstritt
Suzanne Overholt ’67 Hampe and John Hampe
Jacquelyn Bagley ’51 Hanson and Kenneth Hanson
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Burton Haugen ’72
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Edith Hovey
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Rosemary Jacobson ’69
Janet Batalden ’61 Johnson and Dennis Johnson ’61
Morris ’52 and Marjorie Danielson ’52 Johnson
Luther ’68 and Joanne Kendrick
Carrie Kosek ’85 Knott and Gerald Knott
Millard ’52 and Dorothy Knudson
Duane and Mary Alyce Krohnke
Annette and Henry Lucksinger, Jr.
Bill and Anne McSweeney
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Mark ’88 and Tamala Morken
Karl Nestvold ’54
Norma Noonan
Betsey and Alan Norgard
R. Luther Olson ’56
Gary ’65 and Jean Pfeifer ’64 Olson
John and Norma Paulson
Rebecca ’88 Pfabe and Maurice Higgins
Jay Phinney ’79
Leanne Phinney ’71 and Mark Schultz
Elizabeth Pushing ’93
Quentin ’50 and E. Lucille Quanbeck
Barbara Hanson ’68 Raymond and David Raymond
Joyce Romano and Walker Brents
David ’53 and Janice Anderson ’54 Rykken
Audrey Nagel ’51 Sander
Ronnie ’62 and Karen Scott
Nora Anderson ’83 Sillerud and Jon Sillerud
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Paulette Nelson ’67 Speed
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Diana Talcott
Karla Morken ’81 Thompson and Thomas Thompson
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Mark ’79 and Janelle Tonsager
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Michael ’64 and Carla Quanbeck ’64 Walgren
Jeanne Kyllo ’69 Wendschuh and Ronald Wendschuh
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Janet Cooke ’59 Zitzewitz and Donald Zitzewitz
Robyn Arnold ’80 Zollner†
10-15 years consecutive
Anonymous (2)
Ordelle Aaker ’46
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Leif Anderson
Dean ’74 and Janet Nelson ’76 Anderson
Scott Anderson ’96
Margaret Anderson
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
LeRoy ’52 and Carole Anenson
Charles ’63 and Mary Jo Arndt
Mary Arneson and Dale Hammerschmidt
Susan Hanson ’82 Asmus and Kevin Asmus
Lawrence ’52 and Jayne Balzer
Dennis ’58 and Doris Barnaal
Arlin Becker ’88
Catherine Berglund ’73 Becker and Charles Becker
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Gertrude Ness ’51 Berg
Andrew ’64 and Jean Amland ’65 Berg
Carolyn Berkland
Warren ’69 and Carolyn Bey
Anthony and Kathy Bibus
Gary ’65 and Jean Blosberg
Dennes ’57 and Florence Helland ’54 Borman
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Willard Botko
Bruce ’64 and Nancy Braaten
Roxanne Raunschnot ’82 Buchanan and Jim
Buchanan
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Einar Cannelin ’38
William Capman
Gregory Carlson ’74
John and Peggy Cerrito
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Judith Christensen
Orla Christensen ’56 and Joan Englund
Jeff Christenson ’82
Janet Niederloh ’58 Christeson and John Christeson
Wayne ’63 and Bernadine Christiansen
C. Lee Clarke
Connie Arndt ’96 Clausen and Andrew Clausen
Cheryl Solomonson ’89 Crockett and Larry Crockett
Laura Bower ’91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe
Oliver Dahl ’45
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Lois Mackey Davis ’58
Suzanne Doree
Hans ’56 and Donna Dumpys
Julie Edstrom ’90
Doran Edwards
Judy Thompson ’65 Eiler
Curtis ’84 and Jody Eischens
David ’79 and Amy Eitrheim
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Kari Elsila and Michael Buescher
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Ellen Stenberg Erickson ’51
ANNUAL REPORT 2009-10
Lois Hofstad ’58 Esselstrom and Michael Esselstrom
Duane Esterly ’75
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
John ’68 and Martha Fahlberg
Karen Faulkner
Marvin ’74 and Lana Felderman
William and Anne Frame
Terry ’67 and Pauline Frovik
Ann Garvey
Barbara Gilbert ’81
John ’66 and Mary Jo Greenfield
Cindy Greenwood ’05
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
Steven ’81 and Kathy Grinde
Julia Ose ’62 Grose and Christopher Grose
Katharine Kuchera ’84 Gruber and Craig Gruber
John and Laurie Grygelko
Jean Venske ’87 Guenther and Stephen Guenther
Lucille and Roger Hackbart
Shirley Hansen
Wayne ’68 and Lois Batalden ’69 Hansen
John ’69 Harden and Barbara Hoganson
Robert ’83 and Lynne Harris
Lisa Svac ’85 Hawks
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Gerald ’59 and Maxine Hendricks
Dawn Hendricks ’80
Irene Shelstad ’52 Henjum
Rand ’82 and Kay Kennedy ’82 Henjum
Peter ’92 and Becky Hespen
Kristen Hirsch ’91 Montag and Paul Montag
Sylvia Hjelmeland
John ’70 and Lynn Benson ’69 Hjelmeland
John ’81 and Karen Hofflander
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Donald ’60 and Ruth Thorsgard ’59 Homme
James ’59 and Joanne Horn
Elizabeth Horton
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Tom ’72 and Karen Howe
Rhoda Monseth ’59 Huglen and Erling Huglen
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Bruce and Jean Inglis
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Doris Wilkins ’63 Johnson and Charles Johnson
Bruce Johnson ’68
Douglas ’66 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Glen and Marlys Johnson
Margaret Johnson
Carolyn Johnson ’63
Martha Johnson
Karen Johnson
Theodore ’68 and Michelle Johnson
Joan ’94 and Mark Johnson
Karen Johnson ’66
Suzanne Kelley ’69
Benjamin and Christine Kent
James Kerr
Richard ’69 and Cheryl Nelson ’70 King
Linda King ’78
Carmela Brown ’84 Kranz and David Kranz
Joan Kunz
Rob ’80 and Lori LaFleur
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
Andrea Langeland
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Julie Gudmestad ’65 Laudicina and
Joseph Laudicina
John ’52 and Mary Peterson ’54 Leak
Roger ’50 and Donna Wang ’52 Leak
Jacqueline Kniefel ’69 Lind
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Rosemary and Andrew Link
Arlene and Gene Lopas
Olivia Gordon ’62 Lorents and Alden Lorents
Jack ’53 and Darlene Lundberg
Randall ’76 and Susan Lundell
Marissa Hutterer ’99 Machado
Marie Hafie ’65 MacNally and Thomas MacNally
Gregory ’61 and Kay Hanenburg ’62 Madson
Raymond Makeever
Patrick ’72 and Nancy Marcy
Carlos Mariani Rosa
Julie Magnuson ’61 Marineau and Richard
Marineau
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Robert ’71 and Cheryl Lindroos ’72 Martin
John ’59 and De Anne Martinsen
Jon ’58 and Judith Matala
Phillip ’62 and Karen Tangen ’63 Mattison
Lillian and Vernon Maunu
Dana Holmes ’81 McIntyre and Vernon McIntyre ’79
Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod and
Christopher ’00 McLeod
Meca Sportswear, Inc.
Robert ’59 and Mary Lundquist ’60 Meffert
Joan and Richard Meierotto
David ’68 and Elaine Melby
Robert Nelson ’44 and Helen Johnson-Nelson
Ronald ’59 and Elizabeth Miskowiec
Jonathan ’78 and Bonnie Lamon ’78 Moren
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Scott ’81 and Debra Musselman
Michael Navarre
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Edor ’38 and Dorathy Nelson
Larry ’65 and Marilyn Nelson
E. Irene Lasseson ’38 Neseth†
Erika Staub ’51 Niemi and Wayne Niemi
Robert ’73 and Linda Nilsen
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Edward ’54 and Winifred Nystuen ’54 Nyhus
Richard ’69 and Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted
Dean Olson ’00
Howard and Bettye Olson
Vicki and Daniel Olson
Cedric ’61 and Marlys Olson
Donald ’53 Oren and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Russell ’63 and Ruth Osterberg
Steven O’Tool ’74
Ervin ’56 and Sylvia Moe ’59 Overlund
Patricia Solum ’02 Park
Patricia Parker
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Howard ’53 and Vicki Skor ’59 Pearson
Dwight ’60 and Marion Pederson
Dale ’70 and Patti Pederson
Cynthia Peterson
Linda Christensen ’68 Phillips and Gerald Phillips
James Plumedahl ’57
Jill Pohtilla
Drew ’89 and Molly Privette
Jerry ’83 and Susan Warnes ’88 Quam
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Nicolyn Rajala ’70 and Bill Vossler
Paul Rensted ’87
James ’75 and Jude Ring
David ’59 and Arline Ringstad
James ’63 and Patricia Steenson ’65 Roback
Donavon ’52 and Ardis Roberts
Thomas ’86 and Susan Rogers-Miller
Frances Roller Rockey
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist ’64
Philip Rowberg ’41
Thomas Ruffaner ’98
Mary Mether ’69 Sabatke and Bruce Sabatke
Richard Sandeen ’69
Donohue ’56 and Marilyn Sarff
Pauline Sateren
Carol Watson ’68 Saunders
Michael Schock and Leslie Baken
Larry ’65 and Muriel Berg ’67 Scholla
Arvid ’63 and Lillian Schroeder
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Charles Sheaffer
John ’50 and Norma Shelstad
Eugene and Margaret Skibbe
Alan ’72 and Nancy Becker ’72 Soli
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Heidi Wisner ’93 Staloch and Mark Staloch
Ronald ’58 and Naomi Stave
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Bonnie Martinson ’59 Storley
Steven ’65 and Chynne Strommen
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
John ’69 and Stephanie Johnson ’71 Sulzbach
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Kenneth and Jane Syverson
Paul ’87 and Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio
Barbara and Eugene Thompson
Dick ’61 and Jane Thompson
Sue Thompson ’85
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2010
41
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Richard ’56 and Darlene Thorud
Michael ’85 and Rhonda Riesberg ’84 Tjaden
Mark and Ann Tranvik
Mary True
Merry Tucker
Betty and Paul Tveite
Charleen and Donald Weidenbach
John ’49† and Arnhild Werket
Lyndon ’65 and Diane West
Heidi Norman ’88 Wise and John Wise
Edmund ’53 and Rose Youngquist
Robert ’50 and Dee Ulsaker
Joan Swenson ’78 Van Wirt
Joan Volz ’68
Sharon and Stephen Wade
Rebecca and Michael Waggoner
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Lois Wattman ’76 and Douglas Shaw
ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS YEAR
The following list indicates the percentage of alumni from the traditional day program in each class year who made a gift during 2009-10.
Total participation for all class years, 21%.
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
1947
1948
1949
42
33.33%
66.67%
50.00%
20.00%
52.94%
25.00%
33.33%
29.63%
31.03%
31.25%
32.50%
38.89%
34.62%
47.73%
34.85%
42.39%
Augsburg Now
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
35.62%
43.10%
49.46%
46.67%
36.59%
35.71%
44.44%
43.40%
55.56%
56.07%
36.17%
46.67%
35.17%
38.71%
32.09%
33.94%
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
31.63%
35.07%
34.60%
27.96%
20.32%
26.29%
26.30%
22.88%
24.01%
21.57%
21.55%
20.91%
23.19%
21.40%
16.67%
17.87%
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
16.29%
14.91%
13.91%
13.33%
13.10%
10.00%
12.61%
11.86%
12.18%
10.00%
11.33%
9.58%
10.71%
10.18%
6.98%
9.91%
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
12.18%
9.76%
11.29%
6.97%
4.69%
10.91%
7.64%
10.55%
5.43%
10.41%
7.53%
5.93%
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear fellow alumni,
A
ugsburg has a time-honored tradition each year
called “Homecoming.” Homecoming is a time of renewal—renewal of friendships, college experiences,
and meeting new alumni while taking in the festivities of
the week.
The Augsburg Alumni Board is proud to be part of this
and other events. The year 2010–11 is the year of bringing our alumni closer to the College. Our board members
understand this as many of the members of the Alumni Board spent their formative
years with the College, creating new friends that have passed the test of time.
Part of the Alumni Board’s mission is to promote connections among alumni
throughout the year. The board sponsors or participates in many of the events that
bring alumni together. Some of these are:
• Alumni awards that recognize Auggies who have made significant contributions in their fields of work and to the community, who have given service to
the College, and who exemplify the mission and spirit of the College.
• Social and business networking opportunities
• Educational and enriching speakers
• Fun events that promote engagement, such as the Auggie Night at the
Races at Canterbury Park that attracts more than 700 alumni and family
members each year.
These are a few examples of how your Augsburg Alumni Board works for you to bring
fun and enjoyment to your extended college experience. The board continues to look
for ideas to expand our mission of reconnecting alumni to the College, and we
would welcome your feedback on programs you feel would help fulfill our mission.
This year promises to be fun with new traditions and events for all. We invite you
to pass on the message to recent alumni and alumni from years past. We all have
an opportunity to extend our college experience past Commencement. Best wishes
to you all as you rekindle your relationship with Augsburg College.
Sincerely,
JOHN STADLER ’07 MAL
PRESIDENT OF THE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Alumni get involved!
Is it your New Year’s resolution to reconnect with old
friends, network with other Auggies, and have fun?
If so, join fellow Auggies at the following alumni
events in 2011.
Auggies Give Back: Feed My Starving Children
Packing Session
Saturday, January 15, 2011
9–11 a.m., Coon Rapids, MN
Eye-Opener Breakfast
featuring Mark Eustis, CEO, Fairview Healthcare
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
7 a.m., Town and Country Club, St. Paul, MN
The Augsburg Centennial Singers Concert Tour
February 8-20, 2011
California and Arizona
Student and Alumni Networking Reception
Thursday, February 10, 2011
5:30 p.m., Oren Gateway Center
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series
featuring Michele Volpi, CEO, H.B. Fuller
Thursday, April 7, 2011
5 p.m., Sateren Auditorium, Music Hall
For more information on these and other alumni
events go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Save the Date!
Homecoming 2011
October 17–23, 2011
Reunion Classes
50th reunion—1961
40th reunion—1971
25th reunion—1986
10th reunion—2001
If you would like to help
make your reunion a success,
contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for updates
and reunion information.
Fall 2010
43
auggie
alumni news
Auggies Give Back: Student
philanthropy at Augsburg
Executives share expertise in speaker series
A popular trend in colleges across the nation is also taking Augsburg by storm—
current students are giving back to
Augsburg while they are still students.
The Alumni and Constituent Relations
student group, the Augsburg Stewards,
are at the forefront of Augsburg’s wave.
Under the direction of Amanda Storm, associate alumni director,
the Stewards host a variety of events and activities to engage and
educate students on how their experience at Augsburg is funded.
Philanthropy Week, the first week in March, is a week-long
awareness event that gives the student body an opportunity to participate in a variety of philanthropic activities that include voting
where their donations go and posting how they give back to their
community. There is a scavenger hunt on campus for a particular
donor, with clues given about that donor and why they give back.
These activities help students understand that while their tuition funds a major part of their education, the generosity of
Augsburg alumni and friends also plays a significant role in their
experience.
New this year, students will have an opportunity to directly give
back to fellow students through the “Feed the Pig” class gift challenge. All students receive a piggy bank and are encouraged to
“feed the pig” their loose change throughout the semester. The
money raised will benefit current Augsburg students through a
scholarship awarded at the Scholarship Brunch in April. Think it
can’t get any better? The class with the highest rate of participation will win a class party at the President Pribbenow’s home.
auggies
GIVE BACK
Alumni artists—call for submissions
Augsburg Alumni Juried Show 2011
The Augsburg art galleries are pleased to announce an exciting
opportunity for alumni to show their artwork in a juried exhibition
featured in both the Gage Family Art Gallery and Christensen
Center Art Gallery opening in early August 2011.
Each artist may submit up to three images. The submission
deadline is June 24, 2011; notifications of acceptance will be
sent out July 12. For more information about the Augsburg
Alumni Juried Show, go to www.augsburg.edu/galleries or e-mail
gallery@augsburg.edu.
44
Augsburg Now
The Clair and Gladys Strommen Executive Leader Speaker Series,
launched in December 2009, brings major business leaders to the
Augsburg campus to share their insights and expertise. Speakers
during the past year include Alex Cirillo, vice president of 3M
Foundation (now retired) and past president of 3M Canada; Chris
Policinski, president and CEO of Land O’Lakes; and Richard
Davis, chairman, president, and CEO of U.S. Bancorp.
The next speaker in the series will be Michele Volpi, president
and chief executive officer of H.B. Fuller. He will speak on Thursday, April 7, at 5 p.m., in Sateren Auditorium, Music Hall.
The series is co-sponsored by Augsburg’s Corporate Relations
Office and the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful
Work. Each presentation provides opportunities for alumni as well
as students, faculty, and staff to hear unique insights into the current business climate and trends from a national or global corporate leader.
Augsburg Choir
Legacy Recordings,
1949-1979
As part of the Augsburg Choir’s
75th-anniversary celebration, CD
versions of remastered historical
recordings of the Augsburg Choir from
1949–79 are available as the Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings.
A monograph about Leland B. Sateren’s life and career written by
William Halverson ’51 will be included with each order.
The three boxed sets, each containing five CDs are:
• From Opseth to Sateren (1949–1962)
• Sateren Intermezzo (1964–1972)
• Sateren Finale (1972–1979)
Cost: $49 per box (five CDs); $135 for all three sets (15 CDs), plus
shipping and handling.
To place an order, go to www.augsburg.edu/music/saterenCD.html
or call the Augsburg College Bookstore at 612-359-6491. For more
information, call 612-330-1265.
Call for nominations for
alumni awards
The Augsburg College Alumni Board seeks
your assistance in identifying members of
the Augsburg community to be considered
for recognition.
Please take a few moments to consider
those who might be honored for the following awards. Your nominations and suggestions are critical in helping to build these
important programs to celebrate the accomplishments of the Augsburg community. The awards will be given at the
Homecoming 2011 Convocation on
Friday, October 21.
Distinguished Alumni Award
Awarded to Augsburg College alumni in
recognition for significant achievement in
vocation, for outstanding contribution to
church and community, and for a life that
exemplifies the ideals and mission of
Augsburg College. Augsburg alumni (graduates and non-graduates) are eligible.
First Decade Alumni Award
Awarded to Augsburg College graduates of
the last 10 years who have made significant progress in their professional achievements and contributions to the
community, and in so doing exemplify the
mission of the College: to prepare future
leaders in service to the world.
Spirit of Augsburg Award
Honors Augsburg alumni or friends of the
College who have given exceptional service
that contributes substantially to the well
being of the College by furthering its purposes and programs. Alumni, friends, faculty and staff, and groups who have served
the College are eligible.
To make a nomination, contact the Office
of Alumni and Constituent Relations for a
nomination packet at 612-330-1085 or
alumni@augsburg.edu.
The deadline for award nominations is
March 4, 2011.
Members of the Young Alumni Council posed with TC Bear and Auggie Eagle at Young Alumni night at the Twins
game in July, with more than 100 attending. (L to R) Rob Wagner ’02, Andrew Johnson ’07, Holly (Ebnet) Knutson ’03,
’07 MBA, Amanda Rueb ’09, and Teresa Barnhill ’08.
Young Alumni Summer Series: 2010
From baseball to a brewery tour, Augsburg Young Alumni have it going on! The Young Alumni had another awesome season in 2010, with more than 600 Auggies attending any of the six events held
throughout the season, giving Auggies great opportunities to catch up with former classmates and
meet new friends.
The Young Alumni program is an initiative supported by the efforts of outstanding Young Alumni
volunteers, dedicated to providing dynamic social and enrichment opportunities for their Auggie
classmates, while keeping them engaged with their alma mater.
Join Professor Phil Adamo on a journey to the Emerald Isle
Join friends from the Augsburg College
community in early May 2011 for an indepth journey through Ireland with Phillip
Adamo, associate professor and chair of
Augsburg’s History Department, director of
medieval studies, and experienced study
tour leader.
Professor Adamo looks forward to returning to Ireland with a group of alumni and
friends, May 2–12, 2011. Explore centuries of heroic history including sites dating to 9,000 B.C. and experience the
intense rugged beauty of land carved from
the sea contrasting with the meticulous gar-
dens of stately castles. As director of medieval studies, Adamo enhances the tour
with his special knowledge of the historic
significance of Celtic Christianity and how
Ireland’s ancient monastic communities
flourished during the Dark Ages. The tour
also celebrates contemporary Irish culture.
To receive a brochure and registration
form, contact the Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations at 612-330-1178
or alumni@augsburg.edu. Registration is
open and spaces are filling—please note
that last year’s Italy trip sold out and had a
waiting list.
Fall 2010
45
60-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1950
Front row (L to R): Shirley Dahlen, Angeline (Rolland)
Sorenson, Marjorie (Wilberg) Hauge; Back row (L to R):
Edward Alberg, Philip Quanbeck, Raynard Huglen,
Robert Paulson
go
auggies!
50-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1960
Front row (L to R): Marjorie (Moland) Wendt, Ramona
(Pedersen) Settergren, Ruth (Carlson) Olson, LaVonne
(Gravgaard) Iverson, Phyllis (Redenbaugh) Ose, Fay
(Quanbeck) Matsunaga, Lois (Richter) Agrimson, Phyllis
(Raymond) Berge, Carol (Johnson) Casperson; Row 2 (L
to R): Linnea (Wacker) Whipple, Marlene Studlien,
Nancy (Garland) Erickson, Carol (Hawkins) Svanoe,
Dorothy (Larson) Henriksen, Phyllis (Dahlmeier) Fering,
Ruth (Carlsen) Moen; Row 3 (L to R): Dwight Pederson,
Dale Hanka, David Hanka, Stan West, Arden Flaten,
Byron Schmid, Myron Carlson; Row 4 (L to R): Clayton
Paulson, Bruce Amundson, Gerald Johnson, Lowell Ziemann, Jack Anderson, Dennis Glad, Richard Berge, Don
Gilberg
Philip Quanbeck Sr. ’50 was the keynote speaker at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon, and reflected on
“Then and Now, and Now and Then.”
“It seems to me that when Augsburg College is doing its proper work, it is well
aware of its past, but it’s looking not only backward, but forward. Perhaps there
is in our future something new, and we should be looking for it.”
46
Augsburg Now
40-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1970
Front row (L to R): Sandy Swanson Mathisen, Bonnie Risius, Marjorie Tietz Peterson, Donna Hillesland Eastman,
Nikki Rajala, Paulette O. Odegaard, Steve T. Johnson,
Chris Flom Duncan, Karen Dohlen Johnson, LaRhae
Knatterud; Row 2 (L to R): Barbara Ingvalson Anderson,
Lynne Framstad Payne, Dawn Hofstad Stromman, Tim
Strommen, Susan Olson Williams, Barbara Ellefson Ditty,
June Gandrud Perrizo, Julie Thompson Lipelt; Row 3 (L to
R): Gloria Wohlers Hatchinson, Mary Buss, Linda Larson,
Lynn Anderson Haanen, Andrey Olmstead, Cheryl King,
Gary Benson, Pam Jurdy Juul, Marilyn Hass Krambeer;
Row 4 (L to R): Linda Munson Wahlstrom, Judy Benson
Madsen, Sue Lindberg Sorenson, Janet Call Ulvin, Kathie
Gildemeister Erbes, Timothy Toso, Paul Mikelson; Row 5
(L to R): Joyce Engstrom Spector, Mark Francis, David
Ulvin, Terry Nygaard, John Hjelmeland, John Eidsvoog;
Row 6 (L to R): Ray L. Hanson, Jane Cornelison Van
Brunt, Dennis King
25-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1985
Front row (L to R): Nancy (Mackey) Mueller, Jean Taylor,
Terri (Swanberg) Stoner, Shelly Johnson, Carmen
(Elandt) Reibel; Back row (L to R): Ron Winterhalter,
Norm Okerstrom, Jay Myers, Clay Gustafson, Rebecca
(Melgaard) Newton, Kathleen Kuross, Lisa (Erickson)
Gustafson
At the Homecoming Welcome Back Banquet, John Eidsvoog ’70 played
his own arrangements of several popular selections. He has a master’s
degree in jazz composition and has played piano and synthesizers for
numerous movies, TV shows, and CDs. In the ’80s, he was the musical
conductor and pianist for many popular entertainers, including Andy
Gibb, Jaye P. Morgan, and John Davidson. In recent years, Eidsvoog has
worked in music preparation with his wife, Julie ’69, as a composer, orchestrator, and arranger. They currently work with such artists as Burt
Bacharach, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Diana Krall, Michael Bublé,
and Elton John. Eidsvoog’s CDs are available at the Augsburg Bookstore.
Fall 2010
47
alumni class notes
50to move when his home in
Rev. Lloyd Kallevig was forced
Wadena, Minn., was destroyed by a
tornado in June.
61retired teachers who shared
Dennis Kalpin was one of the
their memories in the country
schoolhouse at the Douglas County
(Minn.) fair in August. His career included 40 years of teaching, 47
years of coaching football, plus basketball, softball, track, and baseball.
62Hancock, Mich., and her husAlice (Heikkila) Kinnunen,
band, Eldon, have spent 18 years in
retirement working in Reynosa, Mexico, each winter, building homes for
the poor, distributing goods, helping
with medical care, schooling, etc.
64Minn., retired from the
Rev. Marv Repinski, Austin,
Methodist ministry six years ago,
and is currently serving as interim
pastor at Lansing Methodist Church,
his fifth interim appointment. He
also teaches world religion at Riverland Community College in Owatonna, and serves on the board of
the Austin Symphony Orchestra.
70years with Wells Fargo Bank.
Dakota Synod Assembly of the ELCA
for 30 years of ordained ministry.
David Ulvin, Edina, Minn., served as
the senior commodore for the 2010
Minneapolis Aquatennial. He retired
from teaching music in the St. Paul
school system and now invests in
multi-family residential real estate.
77fessor and chair of the English
Paul Sedio retired after 36
73
Marti Lybeck’s dissertation on
female homosexuality in Germany was named the State University of New York best dissertation in
queer studies last year. She teaches
history at University of WisconsinLaCrosse.
Rev. Gary Wollersheim was reelected to a third six-year term as
bishop of the Northern Illinois Synod
of the ELCA. He serves as co-chairman of the Illinois Council of
Churches and chairman of the Region Five ELCA bishops.
76N.D., joined the staff of
Rev. David Halaas, Williston,
Lutheran Social Services of North
Dakota last summer and works from
its Minot program office. He was
honored by the Western North
Department at Heidelberg University. He is a member of the Tiffin
Glass Collectors Club and he volunteers at the Tiffin Glass Museum,
giving tours and providing information about the glass production.
80Woodbury, Minn., received a
Judy (Carson) Houck ’10 MSW,
Hartford Scholarship in social work.
She and her husband, Lee ’78, await
their first grandchild in January.
Kevin Kuntz joined TopLine Federal
Credit Union in Maple Grove, Minn.,
as senior vice president of sales and
service. Most recently, he was senior
vice president and director of relationship banking at TCF Bank.
52Annabelle (Hanson) ’51,
Rev. Len Dalberg, and his wife,
Solvang, Calif., were honored by
their 4 children and 11 grandchildren on their 60th anniversary at a
seaside restaurant family dinner. Len
is a visitation pastor at Bethania
Lutheran Church in Solvang in his
retirement.
ence and Health at the university
while completing her degree. She
and her husband are blessed with
three adult sons and a daughter-inlaw, all in the metro area.
88board of Caring Bridge.
Janice Aune serves on the
82
Diane (Peterson) Kachel,
Woodbury, Minn., received
her Master of Biological Science degree from the University of Minnesota in April 2010. For the past
four years, she has been assistant
director of the Center for Lung Sci-
89English at University of Mis-
Devoney Looser, professor of
souri, was recently featured in the
university’s research magazine, Illuminations, about her book project, a
63summer to celebrate the completion of a water well that provides
75Class of 1975 have been getting together during the year, espe-
clean drinking water to the village of Okigwe. She is active in the Fullerton Sunrise Rotary Club, which received funding from the Rotary Foundation for the project. She is an associate professor of communications
at California State University-Fullerton and has also taught in Belize as
a Rotary teacher. “It was an enlightening and gratifying experience!”
cially at Advent Vespers and the Auggie Night at the Races. Here, they
enjoy a potluck dinner last summer at Brenda (Hoppes) Cattadoris’
house in Brooklyn Park, Minn. (L to R) Jo Koester, Jennie Hakes, Shirley
(Christianson) Nickel, Brenda (Salberg) Peterson, and Brenda (Hoppes)
Cattadoris.
Carolyn E. Johnson, Fullerton, Calif., traveled to Nigeria in the
48
Bill Reyer, Tiffin, Ohio, is pro-
Augsburg Now
Since reconnecting some years ago, several women from the
97her husband, Justin, Blaine,
99Danielle, Maple Grove, Minn.,
01last summer on Cape Cod. (L to R) Erica Huls, Stacy (Waterman) Newton,
Minn., celebrated the birth of their
daughter, Lauren Reese.
welcomed their first child, Ella Lorraine, on December 14, 2009. Mark
is a juvenile probation officer for Hennepin County and an assistant football
coach for Osseo Senior High School.
Emily (Brinkman) Waldon, Laura Waldon, Sara Thedinga.
Jennifer (Coyle) Rhoads and
Mark Joseph and his wife,
The “Fifth-Floor Girls” from the Class of 2001 enjoyed a mini-vacation
02band, Taher Omar, Brooklyn
04Blaine, Minn., and her hus-
Center, Minn., welcomed a baby
girl, Scarlett Susan, on July 6.
band, Michael, welcomed their new
daughter, Charlotte Marie, on
Feb. 25.
Minneapolis, welcomed their daughter, Lauryn KyJune, on June 11.
073,000-mile bike trip on his
Leah (Spafford) and her hus-
02ter Sølvei Mareta on May 24. She is welcomed by big sisters Lillian and
Signe (Hillestad) and her husband, Aaron McKie ’05, welcomed daugh-
Ellenora.
biography of two 19th-century
British sister writers, Anna Maria
and Jane Porter. The article cites
Devoney as “one of the nation’s
most respected scholars of British
literature and women’s writings.”
Will Schroeder joined Kemin Food
Technologies in Des Moines, Iowa,
as research and development director. He founded and led Blue Sky
Creamery and ice cream start-up
business.
93Tell You a Story,” was shown in 97football coach at Osseo High
Amy Rice’s exhibition, “Let Me
the Central Lakes College Gallery in
Brainerd, Minn., during September.
She is the founder of Spectrum ArtWorks, Minneapolis.
95as vice president, employee
Paul Martin was recently hired
care and center services at the Lincoln National Corporation’s Lincoln
Employer Market’s Group Insurance
team.
Jim Osberg married Jennifer Oberlag
in Hot Springs, Ark., on Sept. 4. He
is a sales rep for Medtronic; they live
in Wayzata, Minn.
Derrin Lamker has been head
School for six years. In a recent interview he credits Augsburg coach
Jack Osberg ’62 as teaching him the
most important lessons of learning
how to build relationships with his
players.
99her husband, Kevin, Vadnais
01
Nicole Warner recently opened
the Milwaukee Chamber Orchestra’s season as mezzo-soprano soloist
in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater. She is the
co-winner of the 2010 Bel Canto Chorus Regional Artists competition.
04a member of the USA
00husband, Larye Pohlman ’98,
Rev. Melissa (Moyle) and her
Brett Cease completed a
bike that he named Tranquility, as
he traveled from New York City
through the Northeast and Canada
on his way home to Bemidji. Go to
www.homeinthewoods.wordpress.com.
Stephanie Malone was hired by CaringBridge as development officer.
Karen Lohr, Flagstaff, Ariz., is
Women’s Sled Hockey Team and
plays in Phoenix on the Coyotes sled
team. She has been a hall director
at Northern Arizona University.
Leah (Holloway) Rudeen and
Heights, Minn., welcomed the arrival
of their third son, Drew Alexander,
on Feb. 26. Drew joins big brothers
Zachary (5) and Grant (3).
Christina (Boe) Anderson,
06who made his onstage debut
Dan Ryan was sworn in as a Rogers,
Minn., police officer in September.
He is a member of the Army Reserves and served time in Iraq. He
completed the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
Steve Herzog is a musician
at the 2010 Fringe Festival in Minneapolis, playing the role of Rick in
“Hollywood Hot!” with the LAB Theater. Previously, he held long-term
engagements with the Mall of America and Carnival Cruise Lines.
08band, David Lange, announce
Kasi (Clauson) and her hus-
the birth of their daughter, Rubi
Mae, on July 6. Kasi is the new head
coach for Augsburg’s women’s
swimming and diving team.
Fall 2010
49
alumni class notes
Running for Joe—an inspiration
Running for Joe … it’s what powered Dan Vogel
through his sixth marathon, one of the most
grueling in the country—the Equinox course
around the University of Alaska campus in Fairbanks. Through 4,000 feet of elevation change
on wooded ski trails and up and down a steep
gravel road with potholes and loose shale, Vogel
ran. It was a on a covered root only two miles
into the race where he rolled his ankle, but kept
running through the pain, the inspiration of Joe
moving him on.
Joe was Joe Vogel, Dan’s cousin who died
last summer after a two-year battle with cancer.
“Why am I doing this?” Dan wrote in the blog
that followed Joe’s last year. “Because I BELIEVE. Joe’s ability to never take life for granted
and make the most out of every day is what inspires me as I train and prepare for this race.”
Dan Vogel graduated from Augsburg in
2005. He ran cross country and track and majored in marketing. Several
quick experiences in the
business world
taught him,
though, that
sales and marketing—even when
his team earned
record-breaking
revenues—were
Dan Vogel ’05 honors his cousin Joe
not for him.
at www.runningforjoe.weebly.com
09sang under her stage name,
Anna Dybdahl, who formerly
Arianna, recently released a new
single, “Fields of Gold,” on iTunes.
Go to www.annadybdahl.com.
and educator who founded a company, Jesenia Morales LLC, to work
with women in small start-ups. She
also teaches non-traditional students as an adjunct faculty member
in the business department at National American University.
07Hodgdon ’04, announce the
Andrea (Slack) and Clint
birth of their daughter, Elizabeth
Idelle, born May 24. They live in
Savage, Minn.
08Sandy were married on July
Cristina (Quick) and Sama
Graduate Programs
10award as an English Teaching
Laura Schoen ’09 MSW married
Jeremy Liila on March 27 in Minneapolis. She works at Meridian
Services.
Augsburg Now
Jesenia Morales ’08 MBA is a
Naomi Muellner joined Portfolio Recovery Associates in Norfolk, Va., in
July as vice president, Bankruptcy
Services.
Jody Giza ’04 PA joined Lakewood
Health System as a physician
assistant.
Assistant in Malaysia this year.
06coach, strategist, accountant,
BETSEY NORGARD
Bethany Hellerich received a Fulbright award as an English Teaching
Assistant in Indonesia.
Nou Chang received a Fulbright
50
“I learned quickly after being hired by
Augsburg cross country and track coach Dennis Barker that I work much better with people
in person,” Vogel says. “My friends and family
recognized that I had a passion for helping
people improve their lives, whether in athletics, school, or life in general.” And Joe’s story
on CaringBridge made him realize that
“there’s much more to life than working a boring job and earning money.”
So, as he says, he left his formal attire and
skyscraper cubicle and found a perfect fit with
the AmeriCorps VISTA program in Fairbanks at
an at-risk youth drop-in center. There he hosts
a radio show with his youth clients as guest
DJs who also tell their stories, and he started
music lessons with donated instruments.
“At the same time,” Vogel says, “my heart
is still in Minnesota with my friends and family.” I can’t wait to pick up where I left off
back home and look for a similar job helping
at-risk youth in Minneapolis.”
Running for Joe was indeed powerful
enough to get Vogel through the Equinox
marathon, injured and exhausted and into
25th place out of 370 runners. “Had I not ruined my ankle,” he says, “I was shooting for a
top-10 finish under 3:30:00.” Although he
has a personal best of 2:49:47 for a road
marathon, he’ll look for that same goal in the
next trail marathon he runs for Joe.
Kim Stone, director of alumni and
constituent relations, and her husband, Jason, welcomed their son,
Evan, on July 24.
24. Auggies in the wedding were
groomsmen Greg Hildebrandt ’08
and Derek Francis ’08; bridesmaids
Katie LaGrave ’08 and Halen (Haley)
Bower ’08; usher Bryan Ludwig ’08;
personal attendant Bethany George
’11; and singers Andrew Johnson ’07
and Maria (Mitchell) Helgerson ’07.
Send us your news and photos
In Memoriam
Oliver C. Severson ’31, Minneapolis, age 100, on November 4,
2009.
Amy Ruth Schmidt ’54, Waterloo,
Iowa, age 78, on June 14.
Signe (Berg) Halverson ’36, Dallas, Wis., age 95, on July 25.
Clayton Brandt ’57, Richfield,
Minn., age 78, on November 19,
2009.
Ethel (Sinner) Shebeck ’38, Langford, S.D., age 93, on November
14, 2009.
Sandra (Solseth) Hopkins ’59,
Golden Valley, Minn., age 71, on
May 16, 2009.
Gerald Person ’39, San Diego,
Calif., age 93, on June 27.
Richard M. Olson ’59, New Hope,
Minn., age 79, on October 17,
2009.
Reynold M. “Eric” Erickson ’41,
White Bear Lake, Minn., age 89,
on January 22.
Lowell Formo ’41, Meza, Ariz., age
91, on August 20.
Mary Lou (Heusser) Wesley ’41,
Seattle, Wash., age 90, on October 6, 2009.
Agnes (Mortensen) Mosling ’48,
age 87, on January 3.
Elizabeth “Betty” (Westphal) Peterson ’48, New London, Minn., age
83, on June 25.
Dr. Ordean L. Torstenson ’63,
Madison, Wis., age 69, on July
20. He was faculty member in
the Department of Family Medicine at University of Wisconsin
and named Pediatrician of the
Year by the American Academy of
Pediatricians. Distinguished
Alumnus, 1999.
Clarence C. “Pete” Hansen ’53,
Lakeville, Minn., age 78, on January 12.
Duane Myrin ’53, St. Cloud,
Minn., age 79, on February 13.
Ints Busevics ’54, Minneapolis,
age 80, on August 9.
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
James Dahlager ’71, age 60, on
July 31, 2009.
Paul A. Green ’51, Roseville,
Minn., age 82, on January 7.
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
David Lyle ’64, Sun Prairie, Wis.,
age 68, on June 9, 2009.
Russell Manthie ’49, St. Ignatius,
Mont., age 81, on December 4,
2009.
Carol (Watson) Schweizer ’50,
Minneapolis, age 81, on
January 8.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
Stanley Spangenberg ’64, Lake
Jackson, Texas, age 67, on August 24.
Robert C. Carlson ’50, Sioux Falls,
S.D., age 84, on August 18.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
Rev. Orville K. Anderson ’64, Sioux
Falls, S.D., age 68, on August 1.
Robert Lehman ’49, South
Williamsport, Pa., age 84, on
July 5.
John Werket ’49, Sun City West,
Ariz., age 85, on June 4. He was
a world champion speed skater
and competed in the 1948,
1952, and 1956 Winter
Olympics. Distinguished Alumnus, 1972.
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
Kay (Schiller) Trapp ’76, Shoreview, Minn., age 55, on May 10,
2009.
Katharine (Bushell) Durr ’80, Hillsborough, N.J., age 48, on February 3.
Steve Nelson ’81, Cottage Grove,
Minn., age 50, on January 4.
David R. Schroer ’89, Shoreview,
Minn., age 44, on February 12,
2009.
Pamela (Tevlin) Christensen ’92,
Plymouth, Minn., age 53, on October 6, 2009.
Patrick D. Schmid ’95, South
Range, Mich., age 41, on
August 29.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Employer
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Michelle Hollie ’07, MAL student,
Minneapolis, on August 8.
____________________________________________________________
Matthew Gill ’09, Castle Rock,
Colo., on September 18, 2009.
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Fall 2010
51
my
Auggie experience
A pilgrimage to find my college mentor: Professor F. Mark Davis
gether in the classroom (including a course in his specialty, Chaucer)
and in department meetings (I was a student appointee to faculty
meetings). He and his wife, Kay, once hosted Nancy and me in their
south Minneapolis home at a gathering of English majors. He even
had made the one-hour trip by car to Monticello to visit our hometown and meet my parents.
More amazing than finding him after months of occasional
searches was the discovery of his home in retirement in Silver
Spring, Md., just weeks before my five-day visit to the same area.
One evening, I determined, could be devoted to meeting with my
mentor whom I had not seen since the early ’70s.
Mark was waiting outside the entrance to his building in their
sprawling retirement community. The professor I knew when he was
nearing 38 (I was 22) appeared somewhat like the man in the 1970
picture that carried. For the next hour and a half, the four of us sat
in their apartment, reflecting on careers, family
and grandchildren, travel, what we read today,
retirement activities, people from Augsburg we
mutually knew.
There were parallels in our lives: We both have
sons in the San Francisco Bay Area. We chose
our retirement cities to be near grandchildren.
We have downsized from larger, single-family
homes to urban housing complexes. We reflected, with personal satisfaction, on our working lives—college professor and dean of students
In 1970, Donald Q. Smith ’70 invited his mentor, English
Davis (right) and Smith, both now retired, were reunited
Department chair F. Mark Davis, to his parents’ home in
when the former student successfully searched for his
(Mark), weekly newspapering (Don) and K-12 edMonticello, Minn.
advisor and visited him in suburban Washington, D.C.
ucation (Kay and Nancy).
Time didn’t permit reminiscing about the courses we shared at
And then came vital help from a most unlikely source: a financial
Augsburg ... or how a former English major and a professor later aprecruiter combing a list of alumni in the Northwest. We had a friendly
plied their studies in different pursuits. Nor did we reflect on the frevisit for an hour in a downtown Portland hotel, which ended cordially,
even though I revealed that our estate planning directs an educational quent campus turbulence during the ’60s from protests against the
Vietnam War to the necessary demands for justice and equality by
gift not to Augsburg but rather to the foundation of the shared high
school of my wife, Nancy, and me. That was acceptable to David Ben- both black Americans and women.
As a gift, I brought a Wright-signed copy of Driving to Vernonia for
son, who then asked: “Is there anything I can do for you?”
Davis. In the fictional “Vernonia,” Edmund’s search for mentor
“Yes, find Mark Davis!” I abruptly responded.
Richard Vickerman was (in the author’s words) “awkward, suspenseThat he did, querying a contact at Augsburg I had not tried. First
ful and tinged with risk.” Not so for me. Rather my personal (and
to come to me from Benson was a chronology of Davis's educational
successful) drive to find Mark Davis was easy to do, without risk, and
degrees and positions. That led to an e-mail to his undergraduate
fulfilling.
school in Tennessee (Bryan College), which forwarded my e-mail to
him. Within days, an e-mail arrived from my one-time professor.
DONALD Q. SMITH ’70
Davis, who had come to Augsburg as English Department chair in
Former editor and publisher of the Monticello, Minn., Times; he lives in Portland,
1968 when I was a junor, expressed delight at the contact. During
Ore., where he occasionally writes “Don’s Column”-like pieces as if he still has a
his first two years in Minneapolis, we spent considerable time tonewspaper deadline. He can be reached at donaldqsmith@yahoo.com.
Courtesy photos
“Who in your life do you consider your mentors?”
Oregon author George Wright’s inquiry to me came from his own
experience of locating a long-lost store manager who had once befriended him. Twenty-five years later, a search by Wright led to a reunion and frequent luncheon meetings. Pondering the importance of
positive influences, especially in one’s early years, gave Wright a plot
line for his 2009 book, Driving to Vernonia.
I recently followed the lead of Wright’s protagonist, Edmund
Kirby-Smith, whose search for his mentor takes him to a small Oregon town. I sought an important teacher in my life: Augsburg College
English advisor Professor F. Mark Davis.
Finding Davis was no small challenge. Internet searches were
fruitless. No Augsburg contacts I made were helpful. A letter to another retired English professor revealed that Davis when leaving Minneapolis became a dean of a small, unidentified college in the East.
52
Augsburg Now
an
augsburg legacy
Hazel Thorson Stoeckeler
“While I’m not an Auggie by degree …
I know Augsburg makes such a difference
for so many students. Through my
charitable gift annuities, I know my gifts
will make a difference for future Auggies,
and I receive added financial security.”
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
City Service Day
On the day before fall semester classes began,
first-year students contributed more than
1,500 service hours by cleaning, painting,
gardening, and helping out in the community.
Here, a student works at In the Heart of the
Beast Theatre.
Show less
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:29 AM Page 1
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2010
VOL. 71, NO. 3
inside
out of the
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Peace Prize Forum 2010
Lutefisk and a legacy In the neighborhood
Travel
Learning t... Show more
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:29 AM Page 1
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2010
VOL. 71, NO. 3
inside
out of the
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Photo
Years
of Life-Changing
contest winners Peace Prize Forum 2010
Lutefisk and a legacy In the neighborhood
Travel
Learning to learn Pursuing an ideal education
page
20
Connecting
the dots for good IGNITE program
box
Auggies
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:29 AM Page 2
Editor
Betsey Norgard
norgard@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
notes
from President Pribbenow
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Multiply your mind by giving it away
Photographer
a
Webmaster/Now Online
s this issue of Augsburg Now illustrates, the
Augsburg community is engaged in many efforts and initiatives that are best characterized as innovative—or “out-of-the-box,” as they’re
called here. In fact, I believe deeply that there is
something about Augsburg and its mission that
lends itself to this sort of entrepreneurial spirit,
this willingness to try new ways of doing things in
service to our students and neighbors. Just think of
the last 30 years of new programs at Augsburg—
the Weekend College; the expansion to seven graduate programs; the Augsburg campus at Bethel
Lutheran Church in Rochester and at St. Stephen
Lutheran Church in Bloomington; the Augsburg
Core Curriculum ––(AugCore), with its expansive
framework for educating students in the liberal arts
and in the world; the CLASS office, providing support for students with learning differences; the
StepUP program, meeting the needs of students recovering from addictions; and the list goes on and
on. All examples of how Augsburg is on the leading
edge of providing an excellent education in new
and innovative ways.
I’ve recently been reading literature on helping
organizations to embrace and sustain a culture of
innovation—that is, to create organizational cultures that are constantly looking for new and different ways to do things, to make products, to deliver
services; to save souls, educate students, heal the
sick. Recently, I happened upon the writing of
Mark Federman, a Canadian scholar whose writings on innovation include this provocative suggestion: “Multiply your mind by giving it away.” And
Federman means exactly what he says—be generous, be charitable, give instead of always taking.
Because when you are generous with your mind,
with your knowledge and education, you help to
create organizations and neighborhoods and agencies and churches and schools that are marked not
by the scarcity of the world but by the abundance
of what’s possible when generosity of mind and
heart and spirit is our guiding principle.
How will you give away your mind in the communities and organizations you serve? I constantly find
examples of such generosity of mind right here in
the Augsburg community, and you’ll see them in
the stories featured here. For example, I’m struck
by the ways in which staff member Brian Noy and
his many colleagues who run our Campus Kitchen
program are illustrating this generosity of mind and
spirit. In addition to the ongoing preparation and
delivery of 2,000 meals a month they serve to our
neighbors in Phillips and Cedar-Riverside, they
have focused our attention on the important role
that food plays in our lives—as sustenance for our
bodies, as fellowship for our community, as politics
and economics in our neighborhood and world.
They have multiplied their minds by giving them
away to all of us. And the results are staggering—
a community garden on the edge of campus that
brings together neighbors and students and children, a Farmers Market that brings organic farmers
from across the region to campus, composting of
leftover everything in the cafeteria, and so much
more—abundance through generosity.
The gift of an education, an Augsburg education, calls all of us to this generous undertaking of
multiplying your mind and knowledge and experience by giving it away so that it serves God’s abundant intentions for God’s people and world. That is
the sort of innovation that is at the heart of
Augsburg’s mission and vision. I’m proud to share
in this significant work.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Jeff Shelman
shelman@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
healyk@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
Telephone: 612-330-1181
Fax: 612-330-1780
au
w
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:30 AM Page 3
spring 2010
Features
10
14
6
10
14
10th annual International Programs Photo Contest
2010 Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Lutefisk, a log cabin, and a 50-year legacy
by Betsey Norgard
17 auggies
out of the box
20
34
20 Pursuing an ideal education
by Wendi Wheeler ’06
23 In the neighborhood
contents
by Jeff Shelman
28
augsburg now
Departments
2
5
8
9
37
40
44
Around the Quad
Auggies on the ice
Auggie voices
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
My Auggie experience
25 Learning to learn—without any A, B, Cs
by Jeff Shelman
28 Connecting the dots for good
by Bryan Barnes
31 IGNITE-ing Auggie spirit
by Betsey Norgard
34 The Bod Pod
by Betsey Norgard
36 Out of the box partnerships
by Rebecca John
On the cover
It’s impossible to arrange many of the programs, people, and
partnerships at Augsburg neatly into a box. With their creative
perspectives and unique features, the stories here show how
Augsburg often looks and acts “out-of-the-box.”
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 4
around the
quad
Auggies win 11th national wrestling title
With eight All-Americans and three national runner-up individuals, the Augsburg College wrestling team claimed its 11th
NCAA Division III national title in the last 20 seasons in March
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Augsburg finished with 110.5 points, 10 points better than
second-place Wisconsin-La Crosse’s 100.5. Defending national
champion Wartburg (Iowa) was third with 83.5 points, Coe
(Iowa) was fourth with 76.0 points, and Delaware Valley (Pa.)
was fifth with 50.5 points.
In his second year as Augsburg’s head wrestling coach, Mark
Matzek ’05 was named Division III National Coach of the Year
by the National Wrestling Coaches Association—and at age 27,
is the youngest head coach to ever win a Division III wrestling
national title. Augsburg assistant head coach Jared Evans ’07
was named National Assistant Coach of the Year by the NWCA.
“It was nine individual efforts that created this team national
championship,” Matzek said. “I’m proud of each and every one
of the guys who wrestled, and I’m proud of each and every one
of the guys in this program.”
The final session of the tournament completed a unique first
for the Auggies—the first time Augsburg has won a national
title without an individual national titlist. The feat has occurred
just twice before in the 37-year history of the Division III championships.
Have you seen the new signs?
The new LED “Augsburg” atop Mortensen Hall now serves as a
beacon to commuters who pass by on Interstate 94 and as a marker
of Augsburg’s location. To read more and see a video of the
construction, go to the “Auggie Sign” page on Facebook.
Photo by Caleb Williams
Auggie wrestlers, students, families, and friends
celebrated Augsburg’s 11th national championship.
2
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 5
Augsburg receives five Fulbright awards
In the past weeks, three Augsburg students, one faculty member, and the
Center for Global Education have all been notified that they have received
Fulbright awards for next year.
May graduates Jens Olsen and Heidi Le will both teach English in
Vietnam during the 2010-11 academic year. Bethany Hellerich, a 2009
graduate who is spending this year as a member of the Lutheran Volunteer
Corps, will teach English in Indonesia. All three have plans to further their
education after their year abroad, as Olsen will apply to medical school, Le
has deferred admission to pharmacy school, and Hellerich is interested in
a public health graduate program.
Seven Augsburg students have been awarded Fulbrights over the past
three years and the College has been recognized as a top producer of winners. Hellerich said Augsburg’s Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity office (URGO) deserves credit for working with students and
pushing them to believe that they can have success.
“I’m just fortunate that [URGO director] Dixie Shafer exists and magical
things happen when she works with you on your application,” Hellerich
said. “She’s very helpful with giving good and detailed feedback.”
English professor Colin Irvine will spend the next academic year traveling the length of Norway as a Fulbright Roving Scholar in American Studies.
Courtesy photo
College mourns the death of faculty
Professor Don Steinmetz, who
taught in the Languages and
Cross-Cultural Studies Department for 41 years, died of an
apparent heart attack on Dec.
28. He was 71. His son, Erik
Steinmetz, is a member of
Augsburg’s Computer Science
Donald Steinmetz
Myles Stenshoel
Department faculty.
Don Steinmetz served as chair of the department and taught
courses in German and Spanish. He also taught Chinese and linguistics within the Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities consortium.
Professor Emeritus Myles Stenshoel died on March 26 following
a short illness. He taught at Augsburg for 28 years and continued
to teach part time in retirement. In 1965 he came to Augsburg and
established the Political Science Department the following year. His
interests were in politics and religion, and he was deeply committed to social action.
Also mourned is Neal Thorpe ’60, former faculty member and a
Distinguished Alumnus, who died in Vancouver, Wash., on March 3.
Jens Olsen and Heidi Le
Colin Irvine
In this role, Irvine will prepare presentations on American studies topics and visit schools across Norway to provide opportunities for Norwegian
teenagers to learn about the United States. Based in Oslo, he will likely give
between 250 and 300 presentations across the country.
“I’ve always been interested in the possibility of working or teaching
overseas,” Irvine said. “This roving scholar program was perfect.”
In addition, the Center for Global Education also received its fifth
Fulbright-Hays Group Project award and will host a four-week curriculum
development program for teachers during July and August in Namibia.
Editor’s Note
The last issue of the Now had a story, “Augsburg’s first
travel to Egypt.” Alas, we have received a note from social work Professor Emerita Edwina (Eddie) Hertzberg,
who tells us it isn’t so.
“In 1979, for the January Interim, the College sponsored a course, Social Services and Public Policy in a Developing Country: Egypt, 1979,” she writes. “I was the
faculty instructor, assisted by former adjunct professor
Nagwa Farag and two of her colleagues from Helwan
University in Cairo. My request to Professor Farag
had been that we get as close to Egyptian people
as possible so that our experience include the
depth that only such engagement can provide.
Eleven students, Augsburg and St. Olaf,
from a variety of disciplines, participated in
the month-long program. … [I]t was a remarkable educational and life-impacting
experience for us all, students and faculty alike.”
Spring 2010
3
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 6
around the
quad
Yi started out the semester in the back of the room, about as far
away from me as possible. He showed relatively little interest; his
homework and test grades were poor. Yet when I called on him he
responded with reasonable answers. Like others hiding in the
back row, Yi had potential; he just needed some personal attention and prodding. I took to writing notes on his homework encouraging him to move forward and talk to me. One afternoon he
appeared in my office, and we talked for an hour about many
things—about the class, how he came to United International
College (UIC), and his goals. Eventually he closed the office door
and wanted to talk about the injuries his uncle experienced in
Tiananmen Square in 1989. But the fear was still too great and
he left. Yi did move forward, began to interact with me, and soon
his work, tests, and comments improved remarkably. He began to
enjoy thinking philosophically.
Through a special arrangement, Augsburg made it possible for
me to teach philosophy during the fall semester at UIC in Zhuhai,
China. In three classes I was privileged to work with 120 bright
Chinese students. A new, English-medium liberal arts college on
the mainland, UIC is an experiment to provide a more Western
style of education to the Chinese. China is dramatically changing
as it attempts to educate its population, and UIC is one of eight
brand-new universities built in Zhuhai in the last 10 years.
“I told my students that part of my mission was to
corrupt them, to move them from the passive state
of being excellent note-takers and regurgitators of
teachers’ PowerPoints to being able to think and
question for themselves.”
In Introduction to Philosophy we read Plato’s Apology, where
Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth by getting them to
question those in authority who claimed that they knew when they
really didn’t. I told my students that part of my mission was to corrupt them, to move them from the passive state of being excellent
note-takers and regurgitators of teachers’ PowerPoints to being
able to think and question for themselves. By the end of the term
over half of the students were engaging me in the classroom discussion, raising questions and objections and making the class
their own.
Courtesy photo
Philosophy, religion, and Chinese food
Professor Bruce Reichenbach with students (from left) Daisy, Serena, and Charlene enjoy
noodles and discussion after class in Zhuhai, China.
My Philosophy of Religion students and I would walk down to
the student canteen on Friday for lunch and conversation. Jiang
sat next to me and between bites of noodles asked, “Do you really
believe in God?” Teaching Philosophy of Religion provided both a
challenge and opportunity, as both the students and I looked for a
common ground of understanding between our two cultures and
worldviews. Once the initial barriers of passive learning were put to
rest, the classroom boiled with discussion, questions, challenges,
and good humor. Here, too, the students would linger. Tony periodically stayed around for an hour, his phenomenology book in hand,
to inquire how Heidegger would view these ideas. Self taught in
philosophy, he was eager to connect the course ideas with his own
reading.
Three Augsburg students and four recent graduates, serving as
teaching assistants, also joined the UIC community, providing
cross-cultural connections that will continue to develop as students and faculty visit each other’s campuses in the years ahead.
At the end of the term two of my classes took my wife and me to
Chinese restaurants to show their appreciation. We toasted friendship and a wonderful semester as we affirmed that we all liked philosophy and Chinese food.
BRUCE REICHENBACH
Professor of philosophy
4
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 7
Auggies on the ice
Chris Johnson—A third-generation hockey star
Chris Johnson certainly has an impressive hockey pedigree.
Chris is the son of Mark Johnson, a member of the fabled “Miracle on Ice” 1980 U.S. Olympic team, a pro hockey star, and coach
of the 2010 U.S. Olympic women’s silver-medal hockey squad.
He’s the grandson of “Badger” Bob Johnson, one of the greatest
coaches in American hockey history—who also happened to attend
Augsburg for a year before transferring to the University of
Wisconsin. And his siblings all played hockey on various teams.
But Chris Johnson has also made a name for himself as a leader
of the Auggie men’s hockey team. A native of Verona, Wis.,
Johnson had a terrific career as an Auggie, scoring 41 goals with
74 assists for 115 points in his 104-game career. He had a goal or
assist in 15 of Augsburg’s 27 games this season, including seven
multiple-point efforts.
Johnson’s squads reached the MIAC postseason
playoffs in three of his four seasons, including two
with him as team captain. He earned All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
honors all four seasons and All-American
honors last year.
Off the ice, Johnson will also be remembered as a top hockey
player. He’s a member of Augsburg’s Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee and has helped lead hockey ministry and Bible-study
groups of student-athletes. He’s also worked with the Herb Brooks
Foundation’s “Rink Rats” program, teaching hockey skills to students from the Seward Montessori School. Johnson is a finance
major with a 3.4 GPA.
“Hockey was everywhere when we were growing up, in a good
way, not in a pressure way,” Johnson told columnist Rachel Blount
of the Star Tribune in a January feature. “We all got to play at the
same high school as my dad. He taught us that even though we
might have a last name that helps, it doesn’t matter if you don’t
work hard. But he also told us that at the end of the day, it’s all
about having fun.”
This season was a special one for the Johnson family.
Since the U.S. women’s hockey team was based at the
Schwan Super Rink in Blaine, Minn., prior to the
Olympics, Mark—who took a leave of absence from his
job as coach of the University of Wisconsin women’s
hockey team to lead the Olympic squad—had ample opportunities to be with his son in the Twin Cities. Mark
attended several of his son’s games at Augsburg, and
the two met weekly for dinner and father-son bonding.
In a “Profiles of Excellence” feature on the
CollegeSportingNews.com website by Rich Mies in
January, Chris Johnson said that his experience at
Augsburg has been a positive one. “I’ve received a great education here,” he said, “and
I cherish the relationships I’ve made here
with teammates, coaches, teachers, and
friends. I’ve grown up a lot while I’ve
been here.”
He also said he may consider
following in his father’s and
grandfather’s footsteps and
coach hockey someday.
DON STONER
Spring 2010
5
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 8
International Programs
1
Photo
Contest
Portraits
1st place: Matt Anderson
“Soccer at Le Sacré Coeur”
Paris, France
2nd place: Sandra Meyer
“Yes”
Managua, Nicaragua
3rd place: Dan Thewis
“Friday at Al-Azhar Mosque”
Cairo, Egypt
Landscape/cityscape
1
1st place: Norah Thompson
“Villa Joyosa, España”
Madrid, Spain
2nd place: Malena Thoson
“Municipal Dump”
Managua, Nicaragua
3rd place: Elizabeth Robinson
“Work Will Set You Free”
Berlin, Germany
Photojournalism
1st place: Dan Thewis
“Cairo at Midnight”
Cairo, Egypt
2nd place: Norah Thompson
“El niño en Madrid”
Madrid, Spain
6
Augsburg Now
1
3rd place: Sandra Meyer
“Nonchalant”
Managua, Nicaragua
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:31 AM Page 9
3
2
3
3
2009
2
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
2
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:32 AM Page 10
auggie voices
How girlfriends do theology
“Doing Theology with Girlfriends,” or DTwG as it is known, is
not your typical Bible study.
Sonja Hagander, associate pastor at Augsburg, started DTwG
because students told her they wanted a Bible study on campus.
“But you can’t always call it a ‘Bible study,’” Hagander says,
“because that means it’s difficult or boring or only for people
who already understand the Bible.”
So DTwG gives women at Augsburg a chance to connect, to
support each other, and to relate their own life experiences to
scripture. This group of girlfriends gathers once a month to share
stories of their lives and to “do” theology.
The idea for DTwG came as Hagander reflected on how she
loved spending time with her own girlfriends and on the importance of relating to other women. When the group gathers each
month, one woman shares a story from her life. The others then
share their own feelings and memories related to the story.
Hagander chooses a reading or two from the Bible, which the
women use to dig deeper into their experiences. Finally, they ask
how what they’ve learned might change their daily lives or the
way they practice their faith.
On the last Monday in January, one student talked about what
it means to “truly experience” nature as she related the story of
her family’s vacation in Denali National Park. “I sat there for
hours, looking out for miles, reflecting and praying and trying to
figure out my place within God’s beautiful creation,” she said.
8
Augsburg Now
Hagander passed out copies of Psalm 23, and the girlfriends
identified their own green pastures and still waters. For one, a
late-night jog around the lakes in Minneapolis was a way for
her to connect to nature. Another experienced the majesty of
creation while watching the sunrise over the Grand Canyon.
Then Hagander asked the group to examine the dark and destructive side of nature using Job’s account of a fire-breathing,
stone-hearted leviathan. This led to a discussion about the
massive loss of life caused by the earthquakes in Haiti. One
woman marveled at the faith that kept some people alive as
they waited for days to be pulled from the rubble of destroyed
homes, churches, and schools.
“Today is a gift that we get to use in the best way possible,”
Hagander said, asking how the women could take this discussion into their lives.
This hour wasn’t a gab session or group therapy. But it
wasn’t an ordinary Bible study either. There were no right answers or theologically sound interpretations. Just coffee and
tea, comfortable chairs, a pink candle, and a chance to share.
That is how girlfriends do theology.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Back row (L to R): Amy Wenzel, Whitney Pratt, Pastor Sonja Hagander, Ally Streed,
Sara Thiry, Emily Wiles; Front row (L to R): Lonna Field, Carly Facchini, Dixie Scruggs,
Marrta Wyatt, Angelica Erickson, Sylvia Bull
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:32 AM Page 11
it takes an
Auggie
A young woman meets her many grandmothers
Last year, Krystal Mattison ’10 studied in Korea. Many students
who study abroad are profoundly affected by the experience. For
Mattison, a history and American Indian studies major from St.
Paul, spending the year abroad was a life-changing opportunity to
bond with her new grandmothers.
Mattison is the granddaughter of a “comfort woman.” During
World War II, thousands of Korean women were forced into sexual
slavery by the Japanese military. Some of these women did not survive their ordeal, and many were unable to have children as a result of their treatment. Furthermore, the women were unable to
talk about their experiences until many years later.
Her grandmother died when Mattison was five years old, but she
heard the story from her father. While in Korea, Mattison spent
time at the House of Sharing, an organization in Seoul that houses
and cares for the surviving comfort women. She says that after she
told them about her grandmother, the women became her adopted
grandmothers (halmonis), even giving her the Korean name
Soo-Jeong. “They spoiled me, holding my hands and feeding me,”
she says.
She learned from the women, who now think of themselves not
as victims but as survivors and activists, that speaking out against
violence is an important part of the healing process. “This experience brought me so much completion that I had to do something.”
That “something” was to connect with Jessica Nathanson, assistant professor of women’s studies and director of Augsburg’s
Women’s Resource Center. After Mattison shared her grandmother’s story and her own experience in Korea, the center agreed
to donate the proceeds from its annual benefit performance of The
Vagina Monologues to the House of Sharing.
Eve Ensler’s episodic play began off-Broadway in 1996. Each
year The Vagina Monologues and other theatrical productions are
presented across the country by women on college campuses on
V-Day, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls.
“Since the purpose of performing this show is to fight violence
against women by raising awareness about the issue and funds for
organizations who do this work, we feel like it was a tremendously
successful event,” says Nathanson. “The performances were excellent,” she adds, “beautifully and powerfully delivered.”
This year’s production raised more than $800 through ticket
sales and donations, which amounts to 940,000 Korean won.
“This is such a personal issue for me, and I think it’s amazing that
the women of Augsburg took it on,” Mattison says. At the end of
each Augsburg performance, Mattison gave a speech about her
grandmother. “I felt like she was there with me.”
The Vagina Monologues was directed by Julia Sewell, a senior
psychology major from Minneapolis. The cast included Irene Abdullah, Veronica Berg, Kia Burton, Amber Davis, Rebecca
Dickinson, Sarah Gillund, Annika Gunderson, Lucreshia Grant,
Elizabeth Hanson, Brandy Hyatt, Valencia McMurray, Lily Morris,
Kris Ness, Magdalen Ng, Shannon O’Brien, Yasameen Sajady,
Leann Vice-Reshel, Rochelle Weidner, and Courtney Wiley.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
During Krystal Mattison’s year in Korea, she became friends with women, like her own
grandmother, called “comfort women,” who were abused by the Japanese military
during World War II. These survivors became grandmothers to her, and this year she
found a way to help support them.
Spring 2010
9
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:33 AM Page 12
THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
10
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:34 AM Page 13
THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
Striving for Peace
A Question of Will
March 5–6, 2010
In cooperation with the Norwegian Nobel Institute, five Midwestern colleges of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) sponsor the
annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum. The colleges,
all founded by Norwegian immigrants, sponsor
the forum to give recognition to Norway’s international peace efforts and to offer opportunities
for Nobel Peace laureates, diplomats, scholars,
students, and the general public to engage in dialogue on the dynamics of peacemaking and the
underlying causes of conflict and war.
The Peace Prize Forum is the Nobel Institute’s only such program or academic affiliation
outside Norway.
Augsburg College
Augustana College
Concordia College
Luther College
St. Olaf College
This year’s Peace Prize Forum was held March 5
and 6 on the Augsburg College campus, and honored the work of 2008 Nobel Peace Prize winner
Martti Ahtisaari, former president of Finland.
The other plenary speakers were Kjell Magne
Bondevik, president of the Oslo Center for Peace
and Human Rights, and Leymah Gbowee, executive director of Women Peace and Security
Network-Africa.
Prior to the forum, the 15th annual Peace Prize
Festival brought together approximately 800
school children and youth to learn about the importance and influence of the Nobel Peace Prize
and to honor President Ahtisaari.
For more photos of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum and
Peace Prize Festival, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Spring 2010
11
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:34 AM Page 14
THE 22ND ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
The Peace Prize Forum is grateful for the support of our sponsors:
this year’s host, Augsburg College, for providing the platform and for staging this
important event. Together, with all of you
in the audience, I look forward to learning
from a leader this evening, a man who’s
been inspiring in his steadfast belief in
peace and transformative in his approach.
May we all leave this conference energized
by the power of one voice and committed
to engaging collaboratively with each other
to further the process of achieving peace.
Thank you.”
Alex Gonzalez ’90 (right), Thrivent Financial for Lutherans,
and Pribbenow meet Ahtisaari.
Ann Parriott, vice president for human resources at H.B. Fuller, extended greetings at
the forum’s opening ceremony.
“Good evening. It’s a pleasure to be here
with you tonight to help introduce this year’s
conference. H.B. Fuller Company is honored
to serve as the lead sponsor for the 2010
Nobel Peace Prize Forum. We’re delighted
to help welcome our very special guest
speaker, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti
Ahtisaari, and pleased to help and encourage ongoing dialogue and discussion on the
topic of peace and conflict resolution.
“As a company operating in more than
100 countries for many of our 120-plus
years, H.B. Fuller has long embraced the
value of diverse global perspectives to solve
problems, address challenges, and maximize opportunities in the business sector.
We are truly excited to help bring this year’s
program to you and by so doing help provide a platform for dialogue, discussion,
and diverse perspectives on an issue that
affects all of us as global citizens.
“We salute the Norwegian Nobel Institute and our academic sponsors, including
12
Augsburg Now
Alex Gonzalez ’90 represented Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans™ at the forum.
Parriott poses with President Martti Ahtisaari (center)
and President Pribbenow.
Ann and Todd Parriott converse with Augsburg’s MBA
director, Steve Zitnick (left).
“As a faith-based membership organization,
Thrivent Financial seeks to help enable its
members to demonstrate their care and concern for others. While organizationally it
does not have a global focus, Thrivent Financial does help its members have a global
impact through programs such as Thrivent
Builds Worldwide and through various
Lutheran relief organizations that have a
global reach.”
Alex Gonzalez, FIC, CLTC, is a partner
with the Stonebridge Group. He is a 1990
Augsburg graduate and a member of the
Augsburg College Board of Regents.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:34 AM Page 15
Tim McGough (center) greets Ahtisaari and Pribbenow.
McGough Construction and “Bright Green”
As a result of their extensive experience
with “green” construction and knowledge
of sustainable building practices and products, McGough has created the Bright
Green sustainable program. A guiding
principle of the program is to find creative
ways to apply sustainable practices to construction projects in a cost-effective manner. This would include exploring
techniques for reducing waste and applying eco-friendly operating practices.
McGough has adopted green strategies
throughout their company to test cleaning
products and utilize advanced recycling
strategies. This focus on energy conservation and minimizing waste enables it to
export these practices to the construction
site and provide useful advice to clients.
The centerpiece of Bright Green is the
Center of Excellence. The Center of
Excellence consists of several sustainability
specialists who can provide information and
advice to organizations who are considering
the implementation of criteria developed by
the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
or adopting proven practices to reduce the
negative environmental impacts of building
design and construction.
The center draws upon outside research
and industry data, as well as lessons
learned “on the ground” from McGough
Construction projects. Indeed, McGough is
a long-standing member of the USGBC
and is a founding sponsor of the local
Mississippi Headwaters Chapter in Minnesota. The sustainability specialists in
the Center of Excellence maintain active
roles in local chapter committees, enabling them to stay well-informed about
the most recent developments in sustainable design and construction.
McGough, in collaboration with
Augsburg, will apply these practices
to the Center for Science, Business, and
Religion.
Kjell Magne Bondevik, president of the Oslo
Center for Peace and Human Rights, spoke in
dialogue with President Ahtisaari at the forum.
“In the long term, we can never win the
fight [against terrorism] by military means.
We need to find out why people are willing
to give their lives and we need to address
the root causes of terrorism.”
Nordic Home Interiors
Tim McGough (left) and Mike Hangge, with McGough Construction, speak with Barbara Farley, Augsburg’s vice
president for academic affairs and dean of the College.
EVENT CONTRIBUTORS:
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
Mary T., Inc.
Wells Fargo
Winds of Peace Foundation
The Omari rug/wall hangings donated to the
forum were woven by Nordic Home Interior’s
partner, Everest Handicraft Industries, in
Katmandu, Nepal. They were hand-knotted
in the primitive Nepalese/Tibetan art form of
Tibetan wool with 100 knots per square
inch. The dove design is Indian silk.
DONORS:
Baker Tilly
Faegre & Benson
Norway House
Spring 2010
13
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 16
“ I T ’ S A B O U T F R I E N D S H I P, L E G A C Y, G O O D F O O D ,
H E R I T A G E , A G I N G — A L L O F T H O S E . ” JIM PEDERSON ’56
On a cold, crisp February morning, photographer Stephen Geffre and I follow Jim
Pederson ’56 through ankle-deep snow up a
slope to a small log cabin that overlooks
Swede Lake.
This log cabin, near Star Prairie, Wis.,
sits on the farm that was homesteaded by
Pederson’s great-grandparents in 1872 and
that he and his brother, Dwight ’60, now
own. They grew up on the farm, moved away
to begin their own lives, and now return
often with their families and friends.
Our reason for being there is to visit the
site of an annual celebration that has occurred on the second Saturday of November
for the past 50 years. It’s an afternoon each
year when Jim and Elaine Pederson host
friends and family in the small log cabin for
mulled cider and treats before heading to
nearby West Immanuel Lutheran Church for
lutefisk dinner. This church dinner is a
75-year tradition that now attracts more
than 1,200 people for lutefisk, lefse, meatballs, and more.
THE BEGINNING OF
ENDURING FRIENDSHIPS
Jim Pederson says it’s difficult to put a
label on this annual gathering. It’s about
friendship, legacy, good food, heritage,
aging—all of those. Star Tribune columnist
Original furniture, art, and history provide the setting for the pre-lutefisk dinner gathering that fills the cabin in November each year.
14
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 17
BY BETSEY NORGARD
Lutefisk,
a log cabin, and a 50-year legacy
Jon Tevlin, who attended last November’s
half-century celebration, described it as
“an iconic Midwestern living postcard that
turned 50 years old Saturday.”
At first it was just an annual trek to the
lutefisk dinner, but as years went by and
friends began to gather beforehand at the
farm, the camaraderie there became as
important as the meal that followed. While
to the Pedersons the gathering marks the
final event of the farm’s social season,
many of the attendees consider it the beginning of their holiday festivities.
Pederson really can’t put his finger on
just what glue has held so many of them
together for so long. The short answer, he
says, is that it was a group of Augsburg
friends who started coming out to the
country for a church dinner.
“The better answer,” he adds, “is that
some of us developed friendships that included faculty members who were our
mentors and with whom we greatly enjoyed
informal times outside the classroom.”
Faculty from the 1950s who became
regular attendees include Phil Quanbeck
Sr., Paul Sonnack, Joel Torstenson, Ralph
and Grace Sulerud, and others. For nearly
20 years, retired history professor Carl and
Val Chrislock spent many of their summers
at the farm, where Carl did a great deal of
writing and where Val tended her flower
and vegetable gardens. When there were
deaths, spouses and families often continued to participate.
“Many of us were deeply interested in
public service of some kind, whether
teaching, the ministry, public policy, or
politics,” says Pederson. In the 1950s,
when academic freedom was restricted
and McCarthyism caused colleges to shy
away from controversy, he credits Augsburg
and the leadership of President Bernhard
Christensen for encouraging political expression and organization.
“Augsburg practiced academic freedom
while in some institutions it was only
preached,” Pederson says. “Political organizations were encouraged on campus.
Faculty encouraged students to become involved in political campaigns, and Political
Emphasis Week brought speakers from the
whole political spectrum.
“It was in this cauldron that lasting
friendships developed and continued beyond graduation. While politics was a strong
interest of a few, the friendships persisted
regardless of the chosen vocation,”
Pederson says.
It all started with the five Auggie
Norwegian bachelors who, as students, lived
together above Larson’s grocery store—
Martin Sabo ’59, Jim ’56 and Dwight ’60
Pederson, Harlan Christianson ’57, and
Erwin Christenson ’58. In 1959, Jim and
Elaine Pederson (who were not yet married)
and Harlan and Lori Christianson decided to
drive out to Star Prairie for the lutefisk
dinner. Elaine was a student nurse at
Deaconess Hospital and Augsburg, and this
trip became her introduction to the farm, to
lutefisk, and to her future Pederson in-laws.
Each year thereafter has brought additional invited friends and families. On
November 14, 2009—the 50th anniversary—the count was 67. The group now includes the families and friends of Jim and
Elaine and their children, Michelle and
Kirk, a 1987 grad; his fiancée Molly; grandchildren Madeline, Emma, and Ginny; and
Dwight and his wife, Marion, also a
Lutheran Deaconess nurse; daughter
Denise; and grandchildren Laura, Thomas,
and Helenya.
AUGSBURG STORIES PLAY OUT
OVER THE YEARS
Pederson says he’d like to tie the story of
the 50-year gatherings to what they
learned at Augsburg. “‘Education for
Service’ we thought of as just a phrase,
but it really did mean a lot to us—whether
in ministry, nursing, government, or politics. It played out, and that’s an important
part of the story for me.”
The Augsburg-connected stories include
the political career of Martin Sabo, which
dates back to the days of the five
Norwegian bachelors. Pederson, who
served as student body president and was
active in student political groups, became
manager in 1960 for Sabo’s state house
endorsement campaign. “And he never lost
an election after that,” Pederson comments, about Sabo’s long and distinguished legislative career, marked by his
retirement in 2007.
In another Augsburg story, Chrislock,
who was a regular at the November gatherings, stayed on the farm while he wrote his
1991 book, Watchdog of Loyalty: The
Minnesota Commission of Public Safety
during World War I.
Emeriti professors Ralph and Grace
Sulerud, close friends of the Chrislocks,
Spring 2010
15
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 18
Courtesy photo
“WE HOPE THIS CARRIES ON FOR ANOTHER 50 YEARS—
S O , Y O U N G E R G E N E R AT I O N , W E ’ R E C O U N T I N G O N Y O U . ”
ELAINE PEDERSON
enjoyed the old farmstead and lake so
much that they now have a house there,
just down the hill from the log house. And
so, the Augsburg connections continue.
THE MEANING OF PLACE
THE LOG HOUSE AND LEGACY
Pederson’s log house, the current gathering
place, wasn’t part of the original farm. The
original log house disappeared long ago,
and Pederson had always wanted something
like his great-grandfather built in the
1870s. In 1972, he found neighbors wanting to get rid of an old log house on their
farm, and he jumped at the opportunity.
Courtesy photo
The Pederson ties date back more than
130 years in the community—to that farm
now in its sixth generation and to the
church originally chartered by his grandparents and their neighbors. The log house to
which people come each November is for
him an icon of family and heritage.
In the invitation letter for last November’s gathering, Pederson mentioned a recent book that weaves together themes of
story, place, calling, and purpose. Claiming Your Place at the Fire, by Richard
Lieder and David Shapiro, challenges
those entering “the second half of their
life” to consider these themes in finding
purpose in what they choose to do during
their elder years.
Pederson sees the old farm as the locale where at this annual event these
themes of aging and legacy play out. “This
is a time where family and friends share
life experiences, the happenings of the
last year, perhaps recalling mentors from
college or elsewhere, many of whom are no
longer with us; reminiscing about the good
times; the not-so-good times; commiserating over losses or illnesses; sometimes engaging in a bit of gossip. Sometimes it’s
small groups huddling to solve the world’s
problems.” Collectively, they recall stories,
redefine place, renew callings, and reclaim purpose.
“Oh yes, and there’s the country
church dinner, the ostensible reason for
the gathering,” adds Pederson. “Each
year, however, we hear some say they really come for the hour or two they spend
together before the big meal, sipping cider
Norwegian traditional goodies, and sharing
treats they bring.”
Auggies in the group of 67 at the 50th gathering last November included: (Front row, L to R):, Winnie (Nordlund)
Anderson ’61, Elaine Pederson, Vicki (Skor) Pearson ’59, retired art professor Phil Thompson. (Back L to R) Kiel
Christianson ’88, Jim Pederson ’56 (not visible) holding granddaughter Ginny, Kirk Pederson ’87 (turned away),
Pearl Almquist, Paul Almquist ’59, Eunice Helgeson ’69, professor Garry Hesser, retired librarian Grace Sulerud.
16
Augsburg Now
The “five Norweg
ian bachelors” re
united in 2002 wi
Erickson ’56 (cen
th Rod
ter). (Clockwise,
from left): Marti
’59, Harlan Chris
n Sabo
tianson ’57, Dwigh
t Pederson ’60, Er
Christenson ’58,
win
and Jim Pederson
’56.
An eclectic mix of history and heritage, the one main room of the cabin is
barely able to contain the crowd that gathers. Hanging on the walls are the farm’s
homestead documents and old photos;
some of the furniture is original. Rosemaling and other memorabilia fill the area. A
loft offers sleeping space, and an enclosed porch was added for additional
room.
In addition to Jim and Dwight, the old
farmstead has incorporated the Pedersons’
younger generations. Jim and Elaine’s
son, Kirk, has his place on the farm where
he and his family enjoy the summer. Their
daughter, Michelle, enjoys the solitude
and serenity of the farm both in summer
and winter.
So, as years go by, and the annual lutefisk group continues, children and grandchildren play greater roles. “In 1959,”
Pederson says, “none of us could have
predicted that 50 years later we would
speak of a remarkable tradition that we
hope will continue far into the future.”
Last November 14, after some traditional
Norwegian folk music and hymns, Elaine
Pederson announced, “We hope this carries
on for another 50 years—so, younger generation, we’re counting on you.”
To read more and see photos from earlier
gatherings, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
a
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 19
X
O
B
E
H
T
F
O
OUT
s
e
i
g
aug
ON PAPER
, Augsburg College looks a lot like most other liberal arts colleges. We have similar courses, departments, and programs. We teach students to think critically and to lead responsibly in
the world, which is what other schools also aim to do. And our students,
staff, and faculty don’t look much different than those at the big school
across the street or the small campuses across the river.
But in person we look and act differently. At Augsburg, we try to put
our own creative spin on things and to look at issues from different
perspectives.
For example, this year some of our first-year students and a group
of faculty spent an entire semester working together on a big problem
in our first “I-Term.” In another example, students in the Honors program create their very own courses, write and edit their own scholarly
journal, and together shape their own learning environment. And, one
of our alums has found a very creative way to do community service
while also running a thriving business.
The stories in this issue represent just a few of the “out-of-the-box”
programs, people, and partnerships that make us uniquely Augsburg.
Spring 2010
17
18
Augsburg Now
50 students, 5 professors, 1 big
problem. Last fall’s I-Term students
discussed three big challenges in the
non-graded Fate of the Earth course.
I-Term students focused on food, fuel, and media in the course.
What’s a great way to engage alumni?
Introduce them to current students
who have similar majors or interests
and let them swap stories. In the end,
everyone benefits.
Yearbooks are keepsakes that link alumni to their college days.
IGNITE
I-TERM
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 20
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 21
HONORS
houses in the Honors program.
Items such as an olive-leaf crown are emblems for specific
I-Term students focused on food, fuel, and media in the course.
OUT OF THE BOX
The Honors program consists
of a combination of classes,
students, structure, and a
whole lot of creativity.
FINNEGANS
As a student, Jacquie Berglund ’87
dreamed of helping the working
poor. Today her sense of vocation
drives her to take leaps of faith that
make life better for others.
NEIGHBORHOOD
Working closely with Cedar-Riverside and
Seward residents is just one of the ways we
live out our vocation to serve our neighbors.
Somali students help their classmates learn more about the symbols and dress in Muslim culture.
100% of the profit from every bottle sold provides help at the grassroots level.
Spring 2010
19
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 22
PURSUING AN
IDEAL EDUCATION
Imagine your ideal college education. What classes
would you take? Who would teach them? What kind
of students would you study with? What activities
would you take part in? Where would you travel?
When Robert Groven set out to restructure the
Augsburg College Honors program, he asked faculty
and students these sorts of questions. At first, he
said, they were silent.
“They had just accepted that college is the way it
is,” Groven said. But then, they flooded him with ideas.
Students wanted more academic challenge and to
be pushed by faculty. They wanted courses to include
more content and classroom experiences to be more
active and engaging than in high school. They
wanted to learn outside the classroom and to have
opportunities for unconventional learning experiences—the exact sort of education that a small college in the city can provide.
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
The current Honors program house presidents are (clockwise, from front): Adam Spanier, Katie Radford,
Becki Iverson, Andrew Fox, David Ishida, Jonathan Chrastek, Kathleen Watson, and Charlie Olson.
20
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 23
UNCONVENTIONAL COURSES
Three aspects of Augsburg’s Honors courses
distinguish them from courses in other college honors programs. First, each class is
specifically created for the Honors program.
In other words, it’s not a matter of adding
an assignment or text to an existing course
or simply creating a new title, Groven says.
The content of Honors courses is enriched
and the pace is accelerated as well.
Second, Honors courses are intentionally
interdisciplinary—multiple faculty from different departments teach in each class.
This spring, for example, the senior keystone course was taught by faculty whose
disciplines include sociology, social work,
metro-urban studies, art, English, and theatre. Augsburg’s
Honors students in the Liberating Letters class stepped back into ancient Greek times to put Poseidon on trial for the
murder of Odysseus’ men and fleet. (L to R): Eric Dooley, Nikki Johnson, Becca Dickinson, and Patrick DuSchane.
president, Paul Pribbenow, is one of the lead
instructors, focusing on his study of Jane Addams, founder of the settlement house movement.
The course, Legacies of Chicago: Ideas
and Action in Place, was conceived by Lars
Christiansen of the sociology and metrourban studies departments. The course examines how particular places are incubators
for unique ideas and actions. In addition to
studying about the traditions and concepts
that originated in Chicago, the class traveled
to the Windy City to experience the “place”
firsthand.
Finally, each course has a “signature” experience—an unconventional way of learning
that involves a high level of effort and also includes a public display of what the students
have learned. Students are usually enthusiastic about these experiences, Groven says, because the tasks are generally open-ended and
students have more freedom to make decisions about what they learn
and how they learn it.
In Liberating Letters, a
first-year humanities
course, students
put texts, authors,
or fictional characters on trial, serving as judge, jury,
prosecution, and defense. But before this
class begins, students have to pass a test. In
fact, in order to gain admission into the first
session, they are required to recite the first
stanza of Homer’s Odyssey from memory,
solve a riddle about Greek mythology, and
present the “prophecies” of three different
people who know them well concerning where
that student will be in 10 years.
A second type of course, which is likely
more-than-ideal for many students, is the
Student Created Learning Experience, or
SCLE. Aptly named, these are classes created
by students based on their interests. SCLEs
can essentially become an independent study
course for one student or 20 students and
can be open to all Augsburg students.
One of the more popular SCLEs, which
generated a great deal of interest when it was
first introduced and again this year, was The
Art, Science, and History of Brewing. In addition to learning about brewing from the perspective of different disciplines, students also
brew two batches of beer and invite guest
judges to evaluate the fruits of their labors.
This year senior theatre arts major David
Ishida created an SCLE on swordplay to fulfill
21
An olive-leaf crown is the emblem of the Hesser
Servants House in the Honors program.
OUT OF THE BOX
The result of all that questioning was a
student-centered program where students
take responsibility for their own learning,
with the full support of the faculty and the
resources they need to achieve their goals.
“We believe that an ideal education will
be different for every student,” Groven
says. “We know no one can reach an ideal
goal, but we believe the process of exploring and pursuing ideals is essential to college education.”
By striving for the ideal, the program
has become one where students routinely
go above and beyond the requirements
outlined in their syllabi. “We set a very
high bar, and we insist that they get there.
But they set a much higher bar for themselves than we ever would.”
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 24
very receptive and energized,” Crockett says, “ … not just in the classroom
but on campus.” Crockett has engaged 14 current students as research assistants who will read and critique work that he is presenting at an international conference. “I hope they really come at me,” he says. “I’m counting
on them to find fresh answers.”
EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER
Honors senior Nicholas Blixt experiments with ingredients in The Art,
Science, and History of Brewing class.
a physical education credit but also to explore his interest
in medieval history and culture.
STUDENTS WHO LOVE TO LEARN
Interesting classes and outstanding faculty certainly can
combine for a compelling honors program, but the character and quality of the students make Augsburg’s program unique. “We are trying to look beyond good grades
and test scores,” Groven comments. “We want intrinsically motivated learners—students who see ideas as living vehicles for human expression and change.”
Computer science professor Larry Crockett, who was
once the Honors program director, has taught in the program for many years. While he says Honors students are
pushed to rise above expectations and challenge each
other, he is especially enthusiastic about the extraordinary energy coming from this year’s incoming class.
“These students are willing to dig into issues and are
22
Augsburg Now
There’s more to Honors at Augsburg than fun classes and energetic students.
Honors also provides leadership and scholarship opportunities and fosters an
environment where students often start their own activities or groups.
“Part of our philosophy is that as much learning should happen outside the
classroom as inside,” Groven says.
Students are organized into houses, each of which focuses on a different
area: scholarship, social justice and service, stewardship, and citizenship.
Each house plans and promotes activities and also elects two house presidents who serve on the Honors Council. With faculty advisers, the council sets
the policy for the program and helps solve problems.
One officially organized non-classroom learning opportunity is the Honors
Review, a student-run, student-edited interdisciplinary journal of undergraduate scholarship. Taylor Norman, a senior English major and Honors student, is
the current editor-in-chief.
This year the Review extended its reach and received 43 submissions from
undergraduates all across the country. After articles are selected for publication, Norman and her editorial staff check citations, verify research, and then
engage the author to revise and edit. “We wanted to create a scholarly environment with lots of dialogue,” Norman says.
All Honors activities and programs serve to support students so they can
pursue their academic goals. “Honors tries to show students what amazing
talents and abilities they have,” Groven says, and they find countless ways to
apply their academic learning. For example, senior Jessica Spanswick, who
majored in international relations and minored in peace and global studies,
studied in Namibia for a semester and served as a Peace Scholar in connection with the Nobel Peace Prize Forum. Her opportunities to volunteer for
World AIDS Day in Namibia and to travel as a scholar to Chiapas, Mexico,
gave her valuable hands-on global experience.
Honors program students have received many of the highest national and
international academic awards available; they have been Fulbright scholars,
Goldwater scholars, the College’s first Rhodes scholar, and students who have
won National Science Foundation grants—and that’s still just the tip of the
iceberg. Part of the program’s mission is to encourage students, many who
never thought of themselves as award-winning scholars, to apply for scholarships and publication so that their work can be recognized.
These courses, the faculty who teach them, the students who take them,
and the learning opportunities that happen outside the classroom all come
together to try to create an ideal education for Augsburg Honors program
students.
“I never think of the Honors program as being done,” Groven says. “The
best program will always be different because we are constantly adapting
to new technologies, new students, and new problems.”
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 25
Sophomore Madeline Roe helps a Somali student with her
work as part of Trinity Lutheran Congregation’s Safe Place
Homework Help program.
Across the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and
the nation, stories of neighbors and colleges
clashing bubble to the surface featuring
real town vs. gown tension. Augsburg’s philosophy, however, is very different.
Augsburg isn’t building walls or installing
large steel gates on campus to keep the
outside world out. Instead, Augsburg is
reaching further out into the Cedar-Riverside and Seward neighborhoods and, in the
process, the College founded by Norwegian
Lutherans is working closely with the
largest concentration of Somali immigrants
in the United States.
WORKING IN THE COMMUNITY
We believe we are called to serve our neighbor. That is Augsburg’s statement of institutional vocation.
Live the experience. Love the city. Learn
by living. Those words hang on banners along
Riverside Avenue.
While the first is formal and the second
much more conversational, both, however,
sum up what Auggies do.
On a near daily basis, Augsburg students
BY JEFF SHELMAN
spend part of their afternoon at Trinity
Lutheran Congregation helping young Somali
children with topics ranging from spelling and
sentence construction to subtraction and social studies. Several times a week, Auggies
serve food in the gym at the Brian Coyle Community Center as part of the Campus Kitchen
program. First-year Auggies in the Bonner
Leaders program work with nonprofit organizations, most within a mile of campus.
23
OUT OF THE BOX
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Let’s say one person wanted to match the
amount of community service that was
completed by Augsburg students during the
2008-09 school year. What would it take?
Since Auggies performed 67,000 hours
of community service last year, someone
would have to work for 2,791 24-hour
days—more than 7.5 years—or 8,375
eight-hour work days. That’s a staggering
total for a college with 2,000 traditional
undergraduates and 4,000 total students.
That work has led to Augsburg’s inclusion as one of the top 25 schools in the
country for service-learning by U.S.News &
World Report and the Carnegie [Foundation] Classification for Community Engagement. Earlier this spring, Augsburg became
the only Minnesota college or university and
one of only four ELCA schools to be named
to the 2009 President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction. The President’s Honor Roll is the highest federal recognition an institution can
receive for its commitment to volunteering,
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 26
service-learning, and civic engagement.
“We are very proud and honored to be included in the President’s Honor Roll,”
Augsburg president Paul C. Pribbenow said.
“Civic work and serving our neighbor are at
the core of Augsburg’s efforts to educate
students for democracy.”
Last school year, 900 Augsburg students
participated in service-learning and 1,200
students participated in more than 20
hours of community service per semester.
Much of the community service takes place
in course-embedded service-learning, something that has been part of education at
Augsburg for years.
MORE THAN JUST SERVICE
Augsburg’s work in Cedar-Riverside and
Seward, however, is about more than simply
donating time; it is also about trying to
make the neighborhood safer, more vibrant,
and create opportunities for the state’s
newest immigrant population.
Pribbenow currently chairs the CedarRiverside Partnership, a group that includes
larger institutions in the neighborhood including Augsburg, Fairview hospitals, and
the University of Minnesota.
“There’s a level of trust
being built,” said Steve
Peacock, Augsburg’s director
of community relations.
“There are conversations
taking place that weren’t before. There’s the coordination of infrastructure and
planning among the institutions.”
Much of the work has
been around safety in the
neighborhood. Last summer, for
example, the members of the partnership provided funding to ensure security at the Brian Coyle Community
Center. There has been much more
communication among security at
Fairview and Augsburg, the
University of Minnesota, and
Minneapolis Police Departments.
Augsburg has also worked in the
neighborhood in other ways, ranging from
providing meeting space to sometimes even
trying to build bridges. Last year, more than
a dozen reporters and editors from the Minneapolis Star Tribune sat in a room in Oren
Gateway Center with a dozen or so Somali
community leaders and elders.
The Somali leaders talked of good things
going on in their community that don’t get
covered. Star Tribune editors said they
would like to tell more stories, but finding
Somalis willing to talk is challenging. The
Somali leaders—who arrived in the United
States having never experienced freedom of
the press—gained a better understanding of
how the media work. Reporters and editors
left with new contacts and resources.
CHANGE TO THE CAMPUS
Augsburg’s involvement in Cedar-Riverside
has led to a change on campus as well.
With each passing fall, the number of
Auggies of Somali descent grows. This fall,
The Somali yarn weaving hanging in President Pribbenow’s
office symbolizes the partnership between Augsburg and
the East African Women’s Center.
there are about 50 Somali students on
campus. For some of them, Augsburg was
the first college they ever knew. For others,
there is a comfort in attending Augsburg.
Halimo Adan is a first-year student who
grew up in Seward and can see the
Augsburg sign atop Mortensen Hall from
her home. She’s among the growing number
of students on campus wearing both an
Augsburg sweatshirt and a hijab, the head
covering worn by Muslim women.
“People don’t ask stupid questions,
they’re very open minded,” said Adan, who
came to the U.S. when she was 9 years old.
“Even though I’ve been here most of my
life, when you get asked questions all the
time, you feel like you don’t belong.”
But at Augsburg, neighbors are always
welcome.
First-year students file into the Northern Clay Center to help with clean-up on City Service Day.
24
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 27
For Daley Konchar Farr, the lack of grades was
motivation for signing up, but the discussions
and professors’ involvement were more
rewarding aspects of I-Term.
LEARNING TO LEARN
WITHOUT ANY A, B, CS
25
OUT OF THE BOX
BY JEFF SHELMAN
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 28
It isn’t quite a chicken or egg kind of question, but it is an academic conundrum along
the same line.
Just how important are grades on a college campus when it comes to actual learning? Do grades really reflect how much a
student has learned? Or do students do just
enough to get the grade they want? And
what happens if you take letter grades and
numerical marks completely out of the
equation?
That’s what 50 Augsburg first-year students, five professors, and several staff
members tried to find out this past fall. The
Integrated Term, Fate of the Earth 101:
Consumption of Food, Fuel, and Media in
Contemporary Culture, was more than just a
different way to package and deliver several
general education courses; it was a semester that challenged many of the standard
conventions about what a college education
is or should be.
There were no traditional letter grades for
this learning community nor was there a
static syllabus passed out on the first day.
This was a term that focused on doing, on
students having a say in what they would be
evaluated on, and on professors writing detailed evaluations about both what students
had accomplished and where they needed
to continue to work. Sitting lifeless in the
back row and regurgitating enough facts to
pass wasn’t an option this term.
“This was much more work than grading,” English professor Robert Cowgill said.
“But I thought it was a major success.”
Most of the students—many of whom
were drawn to the I-Term because of the environmental focus or the alternative evaluation method—agreed. Daley Konchar Farr
called the semester-long experiment empowering. Veronica Berg said she was
pushed to do things she wasn’t sure were
possible just one semester into her college
career. Katelin Grote called the whole thing
life changing.
Some of that was because the I-Term,
which showed just how parts of a liberal arts
education are interconnected, was their entire load for the semester. I-Term students
who successfully completed the course received credit for English 101 or 111 (writing), Religion 100 (Christian Vocation and
the Search for Meaning I), History 101
(Western Civilization), Sociology 101 (Introduction to Human Society) and AugSem
(first-year seminar). They also completed
their Engaging Minneapolis requirement.
REASONS FOR NOT GRADING
When a group of professors returned from a
conference at The Evergreen State College
in Washington in 2007, the goal was to find
a way for Augsburg to experiment with a
learning community model of teaching as
well as non-traditional evaluation methods.
Over the next two years, the professors
worked with the dean’s office to make this a
reality. How was this term going to be structured? Were groups such as Faculty Senate
supportive? How would students receive
credit? How would the narrative evaluations
fit into the very traditional transcript?
Once hurdles were cleared, plans were
set for a three-year pilot program of the nongraded Integrated Term. The faculty designers of the I-Term hope that the students who
spend a semester focused on learning instead of simply making a grade will have
higher retention and graduation rates. The
longer-term outcomes of the experiment
won’t be clear for several years, but this
group and subsequent groups of I-Term students will be tracked by the College.
While the word “experiment” is often
tossed around rather loosely on college campuses, the I-Term is certainly unique. Sociology professor Lars Christiansen, an I-Term
faculty member who has studied alternative
evaluation methods, said that about 15 colleges and universities across the country
have experimented with non-graded
courses. Some are completely nongraded while others are partially graded
The role of media in contemporary culture was a focus for I-Term students.
26
Augsburg Now
or have reverted back to traditional grading. Alverno College in Milwaukee is one of
the only schools in the Midwest that is
grade free.
No grades, however, doesn’t equal no
evaluation. In almost every case, I-Term students had a greater grasp of where they
stood. They worked very closely with the
two English professors on their writing,
and received regular written feedback
from the other faculty members.
“It was kind of like tough love,”
Maryam Ayir said. “You knew exactly
what you had to work on.”
Konchar Farr signed up for the ITerm both because of the subject
matter, and also because of lack of traditional grades.
“Grades are false motivation,” she said.
“In high school, I didn’t get anything out of
getting As if I didn’t learn. [Here], I really
appreciated that things were so discussionbased and how involved the professors were.
They were so dedicated to our work.”
For Christiansen, the best thing from
the semester is that Augsburg now has the
framework in place to continue experimenting with alternative evaluation methods. There is now the ability for the
narrative evaluations to accompany a
student’s transcript. And there is
also at least some appetite from
students to not have a semester of work boiled down to
simply a number.
“The majority of students said it was a good
Courtesy photo
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 29
Kwame Collins and other students from the I-Term attended the 350.org event at the State Capitol that was
part of an international focus on the climate crisis.
LEARNING BY DOING
Unchained from the burden of grades, students could concentrate on really learning
and figuring out what truly motivates them.
And without traditional exercises like exams,
students in Fate of the Earth 101 demonstrated their advancement through semester-long projects that incorporated
something under the broad umbrella of
food, fuel, or media.
One group of students met with staff
members from Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s office
about how the bodies of women are portrayed in advertisements. Pushing Best Buy
to be more environmentally friendly in its
stores was what another group sought. Others looked into the feasibility of Augsburg
capturing solar energy and purchasing more
locally grown food.
“Those are the kinds of things we were
hoping would happen,” Christiansen said.
“We were hoping through the experiences of
the I-Term that [students] were here to learn
and that they were here to understand themselves as possible change agents—and that
collaboration is an essential component.”
And while most courses end as soon as
that final exam is completed, a number of
the I-Term students are continuing with the
ongoing work of their projects. For example,
Berg was part of a group that created the
website www.mnhomelessyouth.org. Those
students met both with representatives from
Minneapolis Public Schools and a group
working on homeless issues, before and during the spring semester.
“It didn’t just end at the end of the
course,” history professor Phil Adamo said.
“They continue to be engaged.”
Because of what they were asked to do,
many of the I-Term students accomplished
more than they thought possible just months
removed from high school graduation.
“We were learning at a different level, we
were getting to project ourselves at a bigger
level,” Berg said. “To sit at the table as a
contributor with some of these agencies was
something I didn’t think I’d be able to do for
many years.”
That theme was a common one.
“One thing we repeatedly heard was the
notion that they were empowered with what
they were able to accomplish by the end of
their first semester in college,” religion professor Lori Brandt Hale said. “They were surprised and excited about how they will be
able to leverage that moving forward.”
CHANGING TEACHING METHODS
Like the other I-Term professors, Colin Irvine
is back teaching more traditional courses
this semester. An English faculty member,
Irvine has a collection of writing and literature classes this spring.
But Irvine acknowledges that he is teaching differently this semester. And the I-Term
had much to do with that.
“It made me complicate my classes,” he
said. “I’m not content with the way I was
teaching before. I’m not content with the assignments I was giving. I’m making them
more fun, more relevant, and harder to assess. I can’t allow myself to teach the way
I’ve always taught.”
Irvine talked about a conversation with a
biology major who is taking his environmental literature course this season. The student
said he’s been doing the reading, working
hard, and attending writing lab sessions.
“But he said, ‘I don’t know how I’m
doing,’” Irvine said. “I told him, ‘Are you
kidding me? That’s exactly what I want you
to do, you’re figuring it out, you’re doing
great.’”
Because just like the I-Term students who
have adjusted to courses with traditional
grading, almost everyone involved in the experiment has a better idea of what motivates
them and just how important learning is.
I-TERM CREATORS/DESIGNERS
Phil Adamo, History, Medieval Studies
Lars Christiansen, Sociology, Metro-Urban Studies
Robert Cowgill, English, Film Studies
Stacy Cutinella, Lindell Library
Lori Brandt Hale, Religion
Colin Irvine, English, Environmental Studies
Nathan Lind, Information Technology
Alyson Olson, TRIO Student Services
Beverly Stratton, Religion
PROJECTS THE STUDENTS WORKED ON
• Addressing women’s body representations in advertising by creating a legislative bill requiring
advertisers to indicate the presence of airbrushing and similar touch-ups
• Website that centralizes resources for homeless
youth in the Twin Cities
• Energy-producing exercise bicycles at
Augsburg’s Kennedy Center
• Reducing water waste at Augsburg
• Increasing local food sourcing at Augsburg, particularly meat and cheese
• Assisting in developing curbside composting in
Minneapolis
• Reducing paper waste at Augsburg bookstore
• Improving environmental practices at Best Buy
• Composting at Maple Grove High School
27
OUT OF THE BOX
experience to not have grades and they liked
the ongoing evaluation,” he said. “It shows
me that if you provide it, people will try it,
and many will like it. Why don’t we make it
an option generally? It’s not dissimilar to our
transportation system. Until the last few
years, many didn’t believe they had options
other than driving. The I-Term is akin to the
Hiawatha (light rail) Line: Once a viable alternative is provided, people may see it as
useful and desirable.”
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:37 AM Page 30
CONNECTING THE DOTS
FOR GOOD
BY BRYAN BARNES
“I read this article in Time magazine, interviewing all of these 80- and 90-year-old
people,” said Jacquie Berglund ’87. “The
overwhelming feedback from their question, ‘If you could change one thing, what
would it be?’ was that they all wish they
had taken more risks.”
That was 1983, when Berglund was in
her first year at Augsburg College. Since
then, she has faced many risks on her way
to building one of Minnesota’s most successful social enterprises—an enterprise
that uses beer sales to fund its community
foundation.
One of her first risks? Backpacking
through Europe during her sophomore year
in the face of parental disapproval.
“My parents didn’t want me to do it,”
Berglund said. “[My English professor]
said, ‘Jacquie, you should absolutely do it.
Let’s come up with a way for you to get
credit for it here.’”
With that, Berglund ventured across the
Atlantic for six weeks under the banner of
an Augsburg creative-writing course. Her
experience fostered a travel bug that
would lead her back for a seven-year long
stay in France after Augsburg. “[Backpacking] helped me to think globally and
really changed my perspective,” Berglund
said. “That was a powerful turning point
for me.”
Graduating from Augsburg in 1987
with a degree in communication studies
Jacquie Berglund ’87 knew that with passion
and patience she could fulfill her dream of
making a difference in her community.
28
Augsburg Now
and a minor in political science, Berglund
combined an interest in nonprofits with
her travel experience to pursue work in international development. By 1990, she
had taken an internship in Paris at the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD), the same group
that helped administer the Marshall Plan
after World War II. With the collapse of the
Soviet Union, Berglund found herself
working with the best entrepreneurial
minds at OECD to develop regional
economies in former Soviet bloc countries.
“We were training government officials,
and these guys were all communists—they
didn’t want to learn [about how to build
free markets],” Berglund said. “I felt like
we went in and did all of this work and
spent all of this money, and I don’t know
what impact we really had. Then I thought,
‘you know, I think the real work is done at
the grassroots level.’ I would see the people at the grassroots level in these countries and they were really making a
difference, and I thought, ‘that’s where I
have to be. I’ve got to get there.’ I just didn’t know how I was going to get there, but
that’s where I wanted to go.”
While at OECD, Berglund earned her
master’s degree in international relations
from the American Graduate School in
Paris. However, by 1997 Berglund found
herself needing expensive back surgery, so
she returned to the Twin Cities to work as
marketing director for her old friend,
Kieran Folliard, restauranteur
and owner of Cara Irish
Pubs LP.
One of Berglund’s duties
as marketing director was
to help Folliard distribute
charitable gifts in the
Twin Cities. They
found themselves
Finnegan’s Inc. created the Finnegan’s Community Fund to distribute 100% of profits to local community projects.
giving grants to any organization that
asked. Eventually, their CFO put the
brakes on their charity bonanza and told
them they needed a better strategy.
Berglund agreed: she recognized from her
OECD days that the Cara Pubs money
wasn’t making the desired impact.
Berglund had also just attended a conference in Washington, D.C., on self-sustaining nonprofits.
“That’s when I thought: we sell beer all
day,” Berglund said. “What if we create our
own beer, and we choose to give all of the
profits from this one beer to our own foundation, and then we pick one cause, and we
really make a difference? It took me a little
while to sell Kieran on the idea.”
With that, Berglund and
Folliard set about creat-
ing Finnegan’s Irish Amber, named in reference to James Joyce’s final work. They contacted James Page Brewing Company in
Minneapolis to help them create the beer,
eventually selecting one recipe from over 40
options provided by the brewmaster.
At this point, Berglund and Folliard realized that running Finnegan’s and its
community foundation would consume all
of Berglund’s time. That left one choice:
quit Cara Pubs and focus on Finnegan’s,
or let the idea die.
Berglund bought the Finnegan’s recipe
for $1 from Folliard.
“That was kind of scary, leaving that
job, from having a good salary to no
salary,” Berglund said. “It was very scary.
It was rather terrifying. I’ve had a lot of
terrifying moments—I must handle stress
well. I’m still waking and talking and not
in a straitjacket.”
Starting in 2000, Berglund created forprofit Finnegan’s Inc., which donates all of
its profits from beer sales to her nonprofit
29
OUT OF THE BOX
S
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 31
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 32
creation, which is now called Finnegan’s
Community Fund. She taught herself the
beer trade. James Page produced
Finnegan’s on contract, but she was responsible for selling it to distributors.
“I didn’t even know what a keg fee
was,” Berglund recalls.
Finnegan’s community focus sold the
beer. Distributors, liquor stores, bars, and
restaurants in the Twin Cities were sympathetic to Berglund’s cause—and it helped
that the beer was popular during the burgeoning craft brew craze. Though she
wasn’t turning a profit yet, Berglund was
able to make a $2,000 donation in her
first year of operation.
Then, James Page Brewing Company
shut down in 2002.
“I was a mess—I was totally a mess,”
Berglund said. “I started to panic: ‘If they
go out of business, I’m going to go out of
business.’”
Thinking quickly, Berglund contacted
Mark Stutrud, founder of Summit Brewing
Company in St. Paul.
“They really didn’t do contract brewing,
but I think that [Stutrud] appreciated the
community-mindedness of what I was
doing,” Berglund said. “Plus, I already had
a list of accounts, so I already had a
proven track record that I could make this
thing work.”
To this day, Finnegan’s is produced at
Summit. In 2003, Finnegan’s made its
first profit. By 2009, Finnegan’s was selling 4,300 barrels per year to 475 restaurants and 600 liquor stores in Minnesota
and beyond—which translated into
$30,000 for the Finnegan’s Community
Fund. That money, in addition to direct donations, is being used to fund local grassroots community organizations that are
helping the working poor.
“When I came back from France, I
30
Augsburg Now
Berglund often considers her own experience growing up as motivation for her drive to do good for others.
volunteered in St. Steven’s shelter in
Minneapolis,” Berglund said. “I got to see
for myself … a lot of these guys get up to
work factory jobs at 3 or 4 o’clock in the
morning. I saw how many of these guys
were working and still homeless.”
The needs of the working poor strike a
personal chord for Berglund. Growing up,
her father started working as a janitor before moving up the ranks, while her mother
was a waitress.
“I remember as a kid not being able to
participate in church activities because we
didn’t have the money,” Berglund said. “I
feel so fortunate to be able to have done
all of the things that I do. I think that,
‘Boy, it’s nice to give back a little bit.’ We
owe a bit of gratitude.”
That background helps explain
Berglund’s drive to build a self-sustaining
nonprofit that can help the working poor
regardless of government grants or philanthropic whims. But it also comes down to
faith in your vocation.
“Whenever I do speaking engagements,
that’s my whole thing: It’s about following
your passions, and then at some point, the
dots will connect. Even though it seems so
remote that they could possibly connect,”
Berglund said. “When I came back and
was working in the pub, I thought, ‘What
am I doing here? How does this connect to
this whole dream job I had of international
development projects?’ I just had faith
that it’s going to come—I’m going to find
it. It’s kind of that whole ‘calling’ thing at
Augsburg—I knew I was going to find it, it
was just going to take a minute.”
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 33
IGNITE-ING
AUGGIE SPIRIT
BY BETSEY NORGARD
Senior Brittany Goff is the intern who matches students and alumni for visits and leads the student team.
31
OUT OF THE BOX
One student heard about a fire that broke
out in one of the houses on campus in the
1970s. Another enjoyed hearing perspectives from a studio art major about his work
at a financial organization. A third met with
an alum who fondly remembers the tasty
cinnamon rolls that students often got in
Morton Hall in the mid-1950s.
Twenty students working in the Alumni
and Constituent Relations Office recently
completed the first year of Project IGNITE.
They’ve been meeting with alumni to learn
more about the role that the College played
in the lives of the alumni and to share stories and experiences about Augsburg then
and now.
Senior Brittany Goff is the intern who directs the students’ work for Project IGNITE.
Once she hand-matches students and
alums who share similar majors and/or interests, a letter from President Pribbenow is
sent explaining the program and alerting
the alum to a future call from a student.
The student will invite the alum to a meeting preferably on campus or at a convenient
coffee shop.
That first contact can be a little daunting
for students, but knowing they share interests makes it easier. Melissa Herrick, a
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 34
communication studies and art sophomore, says it
tells the alum that “this is not a random call; there’s
a reason I’m calling you,” which, in her case, is to
share with them what art at Augsburg is like now and
to hear about their experience studying art at
Augsburg.
STUDENTS CONNECT WITH ALUMNI
On a cold day last fall, Herrick met with Patti Lloyd
’83, who owns a web development and interactive
marketing company. While Lloyd was an international
business major and not an art major, the two immediately discovered common interests in web design.
Herrick was trying to plan a webpage for an arts project and was delighted to get some ideas from Lloyd.
“We had a great meeting,” says Lloyd, “and when
she left, I think she felt comfortable that all the resources were there for her project.”
One of the meetings that Goff enjoyed was with a
physician. In the conversation, Goff, a psychology
major, learned about the physician’s medical practice that has included a psychologist and a nurse,
enabling him to offer both physical and mental testing and care. “This was really a great experience for
me,” Goff says, “to help me consider my future career and the option to be in a practice like that.”
Adam Spanier, sophomore class president and an
Honors student, says he has met many interesting
people through Project IGNITE. His favorite aspect
of the program, he says, is “hearing the many different bits of advice and wisdom that alumni have
to offer.”
32
Augsburg Now
Sophomore Adam Spanier enjoys hearing the advice
alumni can give to current students.
to-face relationship with a person who is going through
the experience.”
Haug and his partner returned to campus in December
for the Advent Vespers dinner and enjoyed talking with
people they knew and meeting others.
ALUMNI ENJOY RECONNECTING
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES CONTINUE
Most alumni contacted in Project IGNITE are graduates who have not been active in alumni activities
or participated recently in events. Re-engaging with
their alma mater through Project IGNITE has also
been enjoyable for them, especially seeing the
College through the eyes of current students.
Christopher Haug ’79 was one of the alumni
Spanier met last fall. “What benefited me the
most,” Haug says, “is that I felt I was connected
again with my school. There’s nothing like a face-
Pat Grans, the Project IGNITE volunteer coordinator,
follows up with the interests and/or requests that students bring back from the alumni visits. She crafts individual plans recommending events and volunteer
opportunities that could include speaking in a class,
inviting a student to job shadow, or helping with registration at an event. Or, Grans can seek to create a tailored opportunity based on the alum’s interests.
Grans has now developed volunteer job descriptions
and oversees all aspects of recruiting, training, scheduling, supervising, and recognizing volunteers.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 35
Project IGNITE means Involving Graduates Now In
Thoughtful Engagement. A three-year project funded
by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Project IGNITE is
designed to serve as a model to help other colleges
and universities engage their alumni.
What makes Project IGNITE an out-of-the-box program and readily transferable are several components
that together offer lifelong alumni connections:
• One-to-one interaction between students and
alumni—who better to talk about the college experience and re-engage alumni than current students?
• Mutually beneficial matching of student and alumni
majors and interests
• Individualized and ongoing follow-up from a volunteer coordinator to keep
engagement and energy alive
In the project’s first six months at Augsburg, both attendance at events and
volunteering have increased. Of the alumni the IGNITE students have visited
during this time, 14% have now attended College events. Nearly 76% have
expressed interest in volunteering; and of those, 20% have begun. More
than 1,800 hours of volunteer time have been logged.
Kim Stone, director of alumni and constituent relations, is excited by the
results. She attributes success to the total package Project IGNITE makes
possible—engaging students in the alumni program before they graduate,
encouraging ongoing attendance at alumni events, and keeping alumni connected to campus through meaningful volunteering.
For more information or to arrange to meet with an IGNITE student, contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at alumni@augsburg.edu
or 612-330-1085.
“WELCOME TO AUGSBURG”
Larry Menzel ’67 retired three years ago from a long career as a Kmart executive in 17 locations across the
Upper Midwest. Working with people was what his job was
all about, and in retirement he wanted to be able to continue that.
When volunteer coordinator Pat Grans sent a mailing
about Augsburg’s new volunteer program, it sparked his
interest. Despite the fact that he hadn’t been on campus
since graduation, he still felt a connection.
“Since my wife was gone from the house regularly on
Friday mornings, I thought it would be a good time for me
to do something, too,” Menzel says. He called Grans to
talk about volunteering.
Grans suggested that he staff the welcome desk in
Oren Gateway Center on Friday mornings, and he thought
that sounded good.
In addition to helping people find their way around the
building and answering questions, he also provides help to
the Institutional Advancement staff. Soon he found himself
at Homecoming and other events, which pleases his wife,
too, as she sees him doing things he enjoys.
His advice to current students he meets? “Study hard,
find a rewarding life, and follow the principles of God,
family, and work—in that order.”
Melissa Herrick, an art and communication studies major who is
working on a web project, found a natural connection with Patti
Lloyd ’83, the owner of a web development company.
33
OUT OF THE BOX
HAS PROJECT IGNITE MADE A DIFFERENCE?
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 36
6
3
7
4
1
3
3
2
34
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 37
6
5
THE BOD POD lives upstairs in the Kennedy Center kinesiology lab. It’s
a high-tech apparatus that provides fast, safe, and accurate measurements of body composition, detailing fat and lean body mass. It
provides useful information for measuring the effectiveness of exercise and nutrition, fine-tuning top athletic performance, and tracking
the progress of obesity and disease.
Since Bod Pods are found mostly in fitness facilities and elite
training centers, Augsburg’s health, physical education, and health
fitness majors are fortunate to have this in their learning portfolio.
Used primarily in kinesiology and exercise physiology classes, students learn how to run the Bod Pod, interpret the results, and incorporate recommendations into specialized training plans.
If you are interested in being measured in the Bod Pod, contact
Professor Tony Clapp at clapp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1618.
THE BOD POD
1. The Bod Pod
2. Data acquisition box—interprets test data coming from the Bod
Pod measurements
3. Computer hardware that processes all measurements, manages
data, and provides customized printouts of the test data
4. Calibration standards—Weights used to calibrate the Bod Pod before each person is measured, to assure accuracy when the person’s weight is entered
5. “Fast Eddie”—The Auggies’ own skeleton used in health and physical education classes. He arrived when the Kennedy Center
opened in 2007.
6. Anatomical charts most likely dating from the opening of Science
Hall in 1949, recently found rolled up in a storage closet. They’re
now taking on new life in the Health, Physical Education, and
Health Fitness Department.
7. Professor Tony Clapp, demonstrating the Bod Pod procedure:
• Wear spandex-type swimsuit or bike shorts and a swim cap
• Sit in the Bod Pod while measurements take about 30 seconds
• Get printouts of test results in about five minutes
35
OUT OF THE BOX
4
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 38
OUT-OF-THE-BOX PARTNERSHIPS
BY REBECCA JOHN
The annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum (see
story on page 10) is the result of just one of
the many unique partnerships at Augsburg
College. It is the only program or academic
affiliation of the Norwegian Nobel Institute
outside of Norway.
Here are a few more examples of
Augsburg’s out-of-the-box partnerships.
NEIGHBORHOOD COLLABORATIONS
The Cedar-Riverside Partnership was
founded in 2008 to foster collaboration
among existing community organizations—the African Development Center,
Pillsbury United Communities, West Bank
Community Coalition, the Cedar Riverside
Neighborhood Revitalization Program, and
the West Bank Business Association—and
local government bodies and institutions,
including the city and county, the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and Augsburg College.
“The goal of the partnership,” says
Steve Peacock, Augsburg director of community relations, “is to leverage these organizations’ collective resources to
strengthen Cedar-Riverside as a vibrant
place in which to live, learn, and work.”
The partnership is chaired by Augsburg
President Paul Pribbenow.
BUSINESS FEASIBILITY
Augsburg plays an active role in the Mayo
Innovation Scholars Program (MISP), a
unique partnership with the Mayo Clinic
that offers an experiential learning opportunity for both graduate and undergraduate
students. Through the program, undergraduate science and business students from select Minnesota private colleges are teamed
with MBA project leaders from either Augsburg College or the University of St. Thomas
to evaluate the commercial potential for
patent ideas submitted through the Mayo
Clinic Office of Intellectual Property.
This year, Augsburg had five teams working on projects—two in Rochester and three
36
Augsburg Now
in Minneapolis—which presented their findings and recommendations to professionals
at the Mayo Clinic in March.
SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT
The Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities
(ACTC) was founded in 1975 by five liberal
arts institutions—Augsburg, Hamline,
Macalester, St. Catherine, and St.
Thomas—to provide cooperative programs
and services for students, faculty, and administrators.
In 2009, the consortium’s Chief Academic Officers Council, chaired by Barbara
Farley, Augsburg’s vice president for academic affairs and dean of the college, renewed its efforts to explore common areas
of academic opportunity using a focus on
“sustainable urban development.”
“This theme truly ties us together as colleges in the Twin Cities,” Farley says.
“Broadly defined, it includes education,
health care, transportation, housing, and
environmental concerns, offering a rich platform for exploring strategies for enhancing
shared academic programs.”
PARTNERS ON CAMPUS
In recent years, two of Augsburg’s community partnerships have become integrated
into the College: Campus Kitchen and the
Minnesota Urban Debate League—both of
which operate under the Sabo Center for
Citizenship and Learning.
In 2003, Augsburg became the fourth
college campus in the U.S. to join the Campus Kitchens Project. The program provides
meal preparation and delivery to neighborhood organizations, nutrition and
food preparation classes for area youth, and
outreach to the surrounding neighborhood
through the continuously expanding community garden. Augsburg is the first college
to wholly integrate its Campus Kitchen as
part of the College.
The Minnesota Urban Debate League
has had a relationship with Augsburg
since 2004 and became part of the College in summer 2009. This move allowed
the league to focus less on administrative
operations and more on reaching urban
middle and high school students. In the
past year, the program doubled to 350
students and teaches important skills like
research, writing, thesis development, and
public speaking.
CONNECTING YOUTH TO CHURCHES
Now in its 19th year, the Augsburg College
Congregational Youth Basketball League
partners with dozens of metro-area
churches to involve junior high and high
school boys and girls in an annual basketball league that emphasizes fun, service,
sponsorship, participation, relationships,
and growth in one’s faith.
The program was founded by Augsburg
pastor Dave Wold to help keep youth connected to churches. The league starts in
January each year and culminates in a
March tournament on Augsburg’s campus
that involves more than 1,000 players,
coaches, officials, and volunteers from
Augsburg and area churches.
“The program is very successful at enabling our churches to connect with a
greater number of young people,” Wold
said, “providing the opportunity for them
to have some fun; get some exercise;
build relationships with teammates,
coaches, youth workers, and pastors; and
have an encounter with God.”
To learn about other out-ofthe-box partnerships, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 39
auggie
alumni news
From the Alumni Board president …
Dear Alumni and friends,
a
2010
s I write this article we’ve headed
into the spring season, and a couple of words appear in my mind:
renewal and growth. We can see our
world transform around us with a renewed sense of purpose—growth. Trees
are beginning to bud, early flowers are
beginning to show their bright colors,
and I think this lifts our spirits and warms our hearts to the possibility and purpose of our world.
It is this renewal and growth I want to discuss with you in this
my last article as president of the Alumni Association, as it
chooses new leadership in June.
One of my main goals this year was that of growth for the Alumni
Association—not only in size, but also in commitment and involvement in activities and events that enrich and add value to your life.
Every year, the Augsburg Alumni Association’s Board of Directors spends a great deal of time in the creation, planning, and execution of events designed to raise awareness, renew involvement,
and create a sense of community among alumni.
Looking back on the year, alumni have had opportunities to
come together in ways we have not been seen in many years. Ex-
HOMECOMING
amples of this are the more than 700 alumni who attended the
Canterbury Park event last August, the capacity turnout for events
such as the Winter Wine Tasting, the Eye-Opener Breakfast Series,
and the Young Alumni Council events, as well as alumni attendance at the Guthrie performance of Macbeth. These events and
activities are just a few that have been exceedingly well received;
and the leadership of the Alumni Association as well as the College’s dedicated staff from the Alumni and Constituent Relations
Office plan to enhance what has been a very successful year.
I am very grateful for having the opportunity to represent the
alumni this year as well as for all of the hard work and dedication
of those who helped make this year so successful. I look forward to
seeing many of you in the coming years and plan to continue contributing to this wonderful organization dedicated to the alumni of
Augsburg College.
I wish you a wonderful spring—please continue to check back
with the College, as something new will always be springing to life.
DANIEL HICKLE ’95
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
October 14-16, 2010
Reunion Classes
60th Reunion—1950
25th Reunion—1985
50th Reunion—1960
10th Reunion—2000
40th Reunion—1970
Recent Grad/Young Alumni
Reunion—2001–2010
If you would like to help make your reunion a success, contact the Office of
Alumni and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for updates and reunion information.
Spring 2010
37
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 40
auggie
alumni news
preciate works I already knew—Michelangelo’s David, the ceiling
When I returned to Augsburg in fall 2004 after dropping out a year
earlier, I was eager to reform the lackluster study habits that had
of the Sistine Chapel—and discovered wonderful artists—Bernini,
plagued my academic career. At every fork in the road, I purposeCarravaggio—I previously knew nothing about.
fully chose the path I previously would never have considered. And
Between visits to churches and museums, we made time for
that’s how I, a young man who spent his entire adolescence hating
wine tasting on a Tuscan vineyard and a tour on an olive farm.
to travel, jumped at the chance to study in El Salvador.
Food and drink took on greater significance while in Italy. An exThere, we witnessed previously unimagined poverty and became
pansive dinner coupled with lively conversation regularly served as
inspired by countless acts of resilience. The little free time availan evening’s event. My roommate, a chatty substitute science
able was spent in discussions, journals, and books. There were no
teacher from Lester Prairie named Gordon, celebrated his 70th
moments wasted and no words ignored.
birthday in Orvieto during one of our four-course dinners.
That summer, I studied literature in France, and over the next
The trip to Italy allowed me to escape the stresses of home for a
two years, I went on to study in Nicaragua, Uganda, Rwanda, and
couple weeks and infused me with a new appreciation of visual art.
Tanzania and volunteered on a mission trip to Mexico.
It was a fitting continuation of the travel experiences I began while
Upon graduating in May 2007, I feared my opportunities to con- studying at Augsburg.
tinue traveling oversees had vanished. The expansive summer and
JEREMY ANDERSON ’07
holiday breaks were gone; the
immediate walls of my work cubicle provided no horizon to
look beyond. Fortunately, I
spotted a chance to break the
monotony—Professor Kristin
Anderson was leading a travel
seminar to study Italian art and
architecture.
In November, I boarded a
plane alongside 25 other seminar participants. During our
journey through Padua, Venice,
Ravenna, Florence, Orvieto, the
ancient ruins in Pompeii,
Naples, Rome, and Vatican
City, we viewed wondrous landscapes, observed countless
works of art, and walked
through dozens of secularly
decorated churches. Day by
day, my learning regarding ancient, medieval, Renaissance,
and baroque art and architecture grew, thanks to the knowlTravelers to Italy posed for a photo in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. (Back row, L to R): Mary Johnson, Judy Reeve ’95, Heidi
Hunter, Luke Anderson ’60, Gracia Luoma ’66, Jim Hoseth ’68, Gordon Houk, Larry Turner ’69, Grace Bergstrom, Sue Turner, John Luoma ’65,
edge shared by Professor
Max Carlson ’09, Kim Stone, Jeremy Anderson ’07, Jason Stone. (Front row, L to R): Art professor Kristin Anderson, Kathy Wilson, Joanne
Anderson. I came to better apCress, Susan Hoseth, Mary Rogers, Jill Reister, Deanna Carlson, Amy Kessler, Rose Becker ’04, Sharon Carlson ’72, Susan Carlson.
38
Augsburg Now
Photo by Larry Turner ’69
Journeying to Italy
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 41
The Augsburg Choir Legacy
Recordings will be available soon!
Three boxed sets, each containing five CDs, present remastered
recordings of the Augsburg Choir over 30 years, from 1949–79. Included with each order is a monograph by Bill Halverson ’51 about
Leland B. Sateren’s life and career. Cost: $49 per boxed set; $135 for
all three boxed sets, plus shipping and handling.
For information about availability and ordering, go to
www.augsburg.edu/music.
The Young Alumni enjoyed some late summer rooftop lawn bowling at Brit’s Pub in
September. (L to R): Jay Cavanagh, Rob Wagner ’02, Mike Fasching ’02, Britt Fasching
’02, Ben Carlson ’02, ’09 MBA, and Leah Omar.
Young Alumni Summer Series
The Young Alumni Summer Series is back in 2010 with exciting
new events and favorites from last year.
• Seven Corners kick-off party—May 21, 5–8 p.m.,
at Preston’s
• Networking at Fuji-ya in Uptown—June 17, 5–7 p.m.
• Minnesota Twins game at Target Field—July 15, 7 p.m.
• Auggie Night at the Races, Canterbury Park—Aug. 5
• Summit Brewery tour—Aug. 21, 1 p.m.
• End of Summer Bash—Sept. 16, 5–7 p.m., at Seven UltraLounge
For more information and to register, go to
www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents and join the Young Alumni
group on facebook. To get involved in the Young Alumni Council,
call 612-330-1178 or e-mail storma@augsburg.edu.
auggies
GO GREEN
The Augsburg Alumni Association
is going green
The Augsburg College Alumni Association is reducing print
mailings and relying more on technology to get the word
out about events. To stay in the loop, update your contact
information at www.augsburg.edu/alumni or e-mail the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@augsburg.edu to receive NOW@Augsburg, the monthly news and information
e-newsletter. You can also stay up to date by becoming a
friend of Auggie Eagle on Facebook.
Tourism Ireland
Journey to the Emerald Isle
Celtic crosses like this one in County Offaly are vivid
reminders of Ireland’s rich history.
(Note change of date to May 2011)
Join friends from the Augsburg College community in early May 2011 for an in-depth journey through
Ireland with Phillip Adamo, associate professor and chair of the History Department, director of
Augsburg’s medieval studies program, and experienced study tour leader. He looks forward to returning to Ireland with alumni and friends to explore centuries of heroic history including sites dating to
9,000 BC. Experience the intense rugged beauty of land carved from the sea contrasting with the
meticulous gardens of stately castles. Discover the spirit and historic significance of Celtic Christianity, visiting ancient monastic communities where Christianity flourished during the Dark Ages. Celebrate contemporary Irish culture with passion-filled music and food at local pubs.
To receive additional updates on the tour and be among the first to receive a tour brochure by
late June, contact Alumni Relations, 612-330-1178 or alumni@augsburg.edu. Don’t hesitate to be included on the interested list as the alumni tour to Italy last year filled quickly and had a waiting list.
Join us at the information session on Tuesday, June 15, 6:30 p.m., Oren Gateway Center.
Spring 2010
39
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 42
alumni class notes
53Ariz., was recognized by AmerDr. Leland Fairbanks, Tempe,
icans for Nonsmokers’ Rights (ANR)
with the 2009 ANR Smokefree Hero
of the Year Award during the National Conference on Tobacco or
Health in Phoenix, Ariz. on June 9.
He is the longtime president of Arizonans Concerned About Smoking
(ACAS).
56son) ’60, Baxter, Minn., were
Len Brown and Mavis (Daniel-
featured on brainderddispatch.com
for their tradition of traveling the region to find and enjoy lutefisk dinners. In 2007, they went to 13
dinners; in 2008, they visited 12;
and last year there were 8.
Coaches Association (MSHSCA) for
leadership in promoting the mission
of MSHSCA. He retired in 2007 after
a 40-year career teaching mathematics and coaching football, mostly
in Alexandria.
69ored as the recipient of the
Mary (Strom) Dyrud was hon-
2010 Peter Hess Memorial Faculty
Recognition Award on February 22
at the Spring Awards Ceremony at
Northland Community and Technical
College in Thief River Falls, Minn.
She has taught there since 1993
and currently teaches Spanish; she
and her husband, Loiell ’62, live in
Thief River Falls.
58
71Grove, Minn., was selected as
60
74Minn., was named director of
67soccer coach at Bloomington
93lumbia Heights, Minn., was
(Minn.) Kennedy High School from
1967–1992 was inducted into the
Minnesota State High School
Coaches Association Hall of Fame
in October. Following retirement in
1992, he served as student activities coordinator until 2001.
named to the 2010 “Rising Stars” list
by Minnesota Law & Politics, which
highlights outstanding attorneys who
are under the age of 40 or have
fewer than 10 years of practice. She
works with the Winthrop & Weinstine
law firm in the real estate and campaign finance practice groups.
Jerry Peterson, hockey and
Tammera (Ericson) Diehm, Co-
Christy (Larsen) Branes, Maple
Mabeth (Saure) Gyllstrom was
recently featured in the Fergus
Falls Daily Journal in a story about
her background and work in retirement as director of the Zion
Lutheran Church choir in Amor,
Minn. She currently lives on Otter
Tail Lake, Minn.
the 2010 Delano (Minn.) Teacher of
the Year. She has taught in the district for over 20 years, plus a fouryear stint in Portugal teaching
English. She currently teaches second grade.
Steven Reznicek, Bemidji,
Ruth (Carlson) Olson was inducted into the Faribault High
School Hall of Fame on October 1.
For 20 years she coached gymnastics, kept score for volleyball, reported for track meets, etc. as the
sports liaison between the junior and
senior high schools. It was her Augsburg career as an Auggiette on the
women’s basketball team, however,
that earned her the Hall of Fame
spot, because of the Auggiettes’ pioneering efforts in promoting
women’s sports.
62
Rev. Jim Quitno and his wife,
Mary, Spirit Lake, Iowa, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in June 2009. Jim retired from
the pastorate in 2002 after being at
Grace Lutheran Church in Spirit
Lake for 27 years, but both he and
Mary remain active volunteers in retirement. Last year Jim was honored
with the June Character Counts
Spotlight Award.
Dennis Kalpin, Alexandria, Minn.,
was honored with the George Haun
Award last October, given by the
Minnesota State High School
40
Augsburg Now
the Varsity Singers of Bemidji State
University. Otherwise, he is “mostly
retired.”
76
Gwedolyn (Peyton) Jackson,
Lakeville, Minn., was reappointed by Governor Tim Pawlenty to
a four-year position on the Board of
the Minnesota State Academies. She
is the director of human resources
and administrative services with the
Edina (Minn.) Public School District.
The board governs the Minnesota
State Academy for the Blind and the
Minnesota State Academy for the
Deaf, both in Faribault.
77Minn., a storyteller and chilLise Lunge-Larsen, Duluth,
dren’s author, visited Concordia College (Moorhead) and Cable, Wis., in
February. At Concordia, she visited
the Carl B. Ylvisaker Library to teach
classes in children’s literature and
told stories from Norwegian folklore.
She was in Cable the day before the
Birkebeiner ski race and told the
story of the race that is recounted in
her book, The Race of the Birkebeiners.
00and her husband, David, wel- 00her husband, Eric, Blaine,
Daria (Reboin) Gordhamer,
comed their fourth child, Andrew,
on Oct. 6. Big brothers Elijah (6)
and Abram (2) and big sister, Eva
(4), love him very much. They live
in Apple Valley, Minn.
Kathleen Lindquist-Blilie, and
Minn., announce the birth of their
daughter, Anne Elizabeth, born May
6, 2009. She joins her siblings, Andrew (7-1/2), Alexander (5), and
Erin (2-1/2).
74their own 35th reunion on Gull Lake, on the same weekend as
Lambda House reunion Ten Auggie women, all 1974 grads, had
Homecoming last fall. The women began as freshmen on the first floor
in Urness, then moved to the ninth floor as sophomores, and then lived
at Lambda House (no longer standing) as juniors and seniors.
They’ve continued to see each other several times a year and now have
begun taking longer trips together. All live in Minnesota, except for Barb
(Ruud) Revueltas who lives in Los Angeles. Three women are married
to Auggies, who lived together in a house around the corner from
Lambda House.
The 10 women are Linda (Lundeen) Dunn, Linda (Bailey) Holmen
(married to Ken Holmen ’74), Laurie (Johnson) Thorp (married to Tim
Thorp ’74), Barb (Ruud) Revueltas, Marlene (Chan) Hui, Debbie
(Rowley) Hasti, Mary Ratzlaff, Diane (Johnson) Moen, Carla (Johnson)
Velenchenko, Chris (Henry) Thompson (married to Gary Thompson ’74)
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 43
velopment in Minnesota in July
2009 with TMP Worldwide Advertising and Communications, a full-service recruitment marketing ad
agency headquartered in New York.
00
Leslie (Lucas) Wiede ’07 MSW
and her husband, Matthew,
welcomed twin boys, Lucas and
Hunter, on April 3, 2009.
81color paintings of Minnesota
91superintendent of the Spring
Jeff Ronneberg became the new
Lake Park (Minn.) School District at
the beginning of the year. For the
past seven years, he has served the
district as assistant superintendent.
Mary (Primm) Lingen’s water-
01
Sarah (Wilhelm) married Chris
Uwimana in Burnsville, Minn.,
on October 24, surrounded by family and friends. Sarah is a buyer at
Supervalu and Chris is a business
analyst at DRC. They live in Bloomington, Minn.
landscapes were on display at the
James Wegner Art Gallery on the
West Campus of Riverland Community College in Austin, Minn., in October. Since graduating from
Augsburg, she has had more than
30 solo exhibits and numerous
group and juried exhibitions.
Kurts Strelnieks accepted a position
as vice president-account executive,
managing existing client relationships, at First Business Capital Corp.
in Madison, Wis., in February.
82in October of the Conservation
Mike Kilgore was the recipient
02
Jackie (Heyda) married
Joshua Eyberg on Nov. 27.
She is in her seventh year of teaching in the New Prague (Minn.) Area
School District and is a first-grade
teacher at Eagle View Elementary
School in Elko New Market. They
live in Burnsville, Minn.
Minnesota Leadership Award for his
work as chair of the Lessard-Sams
Outdoor Heritage Council, a Minnesota Legislature advisory body in
charge of “restoring, protecting, and
enhancing of Minnesota’s wetlands,
prairies, forests, and habitat for fish,
game, and wildlife.”
83at KARE-11 TV, was inducted
95Ariz., stopped working in the
Matthew Gooding, Sun Lakes,
restaurant business to return to
school to become a medical assistant. He expects to graduate in
March.
96January to the Carlson Board
Richard Gage was elected in
of Directors. He is vice president of
the Curtis L. Carlson Family
Foundation and works at
Nebulous/YourMLSsearch.com.
Martha (Kenney) Spriggs, who
teaches at Andersen United Community School, was surprised and
honored with a Milken Educator
Award, one of two given in Minnesota that recognizes outstanding
teachers.
99a new position as city finance
Teresa Walters recently began
director in Farmington, Minn. Previously she had been in the same position in Waseca, Minn.
Jane Helmke, managing editor
into the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Silver Circle
in September by the Upper Midwest
Chapter. Silver Circle members have
displayed superior contributions to
the television history and/or NATAS
for at least 25 years.
88named the New York 2009
Anne Panning was recently
03
03
Peter Samargia married Angela Gustafson on August 15
in Biwabik, Minn. They traveled
around Lake Vermillion on a houseboat for their honeymoon. Peter
runs his own business, Attitude
Goaltending, LLC, and is a goalie
coach for the Augsburg men’s
hockey team. Angela is a property
manager for Colliers Turley Martin
Tucker.
Emily Gerard and her husband, Craig Maus, welcomed
the birth of their second daughter,
Lilia, on November 17. Pictured
are Craig and Emily, with Lilia and
Caroline.
Jeffrey Nodland was recently appointed to the Board of Directors for
Texas Petrochemicals Inc. He is currently the president, CEO, and a director of KIK Custom Products.
80came director of business de-
Marianne (Lundberg) Kulka be-
Professor of the Year by the
Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She was
also awarded the Lillian H. Fairchild
Award by the University of Rochester
for her book, Super America. Her latest work has appeared in West
Branch, Ascent (www.readthebestwriting.com), River Teeth, and
Women and Gender, a Pearson
Longman textbook. She has recently
started a blog about reading, writing,
teaching, travel, and family called
www.thepapersandwich.blogspot.com.
01awarded a 2009 TRiO AchievRev. Rozenia Fuller was
ers Award from the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity
Program Personnel (MAEOPP). The
award recognizes outstanding former participants in the federal TRiO
programs who have made significant
civic, community, or professional
contributions. She was also recently
inducted into the 2009 Minneapolis
Community and Technical College
Hall of Fame.
03finance and human resources
Betty J. Vangorder, director of
at Apex Print Technologies, has
been recognized by Cambridge
Who’s Who for demonstrating dedication, leadership, and excellence in
financial operations. In her job, she
is responsible for managing financial
reporting for the company, budgeting, forecasting, overseeing 18 employees and performing human
resources duties.
Spring 2010
41
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 44
alumni class notes
06Minn., was awarded his certiLance Campbell, Stewartville,
fied public accountant license last
fall and was promoted to senior accountant at Wolter & Raak, Ltd. in
Rochester, Minn.
Michelle (Connolly) married Matthew
Ariola on July 11 at Majestic Oaks
Golf Club in Ham Lake, Minn. They
honeymooned in Alaska and now
live in Blaine, Minn. Michelle is a
kindergarten teacher in Sorteberg Elementary School in Coon Rapids
and Matthew is starting his own
plumbing business.
06wife, Sophia, welcomed the
06MBA,Woodbury, Minn., re-
08(Peloquin) married on June
arrival of a son, Parker Andrew, on
August 27. Sam is a fourth-year divinity student and the student association vice president at Pacific
Lutheran Theological Seminary in
Berkeley, Calif.
cently left her corporate job in
downtown Minneapolis to pursue
her passion with a career in real estate. She joined The Snyder Team at
Re/Max Results in Woodbury as a
residential realtor.
20, 2009. Sarah is a youth minister
in Cottage Grove, Minn., and Bryan
is a second-year law student at St.
Thomas. They currently live in
Woodbury, Minn.
Sam Kanenwisher and his
Kyle Loven performed his visionary
solo puppet show, my dear Lewis,
both in Seattle where he now lives
and in Minneapolis in March at the
Open Eye Figure Theatre as part of
an emerging artists program. A Seattle arts and culture paper called him
a “visionary new puppeteer” and a
“burgeoning genius.” See story at
http://augnet.augsburg.edu/news
archives/2010/03_08_10/kyle_loven.
html
Erin Schmoeckel ’08
Bryan Ludwig and Sarah
James Palan recently began as account executive in the advertising
department at the Rochester PostBulletin. He was formerly a personal
banker with Associated Bank.
Becky (Wolf) and Joe Kaarbo ’06
were married on October 3 in St.
Louis Park, Minn. Becky works at
the University of Wisconsin-Stout in
the Involvement and Leadership Office. Joe is the imaging coordinator
at Berkley Risk Administrators in
Minneapolis. Auggies in the wedding
included Joel Wolf ’02, Josh Wolf
’05, Chris Docken ’06, Erik Reynolds
’06, Carrie (Ohnerheim) Wolf ’02,
and Evan Boyce ’07.
09cluded Christine Esser ’09, Shawn Boonstra ’09, and Jason Jefferson ’09. Stacey is a substitute teacher in
Stacey (Kinder) married Ryan Plasch in August 2009 in Farmington, Minn. Auggies in the wedding party in-
Lakeville, Farmington, and Burnsville; Ryan is a mental health counselor for South Metro Human Services.
Gerard, Fridley, Minn.,
07Minnesota Certified Public Ac- 09Jenna
and her sister own Bravo! Procountant license and currently works
Nechia Agate received her
as a senior consultant for the Business Advisory Services practice at
Grant Thornton in Minneapolis.
Carolyn Mollner also earned her Certified Public Accountant certificate
last fall. She works at Best Buy as a
senior tax analyst.
42
Augsburg Now
ductions and created a two-woman
musical revue, “Christmas Again?”
that spoofed Christmas customs. It
ran at the Sunshine Factory in New
Hope, Minn., during Christmas last
fall. Jenna is currently a student at
the University of Wisconsin-River
Falls.
Kathryn MacAulay is currently one of
the 14 Fulbright English Teaching
Assistants in Malaysia, and is living
in Kemaman, Terenganu.
Graduate Programs
Erik Bredeson ’06 MBA married
Tasha Clifford on May 30, 2009, in
Kihel, Maui, Hawaii. Erik works in
medical sales; they live in St. Louis
Park, Minn.
Ryan May ’07 MBA was recently
hired at Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR) as a vice president.
Sarah Marie (Larson) ’07 MSW married Leon Peter Kyalo on October 3.
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:42 AM Page 45
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos!
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice,
or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Johnson, Vernel ’42, Tucson, Ariz.,
age 90, on Oct. 20, after a long
illness.
English, Dr. Nancy ’73, Duluth,
Minn., age 57, on Aug. 8, of cardiac arrest.
Myrvik, Quentin ’45, Caswell
Beach, N.C., age 88, on Dec. 13.
He is a 1960 Distinguished Alumnus.
Hain, Ramon “Ray” ’81, Roseville,
Minn., age 50, on Nov. 21.
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Agrimson, Robb Joel ’83, St. Paul,
age 49, on Jan. 6.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Woodcock, Delores ’89, Bloomington, Minn., age 83, on Dec. 12.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Connors, Patrick ’07, Vail, Colo.,
age 28, on Dec. 30.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Midtling, Rev. John ’49, Minneapolis, age 86, on Oct. 20.
Elmberg, Rev. Donald ’50, Mound,
Minn., age 85, on Dec. 29.
Rust, Alice (Gjesdahl) ’53,
Burnsville, Minn., on Dec. 30.
Foss Jr, Alfred “Bud” ’54, Hot
Springs, Ark., age 77, on Oct. 28.
Seaver, Dean ’60, Le Sueur, Minn.,
age 73, on Jan. 12.
Thorpe, Neal O. ’60, Vancouver,
Wash., age 71, on March 3. He
taught biology, served as department chair at Augsburg College,
and is a 2001 Distinguished
Alumnus.
Hovland, Rev. Peter ’62, Mora,
Minn., on Dec. 21.
VanDeVoorde, Elaine, Rochester,
Minn., on Oct. 26. She was a
Master of Arts in Education student in Rochester.
Mark, Cindy, Cedar Lake Township,
Minn., age 61, on Dec. 13, of
cancer. She taught in Augsburg’s
program at the Minnesota
Women’s Correctional FacilityShakopee.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Wrightsman, Rev. Bruce, Decorah,
Iowa, age 75, on Oct. 4, of heart
failure and amyloidosis. He taught
math, physics, and philosophy at
Augsburg College, 1960–63.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Hunt, Duane ’62, Lakewood, Colo.,
on Nov. 13.
Spring 2010
43
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:43 AM Page 46
my
Auggie experience
Aquila Tapio ’10 MAE
Naadamaadiwin—Helping one another
When she was growing up, Aquila Tapio said she never really knew
what she wanted to do. “I just wanted to help people,” she said.
Until recently, Tapio and her husband helped Native American
children as foster parents through the Indian Child Welfare Act
program. And then after the birth of her second child, she decided
it was time for her to return to the workforce.
“I wanted to help Native American kids and keep doing the
work we were doing at home,” she says. So when Tapio discovered
Augsburg’s tribal special education program, she knew she had
found the right fit.
Naadamaadiwin, Ojibwe for “helping one another,” is a partnership between the University of Minnesota-Duluth Center for Indigenous Knowledge and Language Revitalization and the Augsburg
College Master of Arts in Education program. Naadamaadiwin is a
special education licensure program in emotional behavioral disorders and learning disabilities with a focus on the unique needs of
Native American children.
For Tapio, a member of the Oglala Lakota in South Dakota,
working with Native children and families through the education
system is important because education is a “touchy issue” for Native Americans. “We need teachers who know where people come
from and who understand the history and trauma families have experienced,” she says. “Having a Native teacher provides comfort to
students and their parents.”
Tapio is completing her student teaching this term at Longfellow
Humanities Magnet School in St. Paul. She says the Naadamaadiwin program has given her a new way to give Native children the
consistency and support they need. “No matter how many times
you have to tell them something, they will pick it up,” she says.
“They are capable. They can do anything.”
Naadamaadiwin is a two-year cohort-based program with classes
meeting primarily online. For more information, go to
www.augsburg.edu/admissions/mae/ and click “Licensure Options.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
44
Augsburg Now
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:43 AM Page 47
Lisa Zeller and Glenn Fuller are founding
partners of the The Phaedrus Group (1994),
a national training and consulting firm.
Lisa Zeller ’81,’89 MAL
and Glenn Fuller
an
augsburg legacy
“In addition to an education, Augsburg provided me with the
confidence and skills to think critically, to see what’s possible,
and to create opportunities. I want to make sure that future
generations have this same opportunity.
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
So, when Glenn and I sat down to do our estate planning and
consider our legacy, it was important for us to commit a
percentage of our estate to Augsburg College.”
102105_Augsburg Now:Layout 1 5/4/10 10:43 AM Page 48
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Minneapolis, MN
Permit No. 2031
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Second Augsburg Powwow
The Augsburg Indigenous Student Association hosted a
traditional powwow on Saturday, March 20, in Si Melby
Hall. To view more photos from the powwow, go to
www.flickr.com/photos/augsburgcollege.
Show less
The economics of education
Auggies on the road
Commencement 2012
Calculus and coffee
Gage Center for Student Success
Homecoming 2012 preview
auggies
ARE
achievers
SUMMER 2012 | VOL. 74, NO. 3
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
notes
from President Pribbenow
Vice President of Marketing
and Communic... Show more
The economics of education
Auggies on the road
Commencement 2012
Calculus and coffee
Gage Center for Student Success
Homecoming 2012 preview
auggies
ARE
achievers
SUMMER 2012 | VOL. 74, NO. 3
inside
AUGSBURG NOW
notes
from President Pribbenow
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
The Augsburg Promise
Senior Creative Associate-Design
A
s I recently watched our almost 1,000 graduates
of the Augsburg Class of 2012 walk across the
stage to receive diplomas, I couldn’t help but be
proud of their many accomplishments and successes as Augsburg students. Our remarkably diverse
graduates—from various backgrounds, of various talents, on their way to various professions—are the most
tangible signs of our strategic commitment to the success of all our students.
And yet, the news media and popular opinion would
have us believe that there are storm clouds rising in
higher education. Some even call it a “tsunami.” Students unprepared for college, students who do not persist or graduate, students who will not get jobs (or, at
least, not the jobs they want), students with too much
debt. And conversely, colleges and universities that do
not meet student needs, institutions that are too
bureaucratic and expensive, colleges and universities
stuck with an “old” model of teaching and learning.
At Augsburg, we are deeply aware of these concerns. In fact, this issue of Augsburg Now includes an
overview of the complex economics of higher education because we understand that topics such as this
are too important to leave unaddressed. At the same
time, we recognize that the markers of student success—graduation rates, academic achievement, or
getting into graduate school or the workforce—also
must be pursued. The story about our new Gage Center for Student Success shows just one way we are
focused on ensuring that our students have the support they need to complete their Augsburg education.
So, rather than allow various social and economic
trends to define our reality, we are dedicated to planning for our future in ways that are both strategic,
that is, focused on what is most essential and important to our mission as a college, and also studentcentered, that is, always mindful that we must do our
best for all of our students.
We articulate this commitment to student success
in a concept we call the Augsburg Promise. It is the
relationship we form with our students to ensure their
success, and it has three key components.
It is, first of all, centered in our commitment to
helping our students discern and live their vocations (or
“callings”). The concept of vocation—inherited from our
Lutheran Christian theological tradition and embedded
in the Augsburg curriculum—is not merely about selffulfillment. It is a deeply nuanced way of helping students explore their gifts and commitments, understand
the arc of their lives, and embrace how their work in the
world—whatever it may be—has significance. At the
heart of the Augsburg Promise is the claim that our students will be better prepared for the world because of
our work together in the classroom, in residence halls,
on athletic fields, and in our neighborhood.
The second component of the Augsburg Promise is
our focus on academic growth and achievement in
terms of both access—how our students are welcomed
as part of our diverse community—and excellence—the
standards we set and the support we offer to ensure that
their education is of the highest order. Our students
come to Augsburg with a variety of gifts and talents. Our
promise to them is that this educational experience like
no other will challenge them to grow as students and as
citizens. So, yes, they will attain traditional academic
success, and be recognized with honors and awards, but
they also will experience the growth and achievement
that is recognized in lives of meaning and significance
in the world.
Finally, the Augsburg Promise is about equipping
our students for the lives they will lead in the world.
Higher education—especially an education grounded in
the liberal arts—must aim at ensuring that our students
are educated across a wide range of disciplines and perspectives. At the same time, a college community like
Augsburg must also consider how students are formed
with certain skills and habits that will prepare them for
citizenship and leadership. Whether in the classroom or
community, in student organizations or residence halls,
on playing fields or international travel, we must have
an integrated sense of how our students are “educated
to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical
thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
That is our mission—and that is our promise so that
all Augsburg students might be successful.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Senior Director of Alumni
and Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
augsburg now
summer 2012
Features
12
19
30
28
6
10
12
17
The economics of education
BY REBECCA JOHN
Speaking of money
BY REBECCA JOHN, STEPHANIE WEISS,
AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
Commencement
COMPILED BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
AND STEPHANIE WEISS
Faculty retirements
COMPILED BY STEPHANIE WEISS
19
.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
22 Nic Adducci ’15
contents
23 Rachel Hastings ’15
40
26 Andrena Murphy ’15
28
Calculus and coffee
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Departments
inside
front
cover
On the cover
Four friends pose for the camera before lining up for the commencement procession. See more photos from the May and July commencement ceremonies at www.augsburg.edu/now.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
2
27
30
31
32
37
40
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
It takes an Auggie
My Auggie experience
Auggie voices
Alumni news
Alumni class notes
Auggies on the ice
quad
around the
Celebrating Student Success
Scholarships and fellowships
Augsburg students earned a range of prestigious accolades during spring semester.
Some of the awards include the following:
Fulbright Scholars: Adam Spanier ’12 and
Rosalind “Rose” Sybrant ’12 were awarded
English teaching assistantships. Spanier
will teach in the Czech Republic during
2012-13, while Sybrant will teach in
Venezuela. Augsburg College is recognized
by The Chronicle of Higher Education as
one of the nation’s top producers of
Fulbright Scholars.
Gilman International Scholarships: Seven
Auggies received Gilman International Scholarships from the U.S. State Department to
study overseas this summer and fall. Auggies
will study in India, Jordan, South Africa,
South Korea, and Thailand. Augsburg was
awarded more Gilman Scholarships than any
other Twin Cities college or university this
academic year.
Goldwater Scholarship: Joe Buchman ’13, who
is studying chemistry, was awarded an honorable mention in the Goldwater Scholarship competition. He will spend the
summer doing off-campus research at the
University of Minnesota as a Student Summer Fellow for the Lupus Foundation of
Minnesota.
Kemper Scholars Program: Ibrahim Al-Hajiby
’14, an international relations/international
business major, was named the College’s
second Kemper Scholar. Students in the
Kemper program get academic scholarships
and stipends to cover the costs of two summer internships in major nonprofit and forprofit organizations. Augsburg is one of only
16 U.S. liberal arts colleges with the Kemper Scholars Program distinction.
2
Augsburg Now
Student research
awards and
achievements
Winner of international
contest: Work by biology
major Alex Sorum ’13 on a
bacterium that affects
about 80 percent of cystic
fibrosis patients won an
international American
Association for the
Advancement of Science
Angela Bonfiglio ’13 was named a Newman Civic Fellow for 2013. This award, presented by Campus Compact, honors college student leaders who have demon(AAAS) poster competition
strated their investment in finding solutions to the challenges that face our
this spring. Sorum won
communities.
the student poster competition in the medicine and
Newman Civic Fellow: Angela Bonfiglio ’13
public health category at the 2012 AAAS
was named a Newman Civic Fellow by
international meeting in Vancouver, B.C.
Campus Compact. The award recognizes
Sorum said that one of the rewards of
inspiring college student leaders who work
attending the conference was experiencing
to find solutions for challenges facing their
how going to a small liberal arts college
communities. Bonfiglio has rebuilt
has made him competitive with students
Community Link, a campus service organiat large research universities.
zation, doubling its membership while deepening
its issue-based work. In
North Minneapolis, she is
researching community
perceptions on the
achievement gap and working to close that gap. She
coordinates an afterschool
program at Redeemer
Lutheran Church to ensure
that youth have homework
help and an evening meal.
She is dedicated to social
justice, including environmental work, youth develAlex Sorum ’13 conducts research on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that
opment, interfaith work,
affects cystic fibrosis patients.
and racial equality.
Zyzzogeton celebrates work
of 67 students: Augsburg
celebrated the creativity
and research of 67 underKirubel Gezehegn ’14, a physics and chemistry major from Zimbabwe, discusses his
graduate
students during
research with physics professor Mark Engebretsen at the 2012 Zyzzogeton student
research poster exhibition.
mid-April at the annual
Zyzzogeton poster session.
Meeting of Nobel Laureates: Augsburg ColThe festival—which included work by stulege student Kirubel Gezehegn ’14 attended
dents from 17 academic departments—
the 2012 Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laurewas a chance for students to present their
ates in Lindau, Germany. The meeting
research to the Augsburg community and
brings together 31 chemistry and physics
practice public speaking. A “zyzzogeton”
laureates and an equal number of invited
is a green leaf-hopper as well as one of the
students. Gezehegn also will study chemlast words in the Webster Collegiate Dicistry this summer at Johns Hopkins Univertionary, a fitting symbol to mark the end of
sity in the labs operated by Nobel Laureate
the academic year.
Peter Agre ’70.
Auggies are doing off-campus research
across the United States at:
• Argonne National Laboratory, Physics
• Baylor University, Biology
• Carleton College, Summer Mathematics
Program for Women Undergraduates
• Harvard University, National Science
Foundation-Research Experiences for
Undergraduates (NSF-REU), Bioengineering, Scientific Computing, Robotics
and Materials Science and Engineering
• Loyola University, Biology
• Mayo Clinic, Neurobiology
• National Institute of Standards and
Technology, Cell Systems Science Group
• Oakland University, NSF-REU, Mechanical Engineering
• Rochester Institute of Technology, NSFREU, External Graph Theory and Dynamical Systems
• Texas Christian University, Physics
• University of Georgia, NSF-REU, Microbiology
• University of Minnesota, Lillehei Heart
Institute
11th time since 1998 that the team finished
in the top 10. On the mat, the team placed
second at the NCAA Division III National
Championship.
National Society of
Black Engineers conference
At the end of March, physics majors Gottlieb
Uahengo ’13, Mohamed Sheikh-Mohamed ’14,
Amir Rose ’14, and Fred Vedasto ’13 attended
the National Society of Black Engineers
conference in Pittsburgh, Pa. The conference included workshops and programming
for grade school, collegiate, graduate,
technical, professional, and international entities of the
society. Uahengo said
he was intrigued by
his “ability to draw
several parallels
between [his]
Augsburg education
and some of the
physics behind the
technology of companies such as Boeing,
Nearly 70 undergraduate students presented their research at the 2012 Zyzzogeton
Lockheed Martin, and
poster session. Zyzzogeton, held near the end of the spring semester, is the College’s
annual festival of student creativity and scholarship.
3M, and to see the
real-world applications of the many
concepts studied in class.” Travel was
funded through the NorthStar STEM
The Augsburg College wrestling team during
Alliance, a program intended to double the
2011-12 stood out in the classroom and on
number of African-American,
the mat. Auggies claimed the highest team
Hispanic/Latino, Native American, Alaska
grade-point average in the National Wrestling
Native, and Pacific Islander students
Coaches Association Division III Scholar Allreceiving bachelor degrees in science,
America program, with an overall GPA of
technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
3.73. This is the second time Augsburg has
earned this top academic honor and the
Scholar All-America Program
Summer 2012
3
quad
around the
Celebrating Student Success (continued)
Travelers EDGE
Five Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for Graduation and
Employment) scholars from Augsburg will complete internships
with Travelers this summer. Three Auggies—Simon Tekle ’13, Ger
Lao ’13, and Dustina Granlund ’14—will work in Travelers’ information technology (IT) department. Mai Yang “Maya” Vue ’13 will
intern as a cash control analyst, and Mee “Kanee” Lee ’14, will
research diverse markets in the Twin Cities. Travelers EDGE
seeks to increase the pipeline of underrepresented students to
college, help them to graduate, and build awareness of careers
in the insurance and financial services industry. This was
Augsburg’s second year as a recipient of a Travelers EDGE grant.
Thrivent Leadership Fellows
Augsburg’s Thrivent Leadership Fellows, a group of students working to engage the Augsburg community in service, organized an
annual multicultural dinner at the Brian Coyle Center during
April. The event featured foods that represented the cultures in
the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. Thrivent
Leadership Fellows work to strengthen on- and off-campus communities through organized volunteer events and activities such
as cooking classes for local shelters, food shelf drives, and
tutoring sessions.
The Thrivent Leadership Fellows: Front Row [L to R]: Christine Smith ’13, Janelle
Holte ’13, Maya Keith ’13, Shana Strong ’13, Masha Shatonova ’13; Back Row
[L to R]: Paul Hunt ’13, Jordan Skrove ’13, Billy Mzenga ’13
4
Augsburg Now
Celebration of
Philanthropy
The 2011-12 fiscal year was one of the most successful
fundraising years in Augsburg’s history with nearly $14 million
raised to support programming, scholarships, buildings, and
research. One of the ways the College celebrated this success
was by welcoming more than 250 donors and volunteer leaders
to campus for the annual Celebration of Philanthropy in June.
W.K. Kellogg FOUNDATION
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation during May funded a three-year,
$1.2 million grant to support Sprockets, a St. Paul-based
educational program operated in partnership with Augsburg
College’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship. The W.K.
Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) is among the largest philanthropic
foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all
children should have an equal opportunity to thrive, WKKF
works with communities to
create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in
school, work, and life. WKKF
is based in Battle Creek,
Mich., and works throughout the United States and internationally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is
paid to areas where there are high concentrations of poverty
and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF
priority locations in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New
Mexico, and New Orleans, and internationally in Mexico and
Haiti. For more information, visit www.wkkf.org.
National
Science
Foundation
Grant
Augsburg College
Women’s Varsity Lacrosse
Augsburg College announced this summer that it will launch the
first collegiate women’s varsity lacrosse team in Minnesota.
Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing high school girls’ sports in
the state and is currently offered as a club sport at Augsburg.
The College’s new varsity team will begin competing during
spring 2014. A coach, who will join the staff this fall, will spend
the first year recruiting and building the team. By offering
women’s lacrosse, Augsburg will be able to expand the number
of student-athletes who attend Augsburg for their post-secondary education and increase the total number of female student-athletes at the College.
Augsburg was awarded a National Science Foundation
grant of nearly $600,000 to support scholarships for
undergraduates majoring in sciences or mathematics.
The AugSTEM scholarships will provide as much as
$7,500 per year to upper-division students. The grant
brings to nearly $3 million the College’s total active
awards from the NSF. Partial funding is provided by the
National Science Foundation Scholarships in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM)
program under Award Number DUE-1154096.
MANY VOICES
BOLD VISIONS
Convocation Series 2011-12
MusicEnsembles
Augsburg College’s music ensembles
performed regionally and nationally during the 2011-12 school year. Numerous
performances were given around the
metro area, including the U.S. premiere
performance of John Ireland’s “Psalm 42” by
the Masterworks Chorale and a rousing year-end performance by
Augsburg Jazz Instrumental Vocal Ensemble at Famous Dave’s in
Minneapolis. Each of the College’s three touring groups follow a fouryear travel rotation that includes national, international, and two
regional tours. The Augsburg Symphony Orchestra and the Augsburg
Choir went on national tours this year. The orchestra traveled to
Florida during winter break, while the choir after commencement
toured Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington,
and Wyoming. The Augsburg Concert Band performed throughout
northern Minnesota and Wisconsin during spring break, and performed several joint concerts with local high-school and college
bands. The concert band will travel to Turkey in May 2013.
The Sverdrup Convocation, held April 17, created the
opportunity for the community to learn about NASA’s Mercury Surface Space Environment Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. Brian J. Anderson ’82, deputy
project scientist with the mission and a physicist with the
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, discussed the Mercury mission and whether there is a moral
imperative for space exploration.
The Rochester Convocation on May 15 was a chance for
Auggies to learn about the work of Shanna Decker, a ninetime national award winner for her volunteer accomplishments. Decker’s presentation, “Love Wins,” provided
insight into her “Hearts of Hope” project and her family’s
co-founding of the nonprofit “Brighter Tomorrows” for families touched by childhood cancer. Decker also has mentored, supported, and visited nearly 1,000 people
throughout the world who are amputees or cancer patients.
To see photos from the convocation series,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
5
{
The
ECONOMICS of
EDUCATION
BY REBECCA JOHN
A bubble. An eruption. An explosion.
These are just some of the words used in news reports this year to describe college
costs and higher education loan debt. While these headlines may grab attention, they
unfortunately are not very useful in helping people fully understand the multifaceted
topic of college affordability.
As Justin Draeger, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid
Administrators, said in a May 9 University Business article, a more accurate though
admittedly less exciting headline might be: “A Complex Combination of Economic
Factors Increases College Costs and Loan Debt for Certain Students.”
As mundane as that headline seems, continued public dialogue is important and
timely because many students and families today face real challenges in figuring out
how to pay for college. This article provides a brief overview of four core areas related
to the economics of higher education: the value of a postsecondary degree, key cost
drivers in higher education, changes in government aid, and tuition and student loan
debt trends.
6
Augsburg Now
VALUE OF HIGHER EDUCATION
{
Ironically, if it weren’t for the significant benefits of a college education, the public debate about the cost of college likely would not be
nearly as heated. If people didn’t desire the outcomes of and opportunities afforded by having a college education—if they merely thought
the price was too high—they would just simply stop going to college.
But that is not the case. Instead, the difference between having a
college degree and not having one has become even more pronounced
as more and more jobs require higher education. The Georgetown University Center on Education predicts that 63 percent of jobs in 2018
will require some form of postsecondary education. Already, according
to the U.S. Census Bureau, high school graduates earn less than 70
percent of the income of bachelor’s degree holders.
Moreover, as was evidenced in the recent recession, people with
63 percent of jobs in 2018 will require
some form of postsecondary education.
– THE GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY CENTER ON EDUCATION
college degrees are much less likely to be unemployed than those
with only high school diplomas. In 2011, the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics reported that the unemployment rate for high school graduates was 9.4 percent, whereas people with bachelor’s degrees or
higher were unemployed at only a 4.3 percent rate.
So, while rising tuition costs and student debt may raise questions
about erosion of the ROI (return on investment) of a given college
degree, the larger, societal concern is that the required investment—
and, therefore, the benefits—of higher education may be out of
reach for a growing portion of our population, no matter how promising the return.
COLLEGE COSTS
An oft-cited book in the discussion of rising college costs is David
Feldman’s and Robert Archibald’s Why Does College Cost So Much?
(Oxford University Press, 2010). The Augsburg College Board of
Regents dedicated a portion of its January 2012 board meeting to a
discussion of this book to better understand the key cost drivers in
higher education and how those costs affect students and tuition.
Many factors affect college costs, but Feldman and Archibald,
economics professors at the College of William & Mary, demonstrate
that costs steadily have risen during the past 30 years in all personal-service industries that employ highly educated labor. Increasing costs have occurred not only in higher education but also in
A one-on-one relationship
between a faculty member and a
student is critical for student
comprehension and engagement.
}
– JEANNE BOEH, AUGSBURG COLLEGE ECONOMICS
PROFESSOR AND CHAIR OF THE ECONOMICS DEPARTMENT
dentistry, health care, and legal services. Significant productivity
advancements in other industries—for example, automation and
robotics in manufacturing—have increased the demand for, and
therefore the price of, highly skilled labor. As a result, labor-cost
increases have affected all personal-service industries, including colleges and universities, which employ some of the most highly educated people in our country as faculty, staff, and administration.
This phenomenon is called “cost disease,” said Jeanne Boeh,
Augsburg College professor of economics. Boeh, who served as president of the Augsburg Faculty Senate in 2011-12, participated in the
College’s Board of Regents discussion of Feldman’s and Archibald’s
book. She is a frequent commentator on economic trends for the
Star Tribune, Minnesota Public Radio, and Twin Cities Public Television’s “Almanac.”
“In higher education,” Boeh explained, “capital and labor have
not been substitutes but complements.” For example, using course
management software such as Moodle may enhance collaboration
and streamline administrative activities, but it doesn’t reduce the
labor involved in teaching or learning in the same way that manufacturing automation does. Online courses also have been affected,
resulting in higher operating expenses than originally anticipated.
“Augsburg offers several programs in a blended format—merging
in-class time with online learning,” said Boeh, who has taught all
types of classes at Augsburg. “And we will continue to evolve course
formats to take advantage of online technologies where they are most
effective.”
But no matter the format, Boeh said, “a one-on-one relationship
between a faculty member and a student is critical for student comprehension and engagement—not only for any class lectures but also
for in-class assignments and projects as well as out-of-class work.”
So, while online formats offer attractive benefits—including making lectures available to a broader set of learners and providing flexibility to working adults pursuing advanced degrees—they have not,
to date, offered a “perfect” substitute for individual attention from
highly qualified faculty. As a result, the trade-offs between cost and
quality in higher education exist whether course delivery is in-class
or online.
Summer 2012
7
{
By 2009, institutional grant aid [from
Minnesota private colleges] was triple
the state’s contribution.
GOVERNMENT AID
– MINNESOTA PRIVATE COLLEGE COUNCIL
Share of Minnesota general fund spent on higher education
18%
17.3%
16%
14%
12%
10%
8%
6.9%
6%
4%
Percent of General Fund Appropriated to Higher Education
2%
Forecasted Percent of General Fund Appropriated to Higher Education
0%
1967
1975
1983
1991
1999
2007
2013
Chart 1: The percent of the State of Minnesota’s budget appropriated to higher education has declined
steadily in the past 20 years.
Financial aid trends for Minnesota undergraduates
FIGURES IN MILLIONS
$1,800
2009 borrowing by Minnesota
undergraduates and their families
surpassed $1.6 billion.
$1,600
$1,400
$1,200
By 2009,
grant aid
from
institutions
was triple
the state’s
commitment.
$1,000
By 2005,
grant aid from
institutions
was double
the state’s
commitment.
$800
$600
$400
In 1991, institutions
and the state each
provided about $80
million in grant aid
to Minnesota
undergraduates.
$200
$1991
1995
State Grants (actual)
1999
Federal Grants (actual)
2001
2005
Institutional Grants (actual)
2007
2009
Total Loans (actual)
Chart 2: Since 1991, grant aid from Minnesota private colleges grew to three times the amount provided by
the state, while student loan debt increased eight-fold.
8
Augsburg Now
Minnesota Private College Research Foundation analysis of Minnesota
budget data
20%
Minnesota Private College Research Foundation analysis of Minnesota
Office of Higher Education biennial survey of aid awarded
The financial aid that students receive
from the state grant program is an important part of the resources they have to
pay for their college education, said Jay
Benanav, Augsburg’s director of government relations. “And, while the state has
increased the overall dollar amount allocated to support higher education in the
past 20 years, this aid has not kept pace
with rising higher education costs,” he
said. “So, today, state grant aid constitutes a much smaller portion of a student's overall resources for college.”
The Minnesota Private College Council
(MPCC)—an organization representing
17 private colleges in the state, including Augsburg—has been actively
engaged with the Minnesota Legislature
on the topic of higher education funding.
Chart 1, compiled by the MPCC, shows
the declining share of the state’s general
fund that has been spent on higher education costs during the past several
decades.
Because state support covers a
smaller proportion of college costs today,
a larger portion is falling to students and
their families. In fact, the proportion of
college costs that families cover has
gone up faster than the overall cost of
college.
To help offset the growing burden on
families, Minnesota’s private colleges
have increased the aid they provide to
students through their endowments and
operational budgets. Chart 2, again from
the MPCC, shows the dollar amount of
college costs covered by Minnesota state
grants, federal grants, MPCC collegefunded grants, and student loans. The
chart provides data from 1991 to 2009,
a period during which student loan debt
soared and grant aid from Minnesota private colleges grew to three times the
amount provided by the state.
NET TUITION AND STUDENT LOANS
“Financial counseling is embedded in our admissions process,”
As noted earlier, in addition to loans and government aid, many students also receive financial aid directly from their colleges or universi- Edstrom said, “and our financial aid staff work hard to make sure
students and parents understand what they are taking on when they
ties. This means that the out-of-pocket expenses (or “net tuition”)
borrow.”
that a given student pays will be less than the published tuition (or
Even people with significant financial experience should (and do)
sticker price) for that college or university. How much less varies from
seek help navigating the financial aid process, said Paul Terrio,
student to student based on multiple factors—including the family’s
Augsburg’s director of student financial services. “Financing college
financial situation, the student’s academic standing, and numerous
is a substantial investment for families, and it’s an investment that
other factors that enrollment offices take into consideration.
has a major impact on one of the most important people in their
This variation means that the net tuition one student pays will
lives,” Terrio said. “So, naturally, people want to make sure they’re
not be the same as another student, even at the same institution.
As a result, it has become increasingly important
for students and families to understand their specific financial aid package at each institution the
student is considering before making a final
choice, or before assuming that a certain college
is financially out of reach.
Even with financial support from colleges, how– JULIE EDSTROM ’90, ’04 MA, AUGSBURG VICE PRESIDENT OF ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
ever, borrowing has increasingly become a necessary part of how families of all socioeconomic
doing the best they can.
backgrounds pay for college. Average U.S. undergraduate student
“But since college financing is something people do only a couloan debt for 2010 graduates was $25,250, according to the Projple times in their lives, most are not experts in the process,” he said.
ect on Student Debt, an initiative of the nonprofit Institute for ColAs a result, every family, no matter their income level or financial
lege Access & Success.
The average debt of Augsburg graduates was $24,311 that year.
sophistication, can benefit from working with a financial counselor
In addition to being lower than the national average, Augsburg’s stu- who, according to Terrio, can “help them focus on their own scenario
dent loan debt average compares favorably with the averages for
rather than on averages and statistics reported in the news, which
other higher education institutions in the state of Minnesota, said
may have little to do with the specific family’s financial situation.”
Julie Edstrom ’90, ’04 MA, Augsburg vice president for enrollment
management.
{
Augsburg’s average student debt in 2010 was
$24,311, which compares favorably with other
higher education institutions in Minnesota.
}
}
When one steps back from the headlines, it’s easier to see how college costs aren’t
driven by one simple factor alone but, instead, are determined by a mix of state, federal,
institutional, and individual factors. It’s easier to see, as well, how changing one factor
invariably puts pressure on other factors.
In the end, the challenge for Augsburg College—and every higher education institution—is to find a sustainable balance among these factors—state and federal government
aid, institutional support, and student or family contributions—in a way that keeps higher
education within reach for students of academic ability from all backgrounds.
At Augsburg’s July 1 commencement, honorary degree recipient David Mathews, president and chief executive officer of the
Kettering Foundation, focused his commencement address on the value—specifically the public value—of higher education. Mathews previously served as secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare under former President Gerald Ford and as
president of the University of Alabama. Read his commencement address at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
9
SPEAKING of
MONEY
BY REBECCA JOHN, STEPHANIE WEISS, AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
It’s scary. Students don’t like it. Parents don’t like it. But for any
family with a student in college, money matters, and talking openly
about finances is a critical part of figuring out if and how an individual can afford college. It’s a path toward determining whether the
costs of college are a good investment for students, and often, their
families. It’s also a path toward understanding individual and family
philosophies connected to saving, spending, and philanthropy.
Augsburg College is committed to talking with students and families about all these issues and sees these sometimes complex conversations as tools to build good decision-making as well as
valuable investments in a family’s future.
STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES
It takes as much energy to wish
as it does to plan.
– ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Paying for college is a significant
undertaking for families, regardless of
their family household income. To help
plan for this investment, families need to start
talking about their finances long before they’re
actually facing tuition payments.
“The place to start is by focusing on what the family
values and how they make choices about what they buy and
how they use the money they have,” said Carly Eichhorst,
Augsburg College associate director of financial aid. “When we are
working with families, we don’t start by talking about the mechanics of financial aid and student loans; we start by understanding
their values.”
It’s also beneficial to include both the student and the parent or
parents in the conversation, added Paul Terrio, director of student
financial services.
“We see a difference between families who have had conversations about how they plan to pay for college and families where only
some of the members—either the parents or the student—are
10
Augsburg Now
involved in the financial discussion,” he said. “It’s a much more
productive conversation if all of the family members are vested in
the plan.”
In order to help support and foster these important family conversations, Augsburg has embedded financial aid counseling into
the undergraduate admission process. So, when a first-year undergraduate student receives her or his acceptance letter from
Augsburg, the letter clearly states, “The next step is to schedule
your first-year meeting,” and invites them to make an appointment
with the College’s student financial services staff. Augsburg also
has linked financial planning with academic planning in the adult
undergraduate program to ensure that adult undergraduate students and their families have resources to help navigate the system
of financing college.
As a result of this intentional effort to invite families into the
student finance discussion, as of June 1, nearly 45 percent of firstyear students who had made their initial fall deposit had also
scheduled an appointment with Augsburg’s financial services staff.
With sessions continuing through the summer, a majority of firstyear students and their families will have the opportunity to discuss
their financial plans with the College before classes start in the fall.
“Our goal in working with families is to help them develop a
comprehensive plan for the entire college degree, not just to figure
out how they can pay for the first semester,” Terrio said. A comprehensive plan includes outlining how much the student or family will
need to pay and how long they will need to make payments on any
student loans taken out to cover college costs.
“Our role is not to prescribe financial solutions or provide a specific answer for how to pay for college,” Eichhorst said. “We are
working to help families identify and understand their options.”
By gaining a shared understanding of their options, families can
enhance their financial literacy and equip themselves to plan for—
not just wish for—the means to pursue a college degree.
STUDENT PHILANTHROPY
Someone’s sitting in the shade today because
someone planted a tree a long time ago.
– WARREN BUFFETT
Auggies give. Every year.
This simple instruction forms the basis of the goal for
Augsburg’s Student Philanthropy Week, an annual program
designed to make students aware of how donor support benefits
them and to teach students, from the beginning of their college
careers through their graduation, about the importance of giving
back to their alma mater.
The Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations and the
staff of The Augsburg Fund
sponsor several programs
for students throughout
the academic year. To
coordinate these programs,
staff work closely with the
Augsburg Stewards, a group of current undergraduate students who support philanthropic efforts at the College.
Each spring, Student Philanthropy Week includes a virtual
“donor scavenger hunt” where students use daily clues, conduct
library research, and visit donor-named locations on campus to
guess the identity of one of the College’s major donors. The first
student to accurately identify the donor wins a gift card.
The annual Feed the Pig campaign and the senior class giving
campaign encourage students to begin donating to Augsburg. To
participate in Feed the Pig, students receive a piggy bank in the fall
and, throughout the school year, collect spare change to fill up their
banks. Classes compete to raise the most money and to engage the
greatest number of student participants. The money raised funds a
scholarship for a student in the winning class.
These activities highlight the fact that, every year, Augsburg
relies on thousands of alumni, parents, friends, and students to
ensure that Auggies have access to an outstanding, affordable
Augsburg education.
MONEY MATTERS
The highest use of capital is not to make
more money, but to make money do more for
the betterment of life.
– HENRY FORD
At Augsburg College, students and staff have turned inside out the
federal mandate that all colleges and universities deliver financial
literacy programs. Instead of delivering top-down programs of
expert panelists or lectures, Augsburg involves students as key
partners in creating and developing the school’s financial literacy
program.
A key goal of the program is to help students open the door on
conversations that typically are difficult and sometimes uncomfortable—conversations about personal and family finances, budgeting,
and the cost of college.
“If you make public the stuff you usually hide, you can change
individual behavior,” said Carly Eichhorst, associate director of
financial aid. “But you have to start by being open with your own
story.”
Having students shape the conversation is critical to helping
them learn how to make good financial decisions today and in the
future. That’s because research shows that knowledge retention
soars to 75 percent when learning is practiced by doing, compared
with 20 percent retention when we learn by listening.
“This is hard stuff to talk about,” Eichhorst said, “but when students see their friends sharing and grappling with tough ideas, it
becomes easier and more acceptable to open up about their own
stories.”
The College’s annual Money Matters program runs for a week
during the spring and includes a range of events and activities to
help students and their families talk openly about financial topics.
In addition to counseling sessions and opportunities to connect
with financial experts, 2012 Money Matters activities included:
• A student panel in which five Auggies from different socioeconomic, cultural, and faith backgrounds talked about how they
make college work financially. Some student panelists also
shared their stories with a Star Tribune reporter. Later in the
spring, some of the students participated in a student loan and
student finance roundtable with U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison.
• My Money Secret, a participant-generated project in which students, staff, and faculty posted their money secrets in the skyways on campus. The secrets were hung on a line using
clothespins—a display that was intentionally meant to invoke the
feeling that participants were “airing their laundry,”
Eichhorst said. Some students
shared tips for saving, while other
students disclosed
habits of overspending.
Because investing in a
college education is such
a significant undertaking,
Augsburg is committed to
helping families build financial literacy from the first oncampus encounter through a
student’s full experience. By
beginning the process of talking about money at the very
start, students and their families not only learn important
information about how to better
manage their finances, but also have the chance to consider how
they want to use their money—through saving, spending, and giving.
Summer 2012
11
E
Commencement
May 5, 2012
A
F
D
12
Augsburg Now
During the commencement processional, faculty
line 7 ½ Street and applaud as graduating students walk from Christensen Center to Si Melby
Hall. The tradition marks the transition from student to graduate and allows faculty to show respect
for the students. The ceremony also is a bookend to
the Auggie experience. Four years earlier—on their
first day of class—faculty welcomed incoming students with applause during the opening convocation ceremony.
A
Faculty greet passing students with waves and
handshakes and sometimes even give students a
high-five or hug.
B
Members of ethnic student groups often wear
sashes that denote their membership. Here, a
group of students who are members of the PanAfrikan Student Union wear stoles made of
Kente cloth that originates in Ghana, West
Africa.
C
Students can be seen wearing bow ties, a fashion
phenomenon that started to take hold in 2006
when Paul C. Pribbenow was installed as president of Augsburg College. Pribbenow has a reputation for his bow tie collection, and the bow tie
often makes an appearance when students dress
in formal wear.
D
Colored cords represent honors given by the College, academic departments, and the Honors
program. Candidates for Latin honors—students
graduating cum laude, magna cum laude, or
summa cum laude—receive maroon and gray
cords. Students who complete requirements of
the Augsburg College Honors program wear gold
cords. Other cords indicate departmental honors.
E
Students can line up in whatever order they
choose. Because there is no formal order, being
the last person in line—and, therefore, the last
to cross the commencement stage—has become
a coveted spot. Students will jockey for the position and stall during the procession, and the last
person to cross the stage usually makes a grand
statement of it.
F
Like many faculty members, Phil Adamo, associate
professor and chair of the History Department,
breaks from the reception line to congratulate a
student in the procession.
B
C
Summer 2012
13
In 2007, Augsburg started the tradition of holding
two commencement ceremonies—the first in early
May for the undergraduate day students and the
Masters in Physician Assistant program graduates,
and the second in late June for Weekend/Evening
College, Rochester undergraduate, and the remaining master’s degree program graduates.
A
President Paul C. Pribbenow and Jodi Harpstead,
chair of the Board of Regents, shake hands with
every graduate who crosses the stage. For the
July commencement ceremony, that was roughly
300 hands.
B
Tom Kelsey and Lori York of the Registrar’s office
perform a well-choreographed dance to make sure
the President always has a diploma holder in his
hand the moment a graduate crosses the stage.
C
A large stack of diploma holders will be whittled
down to almost nothing during the ceremony. In
case you are wondering, the holders are empty.
Diplomas are mailed to the graduates after their
final grades are processed by the Registrar.
D
Master’s and doctoral degree candidates in
business administration, education, leadership,
nursing, and social work sit on the left side of
the gym.
E
Graduates of the Weekend/Evening College and
Rochester programs sit on the right side of
the gym.
F
Handing out diplomas is like an assembly line:
grab your name card, follow the faculty marshal
to the front of the gym, hand over your name
card, cross the stage as your name is called,
shake hands with the Board chair, take diploma
in your left hand while shaking hands with
President Pribbenow and smile while your photo
is taken, proceed down the ramp, smile for
another photo and be sure that the front of the
diploma holder is facing forward, return to your
seat, breathe a sigh of relief.
To view more commencement photos,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
14
14
Augsburg Now
Augsburg Now
E
A
C
Commencement
July 1, 2012
D
F
B
Summer 2012
15
Augsburg grad students mix philosophy
of social work with drive for business
Leading nonprofits increasingly want top-level leaders who understand complex financial issues, can implement strategic business
practices, and are able to serve diverse local and global communities.
Recognizing the changing expectations and requirements of
nonprofits, Augsburg College in 2009 began offering a dual Master
of Arts Degrees in Social Work (MSW) and Business Administration
(MBA). The College’s first two MSW/MBA graduates completed
their dual degrees this spring.
“We chose to respond to changing dynamics. More and more,
leaders of nonprofits, if they want to continue moving up the ladder, need the same business skills as their counterparts in the forprofit world,” said Steven Zitnick, who during June retired as
director of the MBA program.
Those with a Master of Arts in Social Work can, if they choose,
progress to a different point in their career with formal business
training, said Lois Bosch, director of Augsburg’s Master of Social
Work program.
“Larger social service agencies want business leaders for their
business acumen,” Bosch said. “Increasingly, they also want people who are trained formally to understand the needs of their
clients.”
Jana Nicolaison ’12, one of Augsburg’s
MSW/MBA dual degree graduates, said the
program provided her the knowledge and
tools to manage social service programs by
understanding the business behind the programs.
“I have the confidence to advocate for
clients on the macro level because I under-
stand all aspects of the services they receive,” Nicolaison said.
The dual degree program isn’t just a good idea for those who
want to lead social service agencies, though.
“There’s an emerging trend of social entrepreneurship that
opens another path for joint MSW/MBA students to pursue,”
Zitnick said. “Through Augsburg’s combined curriculum, we can
meet the vocational needs of this type of contemporary MSW
student.”
One such potential social entrepreneur is Miki Peterson ’12,
who hopes to use her skills and insight to bring critical healthcare
services to underserved markets.
“We operate in a complex economic, societal, and political
landscape. I now have the knowledge and diversity of skills to
bring critical health care services to underserved markets,”
Peterson said. “I have insights gleaned from both social services
and business administration to allow me to accomplish this goal in
any corporate, small business, or non-profit setting.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
To learn more about the dual MSW/MBA, go to www.augsburg.edu/msw or email
mbainfo@augsburg.edu.
“I have the knowledge and diversity
of skills to bring critical health care
services to underserved markets.”
MIKI PETERSON ’12 MSW/MBA
Miki Peterson ’12 MSW/MBA and Jana Nicolaison ’12 MSW/MBA
16
Augsburg Now
HONORING
our retired faculty
Augsburg College
celebrated the accomplishments and dedication of faculty during the spring Faculty
Recognition Luncheon and formally thanked
10 faculty for their service. Below are brief
biographies of those who finished their
careers as Auggies. The group contributed
more than 240 years of service to the College.
Anthony Bibus III, professor of social
work, joined Augsburg during 1992. He
served the College as department chair, as
faculty parliamentarian, and on key faculty
committees. He received bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in English from the
University of St. Thomas and the University of Virginia, respectively, and a doctorate in social work from the University of
Minnesota.
Shelley Burkhardt, instructor of education, worked as the special education program director at Rochester and as an
adjunct faculty member. She received a
bachelor’s degree from Valparaiso and
completed master’s-level studies at Winona
State University, Minnesota State University Mankato, and the University of Minnesota. Prior to her work with Augsburg,
Burkhardt served as the director of special
education for the Rochester Public
Schools, where she also was a special education teacher.
C. Lee Clarke, assistant professor of business, started his career as a Lutheran parish
pastor and then spent 20 years working in
management information systems. He joined
Augsburg during 2000 as a faculty member
Front Row [L to R]: Glenda Dewberry Rooney, professor of social work; Norma Noonan, professor of political science; Lynn
Lindow, associate professor of education; Grace Dyrud, professor of psychology; Steven Zitnick, director of the Master of
Business Administration; Back Row [L to R]: President Paul C. Pribbenow; Bradley Holt ’63, professor of religion; Arlin
Gyberg, professor of chemistry; Anthony Bibus III, professor of social work; C. Lee Clarke, assistant professor of business;
Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Barbara Farley. Retiring faculty not pictured: Shelley
Burkhardt, instructor of education
in the Business Administration Department.
Clarke co-taught with religion faculty and
served as faculty adviser for Augsburg Seminar, a program to help first-year students
learn about the Augsburg community and
participate in neighborhood service programs. He earned a bachelor’s degree from
Capital University, a Master of Divinity from
Trinity Lutheran Seminary, and a Master of
Business Administration from the University
of St. Thomas.
Arlin Gyberg, professor of chemistry,
started his career at Augsburg during
1967. He taught general and analytical
chemistry for science majors and chemistry
courses for non-science major students. He
is one of several co-founders of the Mcgyan
process reactor, a continuous flow device
that is used to produce biodiesel from
plant material. He maintains close connections to alumni in local industry (at companies such as Aveda, General Mills, and
SarTec, to name a few) over the years. He
earned a doctorate in analytical chemistry
from the University of Minnesota.
Bradley Holt ’63, professor of religion,
began his teaching career during 1978.
His scholarly interests revolved around the
history of Christian spirituality and Christianity in a global context, and he is the
author of Thirsty for God: A Brief History of
Christian Spirituality. Holt taught theology
in Nigeria for 10 years. He graduated from
Augsburg with bachelor’s degrees in English and philosophy and received a Bachelor of Divinity from Luther Theological
Seminary, and a Master of Philosophy and
doctorate from Yale University.
Lynn Lindow, associate professor of education, joined the College during 1985 as
a member of the Health and Physical Education Department. She subsequently took
a position in the Department of Education
and was a K-12 expert. For seven years,
she served as chair of the Education
Department. Lindow also helped with the
department’s reaccreditation. She received
a bachelor’s degree from Minnesota State
University Mankato, a master’s degree from
Summer 2012
17
North Dakota State University, and a doctorate from the University of
Minnesota.
Norma Noonan, professor of political science, served Augsburg for more than 45
years, joining the faculty during 1966. She
was instrumental in the development of
the Master of Arts in Leadership, the College’s inaugural graduate program offering,
and served as program director for 18
years. She chaired the Political Science
Department, served on key faculty committees, and was a mentor to many. Noonan
received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
political science from the University of
Pennsylvania and Indiana University,
respectively, and a doctorate in Russian
and East European Studies from Indiana
University.
Glenda Dewberry Rooney, professor of
social work, began working at Augsburg
during 1992. An expert in direct social
work practice, she served as department
chair and taught in advanced clinical
placement courses. Her research and
teaching interests include child welfare,
particularly where racial disparities exist.
She is the author of one of social work’s
most widely used texts. Rooney received
bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from the University of North Texas, a
master’s in social work from the University
of Illinois, and a doctorate in social work
and industrial relations from the University
of Minnesota.
Maryann Syers, associate professor of
social work, joined Augsburg during 1998.
Her teaching experience was strengthened
by her previous private clinical practice
and ongoing research working with women
of color, sexual minorities, and persons
with physical disabilities. She was a leader
in conceptualizing content for the Master
of Social Work program’s multicultural
clinical practice concentration. Syers also
served on the Personnel Policies Committee and Faculty Senate. She received a
bachelor’s degree in psychology from
Arizona State University and a master’s of
social work and doctorate in social welfare
from the University of Minnesota.
Steven Zitnick, director of the Master of
Business Administration (MBA) program,
joined Augsburg during 1999. Prior to
that, he served as a military officer and
held senior executive positions in human
resources and organizational development
in the private sector, including at H.B.
Fuller. In 2008 Zitnick was named director
of the Augsburg MBA program. He helped
launch MBA study abroad programs in
Argentina, Chile, Germany, and Russia and
launched the Mini-MBA program with
Luther Seminary. Zitnick received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Shimer
College, a master’s degree in human
resources management from the University
of Utah, and is on track to complete a doctorate from Tilburg University in the
Netherlands during retirement.
On May 3, faculty gathered at the annual
Faculty Recognition Luncheon to celebrate a successful academic year and to
recognize their colleagues’ accomplishments. The program honored retiring faculty members, recipients of tenure and
promotion, milestone years of service,
and recipients of the Distinguished Contribution to Teaching and Learning awards.
18
Augsburg Now
GAGE CENTER
FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Who comes to the Gage Center for Student Success and the Groves Technology Center?
At one time or another, nearly every student at Augsburg does.
I have to write a paper.
I’m here to use the computer lab.
I am a Weekend College student, and I'm planning to graduate next year.
I'm here to plan out my degree progress with an academic adviser.
I have ADHD and struggle with reading.
I’m here to use the software program that helps me read my textbooks.
I am visually impaired.
I’m here to talk to an adviser about the services that can help me at Augsburg.
I am having a tough time with one of my classes.
I’m here to see a tutor.
I’m the first person in my family to go to college.
I am here because I heard you have a program to help people like me learn
how to be successful in school.
I’m a pretty good student, but I really have trouble with time management.
I’m here to learn how to be better at that.
Spring 2012
19
success
INTEGRATING ACADEMIC SUPPORT
tradition of bringing programs and
services together to improve the
student service experience. As in
the case of the Enrollment Center—which first opened in 2000
and combined the offices of academic advising, the registrar,
financial aid, and financial services—co-location benefits students
because all services are in one
convenient location. In addition,
when staff work closely together,
they often discover new ways of
working that lead to new initiatives
and better student service.
The Gage Center staff is evaluating a caseload management software tool that will allow them to
build connections for students and
refer them to additional resources.
Gort said the software will help to
create a network of student support that extends beyond the Gage
Center. “We’re at the start of a
really cool project, and we have
high hopes for what this is going to be,”
she said.
While staff and students are still learning how the Gage Center will function to
best meet students’ needs, Gort said she
has been pleased with the outcomes so far.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
At one time, academic support services at
Augsburg were scattered across campus.
One program was tucked around a few corners in a basement. A few others were in
Science Hall. While seeking out and asking
for help is already difficult for some students, having support staff in different
locations made getting help even more
complicated.
To address this situation, Augsburg
moved all of these academic support services to the new Gage Center for Student
Success, which opened on the second floor
of the Lindell Library in January. The center
provides a one-stop shop for students to
access academic advising, tutoring, academic accommodations, assistance with
learning and physical disabilities, academic
skills coaching, and other support services.
“The Gage Center helps us see how students can benefit by having people and programs together,” said Amy Gort, dean of
Arts and Sciences. Co-locating the offices
in Lindell has made student support services more visible on campus and provides
greater access for students. And with all
support staff in proximity with one another,
the center is the first step in creating a
seamless experience of academic support
for students.
The Gage Center follows an Augsburg
20
Augsburg Now
“What is great about this group of staff is
that each program has a history of being
innovative, constantly evaluating, and looking for opportunities for students to have an
even better experience.”
Nearly every graduate and undergraduate student at Augsburg
comes into contact with the Gage Center staff or services at least
once—and usually multiple times—in her or his college career.
The center provides a one-stop shop for students to access academic advising, tutoring, academic accommodations, assistance
with learning and physical disabilities, academic skills coaching,
and other support services.
GAGE CENTER FOR
STUDENT SUCCESS
Gifts from the Gage and Groves family foundations allowed
Augsburg to create an integrated and highly visible academic support services center. The Gage Center for
Student Success, which officially opened in January, includes
the Groves Technology Center, the Groves Accommodations
Lab, meeting rooms, testing rooms, and staff offices.
DEPARTMENTS IN THE
AUGGIES ARE ACHIEVERS
GAGE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
ACADEMIC ADVISING supports students in achieving their educational and vocational goals.
THE ACADEMIC SKILLS OFFICE provides coaching to help students
develop skills and strategies for academic success, and also works
with students in the Conditional Admit Program (CAP) and Augsburg Advantage St. Kate’s (AASK) program.
THE CENTER FOR LEARNING AND ADAPTIVE STUDENT SERVICES
(CLASS) provides services and accommodations for students with
attentional, learning, and physical disabilities.
THE GROVES TECHNOLOGY CENTER provides computer workstations
for all students and adaptive software programs, such as speech
recognition software and screen readers, for learners with special
needs.
TRiO/STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES, funded by the U.S. Department
of Education, helps students overcome class, social, and cultural
barriers to complete their college education.
TUTORING AND SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION is available for most
courses; the type of support offered depends on the course and
student demand.
ENSURING
ACCESSIBILITY FOR STUDENTS
Augsburg College is committed to ensuring all students
have access to the campus resources and tools they need
to succeed. To support this commitment, the College
recently formed an accessibility committee of more than
50 staff and faculty from 16 departments.
One of the committee’s primary responsibilities is
ensuring the College meets the obligations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Recent revisions to the
ADA as well as legal settlements at other colleges and
universities make the committee’s work especially timely.
One of the more high-profile lawsuits was a case brought
against Penn State University by the National Federation
of the Blind, which settled in 2010 for $150,000. The
settlement cited inaccessible technology for blind and
print-disabled students and is now serving as a guideline
for institutions nationwide to review accessibility of technology and facilities.
As part of its charge to ensure the College meets its
obligations, the Augsburg accessibility committee is conducting an audit of campus facilities and technology,
delivering training to faculty and staff, and working to
identify a compliance officer. The work of the committee
to identify and address accessibility issues helps mitigate
risk for the College as it strives to live up to its commitment to student success.
Summer 2012
21
A NEW
approach to learning
For most of his life, Nic Adducci ’15 was
the kid who couldn’t read or write. The kid
who had to go to the principal’s office to
take his pill every day. The kid with a learn-
said, when educators, students,
and parents were just beginning to
understand learning disabilities. “I was the
only student in a small class with a learning
disability. I was the kid who had emotional
and behavior problems, and when I had a
NIC ADDUCCI
“I have to give credit to the
CLASS office for giving me
the support that I needed to
really be successful, but I
also have to credit the professors who really pushed
me to see something more
in myself than what I had
been taught in the past 27
years of my life.”
ing disability.
Today, due in part to support he receives
from Augsburg’s Center for Learning and
Adaptive Student Services (CLASS),
Adducci made the dean’s list with a 4.0
grade-point average. A double major in business management and psychology with
minors in economics and political science,
he has shed much of the stigma associated
with having a learning disability and has
found success at Augsburg.
In the second or third grade, Adducci
was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It was a time, he
22
Augsburg Now
bad day, [the question] was, ‘Did you take
your pill today?’” he said.
“That was the foundation for my educational experience, and that followed me
everywhere I went,” Adducci said. The
labels and messages followed him to the
workplace where he was a project manager
for an educational testing company. “I
thought that I couldn’t do a lot of things
because I believed I couldn’t rely on
myself.”
In 2006, Adducci was told he needed to
complete a bachelor’s degree as a requirement for his job. A co-worker who had gradu-
ated from Augsburg through Weekend College
recommended the program, and Adducci
found himself back in the classroom.
For several years, he took a class here
and there while he continued to focus primarily on his work and personal life. Then
in 2011, he realized he needed to make his
education a top priority. He enrolled as a
full-time student in the College’s day undergraduate program and moved onto campus.
That’s when education changed for
Adducci, and he discovered his passion for
learning. “I approached my professors and
the CLASS office right away,” he said.
“They really didn’t accept the ‘I’m a bad
writer’ excuse I used when I was younger,
and they showed me that there was a different way for me to approach learning.”
Adducci’s biggest learning-related challenge is reading. “It’s hard to concentrate
and my retention is really low,” he said. The
accommodations provided through CLASS
include extra time to take exams, working
with a notetaker in classes, and using the
Kurzweil software program that reads his
textbooks aloud for him.
In two semesters as a full-time student,
Adducci not only raised his grade-point
average and made the dean’s list, he also
landed a position as a residence life adviser
for next year and made an impression on his
classmates and instructors.
“Nic made a marvelous contribution to
the class,” said assistant professor of business administration John Cerrito, whose
human resource management class Adducci
took in the spring semester. “He was
mature, serious, and a very positive student,” Cerrito said. “He is a real credit to
Augsburg.”
At Augsburg, Adducci said, he is able to
attain a level of academic success that he
hadn’t ever come close to in his life. “People
saw something valuable in me in areas
where I thought that I would never be able to
accomplish anything,” he said, “and that
gave me the motivation to actually put the
effort in. Then I was successful.”
Photo by Sally Ryan
A TYPICAL
college student
In many ways, Rachel Hastings ’15 is a typical college student. She takes Spanish class, sings in a
choir, eats in the cafeteria, and works out in the
fitness center. But she is also atypical—a student
who uses her ears and fingers to find her way
through campus and through life. She’s training for
a marathon, learning arias by ear, and spreading
joy throughout the Augsburg campus. A sophomore
from Maple Grove, Minn., Hastings has been
legally blind since birth.
Through the Gage Center for Student Success at
Augsburg College, Hastings gets individualized
support services and accommodations that help
her succeed. The photos that follow show a typical
day in the life of this atypical college student.
Hastings checks to see if she is at the studio office for her voice lesson with vocal
coach Susan Druck.
RACHEL HASTINGS
Laughing as they finish lunch, Hastings and a group of
friends talk about their upcoming finals and what they
need to do before school lets out for the summer.
Summer 2012
23
1
2
3
independence
1 By touching her right hand to the treadmill every three
or four steps, Hastings keeps her position on the
machine during her daily workout. Hastings has completed two half marathons and is planning to run the
Twin Cities Marathon in October. 2 “Hi Rachel, it’s
Noah,” a student says as he meets Hastings. But Noah
Sievert does not need to identify himself because Hastings recognizes his voice. To her, a voice is as distinct as
a face is to a sighted person. 3 The complex nature of
music theory means that Hastings needs accommodations for this course. Hastings took adapted music theory
Pressing on her belly button to physically remind herself to
breathe from her diaphragm, Hastings works on the piece “Mi
Sueño” during her voice lesson with vocal coach Susan Druck.
from assistant professor of music Doug Diamond as a
summer independent study course. 4 Before she gets
even two steps into a classroom, a classmate hops up
and says, “Rachel, there is an open spot right over here.”
One of the few times Hastings requires help is when she
needs to navigate a full classroom with her cane. 5 Practicing on a baby grand piano is one of the perks of being
a music therapy major whose main instrument is the
piano. Since she does not read Braille music, Hastings
learns music by ear, but she has perfect pitch, which
makes learning easier.
After a year of finding her way around the campus, Hastings has
memorized almost every inch of the grounds. The only thing that will
throw her off is an object that is left in an unpredictable place.
5
See more photos and hear Hastings talk about her
experiences at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
4
25
Augsburg’s TRiO/Student Support Services
(SSS) program. Programs like AVID and
TRiO/SSS help first-generation and lowincome students succeed in college. For students in high school, these programs provide
Blue ribbons and gold medals. These are
preparation for college entrance exams,
what we normally associate with being
assistance with college research and applica“first.” But for Andrena Murphy ’15, being
tion, and information about the financial aid
first—the first in her family to go to college— application process. On college campuses,
meant making new connections, proactively
these programs help students find resources
seeking advice, and learning new skills.
and support to complete their degree.
During high school, Murphy said, her
Murphy applied for and was accepted to
mother encouraged her to do well but didn’t
Augsburg’s TRiO/SSS program. She attended
THE FIRST
in her family
share some of the lessons she has learned
with the incoming TRiO students.
During the past academic year, Murphy
met regularly with her TRiO/SSS adviser to
update her academic plan and to talk about
the challenges of balancing school with family time, social life, volunteering, and her job.
She said that her time management skills
and even her eating habits improved in her
first year of college. She also learned how to
make connections with professors and to
reach out to them for advice. “That’s something I never did in high school,” she said.
ANDRENA MURPHY
When Andrena Murphy ’15 saw her first initial in
the flower garden outside Memorial Hall, she
took it as a sign that Augsburg was the place
for her.
insist that she go to college. Though her
mother had taken some community college
courses, neither she nor Murphy’s two older
sisters had obtained a college degree. And
each of them had been able to find a good
job without a college education.
“Nobody in my family knew what college
was like,” Murphy said, “so no one could
help me figure out if it was right for me.”
Murphy used her senior year of high
school and the resources of her high school’s
Advancement Via Individual Determination
(AVID) college readiness program to help
determine if college was the next step for her.
Through AVID, Murphy discovered
26
Augsburg Now
TRiO’s Summer Bridge program in July and
August 2011 to begin her Augsburg career.
Summer Bridge is a five-week residential program in which students take introductory religion and public speaking courses and attend
academic support seminars, workshops, and
other activities to help provide for a smooth
transition to school in the fall.
“It was fun to be in an atmosphere where I
could keep learning through the summer,”
Murphy said. She appreciated getting a head
start on classes, learning what college was
like, and meeting her classmates and professors. This summer, she will be a residential
peer mentor for Summer Bridge and will
Murphy also was involved with the Bonner
Leader program during the school year.
Through Bonner, she served as a youth development and enrichment coordinator at Kaleidoscope Place, an after-school program for
elementary and junior high school students.
Murphy officially will enter the Education
Department this fall. She’s excited about her
education classes and about becoming an
elementary teacher one day. “When I look
back, there were a few teachers who really
made a difference for me, and I want to do
that for someone.”
it takes an
Auggie
Gift to future students allows son’s memory to live on at Augsburg
“Nathan Schott’s life is an inspiration to me, and I’m humbled and
honored to receive a scholarship in his name, a scholarship that is
about future possibilities, not past liabilities.”
These are the words of Alexandra Stoiaken ’13, recipient of the
inaugural Nathan R. Schott Scholarship.
Nathan Schott came to Augsburg as a first-year student in September 2009. His time at Augsburg was short, but significant. He
touched the lives of faculty, staff, and students like Alexandra. He
had a unique ability to make connections within the Augsburg community.
Nathan was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at the
age of six. He passed away at the end of his first year of college. Yet
Nathan continues to make a difference in the lives of Auggies, present and future.
Teri and Chuck Schott, Nathan’s parents, established the Nathan
R. Schott Scholarship to honor Nathan’s life and to give other students an educational opportunity in a supportive community. The
scholarship provides support for students who, like Nathan, participate in the Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services
(CLASS) program. CLASS provides services and accommodations
for students with attentional, learning, and physical disabilities.
“Augsburg was the right place for Nathan,” Nathan’s father,
Chuck, said. “He had a feeling of belonging, and this was a place
where he could participate and contribute to the makeup of the
community.”
Teri Schott, Nathan’s mother, added, “The scholarship is a
chance to see that the spirit of Nathan continues. It means he’s still
a part of this place.”
“[Nathan] always had a ready smile for me when we passed in
the halls,” Stoiaken said. “There was real joy in his life, and he
shared it easily.”
Stoiaken, who manages life with cerebral palsy, said she was
inspired by Nathan. “By receiving this scholarship, I will always
endeavor to make Nathan and his family proud. Like Nathan, I will
never allow my disease to define me. I will live life to its fullest,
finding inspiration wherever I can.”
DOUG SCOTT, DIRECTOR OF LEADERSHIP GIFTS
If interested in supporting this or similar scholarship funds, contact Doug Scott at
612-330-1575 or scottd@augsburg.edu.
“By receiving this scholarship, I will
always endeavor to make Nathan and
his family proud. Like Nathan, I will
never allow my disease to define me.
I will live life to its fullest, finding
inspiration wherever I can.”
ALEXANDRA STOIAKEN ’13
Nathan Schott in his
senior year at Maple
Grove High School.
[L to R]: Teri Schott, Alexandra Stoiaken ’13, and Chuck Schott at the 2011 brunch for
Augsburg scholarship donors and recipients.
Courtesy ph
oto
Summer 2012
27
calculus
AND
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Fog-covered mountains, roosters crowing
at 4 a.m., dinner by candlelight, 60-foot
waterfalls, and calculus. Strange components in a college class, maybe, but for
seven students and two faculty members,
this was reality during the 2012 spring
break.
In the course MAT 496: The Calculus of
Sustainability, students spent the first
eight weeks of the spring semester studying coffee plantations of Nicaragua. With
this knowledge, they created projects ranging from calculating the carbon footprint
of coffee production to building a largescale differential equation model that
would be used while in Nicaragua.
Once in-country, students were asked by
the farm families with whom they stayed
for feedback and advice on an ecotourism
model the farmers were creating. The
farmers, all members of the GARBO coffee
cooperative in the Peñas Blancas region of
Nicaragua near the Honduran border, were
exploring diversifying their income by inviting tourists to learn about and stay on the
plantation.
So although they had prepared projects
for months before arriving in Nicaragua,
the students set them aside and put the
needs of the farmers in the forefront. The
class came up with ideas like creating a
map of the cooperative and installing a
water filtration system. They also suggested paving the roads and creating a
store to sell convenience items to tourists
as well as products grown on the plantation.
When all was said and done, the students learned that when working in a place
like Nicaragua, plans can change quickly.
Adaptation and the willingness to think on
your feet are great skills to have when trying to apply complex mathematics in a
real-world situation.
28
Augsburg Now
coffee
See more photos, hear the students talk about their experiences, and watch
video of the class at www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2012
29
Courtesy photo
my
Auggie experience
Posts from the road
Summer Travel 2012
The Augsburg Choir U.S. Tour
The Augsburg Choir, under the direction of Peter Hendrickson ’76,
toured the Midwest in May. With stops in Montana, North Dakota,
Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming, the choir performed nine concerts and had opportunities to connect with potential Auggies and their families as well as alumni and friends of the
College.
Teaching English in Thailand
This was the fifth year that English professor Kathy Swanson and
her husband, Jack, took students to teach English in Thailand as
part of a short-term study abroad course through the Center for
Global Education. In addition to teaching for 10 days in the village
of Prachuap Khirikhan, the students learned about Thai culture
and history, sailed on the Gulf of Siam, rode elephants, and tried to
stay cool in the 120-degree heat. See photos from the 2012 Thailand course at www.flickr.com/photos/augthailand.
International Management and Finance in Germany
For four weeks in May and June, a group of German students and
professors from Karlsruhe, Germany, paired with Augsburg students
and assistant business professor Marc McIntosh to study international business practices.
The group met for two weeks in Europe, visiting the European
Parliament in Strasbourg and witnessing firsthand the financial crisis that was occurring in Europe at that time. They also went to the
Frankfurt stock exchange and experienced the volatility in the
financial market as a result of the crisis, McIntosh said.
Then, back in the U.S., the students visited three companies with
strong ties to Germany and gained insights into how to do business
in overseas markets. Finally, the students participated in an intensive
business simulation game with teams competing to maximize shareholder value through the launches of multiple product offerings.
The Augsburg students teaching English in Thailand pose outside of the Wat
Benchamabophit, a temple in Bangkok.
study abroad program coordinated through Augsburg’s
Center for Global Education.
An excerpt from Underhill’s blog:
Election day is notable for its calm. Everyone is voting and
waiting; my sense is that people are still feeling that they are
in a dream, not sure that this can really be happening, and
wondering if they will wake up in the morning to find the military back in power, or in fact with a leader they have chosen.
The city is quieter than usual, less traffic and crowds, with
people staying home to vote.
Read more of the Egypt 2012 blog for more about the elections, the
extreme traffic in Cairo, and sharing a plane ride with former President Jimmy Carter at http://augsburgegypttrip2012.blogspot.com.
Social Service in a Global Context: Namibia and the U.S.
During July, a group of 25 Master of Social Work (MSW) students
studied in Namibia and South Africa accompanied by Lois Bosch,
professor and MSW program director, and Nancy Rodenborg, associate professor and chair of the Social Work Department. The group
visited social service agencies, hospitals, schools, and other venues.
Auggies abroad in 2012-13
•
30
Augsburg Now
28 students participated in summer programs in Austria,
Ecuador, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Jamaica, Jordan,
Spain, and the United Kingdom
•
Political and Civic Engagement in Egypt
Political science professor Joe Underhill and Mohamed Sallam,
director of Pan-Afrikan student services at Augsburg, led students
to Egypt in May to study youth movements and social change. The
group visited cultural sites, villages, an ecotourism resort, and a
Bedouin camp, observed the historic presidential election, and
examined ongoing efforts to rebuild the country in the wake of the
2011 revolution. The combined political science and history
course, Political and Civic Engagement in Egypt, was a faculty-led
(including summer 2012)
41 students took part in summer short-term faculty-led programs including programs in Egypt, Germany, and Thailand
•
27 students will study abroad in fall semester
•
6 students will study abroad for the full 2012-13 academic year
Read more posts from the road in the Augsburg Abroad blogs at
www.augsburg.edu/augsburgabroad/blogs.html.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
auggie voices
In a room of her own
In A Room of One’s Own, writer Virginia
Woolf asserts that “a woman must have
money and a room of her own if she is to
write fiction.” This critical feminist essay,
first published in 1929, examines the
obstacles that women writers faced in a literary tradition that was, at the time, dominated by men.
It was in a room of her own, a quiet
space where she could remove herself from
the distractions of college social life, that
Erika Hammerschmidt ’04 began to write
her first book while she was a student at
Augsburg.
A private room is beneficial for students
with Asperger’s syndrome (AS), an autism
spectrum disorder that affects a person’s
ability to socialize and communicate with
others. Students with AS are characterized
by poor social skills and restricted interests,
but they typically possess great knowledge
in specific areas and have extensive vocabularies.
Hammerschmidt was diagnosed with AS
at the age of 11. “In some ways, having
Asperger’s is a gift,” she said. “I have a
good memory and a gift for logical thought.
And I can get very focused.” As a student,
however, Hammerschmidt said she was easily distracted and had trouble concentrating
on schoolwork because of anxiety she felt
about her social life.
Augsburg’s Center for Learning and Adaptive Student Services (CLASS) program, one
of the student support resources available
in the Gage Center for Student Success,
helped Hammerschmidt deal with the
social aspects of college. “They helped me
get a single room, a ‘room of my own’ as
Virginia Woolf wrote. It helped me get
started on a lot of projects and stay focused
on them.”
The ability to focus helped Hammerschmidt complete her book, Born on the
Wrong Planet. First published in 2003, it is
a collection of poems, short stories, and
For Erica Hammerschmidt ’04, living with Asperger’s syndrome makes her feel as though she is an alien on Earth,
and she taps into that alienation to create art. In her hands is a language she created. It's tactile, and is made up
of disk and small sculptural objects that are put together to create words and sentences. Her tactile language
offers others a chance to experience and feel how different she feels because the language is intuitive to her, and
completely foreign to others.
“[Augsburg’s CLASS program] helped me get a single dorm,
a ‘room of my own’ as Virginia Woolf wrote. It helped me get
started on a lot of projects and stay focused on them.”
’04
ERIKA HAMMERSCHMIDT
essays using alternating voices to illustrate
the complexities of Hammerschmidt’s life
with Asperger’s. A revised edition was published in 2008 by the Autism Asperger
Publishing Company.
Since graduating from Augsburg, Hammerschmidt has continued writing in the
Minneapolis apartment she shares with her
husband, John Ricker, whom she met at
Augsburg. In 2011, the couple co-authored
Kea’s Flight, a science fiction novel that
Hammerschmidt said is “like [George
Orwell’s] 1984 for autistic people.”
The couple also speaks about living with
autism spectrum diagnoses to special education students, teachers, and parents of
children with autism. In 2005, they were
featured speakers at the Annual Autism
Society of Minnesota Conference.
To learn more about Hammerschmidt
and her work, go to www.erikahammerschmidt.com.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Summer 2012
31
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
t
hank you for the opportunity to serve as
the Alumni Board president. We are
welcoming five new Auggies to the
board (see their biographies below) and are
excited about the ideas and gifts they bring.
This year, we will build on the work that has
already been done by the Alumni Board and
make an effort to reconnect even more alumni to Augsburg.
My experiences as a member of the men’s soccer team keep me
connected to Augsburg. We won the MIAC championship in 1980
and went undefeated that season. Many of my soccer teammates are
still friends to this day. Several of my former teammates attended the
student-alumni networking event held on campus this past February,
and it was great to see them give back by sharing their experiences
with current students.
At the networking event, 60 students met with 50 alumni who
hosted tables for students to ask about specific careers; my table
was for those interested in financial services. I talked with several
students for an hour, and I’ve since met with two of them to personally guide them on their career paths.
You can stay connected to Augsburg by attending one of many
events hosted by the Alumni Board this year, including Homecoming
during the week of September 24 to 29. Read more about the activities scheduled for Homecoming on page 33. You’ll find information
about more upcoming events on the following pages, and we will
continue to update you in the monthly NOW@Augsburg e-newsletter.
Be sure to read it when it comes to your inbox.
I’d like to see you at an event this summer or at Homecoming.
When we meet, I hope you’ll tell me your ideas for staying connected
to Augsburg!
CHRIS ASCHER ’81
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
New Alumni Board Members
Five Auggies were recently elected to three-year terms on the
Augsburg Alumni Board.
Frank Grazzini ’96 helps run TelemetryWeb, Inc., a software startup he co-founded. After earning his degree in accounting, he
worked in finance and now is focused on general business management. Grazzini said he would like to see the alumni connection to
Augsburg begin at commencement.
After graduating, Marie (Eddy) Odenbrett ’01 served Augsburg in
event and classroom services and in advancement services. Now
that Odenbrett works in donor relations at Macalester College in
St. Paul, her desire to stay connected with Augsburg led her to join
the Alumni Board.
Lisa K. Olson ’79 lives in Washington, D.C., and is president and
owner of a business and clinical research consulting firm. Several in
Olson’s family are Augsburg graduates, and her grandfather, Henry P.
Opseth, was head of the Music Department and the first director of
the Augsburg Choir.
Nick Slack ’02 has a degree in business administration and is
currently a manufacturers’ representative for sporting goods companies in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
While at Augsburg, Slack was active in student government and
wrestling. After graduating, he served as an Augsburg wrestling
coach for seven years. He is also a member of the Augsburg Young
32
Augsburg Now
Front Row [L to R]: Holly Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA, Marie Odenbrett ’01, Jill Watson ’10 MBA;
Middle Row [L to R]: Nick Slack ’02, Lisa K. Olson ’79, Kathy Amos ’87, Rob Wagner ’02, Chris
Hallin ’88; Back Row [L to R]: Michael Loney ’03, Heather Cmiel ’02, Tracy Anderson ’95,
Jerry Poland ’92, Chris Ascher ’81
Not pictured: Jennifer Carlson ’91, Sharon Engelland ’87, Sarah Grans ’01, Frank Grazzini
’96, Dan Hickle ’95, LeeAnn Lack ’67, Sharon Mercill ’05, Nancy Nordlund ’91, John Stadler
’07 MAL
Alumni Council.
Jill Watson ’10 MBA is a business analyst for Land O’Lakes.
Watson said she wants to facilitate opportunities to increase alumni
engagement and participation at Augsburg events as well as in the
recruitment process.
If you have ideas for alumni involvement, forward them to the
Alumni Board at alumni@augsburg.edu.
CHERYL D. CROCKETT ’89
Join Us for
homecoming SEPTEMBER 24-29
Whether or not you are celebrating a
reunion this year, Homecoming is a perfect
reason to return to campus to reconnect
with former classmates and enjoy the
Augsburg spirit! Join Augsburg alumni, parents, students, and friends in a fun-filled
week of Homecoming events and activities.
This year marks many milestones for the
College that will be recognized during
Homecoming, including the 25th anniversary
of the Master of Arts in Leadership program,
which will be celebrated following the Sabo
Symposium on Wednesday, September 26,
and the 30th Anniversary of Weekend/Evening
College (WEC), which will be celebrated at
the WEC Alumni Reunion Breakfast on Saturday, September 29.
New events have been added to this
year’s Homecoming schedule, including a
Faculty and Faculty Emeriti Meet and Greet
Reception, an Augsburg Cabaret Reunion and
sing-along on Friday, September 28, and a
Latino/a Alumni Reunion Breakfast on Saturday, September 29.
Homecoming Convocation will start the
weekend off on Friday morning, September
28, when we will recognize the First
Decade, Spirit of Augsburg, and Distinguished Alumni Award winners, as well as
members of the class of 1962. Don’t miss
the opportunity for fellowship and reminiscing at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon
that afternoon or at the 10-year, 25-year, and
30-year reunions at Republic (formerly Preston’s) Friday evening.
Experience the Best of Augsburg on Saturday morning, September 29, when you can
hear a brief lecture from two of Augsburg’s
outstanding faculty members—Darcey
Engen ’88, associate professor and chair of
theater arts, and James Vela-McConnell,
professor of sociology.
Before the football game on Saturday,
enjoy the Taste of Augsburg event with fun for
the whole family, including carnival-style
booths operated by student, parent, and
alumni groups. That afternoon, cheer on the
Auggies at the Homecoming Football Game as
they take on Bethel College.
The Auggie Block Party is back by popular
demand! Following the football game,
gather in the parking lot north of Si Melby
Hall to enjoy food, entertainment, and
camaraderie. It’s a wonderful way to conclude the Homecoming weekend.
Homecoming has something for everyone.
For more information and a complete schedule, visit www.augsburg.edu/homecoming. We
look forward to seeing you in September!
reunion classes
60th Reunion—1952
50th Reunion—1962
40th Reunion—1972
30th Reunion—1982
25th Reunion—1987
10th Reunion—2002
Summer 2012
33
alumni news
Networking at Work
In the past year, the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations partnered with Career Services and the Alumni Board
to host two student-alumni networking events. These events
provide an opportunity for current Augsburg students to
have one-on-one interactions with alumni from a variety of
professions and also allow alumni to share their professional
experience and insight.
Several lasting connections were made at these events,
including one between Janeece Oatman ’05 and Julie Bednark
’13, who met during Homecoming 2011. The two found they
have a shared passion for high-energy, intense projects, and
they connected immediately around their Augsburg experiences. Their conversation sparked a connection that led to a
friendship and an internship opportunity for Bednark with
the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure annual
bike ride, for which Oatman is the director.
Oatman said she feels good about giving back to the College by offering a unique experience for a current Augsburg
student. “Julie was so approachable, smart, worldly, and
willing to work hard,” she said. Following her internship,
Bednark plans to volunteer for the Tour de Cure to maintain
her connection to Oatman and to the American Diabetes
Association.
Chris Ascher ’81 and Dennis Som ’12 met at a networking
event, but their true connection began after Som invited
Ascher to lunch and they discovered a mutual passion for
the world of finance. Som was inspired by Ascher’s character, goal-setting structure, and willingness to be a resource
for current Augsburg students. Now the two connect regularly via email to share personal and professional developments. Both agree that a long-term mentor/mentee
relationship is in the cards.
Oatman and Ascher agreed they would return to participate in future alumni and student networking events to
recapture the sense of gratification and pride that comes
from “Auggies supporting Auggies.”
Make your own connection with a current Auggie at the
next alumni and student networking event that will take
place on Wednesday, February 13, 2013.
SARA SCHLIPP-RIEDEL ’06
Julie Bednark ’13 and Janeece Oatman ’05
Dennis Som ’12 and Chris Ascher ’81
auggies supporting auggies
34
Augsburg Now
s
‘Augsburg Start’ Mentor Program
SHARE YOUR SUCCESS WITH A NEW AUGGIE!
Do you remember your first days as a new Weekend/Evening College
student? Navigating a new campus? Balancing work, life, and family? Learning about resources and success strategies?
Now that you are an Augsburg WEC alum, you can give back to
Augsburg and share your experience and success by becoming a mentor for a new Augsburg WEC student this fall.
Augsburg Start is a mentor outreach program focused on pairing
new Augsburg for Adults/Weekend College students with an
alumna/us mentor who will support them in their first term. Once
paired with a new student, you will be asked to connect with them
in the first week and at least two other times in the term and be
available as a resource for help and support in person, by phone, or
by email. Each mentor/mentee relationship is different, but here
are some ways to be an Augsburg Start mentor:
• share your strategies for success
as an adult student
• encourage the student to connect with their
faculty adviser so they will be ready to register for the next term
• help the student reach out to student support programs
• be sure the student knows how to use Moodle and Augnet
• connect the student with the library and its resources
For more information, visit www.augsburg.edu/alumni/getinvolved
or contact Pat Grans in Alumni Relations at 612-330-1329 or
gransp@augsburg.edu.
BUILDING CONNECTIONS FROM THE
ground up
When Yemissrach (Yemi) Melka ’15 met Guy Wojtowicz ’81 in March,
she had several questions in mind to help her learn about the personal and professional journey of the Augsburg grad. But she was in
for a surprise—one that would bring a unique experience to the
general chemistry students at Augsburg.
During the visit, Wojtowicz told Melka about his family, many of
whom are Auggies, including his son Zach who has completed his
second year at Augsburg. He also talked about his professional
career, describing some of the chemical and agricultural projects
currently underway at the stucco and plastering company that he
founded with his brother in 2006.
The project that took Melka by surprise involves a compound
that can be sprayed on depleted soil to significantly increase its fertility. Wojtowicz said the compound could also be instrumental in
remediating contaminated soil without having to excavate and
remove the soil to a toxic disposal site.
As a chemistry major and an international student from Ethiopia,
where agriculture is the mainstay of the economy and soil depletion
has been an issue, Melka was excited about exploring the application of the technology in her home
country. She couldn’t wait to tell
[L to R]: Yemissrach Melka ‘15, Guy Wojtowicz ‘81, assistant professor of chemistry
Vivian Feng
her professor, Vivian Feng, about the chemistry lesson she received
outside of class.
Feng was impressed with the capabilities of the compound and
brought it into a first-year general chemistry classroom for students
to use in the environmental chemistry section of the course. Generally, Feng said, first-year students don’t work with commercial compounds used in the real world, so Melka’s discovery provided a rare,
hands-on learning opportunity for her classmates.
Melka met Wojtowicz through her involvement in IGNITE (Involving Graduates Now In Thoughtful Engagement), a program launched in
2009 with a grant from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™. Students in IGNITE conduct face-to-face visits with alumni to learn
more about their Augsburg experience and their interest in volunteer opportunities at Augsburg.
If you have an interest in meeting with an IGNITE student representative, contact Pat Grans, volunteer coordinator, at 612-3301329 or gransp@augsburg.edu.
CHERYL D. CROCKETT ‘89
Summer 2012
35
alumni news
save the dates
Saturday, October 13, 1-3 p.m.
FALL FOLIAGE PHOTOGRAPHY AND BOAT TOUR
auggie
IS FLYING SOUTH THIS WINTER!
Join President Paul C. Pribbenow and Augsburg alumni and friends
in Arizona for the following events. To register or for more
information call 612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Saturday, February 16, 2 p.m.
AUGSBURG RECEPTION
At the home of Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson, Sun City
The Anderson home is located two blocks northwest from the
American Lutheran Church in Sun City.
Taylors Falls, Minn.
Augsburg’s resident photographer, Stephen Geffre, will
provide insight into what
makes for a successful photo
and share stories and images
from his “365 Project.” This
unique event will be held on
the St. Croix River aboard
the Taylors Falls Queen
excursion boat of Wild
Mountain/Taylors Falls
Recreation, owned by Amy
Raedtke Frischmon ’92.
Register at www.augsburg.edu/
alumnievents.
Thursday, October 18, Noon CT
AUGSBURG LIVE: STATE OF THE COLLEGE
Hear first-hand from President Paul C. Pribbenow
about the College’s priorities for this academic year
on this hour-long webinar. See images of the campus, hear stories of student successes, and learn
about how the College continues to live out its mission and promise to students and its community. To
register, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
Saturday, February 16, 6 p.m.
RECEPTION AT HEARD MUSEUM
Heard Museum, 2301 N. Central Ave., Phoenix
Featuring The Couriers quartet from the Augsburg Centennial Singers
AUGSBURG CENTENNIAL SINGERS: ARIZONA TOUR
Sunday, February 17 - American Lutheran Church, Sun City
Sunday, February 17; 8, 9:15, and 10:45 a.m.
Monday, February 18 - The Church at Litchfield Park,
KING OF GLORY CHURCH SERVICES
Litchfield Park
King of Glory, 2085 East Southern Ave., Tempe
Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow will be the guest preacher
Tuesday, February 19 - Desert Hills Lutheran, Green Valley
Sunday, February 17, 6 p.m.
RECEPTION
At the home of Lute ’56 and Kelly Olson, Tuscon
Featuring The Couriers quartet from the Augsburg Centennial Singers
Thursday, February 21 - Sun Lakes United Methodist
Church, Sun Lakes
Friday, February 22 - Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran,
Fountain Hills
Saturday, February 23 - Vista de la Montana Methodist
Church, Tucson
Sunday, February 24 - Gold Canyon United Methodist
Church, Gold Canyon
36
Augsburg Now
62newly published book on sciKen Olson is the author of a
alumni class notes
57lished two books: Daily Walks
Rev. Neal Snider recently pub-
with Saints and Sinners and Walking
Together through the Bible.
ence and religion, Lens to the Natural World: Reflections on Dinosaurs,
Galaxies, and God. In addition to
parish ministry, since 1988 Olson has
been a research associate in paleontology for the Museum of the Rockies
at Montana State University. Olson
and his wife Rochelle (Jerve) Olson
‘63 live in Lewistown, Mont.
head High School in Kalispell, Mont.
Davis was an All-American wrestler
at Augsburg College in 1973.
76called to serve as the senior
Mary (Ronning) Gilthvedt was
70
In May, Jim Fischer was
inducted into the Delaware
Sports Hall of Fame. Fischer has
been the track and cross country
coach at University of Delaware since
1982. He joins the previous 293
inductees enshrined at the Delaware
Sports Museum since 1976.
74gence, a story about “a smart
Scott Seal published Conver-
guy with a mediocre life” that takes
the reader from the frozen snowbanks of Minneapolis to the icy halfpipe snowboard courses of Valles
Marineras on Mars.
Scot Davis, a two-time national
coach of the year and the “All-Time
National Wins Leader” in high
school wrestling, according to
Wrestling USA Magazine, has been
named head wrestling coach at Flat-
pastor at Our Savior’s Lutheran
Church in East Grand Forks, Minn.
in July 2011.
83’88, and four other profes-
Luverne Seifert, Darcey Engen
sional performers will debut a new
site-specific production of Anton
Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard in
five historical homes in July and
August. The production, which will
travel to Blue Earth, Kenyon, Little
Falls, Taylors Falls, and Worthington,
Minn., will also feature four local
community actors and musicians
from each community.
84a new position as an accountPamela (Schey) Durfee began
ant with Mullinax Concrete Services
in Buffalo, Wyo.
AUGSBURG CELEBRATES
40
Years
OF WOMEN’S ATHLETICS
Courtesy photo
Joyce Pfaff ’65
Lavonne Peterson ’50
auggie SNAPSHOTS
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of
women’s athletics at Augsburg, as well as the
40th anniversary of Title IX, the College will
present two alumnae with the “One of Our Own”
award. On Saturday, November 10, Joyce Pfaff
’65 and Lavonne (Mrs. Pete) Peterson ’50, will
join Ernie Anderson ’37, Edor Nelson ’38, Lute
Olson ’56, and Ed Saugestad ’59 as “One of
Our Own” award recipients for their contributions to Augsburg College and the Athletic
Department. In addition, female athletes from
each decade will be chosen for the All-Decade
Teams to honor and recognize some of
Augsburg’s most outstanding athletes from
the past 40 years.
Save the Date: All athletic alumnae are invited to
join in the celebration on Saturday, November 10!
04Krepela ’04 MAE and her
Bethany (Bierman)
72promoted to the rank of
Kristin L. Rajala was
colonel, Dental Corps, in the
Minnesota Army National
Guard in a ceremony on April
14 at Camp Ripley, Little Falls,
Minn. Rajala is currently
assigned as the officer in
charge of the Dental Section
within the Medical Detachment, Joint Force Headquarters, Minnesota Army National
Guard. Her civilian career is
practicing dentistry in Brainerd and Willmar, Minn.
husband, Jim, welcomed a
daughter, Kaija Joyce, on
August 19, 2011. Bethany
worked at Augsburg from 1998
to 2007 in admissions and in
marketing and communication.
She currently works as a Twin
Cities-based development officer for Luther College.
05Schornstein and Matt
Megan (Ehresmann)
Schornstein ’04 welcomed
Elsie Mae on November 18.
05Nathan Saj welcomed
Ellen (Kvitek) Saj and
baby boy Benjamin James on
March 14.
Jim and Kelly Matthias welcomed baby Adeline Grace
on February 7. Jim is a liaison for computing in the
Information Technology
department at Augsburg.
07recently received her
Katherine Jane Gavin
doctor of medicine degree
from the Medical College of
Wisconsin.
Summer 2012
37
86Teacher of the Year at Trinity High 99celebration of the Girl Scouts
Michael Johnson was named
School in Trinity, N.C. Johnson teaches
theater and is the director of dramatics
at the school.
87vice president of Venture Bank.
In January, at the centennial
of Minnesota, Linda Stuart was honored as a “Woman of Promise” by
the Girl Scouts of Minnesota and Wisconsin River Valleys.
Brian Brakke was appointed senior
89
Devoney Looser, professor of English at the University of Missouri,
published a video titled The Untidy History of Sisterhood about her research on
Jane Austen, Jane Porter, women’s writings, old age, and roller derby. The
video is available on the SyndicateMizzou website. Looser also directed a
National Endowment for the Humanities
Summer Seminar for College Teachers
on “Jane Austen and Her Contemporaries” this summer.
Charles Skemp (MAE licensure) received
a 2012 Whitney & Elizabeth MacMillan
(WEM) Foundation Outstanding Educator Award for Teacher Achievement in
May. Skemp is a teacher at Henry Sibley
High School in the West St. Paul-Mendota Heights-Eagan school district.
92coach and founder of Life Illumi-
Jennifer Chou authored a chapter titled,
“Wine Savvy—Business and Social Wine
Smarts” in the book Socially Smart &
Savvy, a book of experts’ secrets for
success.
01tenant by the Minnesota State
Robert Zak was promoted to lieu-
Patrol. Zak is the director of fleet and
asset management and is stationed in
St. Paul.
In May, Mary Grundhoefer (MAE licensure) received the Teacher of Excellence
Award in the Cambridge-Isanti School
District where she teaches English, writing, and media studies.
04ter’s degree in finance from the
Hans Strommen received his mas-
University of St. Thomas. He works for
UnitedHealthcare as a senior financial
analyst.
Sharol Tyra, a professional certified
nation Presentations and Coaching, was
elected to the Minnesota Coaches Association board of directors.
05Stolle was named 2011 Educator
In February, Bethany (Schneck)
93time All-American, Joe Hoialmen,
of the Year by the Lutheran Association
of Christian Educators. Stolle is a senior
developer for youth resources for
Sparkhouse, the ecumenical division of
Augsburg Fortress publishers.
was inducted into the National Wrestling
Coaches Association Division III Hall of
Fame in April.
08math teacher at St. Paul Prepara-
Former Auggie wrestler and three-
95
In June, Hans Skulstad was
named chair of the Hobey Baker
Memorial Award Committee.
Michael Gooding was hired as a medical
assistant with Sun Life Family Health
Center in Sun Lakes, Ariz.
In May, Dan Forseth, science and
tory School in St. Paul, was awarded the
Science House High Flyer Award by the
Science Museum of Minnesota Professional Development Group.
10year of graduate school at Alliant
Leann Vice-Reshel finished her first
e
w
a
Augsburg Women
Engaged Update
AWE believes…
• women have knowledge, experience, and wisdom
to share with the Augsburg community.
• a relationship with Augsburg enriches the lives of
alumnae.
• we can be the catalyst for tapping the potential
of women to connect, learn, and give.
In July 2011, AWE hosted its first Action Team
gathering, presenting opportunities for women to
connect, learn, give, and be actively involved in the
Augsburg community. Since then, more than 150
Auggie women have engaged with Augsburg
through AWE programs and events. The second
AWE Action Team gathering is scheduled for
August 1. Join us to find a project or team that fits
your interests and availability.
AWE is thrilled to thank the 26 women who have
stepped forward to support the future Center for
Science, Business, and Religion. Special thanks to
Roz Nordaune ’77, one of the first women to join
AWE, for her matching gift, which brings the
group’s fundraising total to $50,000. In the second phase of this “AWE-Inspired” effort, AWE will
invite 50 women to join them in raising $100,000
by December 31!
Augsburg welcomes new participants to AWE.
Contact Sherilyn Young at 612-330-1462 or
youngs@augsburg.edu for more information.
CONNECTING. LEARNING. GIVING.
University in San Diego, Calif. She is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology.
The Political History and Landmarks of Namibia and South Africa
Join Augsburg alumni and friends in August 2013 on this 12-day
African tour through Namibia and South Africa’s political past and the
popular tourist attractions and landmarks this history has created.
Learn firsthand about this region’s struggle against apartheid and
discover how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Namibia played
a significant role in the Namibian independence struggle. Tour the
former black and colored townships in Windhoek and Johannesburg, and hear from a cross-section of southern African society.
38
Augsburg Now
This trip is offered in partnership between the Alumni Association and the Center for Global Education (CGE) at Augsburg
College. For 30 years, CGE has provided cross-cultural educational opportunities that foster critical analysis of local and
global conditions so that personal and systemic change takes
place, leading to a more just and sustainable world.
To request more details about the trip, call 612-330-1085
or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
____________________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? ❑ Yes ❑ No
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Dr. Donald F. Holm ’39, Edina, Minn., age 94, on March 9.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Victor “Vic” E. Miller ’42, Edina, Minn., age 92, on December 1.
Andrew “Andy” Balerud ’50, Visalia, Calif., age 84, on February 11.
Jennings I. Thompson ’51, Bloomington, Minn., age 88, on January 18.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Gordon Odegaard ’52, Washington, D.C., age 81, on January 14.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? ❑ Yes ❑ No
C. Arthur Shultz ’53, Rancho Cordova, Calif., age 80, on January 9.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Rev. Leroy J. Iseminger ’54, Sioux Falls, S.D., age 80, on March 10.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Lawrence E. Nerheim ’56, Oak Park, Calif., age 76, on January 11.
Conrad E. Fristedt ’58, Alexandria, Minn., age 81, on March 8.
K. Benjamin Skurdal ’59, Williston, N.D., age 78, on March 14.
Roger A. Bevis ’63, Bloomington, Minn., age 70, on January 29.
Joanne Clare Koester ’75, Red Wing, Minn., age 58, on May 12.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Brenda L. (Salberg) Peterson ’75, Brooklyn Park, Minn., age 58, on April 1.
____________________________________________________________
Karen I. Quenroe ’76, Canby, Minn., age 56, on April 30, 2011.
____________________________________________________________
Audrey A. Banks ’89, Minneapolis, age 77, on October 19.
____________________________________________________________
David J. Holland, ’91, Berkeley, Calif., age 43, on January 24.
Jennifer “Jen” M. DeGolier ’99, Minneapolis, age 36, on April 27.
Jennifer “Jenni” L. Buth ’01, Bloomington, Minn., age 35, on March 30.
____________________________________________________________
❑ I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Brian Hartmann ’03, St. Louis Park, Minn., age 50, on May 4.
Summer 2012
39
auggies on the ice
Scoring in science and hockey
Balancing academics and athletics can be
demanding for college student-athletes. For
Brandon Bukowski ’12, a double major in
biology and chemistry with his sights set on
medical school, managing academics and a
hockey schedule was challenging. But
Bukowski shone in the classroom and on the
ice, graduating summa cum laude with honors in biology and leading his team as one of
the top hockey defenders in the conference.
Bukowski came to Augsburg after three
years playing junior hockey with the Tri-City
Storm in Kearney, Neb., and the Fargo-Moorhead Jets in North Dakota. Chris Brown,
Augsburg’s men’s hockey coach, had been in
contact with Bukowski since high school, but
Bukowski was interested in playing for a Division I school. “I never thought Augsburg was
for me, but I was impressed with the hockey
team and the strong science program,” he
said.
Studying biology while playing hockey
required support from his coaches and commitment to time management. “In hockey,
science majors are not common,” Bukowski
said. Some of his courses required 12 hours
of lab work each week, but he said his
coaches always found a way to make his
schedule work. “At Augsburg, the coaches
emphasize that we are students first and athletes second.”
At Augsburg, students interested in pursuing graduate school are encouraged to participate in faculty-led research in order to
prepare them for advanced study. For two
summers, Bukowski conducted research with
biology assistant professor Jennifer BankersFulbright through Augsburg’s office of Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity
(URGO), which funds 10 to 12 weeks of
summer research for more than 30 students
each year. Bukowski and Bankers-Fulbright
studied a bacterium that is responsible for
substantial mortality in patients with cystic
fibrosis.
40
Augsburg Now
Bankers-Fulbright said she appreciated
Bukowski’s enthusiasm and dedication.
“Brandon has a very strong work ethic and
this, combined with his intellectual curiosity
and drive, made him a valuable part of my
lab,” she said.
Bukowski also participated in Mayo Innovation Scholars, a program involving Mayo
Clinic Ventures and the Minnesota Private
College Council. As a member of a team
including undergraduate science and business majors and an MBA student,
Bukowski researched the efficacy of a
potential product and conducted market
analysis for the product.
His academic skill earned Bukowski Auggie awards as the men’s student-athlete with
the highest grade-point average in 2011
and 2012. On the ice, he was a fouryear letter winner, appearing in 85
career games with 14 assists and
15 points, and the team qualified for the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference postseason
playoffs three times
during his tenure.
Bukowski plans
to apply to medical school
next year and
wants to
become an orthopedic surgeon. For the summer following graduation, he has applied to a
Med Scribe program at Emergency Physicians Professional Association (EPPA) in
which he would shadow a physician and
learn about the medical field by documenting
patient history and observing exams.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
At the annual Auggie Awards, the Augsburg College athletic programs roll out the maroon carpet
to celebrate team and individual successes. For the promotional posters, Augsburg College photographer Stephen Geffre shows student-athletes in formal wear participating in their sport.
To see more of these striking action shots, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
augsburgLEGACY
AN
“Scholarships energize students! Providing scholarships energizes us!”
PHILIP AND JEAN FORMO
Phil and Jean Formo are always excited to meet a student who
has received a scholarship from the Jerome and Winifred
Formo Scholarship or the David J. Formo Scholarship. And
soon, the Formos will be able to meet Augsburg students who
will receive support from the Andreas Helland Scholarship.
Phil comes from an Augsburg legacy family. His parents,
Jerome and Winifred Formo, both graduated in 1937. His
brother, David, graduated in 1964 and served in the U.S. Navy.
And Phil’s grandfather, Andreas Helland, taught at Augsburg
Seminary and College for 35 years.
The Formo scholarships, started in memory of the family’s
loved ones, create a family legacy while ensuring financial
support for future Augsburg students. Jean and Phil have also
provided for an estate gift that will continue to build these
scholarships after their deaths.
Meeting the students who receive scholarships from their
family’s legacy is energizing to Phil and Jean. “Best of all for
us,” Phil said, “these scholarships help us stay vitally connected to Augsburg College and to its students.”
The Augsburg College development team has many creative ways to help
accomplish your Augsburg philanthropic and legacy goals. To learn more,
call 612-330-1575.
www.augsburg.edu/giving
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Commencement 2012
Rebecca Hamlin, the representative for the class of 2012, hugs her son Marlowe Lindberg
before the July 1 commencement ceremony. In her speech to the graduates, Hamlin
shared how students at Fridley Middle School taught her about peace when she taught
them about civic engagement through the Public Achievement program.
To read more about Public Achievement at Fridley Middle School,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2011
VOL. 74, NO. 1
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Augsburg as a Citizen Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
Travel
What is the Commons? Norwegian Royal Visit
Homecoming
2011 Annual Report to Donors
page
20
go
beyond
notes
f... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
FALL 2011
VOL. 74, NO. 1
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Augsburg as a Citizen Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
Travel
What is the Commons? Norwegian Royal Visit
Homecoming
2011 Annual Report to Donors
page
20
go
beyond
notes
from President Pribbenow
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
On politics and informed citizens
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Design
t
he creation of the Sabo Center for Citizenship
and Learning a few years ago allowed us a
wonderful opportunity to celebrate the life and
work of our distinguished alumnus, Martin Olav Sabo
’59, whose life-long commitment to public service is
an inspiration to all of us. As we live out our mission
and vision here at Augsburg, we, of course, are
deeply engaged in helping our students to understand the electoral political process, which
Congressman Sabo so ably served. In addition, our
students are closely involved in local political and
advocacy efforts, in public service internships, in
get-out-the-vote campaigns, and in helping our
many new U.S. neighbors to participate in U.S.
electoral politics.
At the same time, we also are deeply committed
to the ideas and practices of a broader public
claim—a claim that calls on all citizens to “get political”—to follow the call of our Augsburg colleague,
Harry Boyte, director of the Center for Democracy and
Citizenship, who suggests that “Despite its bad reputation, politics is the way people in any setting deal
with differences to get something done. Politics
means creating alliances, negotiating, engaging people around self interests, using levers of change in a
strategic way. Politics is how diverse groups of people
build a future together … Politics is from the Greek
root, politikos, ‘of the citizen.’” As Boyte reminds us,
“For over two thousand years politics meant not parties or vertical relations with the state but rather horizontal engagement among citizens.” In other words,
politics and getting political is the authentic and important work of citizenship, claimed by all of us as
our birthright and moral obligation.
One of my heroines in U.S. history is the great social reformer, Jane Addams, who lived and worked at
Hull-House in Chicago for almost 50 years, helping
her immigrant neighbors to practice citizenship—not
because of a political system but because democracy
is a social ethic, a way of living together in commu-
nity, neighborhood, country, some of us think even,
the world. She described democracy as a “mixed
and thronged road” on which we all are travelers together, navigating our lives together. Surely, Miss Addams illustrated in her own life and work the ways in
which mature citizenship—genuine politics—is
meeting the needs of our neighbors, building
stronger and healthier neighborhoods, finding common purpose and then the will to make it real, and
learning to be what political philosopher and ethicist
Jean Bethke Elshtain has called “chastened patriots,” those who love a cause or community or country but love it in ways that make it stronger, more
responsible, and more faithful to common purpose.
This is politics as common, public work.
The great Illinois senator, Adlai Stevenson, who
ran for president against Dwight Eisenhower in 1952,
was once said to have responded at a whistle stop to
a supporter who shouted out, “All thoughtful Americans are with you, Adlai,” with this great line, “That
won’t be enough.” For those of us committed to the
public and civic roles of higher education, we know
that one of our great challenges is to educate more
informed and thoughtful citizens—work that is a central claim of Augsburg’s mission—and to challenge
our students to help others become the same as they
reclaim a sense that politics is not simply about who
is in power and who is not, not simply about ideology
and partisanship, not simply about winners and losers, but instead that politics is the work we all are
called to do to ensure that our common purposes will
be realized.
Please enjoy the many stories in this issue of
Augsburg Now that illustrate Augsburg’s commitment
to educating informed citizens—a commitment that
has implications for our work on campus, in our
neighborhood, and around the world.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
fall 2011
augsburg now
Features
7
Homecoming 2011
BY CHERYL CROCKETT
11
15
14
augsburg
as a citizen
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
.
13 The Sabo Center
Educating citizens and leaders
14 Course-based service-learning
Learning beyond the classroom
15 The Bonner Leader program
Developing future leaders
16 Community relations
The College as an anchor
3
contents
10
7
On the cover
Banners along Murphy Square, part of the commons Augsburg shares
with the neighborhood, reflect the College’s commitment to service.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
17 What is the commons?
BY JAY WALLJASPER
21
Annual report to donors
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Departments
inside
front
cover
2
6
10
29
35
40
44
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
Auggies on the court
My Auggie experience
It takes an Auggie
Alumni news
Class notes
Auggie voices
Correction: The Summer 2011 issue of Augsburg Now reported that the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council awarded two $10,000 grants to
Augsburg College. The awards were granted to Medieval Minnesota and OverExposure. Both programs work in partnership with the College.
The grant to Medieval Minnesota was funded, in part, by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund as appropriated by the Minnesota
State Legislature with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008. The grant to OverExposure, which worked in
partnership with Centro Youth Workshop and Augsburg, was an Arts Learning Grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council.
quad
around the
NEWSNOTES
U.S.News & World Report names Augsburg College
a 2011 Best Regional College
This fall, Augsburg was named to the 2011 top 30 “Best Regional
Midwest Universities” by U.S.News & World Report. The ranking is
based on assessment in 16 areas related to academic excellence.
To find out more about the U.S.News & Word Report
ranking, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Augsburg one of six to win Washington Center Higher
Education Civic Engagement Award
For its commitment to public service and community involvement,
Augsburg was selected by The Washington Center for Internships
and Academic Seminars to receive the Higher Education Civic Engagement Award.
The College is one of six higher education institutions in the
nation to receive the honor, which was awarded October 3 at The
Washington Center’s annual luncheon, held at the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C. Last May, the College was also one of six
schools—and the first in Minnesota—to win the Presidential Award
for Community Service, the highest federal honor available for
service learning.
PA students complete a unit on working with older adults by hosting a community
health fair for residents of Augustana Apartments in downtown Minneapolis.
Physician Assistant program is granted accreditation
The Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician
Assistant (ARC-PA) has granted Continued Accreditation to the Physician Assistant Program sponsored by Augsburg College. Continued
accreditation is an accreditation status granted when a currently accredited program is in compliance with the ARC-PA Standards.
Continued Accreditation remains in effect until the program
closes or withdraws from the accreditation process or until accreditation is withdrawn for failure to comply with the Standards. The
approximate date for the next comprehensive review of the program by the ARC-PA will be September 2018.
The Augsburg program went from a three-year accreditation
cycle to seven—the longest that a program can receive. Dawn
Ludwig, Augsburg PA program director, said, “Obtaining seven
years of accreditation is a welcome reward and recognizes the dedication of the PA faculty and staff who work to make our program
one of the best in the country.”
Board of Regents
MEMBERS ELECTED
At their fall meeting in September, the Augsburg Corporate Governing
Board elected four new members to the Augsburg Board of Regents
and re-elected three members to second terms.
RE-ELECTED REGENTS:
Andra Adolfson, Business Development Director, Adolfson & Peterson
Construction, Inc.
NEW REGENTS:
Karen (Miller) Durant ’81, Vice President and Controller,
Tennant Company
Rolf Jacobson, Associate Professor,
Luther Seminary
Matt Entenza, Founder and Senior Fellow, Minnesota 2020
Bonnie Wallace, Scholarship Director, Fond du Lac Reservation, and
Founder of The Bearheart Women's Foundation
Jeffrey Nodland ’77, President and CEO, KIK Custom Products
Gary Tangwall ’80, Wealth Advisor, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™
2
Augsburg Now
Also appointed to three-year terms on the board, ex officio, are Bishop
Peter Rogness, Saint Paul Area Synod of the ELCA, and Bishop
Harold Usgaard, Southeastern Minnesota Synod of the ELCA.
Norwegian royalty
VISIT AUGSBURG
Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway visited
Augsburg College during October as part of their first trip to the United
States since 1995. President Paul Pribbenow said the visit was an honor,
particularly given the College’s deep commitment to peacemaking and
global citizenship, and was a chance to provide the royal couple with a
firsthand experience of the deep relationship between Norway and the College. The king and queen attended a worship service with Norwegian students from the region and guests, including the 28 Norwegian students
attending Augsburg this semester through the International Partners program. The king and queen also visited Luther and St. Olaf colleges.
To commemorate this visit, Augsburg installed a peace pole near the
main entrance to the Foss Center. The peace pole celebrates the College’s
Norwegian heritage, its relationship with the country and people of Norway,
and its work with the Norwegian Nobel Institute to support peacemaking
through the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum.
The Augsburg College peace pole is constructed of stainless steel and
copper, reflecting the College’s
urban setting. Inscribed on two of
the five sides of the peace pole
are statements in Norwegian and
in English: Må fred herske på Jorden and May peace prevail on
Earth.
The other three sides of the
pole display the word “peace” or
an equivalent word, reflecting the
diverse populations that make up
Queen Sonja with Abigail Pribbenow, Maya
Augsburg’s communities in
Pribbenow, and Olivia Szaj, daughter of Vice
Minneapolis and around the world. President and Chief of Staff Chris Szaj.
The MAL Integrated Graduate Studies cohort explores responsible
leadership in downtown Minneapolis.
New graduate program offerings
This year, Augsburg launched new offerings for graduate students in leadership, social work, and business.
INTEGRATED MAL
The first cohort of the Master of Arts in Leadership
(MAL) Integrated Graduate Studies program began
meeting in August. This two-year hybrid program
uses a combination of online and intensive on-campus learning. Students met in August with Professor
Garry Hesser for a one-week intensive session that
included neighborhood excursions and visits with
local business and community leaders, including
Minneapolis city council member Cam Gordon.
SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
President Paul Pribbenow and his family dedicate a peace pole outside of Foss Center in
honor of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway.
Augsburg also added a certificate in social
entrepreneurship, a program that combines courses
in the master of business administration, social
work, and leadership programs. The curriculum is
designed for students interested in obtaining the
skills and competencies necessary for the entrepreneurial pursuit of social impact, and recognizes the
unique challenges, opportunities, and qualities associated with trying to create social value. For more information about this certificate, go to the Augsburg
MBA website at www.augsburg.edu/mba.
Fall 2011
3
quad
around the
Summer construction on campus
Two capital projects were completed this summer on the
Minneapolis campus: the Gage Center for Student Success on
the link level of Lindell Library, and the creation of new offices
for Undergraduate/Graduate Admissions on the lower level of
Christensen Center.
The Gage Center was made possible through a $900,000 gift
from the Gage Family Foundation and the Carlson Foundation.
This generous gift allows the College to co-locate critical academic student services in a new learning commons at the heart
of campus—further demonstrating Augsburg’s commitment to
equipping all students for success. The Gage Center project involved relocation of a portion of the library collection from the
link level to new, high-density shelving in the lower level of
Lindell Library—a solution that enhances the efficiency of the
College’s existing space in supporting student academic needs.
Also during the summer, improvements were made to the
locker rooms and public spaces in Si Melby Hall. Mortensen Hall,
one of Augsburg’s oldest residence halls, received extensive upgrades to its student living and common spaces, including new
flooring, plumbing and bathroom upgrades, kitchen cabinetry,
shelving, light fixtures, and paint.
To see a slideshow of more construction photos,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
GAGE CENTER FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
UNDERGRADUATE/GRADUATE ADMISSIONS OFFICES
4
Augsburg Now
Nobel Prize winners visit Augsburg
developing approaches for sharing our commons sustainably and
equitably. The two-day event explored the concept of the commons (see story, page 17) and included a social gathering in
Murphy Square, Minneapolis’ oldest public park, as well as a
walking tour of the neighborhood and a bike tour of the commons
in Minneapolis.
Festival of the Commons
In early October, Elinor Ostrom, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize in
Economics, spoke at Augsburg for the Festival of the Commons. This
event was a joint project of Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, the Center for Democracy and Citizenship,
and On the Commons, a commons movement strategy center that
connects organizations, community leaders, and individuals in
Courtesy photo
2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum (March 1-3)
In a master class held at Augsburg, Elinor Ostrom gives advice to area college students
about commons-related work they are doing on their campuses and in their communities.
This spring, Nobel Peace Prize laureate
and former president of South Africa, F.W.
de Klerk, will keynote the 2012 Nobel
Peace Prize Forum on March 2. The Nobel
Peace Prize Forum is an annual event
that inspires students and other citizens
to become active participants in peacemaking efforts around the world. For
nearly 24 years, it has been the Norwegian Nobel Institute’s only such program or academic affiliation
outside of Norway.
De Klerk, who won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson
Mandela, is known for his work to end apartheid, a systemic policy
of racial segregation. De Klerk supported the transformation of
South Africa into a multiracial democracy and in recent years has
continued his work on peacemaking efforts. Learn more about the
Nobel Peace Prize Forum at www.peaceprizeforum.org.
STUDENTS TAKE ON
interfaith community service challenge
This summer, Augsburg was chosen by the White House and the
U.S. Department of Education to participate in the President’s Interfaith and Community Service Campus Challenge. Throughout this academic year, students representing the Muslim Student Association,
Campus Ministry youth ministry teams, ALAS (Allied Latinas/os),
Interfaith Scholars, the Pan-Afrikan Student Union (PASU), the
women’s track and field team, Campus Kitchen, and the Bonner
Leader program will participate in service projects centered on
Somali youth in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood.
In addition, the Interfaith Scholars program, which began formally
last spring, will explore and develop the roles of students as public
leaders around interfaith literacy and action at Augsburg.
President Paul Pribbenow expressed the importance of the College’s commitment to this initiative. He wrote, “As we consider our
interfaith work, we are convinced that dialogue and service must be
interwoven in all we do. We believe that what we learned through re-
Interfaith Scholars team members: Front [L to R] Halimo Abdulkarim ’13, Mai Yang ’13,
Luis Hernandez ’14, Miriam Medina ’13, Macha Shatonova ’13, Megan Holm ’12. Back
[L to R] Lonna Field, Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning project coordinator; Jorge
Mondragon ’13, Pastor Sonja Hagander. Not pictured: Salma Ahmed ’12, Fardosa Hassan
’13, Griffith Orman ’15.
cent efforts to encourage interfaith dialogue with our neighbors is
something we must do each day. We must seek to live side-by-side,
day-by-day, within our neighborhood. Interfaith living is what we
must—and do—aspire to teach our students.”
Fall 2011
5
auggies on the court
Hard work shapes Auggie Honors student, athlete
Shelby Vogel stands out in the classroom
and on the volleyball court. The Auggie—
a pre-med honors student double majoring
in chemistry and physics—chalks it up to
elbow grease. “I get good grades because I
work hard,” Vogel said. “And I don’t feel
good unless I work hard. I think that same
mindset transferred to sports.”
Although she’s a first-year student, she
earned enough college credits during high
school to enter Augsburg as a sophomore.
Vogel was in the National Honor Society
during high school and received two of
Augsburg’s highest merit-based scholarships—the Regents’ Scholarship and the
Courtland Agre Scholarship, which is
awarded to incoming first-year students with
exceptional academic achievements in science and who meet standards for national
test scores and grade point average.
Professor Larry Crockett, Vogel’s honors
adviser, said that Vogel is setting some of the
agenda for discussions in the Honors Scholar
Citizen class. “She engages well and raises
good questions, which is the heart of the
honors academic enterprise,” Crockett said.
“It’s what I like to call ‘academic jazz.’”
Outside the classroom, Vogel excels on the
court. She is a high school all-conference
and Junior Olympic volleyball player and
was team captain. One of Vogel’s favorite
high school memories was going to the state
championship during her senior year where
she and her teammates beat their rival in
the semifinal round. “It was happy and
sad,” Vogel said. “We all had played to-
6
Augsburg Now
gether since sixth grade, and we beat our rivals in the semifinals. But we lost the
championship to a big school, and it was
our last game as a team.”
Augsburg’s head volleyball coach, Jane
Becker, said she’s had her eye on Vogel since
Vogel was a high school sophomore. “Shelby
brings a maturity to the court that is rare in
any athlete, let alone a first-year athlete,”
Becker said. “Her priority on the court is that
the team succeed. Her work ethic and team
attitude have already earned her the respect
of her teammates and will serve her as she
enters the medical profession. We’re grateful
Shelby is an Auggie on the court and in the
classroom.”
On the court as an Auggie, Vogel hopes to
play at the NCAA Division III Tournament.
Vogel visited a number of private colleges—most of them in rural settings like her
home city of Sheldon, Iowa—before selecting
Augsburg. “I wanted to be in the city. I graduated with 89 people in a town of about
5,000,” Vogel said. “I like it here because
I’m in a big city on a small campus.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
2011
homecoming
HOMECOMING 2011 HAS COME AND GONE,
but it has left lasting memories for the
more than 1,200 Augsburg alumni, students, parents, and friends who participated in the festivities.
Several events during the week
sparked the homecoming spirit. A student/alumni networking reception provided students an edge in
navigating their career paths as they met
with alumni already seasoned in their
professions. Sports enthusiasts reunited
around an alumni baseball game at Parade Stadium. Athletic Hall of Fame
inductees were celebrated and awards presented at a special induction
ceremony. The Eye-Opener Breakfast featuring Brad Hewitt, president and
CEO of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™, provided alumni and friends
time to network and learn about community issues.
Friday and Saturday came alive with a rich pastiche of “remember when”
conversations as reunion classes each gathered to reconnect with one another and the College, including members of the class of 1961 who were inducted into the 50-Year Club. The Friday morning convocation honored six
Auggies, and the celebration continued over a lunch, which featured Martha
Stortz, Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation.
Saturday morning featured the “Best of Augsburg” mini-lectures from
three outstanding professors: Garry Hesser, David Murr, and robert tom. A 5K
Fun Run Saturday drew alumni, students, and friends, all decked out in their
Auggie gear for a morning run through the neighborhood. In the Gage Family
Art Gallery and the Christensen Center Art Gallery, artwork from 23 alumni
was on display, including ceramics, painting, drawing, multi-media, sculpture, photography, book arts, fiber arts, and printmaking.
On Saturday in Murphy Square, more than 30 vendors at the Taste of
Augsburg event served up a variety of inviting vittles. The weekend’s centerpiece was, of course, the football game against St. Olaf, and Auggie
spirit was at a fever pitch. The celebration continued after the game at the
Block Party where more than 600 Auggies gathered to enjoy live music and
more fellowship.
The crowning touch for an already unforgettable week was the Saturday
evening Hognander Music Scholars reunion concert featuring some of
Augsburg’s finest musicians from the past 12 years.
CHERYL CROCKETT
Save the date for Homecoming 2012, September 23 to 29.
To nominate an Augsburg alumnus or alumna for the 2012 Distinguished
Alumni Award, contact the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations at
alumni@augsburg.edu.
Fall 2011
7
2011
homecoming
To see more photos of Homecoming 2011,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
8
Augsburg Now
2011 alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni Awards
First Decade Award
Spirit of Augsburg Awards
Corky Hall ’71
Adam Seed ’01
Arlin Gyberg
Founder and CEO of Stellus Consulting
Vice President, Astra Ventures Inc.
Chemistry Professor, Augsburg College
I didn’t come to college for reading, writing, and arithmetic;
I came for the three
Es: Edor Nelson, Ernie
Anderson, and Ed
Saugestad. But I learned that it’s not
about winning and losing on the field;
it’s how you win, and lose, every day.
Augsburg showed me how to live—how to
win and how to lose—which makes us all
champions in life.
Giving to others, thinking about others,
thinking less about
oneself—this has been
the key to my success.
The less I think about
myself, the happier I am. Augsburg taught
me to manage in life without focusing on
myself. It's given me everything I have
today.
One of the values that
stands out at Augsburg
is the community of
learning experienced
here. What has been
most rewarding [over
the years] are the alumni who stop by to
visit, who are still connected. The strong
alumni support has been important in the
success of the College. I thank you, “family of Augsburg.”
Athletic Hall of Fame
Wayne Jorgenson ’71
Senior Vice President of Investments at
UBS Financial Services
In high school, I knew
I wanted to be a stockbroker—an ethical
one. When you do
what’s right for the
client, they become
more than clients; they become friends.
Whatever you choose to do in life, do
what’s right. In your heart you will know
what that is.
Congratulations to the alumni who have
been inducted into the Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame:
• Mike Burkhardt ’81, men’s hockey/
baseball
• Carrie (Lind) Cabe ’01, women’s track
and field
• Stu Engen ’86, men’s basketball
• Mitch Hegland ’91, wrestling
• Kara (Seibel) Hoard ’96, women’s soccer
• Matt Kretlow ’91, wrestling
• Pat Piepenburg ’69, women’s basketball
Norma Noonan
Professor and former Director of the
Master's of Arts in Leadership,
Augsburg College
After 45 1/2 years at
Augsburg, I still believe it is a special
place to work. The
Augsburg spirit inspires our work and
encourages our success. It nourishes us
daily. The Augsburg community continues
to be a place of learning, discovery, and
collaboration.
• Angie Rieger ’01, women’s hockey/
volleyball
Judith Schaubach ’68
President of Education Minnesota, retired
Education always
seems to be a passion
of mine. I know how
important education
was for me; I learned
so many values here at
Augsburg. Part of my success was being
open to new things. You never know what
door will open for you as you go through
life. Take advantage of those opportunities.
• Don Skoy ’73, football
For biographies and more information about this year’s
alumni award winners, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
homecoming
alumni awards
Fall 2011
9
my
Auggie experience
This is what an Auggie looks like: Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA
At first glance, it might seem surprising that
an accomplished physician and educator, one
whose office walls are lined with plaques
highlighting his achievements, would count an
MBA program as one of the most valuable experiences of his career. But give him a few
minutes, and Dr. Amit Ghosh will offer many
reasons why the Augsburg MBA has been a
highlight for him.
As the director of the Mayo Clinic international program, a full professor in the Mayo
College of Medicine, and the recipient of the
2010 Distinguished Mayo Educator award,
Ghosh had established a successful career as
a physician and a diagnostician. “But what I
could never do was see what was going on
add depth to classroom discussions. “We ask
all kinds of questions from all angles, and
without any trouble the professor answers
them.” After class, Ghosh said his professors
often send additional articles and materials to
continue the discussions.
Ghosh also likes the team-based cohort
model and the opportunity to learn from classmates who he said bring valuable and diverse
points of view to the program. “I have learned
so many things about business from the students in my cohort,” he said.
Ghosh appreciates how his
classmates challenge him.
“They have forgotten I am a
physician, and they really
ing an organizational diagnostician. He said
the program has changed not only how he approaches his work as a physician but also how
he teaches at Mayo.
“I teach a whole spectrum of learners from
students to faculty and use the things I have
learned in business school to highlight relevant areas related to service-delivery that I
think are not stressed or are missing from
medical education,” he said.
Ghosh will complete the Augsburg MBA in
“My life journey would not be what it is without the Augsburg MBA
program. It is one of the highlights of my career.”
around me in the business world,” he said.
So in 2009, Ghosh’s colleague, Augsburg
College regent Dr. Paul Mueller ’84, suggested the MBA program. Now Ghosh is learning, through connections with both the faculty
and the students in his Rochester MBA cohort, to become what he calls an “organizational diagnostician.”
“At every point in our lives we define ourselves,” Ghosh said. “I thought in my journey with my career I needed to redefine
myself, and my Augsburg education has
helped me do that.”
An esteemed educator in his own field,
Ghosh holds the Augsburg faculty in high regard and appreciates the rigor of the curriculum. “I work in a world-class institution, and I
can assess quality,” Ghosh said. “The professors at Augsburg are amazing.”
Ghosh said his Augsburg MBA professors
bring real world experience to the classroom,
which is helpful because their experiences
10
Augsburg Now
give me a run for my
money.”
In addition to the faculty
and his fellow students,
Ghosh said Augsburg staff
members have enhanced his
experience. He related a
story about Ron Kurpiers, a
librarian at the Minneapolis
campus, who helped Ghosh with a paper.
Kurpiers took time on a Sunday, while he
was caring for a sick family member, to lead
Ghosh step-by-step through the process of finding articles to write a paper. “He thinks like a
student, but he works like a librarian,” Ghosh
said. “It was as if he were sitting with me.”
Perhaps Kurpiers’ extraordinary dedication
is one reason why Ghosh now says looking at
the library website to find articles is one of his
favorite pastimes.
His Augsburg education has helped Ghosh
grow professionally toward his goal of becom-
March 2012, and though he said he looks forward to finishing, it is clear that he does not
want his Augsburg experience to end. Maybe,
he said, as he matures as a manager, he could
consider becoming a part of the Augsburg
MBA faculty.
Whatever the future holds for Dr. Ghosh, it
is clear that he is proud to call himself an
Auggie. “My life journey would not be what it
is without the Augsburg MBA program. It is
one of the highlights of my career.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
A
T
S
R
E
E
T
A
D
A
G
L
U
AUGSBURG COLLEGE EDUCATES STUDENTS
urban
TO BE INFORMED CITIZENS,
THOUGHTFUL
center for
debate
democracy
league
STEWARDS,
CRITICAL
THINKERS,
AND
community
campus
relations
kitchen
RESPONSIBLE LEADERS.
THE AUGSBURG
EXPERIENCE IS SUPPORTED BY AN
ENGAGED COMMUNITY THAT IS COMMITTED
TO INTENTIONAL
DIVERSITY IN ITS LIFE
league
ANDcampus
WORK. AN AUGSBURG EDUCATION IS
compact
DEFINED BY EXCELLENCE IN THE LIBERAL
ARTS AND PROFESSIONAL STUDIES,
GUIDEDbonner
BY
THE
FAITH
AND
VALUES
OF
THE
leader
LUTHERAN CHURCH, AND SHAPED BY ITS
service
URBAN AND GLOBAL
SETTINGS.
learning
sabo
and
citizenship
high school
mathematics
center
THE MISSION STATEMENT that Augsburg College launched last
year begins with a statement of educational outcomes:
Augsburg College educates students to be informed citizens,
thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
There is a reason, President Paul Pribbenow said, that “informed citizens” appears first on that list. “It is a part of our
legacy to equip our students to think of themselves as citizens
in a democracy,” he said. “And this shapes our work through
our statement of vocation: we believe we are called to serve
our neighbor. That is faith, learning, and service linked.”
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
AUGSBURG AS A
citizen
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH THE SABO CENTER FOR CITIZENSHIP AND LEARNING
Fall 2011
11
SABO CENTER
FOR CITIZENSHIP AND LEARNING
The Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning provides venues for Augsburg students and the community to learn from
local and national civic leaders and connects students with
civic engagement and service-learning opportunities. The
components of the center are highlighted here.
THE SABO PROFESSOR, SABO SENIOR FELLOWS, AND
SABO SCHOLARS uphold Congressman Martin Sabo’s ’59
abiding faith in the role government can play in improving the
lives of citizens. Sociology professor Garry Hesser, the Sabo
Professor for Citizenship and Learning, is aided in his work by
the Sabo Fellows: Senior Fellow for Academic Civic Engagement, Lars Christiansen, associate professor of sociology;
Senior Fellow for Civic Agency, Harry Boyte, director of the
Center for Democracy and Citizenship; Senior Fellow for Leadership and Change, Bill Green, associate professor of history;
and Sabo Center Senior Fellow, Jay Walljasper, editor of
OnTheCommons.org.
The 10 Sabo Scholars collaborate with Congressman Sabo
and Hesser to create opportunities for Augsburg students to
engage more fully in civic and public life. See page 20 for
more about the Sabo Scholars. (See story, page 13.)
THE CENTER FOR DEMOCRACY AND CITIZENSHIP collaborates with a variety of partners to promote active citizenship
and public work by people of all ages. The center’s work is
grounded in the belief that a healthy democracy requires
everyone’s participation and that each of us has something to
contribute. The center is involved in projects such as the Jane
Addams School for Democracy, Public Achievement, the
American Commonwealth Project, Twin Cities Teacher Collaborative, and more. (See story, page 13.)
COURSE-BASED SERVICE-LEARNING is an integral part of
an Augsburg College education. More than 35 courses per
year include a service-learning component, bringing students
into the community. The Engaging Minneapolis and Augsburg
Experience curricular requirements reinforce this commitment
to experiential learning. (See story, page 14.)
THE CAMPUS KITCHEN program served 23,000 meals last
year to residents of the community. Campus Kitchen sponsors
a farmers’ market on campus during the growing season, provides growing space in the community garden, and also uses
the garden to teach neighborhood youth.
12
Augsburg Now
THE AUGSBURG BONNER LEADER program provides financial support through work study jobs, leadership development,
and practical skill development for students who are dedicated to integrating community and civic engagement into
their college learning experience. (See story, page 15.)
Through participation in academic competitive debate programs, the MINNESOTA URBAN DEBATE LEAGUE empowers
junior high and high school students in Minneapolis and St.
Paul to become engaged learners, critical thinkers, and active citizens who are effective advocates for themselves and
their communities.
THE MINNESOTA HIGH SCHOOL MATHEMATICS LEAGUE
identifies more than 3,000 Minnesota high school students
with unusual mathematical ability and brings them together
for study, competition, and recognition.
MINNESOTA CAMPUS COMPACT leverages the collective assets of higher education institutions and communities, building partnerships and educating students to develop creative
solutions to pressing public issues. The coalition brings together all types of higher education institutions dedicated to
the civic purposes of higher education. It is also affiliated
with the national Campus Compact network, which includes
more than 1,100 campuses in all 50 states.
As a college in the city, the role of Augsburg’s director of
COMMUNITY RELATIONS is vital to establishing and maintaining quality relationships with community members and organizations. (See story, page 16.)
the
center
EDUCATING CITIZENS AND LEADERS
Perhaps one of Augsburg’s most important
contributors to educating informed citizens
is the Sabo Center for Citizenship and
Learning. Established officially in 2009
and named for Martin Olav Sabo ’59, Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District representative in the U.S. House for 28 years,
the Sabo Center serves to connect the College to the greater community.
The Sabo Center is the College’s hub for
public outreach with Campus Kitchen and
Augsburg Reads as well as with the Minnesota
Urban Debate League, the Minnesota High
School Mathematics League, and Minnesota
Campus Compact.
Also, through community service-learning classes and projects, and programs like
The Sabo Scholars have dinner with Martin and Sylvia Sabo each semester.
Bonner Leader, Sabo Scholars, and the
Center for Democracy and Citizenship
(CDC), the Sabo Center gives voice to the
College’s mission of educating students to
be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards,
critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
And finally, with the support of the Sabo
Center staff and College leadership, the director of community relations fulfills the
center’s third purpose: to ensure
Augsburg’s position in the community.
The fact that Augsburg received the
2010 Presidential Award for Community
Service is due in great part to the programs
and partnerships of the Sabo Center. This
is the highest honor in the annual President’s Higher Education Community Serv-
sabo
sabo
ice Honor Roll, and Augsburg was one of
only six colleges and universities to receive
this distinction.
Harry Boyte, director of the CDC, articulates the role of the Sabo Center as a platform for interaction and relationships
between the campus and the community.
He said, “It’s a way to develop working relationships and engagement and a thematic and philosophical way to address the
mission of the College. The public work at
the Sabo Center allows serious conceptual
thinking about citizenship—being a citizen
is about more than being a ‘good person,’
and this provides the public frame to break
it open and talk about it.”
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD
The Center for Democracy and Citizenship initiated two major projects
this fall to help reinforce the role of higher education in promoting
active citizenship.
THE AMERICAN COMMONWEALTH PROJECT fosters civic learning, public engagement, and stewardship in higher education. The project
is a partnership among the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at
Augsburg College, the U.S. Department of Education, and the White House
Office of Public Engagement. It will deepen connections and relationships
and create policies, initiatives, and practices in public engagement efforts
across higher education.
THE FESTIVAL OF THE COMMONS, co-hosted October 7 and 8 by
At the Festival of the Commons, groups discuss
how the principles of the commons can be used
to address today’s cultural, economic, political,
and social divides.
center for
democracy
and
citizenship
Augsburg College and On The Commons, focused on how society creates,
uses, and manages the commons—things we all share and own together.
The event featured keynote speaker Elinor Ostrom, the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Fall 2011
13
course-based
service-learning
LEARNING BEYOND THE CLASSROOM
The community service-learning component
of the Augsburg curriculum provides significant opportunities for Augsburg students and
faculty to interact with the community and
develop mutually beneficial relationships.
Mary Laurel True, director of servicelearning, emphasized that service-learning
is more than community service; it is part
of the College’s commitment to the community. “This is about sharing our resources in all areas, asking what the
community needs that we can provide,”
she said. “It’s not just the courses, it’s the
institution as a citizen.”
The curricular aspect of service-learning
begins at the summer orientation program for
undergraduate students in the day program.
Throughout their orientation experience,
groups explore the neighborhoods and begin
to learn about opportunities to engage with
and learn from Augsburg’s neighbors.
An Augsburg tradition for more than 15
years, City Service Day gives first-year day
students an opportunity to serve in and
learn about the community through service
projects on the day before fall semester
classes begin. This September, more than
400 students and their faculty leaders contributed 1,200 hours of service at local
schools, community service centers,
churches, and theaters.
Students continue building neighborhood relationships in their first-year seminar called “AugSem.” AugSem groups are
determined by a student’s anticipated
major area of study, so AugSem courses
and service-learning opportunities engage
students in ways that often continue after
their first semester at Augsburg.
Every year, more than 35 service-learning courses include an experiential education component, which involves an average
14
Augsburg Now
of 25 hours of off-campus service-learning
in a semester. More importantly, True
noted, students must reflect on their experiences. “They get credit for their reflection, not the time they spend in the
community,” she said.
One example of how service-learning enhances the educational experience is found
in the Education Department, where a field
service experience is included in all major
methods courses. In fact, education majors
at Augsburg will complete at least 120 hours
of service-learning in different elementary or
secondary classrooms before student teaching, according to Jeanine Gregoire, associate
professor of education.
Augsburg teacher candidates have opportunities to work with schools such as
Seward Montessori and the Cedar-Riverside
Community School. In cooperation with the
classroom teachers, candidates learn how
to build a curriculum to address the needs
of all learners, including many who are
English language learners from the Somali,
Hmong, and Korean communities. “It’s a
great experiential program for them to see
how teaching and learning play out in the
classroom,” Gregoire said.
Gregoire added that some teacher candidates come to Augsburg with little experience in diverse schools, so service-learning
provides a broader perspective on the
classroom. “It takes them out of their comfort zone and forces them to think critically
about the issues affecting the curriculum,”
Gregoire said, “and they get an understanding about the complexities of teaching to
eager, bright students who have a huge
range of abilities.”
Service-learning is an integral part of sociology professor James Vela-McConnell’s
upper-division course on social problem
analysis. Vela-McConnell chooses a social
problem for the class to focus on, and students learn about the issue through traditional research, service in organizations, and
intensive interviews with lay people and
those who work in social service organizations. The goal, Vela-McConnell said, is to
combine all the students’ work into a complete examination of a social problem.
“By doing this as a class project and not
an individual project,” Vela-McConnell said,
“I emphasize that I am not the expert and I
become part of the collective learning experience.” He sees this role as valuable for the
students because it allows professor and students to connect as equals and to work together.
These examples highlight how the learning
experience can be enriched for students
through service and show how Augsburg can
benefit the community by sharing resources.
True noted that many of the organizations involved in service-learning relationships with
Augsburg have a small group of staff, so
Augsburg students provide dedicated volunteer support that helps these organizations
succeed and grow.
“I think what we have going here is thick
and deep and grassroots,” True said. “It’s a
reciprocal relationship with the community.
It’s a long-term commitment.”
To see a video about James Vela-McConnell’s
class, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
service
learning
bonner
leader
DEVELOPING FUTURE LEADERS
the bonner leader
program
The College’s commitment to the community has been extended
through the Bonner Leader program. Now in its fourth year at
Augsburg, the Bonner program connects 40 students to local partners including schools, community centers, churches, and other
nonprofit organizations. Bonner students commit 10 to 12 hours
per week working with the organizations as well as three to five volunteer hours per month.
Kristin Farrell, director of the Bonner Leader program, said she
believes the program affects students in multiple ways. “It
changes the way they see themselves and their communities, and
it changes the way they do academics. They see their education as
a way to make change in the world,” she said.
Bonner students meet as a group with Farrell three times monthly
for training and enrichment, giving them a chance to reflect with their
peers and to make connections to their classes. Through these experiences, Farrell said students uncover their gifts, and this discovery can
lead to new direction in their education or career paths.
’13
ARIANNA GENIS
Working with Urban Ventures creating a leadership
development program for Latino students
“Bonner has taught me the importance of being a part of a community and
going out and really getting to know people. The people I have worked with in my
placements have given me much more than I have to them.”
Because Bonner students often make a long-term commitment to
an organization, Farrell said the partners tend to expect more from
the students than they would from a short-term intern or a volunteer.
This provides opportunities for students to become deeply engaged in
the work of the organization.
Farrell added that the program shapes community leaders who are
sought after by employers. “I think being in the Bonner Leader program gives students a leg up as they leave Augsburg,” she said. “Organizations want people who are knowledgeable about communities.”
“The Bonner program provides a deep level of relationships to
community partners and a very purposeful way of getting students immersed in the community,” Farrell said. It also connects Augsburg
students to a network of more than 10,000 Bonner alumni—students
focused on social justice issues who help connect Augsburg grads to
opportunities beyond college and in communities outside of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.
’12
MALLORY CARSTENS
Assisting with the school social worker and afterschool programs at the FAIR magnet school in
downtown Minneapolis
“I was undecided in my major, and Bonner really helped me grow into what I
consider my vocation. It led me to social work and to a whole new set of values and interests. It really shaped my Augsburg experience.”
’12
CLAIRE BERGREN
A community organizer at the Harrison neighborhood
association in North Minneapolis
“I came to Augsburg thinking I wanted to be a lawyer because I wanted to help
people in some way. Now I realize that is not the best way for me, but I can help
people through direct interaction with them. I am attracted to doing community
organizing because you are so immersed in the experience and in the communities, and you become part of people’s lives.”
To read about Bonner Leader Andy Rodriguez ’12 or view a
video about the program, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2011
15
community relations
community
relations
THE COLLEGE AS AN ANCHOR
16
Augsburg’s engagement in the community is deepened by its commitment to becoming an “anchor institution”—an organization
that thinks and behaves as a citizen and contributes to community
wealth building and local economies.
The College serves as an anchor institution not only through
service-learning and outreach programs but also through Steve
Peacock, director of community relations. He sees his work as a
complement to other Sabo Center programs, playing the behindthe-scenes role of representing Augsburg and developing relationships with community organizations.
For more than three years, Augsburg has been a member of the Cedar-Riverside Partnership, which is currently
chaired by Augsburg President Paul Pribbenow. The partnership, which includes the City of Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, Fairview Health Services, and
Pillsbury United Communities, provides a venue for neighborhood issues to be addressed in creative ways.
One example is the road construction on Riverside Avenue,
which began this summer. The members of the partnership saw
this as an opportunity to change the character of the area and provide a welcoming, safe gateway to the neighborhood. Working with
the City of Minneapolis, the partnership advocated for lighting,
new green spaces, and other improvements to the Riverside corridor that would enhance the vitality of the neighborhood.
“As an anchor institution, we have a responsibility to ‘place.’ It
is in our self interest to ensure that the neighborhood is healthy,
vibrant, and safe,” Peacock said. “But we also have a responsibility to strengthen our shared values.”
Part of an anchor institution’s role is to support workforce development within a community. Augsburg has been involved in one
such initiative as a host for the Urban Scrubs Camp, which is presented by HealthForce Minnesota with support from Boston
Scientific.
This one-week camp gives more than 70 inner city high school
students a hands-on opportunity to learn about healthcare careers.
It also helps to educate area youth, addresses the need for workforce development for local hospitals, and strengthens relationships with community partners. In 2011, nearly all of the students
attending received a scholarship to the camp through the CedarRiverside Partnership.
Augsburg also works closely with the Seward and Cedar-Riverside business associations to promote local businesses to the College community. “As a consumer and investor in the community,
we are sensitive to neighborhood businesses and are helping to
strengthen them as much as possible,” Peacock said.
Augsburg Now
In the past, Augsburg marketing courses have developed promotional campaigns for local businesses aimed at students, staff, and
faculty. Last spring, a group of marketing students promoted the
local restaurant, the Wienery, with a “wiener walk.”
This year Cedar-Riverside restaurants, including the recently
opened Afro Deli, participated in the Taste of Augsburg event during Homecoming, and Augsburg will be involved in the “Franklin
Frolic” to support Franklin Avenue businesses in early December.
Because the College has a strong commitment to and sees itself
as part of the community, Peacock finds his work very gratifying.
“Augsburg is a really exciting place to do this kind of work. Building upon strong relationships and taking them to another level improves not only our opportunities but our neighbors’ as well.”
EDUCATING INFORMED
citizens
At the September 2011 Augsburg Corporation meeting, President Paul
Pribbenow described the College’s vision of neighborhood well-being related to
the anchor institution movement. He said, “In major urban areas, higher education institutions have begun to think of themselves differently, not as places
that have all the answers … but in fact places that want to enter into mutual
conversation and mutual benefit for each other, for the sake of the city, for the
sake of the neighborhood.”
Pribbenow makes clear that the College’s role in the community is reciprocal. “We are moving away from a charity model,” he said. “It’s not what we can
do for them but what we can do together.”
In Augsburg’s mission, in its academic programs, in the common life of the
College and its neighbors, and in outreach to the community, Augsburg lives
out its commitment to service. Guided by the work of the Sabo Center, the College will continue its deep and lasting commitment to the community as it educates informed citizens who will build and sustain the communities in which
they live and work.
WHAT IS THE
commons?
AND WHY DOES IT MATTER TO US RIGHT NOW?
BY JAY WALLJASPER, Senior Fellow of Augsburg’s
Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning
Editor's Note: On October 7 and 8, the Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning hosted a “Festival of the Commons” in partnership
with On the Commons, a commons movement strategy center. This article, written by Jay Walljasper, editor of OnTheCommons.org
and senior fellow of the Sabo Center, provides an explanation and examples of the concept of the commons in our world today.
It’s an old idea—the chief organizing principle for human society for most of history—that’s now being rediscovered and
reinvigorated all around the world.
The commons means what belongs to all
of us—and the many diverse ways we share
it equitably and sustainably among each
other and coming generations. It describes
a sweeping set of practices that range from
the intricate social structures of indigenous
people to the ever-evolving networks of
connection fostered by the Internet. And
everything in between—natural and
human-made.
The commons is essential to our survival
and happiness, touching our lives all day
long—from the water with which we brush
our teeth in the morning to the fairy tales
we tell children at bedtime.
The natural commons makes life itself
possible thanks to air, water, biodiversity,
and DNA. The cultural commons makes
human civilization possible through the
sharing of knowledge, language, inventions,
stories, and art. The social commons
makes our modern way of life possible
through educational institutions, medical
expertise, engineering know-how, and communication tools. Even the market economy depends on the commons for the
natural resources and human capital that
drive its profits, as well as the legal and
regulatory systems without which it would
fall apart.
Unfortunately, the commons today is
under assault. The natural environment
continues to suffer devastation, including
the specter of global climate disruption.
Privatization policies fence us out of resources that once could be used by everyone, and budget-squeezed governments
and civic institutions scale back on services upon which we depend. Meanwhile,
many people are convinced their security
and well being depend entirely on what
they can possess individually, to the detriment of the common good.
But the good news is that people everywhere are standing up to protect and promote what we all share. Some, inspired by
the work of Nobel Prize winner Elinor
Ostrom (who visited Augsburg this fall; see
page 5), are launching a movement to draw
attention to all the ways that the spirit and
practice of the commons can help solve the
pressing problems of our time, including
economic inequity, environmental decline,
Fall 2011
17
social isolation, and political alienation.
Many others are not familiar with the
term at all but continue to roll up their
sleeves to do crucial work in their communities, guided by their instincts for the
common good. They are commoners, too.
At this tumultuous moment in history,
the commons provides us with a compelling vision of a society where “we” matters as much as “me.”
THE WEALTH ALL AROUND US
Examples of the commons in our daily lives
• Air and water
• Parks, libraries, streets, and sidewalks
• Social Security, the National Weather
Service, police protection, and other
public services
• Wilderness preserves and national forests
• Wikipedia and open source initiatives
• Musical styles, dance steps, and fashion
trends
• Biodiversity
• The Hebrew Bible, New Testament,
Koran, Zen Koans, Hindu Upanishads,
Norse sagas, and indigenous tales of
creation
• Blood banks, soup kitchens, 12-step
groups, museums, and other civic efforts
• Oceans, Antarctica, and outer space
GOOD NEWS ABOUT YOUR
NET WORTH
We are all co-owners of some very
valuable assets
Let me offer some good news about the
state of your wealth. Sure, real estate values
and the stock market look shaky these days,
and no one’s job appears safe anymore. But
what you possess individually accounts for
only part of your true net worth. Each of us
also owns a stake in some extremely valu-
18
Augsburg Now
able assets: clean air, fresh water, national
parks, the internet, civic institutions, cultural traditions, and more.
Just like personal property, these things
enhance our lives in countless ways—roads
we travel, public spaces where we gather,
medical and scientific breakthroughs we
take advantage of, and accumulated
human knowledge we use for free many
times each day. In fact, without these commonly held resources, our modern society
and market economy would never have gotten off the ground.
When the economy appeared to be
booming, many of us didn’t care about the
commons; it hardly seemed to matter that
the local recreation center was in disrepair
and Social Security in trouble. Private
health clubs and IRAs would meet those
needs. But today, Americans are increasingly grateful for services and opportunities
provided for us beyond profit-making
ventures.
But the news about our common wealth
is not all good. It faces major threats. The
financial crisis has created new pressures
for federal, state, and local governments to
slash critical services and programs that we
depend on. Transit, public schools, libraries, medical assistance, social services,
and parks have been on the chopping block
in many communities.
Fortunately, there’s a new movement of
“commoners” from all walks of life who are
standing up to protect things that we all
share. More than just an activist cause, the
commons is becoming a model for thinking
differently about how we make decisions,
manage resources, and think about responsibilities.
BUSINESS BASED ON WHAT
WE SHARE
Latino entrepreneur—and Augsburg grad—
returns to his roots with a local food project
“Common sense” is a term entrepreneur
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin ’03, uses with
ever increasing enthusiasm to describe the
local food initiative he is creating with immigrant Latino farmers in Minnesota.
“I come from the commons,” said
Haslett-Marroquin, who grew up in
Guatemala, where his family still farms
communal lands. “And I am going back to
the commons.”
Haslett-Marroquin, who graduated from
Augsburg with a degree in business administration, is the co-founder of the fair trade
Peace Coffee Company. In 2006, he
founded the Rural Enterprise Center in
Northfield, Minn., which, like many Midwestern communities, has attracted growing numbers of Latin American immigrants.
In times of economic stagnation, many
people worry that immigrants are taking
jobs needed by native-born Americans.
These fears are especially keen in small
towns, where the impact of the continuing
economic crisis hits hard. HaslettMarroquin, however, sees an opportunity
that can benefit both immigrants and the
community as a whole.
He noticed that many people around
Northfield were eager to eat more locally
raised, healthy food but were unable to afford it or sometimes even find it. At the
same time, he saw that Latino immigrants
had lifelong experience as sustainable
farmers but lacked the financial means to
take up farming. The solution was obvious.
Find a way to get Latino farmers back on
the land and connect them with consumers
seeking wholesome food. This is exactly
what Haslett-Marroquin did in launching a
free-range poultry cooperative, market garden, and family farmer training program,
all designed to put good food on local dinner tables and income into the pockets of
family farmers.
“Agripreneurship” is how HaslettMarroquin described this effort to revive
family farming for local markets by taking
advantage of immigrants’ first hand knowledge of small-scale sustainable agriculture
practices. “Commons sense,” he said, is
another word for what he and his colleagues are doing.
This small-farmer training center and
coop is a shining example of an emerging
co-op idea known as commons-based development—a strategy that strengthens the
commons by making sure that economic
expansion projects help the community as
a whole.
While commons work is often seen as an
activist or community cause more than a
business model, Hasslett-Marroquin’s projects embody fundamental commons principles: a commitment to future generations,
a focus on sustaining the earth, and a
means of providing a benefit to everyone.
As Haslett-Marroquin said, “The commons is a very straightforward commonsense approach to creating systems that
sustain society and sustain life on the
planet.”
COOPERATION IS NO TRAGEDY
First woman to win Nobel Prize in Economics
proves that common ownership does not
inevitably lead to ruin
izenship and Learning) has documented
how communities around the world equitably and sustainably manage common resources such as grazing lands, forests,
irrigation waters, and fisheries over the
long term.
A classic example is her field research in
a Swiss village where farmers tend private
plots for crops but share a communal
meadow to graze their cows. While this
would appear a perfect model to prove the
tragedy-of-the-commons theory, Ostrom
discovered that in reality there were no
problems with overgrazing. That is because
of a common agreement among villagers
that no one is allowed to graze more cows
on the meadow than they can care for over
the winter—a rule that dates back to 1517.
Ostrom has documented similar effective
examples of “governing the commons” in
her research in Kenya, Guatemala, Nepal,
Turkey, and Los Angeles.
YOU MAY ALREADY BE A COMMONER
Many people view the commons as a
tragedy rather than a fresh new worldview
to help us move toward greater economic
fairness, environmental harmony, and democratic participation.
This notion was popularized by wildlife
biologist Garrett Hardin in a 1968 essay in
Science magazine, “The Tragedy of the
Commons,” in which he described how
people who share common resources will
inevitably degrade them. Although Hardin
later qualified his theory as applying only
in specific situations, the phrase is still
widely invoked to argue that privatized
property is the only practical method for
managing land, resources, or other valuable
assets. The message is clear: Any kind of
cooperative ownership will lead to ruin.
But that blanket assertion was debunked
two years ago when Indiana University political scientist Elinor Ostrom won the
Nobel Prize in Economics. Through the
decades, Ostrom (who spoke at Augsburg
in October as part of a Festival of the Commons, organized by the Sabo Center for Cit-
Ten ways to find out
You may be a commoner if you:
1. Question the prevailing myth that all
problems have private, individualized solutions.
2. Notice how many of life’s pleasures exist
outside the money economy—gardening,
fishing, conversing, playing music, playing ball, praying, watching sunsets.
3. Take time to appreciate and enjoy what
the commons offers. (As the visionary
Brazilian educator Paulo Freire once declared during an Augsburg College visit,
“We are bigger than our schedules.”)
4. Keep in mind that security and satisfaction are more easily acquired from family
and friends than from money.
5. Offer a warm smile or greeting to people
you pass. The commons begins with connecting, even in brief, spontaneous ways.
as if you own them (which, actually, you
do). Tidy things up. Report problems, or
repair things yourself. Initiate improvement campaigns.
7. Are interested in exploring ways that
things you now pay for could be acquired
in more cooperative ways—checking out
DVDs at the library, perhaps, or quitting
the health club and forming a morning
jogging club.
8. Watch where your money goes. How do
the stores, companies, and financial institutions you use help or harm the commons? This includes their impact on the
environment and on poor communities
around the world.
9. Share your knowledge ideas with online
commons such as Wikipedia, online
communities open-education projects,
and open-access journals. Or you could
form your own online community around
what matters to you.
10. Think of yourself as a commoner and
share your enthusiasm. Raise the subject
in conversation, around the neighborhood and at work. Stand up against
threats to the commons in your community and around the world. Speak out in
favor of opportunities to expand the
commons.
These articles are updated from All That We
Share: A Field Guide to the Commons (The
New Press, 2011) and a flyer handed out at
the Festival of the Commons on the
Augsburg College campus October 7 and 8.
Jay Walljasper, former editor of Utne
Reader, is author/editor of All That We
Share and editor of www.OnThe
Commons.org. On The Commons, a commons movement strategy center, co-sponsored the Festival of the Commons at
Augsburg. Walljasper was recently named a
Senior Fellow of Augsburg’s Sabo Center
for Citizenship and Learning.
6. Treat common spaces in your community
Fall 2011
19
it takes an
Auggie
A continuing legacy of
public service
It is hard to imagine a career more dedicated to
public service and civic engagement than that of
Martin Sabo ’59. One year after graduating from
Augsburg College, Sabo was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. More than 45
years later, he retired from a distinguished 28year career in the U.S. House of Representatives.
During that time, Sabo also served for 12 years as
a regent for the College, was named an Augsburg
Distinguished Alumnus, and received the first
2011-12 SABO SCHOLARS
honorary degree, a Doctor of Humane Letters
Front Row [L to R]: Rachael Okerlund ’12, Angela Bonfiglio ’13, Katherine DeKrey ’12, Sylvia Sabo, Martin Sabo ’59,
(Honoris Causa), conferred by the College.
Katie Radford ’12; Back Row [L to R]: Adam Spanier ’12, Rachel Svanoe ’13, Eli Grobel ’12, Claire Bergren ’12, Sabo
Today, Martin and his wife, Sylvia Sabo—parProfessor Garry Hesser, Arianna Genis ’13, Andrew Rodriguez ’13.
ents of Auggies Karin Mantor ’86 and Julie Sabo
’90—continue their public service work by supportpublic service. By engaging these students in conversation about
ing the Augsburg College Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, public service, the Sabo Scholars program carries forward the
the Sabo Scholars program, and the annual Sabo Symposium.
Sabos’ abiding faith in the role that government can play in imAs the stories on the previous pages show, the Sabo Center enproving the lives of citizens.
compasses a wide-ranging set of programs that include the ColThe Sabo Center also annually convenes the Sabo Public Policy
lege’s civic engagement, community-based involvement, and
Symposium. Last year’s event was “2010 Healthcare Reform: What
service-learning programs. Through the work of the center,
Will It Mean for You (and The Nation)?” This year, in place of the
Augsburg has earned national recognition as a college with a
public policy symposium, the Sabo Center hosted the Festival of
strong commitment to education for service.
the Commons, featuring 2009 Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom, disIn addition, each year the Sabos, along with Sabo Professor
cussing how society creates, uses, and manages “the commons”—
Garry Hesser, work directly with 10 Augsburg juniors and seniors
things we all share (see story, page 5).
chosen as Sabo Scholars for their interest in and commitment to
Through these programs, supported by the generous gifts and
engagement in the political process, public policy, or careers in
engagement of the Sabos and others,
Augsburg creates opportunities for
civic experiences and skill-building—
inside and outside the classroom—for
students, faculty, staff, alumni, and
community members—and carries on
the Sabos’ and the College’s important commitment to public service.
REBECCA JOHN
The 2011-12 Sabo Scholars kick off the academic year
with conversation and dinner at the home of Sylvia
and Martin Sabo. The Sabo Scholars meet monthly with
Representative Sabo, Sabo Professor Garry Hesser,
local alumni, and other leaders engaged in public
service, policy-related work, and the political process.
20
Augsburg Now
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
2010-2011
Fall 2011
21
DEAR FRIENDS,
It is no accident that the first four words of our mission statement are,
“Augsburg College educates students...” I put the emphasis on the word “educates” because our academic program is at the heart of what we do as a college. The quality of that program—its innovative core curriculum rooted in
vocational exploration, its focus on interdisciplinary inquiry, its commitment to
student learning, its excellence and national recognition in several different
disciplines—has been deeply influenced by private philanthropic support over
the years, and this year is no exception.
In fiscal year 2011, the College received nearly $9.3 million dollars in external financial support. Daily, we are reminded of this generous philanthropic
investment on our campus: the buildings that house our academic programs,
our offices, and our students; our ability to entice academically gifted students to enroll, to aid students who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford a college education, and to support students who show intellectual promise but may be lacking social
or personal support structures that ensure success; and the talented faculty and staff who teach and guide the next generation of leaders.
But this philanthropy—your philanthropy—has not only paid for buildings, scholarships, salaries, and resources; it has
also advanced and continues to enhance and grow the quality of teaching and learning at Augsburg.
• The impact of your gifts is realized in the remarkable number of students undertaking annual research projects that are
funded through the Sundquist Science Scholars program, the Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunities
(URGO) office, and the McNair Scholars program, among others.
• It is exemplified in our robust Honors program that challenges students to think critically and perform to the very best of
their abilities.
• It is illustrated by the national recognition for Augsburg’s notable achievement of embedding service learning into our core
curriculum and by the recognition of our graduates who successfully compete for the highest international academic honors and awards such as the Fulbright, Gilman, Goldwater, Rhodes, Rossing, Rotary, and Udall scholarships.
• It is embodied in the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work, which guides and supports students as they
seek to discern their vocations and in the Gage Center for Student Success, the College’s newest learning commons, which
houses critical academic enrichment services in Lindell Library, at the heart of campus.
The long and meaningful history of private investment in Augsburg makes a difference not only in resources but also in the
quality of outcomes of our academic program. Our generous donors matter, your gifts matter, and we are grateful and humbled every day because you have been willing to translate your commitment to education, your love for this place, and your
belief in our mission into financial support for our work. We believe that philanthropy is a place where your values and passions intersect—it is part of your vocation—and we celebrate the fact that you have found Augsburg a worthy recipient of
your generosity and partner in your vocational journey. Thank you.
Sincerely,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW
PRESIDENT
22
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
2010-2011 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Where the Money Comes From
3%
Other sources
2011 Endowment Market Value
May 31, 2011
$33,268,034
4%
Government
grants
9%
Private gifts
and grants
11%
Room and board
As of May 31, 2011, we have annual realized and unrealized gains of 17.01%
on our endowment. Our five-year average annual return on the endowment is
3.44%, and the 10-year average annual return is 3.08%. We are committed to
maintaining the value of principal gifts and to provide support to the College in
perpetuity.
73%
$33.3
$32.4 $31.5
Tuition
$25.4
$28.2
$27.2 $27.8
$24.5
$22.7 $22.9
2%
Where the Money Goes
Student salary
4%
Debt service
3%
Equipment
and capital
improvement
44%
Salary and benefits
3%
Utilities
24%
2002
Financial aid
2003
2004
20%
2007
2008
“
WHY I GIVE
“
I had such a wonderful education at Augsburg, and I
think my whole philosophy of life and giving was developed here and in my family. I have given since I graduated … and I continue, I suppose, because I see the
ongoing mission of education to serve others, and
what I am most thrilled about these years is that
Augsburg welcomes everyone…. I’m proud of the
strides in everything from community service to Rhodes
Scholars to you name it.
We’re just getting better and better,
and more diverse and wonderful.
Leann Hanson Lake ’67
2006
2009
2010
2011
Endowment Assets (in millions)
June 1, 2002 – May 31, 2011
Other
“
2005
”
I give to Augsburg because somebody else had given
before me and that allowed me to attend a four-year
private school that met all the needs I had. Hopefully
my giving will do the same for another student.
Marie Odenbrett ’01
”
“It’s our conviction, Kathy’s and mine, that God gives gifts that they might be
used in the world. We started giving to Augsburg when we were seniors in
Augsburg … way back in 1976. Augsburg has grown; we have seen it over
the decades just become a better and better school, and we’re happy to be a
part of that so that more and more people might be educated under the auspices of the church … that they might be better servants of the world.”
Norman Wahl ’76, Kathy (Anderson) Wahl ’76
To hear more Auggies tell why they give,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
Fall 2011
23
s
e
i
g
augANGING
ARE CH E WORLD
TH
AUGSBURG RECOGNIZES DONORS
with event series
This summer Augsburg launched a new event series to recognize
contributions at all levels and methods of giving. The series began
in August with the Celebration of Philanthropy to recognize a broad
range of annual, lifetime, and deferred gift donors. At this evening
of activity and fellowship, guests had their photo taken with Auggie
Eagle, shared why they support Augsburg in a video booth and on a
large display board, and met student researchers. The evening
ended with dessert and discussion and the presentation of a video
showing how Auggies and donors are changing the world.
The series continued with a September boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka for recent alumni donors to The Augsburg Fund. Upcoming
events include a holiday dinner and Advent Vespers service in December for the College’s leadership and major gift donors, the annual Scholarship Donor Brunch for benefactors in April, and a class
party for the winners of the 2012 student philanthropy competition.
Individual invitations will be sent closer to the events.
To see the video featured at the Celebration of Philanthropy,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
celebration of
philanthropy
24
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
LIFETIME GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College, living and deceased, who have generously given a minimum of $100,000,
including planned gifts, over a lifetime. We are immensely grateful for their examples of loyalty and commitment to the College.
Anonymous (6)
Geoffrey ’89 and Kelly Gage
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Helen and Ernest† Alne
Richard ’96 and Britt Gage
James Lindell Sr. ’46†
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
Scott and Gina Gage
Susan Scott ’97 Lindquist and David Lindquist
Catherine and Charles Anderson
General Mills Foundation
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Martha Gisselquist ’86
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Oscar† ’38 and Leola† Anderson
Roger Griffith ’84 and Jean Taylor ’85
Marie and Larry McNeff
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Gerard and Anne Meistrell
Leona Radman Antholz ’41†
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Hoyt ’39† and Lucille Messerer
Clarette† ’29 and Luther† ’29 Arnold
Phillip ’55† and Lynne Mueller Gronseth
Robert ’70 and Sue Midness
Earl and Doris Bakken
Carolyn and Franklin Groves
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Guarani Foundation
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Elizabeth ’82 and Warren Bartz
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Marlys Backlund ’54 Morland and Robert† Morland
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
James and Kathleen Haglund
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Dale ’60 and Carolyn Hanka
William and Stephanie Naegele
Barbara and Zane Birky
Hunt and Diane Harris
George ’68 and Tamra Nelson
Carl Blegen†
Hearst Foundation
Ida Nelson†
Roy ’50 and Ardis Bogen
Loren Henderson†
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Joyce and John† Boss
Donald Hennings
Clifford and Martha Nylander†
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Grace Forss ’57 Herr and Douglas Herr
Robert Odegard ’51†
Rodney and Barbara Burwell
Orville ’36† and Gertrude Lund ’36† Hognander
R. Luther Olson ’56
Bush Foundation
O. C. Hognander, Jr.
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
Carlson Companies
Donald ’39 and Phyllis Holm
John and Norma Paulson
The Curtis L. Carlson Family Foundation
Allen and Jean Housh
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Judith Christensen
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Richard Pautz ’37†
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Robert Hoversten
George† and Elizabeth† Pennock
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Lester Hoversten†
Glen Person ’47
Oliver Dahl ’45
Huss Foundation
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Michael ’86 and Dorothy Darling
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Theodore and Pamala Deikel
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Addison and Cynthia Piper
Deluxe Corporation Foundation
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
David Piper
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Kinney Johnson ’65
Harry and Mary Piper
Tracy Elftmann ’81
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Raymond Erickson ’50†
Bruce and Maren Kleven
Alan Rice
Malcolm† and Maybelle† Estrem
David and Barbara Kleven
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
E. Milton ’46 and Dorothy Lisjing ’47† Kleven
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Philip and Laverne Fandrei
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Ward ’74 and Catherine Schendel
Jerome ’37† and Winifred Helland ’37† Formo
Kraus-Anderson Construction Company
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Jerry and Jean Foss
Roy† and Eleanor† Krohn
James and Eva Seed
Julian Foss ’30†
Harriett Kurek†
Rodney Sill ’82
William and Anne Frame
Dean ’62 and Barbara Beglinger ’63 Larson
John and Martha Singleton
Paul† ’42 and Maxine† Fridlund
Diane and Philip Larson
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Barbara and Edwin Gage
George ’61 and Mary Larson
David Soli ’81
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
25
Paul† and Lorene† Steen
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
Robert Wagner ’02
Genevieve Stelberg†
Glen A. Taylor Foundation
Scott Weber ’79
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen and
P. Dawn Heil ’78 Taylor and Jack Taylor†
Larry Wefring
Teagle Foundation
Robert Wick ’81
Conrad Sunde ’15†
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Elsie Wildung†
Leland and Louise Sundet
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
Dean ’81 and Amy Norman Sundquist
Robert ’63 and Marie Tufford
Lisa Zeller ’81 and Glenn Fuller
Helen Sverdrup†
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Johan Sverdrup†
Andrew Urness†
Clair Strommen ’46†
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2010 TO MAY 31, 2011
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who made annual gifts of $1,000 or more in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
Founders Society ($100,000 and above)
Alvin John and Ruth Huss
Anonymous (1)
James Johnson and Maxine Isaacs
Cynthia Landowski ’81 Jones and Rick Jones
Barbara and Edwin Gage
Wayne ’71 and Carol Pederson ’72 Jorgenson
Craig Jones
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Dean ’75 and Terry Kennedy
Dean ’81 and Amy Norman Sundquist
Douglas and Norma Madsen
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Regents’ Fellows ($50,000 - $99,999)
Marie and Larry McNeff
Marilyn McIver
Helen Alne
Clayton ’91 and Denise Sideen ’94 McNeff
Rick and Jean Mofsen
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Spencer ’66 and Gay Johnson ’66 Minear
Jeffrey ’77 and Becky Bjella ’79 Nodland
Alan Rice
Lisa Novotny ’80 and Mark Flaten
Vance and Darin Opperman
Paul Pribbenow and Abigail Crampton Pribbenow
Robert ’50 and Ruth Paulson
Regents’ Society ($25,000 - $49,999)
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Karl D. Puterbaugh ’52
Aaron Assad ’10
Philip Rowberg ’41
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Alfred Assad
Joseph and Lynn Schmitt
Bruce and Sharon Reichenbach
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
James and Eva Seed
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
James Lindell ’46†
Earl ’68 and Lisbeth Jorgensen ’70 Sethre
Philip Jr. and Margaret Rowberg
Christopher McIver
Gladys Boxrud ’46 Strommen
Curtis and Marian Sampson
Donald ’53 and Beverly Halling ’55 Oren
Jean Taylor 1985 and Roger Griffith ’84
Marilee Alne ’65 Schroeder and William Schroeder
John and Norma Paulson
Emily Anne and Gedney Tuttle
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Rodney and Theresa Schott
Robert Wick ’81
Michael and Pamela Sime
John Schwartz ’67
John and Eleanor Yackel
Philip ’79 and Julia Davis ’79 Styrlund
John ’74 and Marvel Yager
26
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Gary ’80 and Deanna Tangwall
President’s Executive Cabinet
($10,000 - $24,999)
President's Council ($5,000 - $9,999)
Peter and Linda Vogt
Andra Adolfson
Anonymous (1)
Renata Winsor
Daniel 1965 and Alice Anderson
Deloris Anderson ’56
Frank ’50† and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Brian Anderson ’82 and Leeann Rock ’81
President’s Society ($2,500 - $4,999)
Carla Asleson ’91
Steven and Stephanie Anderson
Anonymous (2)
Fuad and Nancy El-Hibri
LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden and Paul ’63 Batalden
Scott Anderson ’96
Matthew Entenza and Lois Quam
Judith Christensen
Paul ’63 and LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Larry Cole 1966
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
Richard ’72 and Tamara Ekstrand
C. Lee Clarke
James and Kathleen Haglund
Susan Engeleiter
Liv Dahl
Hunt and Diane Harris
John ’82 and Joan Moline 1983 Evans
Grant Dasher
Richard and Dail Hartnack
Leola Dyrud ’61 Furman
Karen ’81 and Charles Durant
Augsburg Now
Tyler Uccellini
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Ronald Engebretsen
Thomas Anderson ’72
Mark and Margie Eustis
Jamie Fragola
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Jennifer and Dean Eyler
Anthony ’85 and Traci Genia
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Barbara Farley
Roger ’61 and Barbara Milne ’60 Gordon
Orvella Anderson
Duncan Flann ’55
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Dawn Formo
Gaylord (Corky) ’71 and Lori Hall
Ann and Kenneth Ashton-Piper
William and Anne Frame
Lisa Svac ’85 Hawks
Vera Thorson ’45 Benzel
Robert Frantz and Janell Grazzini Frantz
Bruce Holcomb ’90 and Caroline Vernon
John Berg ’59
Andrew Fried ’93
Allen and Jean Housh
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
JoAnne Digree ’68 Fritz and Barry Fritz
J. Vernon ’47 and Irene Jensen
John and Lorelei Bergman
Barbara and Frederick Gaiser
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Buffie Blesi ’90 and John Burns
Ann Garvey
Carol Jones
David ’68 and Lynn Boe
Orval and Cleta Gingerich
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
Florence Helland ’54 Borman and Dennes Borman
John and Carolyn Goddard
Harris ’57 and Maryon Lee
Donald Bottemiller and Shellie Reed
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Andre Lewis ’73 and Kathleen McCartin
Louis Branca
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Robert ’71 and Cheryl Lindroos ’72 Martin
Marilyn Saure ’61 Breckenridge and Tom
Tim ’80 and Gail Gordon
Christopher ’00 and Tara Cesaretti ’97 McLeod
Breckenridge
Thomas Gormley and Mary Lesch-Gormley
Deidre Durand ’88 and Bruce Middleton
Paul ’55 and Rosalind Britton
Amy Gort
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Michael Brock
Charles Gould ’76 and Gayle Kvenvold
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
Adam Buhr ’98 and Laura Pejsa ’98
Charles and Barbara Green
Beverly Omdahl ’55 Nelson
Michael ’81 and Sheryl Burkhardt
Sharlene and Gordon Griebenow
Richard and Janet Neville
Marion Buska ’46
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Norma Noonan
Timothy and Frances Campbell
William ’51 and Marolyn Sortland ’51 Halverson
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Norman and Janet Carpenter
Betty Johnson ’58 Haas
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Carrie and Peter ’02 Carroll
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Douglas Scott and Grace Schroeder Scott
Carol Johnson ’60 Casperson
Mark Hebert ’74
Stephen and Kay Sheppard
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Robert Clayman and Carol Miller
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Arne and Ellen Sovik
Margaret Clyde
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Joseph Cook ’89
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Mark and Kathryn Weber
Walter and Janet Cooper
Paul Holmquist ’79
Jeremy Wells
Robert and Mary Crosby
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
David and Susan White
Pamela Herzan ’81 Crowell and Dring Crowell
Ethel Holt
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Elizabeth Horton
Sally Hough ’79 Daniels
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Christopher and Britt Dougall
Phoebe Hough
Anonymous (1)
Greg ’88 and Mary Duckson
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Douglas and Linda Lundeen ’74 Dunn
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Phyllis Acker ’61
Julie Edstrom ’90
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
James Agre ’72
Darrell ’55 and Helga Egertson
Philip ’71 and Patricia Hoversten
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65
Thomas ’72 and Karen Howe
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Thomas and LaDonna Hoy
Misti Allen Binsfeld ’93
Avis Ellingrod
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Tammy Huddle-McGee and Mike McGee
Beverly Almquist
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Rebecca Beito ’67 Huseby and Ed Huseby ’66
Bruce ’60 Amundson and Joann Eliason ’62
Dennis ’64 and Mary Lou Ervin ’64 Erickson
Richard Huston
President’s Associates ($1,000 - $2,499)
Stephen Erickson ’68 and Marilyn McKnight ’67
Brandon Hutchinson ’99
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Amundson
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
Deborah Hutterer ’99 and Gary Erickson
Leif Anderson
Duane Esterly ’75
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Sheila ’05 and Lee Anderson
L. Craig ’79 and Theresa Serbus ’79 Estrem
Arvild Jacobson ’51
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
27
28
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Allan Nelson
John ’62 and Ruth Sather ’63 Sorenson
Rebecca John
Debra and Robert Nelson
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Carol Oversvee Johnson ’61
John ’95 and Rachel Schultz ’95 Nielsen
Carolyn Johnson ’80 Spargo and Lawrence Spargo
Bruce Johnson ’68
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Gary ’74 and Melody Johnson
Wedel Nilsen ’45
David ’63 and Karen Henry ’64 Steenson
Merton ’59 and Jo An Bjornson ’58 Johnson
Betsey and Alan Norgard
Todd ’89 and Amy Steenson
Eric and Elizabeth Jolly
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Myles† and Eunice Stenshoel
Michael Kivley ’89
Leroy ’52 and Betty Munson ’53 Nyhus
Mary ’74 Stickelmeyer and Henry Havel
Linda Klas ’92
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Benjamin Stottrup and Neota Moe
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kiebach Kleven
Wanda Warnes ’56 Olson and Ted Olson
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
Michael Klutho and Jill Manske
Lee ’59 and Patricia Olson
Ralph and Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49
Bruce L. Olson ’71
Leland and Louise Sundet
Gregory Konat and Teresa Daly
Linda Olup
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
L. Beth Buesing ’45 Opgrand
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Thomas and Kathy Langdon
Laurie Nelson ’79 Orlow and Steven Orlow
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Kathryn Lange ’72 and Dennis Sonifer
Tamera and William Ostlund
Amanda Symmes ’11
Marvin and Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson
Beverly Ottum
Christine Szaj
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Patricia Parker
Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio and Paul Terrio ’87
Debora Liddell and John Westefeld
Bonnie Carlson Pehrson ’62
LaJune Thomas ’75 Thomas-Lange and
Patrick ’88 and Beth Lilja
Barbara Petersen
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Karin Peterson
Richard (Porkchop) ’61 and Jane Thompson
Jean Lingen
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Brent Lofgren ’88
Corwin and Doris Peterson
David and Martha Tiede
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth and Dennis Veiseth
Noel and Sharon Petit
Cassidy Titcomb and Scott Simpson
Ronald London
Ronald ’69 and Jane Petrich
Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson and Richard Nelson
Dana Lonn
Diane Pike and Stephen Willett
Beth Torstenson ’66
Marissa Hutterer Machado ’99
James and Kathryn Ramstad
Frances Torstenson
Donald ’66 and Margaret Mattison
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Marcia Thompson ’78 Turcotte and John Turcotte
Donna McLean
Lloyd ’63 and Linnea Raymond
Andrea and Michael Turner
Dennis ’78 and Beverly Ranum ’78 Meyer
Timothy and Christine Ring
Betty and Paul Tveite
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Frances Roller Rockey
Robert Wagner ’02
Deborah Anderson ’73 Miller and Timothy Miller
Laura and Martin Roller
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Thomas ’86 and Susan Rogers - Miller
Kevin ’91 and Amy Ronneberg
Ronald Wahlberg ’70
Joyce Schroepfer ’02 Miller
John ’77 and Gail Ronning
Bonnie Wallace and Ronald Haglund
John and Margaret Miller
Mary and Stuart Rose
Lois Wattman ’76 and Douglas Shaw
Eileen and Grant Mitchell
Stella Kyllo Rosenquist ’64
Sarah West and Raymond Robertson
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Wheelock Whitney and Kathleen Blatz
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Dennis ’67 Sackreiter and Karen Sackreiter
Craig Wisness ’73
Lori Moline ’82 and Steven Olson
Leo and Patricia Samson
William Wittenbreer
Thelma Monson ’41
Carolyn Hanson ’68 Schildgen and William Schildgen
David and Catherine Wold
Alan Montgomery and Janet Karvonen-Montgomery
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Joyce Leifgren ’64 Young
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Mark ’76 and Debra Zellmer
Sharon Lindell Mortrud ’64
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Sandra Phaup ’64
Patricia and David Murphy
David Soli ’81
Bruce ’71 and Kathleen Nelson
Kathleen ’69 and Earle ’69 Solomonson
Augsburg Now
Thomas Lange
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
ORGANIZATIONS
GIFTS RECEIVED JUNE 1, 2010 TO MAY 31, 2011
The following list recognizes organizations that provided generous gifts to Augsburg College of $1,000 or more in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.
3M Foundation
GMAC-RFC
Carl and Eloise Pohlad Family Foundation
Adolfson & Peterson Construction
Google Give
Presser Foundation
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Grafix Shoppe
Quad Graphics
The American Foundation
Gray Plant Mooty & Bennett
Ramstad Recovery Fund
Ameriprise Financial
Gray Wolf Ranch, Inc.
RBC Foundation - USA
Anderson, Helgen, Davis & Nissen
Groves Foundation
Regiscard International, Inc.
Anthony Ostlund Baer & Louwagie PA
The I Box
The Saint Paul Foundation
A'viands
Imaging Path
Sheltering Arms Foundation
Bank of America
Imation Corporation
Stellus Consulting LLC
Best Buy Children’s Foundation
Incredible, Inc.
The Summit Group
Bonner Foundation
C. Charles Jackson Foundation
Superior Family Dentistry
The Bridgie Group, Inc.
Kettering Foundation
Target Foundation
Bush Foundation
KPMG LLP
TCF Foundation
Margaret A. Cargill Foundation
John Larsen Foundation
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Carlson Family Foundation
Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP
Thrivent Financial For Lutherans Foundation
Carolyn Foundation
Estate of Henry and Selma Lundene
Travelers Companies, Inc.
Central Lutheran Church, Minneapolis
Marcus McCoy Foundation
Trillium Family Foundation
CollegeNet
McKnight Foundation
Trust for Meditation Process
Data Recognition Corporation
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council
UBS Foundation
The Donaldson Foundation
Minnesota Debate Teachers Association
United Nations Foundation
Dorsey & Whitney Foundation
Minnesota Private College Foundation
United Way of Rhode Island
Eagle Elevator Corp
MOA Marketing, Inc.
US Bancorp Foundation
ELCA
National Science Foundation
US Bank
The Sherry Lou Engebretsen Memorial Fund
The National Association for Urban Debate Leagues
W. K. Kellogg Foundation
Ever Cat Fuels, LLC
Network for Good
Warren Foundation
The Family Partnership
The New York Academy Of Medicine
The Washburn High School Foundation
Formo Family Charitable Fund of the St. Paul
Nilan Johnson Lewis
Weber Marketing/Promotions, Inc.
Edwin and Edith Norberg Charitable Trust
Wells Fargo Educational Matching Gift Program
Gage Family Foundation
NRG Energy Center
Wells Fargo Foundation Community Support
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Olup and Associates
The Whitney Foundation
General Aviation Services
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Women's Foundation of Minnesota
General Mills Foundation
Play-More Travel, Inc.
Foundation
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
29
SVEN OFTEDAL SOCIETY, Supporting Augsburg’s mission into the future
The following list recognizes individuals who have documented planned gifts to Augsburg College.
30
Anonymous (7)
Avis Ellingrod
Allen and Jean Housh
Lois Black Ahlbom ’47
Denise Engebretson ’82
Ruth Hovden
Paul H. ’57 Almquist and Pearl M. Almquist
Edna Kastner Ericksen ’42
Chester ’60 and Clenora Hoversten
Helen Alne
Duane M. Esterly
Clarence Hoversten ’41
Charles and Catherine Anderson
Alice C. Evans
Garfield Hoversten ’50
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Lorna L. Hoversten
Deloris Anderson ’56
Alice Evenson
Rev. Deborah Hutterer and Gary Erickson
Donald ’60 and Violet Anderson
John ’68 and Martha Fahlberg
Leroy ’54 and Orpha Iseminger
E. William Anderson ’56
Norman Ferguson
Kathleen and Bruce Jackson
Gary and Mary Anderson
Roger L. Fisher
Sandra and Richard Jacobson
Keith O. Anderson ’54 and Beverly Anderson
Halley Foss-Katter ’99 and Daniel Katter
Sherry Jennings-King
Lisa Petska Anderson ’86 and Morey Anderson
Martha Fosse Palmquist
Clair Johannsen ’62
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
William and Anne Frame
Carolyn E. Johnson ’63
I. Shelby Gimse Andress ’56
Rev. Terry Frovik ’67
Edryce Johnson ’46
Betty Arnold
Leola Dyrud Furman ’61
Jerry and Bonita Johnson
Dorothy Bailey
Ann Garvey
Kinney Johnson ’65
Earl and Doris Bakken
Virgil ’57 and Farolyn Johnson Gehring ’56
Mark ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Andrew ’50 and Barbara Kolden ’50 Balerud
Dr. Kenneth A. Gilles ’44
Oliver ’50 and Grace Gisselquist ’49 Johnson
Loren and Mary Quanbeck ’77 Barber
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
Ruth Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Elizabeth Anne ’82 and Warren Bartz
Charles and Barbara Green
Helen Johnson-Nelson and Robert Nelson ’44
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Joan Griffin
Ralph ’60 and Mary Jane Kempski
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45
Gracia Grindal ’65
Mary Kingsley
Norman ’59 and Delores Berg
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Jean Vettel ’51 Kiteley and Murray Kiteley
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lindstrom ’50 Berg
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
E. Milton Kleven ’46
JoAnn Berg Bablitch ’73
Margery Kyvig ’64 Haaland and Sheldon Haaland
Gloria Grant ’57 and Arthur Knoblauch
Inez Schey ’77 and John Bergquist
Gary Hagen ’71
Dean and Susan Kopperud
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Donald J. and Sonja S. Hagestuen
Gwen Johnson Krapf ’58
Ruth Anderson ’44 Blanshan and Ralph Blanshan
James and Kathleen Haglund
Paul Kwiecien and Rhonda Kwiecien
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Arvin Herbert Halvorson ’55
Lee Anne ’67 and Gene Lack
Donald Bottemiller
James and Corrine Hamre
Calvin ’49 and Agnes Valvik ’47 Larson
J. Bernhard ’48 and Hildur Anderson ’43 Bretheim
Dale ’60 Hanka and Carolyn Hanka
Dean ’62 and Barbara Beglinger ’63 Larson
Nancy Brown-Koeller ’74
Shirley Bondo Hansen ’44
George S. ’61 and Mary K. Larson
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
Anna J. Hanson
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Cynthia Hanson ’66
Luther and Janice Larson
Judith Christensen
Mark ’68 and Ione Agrimson ’68 Hanson
Ruth Ringstad ’53 Larson and Marvin Larson
Mary Brandt ’79 Croft and David Croft
Jodi and Stanley Harpstead
Julie (Gudmestad) and Joe Laudicina
Oliver Dahl ’45
Betty Johnson Hass ’58
Dorothy Lee ’30
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Lawrence and Lois Hauge
Rev. Harris and Maryon Lee
Sally Hough Daniels ’79
Rodney (Rock) A. and Jane M. Helgeson
Ronald and Rebecca Gisselquist ’67 Lien
Michael ’86 and Dorothy Darling
Philip ’42 and Ruth Helland
Mary Loken ’70 Veiseth Living Trust
Carolyn Benson ’71 Dauner and Daniel Dauner
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Susan Scott Lundquist ’97
Dallas ’63 and Sharon Day
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
John ’65 and Gracia Luoma
Laura Kompelien Delavie ’92
Esther Tungseth Hinschberger ’49
Deborah Mahoney ’79
Richard A. ’55 and Audret S. Dronen
Helen C. Hjelmeland
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
Beverly Durkee
Kenneth ’74 and Linda Bailey ’74 Holmen
Lyle ’68 and Susanne Starn ’68 Malotky
Ruben ’45 and Thelma Egeberg
Ethel Holt
Arne ’49 and Jean Swanson ’52 Markland
Tracy L. Elftmann ’81
John Holum
Karen Mateer and Terrance Metz
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Lucille Messerer
Robert ’50 and Ruth Ann Paulson
Naomi Christensen ’81 Staruch and Steven Staruch
Dan ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’61 Meyers
Harold E. Peterson and Pearl A. Peterson
John and Lavene Steen
Edith Middleton
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Karla Krogsrud Miley
Joyce Anderson ’65 Pfaff and Douglas Pfaff
Hazel Thorson Stoick Stoeckeler
Pamela Hanson ’79 Moksnes and Mark Moksnes ’79
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
Jonathan ’78 and Bonnie Lamon ’78 Moren
Quentin ’50† and Lucille Quanbeck
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
Orval and Bernell Moren
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Kenneth Svendsen ’78 and Allison Everett ’78
Robert B. and Marlys Backlund Morland
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Cecil Ramnaraine
Mildred and Van Mueller
Helen Haukeness ’49 Ranck and James Ranck
Ronald ’69 and Susan Scott ’71 Swanson
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
Nancy M. (Joubert) Raymond
Gary Tangwall
Jeanne Narum
Paul Rensted ’87
Gary L. Terrio
Vivian Nelsen
Alan Rice
LaJune Thomas Lange ’75 and Thomas Lange
Rev. Carl O. Nelson
Arthur ’53 and Charlotte Kleven ’52 Rimmereid
Richard and Barbara Tjornhom ’54 Nelson
Pastor Hub Nelson ’54
Gregory and Barbara Ritter
Frances Torstenson
Kenneth and Vera Nelson
Frances M. Roller Rockey
Marcia Thompson Turcotte ’78
Mildred Nelson ’52
Barbara Rodvik
Robert E. and Margaret H. Twiton
Robert ’97 and Rose Nelson
Laura Roller
Robert ’65 and Kay Tyson
Roger M. Nelson
Rev. Lyle E. Rossing
Morris ’51 and Bonnie Biere ’54 Vaagenes
Norma Noonan
Gerald ’48 and Judith Ryan
Mark ’83 and Beth Voelker
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Audrey Nagel Sander ’51
Robert J. Wagner II ’02
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Marianne and Robert Sander
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
Glenn and Ann Nycklemoe
Robert Sander Jr. ’76
Bonnie Wallace and Ronald Haglund
Jonathan Nye
Lars ’69 and Ann Sandven
Colleen Kay Watson ’91 and Mary McDougal
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Ward C.Schendel ’74 and Catherine L. B. Schendel
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
Leroy Nyhus ’52
Carolyn Hanson ’68 Schildgen and William Schildgen
Robert Weagant ’49
H. Arlan Oftedahl ’64
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Dr. Scott J.M. Weber ’79
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Barbara Setterholm
Larry Wefring
Gordon ’63 and Janice Olson
Rosemary Shafer
Mark Wheeler ’87
Janet Halaas ’79
Delphine Shaw
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Mr. Joseph Black and Dr. Lisa Olson
Rodney Sill ’82
Peter ’49 and Alice Berg ’51 Wilcox
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Woodrow Wilson ’53
L. Beth Buesing Opgrand ’45
James Smith ’94
Renata Rolf Winsor
Beverly Halling ’55 Oren and Donald ’53 Oren
Russel ’50 and Virginia Thompson ’50 Smith
Bill Wittenbreer
Kenneth and Lillian Ysteboe ’51 Ose
David Soli ’81
Joyce Leifgren Young ’64
Ervin ’56 and Sylvia Moe ’59 Overlund
Evelyn H. Sonnack ’43
Edmund ’53 Youngquist and Rose Youngquist
John and Norma Paulson
Joyce Engstrom ’70 Spector and Robert Spector
Lisa Zeller ’81 and Glenn Fuller
James Swanson
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
31
CONSECUTIVE GIVING
The following list recognizes alumni and friends of Augsburg College who have generously given for 10 or more consecutive fiscal years.
30 years or more
Laverne Moe ’48 Olson and Paul Olson
Bettye and Howard Olson
Ruth Aaskov ’53
Orville ’52 and Yvonne Bagley ’52 Olson
Joyce Opseth Schwartz ’45
Margaret and Raymond Anderson
Glen Person ’47
Jacqueline ’80 and John Teisberg
Philip ’50 and Dora Frojen ’49 Quanbeck
Harvey ’52 and Joanne Varner ’52 Peterson
Mary Wick
Lois Black Ahlbom ’47
Jay Phinney ’79
Fred ’60 and Janet Engelmann
Charles and Ellora Alliss Educational Foundation
Janet Evenson ’63 Potratz and Edward Potratz
John ’82 and Joan Moline ’83 Evans
Charles and Catherine Anderson
James ’61 and BettyAnn Redeske
Sonia Overmoen ’62 Gullicks and Milton Gullicks
Daniel ’65 and Alice Anderson
Olive Ronholm ’47†
Arvin ’55 and Twila Halvorson
Kristin Anderson
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Sabo
Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74 and Philip Quanbeck II
Stanley ’57 and Mary Esther Baker
Ruth Schmidt ’52†
Wayne Johnson ’58
LaVonne Olson ’63 Batalden and Paul ’63 Batalden
Inez Olson ’59 Schwarzkopf and Lyall Schwarzkopf
Daniel ’70 and Ingrid Kloster ’69 Koch
John Benson ’55
James ’54 and Ethel Nordstrom ’55 Shiell
Donna McLean
Vera Thorson Benzel ’45
Arnold ’48 and Carol Skaar
Bonnie Johnson ’67 Nelson and Bryce Nelson
Doris Frojen Bretheim ’51†
Evelyn Amundson Sonnack ’43
Margaret Nelson Foss Nokleberg ’48
Jeroy ’48 and Lorraine Carlson
Eunice Stenshoel
Jonathan Nye
Linda Carlstedt ’63
Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46
James ’64 and Rose Parks
Joyce Catlin ’73 Casey and Paul Casey
Merton ’42 and Irene Huglen ’42 Strommen
David Proctor ’63
Richard ’74 and Nancy Colvin
Grace Kemmer ’58 Sulerud and Ralph Sulerud
Judith Sandeen ’72
Leonard ’52 and Anabelle Hanson ’51 Dalberg
Jennings ’51 and Mary Schindler ’48 Thompson
Robert Wick ’81
James Ericksen ’69
Allan Tonn ’75
Ruth Ann Gjerde Fitzke ’67
Sheldon ’49 and Margery Manger ’47 Torgerson
20-24 years
Alan 1967 and Marilyn Albaugh ’67 Gierke
Beth Torstenson ’66
Charles ’63 and Lois Luthard ’65 Anderson
Shirley Larson ’51 Goplerud and Dean Goplerud
Frances Torstenson
Birgit Birkeland ’58
Raymond ’57 and Janice Grinde
Rebecca Helgesen ’67 Von Fischer and
Allen ’64 and Lenice Hoversten
Marlys Ringdahl ’53 Gunderson† and Charles
Thomas Von Fischer
Ronald ’56 and Christine Munson ’56 Main
E.Margaret Sateren Trautwein ’37†
Kristin Settergren ’86 McGinness and
Cynthia Hanson ’66
25-29 years
Eugene ’59 and Paula Peterson
Betty Johnson Hass ’58
Frank ’50† and Georgette Lanes ’50 Ario
Edward ’50 and Margaret Alberg
Garry Hesser and Nancy Homans
Jack ’49 and LeVerne Berry
Ray Anderson ’49
Bradley ’63 and Linda Holt
Marilyn Pearson ’76 Florian and Kenneth Florian
Mary Twiton ’59 Bosben and Robert Bosben
Gloria Johnson ’51
Paul and Judy Grauer
Rachel Rohde ’76 Gilchrist and Chris Gilchrist
Mark ’54 and Thelma Johnson
Joan Johnson ’53 Kuder and Calvin Kuder
Norman and Ilene Holen
Roberta Kagin and Craig Alexander
Thomas and Lorraine Morgan
Duane and Ruth Johnson
Jerome Kleven ’58
Marjorie Wilberg Hauge ’50
James Kottom ’52
Elsie Ronholm Koivula ’49
James ’61 and Caroline Holden
Joanne Stiles ’58 Laird and David Laird
William ’52 and Edith Kuross
David and Catherine Wold
Brent Lofgren ’88
Lee Anne Lack ’67
Carl ’59 and Kathleen Aaker ’62 Casperson
Leroy Nyhus ’52
George ’61 and Mary Larson
Sylvia Kleven Hanson ’50
Eileen Quanbeck ’46
Linda Larson ’70 and C. Jerry Sells
Sharon Dittbenner ’65 Klabunde and
Pauline Sateren
Arlin Gyberg
Steve McGinness
Mabeth Saure ’58 Gyllstrom and Richard Gyllstrom
Martin ’59 and Sylvia Lee Sabo
32
Susan Lageson ’77 Lundholm and Mark Lundholm
Thomas ’59 and Ruth Carlsen ’60 Moen
Gunderson
Richard Klabunde
La Vone Studlien ’58
James Lindell ’46†
Lowell ’54 and Janice Kleven
Lois Richter ’60 Agrimson and Russell Agrimson
Roger ’57 and Fern Mackey
Maryon and Harris ’57 Lee
Wayne ’69 and Pamela Bjorklund ’69 Carlson
Marie and Larry McNeff
Thomas ’63 and Gloria Joyce Wadsworth
Addell Halverson Dahlen ’43
Paul ’70 and Barbara Durkee ’71 Mikelson
Leland ’53 and Eunice Fairbanks
Thomas ’57 and Arlene Hofflander
Mildred Nelson ’52
Paul ’62 and Susan Grover
Robert ’56 and Mary Erickson ’58 Lockwood
Roselyn Nordaune ’77
Douglas 1966 and Kathryn Wall ’66 Johnson
Norm ’85 and Kim Asleson ’84 Okerstrom
Augsburg Now
ANNUAL REPORT 2010-11
Elizabeth Mortensen ’56 Swanson and
Avis Ellingrod
Mary Mether ’69 Sabatke and Bruce Sabatke
Dean ’68 and Diana Olson ’69 Ersfeld
John ’50 and Norma Shelstad
Alexander ’90 and Simone Gonzalez
H. Theodore ’76 and Michele Grindal
Roger ’54 and Bonnie Stockmo
Rodney ’59 and Arlene Selander ’59 Hill
Burton Haugen ’72
Mark and Ann Tranvik
E. Milton Kleven ’46
Leanne Phinney ’71 and Mark Schultz
Leif Anderson
Victor ’42 and Rhoda Miller
Gordon ’52 and Gloria Parizek ’53 Thorpe
Arlin Becker ’88
LaWayne ’51 and D. LaRhea Johnson ’51 Morseth
Michael ’64 and Carla Quanbeck ’64 Walgren
Gary ’65 and Jean Blosberg
Ruth Pousi ’54 Ollila
Ordelle Aaker ’46
Jeff Christenson ’82
Jack ’62 and Nina Osberg
Sidney ’57 and Lola Lidstrom ’50 Berg
Janet Niederloh ’58 Christeson and John Christeson
Daniel ’51 and Lois Pearson
Roxanne Raunschnot ’82 Buchanan and
Laura Bower ’91 Cunliffe and Wayne Cunliffe
James Swanson
Leeann Rock ’81 and Brian Anderson ’82
Jim Buchanan
Sally Hough Daniels ’79
Gary ’68 and Janice Bell ’70 Schmidt
Rev. Dr. Herbert ’54 and Rev. E Corrine Chilstrom
Mark and Lynette Engebretson
Dorothy Swanson ’51
Julie Edstrom ’90
Steven ’81 and Kathy Grinde
Gary and Barbara Glasscock
Judy Thompson Eiler ’65
Jean Venske ’87 Guenther and Stephen Guenther
Glenda† and Richard Huston
Ellen Stenberg Erickson ’51
Sylvia Hjelmeland
Audrey Nagel Sander ’51
Bruce and Jean Inglis
Glen and Marlys Johnson
Ronnie ’62 and Karen Scott
Doris Wilkins ’63 Johnson and Charles Johnson
Rob ’80 and Lori LaFleur
John ’52 and Mary Peterson ’54 Leak
Patrick ’72 and Nancy Marcy
15-19 years
Jack ’53 and Darlene Lundberg
Carlos Mariani Rosa
Suzanne Overholt ’67 Hampe and John Hampe
Douglas ’76 and Rebecca Nelson
Meca Sportswear Inc
Christopher Haug ’79 and Karl Starr
Steven ’64 and Rebecca ’64 Nielsen
Terry ’70 and Vicki Nygaard
Rosemary Jacobson ’69
James ’57 and Shirley Norman
Howard ’53 and Vicki Skor ’59 Pearson
Janet Batalden ’61 Johnson and Dennis Johnson ’61
Sandra Larson ’69 Olmsted and Richard ’69 Olmsted
Richard Sandeen ’69
Daniel ’65 and Mary Tildahl ’65 Meyers
Roger ’62 and Jean Schwartz
Heidi Wisner ’93 Staloch and Mark Staloch
Elizabeth Pushing ’93
Richard ’70 and Linda Seime
Marlys Holm ’57 Thorsgaard and Arlen Thorsgaard
Allan ’53 and Eunice Nystuen ’50 Sortland
Ronald ’58 and Naomi Stave
Edmund ’53 and Rose Youngquist
Paulette Nelson Speed ’67
Brian Swedeen ’92 and Terri Burnor ’92
Paul ’59 and Pearl Almquist
Jeffrey ’79 and Melissa Swenson
Betty and Paul Tveite
Margaret Anderson
Karla Morken ’81 Thompson and Thomas Thompson
LeRoy ’52 and Carole Anenson
Mark ’79 and Janelle Tonsager
10-14 years
Catherine Berglund ’73 Becker and Charles Becker
Lawrence ’69 and Susan Turner
Anonymous (2)
Anthony and Kathy Bibus
Robert ’77 and Katherine Anderson
Scott ’76 and Lisa Anderson
Richard and Nancy Borstad
Luther ’68 and Joanne Kendrick
Gertrude Ness Berg ’51
Bruce ’64 and Nancy Braaten
Millard ’52 and Dorothy Knudson
Hans ’56 and Donna Dumpys
William Capman
Quentin ’50† and Lucille Quanbeck
Daniel ’77 and Patricia Eitrheim
Peggy and John Cerrito
Nora Anderson ’83 Sillerud and Jon Sillerud
Rona Quanbeck ’48 Emerson and Victor Emerson
Judith Christensen
John ’79 and Rebecca Lundeen ’79 Aune
William and Anne Frame
C. Lee Clarke
Michael Burden ’85
Kermit ’50 and Ruth Hoversten
Larry and Cheryl Crockett
Ann Erkkila Dudero ’86
Bruce Johnson ’68
Lois Mackey Davis ’58
Norma Noonan
Richard ’69 and Cheryl Nelson ’70 King
Suzanne Doree
Betsey and Alan Norgard
George ’50 and Vivian Lanes
Helga and Darrell ’55 Egertson
Rebecca ’88 Pfabe and Maurice Higgins
Roger ’50 and Donna Wang ’52 Leak
Curtis ’84 and Jody Eischens
Joyce Romano and Walker Brents
Jacqueline Kniefel ’69 Lind
Duane Esterly ’75
Glen and Anna Skovholt
Marie Hafie ’65 MacNally and Thomas MacNally
Terry ’67 and Pauline Frovik
Beverly and Thomas Stratton
John ’59 and De Anne Martinsen
Ann Garvey
Donald ’89 and Melinda Mattox ’91 Wichmann
Paul ’84 and Nancy Mackey ’85 Mueller
John ’69 Harden and Barbara Hoganson
Janet Cooke ’59 Zitzewitz and Donald Zitzewitz
Edor ’38 and Dorathy Nelson
Gerald ’59 and Maxine Hendricks
Christine Pieri ’88 Arnold and James ’88 Arnold
Larry ’65 and Marilyn Nelson
Peter ’92 and Becky Hespen
Dorothy Bailey
Ronald ’68 and Mary Kay Nelson
John ’70 and Lynn Benson ’69 Hjelmeland
Daniel and Irene Brink
James Plumedahl ’57
Dean ’57 and Jane Holmes
Joseph ’53 and Connie Cleary
Mark ’53 and Jean Raabe
James ’59 and Joanne Horn
Every effort has been made to ensure that all names are included and spelled correctly.
If you notice an error, please contact Kevin Healy at 1-800-273-0617 or healyk@augsburg.edu.
† Deceased
Fall 2011
33
Donald ’65 and Delores Hoseth
Norman ’76 and Kathryn Anderson ’76 Wahl
George ’72 and Janet Dahlman
Jeffrey ’80 and Jacqui Jarnes
Lois ’76 Wattman and Douglas Shaw
Dianne Detloff
Joan ’94 and Mark Johnson
William ’86 and Kelly Anderson
Arvid ’52 and Sylvia Ostergaard ’62 Dixen
Martha Johnson
Thomas ’56 and Bernadine Benson
Stanley ’51 and Joyce Erickson
Theodore ’68 and Michelle Johnson
Warren ’69 and Carolyn Bey
Norman Ferguson
Benjamin and Christine Kent
Carolyn Burfield ’60
Muriel Ruud ’45 Frosch and Gerald Frosch
Linda King ’78
Orla Christensen ’56 and Joan Englund
Diane and Bradley Glorvigen
Joan Kunz
Wayne ’63 and Bernadine Christiansen
Michael ’71 and Ann Good
James ’67 and Laurie Lindell
Connie Arndt ’96 Clausen and Andrew Clausen
Muriel Hagen Smith and Wade Kilgore Smith
Marissa Hutterer Machado ’99
Janet Braaten ’68 DeGaetano and Frank DeGaetano
James ’53 and Corrine Hamre
Raymond Makeever
Doran Edwards
Evelyn Green ’49 Harris and Edward Harris
Jon ’58 and Judith Matala
Lois Hofstad ’58 Esselstrom and Michael Esselstrom
Robert ’55 and Karin Herman
Tara Cesaretti 1997 McLeod and
Marvin ’74 and Lana Felderman
Joseph Hsieh ’61 and E. Mei Shen Hsieh
Katharine Kuchera ’84 Gruber and Craig Gruber
Robert ’54 and Marilyn Ingman
Michael Navarre
David ’76 and Lorna Halaas
Alice Jacobsen ’53
Vicki and Daniel Olson
Wayne ’68 and Lois Batalden ’69 Hansen
Carol Knutson ’85
Steven O'Tool ’74
Duane ’68 and Diane Ilstrup
Christine Lanoue ’00 Landherr and Jeff Landherr
Patricia Solum Park ’02
Carol Rubbelke Jernberg ’75
J. David ’62 and Kathleen Lystig
Patricia Parker
Karen Johnson ’66
Jennifer and Richard Martin
Peace Lutheran Church of Plymouth
Helen Johnson-Nelson and Robert Nelson ’44
Jane Ann Nelson
Dale ’70 and Patti Pederson
Randall ’76 and Susan Lundell
Douglas ’66 and Randvig Norvold
Drew ’89 and Molly Privette
Terry Marquardt ’98 and Gary Donahue
Gordon Odegaard ’52
Jerry ’83 and Susan Warnes ’88 Quam
Erika Staub ’51 Niemi and Wayne Niemi
Linda Wichmann ’70 Oja and James Oja
Donavon ’52 and Ardis Roberts
Cynthia Peterson
Kristen Olsrud ’80
Philip Rowberg ’41
Frances Roller Rockey
Arnold ’52 and Betty Paulson
Michael Schock and Leslie Baken
Thomas Ruffaner ’98
Bonnie Carlson Pehrson ’62
Frankie and Jole Shackelford
Donohue ’56 and Marilyn Sarff
Kathryn and Daniel Schwalbe
Charles Sheaffer
Michael ’71 and Bonnie Scott
Sandra Phaup ’64
Steven ’65 and Chynne Strommen
Gertrude Egeland ’48 Sundsted and Jens Sundstad
Sharon Johnson Sullivan ’70
Barbara and Eugene Thompson
Kenneth and Jane Syverson
Joan and Charles Threet
Richard (Porkchop) ’61 and Jane Thompson
Paul ’87 and Tracey Morris ’87 Terrio
Bonnie Jamieson ’69 Wedel and John Wedel
Sue Thompson ’85
Charleen and Donald Weidenbach
The Whitney Foundation
Richard ’56 and Darlene Thorud
Lyndon ’65 and Diane West
William Wittenbreer
Michael ’85 and Rhonda Riesberg ’84 Tjaden
Kurt Clark ’94
Sharon and Stephen Wade
Deborah Fredrickson Crowley ’76
Christopher ’00 McLeod
ALUMNI GIVING BY CLASS YEAR
The following list indicates the percentage of alumni from the traditional day program in each class year who made a gift during 2010-11.
Total participation for all class years is 17.39%.
1934
1935
1936
1937
1938
1939
1940
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
1946
34
33.33%
0.00%
0.00%
50.00%
22.22%
36.36%
36.36%
33.33%
34.62%
25.00%
21.43%
22.58%
30.43%
Augsburg Now
1947
1948
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1954
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
29.27%
40.68%
46.34%
38.93%
37.14%
45.65%
39.42%
37.27%
32.56%
38.98%
38.53%
43.00%
48.72%
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
39.44%
42.02%
36.05%
39.22%
30.77%
29.17%
31.58%
34.58%
32.91%
24.56%
21.20%
24.80%
26.39%
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
26.62%
23.68%
19.90%
19.26%
19.92%
22.79%
19.24%
17.52%
17.69%
15.11%
11.07%
13.50%
10.71%
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
10.59%
7.62%
13.85%
11.16%
10.96%
7.14%
11.31%
10.04%
11.90%
8.75%
6.81%
8.26%
10.89%
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
6.22%
7.41%
6.02%
6.16%
5.76%
6.58%
6.60%
5.34%
8.12%
4.38%
6.69%
5.94%
alumni news
Volunteer opportunities at Augsburg
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
A-Club
ou will be happy to know that the
Augsburg spirit of serving the
community is still alive and well.
President Obama honored Augsburg
College with the 2010 Presidential
Award for Community Service.
Augsburg was one of only six colleges
in the U.S. to receive this award—and
with more than 850 schools in competition, this is no small accomplishment! Augsburg’s community involvement has focused
on students giving back their time, both on the day before each
new school year begins, and on projects throughout the year. This
commitment to service is not new to Augsburg and is something
that alumni experienced as students.
The Alumni Association works to continue providing opportunities for alumni to give back by organizing events like Feed My
Starving Children and Habitat for Humanity, plus partnering with
Big Brothers Big Sisters on the recent “Annie” event at the Children’s Theater. I enjoy this model so much that at our November
meeting, the Alumni Board participated in a Campus Kitchen
project preparing food for our surrounding neighbors!
In this spirit of giving, the Alumni Association has added a
philanthropic component to many of our favorite annual events.
This summer at Auggie Night at the Races at Canterbury Park,
alumni donated hundreds of supplies and pairs of new socks to
the Augsburg Central Nursing Center, a free drop-in community
health service in downtown Minneapolis. The Canterbury donation drive was such a success that we are having another donation drive at Advent Vespers in December. Attendees are
encouraged to bring non-perishable food items or supplies such
as soap, toothpaste, adult socks, diapers, Tylenol, ibuprofen, cold
medication, ointments, or Band-Aids to the Vespers services to
help out the needy during the holidays.
Our alumni continue to give their time to the College and to
students by serving as mentors, speaking in the classroom, serving on committees, volunteering at events, and assisting with
special projects. If you would like to get involved and serve as an
Augsburg volunteer, please contact Pat Grans, volunteer coordinator, at gransp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1329.
Y
The organization of former and current Augsburg College
athletes and supporters promotes a quality athletic experience by supporting Augsburg student-athletes and the Athletic Department.
ABC (Augsburg Builds Connections) Mentoring Program
Augsburg Builds Connections mentoring program enables
alumni professionals to provide information, encouragement,
and support to students. This flexible volunteer program allows mentors to connect with students via e-mail, phone, or
face-to-face meetings and assist them in navigating their career path and achieving their professional goals.
Alumni Board
The Alumni Board is a governing body of the Alumni Association. Together with the Office of Alumni and Constituent
Relations, it provides resources and opportunities to engage
alumni with the College and each other through consistent
communication, inclusive programming, and intentional relationship building.
Auggie in Residence
This program is a way for our alumni to come back to the
College and share their career expertise with students, faculty, and staff. This flexible program creates a unique opportunity for alumni to speak about their vocation.
Augsburg Associates
The Associates support Augsburg through fundraising events,
including estate sales and Velkommen Jul food and craft
sales. The group supports special projects and scholarships.
Augsburg Women Engaged
Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) nurtures and strengthens
alumnae engagement with Augsburg, cultivating interest
and passions through connecting, learning, and giving. Join
an AWE Action Team or support an AWE Inspired event for
an awesome experience.
Parent and Family Council
This committee includes parents and family members of
current and former Augsburg students. The Parent and
Family Council will help you stay up-to-date with campus
events and feel more closely connected with your son or
daughter and the College.
Young Alumni Council
This volunteer committee plans and coordinates events for
alumni who graduated within the last 10 years and serves
as an advisory group to the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations.
Sincerely,
For more information about these and other
volunteer opportunities contact
ROBERT WAGNER II ’02
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Pat Grans, Volunteer Coordinator
612-330-1329 or gransp@augsburg.edu
volunteer@augsburg.edu
Fall 2011
35
auggies stay involved
Dear fellow alumni,
There are a number of ways to get involved, and being involved is
a great way to stay connected to your college and fellow alumni.
alumni news
Maroon Pages
36
Augsburg Now
Members of the Young Alumni Council enjoyed bowling at Pinstripes
in June. [L to R] Rob Wagner ’02, Cory Allen ’07, David Lange ’08, and
John MacCormick ’10.
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Steven Wehrenberg ’78,
CEO, Campbell Mithun
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011, 5 p.m.
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
Eye-Opener Breakfast featuring
Pat Peterson, Vice President of Research
and Development, Aveda Corporation
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2012, 7 a.m.
Town and Country Club, St. Paul
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Keith Wyche, CEO,
Cub Foods
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012, 5 p.m.
Courtesy photo
Young Alumni enjoyed a boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka in September. [L to R] Angie Neuhaus ’08, Felicia Faison ’09, Shannon Olson ’07,
Emily Anderson ’07, and Agnes Kigwana ’09.
Huge Success for the 2011
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
YOUNG ALUMNI
Student and Alumni Networking Reception
summer series
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2012, 6-8 p.m.
Oren Gateway Center, Augsburg College
Strommen Executive Leader Speaker
Series featuring Jim Owens, President and
CEO, H.B. Fuller
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012, 5 p.m.
Sateren Auditorium, Augsburg College
Sverdrup Visiting Scientist Lecture
presenting Brian J. Anderson ’82, Mercury
MESSENGER deputy project scientist,
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics
Laboratory
MONDAY, APRIL 16, 2012, 7:30 p.m.
Hoversten Chapel, Augsburg College
To register for these and more events,
go to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
With an attendance of more than 600, this
year’s Young Alumni Summer Series provided
alumni with unique opportunities to connect
with other Auggies and explore the greater
Twin Cities. The series included dueling pianos at the Shout! House, bowling at Pinstripes, and a beautiful evening boat ride on
Lake Minnetonka. The series is supported by
the outstanding leadership of the Young
Alumni Council, which is dedicated to providing dynamic social and personal enrichment
opportunities for Auggies and to keeping
them engaged with their alma mater.
DECEMBER
Augsburg’s alumni webpage now
includes a new opportunity for
Auggies to promote their products
and services to other Auggies
through networking. The success
of the new service, called Maroon
Pages, depends on user participation. When you enter your own industry, profession, position, and
location in the profile form online, a link to your information
will be available to others seeking
your products or services.
To join this network, go to
www.augsburg.edu/alumni, click
on “Maroon Pages,” create your
account, and click again on the
“Maroon Pages” box. You can
enter and update your profile information at the link for your
name, and help assure that
Augsburg’s alumni records are
current. The profile page also includes the search form that will
yield ever-increasing detail about
potential business connections—
especially as more and more
Auggies complete their profiles.
Please spread the word to other
Auggies about this exciting new
tool.
In addition to promoting your
product or services in the new
Auggie Maroon Pages, attend
one of the many upcoming networking events that provide an
opportunity for professional development and to connect with
other Auggies.
Courtesy photo
Connect with Auggies on the
9
By popular demand, the Young
Alumni Council is pleased to
announce a Winter 2011 event.
Save the date of December 9!
Details to follow.
abc
The ABCs of Networking
Recent Auggie graduates who are seeking employment in a challenging economy are discovering a new resource these days.
Augsburg’s new mentoring program, Augsburg Builds Connections
(ABC), puts parents, alumni, and friends of the College in touch
with students or graduates who are in the process of navigating
their career path. Through ABC, students and graduates can receive
information about an organization or learn how to pursue a career in
an industry.
When Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11 confronted the work world after graduating with a political science degree, he considered what direction
his career ought to take and how to gain some “real world experience.” He knew he wanted to stay in higher education and was
pleased to get some interviews, but, like many other job seekers, he
heard lots of “no’s” in the process.
With an interest in fundraising, he decided to reach out to the
Augsburg development office for suggestions, and they told him
about the ABC program. Krouse-Gagne called Pat Grans, the volunteer coordinator, and mentioned an interest in fundraising, which he
had thoroughly enjoyed as a student caller for The Augsburg Fund.
Grans checked her database for matches and put him in touch with
Carmela Kranz ’84, an alumna who works for the Minnesota Medical
Foundation at the University of Minnesota. Through meetings and
e-mails, they have worked to build their mentoring relationship.
With more than 25 years’ experience in the fundraising/advance-
Augsburg Builds Connections
Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11 with mentor Carmela Kranz ’84 of the Minnesota Medical Foundation
at the University of Minnesota.
ment industry, Kranz said she has a strong urge to “give back” because she feels fortunate to have worked for organizations that provided opportunities for professional and personal growth. She sees
the mentor program as a “nice way to reconnect with Augsburg”
and a way to pass along “snippets of information and advice” to
those just entering the field. She sees networking and relationships
as key, and is pleased that she was able to assist Krouse-Gagne in
finding a job as an annual fund assistant at St. Catherine
University. When they celebrated over lunch, they decided to stay in
touch and to meet as needed.
Krouse-Gagne is pleased that there was no pressure from the
ABC program with regard to time commitment or answering lots of
questions, and he encourages other students and graduates to take
advantage of this opportunity as well. “There is no promise that it
will get you a job,” he said, “but it sure helped me.”
CHERYL CROCKETT, ALUMNI VOLUNTEER
Auggie Admissions Liaisons Help Attract Potential Students
A new volunteer opportunity provides a
chance for Auggie alumni, parents, and
friends of the College across the country to
connect with prospective students attending
college fairs. Dozens of these fairs are held
each year, giving high school students and
their families an opportunity to
survey the college scene and find the best
fit for them. Now, with the help of volunteers, Augsburg is able to have a presence
at even more of these important events.
Kathleen Boggess ’66 and Terry Lindstrom
’73 agreed to staff the Augsburg table at an
Indianapolis college fair in
September. There they related
their own personal stories
about Augsburg and responded to questions
about the College.
Boggess said she and
Lindstrom enjoyed
s
e
i
g
g
u
aARE EVERYWHERE
swapping stories from their Augsburg days
and added that potential students enjoyed
hearing from them about “learning for service” in Augsburg’s unique urban setting.
If you are interested in serving as a volunteer at one of these events, contact Pat
Grans, volunteer coordinator, at
gransp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1329.
Volunteers receive a packet of information
in advance, including answers to frequently
asked questions, a list of available classes,
a Fast Facts sheet, and an Augsburg polo
shirt to wear at the fair.
Fall 2011
37
go
auggies!
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
20ho1m1ecoming
10-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 2001
25-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1986
Front Row [L to R]: Skylar Hanson, Marie (Eddy) Odenbrett, Anne (Osberg) Moore.
Back Row [L to R]: Mike Reed, Adam Perkins, Erin Moore, Maggie Tatton, Sarah
Grans, Merry-Ellen Krcil Schwan, Ann Peterson, Katie Koch.
Front Row [L to R]: Steve Olsson, Leslie (Gilberson) Bonshire, Vickie (Ruud) Frazier, Corey
(Greeder) Johnson, Lynn (Pendergast) Fering, Craig Fering, Diana (Wilkie) Buffie. Back Row
[L to R]: Margaret Rog, Thomas Ott, Karin (Sabo) Mantor, Barb (Niesen) McGlynn, Debra
Balzer-Plagemann, Patrick Guernsey, Terry Koenck, Gretchen (Luehrs) Marble, Michelle
(Swift) Steen, guest, Mitch Porter.
40-YEAR REUNION—
CLASS OF 1971
1. Mary Bjerke Stacke, 2. Sally Carlson Bredehoft, 3. Pat
Ellinger, 4. Leanne Phinney, 5. Stephanie (Johnson)
Sulzbach, 6. Pam Petersen Nungesser, 7. Kay (Hendrickson) Owen, 8. Darrell Skogen, 9. Sue Casey, 10. Nancy
Hedstrom Simonetti, 11. Jane Catlin Bracken, 12. Marilyn
Buschbom Lueth, 13. Illa Monda Alexander, 14. Christy
Larsen Branes, 15. Pamela (Rinehart) Albu, 16. Susan
Drake King, 17. Paula (Jones) Iverson, 18. Bonnie
(Board) Niles, 19. Barb Mikelson, 20. Sherry Roach Corwin, 21. Joan Youngren Palm, 22. Tim Casey, 23. Wayne
Jorgenson, 24. John Jenneke, 25. Dennis Hendrickson,
26. Bill Eggers, 27. Corky Hall, 28. Thom Berkowitz, 29.
Bob Martin, 30. Mike Scott, 31. Nancy Paddock Brenny,
32. David Benson, 33. Philip Hoversten, 34. Sue Scott
Swanson, 35. Rachel Hendrickson Julian, 36. Gary
Hagen, 37. Mark Ellinger, 38. Bruce Nelson, 39. David
Benzel, 40. Ruth Schroeder Duffy, 41. Art Scheunemann.
41
26
13
Augsburg Now
29
23
36
37
38
28
11
32
31
30
20
22
21
14
19
8
9
2
3
18
7
4
35
33
15
10
1
38
39
40
24
25
12
27
5
34
17
6
16
reunion classes
50-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1961
First Row [L to R]: Judy Fosse Snider, Mary Lou Baker Christenson, Karen (Egesdal) Trelstad, Leola Dyrud Furman, Pat Swanson Kreuziger, Joan Gibson Labs, Pat Eide Ponto, Oscar Blegen.
Second Row [L to R]: Ted Botten, K. Duane Larson, Carol Oversvee Johnson, Winnie Nordlund Anderson, Pat Nordlund Toussaint, Marie (Gjerde) Schlink, Agnette Duncan, Carol (Anderson)
Geldert. Third Row [L to R]: Jim Holden, Lloyd Bakke, Dennis Kalpin, Verna Stokke Tweiten, Phyllis Acker, Berna (Nelson) Hanson. Fourth Row [L to R]: Arlan E. Johnson, Larry Gallagher,
Keith Leiseth, Dick “Porkchops” Thompson, Cameron Liebenow, Ken Nelson, Bruce Westphal, Marilyn Saure Breckenridge.
SILVER AUGGIES—CLASS OF 1960 AND EARLIER
First Row [L to R]: Ruth Aaskov ’53, Margaret Moe Sannerud ’50, Joyce Hanson ’56, Grace Sulerud ’58, Lorie Christianson ’59, Inez Schwarzkopf ’59, Marolyn Halverson ’51, Bev Omdahl
Nelson ’55, Dolores Flaa Bjerga ’51, Dora Quanbeck ’49, Joan Baxter Larson ’51. Second Row [L to R]: E. W. (Bill) Anderson ’56, Ellen Erickson ’51, Leola Johnson ’51, Arvin Halvorson ’55,
Garfield Hoversten ’50, Bill Halverson ’51, Ruth (Ysteboe) Engelstad ’56, Lillian (Ysteboe) Ose ’51, Mabeth Saure Gyllstrom ’58, Eunice (Nystuen) Sortland ’50, Morris Vaagenes ’51, Herbert Hanson ’51. Third Row [L to R]: Dan Pearson ’51, Wallace Pratt ’51, Quentin Johnson ’51, Leroy Nyhus ’52, Jeroy Carlson ’48, Bill Anderson ’56, Robert Paulson ’50, Philip Quanbeck
’50, Allan Sortland ’53. Fourth Row [L to R]: Don Gilberg ’60, Neal Snider ’57, Glen Gilbertson ’52, Orval Moren ’57, Loren Woolson ’51.
Fall 2011
39
alumni class notes
The V. Benson Pavilion at
Mark Lund was recognized by
58Methodist Stone Oak Hospital 69Luther College for 25 years of
in San Antonio, Tex., was dedicated
on March 9 in recognition of Vernon
L. Benson, MD, the founding chief of
staff.
Lowell “Zeke” Ziemann (Ath-
60letic Hall of Fame 1986) has
begun a new career writing classic
Western short stories in his semi-retirement. Several have been published at bookstogonow.com. Look
for “The Last Manhunt” and “Duel
in Springfield.”
Darryl Torrin retired as pastor
of his congregation in Denver,
Iowa, in 2010. He and his wife have
moved to Cedar Falls and are enjoying their retirement and new neighbors.
auggieSNAPSHOTS
66
40
service at a faculty recognition dinner on May 12. Lund has been on
the Luther faculty since 1978; he
has served as a professor of economics and international studies and
director of international education.
Jane Helmke, long-time KARE
8311 TV veteran and award-winning news journalist, was promoted
to be the station’s news director in
September. During her 28-year career with the station, she has worked
in almost every department in the
newsroom, including production,
news and sports, and special projects. She has served as managing
editor, where she worked primarily
with digital platforms, including overseeing KARE11.com,
Metromix.com, MomsLikeMe.com,
highschoolsports.net, and mobile
ventures.
Dan Schueller, a member of the Gopher Wheelmen team, qualified to
race in the UCI Track Cycling Masters World Championships in Manchester, England, in October. He
raced in the Men’s 50-54 category.
A few more riders from Minnesota
raced along with him, and his wife,
Carolyn Schueller ’90, traveled
with him.
After more than 21 years,
89Glenn Quanbeck retired from
the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant
colonel and was hired as a civil service employee for the U.S. Army
working in Brussels, Belgium.
Heather Muir earned her PhD
90in sport management from the
University of Northern Colorado in
Greeley, Colo. Her dissertation examined the television coverage of
the 2010 Winter Olympic ice hockey
games, looking for differential portrayals based on the players’ gender.
This fall she will teach at Bowling
Green State University in Ohio.
Kristof Nordin and his wife,
91Stacia, came to Malawi, Africa,
in 1997 to work on issues of
HIV/AIDS prevention. They are now
teaching about sustainable agricultural methods and linking them to
better nutrition. Stacia currently
works with the Ministry of Education to implement sustainable garden practices into the more than
5,000 primary schools in the country, and Kristof has become a fulltime trainer to the hundreds of
Maria (Mitchell) Helger-
07son and Erik Helgerson
welcomed Adam James Helgerson on May 5.
were among 25 racers who participated in the
five auggiesfirst annual Cure CMD (congenital muscular
Andrea (Kaul) Naab
07married Jesse Naab ’06
dystrophy) Race for the Cure in St. Paul on August 6. Pictured are [L to R]
Karsten Nelson ’83, Jared Sundvall ’14, Katie Nelson ’14, Jenna Leahy ’14, and
Lauren Haberman ’14. They helped Cure CMD raise $9,000 for research to
find treatments for people affected by CMD.
on May 21 in Edina, Minn.
Maggie Grage married
07Jake Hockenberry on
David Siedlar and Ray Yip ’72 recon-
71nected in Beijing in early August after
40 years. The two didn’t know they were
both in China until Ray did some research
and found his friend.
Augsburg Now
Melissa Kapellen Dvo-
05rak PA and Matthew
Dvorak welcomed their first
son, Thomas Anthony Dvorak, on June 7.
June 25 in Hopkins, Minn.
The couple resides in West
Des Moines, Iowa, where
Maggie works as a teacher in
the Urbandale Community
School District and Jake
works as manager and trainer
of the customer service department at an anime licensing/distributing company in
Grimes.
09
Valerie (Anderson)
Capra MSW married
Jason Capra on May 27.
people who visit their demonstration plot each year (www.neverendingfood.org). Their four-year-old
daughter Khalidwe, which means
“good characteristics of a person”
in the local language of Chichewa,
was born in Malawi.
Corey Davison joined Tenet Healthcare Corporation as senior director
of government relations based in
Dallas, Tex. He will lead Tenet’s state
government relations activities and
oversee core government relations
programs such as Tenet-PAC and
grassroots advocacy.
Larry Anderson completed the
92seventh revision of his book
Raptured Alive: Return of a Prodigal Son.
Anthony Weeks MSW was se-
Kristen Opalinski was ac-
03cepted in 2009 into the ELCA
Young Adults in Global Mission
(YAGM) program. Kristen served in
eastern South Africa, working at the
Lutheran diocese offices, coaching
soccer (with AIDS awareness),
painting murals in the children’s
ward at the local hospital, and working with retreats. At the end of that
YAGM year, she became a media
specialist for the Lutheran Communion of Southern Africa (LUCSA),
uniting 15 churches in 10 countries.
She created a communications network to connect member churches,
designed and maintains the LUCSA
website, designed logos for their
programs and ministries, and travels
extensively, primarily dealing with
AIDS and anti-malaria initiatives.
Rachel (Quick) Pennig and
94lected as a winner for the 38th 06Matt Pennig welcomed Jack
Student Academy Awards for his
film Imaginary Circumstances,
made at Stanford University.
Dee Ann Sibley was awarded a
95McKnight Artist Grant to study
the high key process in photography.
Angela Ahlgren is a visiting as-
98sistant professor in the School
of Theater at Ohio University in
Athens, Ohio. She recently completed her PhD in theatre history
with an emphasis in performance as
public practice at the University of
Texas at Austin.
In May, Ross Murray ’09 MBA
was hired as the director of religion, faith, and values at GLAAD
(Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation).
00
The Minnesota Brass Drum
01and Bugle Corps from St. Paul,
Minn., an all-ages drum and bugle
corps that competes in the Drum
Corps Associates circuit, won the
World Championships in Rochester,
N.Y., in August. This is the first time
that the corps was honored with this
distinction. In addition, the horn line
was named the top horn line in the
competition. Michael Reed, director
of bands at Cedarcrest Academy
and Beacon Academy in Maple
Grove, Minn., is a music tech with
the Corps brass line.
Alexander Pennig on June 18.
Laura Henry married Huck
07Tate on September 9 in St.
Paul. Laura is the daughter of Chuck
and Lavon Emerson-Henry ’74 and
the granddaughter of Victor Emerson
’48 and Rona (Quanbeck) Emerson
’48. The couple will make their
home in Vadnais Heights, Minn.
Explore Your
Life’s Calling
Tom Morgan, executive director of the Augsburg Center for
Faith and Learning, recently hosted a conference with representatives from seven area Lutheran colleges. Following the
conference, a common awareness emerged about exploring
one’s vocation as a defining feature of Lutheran higher education. From this conference came Vocation for Life, a
workshop designed to nurture the vocations of alumni
through discovery of gifts, ongoing exploration, and promotion of calling in all stages of their lives.
This fall Morgan, in partnership with other Lutheran colleges, collaborated on the design and delivery of the Vocation for Life programs and activities. Pilot workshops took
place in Rochester, Minn., and Rockford, Ill.
Watch for information on future opportunities in your
area to participate in this exciting self-exploration.
In Memoriam
Robert Arnold Karlén, Augsburg professor emeritus of music, passed
away peacefully of natural causes on August 19.
Professor Karlén joined the music faculty at Augsburg College where he
taught his entire 42-year career. He served as chair of the Music Department from 1973 to 1982 and again from 1986 to 1989. He was instrumental
in expanding course offerings and creating three new degree programs for
the Music Department: music performance, music education, and music
therapy. He also founded and conducted the Augsburg Orchestra and played
a key role in the design and completion of the Augsburg College Music Hall
in 1977.
Memorials may be given to the Robert Karlén Chamber Music Scholarship. This fund was established in 2002 and is awarded annually to a music
student, with preference given to students who demonstrate exceptional
promise as woodwind and/or brass chamber music performers.
Fall 2011
41
In Memoriam
James G. “Jim” Lindell, Sr. ’46
James G. “Jim” Lindell, loyal Augsburg
alumnus, former member of the Augsburg
College Board of Regents, and generous
benefactor of the Lindell Library, passed
away on August 25.
Lindell attended Augsburg College in
1942-43. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy
from 1943-46, serving in World War II in the Pacific, and attained the rank of petty officer second class. Jim began his
employment with West Publishing in 1947 and worked there
44 years. In the 1960s he was an Alumni Association board
member, and from 1970-82 he served as a regent of the College. His relationship with Augsburg grew into a family legacy
spanning 50 years, with seven members of his family attending and graduating from Augsburg.
The Augsburg library, which opened in 1997, was named
for the Lindell family through the generosity of James and
Jean Lindell. When the family made the decision to fund
the library project, Lindell expressed pride in the spirit of
Augsburg, saying, “My personal feelings from the first days
I visited Augsburg were shaped by students showing their
good attitudes toward each other and the closeness of belonging to the school. This feeling still prevails for me….”
Augsburg College President Paul Pribbenow, in his message to the campus community following Lindell’s passing,
wrote this about Lindell: “Jim's passion for Augsburg and for
ensuring that our students, faculty, and staff might have one
of the finest small college libraries in the country leaves a
legacy that will shape an Augsburg education for decades to
come. Even as the Lindell Library is transformed through additions of the learning commons and the Gage Center for Student Success, Jim’s legacy is proving its relevance to the
future of teaching, learning, and scholarship at Augsburg.”
Augsburg’s library, opened in 1997, is
named for the James G. Lindell family.
42
Augsburg Now
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
Street address
E. Margaret (Sateren) Trautwein ’37, Brooklyn Center, Minn., age 95, on
September 10.
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Einar M. Cannelin ’38, Homewood-Flossmoor, Ill., age 97, on June 26.
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
Gerald "Gerry" Philip Benson ’39, Ft. Collins, Colo., age 96, on July 8.
Elwood J. Lundeen ’42, St. Paul, age 90, on May 28.
Rev. LuVerne L. "Red" Nelson ’43, Westby, Wisc., age 91, on June 24.
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
James "Jim" G. Lindell Sr. ’46, Woodbury, Minn., age 87, on August 25.
Merle Arthur Weflen ’47, Spicer, Minn., age 84, on July 12.
Doris C. (Frojen) Bretheim ’51, Minneapolis, age 83, on June 1.
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Employer
Kenneth R. Hansen ’51, Bloomington, Minn., age 80, on April 18.
Merle T. Knutson ’51, Lakefield, Minn., age 87, on June 16.
Gloria Ruth (Ostrem) Sawai ’53, Edmonton, Alberta, age 81, on July 19.
____________________________________________________________
Position
Mary Lee (Peterson) Leak ’54, Edina, Minn., age 78, on June 17.
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Sheldon Lee Nascene ’58, Pine City, Minn., age 75, on October 15, 2010.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Stanley L. West ’60, Racine, Wisc., age 73, on May 28.
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Darold D. Kamrath ’61, Litchfield, Minn., age 73, on January 31.
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Rev. Orville “O.K.” Anderson ’64, Sioux Falls, S.Dak., age 68, on
August 1, 2010.
John T. Clawson ’67, Minneapolis, age 66, on August 17.
Mark A. Jensen ’68, Annandale, Minn., age 65, on June 13.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Joyce J. (Gronli) Clark ’72, Spicer, Minn., age 60, on November 17, 2010.
____________________________________________________________
David G. Langness ’75, Saint Charles, Miss., age 56, on April 25.
Marjorie A. (Seeger) Ramsey ’85, Isanti, Minn., age 47, on June 5.
____________________________________________________________
Jerry Ann Black ’85, age 77, on July 16.
____________________________________________________________
Janice L. Phinney ’98, St. Paul, age 58, on July 30.
____________________________________________________________
Jason Stevens ’15, Rochester, Minn., age 19, on September 20.
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Professor Emeritus Robert A. Karlén, Bethesda, Md., age 87, on August 19.
Fall 2011
43
auggie voices
Neighborhood resource broker: Mary Laurel True
Mary Laurel True conducts business wherever she goes—whether
she’s headed to lunch at the Afro Deli on Riverside and 20th avenues,
walking across campus for a meeting with a faculty member, or on the
way home in her bumper-sticker-clad car. That’s because True’s “business” is connecting with the community, and as a 20-year resident of
the Seward neighborhood, she has a lot of contacts.
True’s relationship with the neighborhood and Augsburg began
when she was still a college student at St. Catherine University. In
1979, she traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico through the Center for
Global Education. She later moved to the West Bank and became involved in local politics, and then she returned to Seward in 1989
after graduate school.
True was hired by Augsburg in 1990 as the coordinator of community service learning. “At the time,” she said, “nobody really knew
what that meant for a college.” Her job began by finding ways to add
service-learning experiences to the curriculum, but she said it has
morphed into much more. “I see myself, and I think the College
does too, as someone who sees what’s going on in the community
and brings that to campus but also sees what the College has and
brings it to the community.”
Today, True calls herself a “resource broker” between Augsburg
and the community. Her role as director of community service-learning involves connecting faculty to people and organizations where
students can not only be involved in service but also meet their professors’ learning objectives.
To that end, True partners with faculty in departments including
athletics, biology, education, English, environmental studies, mathematics, physics, religion, sociology, social work, and studio art.
She connects them to organizations such as Bethany Lutheran
Church, Brian Coyle Community Center, Mixed Blood Theatre,
Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, Our Saviour’s
Housing, and the Seward Montessori School.
“If you spend most of your time in the community that you are
going to be engaged with, then not only do you understand it
deeply but you’re also much more accountable.”
True said she sees her role as a partner to the faculty, helping
them become engaged with the community. “They use the community as a text,” she said. She noted that the faculty’s commitment to
engaging with the world makes her work easy and enjoyable. “Our
faculty come here because they want to be in the city. They believe
we have a lot to learn from the community,” she said.
As a Seward resident, True has become deeply involved with
neighborhood organizations and causes. Because she is a neighbor
44
Augsburg Now
to the organizations with which Augsburg partners, she feels it is important that she be trustworthy and committed. “If you spend most
of your time in the community that you are going to be engaged with,
then not only do you understand it deeply but you’re also much more
accountable.”
True demonstrates her commitment through volunteer work with
local organizations, including Bedlam Theatre, the People’s Center,
the East African Women’s Center, and the Somali American Education Center. As an artist, she is also interested in the local music and
arts scene, and she and her husband are involved with the Seward
Co-Op.
“I really love this institution,” True said. “I believe in the work
that I do because I think Augsburg really walks its talk. I feel so
proud of this place and of how the community values who we are and
what we do here.”
So if you see Mary Laurel True out talking to Somali women from
the neighborhood resource center or stopping into the Afro Deli for
lunch, she isn’t out of the office avoiding work. She is simply doing
her job.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
returns to Augsburg
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum is an international event designed to inspire peacemaking. Now in its 24th year, the forum moves to its new
Minneapolis-based format and will be co-hosted by Augsburg College in
partnership with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of
Minnesota. Augsburg is honored to continue this event with the support of
the Norwegian Nobel Institute, our sister Norwegian Lutheran colleges, and
our community partners who share our commitment to education for peace.
The 2012 forum is scheduled March 1 to 3, and will welcome former
president of South Africa F. W. de Klerk as keynote speaker. President de
Klerk, who won the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela, was the
last state president of apartheid-era South Africa, serving from 1989 to
1994. He is best known for engineering the end of apartheid and for supporting the transformation of South Africa into a multi-racial democracy. In
recent years, his passion for peace continues through his work addressing
the complex challenges of the 21st century, such as building multicultural
societies, rethinking immigration policy, and understanding global economic forces.
Learn more and sign up for e-mail updates about the 2012 Peace
Prize Forum at www.peaceprizeforum.org.
24TH ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM • MARCH 1-3, 2012 • F.W. DE KLERK, KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Erica Salkas ’11 performs a dance choreographed by David DeBlieck ’88, theater arts instructor, in the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize Forum, hosted at Augsburg College.
Photo by Kendra (Christiansen) Oxendale ’11
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Norwegian Royal Visit
In October, Their Majesties King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway attended a worship
service at Augsburg College with President Paul and Abigail Pribbenow as well as 300
Norwegian students studying in the U.S. The King and Queen stopped at Augsburg as part
of their eight-day visit to Minnesota and Iowa. Following the service, Augsburg dedicated a
peace pole in Their Majesties’ honor.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
The Class of 2014 reflects
Grants gain ground
Spotlight on research
Faithful and relevant
AN
EDUCATION
ACTIVE
SUMMER 2014 | VOL. 76, NO. 3
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Kat... Show more
The Class of 2014 reflects
Grants gain ground
Spotlight on research
Faithful and relevant
AN
EDUCATION
ACTIVE
SUMMER 2014 | VOL. 76, NO. 3
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
An alternative narrative of higher education
Our colleague, Harry Boyte, who heads Augsburg’s
Center for Democracy and Citizenship, recently
argued in The Huffington Post that America
needs an alternative narrative of higher education, one that focuses not on meritocratic
excellence, but on “cooperative excellence...[the]
principle that a mix of people from highly varied
backgrounds can achieve remarkable intellectual,
social, political, and spiritual growth if they have
the right encouragements, resources, challenges,
and calls to public purpose.” And, as Harry
further points out, we have the makings of this
alternative story of higher education in institutions like Augsburg, with its rich heritage of faith,
learning, and service.
And so we do, as this issue of Augsburg Now
so compellingly illustrates. You hear it in the
stories our recent graduates tell about what they
love about Augsburg—its people, its location, its
diversity, its commitment to service and justice, its
educational experience like no other. You hear it in
the tributes to retiring faculty members like Donald
“Gus” Gustafson and athletic legends like Edor
Nelson ’38 and Ed Saugestad ’59—even as you
read the accomplishments of this year’s distinguished teachers and scholars, future legends. You
hear it in accounts of innovative theater programming, bringing together students from Augsburg
and the University of Minnesota to perform a
groundbreaking production of Peer Gynt at the
university’s arboretum. You hear it in the voices
of students and alumni sharing their vocational
journeys, shaped in this remarkable community.
The power of the Augsburg story is that it is
not new—it is what I call “the saga of Augsburg”
(see my recent essay, “Lessons on Vocation and
Location: The Saga of Augsburg College as Urban
Settlement” at augsburg.edu/president/presentations), a story that is grounded in our rich history
as a college dedicated to the Lutheran Christian
faith, to the power of a liberal arts education, to
vocational discernment, and to our urban setting.
And it is a story more relevant than ever, as it
counters the ways in which higher education is
viewed as a commodity to be purchased, a ticket
simply to a successful career, a stepping stone
instead of a firm foundation.
Our society needs an alternative story about
higher education in order to recover its soul.
Augsburg offers such a story in both its history and
its aspirations as a 21st century “student-centered
urban university, small to our students and big for
the world.” And now we need to recruit a corps of
storytellers—good folks like you—who know this
story well and are willing to stand with us to share
it with the world. In our tradition, that is called
evangelism. Will you join us?
Integrated Communication
Specialist/Augsburg Now
Project Manager
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Christina Haller
haller@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Assistant Vice President
for Advancement
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Faithfully yours,
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
summer 2014
AUGSBURG NOW
Features
12
9
16
23
12
16
24
29
Faithful and relevant
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
We love Augsburg
EDITED BY LAURA SWANSON
What is it?
BY LAURA SWANSON
Grants gain ground
COMPILED BY STEPHANIE WEISS
Departments
inside
front
cover
Notes from President Pribbenow
02 Around the Quad
09 My Auggie experience
15 Auggie athletics
23 Auggie voices
30 Alumni news
35 Alumni class notes
15
24
38 In memoriam
40 It takes an Auggie
On the cover
Each summer, Augsburg College students complete on-campus research activities across a
wide range of academic disciplines. Learn about Auggies’ recent projects on page 24.
Correction: The Spring 2014 issue of Augsburg Now included an archival photo of Science Hall as part of the My Auggie
experience story. The caption accompanying the image should have noted that the building, in its early years, housed the
home economics department in addition to the offices, laboratories, and rooms named.
All photos and archival photo compilations by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
AROUND THE QUAD
Excellence in
teaching and learning
Choir performs
throughout Ireland
The 2014 Distinguished Contributions recipients [L to R]:
Shana Watters, Phil Adamo, and Stacy Freiheit.
Each year, the Augsburg College faculty recognizes select colleagues with
the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning awards—acknowledging those who have demonstrated outstanding support for students through
teaching, advising, and mentoring.
The 2014 recipients include:
The Augsburg Choir delivered their annual
Bon Voyage Performance May 2, then traveled to Ireland for an international tour. The
group performed in Cork, Dublin, Limerick,
and Newbridge; they also took time to visit
the Rock of Cashel, Blarney Castle, and the
Cliffs of Moher on Ireland’s rugged western
coast. To read more about their trip, visit
the students’ blog at engage.augsburg.edu/
augsburgchoir.
EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING: Stacy Freiheit, associate professor of psychology
“As a professor, [Stacy] ensures that she engages students in the material
that she is teaching and makes it personal…She is very creative and open,
and implements a multitude of methods to help students learn—from videos,
to interviews, to live demonstrations.” —Amineh Safi ’14, psychology and
political science major
Day at the Capitol
EXCELLENCE IN SCHOLARSHIP: Phil Adamo, associate professor of history and
director of the Medieval Studies Program
“[Phil] has an ability to fold students into his scholarship, providing them
with rich and meaningful experiences that develop them as young scholars.”
—Dixie Shafer, director of Augsburg’s Office of Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity
EXCELLENCE IN ADVISING AND MENTORING: Shana Watters, associate professor
of computer science
“[Shana] really shines. She is interesting; she is supportive; she has high
expectations; she is fun. She takes her responsibility to her students very
seriously, but never takes herself too seriously. As a result, she has been a
remarkable mentor to many students, even those who have not chosen to
pursue computer science.” —Carrie Shidla, Augsburg program manager and
assistant director of academic advising
2
Augsburg Now
Brid Henry ’16 meets Minnesota State Sen. Charles Wiger
during the Day at the Capitol event.
This spring, Augsburg Day at the Capitol gave
students a voice in the important debate surrounding the Minnesota State Grant program.
Augsburg students met with lawmakers and
wrote letters advocating continued support for
this important financial aid.
City and state officials judge
‘The Great Economic Debate’
Courtesy of University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital
at
[L to R]: Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Minnesota Department of
Commerce Commissioner Michael Rothman, and Minneapolis Mayor
Betsy Hodges.
MASTER OF MUSIC THERAPY
Augsburg’s music therapy program has provided students with a
holistic approach to health care through music medicine since
1974. To build on that tradition, Augsburg is launching a music
therapy graduate program in the Twin Cities beginning this fall.
The Master of Music Therapy (MMT) program will engage students in
life-changing experiences and experiential learning, and foster a
holistic view of the use of music in health, healing, and well-being.
For more information about the MMT, visit augsburg.edu/mmt.
The Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL)—a program
of Augsburg College—in May hosted its second Mayor’s
Challenge. Saint Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, Minnesota
Department of Commerce Commissioner Michael Rothman,
and Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges served as judges
for a student debate resolving that the North American
Free Trade Agreement has been beneficial for the
economy of Mexico and the United States, specifically
Minnesota. This spring, MNUDL also hosted its first
Spanish Debate Invitational, a Spanish tournament for
Twin Cities middle and high school students, as a way
to make forensics available to more students and to
help extend the reach of the positive work of MNUDL.
Courtesy photo
STROMMEN SPEAKERS SERIES
This April, the Strommen Executive Speakers Series, which
brings local business leaders to campus to share insight and
expertise, featured Jon Campbell, executive vice president of
Wells Fargo. With 36 years of banking experience at Wells
Fargo, Campbell presented “Finding Vocation in Corporate
Philanthropy,” touching on his career path, which has been
characterized by a strong emphasis on community service.
CONNECT. NETWORK. LEAD.
Summer 2014
3
AROUND THE QUAD
Honoring our retired faculty
WILLIAM ARDEN
DONALD “GUS” GUSTAFSON
Assistant Professor, Business
Administration
Professor, History
Joined the College – 2005
Education – bachelor’s, Gustavus
Adolphus College; master’s and
PhD, University of Wisconsin
Education – bachelor’s, New
York University; master’s,
Northeastern University (Boston);
MBA, Boston University
“One of my most memorable
experiences as a teacher was my first time in a classroom.
I taught a graduate marketing course (at another institution)
and walked out of class the first night saying, ‘I haven’t had
this much fun in a job in a long time!’”
Joined the College – 1961
Gustafson thrives most on
the sheer delight of teaching—
students from his classes usually
remember Rasputin, Alsace-Lorraine, and Che Guevara.
GRETCHEN IRVINE
Assistant Professor, Education
RUTH ENESTVEDT
Joined the College – 1993
Assistant Professor, Nursing
Education – bachelor’s, College
of St. Teresa; master’s, University
of Wisconsin-River Falls; PhD,
University of Minnesota
Joined the College – 1999
Education – bachelor’s, St.
Olaf College; master’s and PhD,
University of Minnesota
“We assume that people are
experts in their own lives. We
provide useful, relevant service
that respects what the person brings to the situation.”
MARK ENGEBRETSON
Professor, Physics
Joined the College – 1976
Education – bachelor’s, Luther
College; Master of Divinity,
Luther Theological Seminary;
master’s and PhD, University of
Minnesota
One of the most important
features of Engebretson’s work is sharing it with his
students. His research grants from NASA and the
National Science Foundation have supported dozens of
undergraduate student research opportunities that educate
and motivate science students.
4
Augsburg Now
“I believe in using the
community as a research tool
and bringing the community into the classroom through
resource speakers. Respect for the unique characteristic of
each student is essential.”
JEFFREY JOHNSON
Associate Professor, Physics
Joined the College – 1985
Education – bachelor’s, master’s,
MBA, and PhD, University of
Minnesota
Johnson likes to teach
quantum physics and astronomy,
which, he says, “allows me
to give my students an appreciation of the wonder and
weirdness of our universe.”
ASHOK KAPOOR
Associate Professor, Business
Administration
Joined the College – 1998
Education – bachelor’s and master’s,
University of Delhi; master’s and
MBA, University of Minnesota; PhD,
Temple University
“Augsburg is different from
other institutions in that we have a vocational aspect to our
education, which fits in with my thinking. I tell my students
that they can do whatever they want, as long as they excel.
They will then be happy in life.”
DAWN LUDWIG
Director and Assistant Professor,
Physician Assistant Studies Program
Joined the College – 1995
Education – bachelor’s, University
of Colorado-Denver; master’s
and PA Certificate, University of
Colorado Health Science Center;
PhD, Capella University
One of the guiding principles in Ludwig’s approach to
teaching is to help students maintain a focus on service to
others, and to always be aware of how one good deed can
bless another person’s life.
ROBERT STACKE ’71
Associate Professor and
Department Chair, Music
Joined the College – 1990
Education – bachelor’s, Augsburg
College; master’s, University of
St. Thomas; PhD, University of
Minnesota
“I am very proud of the
number of students who have a chance to be involved in
Augsburg’s music program. One of the benefits of attending a
liberal arts college is having the opportunity to perform even
if you are not a music major.”
Faculty Recognition Luncheon
This spring, Augsburg celebrated
the careers and contributions of
retiring faculty members at the
Faculty Recognition Luncheon. The
event included a program and a
display of recent scholarship and
teaching materials.
CELEBRATING STUDENT SUCCESS
Scholarships and fellowships
Augsburg students earned a range of prestigious accolades
during spring semester, including the following:
BARRY GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP
Eric Bowman ’15, a biology and
chemistry major and McNair
Scholar, received an honorable
mention in the Barry Goldwater
Scholarship competition.
The Goldwater Foundation
provides $7,500 undergraduate
scholarships to students who
plan to pursue a research career
in a STEM (science, technology,
engineering, and mathmatics)
field, and the scholarship is the
premier undergraduate award
of its type in these fields. Bowman was one of only eight
Minnesotans to receive an honorable mention this year.
BENJAMIN A. GILMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Benjamin
A. Gilman International Scholarship Program offers grants
for U.S. citizen undergraduate students of limited financial
means to pursue academic studies or credit-bearing, careeroriented internships abroad. Since 2008, 36 Auggies
have been awarded a total of $150,000 from the Gilman
International Scholarship.
This spring, sociology and psychology major Pa-Loo Lor ’14
studied at Augsburg’s exchange partner, Hong Kong Baptist
University. This summer, GaoSheng Yang ’14 studied and
interned in Shanghai. She is an international relations major
with a minor in management information systems. And this
fall, biology major Fowsia Elmi ’15, international business and
finance major Smeret Hailom ’15, and sociology major Ayan
Khayro ’15 will study in Turkey; and music major Elizabeth
Fontaine ’16 will study in Indonesia.
HAWKINSON AWARD
The Hawkinson Foundation for Peace & Justice has awarded
Ibrahim Al-Hajiby ’14 the Vincent L. Hawkinson Foundation
Scholarship. This scholarship was created by the Foundation
to encourage students who have already demonstrated a
6
Augsburg Now
commitment to peace and justice to strive for peace and
justice both in their educational pursuits and in their personal
and professional lives.
KEMPER SCHOLARS PROGRAM
Najma Warsame ’17, a communication studies student, was
named the College’s fourth Kemper Scholar. Students in this
prestigious program, which is funded by the James S. Kemper
Foundation, receive academic scholarships and stipends to
cover the costs of two summer internships in major nonprofit
and for-profit organizations. Augsburg is one of only 16
U.S. liberal arts colleges with the Kemper Scholars Program
distinction.
NEWMAN CIVIC FELLOWS AWARD
Vincent Henry ’15 was named a Newman Civic Fellow for
2014. The Newman Civic Fellow Award is a Campus Compact
distinction recognizing students who—through service,
research, and advocacy—work to identify the root causes of
social issues and effective mechanisms for creating lasting
change.
PHILLIPS SCHOLARSHIP
Each year, the Minnesota Private
College Council awards six
scholarships from the Jay and
Rose Phillips Family Foundation
of Minnesota to students
who attend its 17 member
institutions. This year, two of the
six were awarded to Augsburg
students Sagal Ali ’16 and Muna
Mohamed ’15. Ali will work on a
project that addresses the high
risk of obesity and the rise of
diabetes among Somali women,
while Mohamed’s project will focus on engaging Muslim
women in sports while honoring their religious and cultural
beliefs.
2014 PRESIDENTS’ CIVIC ENGAGEMENT STEWARD AWARD
The Augsburg student group Students for Racial Justice
won the Presidents’ Civic Engagement Steward Award at
the Minnesota Campus Compact Summit that took place
this spring. This award recognizes those who have advanced
their campus’s distinctive civic mission by forming strong
partnerships, supporting civic engagement, and working to
institutionalize a culture and practice of engagement.
Student research awards and
achievements
ROSSING PHYSICS SCHOLARS
STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN
ZYZZOGETON 2014
Two Augsburg College students have been named Rossing
Physics Scholars for 2014-15. Juan Tigre ’16 and Fikre
Beyene ’16 will receive $10,000 and $7,000, respectively.
The Rossing Fund for Physics Education Endowment in
the ELCA Foundation was established in 2005 for physics
majors at the 27 ELCA colleges.
TRAVELERS EDGE SCHOLARS AND TRAVELERS INTERNSHIPS
Stella Richardson Hohn ’15 and Lee Thao ’15 are interning
in St. Paul and Hartford, Conn., respectively, as part of the
Travelers Insurance Empowering Dreams for Graduation
and Employment (EDGE) program. This program focuses on
college recruitment and retention of low-income and firstgeneration students, and enhances awareness of careers in the
insurance and financial industries. In Minnesota, the focus
specifically is on students graduating from both the St. Paul
and Minneapolis public school districts.
Five additional Auggies—Lorreal Edwards ’16, Liban
Elmi ’16, Lyton Guallpa-Naula ’16, Angela Hernandez ’16, and
Seng Vue ’16—also will complete internships at Travelers
Insurance in St. Paul. This group will participate in professional
and leadership development workshops supported by the
Kemper Foundation to prepare for their internship opportunity.
VANN FELLOWSHIP
Michelle Grafelman ’15, an
Augsburg Presidential Scholar,
was awarded the $5,000 Vann
Fellowship in Biomedical Ethics at
Mayo Clinic. As a summer fellow,
she is working with physician and
research mentors within Mayo’s
Program in Professionalism and
Ethics to examine issues such as
end-of-life care, genetic therapies,
and patient consent, among others.
Zyzzogeton is an opportunity to
hear about the exciting scholarship
happening on campus. This year,
more than 80 students presented
their research and creative activity
to the Augsburg community in
the annual spring poster session,
which is sponsored by the Office
of Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity (URGO),
the McNair Scholars program, and
the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP)
program.
SUMMER 2014 OFF-CAMPUS RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS
This summer, several Auggie researchers will be building their
skills to support graduate school admissions and careers in
the sciences.
• Elly Bier ’14—physics; National Institute of Standards and
Technology
• Weih Borh ’16—chemistry; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
(LSAMP Summer Research Program)
• Chris DeVet ’15—chemistry; CIMA Labs pharmaceuticals
• Becca Freese ’16—biology and mathematics; University of
Minnesota (Summer Institute in Biostatistics)
• Kirubel Frew ’14—chemistry; working with Armon Sharei and
Katarina Blagovic at Harvard University and Massachusetts
Institute of Technology, respectively
• Cedith Giddings ’15—biology; University of Minnesota
(CHE-CTSI Advanced Research Program and Undergraduate
Research Program)
• Michelle Grafelman ’15—biology; Mayo Clinic (Vann
Fellowship in Bioethics)
Summer 2014
7
CELEBRATING STUDENT SUCCESS
• Daniel Hildebrandt ’15—biology and chemistry; Mayo Clinic
(Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship)
• Taylor Kuramoto ’15—mathematics; University of Tennessee,
Knoxville (National Institute for Mathematical and
Biological Synthesis)
•
Oscar Martinez ’16—
chemistry; Scripps Research
Institute in Jupiter, Fla.
(Summer Undergraduate
Research Fellows Program)
• Bethany Marlette ’14—biology;
Mayo Clinic
•
Yemi Melka ’15—chemistry and
international relations; Friends
Committee on National
Legislation in Washington, D.C.
• Lily Moloney ’15—chemistry;
Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. (Summer
Undergraduate Research Fellows Program)
• Promise Okeke ’15—biology; Harvard Stem Cell Institute of
the Harvard Medical School
• Andrew Roehl ’15—chemistry; Colorado State University
(Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates)
• Ben Swanson ’15—chemistry; Northwestern University
(Materials Research Science & Engineering Center)
• Sadie Tetrick ’16—physics; Dartmouth College Physics
Department
8
Augsburg Now
POSTERS ON THE HILL
Each spring,
the Council on
Undergraduate
Research hosts its
annual undergraduate
poster session,
Posters on the Hill, in
Washington, D.C. At
the event, students
meet members of
Congress, funding agencies, and foundations, and have the
opportunity to advocate for undergraduate research programs.
Summa cum laude English graduate Margo Ensz ’13
was among the top 10 percent of applicants selected to
present and received an honorable mention for her URGO
summer research project, “Analyzing the Persistence of a
Sense of Place Among Young Adults in the Technology-Rich,
A-Contextual 21st Century,” advised by Colin Irvine, Augsburg
College associate professor of English.
SCHOLARS AT THE CAPITOL
During spring semester, Augsburg
TRIO McNair Scholars Amineh
Safi ’14 and David Fowler ’14
participated in the 11th annual
Private College Scholars at the
Capitol event. Each private
college in Minnesota annually
selects two students to attend the
event and present their research.
Safi’s research topic, “Racializing
Islam: Newspaper Portrayal of
Crime Involving Muslims and
Islam,” is a descriptive content
analysis examining how crimes
involving Muslims are portrayed
in the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Fowler’s
research focused on methods for studying heart development
and function in the model organism Daphnia magna.
MY AUGGIE EXPERIENCE
PEASANTS
AND TROLLS,
COLLABORATIONS
AND CHALLENGES
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
▲ Nearly 1,000 theatergoers visited the
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum for
Peer Gynt’s three-day run. The character
of Peer Gynt was played by University of
Minnesota student Joe Kellen.
I
▲ Peer Gynt visits the troll kingdom in an attempt to marry the troll princess.
Imagine it’s spring and you are at a site
USA Today named as among the nation’s
10 greatest places in America to smell
the flowers. You start to meander along
a footpath that will lead you through a
natural habitat of trees and ferns to rolling
prairie and lowlands, all while birds sing
after a long winter.
As you round the corner from the
Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s
visitor center, you come across a small
homesteader’s cabin. It’s nestled among
the trees. A group of people, dressed as
peasants from the 1800s, bicker with one
another. You’ve just walked smack into the
middle of the set of Peer Gynt, a play by
Henrik Ibsen, being performed by students
from Augsburg College and the University
of Minnesota-Twin Cities.
The site-specific performance—a
production shaped by the unique place in
which it is performed and that relies upon
existing landscapes and features to serve
as the stage and sets—was the first time
the two schools collaborated and probably
the first site-specific production of this
▲ [Top of page] An audience watches an opening scene from Peer Gynt, a production by Augsburg College and the
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum’s historic Berens Cabin serves as the
backdrop for dialogue between the Peer Gynt character and his mother, seated on the wheelbarrow.
Summer 2014
9
said. “We thought the universe might
like them to meet. We wanted to see
new alliances formed and to create more
opportunities for artistic intersections
because theater and artists are best
served when more and more connections
can be made.”
The staging of this classic
Norwegian tale at a Minnesota landmark
also was a testament to the academic
excellence driven by Augsburg faculty
and alumni who create multifaceted
student-learning experiences.
“Faculty know that in order to
develop students’ abilities to think
critically and to solve problems—
essential 21st-century skills—we
need to expose them to hands-on
opportunities to work together,
to interact with people who think
differently from themselves, and to
provide time to reflect upon and voice
what they learn,” Engen said.
STUDENTS CO-CREATE SCRIPT
That multi-layered complexity drew
students to the story. Boo Segersin ’15,
an Augsburg theater major pursuing
A children’s playground serves as the set for a scene in Peer Gynt.
Existing landscape features are used to stage site-specific theater.
▲
scale for Twin Cities’ theatergoers.
“This adaptation demanded new
partnerships between schools and with
many theater artists—puppeteers,
movement specialists, musicians, [and]
fight choreographers. We pummeled
students with new experiences and
gave the audience a spectacular
performance,” said Darcey Engen
’88, associate professor and chair of
Augsburg’s Theater Arts program.
Collaborating with the University
of Minnesota allowed Engen and her
counterpart, Luverne Seifert ’83, to
assemble the large cast required by
the play: about 40 student actors in
all. And the complexity of the script
meant students would build new skills
in collaboration, forge friendships,
and nurture the beginnings of new
professional networking relationships
in the tightly connected world of Twin
Cities theater.
“It seemed odd to Darcey and me
that each night there were groups of
students creating all of this amazing
artistic energy, and they were only three
blocks away from one another,” Seifert
minors in musical theater and
Norwegian, said she was drawn in by the
density of Peer Gynt.
“I read the play over winter break
and wondered how we could do it. It’s
on mountains. It’s in mountains. There
are trolls. Just the landscapes were a
challenge in themselves,” Segersin said.
The students worked with Sarah
Myers, Augsburg College assistant
professor of theater arts, to adapt the
script and halve the length of the play.
“I was nervous to work on the script,
but one of the best parts was working—
as a full cast—with Sarah to cut things
down,” Segersin said. “We found the
‘red thread,’ the core storyline that runs
through the script, and, with that, found
our way.”
That thread allowed the students
to take the play from the three-hour
adaptation by famed Minnesota poet
Robert Bly to a compact 90 minutes
that was accessible to newcomers of all
ages but that remained engaging and
challenging for seasoned theatergoers.
It’s quite a feat when one considers that
Ibsen’s original was a hefty seven hours.
Boo Segersin ’15 (top) played the role of Solveig, a young woman who leaves her
family and insists upon living with Peer Gynt in his hand-hewn cabin. The role of
Peer Gynt’s mother, Åse, was played by Nikki Whittaker ’17 (bottom).
▲
10
Augsburg Now
▲ Nearly 40 performers were involved in the Peer Gynt wedding scene.
▲
Students worked with professional master puppeteers to build and coordinate
the movement of a giant raven puppet with a nearly 20-foot wingspan.
NAVIGATING CULTURE, CAST,
WEATHER, AND LANDSCAPE
Wrestling with the script of the play—a
story of loss due to procrastination and
avoidance followed by redemption late in
life—was just one of the challenges faced
by students. They also had to identify
features in the arboretum’s landscape that
could serve as sets, deliver their lines in
open-air scenes with acoustics affected
by the landscape and ambient noises not
usually present in a theater, and learn
original music, all while getting to know
the culture and student performers from
another school.
Then there were the logistics for
which no planning can be done.
“Because of the variables involved,
site-specific theater provides attendees
the chance to see what is a once-in-alifetime performance and to leave having
been an active traveler in the play,” Engen
said. “For performers, there’s a textured
chaos that you can’t plan for and that
forces you to think fast and improvise
within boundaries. It leaves you exhausted
and exhilarated at the end.”
Being faced with those challenges
was just what Engen and Seifert wanted
for students. The two worked closely
to co-direct students in this first-ever
collaboration between the schools.
“Students learned to perform to
the moment at hand,” Engen said.
“Sometimes that meant changing the
energy and volume of lines to overcome
wind or a noisy attendee. Other times
it meant staying in character but
improvising when a young child persisted
in trying to break into the scene.”
Segersin said that it was a rewarding
experience to work with peers from the
University of Minnesota and to perform for
the nearly 1,000 attendees who visited
the arboretum for the production.
“This beautiful thing happened: We
became a team,” Segersin said. “And
now, sometimes, when I sleep, I dream
about them.”
BUILDING PROFESSIONAL
NETWORKS
The relationships and networks, though,
extend beyond just the student peers
at the two institutions. Engen used the
production to help students connect with
other theater professionals.
“Students built experience in creative
problem-solving with some of the Twin
Cities’ foremost theater professionals,
including master puppeteers, musicians,
and movement professionals,” Engen
said. “It was a chance for students to
explore the many ways to work in theater
and to challenge themselves to meld
these disciplines.”
Seifert added that making
connections with artists across disciplines
and fields is critical for the future of
theater and the artists.
“These students now can reach out
to one another to collaborate on future
projects,” he said. “This model allowed
us to give students an understanding of
how major companies in regional theater
increasingly are combining resources to
produce shows.”
That goal wasn’t lost on Segersin, who
was invited to work as a summer intern
with Sod House Theater, a production
company founded by Engen and Seifert.
“We’re still working out what it
means. But I will have the chance to work
with the performance of Peer Gynt at sites
around the state, to meet professional
Twin Cities’ actors and local actors, and to
network,” Segersin said.
Summer 2014
11
give
experience perspectives
equipped
work
explore
practice
live
care
beneficial
center
seek
explore
beliefs
understand
evolving
seen passions
citizen
boldly
beneficial
tell
important
seen
strengths
hear
world
human
articulate
calling
love
meaning
foundations
competence
A
scholars
expanding
welcoming
give
diverse
respectfully
society
propelled God
meaning
leadership
seek
desire
gifts
inquiry
views
true
moral
diversity
H
skill
human
callAugsburg Now
10
faithful
strengths
shared
center
T
articulate
path
beliefs
appreciation
discussion
conversation
nurturing
relationships
opportunity
citizen
learn
Lutheran explore
expand
value
connect religion reflection
life
I
growing journey
traditions
interfaith responsive
asking
answers
life
service
skill
profound
rise
care
work true
dynamic vocation
effective
gifts
challenging
path
F
answers
integrity
views
Christensen
connect
passions
&
Relevant
Faithful
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
experience
theology
service
vocation
reflect
Pictured [top to bottom]: Whitney Pratt ’11, Cody Tresselt-Warren ’09, and Jessica Spanswick ’10
Photo by Thomas Kosa
ith careers in accounting, education,
Grappling with vocation
military service, and pastoral ministry,
One of the aspects that Auggies in the Christensen Scholars
and Interfaith Scholars programs valued most about the
experience was the dedicated time to learn and to grapple
together with difficult topics and questions.
“Having that regular, dedicated time for discussion
helped us to better articulate our gifts, strengths, and
passions,” said Emily Wiles ’10, a youth and family ministry
major who this spring earned a Master of Divinity from Luther
Seminary. “We pushed each other to articulate our positions,
which helped me really connect with what I think and who
I am,” she said. As a result, “things that I might have
otherwise taken for granted, I came to ‘own’ as my gifts.” In
having to express and explain your perspectives, Wiles said,
“you really get to know yourself better.”
Also beneficial, according to several alumni, was the
opportunity to reflect on the full meaning of vocation. “My
generation is going to have 15 different jobs or careers in
our lifetimes,” said Cody Tresselt-Warren ’09, who majored
in accounting and religion at Augsburg and today is a tax
accountant at Wells Fargo & Company.
“You think, when you’re in college, that once you
graduate and get a job, you’re set,” he said. But there are
so many other important layers—from family obligations to
the needs of the wider world—that, “you have to interpret
your calling from a number of perspectives. It’s a dynamic,
evolving journey.”
Sylvia Bull ’10 agreed, noting that, especially in the
U.S.—a generally career-oriented culture—it is important
to expand the view of vocation beyond just a job or career.
Bull, an international relations and religion double major who
this spring completed her third year at Princeton Theological
Seminary in Princeton, N.J., sees faith as serving an
important role in considerations about vocation. We need to
“open our eyes of faith to see all of the things that we do in
our lives as part of God’s call,” she said.
six recent Augsburg alumni are finding
that their undergraduate experiences studying vocation and
interfaith leadership are paying off well beyond their
college years.
These Auggies participated in the Christensen Scholars
and Interfaith Scholars programs at Augsburg—programs that
provide scholarships for students to take upper-level religion
courses that thrust them deep into topics of faith, religious
diversity, service, theology, and vocation.
Meeting on weeknight evenings throughout the academic
year, students engaged with these topics—and each other—
through focused discussion, inquiry, service-learning, and
reflection. The number of scholarships available each year is
limited, so getting into the program is a competitive process,
involving writing an essay and obtaining a recommendation
from an Augsburg College faculty or staff member. Students
accepted to the programs earn four religion credits and a
$2,000 scholarship for the year. But, according to some of the
early alumni from the programs, the value of the experience
extends well beyond course credit and financial support.
Pictured [left to right]: Peter Weston Miller ’10, Emily Wiles ’10, and Sylvia Bull ’10
Summer 2014
13
And “even if faith is not explicitly part of the
conversation,” said Jessica Spanswick ’10, who today works
as director of career services at Globe University, “it is a
profound, shared human desire to seek and find meaning in
our lives.”
fully effective.” To function as a citizen in today’s world,
“you have to understand how people think and the beliefs on
which they base their social and moral codes.”
Welcoming difficult conversations
In the end, these Auggies agreed that the programs’ greatest
value was that they equipped participants to ask challenging
life questions—seemingly simple (but, actually, not-sosimple) questions like, “Where have you come from—and
where are you going?” and “How do you know you’re on the
right path?”
Consistently, all of these alumni said it was the
questions—not the answers—that were most meaningful
to them. In fact, they have each continued the practice of
asking and reflecting on difficult questions and they shared
some of the questions they regularly encounter in their lives
today:
Asking tough questions
Alumni from these programs also shared an appreciation
for how their experiences helped them develop the listening
and interpersonal skills to learn from and understand others.
“We learned to step boldly and respectfully into difficult
conversations,” said Peter Weston Miller ’10, “meeting
people where they were at, where God had uniquely called
them to be.”
Weston Miller, an English major who also completed his
Master’s of Divinity at Luther Seminary this past spring, said
these conversations taught the participants how to “build
relationships based on human integrity and dignity, not just
[based on] topics” that they agreed upon.
“We learned to know ourselves better through the eyes of
others, despite different backgrounds, political leanings, and
socio-economic statuses,” he said.
In particular, alumni from the programs valued the
opportunity to interact and work with people who bring
different faith perspectives. “Speaking with people from
many different faith backgrounds helped me learn to listen to
and understand others’ views and beliefs,” said Spanswick,
who majored in international relations at Augsburg and
recently completed her MBA at Globe University. In her
current work, Spanswick meets people from many different
cultures, and she noted that their cultural practices often
differ because of faith traditions.
Whitney Pratt ’11, who majored in economics at
Augsburg and serves as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air
Force, agreed that interfaith competency is an important life
skill. “Religion is such an important facet of our lives,” she
said. “Most of our political struggles center around topics
that stem from the moral foundations” that different groups
of people use to guide their behaviors and interactions in
society.
“You can try to build intercultural competence, but
without understanding religion,” Pratt said, “you won’t be
• “Am I questioning my current path because I don’t like it
[today] or because it’s really not my calling?”
• “How do I remain true to my Lutheran beliefs and still
operate in an ecumenically diverse organization?”
• “How will what I want to say affect this other person?”
• “If this current path is not my calling, what’s the best step
to take to explore what is right?”
“As our lives and our world change,” Weston Miller said,
“we need to keep asking these questions in order to keep
ourselves expanding, growing, nurturing, and propelled
forward in God’s calling for all of us.”
Continually asking these questions and searching for
meaning helps us to see the world not just as it is, Wiles
added, but as it could be.
reflection
• And, the question that Martin Luther is famous for: “What
does this mean?”
learn
care
journey
leadership
life welcoming
pathdiverse
call
world appreciation
respectfully discussion citizen
moral calling competence
14
Augsburg Now
skill passions opportunity
work answers
FROM GAME TIME TO LIFETIME
Influence of Auggie icons shapes alumni and today’s campus
August 18 marks the 100th birthday of legendary Augsburg
College coach Edor Nelson ’38.
Nelson is one of the elite Augsburg coaches who profoundly
impacted the College’s athletic programs and whose influence
echoed in the lives of student-athletes beyond their competitions
on athletic fields, rinks, and courts.
At Augsburg, the legacies of renowned coaching staff
and faculty live on in the facilities that carry their names, are
exhibited in their own philanthropy, and can be seen in the
generosity they inspire in others.
Bruce Nelson ’71, son of Edor Nelson, said coaches such
as his father grew up in an era in which sacrifice for the greater
good was common, and coaches played larger roles in the lives of
student-athletes than simply running drills.
“These coaches taught student-athletes about commitment
and that a team is bigger than the individuals,” said Bruce, who
lives out what he learned—in part—by serving as president of the
Augsburg A-Club, a service organization of former and current
Auggie student-athletes and friends of the College.
Bruce knows from first-hand experience that student-athletes
see, understand, and appreciate the ways their mentors continue
to influence their lives as they move on to new opportunities.
“Very few athletes, when they’re older, talk about wins and
losses. They talk about camaraderie, support, and struggles,”
Bruce said. “They remember that my dad helped them get jobs
out of college—that the support didn’t stop after graduation.”
Nelson is one of a group of long-tenured coaches who are
pillars in the Auggie community. Others include:
•
Ernie Anderson ’37–Coach of Augsburg’s men’s basketball
team from 1947-1970, Anderson also was athletic director
for 33 years from 1947-1980. His tenure inspired the Ernie
Anderson Court in Si Melby Hall.
•
Marilyn Pearson Florian ’76–Coach of Augsburg’s women’s
volleyball team from 1981-1998, she also was the women’s
athletic director from 1988-2007. She increased the number
of women’s sports and of female student-athletes.
AUGGIE ATHLETICS
•
Edor Nelson ’38–An Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame member,
Nelson coached football from 1947-1969 and baseball from
1946-1979. Augburg’s outdoor athletic field bears his name.
•
Lavonne Johnson Peterson ’50–“Mrs. Pete” led the ‘Auggiettes’
basketball team in 13 unbeaten seasons from the 1950s to
the 1970s and was an instructor until 1980. Augsburg named
the health and physical education center in her honor.
•
Joyce Anderson Pfaff ’65–A pioneer in women’s athletics and
in the establishment of varsity women’s sports, Pfaff was
Augsburg’s first women’s athletic director, serving from 19721998. She also taught for 43 years.
•
Ed Saugestad ’59–Coach of the men’s hockey team from
1958-1996, Saugestad’s championship teams claimed three
NAIA national and six MIAC state titles. One of Augsburg’s
hockey rinks is named in honor of Saugestad, who passed
away in March.
•
Jeff Swenson ’79–Wrestling team coach for 25 years,
Swenson has served the past 10 years as athletic director.
Auggies brought home 10 national wrestling titles under his
leadership, and the wrestling wall of fame bears his name.
Today the commitment of these coaches continues to be honored
through philanthropic initiatives by alumni whom they inspired.
Corky Hall ’71, Augsburg’s first men’s hockey All-American,
is challenging fellow student-athletes-turned-Augsburg-alumni
to raise funds for a named space in the Center for Science,
Business, and Religion (CSBR) to honor Saugestad. (Read more
about Saugestad’s legacy on page 33.)
Mark Rabbe ’53, one of Edor Nelson’s baseball players, is
funding a faculty office in the CSBR to honor the coach. And
additional challenges are underway to honor the centennial of
Edor Nelson’s birth.
These Augsburg alumni—and many others who have stepped
up to join a philanthropic challenge—demonstrate that alumni
athletes recognize the role coaches played in positively shaping
their lives and are willing to seize the opportunity to make a
positive impact on the Auggies of tomorrow.
Summer 2014
15
WE
LOVE
AUGSBURG
THE CLASS OF 2014 SHARES MEMORIES, STORIES,
AND TAKEAWAYS FROM THEIR TIME AS STUDENTS
EDITED BY LAURA SWANSON
This spring, hundreds of new alumni celebrated their graduation at Augsburg College
Commencement ceremonies. While these events often are treated as a conclusion—the
grand finale at the end of years of study and hard work—it’s important to remember that
commencement, in its very definition, marks a beginning or start.
As Augsburg’s newest graduates prepared to launch into new challenges and opportunities with an Augsburg degree in hand, we began to wonder, “What was it about this
campus…this curriculum…this College that they came to appreciate during their time
as students?”
So, we asked.
And the Class of 2014 answered.
This list, in no particular order, includes a brief sample of the things Auggies love about
Augsburg. While it cannot represent all of the College’s valued traits, it does help depict
just how unique the institution is. Our students, our alumni, our location, our heritage,
and our mission help influence this place, just as the College—in turn—shapes many of
these entities. Let’s take a look at why there’s so much to love about Augsburg College
and why it’s such a privilege that WE ARE CALLED AUGGIES.
16
Augsburg Now
2
1
The mission
AUGSBURG COLLEGE
EDUCATES STUDENTS TO BE
INFORMED CITIZENS,
THOUGHTFUL STEWARDS,
CRITICAL THINKERS, AND
RESPONSIBLE LEADERS.
Working to be
“Green by 2019”
“I love [Augsburg’s] effort to make
the world a better place through
means such as eliminating the
It says it all, doesn’t it?
“I love Augsburg’s commitment to being an institution that prepares
students for life beyond academics.” —KIMBERLY CLUB ’14
carbon footprint.”
—MITCHELL FUCHS ’14 MSW
Intentional diversity
“I appreciate Augsburg’s dedication
not only to being a diverse community but also to giving students the
opportunity to fully acknowledge this
through various assignments and
campus activities.”
—SIERRA BARGER ’14
That small-college feel
4
“Augsburg is big enough to
fit your needs, and small
enough that you’ll be noticed.”
Summer 2014
17
The faculty
Professors, teachers, faculty members, instructors, mentors, and
friends. The Class of 2014 used many names to describe the people
at the head of the classroom and the backbone of their education.
And, not surprisingly, these people were the most-cited aspect to
love about Augsburg.
“The faculty are top notch and some of the most caring and
conscientious people I have ever met.” —HOLLY HANSON ’14 MAN
“Professors are understanding and accommodating of nontraditional students’ individual circumstances.”
—MAYA SUTTON ’14 MAE
“I love the close-knit community between students and professors.”
—ANDREW DENT ’14
Life in the city
Augsburg is the only college of the ELCA located in
the heart of a large urban area, and students use
the Twin Cities as a metropolitan classroom where
they can engage with College neighbors, community
partners, and companies large and small.
6
7
“I love Augsburg because of its strong commitment
to its mission and its dedication to being a College
of the city. I have never been anywhere that has a
clearer sense of its identity or that has tried harder to
be a ‘good neighbor.’” —MARTHA TRUAX ’14 MAL,
DIRECTOR OF ANNUAL GIVING
Athletics
Augsburg teammates develop bonds akin to a “second family.” From
hockey to swimming and from basketball to lacrosse, approximately
450 students participate in varsity athletics at the College each year.
It’s a good thing maroon is always in style.
“The bond that was built over the years of workouts, practices, games,
wins, losses, and just hanging out was one of the biggest benefits to
me throughout my college career.” —GARY MARISCAL ’14
8
18
Augsburg Now
The dress code
Okay, okay. Wearing Norwegian sweaters to Velkommen Jul and
bowties with formalwear isn’t actually required. But, it’s fun!
Experiential education
Augsburg was the first Minnesota college or
university to receive the Presidential Award for
Community Service. Each fall, incoming first-year
and transfer students participate in City Service
Day—a day on which the students volunteer at
organizations matched to their degree programs
and learn in the neighborhoods that surround
Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus. Undergraduate
students begin their experiential education on
Day 1, and it’s a priority that extends throughout
each of Augsburg’s degree programs.
9
“I learned how to be a ‘citizen professional,’ and
work collaboratively with others to solve problems.”
—JUDY SCHLAEFER ’14 DNP
Global learning
opportunities
Cohorts
Augsburg undergraduate and
graduate students take courses
around the world. Whether studying business in Germany, nursing
in Namibia, or psychology in Slovenia, Auggies find that learning
and living in a foreign culture
catalyze academic, intercultural,
and personal leadership skills and
Some of Augsburg’s programs follow a cohort
model that allows students to travel together
from course to course, fostering strong relationships between classmates and outlining a clear
path toward a degree.
“The cohort model for the MBA program allows
for great camaraderie!” —AVA BEILKE ’14 MBA
responsible global citizenship.
12
Dining together in Rochester
“Meals for the Rochester students kept [our]
energy up for long evening classes.”
—HEIDI OCHTRUP-DEKEYREL ’14
Small class sizes
13
Augsburg’s undergraduate classes average 13
to 17 students, which allows Auggies to learn
from—and with—their professors and classmates.
Summer 2014
19
Nearby restaurants
When it comes to dining out, the CedarRiverside neighborhood has something for
everyone.
15
“I love that I can get a gyro, chicken curry,
or Chicago-style hot dog all within a couple
blocks of my dorm.”
—SAMANTHA CANTRALL ’14
Tracy’s (just across I-94 on Franklin
Avenue) serves up the “Augsburger,” which
features two beef patties, sharp cheddar
cheese, barbecue sauce, bacon, lettuce,
tomato, mayo, and a side of school spirit.
Yum, yum.
“Tracy’s is amazing and within walking
distance!” —EMMA WINEGAR ’14
Auggie Days
Leading up to the start of the fall semester, this on-campus orientation for
incoming first-year students is so memorable that people think of it as a
highlight of their Augsburg experience—even four years later. Part of the
fun includes a Neighborhood Challenge relay in Murphy Square.
The campus
Not every school is so lucky as to have a
7 ½ Street on campus.
“I love that you can walk anywhere on
campus in less than 10 minutes.”
16
—MOLLIE KING ’14
Peers (of course)
“The people—friendly, genuine, and approachable.”
—DENISE HERRERA ’14 MAL,
SENIOR ADMISSIONS COUNSELOR
“I love the ability to build life-long relationships
with people from many different backgrounds and
from many different places around the world.”
—MATTHEW SCHIRBER ’14
20
Augsburg Now
StepUP®
Augsburg’s StepUP Program helps students champion lives of recovery, achieve
academic success, and thrive in a community of accountability and support.
StepUP annually serves more than 100
students and is the largest residential
collegiate recovery program in the U.S.
18
The skyline
19
The Minneapolis campus has an
eagle-eye view of downtown that’s
perfectly fitting for the Auggie
mascot. (We’ll let you know how
things are coming on the new
Vikings stadium).
“There’s a stellar view of the
city from the top of Mortensen.”
—JOE VOKRACKA ’14
On-campus art galleries, pop-up exhibits…
The staff
20
21
…guest speakers, music ensemble performances, and research festivals.
It isn’t an exaggeration to say that there’s always something happening at Augsburg. Each spring, Zyzzogeton celebrates the creativity and
scholarship of undergraduate students. It’s fun to say—and to attend. The
College also hosts scholars and professionals at the leading edge in students’ academic disciplines and showcases artwork by visiting artists and
Auggies. The exhibition spaces around
campus transform multiple times each
year in order to present an array of
innovative and inspirational pieces.
Zyz·zo·ge·ton
“I love the changing art exhibits.” —WHITNEY WORLEY ’14 MPA
You name it; they do it. In many ways, Augsburg locations are like
small cities unto themselves where students eat, sleep, shop, socialize, learn, and live. Augsburg staff members foster an exceptional
student experience at locations in Minnesota and around the world.
“I love the super helpful and nice financial aid advisers, and the wellorganized Registrar’s Office staff.” —HOLLY REDDY ’14
The changing seasons
Winter sometimes can last a tad too long, but
Minnesota’s seasons certainly add variety to
Augsburg’s academic calendar. Each year the
Quad features fall colors, spring blooms, summer
picnics, and winter snow angels, which means
the weather outside helps to emphasize the timeliness of the College’s in-house traditions.
Summer 2014
21
Nearby sidewalks, trails, and bike lanes
Home of the Greenway and the Chain of Lakes, Minneapolis has
92 miles of on-street bikeways and 85 miles of off-street paths,
not to mention an abundance of pedestrian-only zones.
“I love running and walking on the River Road.”
—LAUREN RICE ’14
24
A snapshot of graduation
The graduating class of 2014 added more than
750 Auggies—from our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs—to the College’s
alumni ranks.
Commencement ceremonies held May 3-4
featured the theme “Thoughtful Stewards,”
which was inspired by the College’s mission
statement and reflected the Augsburg communi-
Arts and culture
Minneapolis has world-class museums, a vibrant dance
scene, and more theater seats per capita than any U.S.
city outside New York. It’s no wonder Minneapolis was
named one of America’s most creative cities, and it’s no
surprise that Auggies take advantage of the visual and
performing arts in their midst.
“I love seeing new work at the Playwright Center just
down the road.” —HANNAH YOUNGQUIST ’14
22
Augsburg Now
ty’s passion for social justice and sustainability.
To see additional photos or watch Commencement
ceremony videos, go to augsburg.edu/now.
25
Its influence
“Augsburg changed how I think.”
—PETER MOORE ’14 MAL
Philosophy
The
AUGGIE VOICES
BEHIND A CAREER
She’s a lawyer, a seasoned business operations
executive, a mother of two, a biotech entrepreneur,
and a restaurant owner. She’s also a philosophy and
political science double major, and an Auggie.
In the years since she graduated from Augsburg
College, Naomi Williamson ’78 has charted a career
path that has taken her into multiple, disparate
industries and types of organizations.
“I like the challenge,” Williamson said. Each new
opportunity introduces “a new orbit of people and a
different knowledge area.”
Indeed: After completing her bachelor’s degree,
Williamson went on to earn a law degree at the
University of Minnesota Law School and worked as
a litigator at Larkin Hoffman, one of Minnesota’s
largest full-service law firms. From there, she joined
Honeywell, where she spent 15 years in contracts,
marketing, sales, process quality, and supply chain
management. After that, she helped a medical
pathologist with a successful biotech start-up, and,
then, in 2007, she started a restaurant with her
husband, Roger Kubicki, and veteran restaurant
owner Michael Kutscheid—while also working on
the side as an aircraft manufacturing contracts and
negotiations consultant.
Williamson’s appetite for digging into a challenge
and seeking new knowledge was evident even before
she launched her professional career, however. She
fell in love with philosophy, she said, after trying to
make sense of the writings of Immanuel Kant.
“It took me four hours to read 40 pages” she
said. “I didn’t fully understand it, but I thought that
if I did, I might be able to find the answers I was
looking for.”
This willingness to do the hard work to make
sense of things is so consistently woven into
Williamson’s educational and career choices that it
appears to be more of an internal drive, a calling,
than a choice.
“I just can’t get myself on easy street,” she
joked. “I’m always doing something to make sure that
my next step is just as hard as the last one.”
Naomi Williamson ’78 is co-owner of Sanctuary, a
restaurant in Minneapolis’ Mill City district. Of all her
career experiences, Williamson said that the restaurant
business is “far and away the most difficult.”
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
Summer 2014
23
What is it
Scenes from undergraduate students’
ON-CAMPUS RESEARCH
BY LAURA SWANSON
Each summer, undergraduate students at Augsburg College work directly
with faculty mentors to complete individually designed research projects
and creative activities. Auggies seeking to enhance their education gain
rich, hands-on experience by participating in research opportunities
sponsored by the College, funded through grants and private gifts, or
offered through federal programs.
Students from all disciplines can participate in summer research.
This year, their topics included designing a tool to sample motor vehicle
pollution; examining immigrants’ influence in community organizations
and politics; cloning and characterization of Daphnia magna, a water flea;
and analyzing the effects of the No Child Left Behind Act on Minneapolis
youth, among many others.
During the research process, students often use specialized materials
and technologies, investigate complex and specific concepts, and explore
existing scholarship and literature.
Can you match each summer research image with its academic discipline?
History
2
Photo by Bill Capman
CAN YOU IDENTIFY
THESE ITEMS?
Exercise Science
English
5
24
Augsburg Now
Social Work
Leading
IN UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
ONE KEY WAY Augsburg College delivers on its commitment to experiential education is through
undergraduate research projects in which Auggies employ their talents and passions. On campus,
these projects are funded through several sources, including Augsburg’s Office of Undergraduate
Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO), National Science Foundation and corporate grants,
private donations, and the McNair Scholars program—a federal TRIO program funded by the U.S.
Department of Education and designed to increase graduate degree attainment by students who are
first-generation, low-income, and/or members of groups underrepresented in graduate education.
3
Chemistry
Physics
Political Science
Women’s Studies
Courtesy image
1
Economics
4
Biopsychology
Computer Science
Biology
Mathematics
6
ANSWERS
Summer 2014
25
Q: What is it?
A: A column that contains a catalyst and through which a stream of reactants move.
Reactants are substances that undergo change during a chemical reaction, and “flow
chemistry” is a process that gets its name from the movement of these materials.
Chemistry
ALAN MEDINA-GONZALEZ ’16
Major: Chemistry, Minors: Biology and Mathematics
Research mentors: Z. Vivian Feng, associate professor of chemistry; and Michael
Wentzel, assistant professor of chemistry
Alan Medina-Gonzalez ’16 chose to participate in summer research because it granted
him the opportunity to spend more time in the lab optimizing a chemical reaction, which
is a fun—albeit time-consuming—puzzle he enjoys solving. “I wanted to see what it was
like to work on a project all day long versus only going into the lab four hours per week as
part of a class,” he said.
Medina-Gonzalez’s research involved setting up chemical reactions using flow
chemistry—a process that helps make reactions more “green” by allowing chemists to
lessen waste generation and to improve energy efficiency and safety. His research goal
included producing a variety of molecules, including acetaminophen—the primary active
ingredient in Tylenol and other medicines—to demonstrate the uses of flow chemistry in
the pharmaceutical industry.
Q: What is it?
A: A foam roller, a tool that breaks up fibrous
tissue in order to increase muscle elasticity
and circulation flow.
Exercise
Science
CAN YOU GUESS?
26
Augsburg Now
BRIANA FELTON ’14
Major: Exercise Science, Minor: Psychology
Research mentors: David Barrett, assistant
professor of health, physical education, and
exercise science; and Tony Clapp, associate
professor of health, physical education, and
exercise science
Briana Felton ’14 chose a summer research project that will help to prepare her for the dream
of attending graduate school to study physical therapy. Felton is a member of the Augsburg
women’s soccer team, and she loves sports and fitness. Athletes commonly use a foam roller
on their muscles for self-myofascial release—a process that applies pressure to trigger points
within muscle tissue and is thought to cause the tissue to relax and become more flexible.
Although the use of foam rollers has become a common practice in therapy and fitness
centers, few peer-reviewed studies have examined its effectiveness. For Felton’s research
project, she conducted a study in which middle-aged adult males participated in an exercise
program utilizing foam rollers. Felton then assessed the study participants’ balance and
functional movement patterns using industry-standard tests to see whether their scores
improved over the course of the study. Higher scores have been shown to correlate with a
person’s decreased risk of injury.
To read a brief overview of Felton’s research findings,
go to augsburg.edu/now.
Biopsychology
Q: What is it?
A: An electroencephalogram (EEG) recording cap, which is used to capture the brain’s
electrical activity while at rest or engaged in mental activity.
BRAD MARCY ’15
Major: Biopsychology, Minor: Chemistry
Research mentor: Henry Yoon, assistant professor
of psychology
Research conducted on substance use disorders often extends to either the biological or
the behavioral aspects of addiction. This summer, Brad Marcy ’15 took on the challenge of
combining both of these aspects into a single study incorporating behavioral information—
in this case, a person’s age of first alcoholic drink (AFD)—and biological data, which was
derived from brain patterns collected through EEG scans.
Marcy and other Augsburg psychology students gathered data by working with student
volunteers, including those in the College’s StepUP® program, which serves students who
are in recovery from addiction. Marcy’s research project involved processing and analyzing
participants’ EEG data in order to identify telltale signs of being at biological or genetic
risk for dependence in these brainwave patterns. He then examined whether an association
exists between this biological information and AFD. By evaluating these variables, Marcy
can later assess their usefulness in refining the diagnosis of substance misuse.
Q: What is it?
A: The examination of journal articles, images, and academic texts—illustrated here—
are key aspects of student researchers’ literature review process. A literature review
discusses published information in a particular subject area.
AWALE OSMAN ’15
Major: Communication Studies, Minor: Women’s Studies
Research mentor: Adriane Brown, assistant professor of women’s studies
“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” said Awale Osman ’15, a McNair research scholar
whose project almost perfectly aligned with his desired career path. Osman began his
undergraduate education at a community college before transferring to Augsburg, and
his research project involved examining the establishment and evolution of women’s
studies, the emergence of gender and masculinity studies, and current dialogue
regarding the field. This work allowed him to combine his interests in communications
and women’s studies into a project that enhanced his academic skills.
Osman would like to return to a community college one day—this time as a
professor instead of as a student. Osman chose his research topic in order to establish
a foundation in the research he hopes will be incorporated in a future doctoral program
that will, eventually, lead to a teaching role in higher education. “I realize I have to be
grounded to be successful in my track,” he said. “So, I’m going for it.”
Women’s Studies
MORE ANSWERS
Summer 2014
27
Biology
Photo by Bill Capman
Q: What is it?
A: The parasitic plant dodder (Cuscuta
pentagona) attached to a host plant from which it
acquires all its water and nutrients.
LUCY BUKOWSKI ’16
Major: Biology, Minor: Environmental Studies
Research mentor: Bill Capman, associate
professor of biology
Courtesy image
Augsburg College students have studied the interactions between dodder and its host
plants since 2008, and this summer Lucy Bukowski ’16 worked on an experiment testing
the hypothesis that a decline in the health of the host plant triggers the dodder to flower.
Bukowski’s project benefitted from the help of a plant pathologist at the University of
Minnesota-Twin Cities who offered greenhouse space, thus providing a larger growing
area and better growing conditions for Bukowski’s research.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to learn more
about the dodder project.
Q: What is it?
A: The Bengali pronoun “Ētā,” which is similar to the English pronoun “it.”
PRITI BHOWMIK ’15 AND BRAM OOSTERLEE ’16
Majors: Computer Science
Research mentor: Shana Watters, associate professor of computer science
Computer
Science
As international students, Priti Bhowmik ’15 and Bram Oosterlee ’16 were attracted
to research linked with the official languages of their home countries. In 2011,
Bhowmik left Bangladesh to attend Augsburg, and she seized the opportunity to use
her background in the Bengali language in combination with her computer science
major. Her research project fell in the field of computational linguistics—a branch
of linguistics in which computer science techniques are applied to the analysis
of language and speech. She explored whether the pronoun “Ētā” has the same
cognitive status as the English pronoun “it.” That is, whether a Bengali speaker, in
determining what Ētā refers to in a sentence, uses his or her short-term memory in
the same manner that an English speaker does when determining what the word “it”
refers to.
Oosterlee, a student from the Netherlands, performed a similar study by
examining the cognitive status of the Dutch pronoun “het.” Bhowmik and Oosterlee’s
work ultimately will contribute to developing systems that enhance how computers
extract information, summarize text, and translate language. One example of the
usefulness of these processes is that they increase the likelihood of returning
accurate content descriptions when doctors use digital medical reference materials
to find information that pertains specifically to a disorder.
28
Augsburg Now
GRANTS GAIN GROUND
Funding enhances the Augsburg experience
How can you better predict the weather on Earth—or in space?
Why do elementary students learn the way they do? And what
makes one person attracted to another?
Augsburg faculty and students are committed to asking
difficult questions and seeking equally complex answers. Each
year, the College’s faculty, staff, and students apply for—and
receive—prestigious grant awards to fund research, continued
scholarship, and academic travel opportunities.
There’s tough competition among grant-seeking institutions,
but Augsburg continues to gain ground and to obtain funding
for new projects. That’s because when Auggies recognize
an opportunity to improve teaching, advance scholarship, or
enhance the student experience, they ask another great question:
WHY NOT?
Participation grows across campus. More and more departments
and groups are seeking grants as a way to enhance students’
educational experience, to build the hands-on problem-solving
skills employers and graduate schools demand, and to propel
Augsburg’s research scholarship to the next level. This past
year, 13 academic departments and groups—up from just seven
departments the previous year—submitted grant proposals,
including:
1. Biology
8. Nursing
2. Chemistry
9. Physics
3. Education
10. Psychology
4. History
11. Social Work
5. Interdisciplinary Collaboration
12. Sociology
6. Mathematics
13. STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics)
7. Management Information
Systems
Here’s a brief overview of Augsburg’s recent grant
achievements:
Augsburg ranks as top-tier NSF grant recipient. Augsburg College
was ranked the top private college in Minnesota for the total
dollar amount awarded by the National Science Foundation in
2012. With three grants totaling just more than $1 million, the
College ranked third among all Minnesota institutions—behind
only the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and the University of
Minnesota-Duluth.
Faculty steer student involvement. Tremendous faculty dedication
is part of the mix, too. More than 50 faculty and staff members
are the driving force behind the College’s 38 active grants.
These teachers coach and guide 324 students in rigorous
research related to climate change, human health, understanding
addiction, and more.
COMPILED BY STEPHANIE WEISS
GRANTS BY THE NUMBERS
Augsburg received 18 new grant awards in
2013-14—up from just seven two years earlier
At the time this publication went to print, Augsburg had 14 grant
proposals still pending, representing a total of $3.2 million
NEW
GRANTS
2012-13
2013-14
17
GRANT
PROPOSALS
24
7
$1.6 MILLION
18 NEW
GRANTS
In 2013-14, Augsburg submitted 24 grant proposals—
up from 17 the prior year
1%
The BREAKDOWN of grants*
by sponsor type
PRIVATE
GRANTS
10%
STATE
GRANTS
89
%
FEDERAL
GRANTS
GRANT
PROPOSALS
*Does not include grants secured by Corporate and Foundation Relations
Summer 2014
29
ALUMNI NEWS
ways to get
involved
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
A-Club
I
Dear alumni and friends,
have served as a member of the Augsburg College Alumni
Board for more than six years, and I am looking forward
to taking on the role of president. During my time on the
Alumni Board, I have seen an increase in the level of our
alumni engagement with the College, and I am inspired by the
alumni who were generous on Give to the Max Day; the alumni who volunteered by planning reunions or mentoring current
students; and the alumni who have invested in Augsburg’s top
priority—the campaign for the Center for Science, Business, and Religion.
Like many of you, I care deeply about this College. Augsburg is one of the most
diverse private colleges in Minnesota, serving more than 2,700 undergraduate students
and 838 graduate students participating in nine advanced degree programs. Augsburg is
committed to its Lutheran heritage with an eye on the 21st century.
At this year’s Commencement, we welcomed hundreds of new members to our
Alumni Association. As alumni, we are a product of Augsburg College and benefit from
its local and national reputation. Alumni play a vital role in the rich history, present success, and future vision of the College.
I invite you to join me and fellow Auggies who are making a difference in the life of
the College.
Sincerely,
CHRIS HALLIN ’88, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Photo by Mark Chamberlain
ALUMNI BOARD
Front Row [L to R]: Chris Hallin ’88, Marie
Odenbrett ’01, Jill Watson ’10 MBA, Sharon
Engelland ’87, Melissa Hoepner ’92, Patricia
Jesperson ’94, Adriana Matzke ’13; Back Row
[L to R]: Brent Peroutka ’02, Adrienne Kuchler
Eldridge ’02, Meg Schmidt Sawyer ’00, Sarah
Grans ’01, Nick Rathmann ’02, Tracy Severson
’95, Rick Bonlender ’78; Not Pictured: Rachel
Engebretson ’98, Frank Grazzini ’96, Holly
Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA, Michael Loney ’03,
Sharon Mercill ’09, Jerry Polland ’92, Greg
Schnagl ’91, Nick Slack ’02, Nick Swanson ’09
The Augsburg College Alumni Board is pleased to welcome new members.
ADRIENNE KUCHLER ELDRIDGE ’02 graduated from Augsburg with a major
in youth and family ministry and a minor in sociology. As a student, she was
involved in Campus Ministry and Residence Life, served as an orientation leader,
and studied abroad. Today Eldridge works at River’s Edge Academy charter school.
This fall, she will begin a graduate program at St. Catherine University, where she
plans to study ethics and leadership.
“I chose Augsburg for my college education as an undergrad student because
of the Youth and Family Ministry program and [the College’s] solid Lutheran values.
My experiences at Augsburg were always hands-on, service-oriented, and growth-filled.”
30
Augsburg Now
All new Alumni Board member
photos by Mark Chamberlain.
The A-Club is an organization of
former and current Augsburg College
athletes—as well as friends of the
College—committed to providing
student-athletes with the opportunity
to have a quality athletic experience.
A-Club members participate in events,
service projects, and fundraising
initiatives that support Auggie athletic
teams, the athletic department, and
the mission of the College.
Alumni Board
The Alumni Board is the governing
body of the Alumni Association.
Together with the Office of Alumni
and Constituent Relations, the
Alumni Board provides resources and
opportunities to engage alumni with
the College and each other through
consistent communication, inclusive
programming, and intentional
relationship building.
Auggie in Residence
The Auggie in Residence program is
a way for alumni and friends of the
College to share their professional
expertise and vocation. This flexible
program allows the community to
connect with current students, faculty,
and staff members through a variety of
opportunities that range from speaking
to a class to having lunch with a
student organization.
Augsburg Builds Connections (ABC)
The ABC mentoring program is
designed to enable alumni and parent
professionals to provide information,
encouragement, and support to
students. This flexible volunteer
program allows mentors to connect
with students via email, phone, or
face-to-face meetings and assist them
in navigating their career paths and
achieving their professional goals.
Augsburg College Associates
MELISSA HOEPNER ’92 attended Augsburg from 1988 to 1990 before transferring
to California Lutheran University where, in 1992, she graduated with a major in
psychology and a minor in art. Today, Hoepner is a human resources consultant.
As an alumna, she has remained involved by serving as a mentor for current
students. She has also served as a member of the church council at Peace
Lutheran Church in Bloomington, Minn., and is a programming volunteer with the
Twin Cities Human Resources Association.
PATRICIA JESPERSON ’94 graduated from Augsburg’s Weekend College with a
major in business administration and minor in marketing. She serves as the
area vice president for Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Jesperson’s career in business
has been distinguished by her extensive volunteer experiences in the areas of
program development and diversity.
“While I see Augsburg as innovative and inclusive in its approach to
education, I also see this as a time for significant change and opportunity in
private, four-year educational programs—a time that drives the need to think
beyond the box in light of competition from MOOCs [Massive Open Online Courses], for-profit colleges,
technical programs, the economy, etc. It’s an exciting time to be part of a team invested in Augsburg’s
long-term success.”
ADRIANA MATZKE ’13 graduated from Augsburg’s Weekend College with a degree
in business management. She serves as the director of financial assistance and
admissions coordinator for The Blake School. Matzke served a year on the parish
council at her church, and on Blake’s original diversity committee. She and her
husband served as presenters with World Wide Marriage Encounter.
“I am confident that serving on the Alumni Board will be a positive way
for me to give back to the community and to stay connected to a school that
I felt so a part of for the last few years. I am a strong advocate for the [adult
undergraduate] program and would love to help find ways to support other students.”
NICK RATHMANN ’02 graduated from Augsburg with a degree in education. As
a student, he played on the baseball and basketball teams and worked in the
athletics office. His experience as a student prepared him for his career serving
as the director of athletics and PK-12 physical education department chair for
The Blake School. Rathmann volunteers for his church, and serves on The Blake
Road Collaborative.
“Serving on the Alumni Board will give me an incredible opportunity to give
back to a school that has given me so much. Augsburg was a transformational
experience for me, and anything I can do to help others have that same type of experience is important
to me.”
MEG SCHMIDT SAWYER ’00 graduated from Augsburg with a major in business
administration and a minor in information systems. As a student, she played
hockey, softball, and golf. She was involved in Campus Ministry, a contributor for
The Echo, a Regents and Community Service Scholar, and part of the studentathlete mentor program. Today she is the chief communications officer for Youth
Encounter. She has served on the A-Club Board, and was inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame for women’s hockey in 2012.
“I had a life-changing experience at Augsburg College and welcome the
opportunity to give back to the College that made me who I am today.”
GREG SCHNAGL ’91 graduated from Augsburg with a major in management and minors in economics
and management information systems. As a student, he played football and hockey. He is the founder
and editor of TeacherCentricity.com. Schnagl is pursuing an advanced degree in educational leadership
at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. He taught elementary and middle school for the past twenty
years, both nationally and internationally. His most recent position was in the Centennial School District
where he also served as a coach and board member for Centennial Youth Hockey Association.
“I am looking to deepen my commitment to Augsburg by engaging in a leadership role designed to
facilitate the financial and personal participation of alumni and promote the benefits of an Augsburg
education to future students.”
The Augsburg College Associates
is a service auxiliary of volunteers
whose mission includes fundraising
for special projects and scholarships.
The Associates’ commitment to the
College is evident in the group’s
ongoing support of fundraising events
including estate sales, Velkommen
Jul, and the Scandinavian boutique.
Funds raised each year support special
projects and scholarships.
Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE)
AWE is a catalyst for tapping the
potential for women to connect, learn,
and give. AWE members believe all
women have knowledge, experience,
and resources to share. Therefore,
Augsburg alumnae are invited to make
meaningful connections with and for
women by participating with an AWE
Action Team.
Campus Kitchen
The Campus Kitchen program at
Augsburg College makes healthy food
accessible to people in and around the
Cedar-Riverside neighborhood while
also providing opportunities for service
learning, leadership development, and
engagement between the College and
community. Campus Kitchen serves
2,000 meals a month at community
centers, provides about 80 community
garden spaces on campus, hosts two
farmers markets, and offers educational
programming to the community.
College Liaisons
Augsburg College Liaisons are alumni,
parents, and friends of the College
from across the U.S. and around
the world who serve as an extension
of the College by connecting with
prospective students at college fairs.
Dozens of fairs are held each year—in
high schools, churches, hotels, and
conference centers. College Liaisons
help to describe the Augsburg
experience to interested students and
their families.
Summer 2014
31
Augsburg Centennial Singers
honor Al Reesnes ’58
The Augsburg Centennial Singers, men of
faith sharing that faith through songs of
praise, honored Al Reesnes ’58 by performing a
special concert in mid-May at House of Prayer
Centennial Singers [L to R]: Paul Christensen ’59,
Mert Strommen ’42, and Al Reesnes ’58
Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.
Reesnes served as director of the group for 11 years and will move from his
leadership position to a vocalist role with the ensemble. Paul Christensen ’59 succeeded Reesnes as director of the Singers. Christensen is the third director for the
group, which was established in 1993 under the direction of Mert Strommen ’42.
The chorus originally was formed by former Augsburg quartet members who came
together to sing for the College’s Homecoming celebration. The group traveled to
Norway in 1994 to mark the centennial of the first Augsburg College gospel quartet,
and toured again in Norway in 2001.
Courtesy Photo
A 500-year anniversary
celebration in Germany, October 2016
On October 31, 2017 Lutherans
worldwide will mark the 500th
anniversary of when Martin Luther
posted the 95 Theses on the church
doors in Wittenberg, Germany. Augsburg
College is rooted in the faith and values
of the Lutheran church and is offering
alumni and friends of the College the
opportunity to learn about this heritage.
For travelers interested in discovering
more about the Germany of Luther
and the Reformation, October 2016
is a great opportunity to make the
pilgrimage! Join Hans Wiersma and
Mark Tranvik, Augsburg College religion
faculty members and Reformation
32
Augsburg Now
historians, for an enriching experience
in the Land of Luther.
The tour itinerary includes stops in
the German cities of Berlin, Dresden,
Eisenach, Erfurt, and Leipzig and in
Prague, Czech Republic. This is an
opportunity to explore the connections
among people, cultures, and historical
events while examining the Reformation
as an ongoing influence in the 21st
century.
To receive updates about this
alumni tour as plans are finalized, email
alumni@augsburg.edu, or call
612-330-1085 to be included on a
mailing list.
Photo by Ben Krouse-Gagne ’11
ALUMNI NEWS
ways to get
involved
Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL)
Alumni Board
The MAL Alumni Board engages MAL
students and alumni in advancing
the Center for Leadership Studies at
Augsburg College.
Parent and Family Council
The Parent and Family Council
includes parents and families of
current Augsburg students, and helps
Augsburg families stay up to date on
campus events and feel connected
with students and the College.
Scholastic Connections
Scholastic Connections is a
scholarship and mentorship program
for high-achieving undergraduate
students of color at Augsburg
College. The program is designed to
assist students in completing their
undergraduate degrees. Through
career planning and development
support, it prepares them to be
engaged, successful citizens of the
world upon graduation.
StepUP® Advisory Board
StepUP is a program for men and
women pursuing a college education
while in recovery from addiction. The
StepUP Advisory Board increases
philanthropic support for, and visibility
of, the program’s endowment.
Young Alumni Council
This volunteer group is comprised of
alumni who have graduated within
the previous 10 years. The Young
Alumni Council’s mission is to
provide dynamic and engaging social
and educational opportunities for
alumni. Members serve as an advisory
council to the Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations.
To participate, email
alumni@augsburg.edu.
AUGSBURG ALUMNI HONOR
Archive p
hotos
ED SAUGESTAD ’59
THROUGH FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE
Ed Saugestad ’59 is “plain and simply, a legend,” according to
Jeff Swenson ’79, Augsburg College athletic director. Saugestad
led the Auggie men’s hockey team to 503 victories and three
national championships. He was football coach and athletic
director. The ice arena’s main rink carries his name.
But the legacy of “Big Man,” who died in March of
pancreatic cancer after serving Augsburg for 39 years and
retiring in 1996, goes far beyond athletics. As a soft-spoken
teacher, mentor, and source of courage and inspiration, he
made a difference. If Corky Hall ’71 is any indication, he also
instilled generosity and gratitude.
“He is the person who kindled the fire in me, and I think
he did that for many, many people,” Hall said. He and his wife,
Lori, led the charge to name Saugestad Hall in the Center for
Science, Business, and Religion (CSBR) with their $25,000
pledge—a first step toward the $150,000 naming goal and
a tribute to the CSBR as a visual symbol of strength and
connection.
When we build the CSBR, “[Augsburg’s] facilities will grow
to match the quality of our faculty,” said Hall. “Coach had a
huge effect on all of us.”
A gifted athlete who became both hockey and football
captain, Hall had few academic expectations when he entered
Augsburg. His parents hadn’t finished high school, no one in
his family had attended college, and homework was a foreign
concept. Yet, one day, he managed to ace a test in Saugestad’s
tough physiology class.
“Ed was the first person to tell me that I was smart,”
he recalled. “He set me on a path I wouldn’t have found
otherwise.” That path led him to a career that included starting,
with classmate Bill Urseth ’71, one of the nation’s leading
promotional marketing agencies, U.S. Communications, U.S.
Restaurants, and U.S. Studios; launching a brand consultancy,
Hall Batko; and founding Stellus Consulting, which helps
corporate leaders envision and brand their companies.
It also led him to realize that great mentoring builds strong
bridges—between athletics and academics, between teachers
and students, and between gratitude and giving back.
“Augsburg needs great facilities for athletes to develop
their academic side,” he said. “Ed made the bridge for me
between athletics and academics, and if I hadn’t gotten strong
academics at Augsburg, I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
I want to give a gift that says ‘thank you’ to Ed for making such a
difference in my life.”
Hall has found that his fellow
Augsburg alumni have similar gratitude for
Saugestad’s commitment and are willing to
echo his “thank you.”
“Corky is so respected by the Augsburg
community that, when he steps forward, he sets
a tone with his leadership. That’s the momentum
we need,” said Keith Stout, Augsburg College
director of principal gifts. “He wants everyone
involved, participating at any level. If they’re grateful for their
time with Ed, it’s their chance to honor his legacy.”
By May, the initiative had raised $105,000.
“He deserves it,” Hall said. “Ed did so much to make our
lives better. Now it’s our turn.”
Get Social
Find Augsburg Alumni across a variety of social media channels.
“Like” the Augsburg College Alumni Association on
Facebook for fun contests, trivia, photos, news, and more.
facebook.com/AugsburgAlumni
Tag @Augsburg_Alumni in your tweets, and the College
may help share your news. Or, simply follow
@Augsburg_Alumni on Twitter to learn about upcoming
events and read College updates.
twitter.com/augsburg_alumni
Make connections with fellow Auggies and join
discussions about careers and networking through the
Augsburg College Alumni group on LinkedIn.
goo.gl/UJ9BkO
Check out the “Auggies through the ages” board on
Pinterest for a slice of College history.
pinterest.com/augsburgcollege
Visit Augsburg’s YouTube channel for a video archive of
alumni lectures, events, and more.
youtube.com/augsburgcollege
No matter where you are in the world, you can join the Augsburg
College social media conversation!
Summer
Spring 2014
2014
17
33
ALUMNI NEWS
HOMECOMING 2014
SEPTEMBER 22-27
IS BACK!
Save the date for Give to the Max Day 2014.
On Thursday, November 13, Augsburg College
once again will participate in Give to the Max
Day, a one-day online giving event in which
donors around the world support their favorite
Minnesota nonprofits.
Give to the Max Day is also a competition,
and last year Augsburg raised more money
than any other Minnesota college or
university. A total of 837 donors gave more
than $313,000 to Augsburg in just 24
hours. Augsburg also placed fourth among all
nonprofits overall. Many alumni, parents, and
friends took to social media throughout the
day to share Augsburg’s rankings and to keep
tabs on the College’s progress.
Augsburg faculty, staff, and students
from across campus are preparing for
another successful Give to the Max Day by
setting up their own fundraising projects
and encouraging donors to support Augsburg
causes close to their hearts—such as
volleyball, student research funding, the
StepUP® program, and more. There is no limit
to the number of projects donors can give
to. In fact, many Augsburg donors gave to
multiple projects last year.
Watch for updates about Give to the Max Day in
the coming months.
For more information, contact Martha Truax at
612-330-1652 or truaxm@augsburg.edu.
34
Augsburg Now
Homecoming 2014 is a great time to come home to Augsburg. Alumni,
families, and friends—get ready for a fun-filled week of celebration. New
events along with old favorites make this one of the best times to visit
campus. Go to augsburg.edu/homecoming to find additional information
and to register.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
Friday, September 26
Saturday, September 27
Homecoming Convocation with
Distinguished Alumni Awards
Taste of Augsburg
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center,
10 to 11:30 a.m.
Recognizing the First Decade, Spirit
of Augsburg, and Distinguished
Alumni Award winners.
Faculty and Faculty Emeriti
Meet and Greet
Old Main, 4 p.m.
Reconnect with faculty from
your time at Augsburg College
and take the opportunity to meet
current faculty from a variety of
departments.
Auggie Hours
Old Main, 6 to 8:15 p.m.
Back by popular demand, this
homecoming social hour is being
brought to campus.
Homecoming Weekend Fireworks
Murphy Square, 8:15 p.m.
All are invited to kick-off
homecoming weekend with a full
fireworks display.
Murphy Square, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
This event includes carnival-style
booths operated by student groups,
alumni, and local restaurants, as
well as games, inflatable bounce
houses, and fun for the entire
family.
Homecoming Football Game vs.
Gustavus Adolphus College
Edor Nelson Field, 1 p.m.
Cheer on the Auggie football team
as they take on the Gustavus
Gusties.
Auggie Block Party
Parking Lot K, 3:30 to 6 p.m.
Immediately following the football
game, enjoy live music, s’mores,
and more.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
77
70
Ray Hanson is working
for TASC, Inc. Hanson
is a scientist working on
countermeasures for multi-drugresistant bacteria.
72
Kathleen Edmond joined the
law firm of Robins, Kaplan,
Miller & Ciresi LLP as counsel with
the business litigation group in
Minneapolis. She most recently
served as chief ethics officer at
Best Buy. Edmond serves as an
advisory board member for the
University of St. Thomas Law
School where she provides curriculum guidance for the master’s
degree in organizational ethics
and compliance. She is also an
executive fellow at the Center for
Ethical Business Cultures at the
University of St. Thomas.
Sonja (Daniels) Zapchenk has served Eaglecrest, a Presbyterian
Homes community in Roseville, Minn., for 20 years and is now
recreation and volunteer director. She is also the intergenerational
coordinator, which provides the special opportunity to lead
activities for senior residents and the toddlers and preschoolers
who attend a childcare center in the same facility.
74
William “Bill” Axness is the
2014 Minnesota Society
of Health-System Pharmacists
(MSHP) Hallie Bruce Memorial
Lecture Award recipient. The
award is presented to an individual of high moral character, good
citizenship, and high professional
ideals who has made significant
contributions to the profession of
pharmacy in Minnesota. Axness
is a pharmacy manager at Allina
Hospice and Palliative Care.
79
Rev. David Halaas was
installed as pastor of St.
Mark Lutheran Church in Sioux
City, Iowa.
87
Jenni Lilledahl co-founded
the new Twin Cities location
of Gilda’s Club after losing her
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
69
Janis “Matty” Mathison had a banner
year in 2013. She organized Walk to
School programs at several schools, served
on the Board of Shawano Pathways (a
Shawano, Wis., group promoting safer and
better pedestrian and cyclist opportunities),
raised $20,000 in matching grant funds for
sister, Teri Svare, to cancer. Gilda’s
Club serves cancer patients and
those who love them. Named after
Saturday Night Live comedian
Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian
cancer, this new clubhouse is
a place where cancer patients
and their families and friends
can de-stress in the mind-body
studio, take a nutrition class in the
kitchen, and meet with others for
emotional and social support. Not
only is Gilda’s Club an oasis for
those touched by cancer, it offers
all of its services free of charge.
62
Shawano Pathways, and led the effort to host
a supported bike tour of Shawano County
called Bike the Barn Quilts. Wisconsin Public
Television came to Shawano to interview her
about the bike tour, which in its first year drew
180 participants and 50 volunteers. Mathison
also organized a large fundraiser for a former
student who was battling brain cancer. These
and many other community contributions
earned Mathison the “Distinguished Citizen
of the Year” award for Shawano County. This
year, she is planning the second Bike the Barn
Quilts ride, organizing a Let’s Get Moving!
campaign, and finalizing maps for Park to
Park walking and biking routes in the city of
Shawano. She also was among the inaugural
inductees into the new Wisconsin Volleyball
Coaches Hall of Fame.
89
Sue Hakes has been
selected as a 2014 Bush
Fellow. The Bush Foundation
is committed to supporting and
developing leaders who are better
equipped and better networked to
effectively lead change. The work
of the fellowship is to blend opportunities for personal development
with efforts to effectively engage
with others.
In January, Luther Seminary honored Pastor Ron
Nelson with the 2014 Faithfulness in Ministry
Cross Award, which recognizes seminary alumni
who have demonstrated exemplary ministries
as a symbol of the multitudes of graduates who
serve faithfully wherever they are called.
90
Jennifer Carlson moved back to
Washington, D.C., in fall 2011. In
December 2013, she accepted a position
with Evolent Health as director of technical
project management for data warehouse client
implementations. She was in Italy for 10 days
this past October.
Summer 2014
35
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
89
Brynn (Mundahl) Watson was honored by Lockheed Martin with a 2013 Full Spectrum
Leadership NOVA Award. The company grants the NOVA Award to select employees who
have made outstanding contributions to customers, business, and strategic goals. In a
workforce of more than 115,000, only 58 awards were granted in 2013.
in income. As part of his award,
Thrivent Financial will donate
$5,000 in his name to VEAP, and
he will be recognized at a national
conference in front of his peers.
89
Devoney Looser has taken
a position as professor of
English at Arizona State University.
She and her husband, George
Justice, are Jane Austen scholars
and were featured in a chapter of
Deborah Yaffe’s book, Among the
Janeites: A Journey Through the
World of Jane Austen Fandom.
90
Alex Gonzalez, a member of
the Augsburg College Board
of Regents, received the 2013
Thrivent Financial “Volunteer of
the Year” award for work in his
community. Gonzalez is one of three
financial representatives recognized
for community involvement and
generosity out of the more than
2,400 Thrivent Financial representatives nationwide.
Gonzalez works with Volunteers
Enlisted to Assist People (VEAP), an
organization with service programs
that help alleviate the financial
stress that low-income individuals
and families face as the result of
unexpected expenses or lapses
Beth (Josephson) Cronk
completed the master of
library and information science
degree through the University of
Wisconsin-Milwaukee in December.
She is the Meeker County librarian
for Pioneerland Library System.
01
Carrie (Lind) Cabe earned a
master of arts degree with a
community education administration emphasis from the University
of St. Thomas in 2013. She is
the community resources and
adult involvement coordinator for
Edina Public Schools Community
Education.
08
Sara Horishnyk is enrolled
in the arts and cultural
management graduate program at
St. Mary’s University of Minnesota.
06
Maureen Parker Marrandino
with her husband, Martin
Marrandino, and son, Cyrus,
welcomed daughter Penelope
Carol on January 11.
06
Sara Schlipp-Riedel and
Aaron Riedel ’07 welcomed
daughter Charlotte Elizabeth on
New Year’s Eve 2013.
10
In April, Roxanne (Johnson)
Nelson accepted a new job
as a rebate assistant at Donaldson
Company in the engine aftermarket
rebate program.
68
Augsburg Now
Maja Lisa FritzHuspen was
married May 25, 2013, to
Don Roupe. Auggies from the
Class of 2004 attending included
Adam Nugent, Carolina (Chiesa)
Nugent, and Jennifer (Holm)
Schmitt. FritzHuspen is selfemployed as an opera singer and
voice teacher.
93
In February, a Rotary Club in Loveland, Colo., honored Earl Sethre with
its Citizen of the Year Award. The award recognizes a non-Rotarian in the
community who lives out the four-way test, which asks the
questions: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it
build good will and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to
all concerned? Sethre stood out to the selection committee
because of his charitable work and the number of groups
he serves.
36
04
09
Abby Ferjak married Becca
Seely on September 1
at Yale Divinity School in New
Haven, Conn. Attendants included
Bethany Hellerich, Stephanie
(Holman) Hubbard, and Kayla
Skarbakka, Augsburg College
alumnae from the Class of 2009.
12
Alison (Witt) Ellertson married Cory Ellertson ’11 in
June 2013. Four Auggies pictured
at the wedding are [L to R]: Ashley
Kappes ’11, Alison, Cory, and
Brittany Rueb ’11.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Beth Franklin was featured in
a Star Tribune article in which
she described how her studies
led her to a “dream job” as a
Certified Public Accountant at
a firm serving writers, artists,
and musicians. At Augsburg,
Franklin had a double major in
music business and accounting.
The article quoted her as
saying, “I thought I’d work in
international business or for
Sony in New York. The first day
of class, the professor said,
‘Accounting is the most fun
you could have with a pencil.’ I
took my first test and aced it. I
decided, ‘I like this.’”
09
06
While at Augsburg, Kasey Yoder started
coaching youth hockey and has seen his
hard work pay off. During 2013-14, his first
year at Orono (Minn.) High School, he took
his team to the state hockey tournament. He also
was selected Section 2A Coach of the Year. Yoder
says one of the most exciting challenges in coaching
high school hockey is keeping the kids focused,
especially with everything else they have going on
in their lives. Yoder works to help young people find
balance while still being committed to success at
the arena.
WE ARE CALLED.
AUGGIES.
Andrew Kent served as goalie coach for the
Finland women’s hockey team during the
2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. A
goalie for the Augsburg men’s hockey team
from 2005 to 2009, Kent turned his love of
hockey into a profession and serves as a
director of goaltender development for MEGA
Goaltending, a Twin Cities-based development
center for hockey goalies. He also has served
as a volunteer goalie coach for the University
of Minnesota’s women’s hockey
team for the past four seasons,
which led to his role on the
Finland coaching staff for the
Olympics.
09
14
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
While studying elementary education at Augsburg, Josh Thelemann
founded a nonprofit organization that
takes at-risk kids off the streets and
provides programs that give them a
fair shot. He named it SOS (Saving
Our Schools).
RESOURCE promoted Heidi
Kammer ’00 MSW from director
of its center for recovery services
to vice president of chemical and
mental health. She is regarded
highly by her peers and has
a passionate commitment to
RESOURCE’s mission of reducing
the disparities experienced by
the people they serve. Once
functioning as two separate
divisions, RESOURCE’s chemical
and mental health programs are in
the process of being integrated.
Susie Schatz ’09 MSW was
named director of advocacy
and volunteer services for St.
Paul-based Lutheran Social
Service of Minnesota, the state’s
oldest and largest human service
organization. In the new position,
she oversees advocacy efforts
to improve services and public
policies for people served by
the statewide organization. She
also oversees volunteer efforts
across Minnesota that advance
the mission of Lutheran Social
Service.
John Cerrito wrote the article “It’s Not
About Getting a Job, It’s About Finding a
Vocation,” for College News. In the story, he
described how internship opportunities at a
Twin Cities radio station helped him discover
and develop an enjoyable career before he
completed his degree.
11
Summer 2014
37
In memoriam
JOHN AND NORMA PAULSON
The Atrium-Link, funded in part by the Paulson family, is adorned with
a Dala horse, a nod to John’s pride in his Swedish heritage. The link is
named in memory of John’s parents, Rose E. and Johnny E. Paulson, and is
dedicated by John R. Paulson, Sr., and his children, John Reid Paulson, Mary
Jo (Paulson) Peterson ’80, Deborah Stansbury, Laurie (Paulson) Dahl ’76,
and Lisa Paulson ’80.
This summer, scenes of remembrance and honor unfolded on the the Center for Science, Business, and Religion—a capital project
John’s daughter Lisa said is fitting given her family’s numerous
beaches of Normandy as World War II veterans and their loved
career ties to the health, science, and business fields.
ones marked the 70th anniversary of D-Day—the battle recogAugsburg College President Emeritus William Frame recalls
nized as the largest sea invasion in history. The occasion was
that John and Norma were passionate about their family and
reminiscent of commemorations attended years ago by John and
friends, their hobbies and interests, and their call to better the
Norma Paulson, caring parents of Augsburg alumni and generous
world. “They were a sight from the 1930s—John driving Norma
benefactors of Augsburg College. John returned to France several
in a Packard touring car up to Augsburg House, stamping down
times as a D-Day +1 survivor. Norma joined him as a passionate
to applause…more of his panache than of his great car,” Frame
steward of history. And, together, they formed a couple who—
said. “That’s the way they ‘drove up’ to the dedication of the
when abroad—could unite people across countries and—when at
Link” and their gifts to the College.
home in Minnesota—could connect a congregation, campus, or
Throughout their lives, John
community.
and Norma connected the past to
John, who passed away June
the present and future. Whether
7, 2012—68 years to the day
Norma was funding fieldtrips for
after D-Day +1—and Norma,
grade school students from her
who passed away March 5, are
hometown of Redwood Falls,
remembered for their commitMinn. to visit the Minnesota
ted involvement in Twin Cities
Historical Society in St. Paul or
organizations ranging from Rotary
John was contributing to an organ
to Shriners, and from the Classic
fund that allowed young musiCar Club of America to the Purple
cians to practice, the Paulsons
Heart Association. The Paulsons
ensured future generations could
were successful in their careers—
At the 60th anniversary commemoration of D-Day,
engage with varying aspects of
John as a builder and Norma as a
Norma and John met and talked with actor Tom Hanks.
history.
banker—and made deeply meaningAugsburg College Pastor Emeritus David Wold recalls the
ful philanthropic gifts throughout their lives.
Paulsons as “people of tremendous faith and commitment.”
While neither John nor Norma attended Augsburg, three of
“I learned so much from John in my days at Calvary Lutheran
John’s children and a son-in-law are alumni of the College—Mary
Church and in my years at Augsburg College,” Wold said. “I
Jo (Paulson) Peterson ’80, Laurie (Paulson) Dahl ’76, David Dahl ’75,
learned about patriotism…about work ethic, about family,
and Lisa Paulson ’80. The couple’s lifetime gifts to Augsburg
about resiliency through tragedy, about benevolence, and about
exceed $2 million. In 2001, the Paulson family provided major
Packards.”
funding to complete the Atrium-Link that connects Lindell
And, Wold says he learned about the Paulsons’ “commitment
Library via skyway to an atrium between Memorial and Sverdrup
to the young and the old and to those in between.”
halls and, in 2006, they were early donors to the campaign for
38
Augsburg Now
In memoriam
Ruth A. (Guldseth) Kallevig ’43,
New Hope, Minn., age 92, on
January 29.
Cora A. (Rishovd) Steen ’44,
Phoenix, Ariz., age 93, on
January 26.
Tenner C. Thompson II ’45,
Alexandria, Minn., age 89, on
December 23.
Willis H. Johnson ’47, Willmar,
Minn., age 88, on November 1.
Carroll N. Anderson ’48, Madison,
Wis., age 89, on April 6.
Sylvia G. (Sateren) Elness ’48,
Turlock, Calif., age 87, on
December 1.
Carl N. Germundson ’48, New
Brighton, Minn., age 92, on
February 24.
Gloria (Gregguson) Johnson ’48,
Golden Valley, Minn., age 87,
on April 23.
Richard “Dick” V. Lucas ’50,
Jordan, Minn., age 87, on
January 18.
Ida Marie (Eggen) Benson ’51,
Wanamingo, Minn., age 83, on
December 24.
Wayne E. Sampson ’51,
Stillwater, Minn., age 84, on
February 22.
Bernice E. Broberg ’52, Dunseith,
N.Dak., age 83, on February 13.
Glenn E. Sieth ’52, Appleton,
Wis., age 84, on January 31.
Professor Emeritus Erwin D.
Mickelberg ’54, Bloomington,
Minn., age 87, on May 3.
Helen (Halvorson) Hjermstad ’55,
Jacksonville, Fla., age 80, on
March 17.
Ruth L. (Loland) Jarvis ’56,
Greenacres, Wash., age 79, on
March 30.
Arthur N. Johnson ’58, Crystal,
Minn., age 82, on December 1.
Gary E. Turner ’58, Hemmet,
Calif., age 78, on April 13.
Marcus W. Johnson ’59,
Moundsview, Minn., age 76, on
November 27.
Ock “Peggy” H. (Kim) Moss ’59,
Longwood, Fla., age 78, on
January 11.
Professor Emeritus Edwin J.
Saugestad ’59, Minneapolis, age
77, on March 20.
Audrey M. (Halvorson) Hovland ’61,
Alexandria, Minn., age 76, on
February 25.
Jeanette “Jeanie” L. (Robinson)
Thorpe ’62, Kandiyohi, Minn.,
age 73, on February 27.
Judy (Thompson) Eiler ’65,
Minneapolis, age 70, on
January 25.
John A. Fundingsland ’69, Eden
Prairie, Minn., age 67, on
November 26.
Stephen E. Smestad ’70, St. Clair,
Minn., age 65, on February 2.
Lavonne “Vonnie” L. Pearson ’73,
St. Paul, age 63, on April 19.
Kevin L. Boettcher ’84, Eagan,
Minn., age 52, on March 23.
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi
or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral
notice, or program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to:
Augsburg Now Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave.,
Minneapolis, MN 55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also
submit news at augsburg.edu/alumni.
______________________________________________________
Full name
______________________________________________________
Maiden name
______________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
______________________________________________________
Street address
______________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
______________________________________________________
Home telephone
______________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? q Yes q No
______________________________________________________
Employer
Richard T. Olson ’86,
Minneapolis, age 55, on
December 9.
______________________________________________________
Position
Sean A. Danforth ’91, Monticello,
Minn., age 45, on February 1.
______________________________________________________
Work telephone
Susan G. (Strawn) Strawn-Whitney
’94, Excelsior, Minn., age 48,
on April 27.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Melinda R. Longfors ’02, Maple
Grove, Minn., age 34, on
January 28.
______________________________________________________
Spouse’s name (include maiden name, if applicable)
Rae S. Ormsby ’03, Pine Island,
Minn., age 68, on February 14.
Professor Emerita Beverly C.
Durkee, Edina, Minn., age 83,
on March 31.
If yes, class year___________________________________________
Your news:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Wayne C. Johnson ’58,
Minneapolis, age 83, on
March 10.
Summer 2014
39
IT TAKES AN AUGGIE
AN AUGSBURG LEGACY
LARRY AND CHERYL ’89 CROCKETT
Whether they are traveling five states
by motorcycle from Minnesota to
Tennessee, he’s teaching across
two of Augsburg College’s academic
departments, or she’s pursuing an
undergraduate degree while raising
toddlers, there’s one thing Larry and
Cheryl ’89 Crockett know well: How
to cross boundaries to arrive at a
destination that expands their horizons
and inspires others.
40
Augsburg Now
The Crocketts have a shared love
for exploring the richness that exists at
the intersections of seemingly different
frontiers. For more than 30 years, Larry
has served as an Augsburg professor of
religion and computer science. During
that time, Cheryl has experienced—
both as a student and as an Augsburg
volunteer—the rich conversations that
cross disciplines at the College.
That’s why the Crocketts decided
to make a $50,000 estate gift to the
Augsburg College campaign for the
Center for Science, Business, and
Religion (CSBR).
Both Larry and Cheryl recognize that
students in today’s world must engage in
discussions and solve complex problems
in a multinational world where science,
business, and religion intersect. And,
they’re helping to pollinate those
conversations by supporting the CSBR:
Augsburg’s boundary-breaking academic
building.
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
To read more about Larry and Cheryl or to learn about the Center
for Science, Business, and Religion, go to augsburg.edu/now.
GET IT RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW
Get the print edition of Augsburg Now, and more,
on your Apple or Android tablet.
Current and previous digital issues of Augsburg Now are moving out of Apple Newsstand and into a new standalone app called “Augsburg Gallery,” available on your Apple or Android tablet and offering readers even more
dynamic content. This digital experience allows you to interact with the content in a whole new way.
The new Augsburg Gallery app includes the latest issue of Augsburg Now and a special publication called
President’s Messages 2012-14. To find this new app on your tablet, search for “Augsburg Gallery” (include the
quotation marks in your search) on the Apple App Store or Google Play. For more information, go to augsburg.
edu/now/tablet.
These tablet versions are available.
AUGGIE HAS AN
APP FOR THAT!
Augsburg Gallery app
The current issue is available in
the new Augsburg Gallery app.
Photo by Tom Roster
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Auggies go green!
Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow was one of several Auggies to take an inaugural ride on
the Metro Transit Green Line during its grand opening June 14. The Green Line runs from downtown
St. Paul to downtown Minneapolis and is the second Light Rail Transit (LRT) line to pass through
Cedar-Riverside—the only neighborhood in the Twin Cities with access to both LRT lines.
The addition of the Green Line expands student access to jobs, internships, and experiential education
opportunities; enhances safety in the neighborhood; and contributes to a vital urban environment for
all who live and work in the area.
Show less
Play with purpose
The space to learn
An ambitious approach
Homecoming 2016
FALL 2016 | VOL. 79, NO. 1
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On the gif... Show more
Play with purpose
The space to learn
An ambitious approach
Homecoming 2016
FALL 2016 | VOL. 79, NO. 1
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On the gifts who are our students
Last spring, a small group of Regents, faculty,
staff, and alumni were charged by the Board
of Regents with exploring long-term strategy
for Augsburg, especially in light of shifting
demographics, economic trends, and volatility
in higher education.
It was an inspiring process as we reflected
on how Augsburg would remain faithful to its
historic distinctions, while at the same time
being relevant to a changing world. Perhaps
the most compelling conclusion of the Futures
Group was that Augsburg would be its best
self in the years ahead as it remains radically
student-centered, meeting students where they
are and equipping them for lives of meaning
and purpose.
It is not a unique claim, this idea of being
student-centered, but it is understood in
diverse ways across higher education. For
some, the claim means that students are
customers or clients who deserve high-quality
service. For others, it means that students
are lumps of clay to be formed and shaped
with particular values. For still others, the
claim means that students are deeply engaged
in the governance of the college or in its
administrative decision-making.
At Augsburg, though, the claim of being
radically student-centered means something
very different. For our community, each student
is a gift, a gift to be received with gratitude
and humility, a gift that surprises and engages
us, a gift that changes us. Each summer, I
tell our incoming students that their gifts
of intellect and leadership and passion will
make Augsburg a more faithful and successful
college, even as we accompany them on their
educational journeys. And I mean it.
This issue of Augsburg Now illustrates
well how the gifts who are our students have
made all of us better. Read about alumna
Maya Santamaria ’94, an entrepreneur whose
Augsburg education has shaped her community
work in Minneapolis. Witness the stories of
our remarkable student-athletes, partnering
with Special Olympics Minnesota to show how
intellectual differences need not get in the
way of teamwork and sportsmanship. Hear the
stories of this year’s Distinguished Alumni and
Spirit of Augsburg awardees, whose lives are
testaments to how Augsburg’s mission is lived
out across the world and generations.
And perhaps most powerfully, learn about
how Gov. Mark Dayton declared August 29,
2016, as Augsburg College Equity Day in
Minnesota, recognizing Augsburg for its
commitment to diversity, inclusion, and justice.
As one staff member told me on that special
occasion, this work is “a love letter to our
students,” a recognition that our remarkably
diverse students, who come to us with their
many experiences and talents, are gifts that
have changed us forever and for the better.
What gifts we have been given for almost
150 years! They ground our vision to be “a
new kind of student-centered, urban university,
small to our students and big for the world.”
Faithfully yours,
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Communication Copywriter
and Editorial Coordinator
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Production Manager
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Advancement Communication
Specialist
Jen Lowman Day
dayj@augsburg.edu
Contributing Writer
Kate H. Elliott
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send comments to:
now@augsburg.edu.
AUGSBURG NOW
Fall 2016
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
This fall, Augsburg College hosted the national Lilly Fellows Program
Conference. The event focused on the theme, “Reformed and Always
Reforming: Faith, Science, Art, and Culture,” and featured the Rev. Paul
Oman, founder of Drawn to the Word ministry, who painted an artistic
expression of the Reformation.
02 Around the quad
22
Homecoming 2016
08
Annual report to donors
24
Auggies connect
10
Play with purpose
27
Class notes
16
The space to learn
20
An ambitious approach
32
In memoriam
On the cover
Augsburg College students
show their school spirit at
the 2016 Homecoming pep
rally. Learn more about the
celebration on pages 22-23.
Photo by Caroline Yang.
Inset photo by Courtney Perry.
All photos by Stephen Geffre
unless otherwise indicated.
NEW ACADEMIC BUILDING SCALES HEIGHTS
The Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business,
and Religion is on track to open for classes in January 2018.
In the six months since the April 29 groundbreaking, McGough
Construction and its subcontractors have completed the concrete
work for the partial basement and most of the four floors of the north
wing, and the three floors of the west wing. As the cement work has
finished, the team has undertaken installation of electrical conduit,
plumbing, and framing for interior walls.
Weekly construction updates are available
at augsburg.edu/hagforscenter.
2
Augsburg Now
The Hagfors Center brings together the study
of global business, advanced science and
technology, and religious dialogue. It is home
to eight academic departments:
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Computer Science
Mathematics
Physics
Psychology
Religion
Structural rendering
of the Hagfors Center
courtesy of McGough
Construction
COLLEGE AWARDS 2016
President’s Interfaith and Community Service
Honor Roll—Finalist with Distinction:
Augsburg College was one of five finalists in
the United States named to the prestigious
President’s Higher Education Community
Service Honor Roll with Distinction in the
interfaith community service category. This
is the seventh year the College has earned
this recognition.
The AugSTEM Scholars Program, funded through a grant from the National Science
Foundation, supports students pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and
math (STEM). The scholars participated in Zyzzogeton, a celebration of student research.
Best Regional Universities by U.S. News &
World Report: U.S. News & World Report
named Augsburg one of the best universities
in the Midwest. Rankings are based on
factors including average first-year retention
rates, graduation rates, class sizes, studentto-faculty ratios, acceptance rates, and more.
$1 MILLION GRANT PREPARES STUDENTS
for graduate school, meaningful work
The National Science Foundation awarded Augsburg College a highly
competitive $1 million grant for continued support of the AugSTEM
Scholars Program. Under the direction of Professor Rebekah Dupont,
the program will provide scholarships to as many as 80 academically
talented students with financial need who are pursuing studies in science,
technology, engineering, and math.
The four-year grant is part of NSF’s work to address the need for a highquality, diverse workforce. With a traditional undergraduate student body
that is more than 35 percent persons of color, Augsburg is well positioned
to support this goal. The program provides direct financial support, delivers
hands-on learning, offers research opportunities, and pairs each student
with a faculty mentor. Research shows this combination of hands-on
learning and close mentorship is highly effective in helping students leave
college ready for graduate school and the workplace.
Augsburg recognized for being studentcentered: The Wall Street Journal and Times
Higher Education ranked Augsburg No. 2 in
Minnesota for student engagement in the
learning process in their inaugural ranking
of U.S. colleges and universities. The
student engagement score is based largely
on results of a student survey that addressed
how challenging classes are, whether they
foster critical thinking and prompt students
to make connections to the real world, and
how much interaction the students have
with faculty and other students.
Auggie earns “Most Promising
Young Poet” national honor
Donte Collins ’18 was named the “Most Promising
Young Poet” by the Academy of American Poets this
fall. His poem, “what the dead know by heart,” previously won Augsburg’s
John R. Mitchell Prize, which qualified him for the prestigious competition.
Collins is a theater major who is active in the local, regional, and national
spoken word and poetry scene. Collins told Minnesota Public Radio that
he plans to use the $1,000 prize from the award to self-publish his first
collection of poetry, a chapbook called “autopsies.”
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
Editor’s Note: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under
Grants No. 1565060 and 1154096. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations
expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.
50 Best Disability Friendly Colleges and
Universities: College Choice ranked Augsburg
No. 13 of the 50 Best Disability Friendly
Colleges and Universities in 2016 for having
strong programming and solid support
services that meet the physical, social, and
academic requirements of students with
learning disabilities and special needs.
Best LGBT Friendly Colleges and Universities:
College Choice ranked Augsburg among
the 50 Best LGBT Friendly Colleges and
Universities in 2016 for having a strong and
proven history of creating quality programming
for the LGBT community and its allies.
Fall 2016
3
Augsburg partners with
MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO
to deliver Strommen Engagement Series
A new partnership with Minnesota Public Radio means the Augsburg
College Strommen Engagement Series is poised to spark dialogue on
some of the state’s pressing contemporary issues. The reimagined
Strommen Engagement Series was created in collaboration with MPR
as part of the “Conversations on the Creative Economy” program
hosted by Chris Farrell. He is a senior economics contributor at
Marketplace, American Public Media’s nationally syndicated public
radio business and personal finance program.
For the 2016-17 academic year, MPR and Augsburg will explore:
• Living in Recovery—Working in a Culture of Alcohol: A
discussion on the health cost to a business when employees
are chemically dependent and how professionals in recovery
are working to remove the stigma of addiction and the culture
of drinking in business.
• Global Food in a Farm-to-Table World: A discussion on how companies
are adapting to environmental and consumer demands to be more
sustainable and still grow food for 7 billion people.
• Worship in the Workplace: A discussion about the business advantages
of accommodating the faith traditions of employees and how leaders
navigate these situations.
• Banking on the Unbankable: A discussion on how financial institutions
create both a business product and a social good for people who
traditionally would not have access
Go to augsburg.edu/now
to financial tools.
for details.
Governor declares
‘AUGSBURG COLLEGE EQUITY DAY’
Gov. Mark Dayton declared Aug. 29, 2016,
“Augsburg College Equity Day” in recognition
of the College’s commitment to equity and
justice, and its efforts to close the opportunity
gap in Minnesota.
President Paul Pribbenow met with leaders of
the Minneapolis Star Tribune editorial board to
discuss Minnesota’s educational achievement
gap among children and youth of diverse
backgrounds. The state has one of
the largest achievement gaps in the
nation, and Augsburg is working to
ensure all students of academic
ability have access to higher
education. The College’s pledge
to this work includes limited debt
pathways to graduation, setting aside
dedicated housing for homeless students,
increasing financial aid literacy, supporting
faculty in creating inclusive classrooms, and
increasing access to course materials.
The College was applauded for this
leadership through a compelling editorial,
“Augsburg College leads the call for campus
equity,” written and published by the Star
Tribune editorial board on Aug. 30.
ARCHIVE PHOTO
PHOTO BY BRIANA ALAMILLA ’17
NOW AND THEN:
AUGGIE HOMECOMING
[Left]: Current students play dodgeball in Si Melby gymnasium. [Right]: Jan (Koepcke)
Steller ’66, a member of this year’s 50th reunion class, snaps the football during a 1965
coed Homecoming matchup.
4
Augsburg Now
All good Homecoming celebrations need some
friendly competition, right? This year, Augsburg
College students got into the competitive spirit at
a dodgeball tournament that pitted Auggie against
Auggie in a battle testing speed, agility, and …
fashion sense. The event’s companion costume
contest proved to be a lighthearted update on a
long-time tradition. Coed sporting events have
been part of Augsburg Homecoming for decades,
and the outfits seem to get better with time.
See highlights from Homecoming on pages 22-23.
AROUND THE QUAD
SOOTHING
SOUNDS:
Auggies compose music
for pediatric patients
Music therapy major Tristan Gavin ’16 records a composition for use at the University of Minnesota
Masonic Children’s Hospital.
COURTESY PHOTOS
CONVOCATION SERIES 2016-17
Augsburg College’s annual convocation series offers the community
meaningful opportunities to engage with contemporary issues and
to hear from speakers who are renowned in their fields.
In September, the series kicked off with the Bernhard M.
Christensen Symposium featuring bestselling author, public
theologian, and social activist Jim Wallis and his presentation,
“The Bridge to a New America.” Wallis is president and founder of
Sojourners, a nonprofit, faith-based organization whose mission is
to put faith into action for social justice.
In November, the Center for Wellness and Counseling Convocation
welcomed Kristin Neff, an education psychologist and associate
professor of human development and culture at the University of
Texas at Austin. Her presentation was titled, “Self-Compassion:
How to be an Inner Ally Rather than an Inner Enemy.”
Augsburg College music therapy students
created original compositions to help
patients and families at the University of
Minnesota Masonic Children’s Hospital
get better sleep.
During the 2016 spring semester,
students in the Music Therapy Senior
Seminar course taught by Annie
Heiderscheit, director of the Master of
Music Therapy program, wrote lullabies
as part of a community partnership.
The music therapy students worked
with music business students and
their advisor, Augsburg Instructor
Dain Estes, to produce high-quality
recordings for use on the hospital’s
network of digital, interactive health
care features. Individuals can choose
to play the calming tunes using devices
in their hospital rooms. The Auggies’
compositions also are part of a pilot
study that is exploring whether listening
to music helps improve sleep quality in
patients and families who use it in the
pediatric intensive care unit.
SAVE THE DATE:
Join us on Monday, Jan. 16, for
the Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation.
All events are free, public, and held in the
Foss Center. For detailed information, go to
augsburg.edu/convo.
Fall 2016
5
BOARD OF REGENTS
Jeffrey Nodland ’77
Nicholas Gangestad ’86
WELCOMES NEW CHAIR
AND MEMBERS
Jeffrey Nodland ’77, president and chief executive officer of
KIK Custom Products, was elected chair of the Augsburg
College Board of Regents at its April 2016 meeting and
began his term July 1. Nodland will play a key leadership
role in Augsburg’s planning and fundraising initiatives.
In addition, the Augsburg Corporation, at its annual
September meeting, elected six new members to the Board
of Regents and re-elected three members.
Elected to their first term on the Augsburg Board of Regents:
Dr. Amit Ghosh
’12 MBA
Rev. Marlene
Whiterabbit Helgemo
Rachel Pringnitz ’02,
’07 MBA
•
Nicholas Gangestad ’86, senior vice president and chief
financial officer of 3M
•
Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA, a staff consultant, professor of
medicine, and medical director of internal practice at
Mayo Clinic
•
Rev. Marlene Whiterabbit Helgemo, an ordained
Lutheran pastor serving All Nations Indian Church of
the United Church of Christ and executive director of
the Council for American Indian Ministry of the UCC
•
Rachel Pringnitz ’02, ’07 MBA, operations
administrator for the Division of General Internal
Medicine at Mayo Clinic
•
Jill Nelson Thomas, philanthropist and board member
for multiple nonprofits, including Family & Children’s
Services of Oklahoma
•
Noya Woodrich ’92, ’94 MSW, former president and
chief executive officer of the Greater Minneapolis
Council of Churches
PHOTOS BY MARK CHAMBERLAIN
Elected to a second or third term:
Jill Nelson Thomas
Noya Woodrich ’92,
’94 MSW
6
Augsburg Now
•
Mark Eustis, an organizational leadership and
governance advisor for health systems
•
Alexander Gonzalez ’90, financial consultant at
Thrivent Financial
•
Pam Moksnes ’79, vice president for gift planning
services, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, through
the Lutheran Church Extension Fund
HOME SWEET
HOMEPAGE:
Augsburg launches
redesigned website
College and university websites are often
the first place students turn to for reliable
information when they research schools.
This fall, Augsburg unveiled a website
redesign offering prospective students a
fresh experience and encouraging them to
learn more about the College.
The new look took more than a year
to research, plan, design, and develop.
Now this work is on display on the site’s
top-level sections, which showcase how
Augsburg positively influences Auggies
from their first day in class to decades
after graduation.
Visit augsburg.edu to see
the new design.
AROUND THE QUAD
ON THE SPOT
A look at erratic weather and climate
change with John Zobitz
“Do we live in the tropics?”
In early fall, a Minneapolis Star Tribune article
asked this question. While readers surely
answered “no,” the story described the recent
soggy summer in which Midwestern Regional
Climate Center weather data showed the
Twin Cities got twice as much rain as usual
in August, contributing to the fourth-wettest
summer since records began in 1895.
Associate Professor John Zobitz studies math
and how it relates to climate. Scientists point
to more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere as
one of the culprits in global warming. Zobitz
uses mathematical modeling to conduct
environmental science research on several
topics, including carbon uptake.
For years, Zobitz has helped media make
sense of unusual weather across the country.
He commented on record-setting snowfall in
Buffalo, New York, following a November 2014
blast, as well as the return of wintry weather
during an April 2013 whiteout in Augsburg’s
own backyard. Here’s a glimpse into the world
of climate science—an area where the forecast
can have more to do with mathematical
formulas than tomorrow’s high temp.
Q:
How can mathematicians’ expertise
help environmental scientists and
climatologists?
A:
Mathematicians test and evaluate
hypotheses through mathematical
and computational models. We model and
benchmark future global temperatures
based on current scenarios, hopefully
providing an informed context for climate
policy decisions.
Q:
A:
Hasn’t the Earth always warmed and
cooled throughout history?
Yes, but what is alarming is both the
amount and the rate of the increase.
The global monthly temperature has been
warmer than average for 360 consecutive
months (that’s every month during the past
30 years). That persistent global pattern
underscores a shift in global temperature
beyond natural temperature cycles.
Q:
A:
Do unusually cold temperatures in an
area dispute global warming?
No. An important thing to remember
is that global temperature represents
an average across a global network of
monitoring stations. Climate change
will affect each area differently: some
areas might warm and some areas may
cool, but the overall trend of global
temperature is increasing.
Q:
A:
Do you think climate change is
inevitable?
A key concept in calculus is the
accumulation of smaller pieces to one
larger whole. If we want to reduce climate
change, small changes in our daily lives
such as driving less and reducing waste,
together, may accumulate to a large effect.
Q:
What does it mean to our future, as
human beings, if climate change
continues as it has in the past 30 years?
A:
We need to recognize that we live
in a rapidly changing world where
“normal weather” is the exception rather
than the rule. Adapting—and innovating—
in an environment of constant change will
become key for success.
Fall 2016
7
ALISON RANUM ’17
NAZIH SAFI ’17
Hometown: Minneapolis
Hometown: Eden Prairie, Minnesota
Studying: Biology and Exercise Science
Studying: Mathematics and Management
Information Systems
Roy and Eleanor Krohn Scholarship
With thanks: “College is an expensive
investment, and without the donors
who have been so kind to help me
along the way, attending Augsburg
College would not be an option for me.
Thank you so much.”
8
Augsburg Now
Beverly Durkee Mathematics Scholarship
With thanks: “Thank you for your continuous
support of student learning. It feels good to
know that I go to a college where the alumni
really care about furthering their alma mater.”
REVENUE BY SOURCE
2015-16 AUGSBURG COLLEGE
67%
ANNUAL REPORT
TUITION
TO DONORS
19%
T
3%
PRIVATE GIFTS AND GRANTS
7%
o the people who understand that together we
can build and shape a campus, a community,
and the world for lifetimes to come, thank you.
To the people who are hard-working, inspired, and
trying to make a difference and impact the future
locally and internationally, thank you.
To the 4,965 individuals who gave $17,689,103 for
multiple programs, projects, and funds, thank you.
To the community who gave $1,551,262 to the
Augsburg Fund, thank you.
Thank you for making this community a place
where we are developing informed citizens,
thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and
responsible leaders.
Whether you were a student 50 or five years ago
or are a friend of Augsburg College, Auggies like you
are what keep an Augsburg education sustainable,
faithful, and relevant long into the future.
ROOM AND BOARD
GOVERNMENT GRANTS
4%
OTHER SOURCES
EXPENSES BY CATEGORY
41%
SALARIES AND BENEFITS
31%
FINANCIAL AID
13%
OPERATING EXPENSES*
7%
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
3%
Thank you.
3%
*Expenses in this category include:
facility repairs and maintenance,
information technology expenditures,
marketing expenditures, membership dues
and fees, outside consultants, supplies,
and travel and business meetings.
DEBT SERVICE
UTILITIES AND INSURANCE
2%
STUDENT SALARIES
ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE
$40.5
May 31, 2016—$39,412,669
MIKE SHAW ’17
Professor Jeanne Boeh and Mr. Bernhard
Fleming Economics Scholarship
$32.4
Augsburg College’s influence: “Augsburg has
pushed me to do my absolute best at school
and forced me to think how I can use the skills
I am developing to help my community.”
$28.2
$27.8
$39.4
$34.6
$33.3
$31.5
Hometown: Minneapolis
Studying: Business Administration and
Economics
$38.3
$29.8
$24.5
2006 2007 2008
2009 2010 2011
2012 2013
2014 2015 2016
As of May 31, 2016, Augsburg College had annual realized and unrealized
losses of 3.23 percent on the College endowment. The five-year average
annual return on the endowment is 3.52 percent, and the 10-year average
annual return is 3.49 percent. The College is committed to maintaining the
value of the principal to provide support to the College in perpetuity.
Special Olympics Minnesota
and Augsburg College team up
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
10
Augsburg Now
All eyes are on a group of athletes in college
basketball jerseys. There are short ones, tall
ones, fast ones, and slow ones—some having
good days and others feeling off their game.
An athlete flies through the air, dunking a
ball. High-fives, cheers, and clapping echo
through the rafters. Moments later, voices rise.
“No, no, the other way,” shouts an
encouraging spectator trying to prompt an
athlete dribbling with authority toward the
wrong basket. A foul, some underhand throws,
and then a pause for a player with a medical
issue. Play resumes.
More commotion. Sneakers skid across the
gym floor as the spectrum of abilities and
disabilities blurs.
Then, the buzzer sounds, but the final score
isn’t the focus given the diversions of smiling,
sweaty faces and celebratory exchanges
among athletes.
The February game brought together
teams comprising athletes from Augsburg
College, Hamline University, and Special
Olympics Minnesota—the first in a series
of ongoing Unified Sports competitions that
pair individuals with and without intellectual
disabilities. Auggie participation reflects the
Augsburg Athletic Department’s broader effort—
spearheaded by its Student-Athlete Advisory
Committee—to engage student-athletes in
meaningful, life-changing community service.
And in this game, everyone wins: dozens
of student-athletes such as Sean Adams ’17
are building lasting bonds and gaining a
more sophisticated understanding of ability;
Minnesota’s more than 8,000 Special Olympics
athletes such as Alec Kelsey are gaining
confidence, training, and lifelong friends; and
PHOTOS BY MATT HIGGINS, MIAC
Augsburg alumni such as Steele Krause ’16, are
leading informed, engaged lives after graduation.
Krause said volunteerism through Augsburg
transformed his idea of service from “checking
a box” to a way of life.
“At Augsburg, my idea of service evolved
from logging hours to serving with purpose
and gaining a true understanding of each
organization,” said the former men’s basketball
player now living in Denver. “Last week, I
stopped by the Colorado Special Olympics
office to learn more about ways to get involved.”
Augsburg’s embrace of unified competition
in the past year has intensified personal
connections and impact, said Adams, a captain
of Augsburg’s men’s cross country and men’s
track and field teams.
“Out there on the court, it didn’t matter
whether someone had a disability or not; we
were all working toward a common goal and all
had strengths to contribute to the team,” he
said, reflecting on a Minnesota Intercollegiate
Athletic Conference Special Olympics D-III
Week Unified Basketball Tournament held in
April at Macalester College. “Playing alongside
others—next to their pure love for the game and
competition—reminds me why I love sports.”
The winner of each Augsburg-Hamline
Unified Rivalry competition—such as
the basketball game pictured—earns
the “Unified Hammer,” a trophy
similar to the ceremonial sledge
hammer passed since 2005 between
the schools each time their varsity
football teams square off.
Fall 2016
11
In February, a Special Olympics Minnesota athlete had the chance to skate the Minnesota Wild
flag to center ice during an Augsburg College men’s hockey game. The Minnesota Wild hosts
several events each year to celebrate “The State of Hockey,” and Augsburg facilitated this
unique partnership between SOMN and the professional sports team.
PHOTO BY KEVIN HEALY
Augsburg has partnered with Special Olympics since
2011, when NCAA Division III formally began supporting
the organization’s efforts to provide year-round training
and competition for more than 5.3 million children and
adults in 170 countries. But Augsburg upped its game
in 2016 by committing to pair with Special Olympics
Minnesota each month of the academic year. SOMN
named Augsburg a Champion School, one of only five
institutions in the state recognized for student leadership
and advocacy, campus involvement, and participation in
Unified Sports.
Michael Kane, vice president of SOMN’s area
programs and initiatives, said the organization is eager
to strengthen existing collaborations, including regional
bowling championships, hockey tournaments, and
the organization’s most popular fundraiser, the Polar
Plunge—during which Auggies, along with thousands of
Minnesotans, jump into icy lakes.
Augsburg’s passionate drive to advance
understanding, acceptance, and healthy living is
elevating SOMN’s reach and reputation, particularly
among the next generation.
“Augsburg College is a great example of an
institution striving to make inclusion a reality,” Kane
said. “Students and staff have fully embraced Special
12
Augsburg Now
Olympics Minnesota by volunteering at competitions and
planning to host a wide variety of events and activities.
Hundreds of Augsburg students have stood up to make
these events and activities possible.”
Guiding Augsburg’s increased involvement is the
Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, a group of about
50 student-athlete volunteers committed to enriching
the student experience through a range of relevant
service opportunities. Jane Becker is Augsburg’s head
volleyball coach and athletic community service
coordinator, and Jennifer Jacobs is an assistant athletic
director, assistant volleyball coach and advisor for
SAAC, overseeing the student-run organization with
representation from all of Augsburg’s 21 teams.
The pair talk at length about the importance of
student-athletes connecting with the community.
Augsburg student-athletes and teams host clinics and
open gyms for neighboring schools, help area churches
renovate, and build partnerships—like the Unified
Rivalry with Hamline—to foster lasting friendships and
healthy competition.
Becker and Jacobs lift up the committee’s work with
Special Olympics because it advances the lessons of
determination, teamwork, and heart that coaches promote on the court
and in the field. They hear of perceptions changed and career paths
adjusted because of these meaningful experiences.
“Our student-athletes are putting in long hours of competition, making
grades, and then giving themselves to others,” said Jacobs. “The amount
of time and energy our student-athletes dedicate to Special Olympics
and other volunteer opportunities is inspiring. They are committed to
making an impact, relationship building, and experiential learning.”
Rachel Frantz ’17, co-president of SAAC, said she and her peers are
energized by the heart and competitiveness of Special Olympics athletes.
She has friends such as Tom, who competes in speed walking and
swimming. Non-verbal, Tom communicates through sign and body language.
“His favorite gesture,” Frantz said, “is his signature hug that last
about three minutes.”
It’s hard to let go of those types of connections.
“Special Olympics athletes teach me how to come as I am and do my
best. They support one another and foster a positive environment where
each athlete can grow,” said the biology major, who has participated for
the past six years in Special Olympics events, including jumping in an
icy lake during the Polar Plunge, competing in a unified basketball game,
and volunteering at basketball, swimming, and track and field events,
which happen to be her favorite.
“The athletes are always congratulating all of their competitors,
regardless of their finish,” Frantz said. “I love cheering them on as they
achieve a new personal record or finish a difficult race.”
Beyond friendships and lasting memories within the community, these
experiences inspire bonds among Augsburg student-athletes as well as
the general student body, many of whom also serve Special Olympics.
Frantz, a competitor in lacrosse,
cross country, and track, who
likes snorkeling, rock climbing,
and choir, might not have gotten
to know Adams, who plays guitar
and acts in his roommate’s short
films. But, through SAAC, the two
have volunteered together, growing
closer with every project.
“It’s been a privilege to build
upon the good work of those who
led the committee before us,” said
Adams, who serves as co-chair of
SAAC’s volunteering committee.
“The evolution to unified
competitions and partnerships
AUGSBURG AS A
CHAMPION SCHOOL
Augsburg is one of only five Special Olympics Champion
Schools in Minnesota. The designation is granted to
institutions that excel in three areas: Unified Sports, student
leadership and advocacy, and campus involvement.
• Unified Sports: Augsburg student-athletes participate
alongside Special Olympics Minnesota athletes in
clinics and competitions. In partnership with Hamline
University, Auggies cofounded the first Unified Rivalry
in Minnesota. Special Olympics Minnesota created the
Unified Hammer trophy given to the winner of these
competitions throughout the year.
• Student Leadership and Advocacy: The more than
50 student-athlete leaders on Augsburg’s StudentAthlete Advisory Committee work with SOMN to activate
students, engage faculty, and promote communities of
acceptance.
• Campus Involvement: Augsburg student-athletes
have enthusiastically recruited students to create
teams for the Polar Plunge and other key SOMN events
held throughout the year. The campus also has held
Respect Campaigns, including Spread the Word to
End the Word, which discourages people from using
demeaning, offensive, or inaccurate terms.
“Our events are volunteer driven, and I’m just not sure
what we would do without Augsburg student-athletes
volunteering at every turn,” said Devin Kaasa, the
college partnership and competition manager for SOMN.
“Their work fosters respect and dignity for people with
intellectual disabilities and changes actions and attitudes
among their peers without intellectual disabilities.”
Members of the Augsburg football team
volunteer at the 2016 Fall Games organized
by Special Olympics Minnesota.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS MINNESOTA
with other colleges in the area is
expanding our reach and feels more
authentic and influential than cheering
from the sidelines.”
Friends across the river, Hamline’s
SAAC advisor and women’s volleyball
coach Becky Egan and senior softball
player Mary-Clare Couillard, said they,
too, have big hopes to grow from
several rivalry games to multiple
contests and volunteer efforts
throughout the year.
“Our campuses can have such a
positive impact for Special Olympics
athletes, and I hope to see us doing all
that we can to help out,” said Couillard,
who has interned with Special Olympics
since June.
Egan echoed her sentiments.
“Since our campuses are so close,
it is easy for our student-athletes
to travel and stay excited about
volunteering,” Egan said. “The more
inclusive we become with other schools
in our conference, the healthier the
competitions become across our other
sports, and it broadens connections
among all our student-athletes.”
PHOTO BY MATT HIGGINS, MIAC
14
Augsburg Now
passing year. During a January 2016
game against Saint Mary’s University,
the Augsburg College women’s hockey
Devin Kaasa, the college partnership
team recognized more than 100 Special
and competition manager for SOMN,
Olympics athletes in attendance with a
is the main contact for schools in the
ceremonial puck drop prior to the game.
MIAC as they build and strengthen their
Proceeds from puck purchases for a
relationship with the nonprofit. Kaasa,
halftime “Chuck-A-Puck” competition
whose brother has participated in Special benefitted SOMN. The following
Olympics for 20 years, said he has been
weekend, the hockey players volunteered
showcasing positive Augsburg-Hamline
at the Special Olympics Minnesota State
outcomes to promote similar interactions
Poly Hockey Tournament.
among the conference’s 13 schools.
In early March, Auggies raised more
“Our athletes look up to studentthan $1,000 for the 19th annual Polar
athletes because of
Plunge event at
their abilities and
Lake Calhoun in
“Augsburg College is a great
energy. To some,
Minneapolis. The
example of an institution striving 2016 plunge season
these college
to make inclusion a reality.”
students are like
raised more than
–Michael Kane
professionals, and
$3.9 million for
playing alongside
Special Olympics’
them is such a thrill,” Kaasa said. “I
athletic, health, and leadership
love Augsburg because they are always
programs for children and adults with
up for trying a new idea, and I can
intellectual disabilities.
always count on them to serve.”
Just this September, members of
Augsburg’s involvement with SOMN
the Augsburg football team helped out
has been diverse and expansive,
with SOMN’s Fall Games where athletes
growing in size and scope with each
competed in equestrian, softball, bocce,
and golf events.
Each month, the NCAA Division III
features a Special Olympics Spotlight
Poll, asking fans to vote on one of three
compelling stories highlighting efforts
at various institutions and conferences.
With 1,300 votes, the MIAC won
the July spotlight (and $500 toward
its next Special Olympics event) for
hosting the first-ever conference-wide
unified tournament.
Mark Kelsey’s son, Alec, was among
the 50 Special Olympics athletes who
competed alongside student-athletes from
Augsburg, Carleton, Hamline, Macalester,
St. Catherine, and St. Thomas in an eightteam, double-elimination tournament held
during the fifth annual NCAA Division III
Week in April.
At 6-foot-2, 25-year-old Alec loves
basketball, lives for the moment, and
never looks for an excuse to quit, even
after a seizure on the court.
“Special Olympics athletes represent
the best of what sports has to offer—no
fear, no nerves, no hate, all heart,” said
Kelsey, who started the West Metro
Warriors Special Olympics delegation in
the Twin Cities 10 years ago.
“Alec rarely gets through a game
without a seizure, but I cannot tell you
how excited and proud he and his fellow
athletes are to play with college studentathletes. We were particularly impressed
with Augsburg’s showing at the
tournament … while one team played,
the other team cheered with Special
Olympics athletes. It was magical, and
I can only hope those Auggies were so
moved in such a deep and positive way
that they become forever advocates for
inclusion and acceptance.”
As a recent graduate, Krause regularly
reflects on the intersection of athletic,
religious, and academic experiences he
enjoyed at Augsburg. His time learning
to live with purpose “sparked a craving
for personal and communal excellence”
and a desire to create a stable,
nourishing, and joyful environment for
his community.
“Being involved with SOMN was
humbling and gratifying … and being
able to use my knowledge and skills
within various sports is empowering,”
said Krause, a former SAAC copresident who works as an account
manager for Pacific Office Automation.
“I am extremely proud to be an Auggie,
and I will always refer myself as such.
Augsburg’s commitment to community
is astounding, and it keeps getting
better every year.”
At Augsburg, Krause said, he learned
that volunteering is as much about selfreflection after the experience as it is
about the outcome of the service. Only
then can people begin to understand
more about the world around them
and assess (and possibly adjust) their
attitudes and actions.
“I no longer just show up to volunteer
and then leave when the job is done,”
he said. “It sticks with me, urging me
to think about how my involvement and
experiences shape my life, and how I
can continue to make a difference.”
To learn more about Augsburg’s athletic teams and
service, including Auggie involvement with Special
Olympics, go to augsburg.edu/now.
[Far left]: The Augsburg-Hamline Unified Rivalry series began with
basketball games and has grown to include several activities. The
schools hosted a flag football game in October and will sponsor a
softball game this spring.
[Center photos]: Augsburg football players helped facilitate softball and
bocce ball activities at the 2016 Fall Games series organized by Special
Olympics Minnesota.
[Far right]: Athletes take a break from the action during a MIAC conferencewide unified basketball tournament held in April at Macalester College.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF SPECIAL OLYMPICS MINNESOTA
Fall 2016
15
S.
E
I
G
G
U
A
. BE
D
U
O
R
P
D. BE
E
L
L
A
C
E
B
AUGSBURG COLLEGE’S 2016 HOMECOMING
CELEBRATION was held Sept. 22-24—a festive
PHOTO BY JOHANNA KITZMAN ‘11
weekend when alumni, students, and families took
part in new events and beloved traditions. More
than 500 alumni from 64 different graduation
years attended celebrations, including reunions
for the classes of 1966, 1976, 1991, and 2006.
PHOTO BY
REBECCA ZENEFSKI
Ten Auggies were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame after being welcomed to the ceremony
by current student-athletes. During a Homecoming lunch with alumni award recipients, students
were invited to share in discussion with recipients of the First Decade, Spirit of Augsburg, and
Distinguished Alumni awards. In an evening ceremony, six alumni and two honorary Auggies
received awards and were recognized for their generous service to the world.
22
Augsburg Now
PHOTO BY JOHANNA KITZMAN ’11
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY PERRY
The Taste of Augsburg featured 38 booths—most
hosted by student groups—and offered games,
entertainment, and food, including the Augsburg
Chemistry Society’s liquid nitrogen ice cream.
Augsburg won the football game against Carleton
College, and alumni, families, and students stayed
after the game to enjoy s’mores at an Auggie Block
Party featuring the band Broken Spoke.
Bob Stacke ’71
This year, 30 Homecoming
events celebrated the best of
Augsburg, from an all-band
reunion to Auggie Talks led
by alumni, staff, and faculty
experts. The Centennial
Singers and an alumni band
led by Professor Emeritus
and Spirit of Augsburg Award
recipient Bob Stacke ’71
invigorated the chapel at
a worship service where
Associate College Pastor
Justin Lind-Ayres welcomed
all Auggies with a “Home
Calling” message.
Fall 2016
23
AUGGIES CONNECT
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
T
he Alumni Board has made exciting changes
to better serve Augsburg College graduates and
current students. We reorganized our board
committees, and we’re already seeing the fantastic engagement and work of
two new groups.
• The new Parent and Family Committee shares information about Augsburg
and its services with families. We’re thankful to the Parent and Family
Committee for helping students move into campus housing this fall.
Committee chair Howie Smith ’80 joined Cyrus Batheja ’08, ’11 MBA to
help with first-year student move-in day. Committee members Derek
Francis ’08 and Hannah Dietrich Swanson ’05 assisted with new student
orientation. The committee hosts two parent and family nights per year,
and the next event is March 2.
• Rick Bonlender ’78, Josh Krob ’08, ’15 MBA, Adriana Matzke ’13, and
Brad Randall ’13 on the new Adult Education Committee will focus
on the growing adult undergraduate and graduate studies alumni
communities. I attended Augsburg College as an MBA student from
2008 to 2010, and I’m inspired by this work.
Whether you remember your time at Augsburg as a cohort, a class,
or a team—as a grad student, traditional undergraduate, or adult
undergraduate—there is a place for all in the upcoming events at the
College. The MBA networking event on October 25 was a welcome chance to
see former cohort members for a mini-reunion and to get involved mentoring
a future Auggie MBA.
As a board, we strive to better serve the College, our fellow alumni, and—
perhaps most importantly—Augsburg’s current students.
We’re looking ahead to our next Alumni-Student Networking event
on February 8. Last year, we had 260 participants—a record-breaking
attendance that included students, alumni, and faculty. Thanks to all who
helped recruit attendees, facilitate introductions, and open doors for Auggies!
I look forward to our continued service and engagement with the Augsburg
community.
JILL WATSON ’10 MBA, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
24
Augsburg Now
For more information
about alumni events,
see augsburg.edu/now.
The StepUP® Program at Augsburg College
has had a successful year. As the largest
residential collegiate recovery program in the
United States, StepUP is regarded as the
gold standard for programs of its kind. Now in
its 20th year, StepUP empowers students to
champion lives of recovery, achieve academic
success, and thrive in a residential community
of accountability and support.
StepUP celebrated its annual gala October 29,
and the event focused on the theme of “hope.”
The gala is an opportunity to reduce the
stigma often associated with substance use
disorders by raising awareness—and honoring
the accomplishments and contributions—of
StepUP’s 100 students and 750 alumni.
At the gala, emcee Don Shelby, an Emmyaward-winning former news anchor and person
in recovery, welcomed supportive Auggies,
families, friends, and advocates for recovery.
Peter Hubbard ’10 spoke about his work with
StepUP alumni to create chances for StepUP
students to learn about life after graduation,
network, and explore concerns with those who
have followed a similar path.
The Barbara and Skip Gage family received
the Toby Piper LaBelle award in recognition of
their longstanding commitment to education
at Augsburg. The Gage’s dedicated support
of the CLASS program, Lindell Library, Gage
Family Art Gallery, and Gage Center for Student
Success furthers Augsburg’s ability to live out
its mission of serving the diverse needs, gifts,
and experiences of its students. In addition,
the contributions of The Hazelden Betty Ford
Foundation were recognized with the inaugural
Keystone Award for institutional support.
To continue the deep success of the StepUP Program, the
College has launched an endowment campaign for the
program. The campaign is nearly halfway to its goal of
raising $10 million by 2017. The endowment will allow
the College to increase enrollment in the program, to
maintain StepUP’s unparalleled community experience,
and retain StepUP’s exceptional counselors and staff.
Visit augsburg.edu/stepup to learn more.
AUGGIES CONNECT
GENEROSITY OF ALUMNI
fuels research, hands-on opportunities for Auggies
Two influential Augsburg College alumni,
Terry Lindstrom ’73 and Dean Sundquist ’81,
have found that giving back to their
alma mater is a way to inspire young
researchers to pursue their passions.
They have chosen to support the
Office of Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity, known as “URGO,”
which aligns students’ interests in STEM
fields (science, technology, engineering,
and mathematics), social sciences,
humanities, and the arts with research
by faculty. Each year, research by more
than 20 Augsburg students is funded by
the College for 10 weeks each summer.
Because of the committed support of
Lindstrom and Sundquist, 16 additional
scholars participate in URGO and receive
a stipend. This financial support is critical
to providing the hands-on, skills-based
training students need to successfully
apply to graduate school and to shape
meaningful careers.
“Fundamentals are absolutely
essential,” Lindstrom said, “but it was
the research experience that helped me
determine what I wanted to do.”
Lindstrom and his wife, Janet, plan to
fund URGO students for the next three
years, just as they have since 2013,
and will ensure the perpetuity of their
scholarships through their estate plan.
“Everyone deserves to find the career
that creates passion,” said Lindstrom,
who retired in 2010 as a distinguished
research fellow at Eli Lilly and Company in
Indianapolis, where he spent 31 years in
drug discovery and development.
Eager to find real-world applications to
benefit society, Lindstrom earned his PhD
in pharmacology and biochemistry at the
University of Minnesota after his Augsburg
graduation. He led the research teams
that resulted in a half-dozen patents for
life-changing pharmaceuticals, including
Evista for osteoporosis and Cymbalta,
used as an antidepressant and for bone
and muscle pain. He visited campus this
past summer to meet faculty and student
researchers—including four students he
sponsored directly: Josh Kuether ’18, Taylor
Mattice ’18, Adam Pancoast ’18, and Ellyn
Peters ’18.
Similarly, since 2006, Sundquist, a
member of the College’s Board of Regents,
and his wife, Amy, have sponsored research
by URGO students. Sundquist visited
campus this summer as well to meet with
the 12 students he sponsors and learn
His campus visit was a chance to see
the energy, enthusiasm, and excitement
in students as they researched projects
with their mentors, including Assistant
Professor Matt Beckman, Associate
Professor Vivian Feng, and Assistant
Professor Michael Wentzel.
“These URGO students are very smart
and very impressive. They go on from
Augsburg to graduate school and medical
school and business school with research
experience and the confidence to succeed
at the next level,” Sundquist said.
Ultimately, generosity of people like
Lindstrom and Sundquist has had a
transformational effect on thousands
[L to R]: Terry Lindstrom ’73 watches as chemistry student Taylor Mattice ’18 draws out a chemical reaction scheme from
her summer research project with Assistant Professor Michael Wentzel, her faculty mentor.
about their research. As chairman and CEO
of Mate Precision Tooling, a worldwide
leader in metal products and laser
technologies, he has a global perspective
and understanding of how scientific
improvements propel the economy.
of students. Alumni create learning
opportunities that prepare students to
solve real-world problems, develop lifelong
relationships with peers and faculty, and
deliver a uniquely Augsburg summer.
Fall 2016
25
Augsburg women inspired to fund
transformative mural in new academic building
For women who are driven to lead and participate, meeting
a fundraising goal for Augsburg College doesn’t mean your
work is done. It just means it’s time to engage in another
meaningful challenge to continue positively impacting the
lives of Augsburg students, faculty, staff, and the CedarRiverside neighborhood.
That’s just what Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) is doing
through the leadership of Lisa Svac Hawks ’85, vice president
of external communications for UnitedHealthcare, who was
moved to make a lead gift to fund a mural planned for the
interdisciplinary Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for
Science, Business, and Religion.
“When I learned about the way Augsburg is bringing
these disciplines together under one roof, I knew this was
something distinctive and powerful,” said Hawks. “The
Hagfors Center will measurably contribute to shaping
greater leaders for tomorrow.”
The mural that AWE will fund, titled “Emergence,”
incorporates the image of monarch butterflies with
references to symbiosis, textile traditions, geometry, faith,
home, prayer, and identity. The $150,000 project will
express the College’s commitments to hospitality and
serving the neighbor, two core principles of the Lutheran
tradition in which the College is rooted. The large-scale
mural will adorn the staircase at the end of the west wing.
Making the lead gift for this powerful installation,
which will be created by muralist Greta McLain, came
naturally to Hawks.
“Art has a special way of helping us experience what
it means to come together in a new way. Art helps us
visualize new futures. It helps us connect to big concepts
and to engage emotionally with them so we can see
ourselves in big ideas,” Hawks said.
26
Augsburg Now
“As a group of women, we believe that art connects the
heart and head. By funding this mural as a permanent beacon
in the Hagfors Center, we invite everyone to connect our
heads and our hearts, so our hands can get to the good work.”
For McLain, the collaboration between space, artist,
community, and construction can take many forms. “We
all are asking: In what ways are we shaping the future
leaders we need to address the challenges
of the future?” she said.
AWE is undertaking this new
challenge and commitment to
the greater Augsburg College
community at the same
time it successfully closes
out another project for the
Hagfors Center. This group
of 70 women already raised
$130,000 to sponsor a
student study lounge in the
building.
The AWE-Inspired
Philanthropy Council
invites all Auggie women
to join them in sponsoring
“Emergence.” They
supported a Give to
the Max Day project to
raise funds for the work,
and are partnering with
Donna McLean and Martha Truax ’16 MAL in Institutional
Advancement to reach their goal of $150,000 in gifts and
pledges by December 31. Email mclean@augsburg.edu or
truaxm@augsburg.edu for more information.
To see work available for sponsorship in the Hagfors Center, including
21 pieces created by faculty, staff, alumni, and artists who have
exhibited previously in Augsburg galleries, visit augsburg.edu/now.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1960
The newest book by Lowell
“Zeke” Ziemann ’60 is “America’s
First Centennial and the Old West: 1876
A Year to Remember.” This book presents
prominent events in the Western Territories
during the United States’ centennial year.
Incidents of 1876 described in the book
include: the Little Bighorn conflict, Wild Bill
Hickok’s murder, the capture of Jesse James’
gang, and Bat Masterson’s first gunfight.
1968
The Rev. Mark Hanson ’68,
former presiding bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
received the Walk of Faith Award from
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service
on October 26 in recognition of his career
in service to the Lutheran community.
The ELCA is the nation’s largest Lutheran
denomination. Hanson was ordained in
1974 and has since served as a pastor for
three Minnesota congregations, as bishop
of the St. Paul Area Synod, and as the
president of the Lutheran World Federation
in Geneva. Hanson is an advocate for
migrants and refugees. He currently serves
as the executive director of the Christensen
Center for Vocation at Augsburg College.
Regent Emeritus Ron
Nelson ’68 was honored
with a Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming. He
retired from 3M after
33 years with the
company and spent 11
years as vice president
and controller. A captain for the baseball
and basketball teams at Augsburg, Nelson
was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame in 1991. He is one of the owners
of Thawzall, LLC, located in Alexandria,
Minnesota, and is a member of the board
of Oakdale-based Hearing Components,
Inc. Nelson lives in Mendota Heights,
Minnesota, and is an active member of
St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church. His wife,
Mary Kay (Belgum) Nelson ’68, passed away
in July after a courageous 11-year battle
with leukemia. They were blessed in their
ALUMNI AND ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
AWARDEE PHOTOS BY JOHANNA KITZMAN ’11
marriage with a focus on faith and their
family, including daughters Kristy and Becky.
1971
Professor
Emeritus
and Retired Chair of the
Augsburg College Music
Department Robert
“Bob” Stacke ’71 was
honored with the Spirit
of Augsburg Award
at Homecoming. In
retirement, he pursues his passion for
photography and continues to be a guide
and mentor for music and arts alumni as
the leader of Bob’s Band, an ensemble
comprised primarily of Augsburg jazz band
alumni. Since 2001, he has volunteered at a
music camp in Haiti during his summers to
share the joy of music with children.
1972
Ray Yip ’72
received
the Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming. Yip is
an international public
health leader who has
had a significant impact
on global public health
in the areas of nutrition, maternal and child
health, HIV/AIDS, and tobacco control. He
has held positions with UNICEF, the Centers
for Disease Control, and the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation. Since 2015, he has
served as special advisor with a focus on
health and clean energy for bgC3, a thinktank and incubator founded by Bill Gates.
Yip lives in Beijing with his wife, Florence
Bannicq.
1983
Tim Schultz ’83 has been named
private client services market
leader for Arizona Bank & Trust, a division
of Heartland Financial USA, Inc. He most
recently served as regional wealth manager at
Johnson Bank and chief operating officer for
the western region of BMO Private Bank.
1987
Richard Bahr ’87 released
his book, “Amazed: Why the
Humanity of Jesus Matters,” in June. The
book provides a one-of-a-kind look at Jesus
through the lens of his humanity. Bahr and
his wife, Carla, operate the Threshold to
New Life ministry (threshold2newlife.org),
providing relief and restoration to homeless
persons. Bahr coordinates the volunteers
for a daily breakfast held at Minneapolis’
Salvation Army Harbor Light Center, which
serves more than 40,000 meals per year. His
blog can be found at richardbahr.com.
Amy Hyland Baretz ’87
had an outstanding
pitching career on the
Auggie softball team, an
accomplishment that
earned her induction into
the Augsburg Athletic
Hall of Fame. She set the
school record for career
victories, twice earned All-MIAC honors, and
was a member of an Auggie squad that won the
MIAC title and reached the NCAA Division III
national tournament in 1984. She also played
volleyball at Augsburg. Following graduation,
she became the owner of franchise businesses
in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois.
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
Tell us about the news in your life—your new job, move,
marriage, and milestones. Visit augsburg.edu/now to
submit your announcements.
Fall 2016
27
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1988
Lee RoperBatker ’88
received the
Distinguished Alumni
Award at Homecoming.
She is president and
CEO of the Women’s
Foundation of
Minnesota, and she
has spent her career working to further
gender equality, create equal opportunities,
and build pathways to economic security
for women and girls. Roper-Batker founded
and serves on the executive committee of
Prosperity Together, a nonpartisan coalition
of public women’s foundations that, at the
White House in November 2015, publicly
committed $100 million to improve the
economic security of low-income women
and their families in America.
1990
Matt Staehling ’90 is the new
city administrator for St. Cloud,
Minnesota. He has served the city for 20
years, most recently as the city attorney.
1992
Augsburg
volleyball
star Tina (Kubes)
Peterson ’92 was a
dominant player in the
early ’90s, securing AllMIAC honors, earning
a season MVP nod,
producing impressive
numbers as an outside hitter, and serving
as a multi-year captain. Peterson, who was
inducted in the Augsburg Athletic Hall of
Fame, also was a member of the Auggie
women’s basketball team. Following her
graduation, Peterson has used her health
and physical education degree as a teacher
and coach. She has coached volleyball and
track athletes in Minnesota’s New LondonSpicer school district.
Joel Tveite ’92 was
inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame in recognition
of his successes on the
baseball, basketball, and
golf teams. Tveite was
an all-around talent for
Auggie baseball, pitching
and playing third base. On the mound, he set
school records with 28 complete games, 253
innings pitched, and 36 starts. He earned AllMIAC honors and was a team captain. Since
graduation, Tveite has worked in accounting
and management positions, and he has been
active in baseball and basketball leagues as a
player and coach.
for Entrepreneur of the Year at the TwinWest
Chamber of Commerce small business
awards luncheon. She was also a 2016
nominee for the Excellence in Leadership
Award at the I-94 West Chamber’s small
business awards breakfast. Candidates
were judged on business strategies, drive
for excellence, financial success, and
community involvement.
1993
Augsburg
Athletic
Hall of Fame inductee
Kevin Schiltz ’93 was
a dominant wrestler
for the Auggies in the
early ’90s who earned
three All-American
honors and qualified for
national tournament competition four times.
He was a MIAC champion in wrestling as well
as an offensive and defensive lineman for
Augsburg’s football team. Schiltz was a team
captain for both sports. Since graduation he
has worked in university athletics. Today he
serves Saint John’s University in Collegeville,
Minnesota, as a wrestling assistant coach and
department equipment manager.
Sharol Tyra ’92, professional certified coach,
certified professional co-active coach,
mentor, makeup artist, and president
of Life Illumination Coaching & Image
(lifeillumination.com), and a Lord of Life
Canticle Choir member was the 2016 finalist
Jodi (Divinski)
Walfoort ’93 received
recognition for her time
on the Auggie cross
country and track teams
when she was inducted
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
’08
’06
28
Augsburg Now
’09
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame.
Walfoort competed in her first athletic season
in 1991 at the age of 25 when the Auggies
re-started the cross country program. She
made the most of her two years as a runner,
earning All-Region honors twice, and she
was voted a two-time MVP. After Augsburg,
Walfoort became an IT professional and went
on to start a commercial real estate company.
1994
Athletic Hall
of Fame
inductee Bill Gabler ’94
transferred to Augsburg
and competed in
wrestling, football, and
baseball. As an Auggie
wrestler, he twice earned
All-American honors,
won a MIAC championship, and was on the
program’s first NCAA Division III national title
winning team. He later served as an Augsburg
assistant coach who helped guide the Auggies
to two NCAA national championships.
In football, Gabler was a starting middlelinebacker, and in baseball he was the starting
shortstop. He has enjoyed a career in sporting
goods, fundraising, and corporate promotions.
1996
Robert
Anderson ’96
was the first Auggie
football player to
earn All-American
honors, and the former
’11
defensive lineman was inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame this fall.
Some of Anderson’s athletic achievements
at Augsburg include setting school records
for sacks, being named a MIAC conference
lineman of the year, and serving as a cocaptain. Following his graduation, Anderson
has worked as a sales director for the
software industry in locations including
Australia, Austria, China, Germany, New
Zealand, and Singapore.
Athletic Hall of Fame
inductee Bill Kriesel ’96
is one of the top
defensive backs in
Augsburg football history.
He set a single-season
school record for
interceptions, was named
a team MVP on defense,
earned All-MIAC first-team honors, and served
as a co-captain. Following his graduation,
Kriesel played professional football in Germany,
earned his MBA, and served on the Augsburg
football coaching staff, among other roles.
Since 2013, he has worked as a defensive
coordinator and defensive backs coach at
Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.
Jodi Markworth ’96 was hired as the new
principal at Cedar Ridge Elementary in Eden
Prairie, Minnesota. She had been principal
at Sheridan Hills Elementary in the Richfield
(Minnesota) School District.
Hernan Moncada ’06 is the new principal
at Eagle Heights Spanish Immersion,
a K-6 elementary school in Eden Prairie,
Minnesota.
’06
Cyrus Batheja ’08, ’10 MBA threw out the
ceremonial first pitch at the Twins baseball
game on August 6. The Augsburg nursing grad
and Alumni Board member was given the honor
for his community work including homeless
outreach and assistance with UnitedHealth
Group, his family’s commitment to quality
disabled living situations, and his work on the Tix
for Tots advisory board.
’08
Former men’s basketball
player Jim South ’96
was inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. South was
a four-year starter for
the Auggies, and he
holds Augsburg’s career
record for field-goal
percentage. He earned All-MIAC honors in
basketball three times and also played on the
Augsburg baseball team for three seasons.
Following graduation, South worked for CocaCola before obtaining a law enforcement
degree. He also is an active volunteer who
serves as an assistant coach for a high school
basketball team.
1997
Derrin
Lamker ’97
received Augsburg’s
Excellence in Coaching
Award in recognition of
his impressive career.
After quarterbacking
Augsburg’s football team
to a MIAC championship
and several of its best seasons in school
history, Lamker moved into teaching and
coaching. He served as head coach at
Osseo (Minnesota) High School for 11
years, winning three Northwest Suburban
Conference titles, two section championships,
and a Minnesota Class 6A state title. This
season he became the offensive coordinator
Brian Gullick ’09 and Matt Tonsager ’09
are custom woodworkers of furniture,
games, and décor. Their business is Gullton
Wood, and the pair created a set of Augsburg
College bean bag boards used at Homecoming
in September.
’09
Amy (Satnik) Bachman ’11 and her
husband, Blair, welcomed a baby girl,
Mackenzie Peach, on March 3.
’11
Fall 2016
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
at Edina (Minnesota) High School, and he
also has coached basketball and baseball.
Dwayne Lowman ’00 has been
appointed to the inaugural
advisory board of Definitely Someday, a
nonpartisan firm that helps Minnesotans
prepare for a future run for political office.
Sweden, which was attended by Pope Francis.
Laudert says, “I am beyond thankful,
inspired, and thrilled at this opportunity. I
am incredibly grateful to the Metropolitan
New York Synod and my congregation for the
chance to do this. [I am] even more thankful
for our partnership in the gospel and the
ecumenical mission we share together.”
2004
2008
2000
Melissa “Mel” Lee ’04 has
taken the reins as interim head
softball coach during the 2017 Augsburg
College athletic season after serving as an
assistant with the program for the past 12
years. She will continue her duties as an
assistant athletic director and an instructor
in Augsburg’s health and physical education
program. In addition, as a member of the
National Fastpitch Coaches Association, Lee
is one of two 2016 recipients of the Mary
Nutter Scholarship. The educational grant
will fund Lee’s attendance at the 2016 NFCA
National Convention.
2006
Kyle
Loven ’06,
a Seattle-based
performance and visual
artist, was recognized
with the First Decade
Award at Homecoming.
His work combines
puppetry, projections,
objects, sound, and other art forms with the
human presence. Since moving to Seattle in
early 2009, Loven has created and toured
his original works. His shows have premiered
at venues such as the acclaimed Guthrie
Theater in Minneapolis and Seattle’s On the
Boards. Loven is the recipient of grants from
the Jim Henson Foundation and numerous
arts organizations based in Washington state.
2007
Wolfgang Laudert ’07 attended
the ELCA Grace Gathering this
summer and made a pilgrimage in October
to the Taizé community in France as the
result of receiving a leadership development
grant. His European trip ended on a journey
to the joint Lutheran-Catholic ecumenical
prayer service commemorating the 500th
anniversary of the Reformation in Lund,
30
Augsburg Now
Matthew Dunn ’08 received his
doctorate in sociology from the
University of California-Riverside in June. He
is married to Gabriela Oliva Dunn. They live
in Murrieta, California.
Sara Horishnyk ’08 earned a master’s degree
in arts and cultural management from Saint
Mary’s University of Minnesota and is now
working at Twin Cities Public Television.
2012
Angelica Erickson ’12 graduated
from Saint Mary’s University of
Minnesota with a master’s degree in arts and
cultural management. Her thesis was, “Every
Child is a Work of Art: Helping Children Heal
through the Arts after Multiple Traumatic
Experiences.”
Andrew Fox ’12 is the new manager of the
180-year-old Mendota, Minnesota, home
of Henry Hastings Sibley, Minnesota’s
first governor. Fox is the point person in
a partnership between the Minnesota
Historical Society and the Dakota County
Historical Society. The state will own and
preserve the Sibley site, while the county will
staff and operate the three restored houses
on the property. Fox studied medieval
history at Augsburg.
Kimberly Simmonds ’12, with the MonDak
Heritage Center in Sidney, Montana, coauthored the book, “Sidney,” in Arcadia
Publishing’s Images of America series.
2013
Anthony Gore ’13, Steven
Schwartz ’13, Ryan Bachman ’14,
and Shea Drenkow ’14, all members of the
Minneapolis-based band Porno Wolves,
recorded the live album “Young Moon Rising”
on a cold evening last winter. The friends
formed the rock ’n’ roll band in 2012.
2015
Riley Hunter ’15 has a new
position as assistant service desk
analyst in the IT department at Securian
Financial Group in downtown St. Paul.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Derek Nord ’04 MSW is the new director
of the Indiana Institute on Disability and
Community at Indiana University. Nord
previously was associate director of the
Research and Training Center on Community
Living, part of the University of Minnesota’s
Institute on Community Integration.
Dr. Amit Ghosh ’12 MBA placed third
in the 2016 District 6 Toastmasters
International spring convention held in April
in Minneapolis. Ghosh competed in the
international speech category. District 6 is
comprised of 290 clubs and 5,000 members.
It serves most of Minnesota and southern
Ontario, Canada.
Jeremiah Dagel ’15 MPA has joined the urgent
care department at the Essentia Health Saint
Mary’s Detroit Lakes (Minnesota) Clinic. As
part of the urgent care team, Dagel will treat
medical conditions that require immediate
attention but that are not life-threatening.
AUGGIES HONORED
Karim El-Hibri was
recognized with the
First Decade Award
at Homecoming. He
is a strategic advisor
and founding board
member of the El-Hibri
Foundation, which
focuses on peace
education and interfaith cooperation through
grants and awards that recognize leadership,
and programs that promote learning and
inclusion. He holds a BA in international
relations from the American University School
of International Service, and graduated from
the StepUP® Program at Augsburg. El-Hibri
lives in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
area with his wife, Carley, and two children, Roula
and Sami.
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors
received the Spirit of Augsburg
Award at Homecoming in
recognition of their leadership
in the campaign for the
Center of Science, Business,
and Religion. As community
leaders and longtime friends of
Augsburg, the Hagfors embody
Augsburg’s faithfulness to education grounded in
the Lutheran faith and relevant to the evolving needs
of our students and the world. Norman served as
an Augsburg College Regent from 1989-2001,
providing active participation during a critical stage
of the College’s growth. In October 2005, he was
re-elected to the Augsburg Board of Regents. A
chapel on the third floor of the new building will
be named for Evangeline’s father, the Rev. Elnar
Gundale ’33, who graduated from Augsburg College
and Augsburg Seminary and went on to serve as a
pastor in the Lutheran Free Church and ELCA.
Heidi Kammer-Hodge ’00 MSW joined Jackson
Recovery Centers in Sioux City, Iowa, as a
vice president and chief operating officer. KammerHodge’s position at Jackson comes after serving
at Resource in Minneapolis for the past 17 years,
where she held many leadership roles, most recently
as a vice president.
’07
’00
’00
’08
’14
On July 23, Brett Cease ’07 married Julia
Besser in Grand Portage, Minnesota. Auggies
in the wedding party included [L to R]: Micah
Erickson ’07, Chris Swanson ’07, Eriks Dunens ’06,
and Lava K.C. ’07.
’07
Brian Krohn ’08 and Kari Aanestad ’08
welcomed a baby girl, Seora Eileen Aanestad
Krohn, on May 11.
’08
Five Auggies received their white coats this
fall as part of the incoming University of
Minnesota Medical School class. Congratulations
to [L to R]: Anna Weitz ’14, David Bergstrand ’14,
Michelle Grafelman ’15, Mahad Minhas ’12, and
David Fowler ’14.
’14
’15
Laura (Swanson) Lindahl ’15 MBA and David
Lindahl were married May 21 in Dellwood,
Minnesota.
’15
31
In memoriam
Philip A. Horne ’40, San
Rafael, California, age
99, on August 7.
Paul S. Paulson ’49,
Spokane, Washington,
age 87, on June 12.
Robert D. Goodrich ’57,
Big Lake, Minnesota,
age 83, on April 22.
Ruth C. (Kveen)
Rydquist ’40, Fargo,
North Dakota, age 98,
on July 23.
Idelle S. (Nornes)
Bagne ’50, Detroit
Lakes, Minnesota,
age 89, on May 6.
Judith A. (Sather)
Suther ’57, Totowa,
New Jersey, age 80,
on May 18.
Lila A. (Israel) Erickson ’41,
Minneapolis, age 97,
on May 20.
Charlotte A. (Ellingson)
Ennen ’50, Dublin, Ohio,
age 88, on May 17.
Philip H. Johnson ’60,
Belleville, Wisconsin,
age 79, on June 20.
Morris E. Ulring ’42,
Minneapolis, age 95,
on February 5.
Kenneth A. Hengler ’50,
Eagan, Minnesota,
age 91, on May 19.
Ernest I. Knutson ’43,
Spooner, Wisconsin,
age 95, on May 21.
John T. Garland ’51,
Saint Paul, age 86,
on August 26.
Ronald H. Stanley ’60,
Balsam Lake,
Wisconsin, age 78,
on July 22.
Gloria (Burntvedt)
Nelson ’43, Minneapolis,
age 94, on June 21.
Olive L. (Nilsen) Zoller ’51,
Marine On Saint Croix,
Minnesota, age 87, on
July 30.
Kenneth A. Gilles ’44,
Scottsbluff, Nebraska,
age 94, on June 2.
Ralph W. Hofrenning ’45,
Fargo, North Dakota,
age 94, on May 31.
32
Rebecca “Becky” A.
(Skonnord) Johnson ’52,
Valley City, North
Dakota, age 86,
on April 26.
Lois M. (Black) Ahlbom ’47,
Saint Paul, age 91,
on May 9.
Mildred R. (Zustiak)
Baerg ’53, Anoka,
Minnesota, age 85,
on July 15.
Myrtle C. (Skurdal) Bar ’49,
Williston, North Dakota,
age 91, on August 19.
Edmund R. Youngquist ’53,
Northfield, Minnesota,
age 91, on May 30.
Augsburg Now
Phyllis E. (Ebrenz)
Wagner ’60,
Minneapolis, age 78,
on July 11.
Theodore “Ted” P.
Botten, Jr. ’61,
Rochester, Minnesota,
age 77, on June 29.
Jacob “Jack” A.
Mayala ’61, Kimball,
Minnesota, age 77, on
June 12.
John D. Heruth ’62,
Rochester, Minnesota,
age 75, on June 25.
David L. Faust ’63, Green
Isle, Minnesota, age
76, on May 30.
Elaine L. (Legaarden)
Swanson ’63, Maitland,
Florida, age 75, on
May 14.
Dolores A. (Sheppard)
Carrico ’74, Wyoming,
Minnesota, age 86, on
March 8.
Linda L. (Benson)
Pederson ’64, Frederic,
Wisconsin, age 75, on
June 23.
Audrey C. (Jorgensen)
Hanson ’77, Lewiston,
Idaho, age 90, on
March 21.
Gary M. Ellis ’65,
Hendricks, Minnesota,
age 74, on June 27.
Scott A. Hugstad-Vaa ’77,
Apple Valley, Minnesota,
age 60, on June 2.
Michael J. Marcy ’65,
Minnetonka, Minnesota,
age 73, on June 16.
Paula A. (Beckley)
Beckley-Gildner ’78,
White Bear Lake,
Minnesota, age 65,
on June 8.
Larry D. Cole ’66,
Minneapolis, age 73,
on May 18.
Mary Kay (Belgum)
Nelson ’68, Mendota
Heights, Minnesota,
age 69, on July 18.
Christine A. (Toedt)
Olson ’70, Delano,
Minnesota, age 67,
on June 6.
Donald F. Deming ’71,
Fort Mill, South
Carolina, age 69,
on June 14.
Lillian M. (Sedio)
Mattson ’71, Excelsior,
Minnesota, age 67,
on August 1.
Marian T. (Jauquet)
Finger ’83, Baraboo,
Wisconsin, age 89,
on April 5.
Scott E. Herceg ’00,
Minneapolis, age 44,
on August 12.
Cynthia L. (Cramer)
Reed ’11, Rochester,
Minnesota, age 59,
on August 18.
Assistant Professor of
Music Douglas Diamond,
Minneapolis, age 59,
on May 27.
The “In memoriam” listings in this publication
include notifications received before September 19.
IT PAYS TO BE AN AUGGIE
ALUMNI DISCOUNT
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Master of Arts in Nursing
Master of Arts in Education
Master of Arts in Leadership
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Master of Music Therapy
Master of Science in Physician
Assistant Studies
Master of Social Work
augsburg.edu/grad/discount
GRADUATE PROGRAM TUITION DISCOUNT FOR ALUMNI
Many of Augsburg College’s current graduate students
are alumni who earned their first degree at Augsburg
and returned to pursue further education. Become
a part of this growing group and take advantage of
our Alumni Tuition Discount—a savings of $80 per
credit! Auggie graduates who’ve earned a bachelor’s,
master’s, or doctoral degree from Augsburg qualify for
this alumni discount.
gradinfo@augsburg.edu | 612-330-1101
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Pedestrians take priority
This fall, Open Streets Minneapolis allowed community members to stroll, skate, and cycle on roads closed to cars near Augsburg’s
campus. Open Streets events held across the city throughout the summer promoted healthy living, local business, sustainable
transportation, and civic pride. As an anchor institution in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, Augsburg used the celebration to
further its commitment to place-based community building, organizing live music and a fashion show for attendees to enjoy.
Show less
Navigating uncharted waters
Playing it forward
An exploration of faith
HIGH-IMPACT
LEARNING
SPRING 2016 | VOL. 78, NO. 2
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weis... Show more
Navigating uncharted waters
Playing it forward
An exploration of faith
HIGH-IMPACT
LEARNING
SPRING 2016 | VOL. 78, NO. 2
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On serendipity in education
I vividly recall the moment in 1977 when a
conversation with a religion professor at Luther
College, my alma mater, offered me a way of
thinking about my vocational journey that has
changed my life. When I admitted my doubts
about following my dad’s path to the ministry, the
professor shared his own journey to divinity school
and the study of theology, the sort of study I had
begun to explore in his class. The rest is history,
as they say. I went on to study ethics and theology
in divinity school and to pursue my own calling
for leadership in higher education.
A moment of serendipity that changed
my life—unexpected, unplanned, and so very
meaningful—made possible by a teaching and
learning community and a teacher that created
the opportunity for such moments.
Such serendipity in education is a hallmark
of the educational experience at Augsburg. I’m
sure you have your own stories of the faculty
or staff member, maybe the fellow student, or
perhaps the community member who offered you
the insight, the experience, the counsel, or the
challenge that shaped your path.
This issue of Augsburg Now reminds us of
the people and experiences that continue to offer
Augsburg students the promise of serendipity in
their education. From award-winning teachers
and researchers like Phil Adamo of the History
Department and Henry Yoon of the Psychology
Department to inspiring guest speakers like
LeVar Burton (yes, the “Star Trek” and “Reading
Rainbow” star) and Dr. Donald Warne (an
American Indian medical doctor challenging
us to pay attention to public health issues on
reservations). From nationally recognized efforts
like our StepUP® program for students recovering
from addiction to the Nobel Peace Prize Forum
that inspires all of us to be peacemakers in
our communities. Serendipity in education
happens for all of us because of these people
and programs, and because of this College’s deep
commitment to such experiences.
One particular moment from last fall stands
out for me. Our groundbreaking River Semester
gave 12 students the educational experience of
a lifetime as they spent the entire semester on
the Mississippi River (see page 16). When I went
to St. Louis to meet with the River Semester
students and faculty halfway through the
semester, I heard tale after tale of serendipitous
experiences along the river. But then one student
took me aside and said that for Associate
Professor Joe Underhill, who organized the class,
this was the trip he had always dreamed about,
given his passion for the river. And, the student
continued, Joe could have done the trip with
his family or friends—surely an easier way to
spend nearly four months on the river? Instead,
the student said, he chose to do it with us, his
students. He chose to do it with his students.
That, my friends, is the “stuff” of serendipity
in education. Teachers who choose to create
the space for serendipity to happen—in the
classroom, in the cafeteria, on the playing
fields or performance stage, even on the Mighty
Mississippi. May it always be so.
Faithfully yours,
Director of Marketing
Communication
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Communication Copywriter
and Editorial Coordinator
Laura Swanson ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Christina Haller
haller@augsburg.edu
Production Manager
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Advancement Communication
Specialist
Jen Lowman Day
dayj@augsburg.edu
Contributor
Kate H. Elliott
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send address corrections to:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu.
Email: now@augsburg.edu
AUGSBURG NOW
Spring 2016
02 Around the quad
08
Playing it forward
14
An exploration of faith
16
Navigating uncharted waters
24
Auggies connect
27
Class notes
32
In memoriam
On the cover: Auggies paddle past the Gateway Arch in
St. Louis as part of a semester-long journey following the
Mississippi River from St. Paul to New Orleans. See page 16.
Photo by Whitney Curtis.
Correction: In the Fall 2015 issue of Augsburg Now, the
story “From Riverside Ave. to Riverside, CA” omitted that
Matthew Dunn ’08 was among several recent Augsburg
College graduates to pursue an advanced degree at the
University of California-Riverside.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise
indicated.
Augsburg College students walk through Lindell Library—a building that will connect to the future
Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion. Learn more about the
Hagfors Center on page 3.
AROUND
THE
QUAD
IGNITING
PASSION, FINDING
HARMONY
Convocation Series
sparks conversation
2
Augsburg Now
The Augsburg College Convocation Series each year offers the community
a chance to hear from leaders and visionaries who spark important
discussion and educate about the challenges and opportunities of
today’s generation. The first event in 2016 was the Martin Luther King Jr.
Convocation in January, featuring Chuck D, leader and co-founder of the
legendary rap group Public Enemy, and his presentation, “Race, Rap, and
Reality: Supporting Our Youth in the Spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
as They Face the Unique Challenges of Today.”
The Batalden Seminar in Applied Ethics in February
welcomed Dr. Donald Warne—professor and chair of the
Department of Public Health in the College of Health
Professions at North Dakota State University, and senior
policy advisor to the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s
Health Board—whose presentation was “Traditional
Lakota Approaches to Health Disparities: Connecting
People and the Environment.”
The Koryne Horbal Lecture in March featured Nekima
Levy-Pounds, attorney, law professor, and president of the
Minneapolis chapter of the NAACP.
Courtesy Photos
Hip-hop pioneer and best-selling author
Chuck D addresses hundreds of attendees at the
2016 Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation.
AROUND THE QUAD
Exterior rendering of the Hagfors Center
E
L
A
S
N
O
TICKETS
CONSTRUCTION STARTS
In May, Augsburg College will begin the construction of its newest and largest
academic building, the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science,
Business, and Religion. The interdisciplinary Hagfors Center embodies
Augsburg’s commitment to student learning, urban placemaking, and thoughtful
stewardship.
The building design features classrooms and labs that are configurable to
support experiential learning as well as other teaching and learning formats.
These spaces will be constructed on a modular framework that allows for
flexibility to meet the College’s long-term needs.
The building will anchor the west side of campus and welcome the
College’s neighborhood with an
“open arms” design facing the
adjacent residential community
and embracing the on-campus
community gardens. The
Hagfors Center also will be the
most environmentally friendly
building on campus, seeking a
LEED Silver certification for its
Mock-up offices
sustainable design.
As part of the building planning process, Augsburg constructed life-size
models of two proposed configurations for faculty and staff offices. The office
concepts were on display in Lindell Library so community members could
stop by to check out the look and feel of the spaces. Students (and even
some faculty members) made themselves at home in the offices by taking
time to study, check email, and read, all the while bringing new meaning to
the phrase, “open-door policy.”
Children’s rights advocate to
keynote peace-building event
Augsburg College will host the 28th
annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum
June 6–8, inviting global leaders and
the general public to explore pressing
peacemaking issues faced by people
across the globe.
This year’s forum will
honor and feature
a keynote address
by Kailash Satyarthi,
joint winner of the
2014 Nobel Peace
Prize. For decades,
Satyarthi has been
tireless in his
advocacy for child
rights, education,
and child labor reform in India. While
in Minneapolis, Satyarthi will join other
peace-building experts to explore human
rights and democracy, disarmament,
sustainability, and inclusivity.
Courtesy Photo
THIS SPRING
College moves forward on
new academic building
Get tickets and learn more at
nobelpeaceprizeforum.org.
The first classes will be held in the Hagfors Center in January 2018. Go to
augsburg.edu/hagforscenter to keep track of project developments.
Spring 2016
3
Historyapolis project wins
ALICE SMITH PRIZE
Twin Cities middle schoolers participate in a Somali debate
initiative led by the Minnesota Urban Debate League.
[Top to bottom]: Kirsten Delegard, who serves
as a scholar-in-residence in the Augsburg
College History Department, and Michael
Lansing, associate professor of history, were
presented the Alice Smith Prize for best public
history project completed in the
previous calendar year by the
Midwestern History Association.
The Historyapolis Project
was created when Delegard
realized that the citizens of
her hometown of Minneapolis
craved complex stories about
the city’s past that would help
them understand how it became
the wonderful and intricate
place that it is today.
Augsburg students are deeply involved
with the project, which aims to make the
city’s history accessible and helps instigate
community dialogue around challenging
aspects of local history. Visit historyapolis.com for
more information.
Signature urban debate program
REACHES MILESTONE
Augsburg College’s Minnesota Urban Debate League program provides
services, support, and materials to more than 750 students engaged in
competitive academic debate at 40 high schools and middle schools across
the Twin Cities metro area. This year marked the first time that the state
debate championship featured two teams from the Minnesota Urban Debate
League: St. Paul’s Highland Park and Minneapolis’ Washburn high schools.
Led by Executive Director Amy Cram Helwich and Faculty Adviser Robert
Groven, an Augsburg communication studies professor, the program helps
increase school engagement and connectedness, which boosts young
people’s confidence in their academic abilities. The program’s impact is
shown through a 100 percent on-time high school graduation rate and a
99 percent college acceptance rate for debaters. “No other out-of-school
program accomplishes such significant gains,” according to Groven.
4
Augsburg Now
Photo courtesy of Lisa Lynch
Minnesota Urban Debate League participants
dominate 2016 state championship
The Historyapolis Project invites Augsburg College
students and community members to conduct research
to help interpret the history of Minneapolis. [L to R]:
Citizen-researcher Rita Yeads and Anna Romskog ’15
view city planning photographs from the 1930s in the
Minneapolis City Archives at City Hall.
AROUND THE QUAD
Professor Phillip Adamo peers out of his office in Memorial Hall.
Phillip Adamo named 2015 Minnesota
Augsburg College was named No. 6
on Best Value Schools’ 2015 list
of 20 Best Value Colleges or
Universities in Minnesota.
eetable
Rankings are based on
graduation rate, net
price, acceptance rate,
#AuggieP
and 20-year net return on
investment.
e
rid
Augsburg College’s Phillip Adamo, professor of history and director of the
Honors Program, was named the 2015 Minnesota Professor of the Year by
the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council
for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).
Adamo was recognized for his accomplishment in a proclamation by
Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges who declared November 19, 2015,
“Dr. Phillip C. Adamo Day in the City of Minneapolis.”
Adamo is the second Augsburg College faculty member to be honored by
Carnegie/CASE. In 2004, Professor Emeritus of Sociology Garry Hesser earned
the prestigious award.
Tw
PROFESSOR OF THE YEAR
Augsburg deemed a
‘best value’ college
Spring 2016
5
ON THE SPOT
Henry Yoon examines addiction risk
Augsburg College Associate Professor Henry Yoon oversees the biopsychology major and
leads the Augsburg Biopsychology Lab. One area of his research involves studying disorders
related to the inability to inhibit socially inappropriate or even illegal behaviors such as
the use of illicit substances that can lead to addiction. Yoon uses neurophysiological
techniques including EEG to capture and analyze the brain’s electrical activity to identify
telltale signs of biological or genetic risk for substance dependence.
Yoon works collaboratively with the StepUP® Program, Augsburg’s residential recovery
community, and the University of Minnesota’s Department of Psychology. Ultimately, Yoon’s
research may help refine the biological tools used in the diagnosis of substance addiction.
Q:
A:
What prompted your interest in studying
addiction?
Substance use disorders are both common
and costly—many of us have personal issues
with substance use or know someone who does,
including our family members. Plus, addiction
is often connected to other major psychiatric
disorders in systematic ways. It is important to
understand the core factors underlying addiction
for intervention and treatment purposes.
Q:
One of the brainwaves you focus on—
the P3—has been studied in relation
to childhood disruptive disorders such as
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder,
adolescent substance dependence, and adult
antisocial behaviors. What’s the link among
these areas?
A:
Collectively, these disorders reflect a
tendency toward behavioral disinhibition,
which may be expressed in various ways over
development through childhood, adolescence,
and adulthood. Evidence shows that this
tendency is highly heritable—in other words,
influenced by genes. The P3 brain measure is
significant because it may signify who is at risk
for these disorders. For instance, my colleagues
and I showed that P3 is itself highly heritable
and can be used to predict who will develop
these types of disorders over a 12-year span. So,
we reason that the P3 can serve as a red flag.
6
Augsburg Now
Q:
Despite recognition of the biological and
genetic nature of substance use disorders,
social stigmas persist. Could improved scientific
literacy play a role in reducing these stigmas?
A:
I think a cautionary tale from my field’s
history can help address this question.
In the 1940s-70s, the concept of the
“schizophrenogenic mother” was popular in
the psychiatric literature. This term implied
that mothers who interacted with their children
in a cold, rejecting, and aloof manner caused
schizophrenia in those children. Another
version of this, in relation to autism, was the
“refrigerator mother,” which carried a similar
implication.
Later scientific research rejected these
incorrect and harmful notions and instead
showed that such disorders largely involve
genetic/biological factors. The same trend
can be observed with regard to addiction. For
instance, it is now known that substance use
disorders are influenced by genetic background
to a degree comparable to other complex
medical conditions such as diabetes or coronary
heart disease. Of course environmental factors
are also important, but overall this shows that
combating addiction is not a matter of willpower
or flawed character.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to learn
more about Yoon’s research.
This colorful graph shows a representation of the P3 brainwave activity that Henry Yoon has been investigating in
relation to behavioral disinhibition. Abnormalities in the P3 wave have been shown to correlate with addictive behaviors.
AROUND THE QUAD
StepUP Gala
®
Research, study, and offer
your two cents
breaks fundraising record
In March 2015, Melissa Motl,
circulation coordinator in Augsburg’s
Lindell Library, started posing questions
to students on a whiteboard as a way
to gain more information about how
students use and view the library. She
asked questions like, “What can you
get at the library that you can’t get
anywhere else?” and “What would you
like to see the library do differently?” It
garnered such great feedback that she
decided to continue asking questions
as a fun and interesting way to find out
more about Auggies.
Each year, Augsburg College’s StepUP Program supports dozens of students as
they achieve academic success and sustain lives of recovery from substance
use disorders. Augsburg is home to the largest collegiate recovery community
in the United States, and its work receives generous support from numerous
corporations, foundations, individuals, and families.
The program received a noteworthy boost this year when its philanthropic
gala raised $419,000 from ticket
sales, sponsorships, and individual
gifts—a sum that nearly doubled
the amount raised the previous year.
Former WCCO TV anchor Don Shelby
was the master of ceremonies and
the featured keynote speech was
by Anne Thompson Heller ’08, a
StepUP alumna who has founded
[L to R]: Broadcaster Don Shelby joins
and championed recovery
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Augsburg
organizations at collegiate,
College President Paul Pribbenow
state, and national levels.
at the StepUP Gala.
Who ever came up
with this question
is EVIL!! You can’t
make me choose! :(
wars
“We have some really
creative and thoughtful
students here at Augsburg,
and I think that’s why we always
get great responses. Some are
thoughtful, and some are silly or witty,”
said Motl.
Who ever came up
this question
“Your lackwithof
is EVIL!! You can’t
make me
choose! :(
faith disturbs
me!”
-Darth Vader
wa
wars
SPIRITSH
Star
Trek
Voyager!
make me choose! :(
wars
both
Who ever came up
with this question
is EVIL!! You can’t
forever!
make me choose! :(
rever!
foELEVATES
Who ever came up
with this question
Who
ever
came so
upfar
One
of Motl’sYou
favorite
questions
is EVIL!!
can’t
with this question
has
been,me
“Star
Wars or:(Star Trek?”
make
choose!
is EVIL!! You can’t
“Your lack of
faith disturbs me!”
-Darth Vader
r
a
t
s
Sports Extravaganza
rssets record,star
Amanda Koltes ’17 MAE works
with Sports Extravaganza participants.
wars
Star
Trek
Voyager!
Who ever came up
with this question
"Yourlack
lackofof
“Your
is EVIL!! You can’
“Your me
lack
faith
" of
faith
disturbs
me!”
ars disturbs
w
make me choose!
faith disturbs me!”
-Darth
Vader
-Darth Vader
-Darth Vader
P
H P
both b
s tarrs swtaarrs
Star Trek
both
Voyager!
wa
s tarrs
wa
forever!
Star s ta
Trek
wa
Voyager!
fore
both
H P
“Your
faith
-Darth
H
wars H P
forever! forever!
Whoever came up
At the 15th annual Sports Extravaganza, Augsburg College physical
with this question
education and exercise science students used knowledge gained in the
is of
EVIL!! You can’t
“Your
lack
rs
wa
classroom to deliver smiles to a record 307 grade-school and
middle-school
makeme!”
me choose! :(
faith disturbs
children with physical, cognitive, and learning disabilities. For the event,
-Darth Vader
Auggies created activity stations in the Augsburg athletics dome and assisted
children as they played.
The Star Tribune published several Sports Extravaganza photos and described participants’
enthusiasm as “Flying high without leaving the ground.” Visit augsburg.edu/now.
V
Spring 2016
7
PLAYING IT
FORWARD
AUGGIE COACHES CREATE
CYCLE OF GIVING BACK
BY CHRISTINA HALLER
Division III athletics is the sweet spot for
student-athletes—they compete on teams and
nurture deep, meaningful relationships with their
coaches and peers, and at the same time have
the freedom and time to explore other activities
and passions while having a strong focus on
academics. These reasons, among others—the
competition, camaraderie, discipline, and love
of the game—are why more than 500 Augsburg
students participate in varsity and intramural
sports every year.
The welcoming and supportive Augsburg
College Athletics Department has had a profound
impact on many student-athletes, which in
return has sparked a desire in many former
players to give back to youth as leaders, mentors,
and friends. Here is a glimpse into the lasting
influence of Auggie athletics on alumni through
the decades.
8
Augsburg Now
Whitney Restemayer ’10 is the first woman in the state of Minnesota to coach a team to a hockey
state title, the 2015 Minnesota State High School Girls’ Hockey Tournament Class A Championship.
I’ve always enjoyed working with kids,
teaching the game, and mentoring players
off the field. Being a student-athlete
at Augsburg taught me many valuable
lessons and allowed me to strengthen my
leadership skills. Many people from my
athletic upbringing have influenced the
way I teach young men about soccer and
life. I must admit, Auggie soccer coaches
Greg Holker, Jonathan Schaefer, and
Nate Hitch had a profound influence on me
during college.
The most gratifying thing about
coaching is seeing my boys grow into
young men and become contributing
members of the community. I was a kid
who was influenced in so many positive
ways by several people in my athletic path.
For me to have the opportunity to give back
a fraction of my time is the most gratifying
thing in the world.
VAN HONG ’11
Enterprise risk analytics consultant at Deloitte & Touche LLP in Minneapolis; youth soccer coach at Park
Valley United and co-founder of Spam F.C. College Scholarship Foundation in St. Louis Park, Minnesota
SUE (MEIER) ZIEGLER ’80
Physical education and health and
wellness teacher and head volleyball and
track coach at Lincoln Lutheran Middle/
Senior High School in Lincoln, Nebraska
Photos by Matt Ryerson
I was involved with basketball and track
as an Auggie. I would credit the whole
Augsburg Health–Physical Education
Department and coaches for supporting
me—people like longtime athletic
director and men’s basketball coach
Ernie Anderson ’37 were always looking
out for athletes’ best interests. I believe I
received a quality education in a Christian
environment, and feel blessed to be in a
similar situation now. I hope I have had an
impact on helping shape young people’s
lives through education and athletics, too.
Students teach me life lessons every
day. The impact that they have had on my
life has been invaluable—on relationships,
commitment, and learning. I love seeing
where my former students and athletes
go on in the next step of their lives—
from college to starting their families to
excelling in their careers.
Spring 2016
11
Everything I got from sports as a player—
the love of the game, the friendships, the
teamwork, the cohesion—sparked a desire
in me to coach. I started playing sports
at a young age and experienced coaches
who I really clicked with, and I knew that I
wanted to be able to give back to athletes
in the same way. I had a great experience
at Augsburg. Playing two sports, being a
health and physical education major, and
working within the Athletics Department
allowed me to meet many people who had a
great influence on my life.
I have been very lucky to achieve a lot
of success in my short coaching career.
Being able to be a part of something
so great on ice allowed me to also be a
part of something great off the ice. The
relationships that I have developed with
many of the girls I have coached is second
to none.
WHITNEY RESTEMAYER ’10
Physical education teacher at Challenger Elementary School
and assistant girls’ softball coach and head girls’ hockey
coach at Lincoln High School in Thief River Falls, Minnesota
JAMELL TIDWELL ’05
Assistant administrator, athletic
director, and middle school football
and track coach at Valley Middle
School of STEM, and high school
wrestling coach at Apple Valley High
School in Apple Valley, Minnesota
I feel like God put athletics in my
life to keep me out of trouble so that
I could get to where I am today. If I
didn’t have wrestling in my life, there’s
no way I’d currently be working toward
my doctorate. I didn’t have a dad
growing up, so when I was a studentathlete at Augsburg, Auggie wrestling
coaches Jeff Swenson ’79, Sam
Barber, and Donny Wichmann ’89
took me under their wings and taught
me how to be a student, how to be an
athlete, how to be a man, and how to
be successful.
I hope that by being a coach, I
can show kids that, through athletics
and working hard in school, you can
achieve anything. I always tell my
players, you have to be a student first
and an athlete second.
AN
EXPLORATION
OF FAITH
PRESTIGIOUS $467,000
GRANT FOSTERS STUDENTS’
ENGAGEMENT IN YOUTH
THEOLOGY INSTITUTE
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
“J
esus is in the generosity business,”
said Amber Kalina ’15 when she
quoted from Walter Brueggeman’s
theology of abundance at an Augsburg
College chapel service. “That means
being constantly alert to any mismatch
between the generosity of God and the
needs of people.”
Certainly, Augsburg was given a
great and generous gift this winter when
the College was awarded a prestigious
three-year Lilly Endowment Inc. grant
of $467,000 for the Youth Theology
Institute. This residential summer camp
program explores deep and meaningful
questions of faith and vocation through
classes, service work, and reflection.
The competitive grant ensures that this
program will continue the work of helping
young people discern their vocations.
Kalina’s homily was part of a visit
to her home state of Minnesota to
pursue the next step in her vocational
journey: Attending seminary to become
ordained as a minister in the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America.
The journey of this youth and
family ministry graduate, however,
started in the the summer of 2010
14
Augsburg Now
when she was a junior in high school
in Perham, Minnesota. It was then that
she attended Augsburg’s Youth Theology
Institute at the encouragement of her
youth pastor.
“I would grill my youth director
about everything. He had heard about
the Augsburg College Youth Theology
Institute, and he encouraged me to
attend because I just couldn’t stop
asking questions,” Kalina said. “At the
Institute, I was challenged and pushed
to think about and explain what I
actually think about faith.”
DIVERSE EXPERIENCES
IN A DIVERSE ZIP CODE
The 13-year-old Youth Theology
Institute engages young people in
grades 10-12 in deep theological
questions and vocational discernment
through community-based and
classroom learning, worship, reflection,
and solitude. The program, which has
touched more than 200 young people
since its inception, is an example of
how Augsburg College lives out its
vision to educate people for lives of
purpose across disciplines and beyond
the classroom.
“This grant supports Augsburg’s
continued commitment to intentional
diversity and to modeling what it means
to be a Lutheran college of the 21st
century, located in the heart of one of
the nation’s most diverse ZIP codes. It
equips young people with theological
and vocational skills and helps them
learn what it means to practice
their faith, with its commitments to
education, radical hospitality, and
serving your neighbor,” said Augsburg
College President Paul Pribbenow.
LEARN, PRAY, AND
PLAY TOGETHER
Since its inception in 2004, the Youth
Theology Institute—a program of
Augsburg’s Bernhard M. Christensen
Center for Vocation—has explored
themes germane not only to the College,
but also to current events.
Augsburg’s emphasis on
interdisciplinary learning shaped
the 2015 program, which explored
interfaith action, a deeply compelling
topic for participants and the College,
particularly given Augsburg’s setting
in the midst of a neighborhood with a
growing Muslim population.
The Lilly grant will allow the
Augsburg College Youth Theology
Institute to expand upon its history of
success while increasing programmatic
goals, including:
• Development of a cohort of youth
ministers from regional churches,
synods, and multicultural and
ethnic-specific congregations,
interested in enhancing vocational
discernment and theological
reflection among youth.
Photo by Mark Chamberlain
Amber Kalina ’15 serves Abundant Life Together,
a ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. This Alt Year program in Toledo, Ohio,
provides young adults a chance to explore in
community subjects including vocation through
reflection, leadership, relationships, and service.
• Growth in the number of participants
from 20 in 2016 to 40 by
2019 while also strengthening
relationships with attendees, their
families, their pastors, and their
churches.
• The creation of a mentor program
to allow college-age students to
help high school students develop
practices and skills for theological
reflection.
• An increase in connections to the
four synods of the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America
that form Augsburg’s governing
structure—Minneapolis, St. Paul,
Southeastern Minnesota, and
Northwest Wisconsin.
• Continuation of scholarships for
Youth Theology Institute alumni to
attend Augsburg College.
“We learn together,
pray together, play together,
explore the city together, and
discern God’s work in our
world together.”
− Jeremy Myers
Youth Theology Institute program director
and associate professor of religion
Participants in the program are
respectfully challenged in every activity
to dig deep into their perspectives and
biases to uncover their beliefs.
“We learn together, pray together,
play together, explore the city together,
and discern God’s work in our world
together,” said Associate Professor
of Religion Jeremy Myers, the Youth
Theology Institute program director.
For her part, Kalina hopes the grant
prompts others like her to find their paths.
“Young people are so eager to learn,”
Kalina said. “But if there is nothing at
home to welcome their questioning or to
guide them, it is difficult. Home church
congregations have to be involved.
Participation from our churches provides
a chance for all of us to show young
people that abundance exists in Christian
community and that abundance is meant
to be shared with everyone.”
Augsburg College will welcome the
2016 class of Youth Theology Institute
students to campus from June 19–24.
Participants from across the country will
explore meaningful questions related to
social and environmental justice, the role
of the congregation in these questions,
and how one can both love and be
frustrated by community.
To learn more, visit augsburg.edu/acyti.
Spring 2016
15
Navigating
uncharted waters
First-ever River Semester pushes
boundaries of experiential learning
By Kate H. Elliott
The River Semester was billed as an experiential learning
opportunity: engage in a full load of political, environmental,
and physical education courses—reinforced by a research
project—while canoeing down the Mississippi River from its
headwaters in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. But for the
12 Augsburg College students, two faculty members, teaching
assistant, and two guides who completed the first-of-its-kind
trek from August to December, it was so much more.
For it was on those waters that the crew learned to
appreciate the quiet, to be curious about the world around
them, and to seek knowledge. They learned to be prepared, to
make friendship a fine art, and most importantly to enjoy the
8
Augsburg Now
moment. And they didn’t just learn about the river so much
as become enamored of it, so much so that many of them feel
unsteady back on solid ground.
The Mississippi became their muse, teacher, personal
trainer, and confidante. They dreamt alongside its calming
waters and paddled through its more turbulent channels.
Soon, its problems became their problems: urban stormwater
runoff, the economic decay of river towns, and invasive flying
carp smacked them—literally—in the face. And so, what
started as an interesting, immersive experience has become a
sobering call to restore and protect one of the United States’
most iconic natural wonders.
Spring 2016
17
Ricky Taylor ’17, a film and graphic design major, captured the crew’s three-month journey and
many of the social, economic, political, and cultural forces gripping the river as he gathered
footage for a feature-length documentary. He plans to premiere “Learning to Listen: Our
Semester on the River” this summer.
“We learned by living, meeting the people, and witnessing the issues that illustrate the
complexities plaguing the river,” Taylor said. “We met Carl, a shrimper who once walked on
land that is now six feet beneath water, and we paddled past sediment that was filling in the
river’s largest lake (Lake Pepin near Red Wing, Minnesota). We read about levees being ‘big bad
wolves’ but then saw them protect families just trying to make their way through life. A portion
of Louisiana is being swallowed up by the ocean, a culture disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico,
largely due to agricultural practices that help feed our nation.
“Somewhere along the way, I slipped out of the boat and into the Big Muddy. Every day I
think about the river—about the paddling, the friends, the food, the learning—longing to be
back there. Mud runs through my veins, and the only word I can find to describe the experience
is ‘love,’ and that’s not a word I take lightly.”
A gripping odyssey
The trip had all the elements of any good adventure story:
There was a steadfast leader, Joe Underhill, who has been engaged in environmental politics
for 30 years and had been dreaming about this trip for almost as long; an epic journey paddling
nearly 700 miles in 24-foot handmade cedar-strip voyager canoes; and a compelling cast of
characters, including the student who’d never camped, the chipper morning person, and a
student about to drop out who found his calling en route. There were unexpected moments,
including an emergency appendectomy outside Mark Twain’s hometown, an open mic night
harmonizing with the locals of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, and a visit to the Michael Brown
memorial in Ferguson, Missouri. And finally, there were lots of emotions—all of them, really.
Underhill knew the trip would be an odyssey in every sense of the word. The professor
of political science, environmental studies, and international relations had been planning
“
Mud runs
through my
veins
—Ricky Taylor ’17
and networking for 15 years to realize the River Semester. He tested the waters in 2001 by
organizing a three-day field trip from St. Cloud, Minnesota, to St. Paul. Five-day and 10-day
excursions followed before he proposed the semester experience in 2012.
“This is where Augsburg stands out from other institutions,” said Underhill, who has
organized interdisciplinary trips throughout the world. “Augsburg values experiential learning,
place-based pedagogy, and innovative approaches so much that it wasn’t a
matter of ‘if’ we can make this happen but ‘how.’ Yes, we had three years
of sorting out logistics, but the College continues to empower and support
faculty to engage in this type of work, and you only have to talk with one
of these students to grasp the impact.”
Once logistics were in place, Underhill’s years of contacts at
organizations such as the National Park Service rushed in to participate—
offering guest lectures, exclusive tours of historic sites, hot meals, and
lodging. Wilderness Inquiry, a Minneapolis-based outfitter that has
partnered with Augsburg for years, provided logistical expertise and
risk management planning as well as guides, food, and equipment. Erik
Ophaug, a Wilderness Inquiry program manager, said the outfitter is proud
to be at the forefront in creative endeavors that increase students’ access
to and connection with the natural world.
“This was the longest expedition we have run, in terms of number of days on the river, in
our 40-year history of supporting educational and expeditionary outdoor adventures,” Ophaug
said. “It was inspiring to watch these students truly soak up and process all of the little
moments that make up the culture, politics, ecosystem, and history of the Mississippi River
watershed.”
Guide Emily Knudson ’15 had paddled with Underhill on a 10-day canoe trip as part of a
River Politics course her senior year. When she learned the semester-long excursion wouldn’t
materialize until after she would graduate, the determined triple major in environmental
studies, English literature, and Spanish secured a job with Wilderness Inquiry in hopes of
gaining a staff position on the trip, which she did. Charged with almost every logistical task,
from planning mileage and booking campsites to grocery shopping and monitoring weather
conditions, Knudson also served as a supplemental instructor and intern for Augsburg. She
led study sessions and presented lectures in their outdoor classrooms (or the nearest city’s
laundromat or public library in bad weather).
“Educational experiences like this are important because they make you think so much
more deeply about the course content. Instead of memorizing facts about the lock and dam
system for a test, we were paddling through the pools the dams created, hearing stories from
locals, and camping on the islands built to replace those flooded out decades earlier. In a
couple years, I will forget almost everything I memorized, but I will never forget my learning in
action,” said Knudson.
Guitar
Headlamp
Rain gear
French press
Rubber boots
Visit augsburg.edu/now to learn
which items the River Semester
crew couldn’t live without.
Self-discovery on the riverbanks
Glen Gardner ’17 was considering taking a year off from school when he saw the River Semester
publicized in the cafeteria. He signed up, and somewhere along the pilgrimage, the Montana
native realized he wants to teach art. Gardner is back at Augsburg this semester, majoring in
studio art and art education.
“Having the time to unplug and reflect about my life helped me realize my passion for art
education. I have always been interested in the arts, but I hadn’t really thought about teaching
until I discovered that I loved spreading the feelings I find in art to other people as much as I
enjoy making art,” Gardner said. “I want to extend my knowledge and passion beyond myself
and use art to promote living in a way that is not wasteful to the world.”
Spring 2016
19
Hearing this, Underhill is proud. Provoking self-exploration
was not his motivation for organizing the trip, but the sense of
vocation students found down river is certainly the journey’s
most fulfilling outcome. Admittedly, he took a leap of faith
selecting the crew. He didn’t pick a team of students with
similar interests, backgrounds, maturity levels, and outdoor
experience. He picked a team that reflects Augsburg’s
commitment to nurturing a diverse community of resilient,
driven, and faith-filled citizens. As you can imagine, the initial
weeks included some whining and a few cold stares, but before
long, this dynamic group evolved into a harmonious tribe.
Forging lasting bonds
Taylor was nervous about the trip, not because of the physical
demands or the elements (he was an Eagle Scout and grew
up a “river kid” in north-central Wisconsin). As the crew’s
videographer and documentarian, Taylor was most concerned
about getting his new Nikon, Sony video camera, and
two GoPros wet. But even more so, he was terrified of the
quiet—for those moments when people would start sharing
information about their lives. He was finishing up his second
semester at Augsburg in the College’s StepUP® Program, the
nation’s largest residential collegiate recovery community.
Now sober for two years, Taylor said he burned bridges
between himself and others before he entered recovery.
“My peers on the River Semester were some of my first
friends in a long time. It was truly a fresh start,” he said.
“On the trip, I heard things that were strange to my ears:
‘Ricky, you’re a good person,’ ‘You’re kind,’ and ‘I’m amazed
by you.’ I always looked around, thinking, ‘Are you sure you’re
talking to me?’ It was the first time in years that I felt good,
felt worth, and felt confidence. People trusting and caring for
me is more precious to me than anything, and I developed
everlasting bonds with this crew.”
Brian Arvold ’80 witnessed that closeness when he
welcomed home his daughter, Hannah, who was one of
the first two students to sign up for the trip. When the
crew stepped off the train at a welcome home rally in midDecember, Arvold said, the students ran into their families’
arms, and then they all ran back—to each other.
8
Augsburg Now
“It was touching for all of us to see,” said Arvold, who
was waving a canoe paddle painted with “River Semester” as
the train slowed to a halt. “You may want a lot for your child,
but lifelong friendships are at the top of the list. Knowing that
these students will be there for each other through life’s ups
and downs is comforting.
“We’d talk to Hannah along the trip, and we could hear
her growing more socially and culturally aware, but we also
detected a real sense of confidence. Paddling that entire river
empowered our daughter as she was placed in settings where
she had to stand up for herself, push through, and create
solutions. Augsburg is truly on the forefront—a small college
doing great things. It’s neat to see them embrace learning
without four walls.”
Wading through analysis, navigating partnerships
Hannah Arvold ’18 was able to channel her professional
pursuits into a research project focused on nutrition and the
environmental impacts of farming. On the first leg of their
trip, she calculated the caloric intake and expenditure of her
peers, noting which foods provided the best sources of energy.
Near the end of their voyage, she recorded the agriculture
industry’s negative impacts on the river, including gasoline
and pesticides seeping into groundwater. “Caring about the
health of your body,” Arvold said, “is just as important as the
health of the land it is grown on.
“I created an ‘I the Mississippi’ bumper sticker and
gave it out to people along our trip for freewill donations,”
Arvold said. “We donated $500 of the money raised to
purchase science equipment for the International School of
Louisiana where we presented many of our research findings
to more than 160 fourth- and sixth-graders.”
Each student conducted a research project, and many
of them involved collaborations with external partners
throughout the United States. Noah Cameron ’17 worked with
Minnesota artist Monica Haller, known for the “Veterans Book
Project,” which captures interviews and data from dozens
of soldiers, refugees, and journalists affected by wars in
Iraq and Afghanistan. Cameron used a hydrophone to record
underwater noises while on the river and then paired them
with social and cultural recordings, which he plans to use for
future collaborations with Haller.
“It seems that intense, mindful listening is a difficult task
nowadays, and some people have no reason to listen. I was
given a reason, and I learned much about the nature of sound,
silence, noise, and listening,” the political science major said.
“My project acknowledges that the river has something to say,
which it certainly does. One thing the river told me was that
it is polarized; its waters are either filled with the sounds of
mechanical engineering or with quiet ecological or hydrologic
characteristics.
“Similarly to how I thoughtfully listen to the systems of
the river, I realized that we—as a society—should thoughtfully
listen, which is not the same as agreeing, to our government
and each other. I viewed the river like our government—this
massive, daunting entity that we seem to have little effect
on. However, as we moved down that river and as we took
classes about both the nature of the river and the nature of
democracy, we learned that we do affect that river, and we do
affect our government.”
Blair Stewig ’18 connected with the river on a molecular
level, studying how the concentrations of various chemicals
influence ecosystems. Throughout the trip, she collected water
quality data like that of the National Park Service’s “State of
the River Report.” She also collaborated with Reuben Heine,
a geology professor at Augustana College in Rock Island,
Illinois, to gather sonar data about subaqueous dunes, or
sediment bed forms at the bottom of the river.
“My main focus was on the accumulation of nitrates
in the Mississippi and its effect on the Gulf of Mexico. The
molecule, commonly found in fertilizers, seeps into the
river system from agricultural and urban runoff, feedlots,
sewage treatment plants, and more. This excess results in a
‘Dead Zone’ in the Northern Gulf of Mexico each late spring
and summer,” said Stewig, who is majoring in biology and
chemistry. “What does that mean? An influx of nutrients
results in an algae bloom. When these algae die, they sink
to the bottom of the ocean, where they are consumed by
bacteria, which depletes the area of oxygen. Some marine
life sense the lack of oxygen and leave, but others die as a
result. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, the Dead Zone costs the U.S. seafood and
tourism industry $82 million per year.”
Lark Weller, who collaborated with Stewig on behalf of
the National Park Service, said Stewig’s data will inform
brochures and fact sheets about excess nitrates in a river
system that provides water for upwards of 15 million people.
The research these students conducted is compelling, Weller
said, but their connection to the river is even more impressive.
“I suppose it’s possible to complete a college degree
without really ever understanding the broader context of the
world around you—but not for River Semester students. It
is clear the experience dramatically changed the lives of
every single student who accepted the challenge. They have
returned with a new and expansive sense of self, place, and
world,” said Weller.
Memories keep rollin’ along
The next leg of this journey: The documentary. Taylor
produced several short videos chronicling the trip, which are
at augsburg.edu/river, and he’s looking forward to sharing the
experience through his forthcoming feature-length film. For
now, the River Semester crew continues to process the issues
they know and to reflect upon their moments together: rows
of sleeping bags dotting the shore as they looked up at an
ebony sky studded with millions of heavenly diamonds; waking
at 3 a.m. to paddle from darkness to dawn; and swaying in
hammocks tied to the tall willow trees of remote river islands.
So, if you see members of this motley crew sleeping
outside, don’t judge. They’re just longing to be back on
the water, where they grew stronger and a bit wiser, having
realized that the issues gripping the Mississippi River are
as sophisticated as its ecosystems. That enlightenment has
influenced the way they now see the world, with varying
shades of compromise and understanding. They reenter their
lives with renewed purpose, fueled by an empowering sense
of community, the ability to adapt, and the ache for life’s next
adventure.
“
It feels good to say, ‘I know the Mississippi.’
But, of course, you don’t—what you know better
is yourself and the Mississippi has helped.
—River Semester student journal entry
From trickling headwaters to the
WIDE AND MIGHTY OCEAN
River Semester participants share memorable events along the river
Beginning in 2003, Augsburg College Associate Professor Joe Underhill began incorporating short Mississippi River
trips—three-, five-, and 10-day excursions—into his environmental politics curriculum. He first presented the idea
of a semester-long trip to College leadership in 2012, and then three years of logistical discussions and planning
followed. This past fall, Underhill and biology instructor Thorpe Halloran shoved off from St. Paul with 12 students, two
guides, and a teaching assistant. Here are a few highlights from their journey.
AUG. 28-30: Held an orientation at
the Mississippi River headwaters to
introduce courses, review canoeing and
water safety basics, and discuss topics
such as American Indians’ perspectives
on the environment and sustainability.
1
SEPT. 1: Chris Coleman, mayor of
St. Paul, joined nearly 100 Auggies,
family members, and high school students
at the launch of the nation’s first-ever
River Semester. Dozens of attendees
paddled in a flotilla of 24-foot voyageur
canoes to South St. Paul.
2
SEPT. 5-7: Studied the water
quality and impact of farming,
including increased sediment load on the
river. Sampled water alongside fisheries
biologists with the Minnesota Department
of Natural Resources.
3
“Without a current and with a brutal head wind,
paddling Lake Pepin was probably one of our
most challenging days.” —Lily Moloney ’15
SEPT. 12-17: Joined faculty and
students from Winona State
University for stream ecology labs and
discussion on the impact of the lock and
dam system.
4
OCT. 3: A rough paddle through the
pool above Lock and Dam No. 13,
one of the widest pools on the upper river.
The crew struggled through fierce winds
to avoid submerged tree stumps left over
5
from before the dam was built. One of the
canoes sustained a bad crack, which the
crew repaired at camp.
OCT. 7-10: Met with local farmers
and a nonprofit environmental
group that organizes river cleanups, tree
plantings, and other conservation efforts.
The crew also engaged a field lab with
Reuben Heine, geography professor at
Augustana College in Illinois.
6
OCT. 20-21: When the crew
paddled into author Mark Twain’s
hometown, Izzie Smith ’18 began to suffer
from stomach pain. By midnight, she had
been diagnosed with appendicitis, and
the next morning she had surgery. Two
weeks later, Smith rejoined the group in
Memphis. Even with all the excitement,
the team still engaged in a lively
discussion about Huck Finn and literary
figures born along the Mississippi.
7
OCT. 29: The last morning of their
journey on the upper river, the crew
woke up at 3 a.m. to paddle for a few
hours in the dark to catch the sun rise
over the river. They ended their sunrise
paddle on the Mississippi’s banks north
of St. Louis, from which vans shuttled
the crew past the Chain of Rocks, an
exposure of bedrock in the Cuivre River.
8
9
NOV. 2: As part of Underhill’s
course, Democracy in the American
Heartland, students traveled to the
Michael Brown Memorial—the site of the
August 2014 shooting death of a black
teenager by a white policeman, which
prompted national commentary on racial
discrimination and gun control. President
Paul Pribbenow joined the group for a
tour through the city and discussions with
residents.
“Standing at that memorial in the middle of
the road was a deeply unsettling experience—
there was no way it could or should have been
otherwise.” —President Paul Pribbenow
NOV. 16: The team paddled past
expansive sandbars and islands
full of wildlife at the confluence of the
Mississippi and Arkansas rivers. Waters in
this area can rise and fall as much as 70
feet and swirl around canoes.
10
NOV. 26: Thanksgiving in New
Orleans: The crew enjoyed an
abundance of fried turkey and comforting
side dishes at their hostel as they visited
with fellow travelers from more than a
dozen countries.
11
12
DEC. 11: Travel by train to Chicago.
“The train back to Chicago was spent
doing a lot of work on our finals, but it was also
a time to reflect on everything we experienced
on the trip.” —Blair Stewig ’18
1
ITASCA STATE
PARK, MN
HARRIET ISLAND, ST. PAUL
2
LAKE PEPIN
3
4
WINONA, MN
CLINTON, IA
HANNIBAL, MO
5
6
CHICAGO, IL
12
QUAD CITIES
7
LOUISIANA, MO
8
FERGUSON, MO
9
10
CHOCTAW ISLAND, TN
DEC. 14-15 The crew traveled by train from Chicago
to the Twin Cities and joined in a “good-bye” hug
upon arrival at Union Depot in St. Paul.
As part of the River Semester welcome back celebration,
Augsburg graphic design and typography students created an
interactive gallery exhibit chronicling the voyage. Learn more
at augsburg.edu/now.
NEW ORLEANS, LA
11
Spring 2016
23
AUGGIES CONNECT
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
JILL WATSON ’10 MBA, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
24
Augsburg Now
Courtesy Photo
T
oday’s Augsburg College students seek to make
a difference, and it’s been a privilege to interact
with them as they gather to meet alumni, discuss
vocation, and pick up targeted professional advice at
recent events. Last fall, the Clair and Gladys Strommen
Center for Meaningful Work hosted a Career and
Internship Fair and welcomed young Auggies who sought
to make connections with employers and internship hosts.
Shortly after the event, nearly two dozen Augsburg alumni returned to
campus to join panel discussions about their academic and career stories across
a range of disciplines and professions. These events were part of a five-week
major and career exploration series that provided nearly 175 students the
opportunity to explore a wide variety of degrees and occupations. This series was
made successful thanks, in part, to the Augsburg College alumni who served as
panelists. Thank you to all Auggies who shared your vocation and insight with
students!
Most recently, I was humbled by the talent, drive, and thoughtfulness I saw
all around me at the annual Alumni-Student Networking event in February, where
hundreds of alumni mingled with current students and faculty, received free
professional profile photos, and listened as alumni addressed the importance
of informational interviewing, mentoring, and using social media to connect.
Regardless of where we are in our professional lives, I think we all have something
to offer to or gain from such events.
Events like these make me proud to be an Auggie. If you shared your
experiences with students in the past year, you helped to inspire Auggie pride.
Whether you’re connecting with students, networking with graduates of all
class years, contributing to The Augsburg Fund
View videos that illustrate the
to support College initiatives, or planning a
impact of student internships
gift to fund an endowed scholarship, we are so
at augsburg.edu/now.
grateful.
As Augsburg moves into the future, alumni can help the College live out its
vision—to educate students for lives of purpose—across the disciplines, beyond
the classroom, and around the world.
You can engage your employer in identifying Auggies as candidates for
employment, internships, or mentorships by posting opportunities at your
company on the AugPost job board found at augsburg.edu/alumni.
I joined the alumni board because I wanted to see Auggies help other
Auggies and make a difference. Each time I attend an Augsburg event, I learn
more about what current students are up to, and I want to do everything I can to
help them succeed. Won’t you join me?
UNIQUELY AUGSBURG
TRAVEL IN THAILAND AND CAMBODIA
JANUARY 3-15, 2017
In January, English Professor Kathy
Swanson and her husband, Jack,
will lead an educational trip through
Thailand and Cambodia. After arriving
in Bangkok, travelers will tour the Grand
Palace, visit the temple at Wat Po (the
Reclining Buddha), shop for tropical
produce, and sample local cuisine
cooked on boats at a floating market.
From there they will continue to Chiang
Mai to ride elephants, perfect their
culinary skills with a cooking class, and
volunteer at an orphanage. The trip will
conclude in Siem Reap, Cambodia,
at Angkor Wat, the largest religious
monument in the world.
This thought-provoking tour has
been customized specifically for
Augsburg alumni, parents, and friends,
and there’s still time to learn more and
participate. Contact Katie Koch ’01,
director of Auggie Engagement, at
kochk@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1178
if you are interested in learning more
about Augsburg’s travel opportunities.
To learn more, go to
augsburg.edu/alumni/travel.
AUGGIES CONNECT
ALUMNA COMBINES
CREATIVITY AND CHEMISTRY
through career at 3M
Capstone dinner celebrates
SUCCESSFUL BUILDING CAMPAIGN
This winter, as part of the annual Advent Vespers festivities, Augsburg
College held a dinner to celebrate the successful completion of the
largest capital campaign in the institution’s history and to recognize
the generosity of all who made the Campaign for the Norman and
Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion
possible. More than 200 donors attended, including members of the
Board of Regents and many alumni supporters.
President Paul Pribbenow offered his sincere thanks to Norman
and Evangeline Hagfors and all donors to the new building. Chair of
the Board of Regents Dr. Paul Mueller ’84 shared his gratitude and
recognized the incredible leadership and commitment of Mike Good ’71
[pictured above], who served as national chair for the campaign that
exceeded its $50 million goal.
After becoming
involved with the 3M
STEP program as a
high school student,
Audrey Sherman ’97
[pictured] became
an inventor at age
20. Now a scientist
with 3M, Sherman is
credited with nearly
80 patents, some
created with other Augsburg alumni working at
the Minnesota-based company.
Sherman’s most recent patent is for a
versatile material with the potential to improve
cosmetics, insulation wrapping, and electronics.
Two of her favorite patents involve using
pressure-sensitive adhesives to transport light
and making a solvent-free duct tape. She also
helped discover a new solution for restickable
diaper tape. Sherman feels that her Augsburg
minor in art has been an important factor in
pursuing her inventions, enabling her to blend
creativity with her skills in chemistry. Today
she mentors St. Paul high school students
interested in science and gives talks to juniorhigh and middle-school students about careers
in science and technology.
Share your ideas for
AUGSBURG’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
SESQUICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
years
Augsburg alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff are invited to help celebrate
the College’s 150th anniversary in 2019. What aspect of your Augsburg
history would you like to celebrate during the sesquicentennial year? Were you
connected to a team, a club, or a department that made a difference? Would
you like to see a reunion for your favorite activity—whether it was the Echo
newspaper staff, a sport, Lutheran Youth Encounter, the Augsburg Choir, or
theater? How best would you like to honor Augsburg’s past, present, and future?
Visit augsburg.edu/150 to submit your ideas and find monthly updates on
planning already underway for the sesquicentennial celebration.
Spring 2016
25
AUGGIES CONNECT
ALUMNI ASSIST
STUDENTS
on their path to
physician assistant
career
[L to R]: Augsburg College alumnus
Tom Towle ’14 MPA leads thenstudents Scott Harder ’15 MPA and
Christina Pekoske ’15 MPA through
the steps of starting an IV.
32
26
Augsburg Now
I
n the classroom and in the field, Augsburg
College alumni help today’s physician assistant
students gain a glimpse into the professional
world they’re preparing to enter. Through clinical
work and course instruction, alumni share their
experience in a high-demand field.
Augsburg’s Master of Science in Physician
Assistant Studies program was the first of its kind
in Minnesota and admitted its inaugural class in
1995. The full-time graduate program educates
generalist physician assistants oriented toward
service to underserved populations in rural and
urban settings.
The physician assistant (PA) concept has
evolved over time but continues to increase in
relevance. In alignment with health care industry
demand, the PA’s role continues to expand.
The Augsburg PA program’s long history
in Minnesota is advantageous, according to
Jenny Kluznik ’13 MPA, assistant professor of
physician assistant studies. PA students spend
approximately half of their graduate program in
a didactic—or classroom—phase. The latter half
of the program is spent in the community where
students complete clinical rotations that change
every five weeks. Augsburg’s PA alumni serve
as educators and lecturers for a course series in
clinical medicine and also serve as hosts for the
hands-on field work.
Meredith Wold ’07 MPA is a guest lecturer
for the program and an adjunct faculty member.
She works as a hospitalist PA with an internal
medicine team at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
As an undergraduate, Wold was focused almost
exclusively on medical school, but during her final
year in college she was struck by the teamwork she
witnessed between a doctor and a PA in surgery.
Now, after nearly a decade in her profession,
Wold values the team-based work of taking care
of hospitalized patients.
She weaves clinical episodes from her career
into her lectures, which serve to remind students
of the whole patient—not just the upcoming exam.
Melissa Oeding ’10 MPA, another guest
lecturer, agrees.
“As a recent graduate, I can relate to the
student experience, understand how students learn,
and provide real-world insight and advice regarding
what to expect as a practicing PA,” said Oeding,
who works at Minneapolis’ Hennepin County
Medical Center.
She’s stimulated by the chance to sit on the
other side of the lectern.
“It renews an excitement for my work and
career and reminds me just why I started out in the
program,” she said. “I feel extraordinarily blessed to
have been trained and trained well at Augsburg.”
Guest lecturer Olga Trouskova ’13 MPA sought
out Augsburg’s PA program in part because of its
emphasis on serving the underserved.
“I went into medicine to provide answers and
to heal,” Trouskova said. “Now I understand that
great medicine cannot happen without building
relationships and trust with my patients.”
She also is a hospitalist PA at Regions and,
during her weeks off, serves as a family practice
PA at Westside Community Health Services/La
Clinica, a community clinic.
Trouskova makes a point of including real
patient stories in her presentations to remind
students that PAs treat patients, not diseases.
For students, there’s no match for hearing these
types of lessons from alumni, according to Wold.
“It shows a level of alumni commitment
toward the program and the next generation
of Augsburg PAs,” she said. “Early on after
graduation I felt a duty, a professional
responsibility really, to give that back.”
And teaching is its own kind of gift,
according to Trouskova.
“By teaching others, I have learned as well,”
she said.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1960
Lowell “Zeke”
Ziemann ’60 continues
to write. His newest book,
“Gunslingers and Baseball,” is
a collection of Western historical
fiction, essays, and baseball
stories. It is available on Amazon.
1965
From his time at
Augsburg, Allen
Anderson ’65 fondly remembers his
music professor Leland Sateren ’35,
the Burgundy Singers, dorm life,
and choir tours. Today, Anderson is
still involved with choral music and
enjoys golf, woodworking, activities
in his community and at his church,
travel, and participation in Lutheran
Men in Mission. He and wife, Joyce,
have two children who graduated
from Augsburg. They travel to New
Zealand on occasion to visit their
son and his family.
Gary Blosberg ’65 says that his
current position is “reclined.”
He is retired after 26 years
as a finance manager at
General Electric and 23 years
in the U.S. Navy. He thanks
chemistry professor Courtland
Agre for sharing his wisdom
when he said: “You don’t need
to know everything; you just
need to know where to find the
answers.” Blosberg still sings
with the Centennial Singers, the
Masterworks Chorale, and other
groups. He is proud to be a father
and grandfather.
Connie (Ekeren) Cameron ’65
teaches at Honors Mentor
Connection, is on the Fringe
Festival Board, sings in the
St. Joan of Arc Choir, and is
involved in politics, travel, and
the League of Women Voters. Her
fondest memories of Augsburg
include the Kappa House girls,
professor Anne Pederson’s literature
wonderful teachers and role
models. Among Dietrich’s most
treasured Augsburg memories
are the excellent convocation
speakers and the great
friendships she made. Today, she
and husband, Franklin, enjoy
their grandsons, their involvement
at Central Lutheran Church, and
traveling. She also volunteers with
literature; and professor of history
Carl Chrislock ’37 for his effective
use of anecdote to enliven history.
Dyrud spends his time reading,
golfing, and traveling. He and
wife, Marilyn, have three children
who are all involved with theater,
and they enjoy seeing their
children’s work.
In October, Janis “Matty” Mathison ’69 was honored by the American
Planning Association’s Wisconsin Chapter as its Citizen of the Year for
her leadership in working with local residents and planners to promote
healthy living and active lifestyles in eastern Wisconsin’s Shawano
County. Last year was the third year of Bike the Barn Quilts, an area
bike tour that she spearheaded.
From the NOW@Augsburg blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
classes, and her roommate of four
years Carol (Welch) Langness ’65.
Cameron thanks the team behind
the Christmas smorgasbords;
Ailene Cole, speech professor;
Orvald Haugsby, math professor;
Leland Sateren ’35, music
department head; and Phil
Quanbeck Sr. ’50. She and
husband, Bill, have three sons and
one grandchild.
Eunice (Bergman) Dietrich ’65
thanks home economics faculty
Ruth Segolson, Ruth Sonsteng,
and Katherine Peterson for being
daughter, Kari, at Dakota City,
the 1900s village in Farmington,
Minnesota. The Dietrichs also
have a son, Hans.
The faculty members who most
influenced David Dyrud ’65 as a
student were philosophy professor
Paul Sonnack ’42 for his intensity;
New Testament Greek and Latin
professor Mario Colacci for
his flamboyance; professor of
English Gerald Thorson ’43 for his
Hush Puppies (Dyrud’s favorite
shoes); professor of English Anne
Pederson, for her affection for
Mark Gjerde ’65 retired in 2004
from 3M. He enjoys traveling
with wife, Jan (Lunas) Gjerde ’68,
and spending time with their
grandchildren at a lake home. He
remembers Gerald “Jerry” Pryd ’66
and Paul Dahlen ’66, his friends
who died in a plane crash while
they were Augsburg students.
Gjerde was influenced by professor
of math George Soberg ’26 and
professor of philosophy Paul
Sonnack ’42. The Gjerdes lived in
Brussels from 1995-97 while Mark
worked for 3M. They have two sons
and four grandchildren.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
1960
This group of
alumni were friends
during college but had little
contact since graduating. They
were reunited at the 2015
Homecoming celebration and
barely scratched the surface
in terms of catching up. Now
retired, the five Auggies plan to
get together again soon.
[L to R]: The men and their previous careers: Arden Flaten ’60 (science teacher),
Myron Carlson ’60 (pastor), Don Gilberg ’60 (band teacher, piano tuner), Iver
Christopherson ’60 (high school principal), and Neuman Berger ’60 (attorney).
1974
The National Tile Contractors
Association recently honored Janet
(Durkee) Hohn ’74 with its Tile Person of the
Year award. Hohn was the third woman to
receive this honor in the six decades it has
been presented. For more than 20 years,
Hohn has operated a one-person, high-end
residential tile and stone installation company.
She has served as president of the Twin
Cities Local Tile Contractors Association, as
a board member and technical methods and
standards committee member for NTCA, and most recently as chairperson
of the NTCA training and education committee.
Spring
2014
2016
Fall 2014
17
27
37
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
One Augsburg College memory treasured by
Glenn Hamberg ’65 is the teaching style and
effectiveness of W. LaMarr Kopp in German
class. Other faculty members who influenced
Hamberg as a student were Mario Colacci from
the department of New Testament Greek and
Latin, Courtland Agre from chemistry, Gerald
Thorson ’43 from English, and Paul Sonnack ’42.
Hamberg’s present interests include crossword
puzzles, computers, movies, Jeopardy,
volunteering, travel, and spending time with
his grandchildren and wife, Sandra (Edstrom)
Hamberg ’66.
Jerry Hamlin ’65 works part time. He likes to
volunteer and to travel in his free time. He
treasures his memories of Augsburg basketball
games, the convocation with Nobel Prize winner
Linus Pauling, and feeling like every day was a
good day. He was most influenced by Donald
Gustafson and Carl Chrislock ’37 in history, and
Sheldon Fardig in education. Hamlin and wife,
Jari, have four children and 10 grandchildren.
James Harbo ’65 has a full-time dental
practice in New York. He enjoys visiting his
two grandchildren in Pennsylvania, doing
church work, reading theology, participating
in a book club, and aging well! He fondly
remembers his dorm friendships, baseball,
Augsburg Choir concerts, and soaking up the
culture of Minneapolis. The past 50 years have
heightened his appreciation of his years at
Augsburg where, he says, there was “much
goodness and inspiration.” Harbo and wife,
Amy, have three children.
Today you can find Peter Jacobson ’65
woodworking, volunteering, or traveling. He
and wife, Lynne, have two children and two
grandchildren. His fondest memories of
Augsburg include dorm life all four years,
Augsburg basketball, being a resident assistant,
and spending afternoons in the physics lab.
He was most influenced by physics professor
Theodore “Ted” Hanwick.
28
Julie (Gudmestad) Laudicina ’65 and husband,
Joe, love to travel and recently celebrated their
30th wedding anniversary with a cruise on
the Danube River. She also enjoys gardening,
reading, leading a book club, and living in
New York City. She has been a civil wedding
officiant for 10 years and has married more
than 300 couples from around the world. Some
For 12 years, David Raether ’78 wrote for TV comedy
sitcoms, including “Roseanne.” After building his career,
he took a break to focus on his family and found the job
market had changed completely when he attempted to
return to the field. After struggling and becoming homeless,
he says, he discovered that he was far more resourceful
and resilient than he had ever dreamed. Raether delivered
a TEDxAmherst talk and wrote a book about his experiences
titled, “Tell Me Something, She Said.”
From the NOW@Augsburg blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
of her memories of Augsburg include listening
to choir practice, freezing at football games,
enjoying her many friends, and participating
in student government and chapel. She
was most influenced by faculty members
Phil Quanbeck Sr. ’50, professor of religion;
Anne Pederson, professor of English; and
Philip Thompson, professor of art. She also
remembers Dean of Students Glen Johnson
and Dean of Women Fern Martinson. Laudicina
would most like to thank her parents, both
Augsburg alumni, for encouraging her to live
and learn with a strong set of values.
Sharon (Dittbenner) Klabunde ’65 plays in a
mountain dulcimer band, and loves to travel
and garden. She remembers chapel time from
her days at Augsburg and also living in a house
as a freshman where, she says, there were
three women to a room who shared one dinky
closet. She enjoyed working in the cafeteria.
Bette (Bodin) Leeney ’65 and husband, Jack,
love their home in Florida. They have a pool
and use it a lot. She likes to garden and to
welcome the family, mostly in the winter! Her
treasured memories of Augsburg focus on the
good values she learned and kept with her. She
remembers the assassination of President John
F. Kennedy and how difficult that was. She
admired Dean of Students Peter Armacost, who
supported her when her father passed away.
Her psychology and social work professors
inspired her to get her master’s degree in
social work. She and Marie (Bergh) Sandbo ’65
met freshman year and have remained friends
for 50 years. They share the same birthday.
Carol (Welch) Langness ’65 and husband, Gary,
spend every January to April in the East African
city of Iringa, Tanzania, along with their synod
partners in the Iringa Diocese. They have two
children and three grandchildren.
As a student, John Luoma ’65 was influenced
by Mario Colacci, professor of classical
languages; Carl Chrislock ’37, professor of
history; and William “Bill” Halverson ’51,
professor of religion. He treasures memories
Augsburg Now
of chapel, serving as student body president,
and Augsburg’s emphasis on vocation, service,
and faith active in love. Luoma is a minister of
education at Hope Lutheran, The Villages. He is
a Via de Cristo coordinator, a Diaconate teacher,
and likes to travel and bowl. He and wife, Gracia
(Nydahl) Luoma ’66, have two sons. Their oldest
son, Aaron, passed away in January 2015.
LeRoy Martinson ’65 retired in June 1998 after 33
years of teaching math and coaching skiing. Now
he stays active with tennis, volleyball, and five
grandchildren. He lives with wife, Micki, in Cross
Lake, Minnesota. His memories of Augsburg are
of his math teachers, his coaches, and student
teaching with Ms. Anderson. He was influenced
by professor of math George Soberg ’26,
professor of physical education Howard “Howie”
Pearson ’53, and Coach Edor Nelson ’38.
Martinson is a member of the Minnesota State
High School Coaches Hall of Fame.
Dan and Mary (Tildahl) Meyers ’65 met during
their freshman year at Augsburg. The couple
celebrated their 50th anniversary, Dan has
worked for AdvisorNet Financial for 50 years,
and it’s been 50 years since he graduated from
Augsburg. Dan remembers playing basketball
and baseball, and he was influenced most
by Ernie Anderson ’37 and Edor Nelson ’38.
He would thank Milt Kleven ’46, if he could,
for funding his scholarship. Dan keeps busy
with work, golf, reading, and basketball. Mary
enjoys walking, reading, caring for a grandson,
and traveling. She treasures the friendships
she made at Augsburg and meeting Dan
there. Carl Chrislock ’37 and her world history
class helped her realize she wasn’t a history
major. Mary says that Augsburg has been an
influence in their lives for 50 years. Whether
they return for athletic games, homecoming
or concerts, it always feels like coming home.
The Meyers have two children and three
grandchildren.
Larry Nelson ’65 thanks Theodore
“Ted” Hanwick, of the Physics
Department, for his challenging
and thorough classes. Nelson’s
Augsburg education provided a solid
foundation for his career in science
education. He enjoyed teaching
various areas of biology, in addition
to wilderness-based experiential
education. His fondest Augsburg
memories are of morning chapel,
convocations, studying in the library,
concerts, sporting events, and social
activities. Nelson says Augsburg
also prepared him for continued
spiritual growth. Today, he likes to
travel, read, garden, volunteer, do
house maintenance, and spend
time with his family. He and wife,
Marilyn, have two daughters and five
grandchildren.
Becky (Walhood) Nielsen ’65
remembers her good friends from
Miriam House. She and husband,
Steve Nielsen ’64, have three
daughters, 10 grandchildren,
and a great-grandchild. Their
granddaughter, Morgan Kenny ’17,
attends Augsburg.
Lois Peterson ’65 would thank Mimi
Kingsley, professor of Spanish,
for telling her that she had “a gift
for language.” Peterson is fluent
in Spanish, and she visited Mimi
in Chile prior to her death. Today,
Peterson enjoys traveling and
has been to Costa Rica, Mexico,
Norway, and Spain. She remembers
being in a class Bill Halverson ’51
taught in Old Main when the
news came of President John F.
Kennedy’s death, and watching the
Beatles for the first time while in
The Grill. She loves life in Denver,
where her children live nearby.
Leland Sateren ’35 most influenced
Sharon (Bjugstad) Ronning ’65, and
she has spent her life involved in
music. She sings in the Masterworks
Chorale, directs a church choir,
and teaches piano. Other activities
include knitting, spending time at
her cabin, and enjoying her four
children and eight grandchildren.
She met husband, Don Ronning ’66,
in the Augsburg Choir. Don passed
away in 2000.
Marie (Bergh) Sandbo ’65 and
husband, Hans Sandbo ’63, will
celebrate 50 years of marriage this
year. Marie likes to travel, spend
time with grandchildren, and serve
on the Heritage Committee at
church, all while continuing to run
a small business from home. Her
treasured memories of Augsburg
include the friendships made and
her studies in library science. Don
Gustafson, Martha Mattson ’28,
Ruth Aaskov ’53, Dick Husfloen ’60,
and Pat Parker are the faculty and
staff who most influenced Marie.
Two of the Sandbos’ three children
graduated from Augsburg.
1991
On October
13, 2015,
David Johnson ’91 was
promoted to Colonel in
the North Dakota Army
National Guard. He is a
senior Army chaplain for
the state. Johnson also is
an ELCA pastor serving
as a full-time chaplain for
the North Dakota Army
National Guard. He has
been serving in this call
for the past 12 years. Previous to this role, he served parishes in
central and eastern North Dakota.
Terry Simonson ’65 and wife,
Patricia, live in Saskatoon,
Saskatchewan, where he serves as
a half-time chaplain at a residence
for seniors. Three generations
share their home, and his three
granddaughters are the joy of his
life. The memories of Augsburg
that he treasures are good times
spent with roommates and learning
Greek and Latin (his major). Erwin
Mickelberg ’54 was influential in
Simonson’s decision to attend
Augsburg. These days, he is
interested in quantum physics and
continues to explore the subject.
2006
Heather
(Nystrom)
Finholm ’06 and husband,
Jeffrey, announce the
adoption of their twin
sons, Joseph and
Matthew, born April 30,
2015, and adopted on
July 27, 2015.
2007
Lázaro G.
Payano Stark
was welcomed into this
world at home with the
help of his midwives on
April 3, 2015. He is the
son of Jenessa Payano
Stark ’07 and Geomar
Payano Stark. The
family resides in south
Minneapolis.
This fall, seven Auggies served on the varsity football coaching staff at Osseo (Minnesota)
High School and helped lead the team to its first Class 6A state championship. The group
of Augsburg alumni included Jack Osberg ’62, Derrin Lamker ’97, Mark Joseph ’01, Andy
Johnson ’04, Jordan Berg ’09, Royce Winford ’09, and David Tilton ’12.
From the NOW@Augsburg blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
Spring
2014
Fall 2014
Spring
2016
17
37
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Win Stiefel ’65 taught school in Alaska and
now lives with wife, Gracia (Olson) Stiefel ’66, in
Glennallen, Alaska. He spent 10 years teaching
at a Bible college and 10 years in Russia
helping Evangelical churches. These days he
drives a school bus, enjoys 10 grandchildren
and a great grandchild, cuts firewood, and
volunteers at missions. He remembers
traveling with the wrestling team, canoeing on
the Mississippi River, and listening to the Basin
Streeters. If he could thank someone, it would
be the old man outside Cedar Ave. Mission
who asked him and others whether or not they
were saved.
Steve Strommen ’65 likes to spend his days
playing “Old Timer” softball, bird hunting,
appreciating winters in San Diego and
summers at a Minnesota cabin, performing
home renovations, and enjoying his family
and grandchildren. He has many memories
from athletics at Augsburg, including three
championship basketball teams and a
championship in baseball. The most influential
people during his time at Augsburg were Carl
Chrislock ’37 and coaches Ernie Anderson ’37
and Edor Nelson ’38. He and wife, Chynne,
have two children and five grandchildren.
Sharon (Topte) Taeger ’65 and David Taeger ’65
recently moved to Camrose—a city in
Alberta, Canada—after living for 19 years
in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Sharon likes
to read, paint, and socialize. David likes to
listen, watch, and marvel at the growth and
development of children, especially their four
grandchildren. He also enjoys reading and
being with friends. David received his M.Div.
from Northwestern Theological Seminary. He
was most influenced by Mario Collacci and
Carl Chrislock ’37 while at Augsburg. Sharon
and David have two children.
Virg Vagle ’65 would thank Ernie Anderson ’37,
Edor Nelson ’38, and Ed Saugestad ’59 for
being influential during his time at Augsburg.
Vagle enjoys golfing, traveling, and being with
his grandchildren. He and wife, Pat, have
seven children and 12 grandchildren.
Lyndy West ’65 fondly remembers playing in
the concert band and in the Basin Streeters, a
group that performed for Augsburg basketball
games. He entered Luther Seminary after
graduating from Augsburg and served
parishes in Los Angeles, inner-city Chicago,
and Minnesota. He officially retired in 2012.
He says the smartest thing he ever did was
to marry Diane Haas in 1969. They have four
children and four grandchildren. They like to
bike, travel, read, participate in music at their
church, and lead polka services. He thanks his
parents for encouraging him and his siblings to
attend Augsburg.
1967
John Schwartz ’67 is in his sixth
season with the acclaimed Apollo
Chorus of Chicago, which was formed in
1872. Schwartz serves as vice president of
its board. Auggie singers in the Chicago area
can audition to join this 130-member chorus.
Details can be found at Apollochorus.org.
1975
Glen Teske ’75 is enjoying the
adjustment to retirement after
working for 40 years in the IT department
at Hennepin County. Among his treasured
memories as a student at Augsburg are
business administration classes, tutoring
other students, and the friendships he made.
He also remembers playing four years of
basketball and winning the MIAC conference
title in 1975. He thanks professor of history
Khin Khin Jensen, adviser and professor of
business Keishiro Matsumoto, mentor Jeroy
Carlson ’48, and coaches Butch Raymond ’63
and Erv Inniger for their impact on his life.
1979
Laura (Rolfe) Matuska ’79 has
been selected as WeCAB’s
part-time community outreach fundraiser.
WeCAB provides door-to-door supplemental
transportation in the Westonka and eastern
Carver County service areas for people who
are unable to drive to medical appointments,
church, social events, the grocery store, or the
food shelf. Matuska has significant experience
working with seniors and clients, providing
case management to support transitions
through all levels of senior living. She has
launched volunteer programs, developed a
hospital-based domestic abuse intervention
program, and is a successful grant writer.
Matuska also has worked with many volunteers
in a variety of positions.
1980
The new Bill Simenson Quintet
recently debuted at The Nicollet.
Leader Bill Simenson ’80 (trumpet) has been
performing professionally in the Twin Cities
for nearly 30 years. After earning his degree
in music and political science at Augsburg,
he attended the University of Trondheim
in Norway where he studied music at the
graduate level. Catch the Bill Simenson
Orchestra, a larger ensemble, once a month at
Jazz Central in Minneapolis.
1981
Rob Hubbard ’81 tells the story of the
hilarity, irreverence, and imagination
of the Brave New Workshop in his new book,
“Brave New Workshop: Promiscuous Hostility
and Laughs in the Land of Loons.” The
book, from The History Press, celebrates the
marvelous, unexpected, and absurd history
of this one-of-a-kind comedy institution. The
owners of Brave New Workshop are John
Sweeney and Jenni Lilledahl ’87.
1987
Tammy Jo Rider ’87 received a
2015 Leadership Award from the
2015
2013
Amanda Rowan ’13 and Jordan Lakanen ’14 married
August 8, 2015. Auggies in the wedding party included:
Eric Lakanen ’02, Stephanie Nelson ’13, Rachel Rixen ’13, and Ashley
(Carney) Wolke ’13.
30
Augsburg Now
Top row [L to R]:
Tyler Dorn ’15
and Alisha Esselstein ’15
were married on June 20,
2015, at Sugarland Barn
in Arena, Wisconsin. Many
Auggies participated in
and attended the wedding.
Bottom row [L to R]: Best
man Alex Obanor, Augsburg Department of Public Safety officer; Dustin
Parks ’16; Keisha Barnard ’16; bridesmaid Alia Thorpe ’15; bridesmaid Lily
Moloney ’15; maid of honor Rachel Shaheen ’15; ceremony musician Becky
Shaheen ’11; and officiant Rev. Mike Matson ’06.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
After graduation, Joshua Harris ’08 moved to Baltimore drawn to the service
opportunity of working with Alpha Phi Alpha, the oldest inter-collegiate communityservice-oriented fraternity founded by African-Americans. Harris serves as managing
editor of APA’s journal, “The Sphinx.” He works with other community leaders
in Baltimore on many initiatives, including one to build a network of individuals,
businesses, and organizations that can provide internships, scholarships, and
mentorship opportunities for high school students. He returned to Minneapolis in
fall 2015 to speak on a panel at the Augsburg Young Alumni Council’s networking
event at Surly Brewing Co. Harris is running for mayor of Baltimore. Learn about his
campaign at harrisforbaltimore.com.
From the NOW@Augsburg blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
Southeast Minnesota affiliate of the National
Alliance on Mental Illness.
1991
Bill Koschak ’91 was hired as the
chief financial officer at YA, which
is an industry market leader in delivering
omni-channel marketing promotions for the
nation’s most respected brands. Before joining
YA, Koschak was vice president of finance
and CFO for the convenience and foodservice
business at General Mills.
2000
Lewis Nelson ’00 joined the
University of Virginia’s Darden
School of Business MBA for Executives.
He blogs about the experience at
wanderingveteran.com.
2007
Barrozo is studying the development of
novel gene therapy treatments for human
diseases caused by persistent viral infections
and mutations of the genome. The goal of
his research is to develop safe and effective
strategies for treating these diseases. He also
has worked as a Post-Baccalaureate Research
Program Scholar at the University of Georgia.
2015
Hannah Frey ’15 has an
AmeriCorps position in the
Community Technology Empowerment
Project, which helps bridge the “digital
divide” for new immigrants and low-income
communities in Minneapolis and St. Paul. She
serves at Roseville (Minnesota) Library as a
digital literacy coordinator for adult technology
programming and outreach.
Kati (Tweeten) Bergey ’07 married
Brandon Bergey on October 18,
2014. Kati teaches sixth grade for MabelCanton Public Schools in Mabel, Minnesota.
Heidi Heller ’15 has accepted a job as a
historian and researcher with Hess Roise
Historical Consultants.
2012
GRADUATE
Lauren Grafelman ’12 graduated
with her MBA from Hamline
University in August 2015.
William “Billy” Hamilton ’12 graduated from
the University of Minnesota Law School
in May and received news that he passed
the Minnesota Bar Exam in July. He began
work as a public defender in training at the
Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office.
He has found his vocation!
2014
Enrico Barrozo ’14 is pursuing
a doctorate in genetics and
genomics at the University of Florida,
supported by the McKnight Doctoral, UF
Graduate School, and Top-Up fellowships.
Ava Beilke ’14 MBA formed her own social
media consulting business, Paragon Social
(paragonsocialco.com or @paragonsocialco on
Twitter), with the desire to help individuals and
small businesses excel in social media. Beilke
studied communications in undergrad and
pursued her MBA to round out her business
expertise. She now fuses her creative skills with
her business savvy to create the most effective
social media efforts.
Katie Koch ’01 is the new Director
of Auggie Engagement at Augsburg
College. Koch comes from a diverse
background of performing arts
management, having most recently
worked at The O’Shaughnessy
Auditorium at St. Catherine University
as an event and administrative
manager. Koch worked for nearly
five years at the Guthrie Theater as
an assistant to former director Joe
Dowling, where she supported the
Guthrie Board of Directors and highprofile visiting artists. During her time
at Augsburg, Koch was a member
of The Augsburg Choir, Augsburg
Concert Band, and Augsburg Jazz
and Gospel Praise. She served
as an admissions ambassador, a
student coordinator for new student
orientation in 1999 and 2000, and
wrote for the Augsburg Echo.
Spring 2016
31
In memoriam
Dwight E. Elving ’37, Mercer
Harvard E. Larson ’50,
Island, Washington, age 99, on
September 17.
Greeley, Colorado, age 86, on
September 14.
James K. Horn ’59, Lino Lakes,
Minnesota, age 83, on
November 26.
Isabella “Bella” (Frazier)
Sanders ’73, Park Rapids,
Evelyn B. (Wibeto) Stone ’41,
Alexandria, Minnesota, age 98, on
November 26.
Wesley N. Paulson ’51,
Eugene “Pete” S. Peterson ’59,
Gregory J. Semanko ’73,
Altoona, Wisconsin, age 88, on
December 2.
Jackson, Minnesota, age 78, on
October 17.
Dassel, Minnesota, age 64, on
September 16.
J. Maurice “Maury” Erickson ’42,
Vermillion, South Dakota, age 95,
on September 10.
Walter L. Dilley ’52,
Paynesville, Minnesota, age 88,
on October 14.
Peter M. Locke ’60, South St.
Paul, Minnesota, age 82, on
November 30.
Brent M. Amundson ’78, Colorado
Springs, Colorado, age 61, on
December 3.
Helen L. (Fevold) Nelson ’43,
Woodrow W. Wilson ’53,
Gayle J. Arvidson ’61, Newburgh,
Minneapolis, age 94, June 4.
Lincoln, Nebraska, age 97, on
September 11.
Indiana, age 84, on December 25.
David C. Eitrheim ’79,
Menomonie, Wisconsin, age 58,
on January 1.
Chester E. Hoversten ’44,
Northfield, Minnesota, age 93, on
November 16.
Joyce E. (Gronseth) Limburg ’44,
Erling B. Huglen ’54, Roseau,
Minnesota, age 83, on
December 19.
Harvey L. Jackson ’61, Park
River, North Dakota, age 78, on
September 28.
Morgan S. Grant ’82, Willmar,
Kelly M. Williams ’92, Edina,
Minnesota, age 45, on August 25.
River, North Dakota, age 51, on
October 13.
Apple Valley, Minnesota, age 93,
on October 10.
Allan J. Kohls ’54, Minneapolis,
age 87, on October 4.
John D. Sorenson ’62, Hickory,
North Carolina, age 75, on
November 2.
Elise H. (Hoplin) Anderson ’45,
Marvin S. Undseth ’54, Salem,
Lee E. Keller ’63, San
Edina, Minnesota, age 96, on
October 13.
Oregon, age 90, on October 12.
Bernardino, California, age 80, on
August 27.
Edgar A. Emerson ’46,
Minnesota, age 81, on
September 30.
Perham, Minnesota, age 90, on
December 3.
Guilford “Guy” L. Parsons ’47,
Minneapolis, age 94, on
September 17.
Ruth E. (Thompson) Larson ’48,
Clearbrook, Minnesota, age 92, on
December 26.
Rolf Heng ’55, Fergus Falls,
Elmer Karlstad ’55, Warroad,
Minnesota, age 91, on
November 14.
Alfred E. Kaupins ’57, Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, age 88, on
November 25.
Joyce (Hanson) Holbrook ’65,
Lincoln, California, age 72, on
December 27.
Edythe “Edie” (Berg) Johnson ’65,
Stillwater, Minnesota, age 72, on
October 1.
Marilyn J. Larson ’65, Estes Park,
Colorado, age 73, on November 3.
Lawrence “Larry” C. Pratt Jr. ’57,
Joyce A. (Schuchart) Hagerty ’66,
Minnesota, age 88, on October 16.
St. Anthony, Minnesota, age 81,
on July 12.
Oneida, Illinois, age 72, on
December 4.
Paul I. Roth ’49, White Bear
Eldri R. (Johanson) Salter ’57,
Lake, Minnesota, age 90, on
November 21.
Pocatello, Idaho, age 80, on
September 8.
Philip “Phil” A. Walen ’70,
Stillwater, Minnesota, age 67, on
September 9.
Arne Simengaard ’49,
Dennis F. Gibson ’59, Edina,
Russell “Jeff” J. Quanbeck ’71,
Fridley, Minnesota, age 88, on
November 28.
Minnesota, age 83, on
September 5.
Bloomington, Minnesota, age 67,
on December 1.
Allen J. Moe ’48, Dawson,
Minnesota, age 85, on October 1.
Minnesota, age 55, on August 28.
Thomas D. Orstad ’93, Park
Earl R. Kinley III ’94, Eagan,
Minnesota, age 55, on
December 18.
Christine L. (Quandt) Edinger ’99,
Madison, Wisconsin, age 49, on
December 19.
Judith A. (Gretz) Roy ’99,
Minneapolis, age 68, on
September 24.
Traci M. Singher ’12, ’15 MSW,
Minnetonka, Minnesota, age 44,
on December 1.
Dustyn B. Hessie ’13,
Minneapolis, age 27, on June 15.
Augsburg College Women’s
Basketball Head Coach William
“Bill” L. McKee, New Brighton,
Minnesota, age 62, on August 27.
The “In memoriam” listings in this publication
include notifications received before January 10.
32
Augsburg Now
EXPERIENCE
AUGSBURG
NOW
ONLINE
Fresh look, more interaction
Enjoy several new features on the Augsburg Now magazine’s
companion website. Thanks to a site upgrade, it’s possible to:
• Manage your magazine subscription and delivery method
• Read articles on mobile devices with ease
• Share favorite stories and photos on social media
• View exclusive slideshows and videos
• “Go green” by opting for digital content instead of print
• Submit class notes and share good news
AUGSBURG.EDU/NOW
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
LeVar Burton encourages the next generation
Actor, director, writer, producer, and educator LeVar Burton—best known for his roles in “Roots,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation,”
and “Reading Rainbow”—inspired prospective students to make positive change in the world. Burton’s presentation took place
this winter during Scholarship Weekend, an annual event where prospective students compete for the President’s and Fine Arts
scholarships.
Show less
Beyond the scoreboard
National champion to local hero
Leadership and conflict
CARVING WAY
THE
FORWARD
SUMMER 2016 | VOL. 78, NO. 3
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Summer 2016
Director of News a... Show more
Beyond the scoreboard
National champion to local hero
Leadership and conflict
CARVING WAY
THE
FORWARD
SUMMER 2016 | VOL. 78, NO. 3
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Summer 2016
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On thoughtful stewardship
Director of Marketing
Communication
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Communication Copywriter
and Editorial Coordinator
Augsburg’s mission statement says that we
educate students to be “thoughtful stewards”
as well as “informed citizens, critical thinkers,
and responsible leaders.”
I imagine some may read “thoughtful
stewards” and think about church fundraising
campaigns or care for the environment, the
typical places we consider stewardship—and
both important causes!
At Augsburg, though, thoughtful
stewardship is a much more compelling
claim. It goes beyond simple acts of giving
or environmental care. It is a way of living,
an ethic that teaches us how to live in the
world. And it is at the heart of an Augsburg
education—from how we engage students with
the community to help them discern their gifts
and gain a holistic understanding of the needs
of our world (see page 16) to the deep listening
and conversation we embed in our classes, such
as in the Master of Arts in Leadership course
that was integrated with this year’s Nobel Peace
Prize Forum (see page 20).
Also in this issue of Augsburg Now, you will
read about the genuine privilege I had to deliver
a major address on stewardship to Cargill
employees worldwide.
In that address, I said: “… stewardship
involves a practice of standing up, speaking
up in a manner that reflects—and makes
clear—our values. The challenge for the good
steward—as a parent or manager or citizen—is
to pursue practices that help connect us with
the deeply held values and commitments that
characterize our personal and corporate lives.
“The truth is that many people do not think
about the reasons for their actions. They act,
and they expect others to accept their action
at face value. But good stewardship demands
reflection, then the courage to act based on our
convictions, and to do so overtly so that we are
publicly accountable for how our actions reflect
our values. Only in that link is there integrity in
human life.”
At Augsburg—as reflected in the stories
that follow in these pages—we educate
students to embrace their many gifts, to
understand the obligations they have to
steward those gifts, and to appreciate the
important work of taking a stand for the values
and commitments that honor the gifts and
contributions of each of us.
Thoughtful stewardship—a way of life
for all of us. I give thanks for a teaching and
learning community that is blessed with and
inspired by our remarkable legacy and mission.
I give thanks for the privilege of being a faithful
steward of all the gifts that make Augsburg
such a rare place.
Faithfully yours,
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Christina Haller
haller@augsburg.edu
Production Manager
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Advancement Communication
Specialist
Jen Lowman Day
dayj@augsburg.edu
Contributor
Ryan Nichols ’16
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi brought energy and passion
to the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize Forum sponsored by Augsburg College.
Following three days of dialogue on peacebuilding, he and his wife,
Sumedha Kailash, joined Forum attendees in a Bollywood-style dance
party for the conference’s finale.
02 Around the quad
20
Leadership and conflict
08
From national hampion to local hero
23
Auggies connect
14
Beyond the scoreboard
27 Class notes
16
The city: Course content and classroom
32 In memoriam
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu.
On the cover: Construction crews work on the footings for the main lobby of the Norman and
Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion, an interdisciplinary building
that will open in 2018, anchoring the west side of the Augsburg College campus. See page 2.
Email: now@augsburg.edu
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
FROM THE
GROUND
THIS BUG’S-EYE VIEW captures the April 2016 groundbreaking ceremony for Augsburg’s Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for
Science, Business, and Religion. The celebration included hundreds of Augsburg College alumni, students, donors, neighbors, and
faculty and staff members, as well as city and county officials. The new academic building is slated to open in January 2018.
2
Augsburg Now
Pictured [L to R]: Outgoing Augsburg College Board of Regents Chair Dr. Paul Mueller ’84, Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, Naming Gift
Donors Evangeline Hagfors and Norman Hagfors, Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow, National Fundraising Campaign Chair Michael Good ’71,
Augsburg College Provost Karen Kaivola, and 2015-16 Day Student Body President Duina Hernandez ’16.
Summer 2016
3
AROUND THE QUAD
$50,000 grant funds
RECYCLING PROGRAM EXPANSION
Student-faculty-staff collaboration improves campus sustainability
D
A
U
Q
E
H
T
D
N
U
O
AR
NEW RESIDENTS
HONORING
Retiring Faculty
SET MEMORIAL HALL
KATHY ACCURSO
ABUZZ
Instructor, Department of Education—
with the College since 2012
KATHERINE BAUMGARTNER
Assistant Professor, Department of
Nursing—with the College since 2005
Hives installed to bolster honey bee population
RONALD FEDIE
It has been decades since the last students moved out
of Memorial Hall; the dormitory was converted to
office space in the late 1960s. However, a new
group of inhabitants moved in this spring when
The Beez Kneez organization installed beehives on
the building’s rooftop as part of an urban apiary
partnership program. Augsburg joined the program
to further the College’s commitment to environmental
stewardship and to creating green spaces within the city.
Recently, honey bee populations have been decreasing
due to parasites and the misuse of pesticides. The on-campus hives
will help rebuild the local population and pollinate Augsburg’s plant
life. Those worried about getting stung can rest easy—honey bees are
not aggressive and will not sting unless threatened.
4
Augsburg Now
Professor Emeritus, Department of
Chemistry—with the College since 1996
FEKRI MEZIOU
Professor Emeritus, Department of
Business Administration—with the
College since 1987
VICKI OLSON
Professor Emerita, Department of
Education—with the College since 1987
CELEBRATING
STUDENT
Augsburg College can boost its efforts to divert organic and compostable
items from trash and other recycling thanks to a $50,000 recycling grant
from the Hennepin County Environment and Energy Department. The
funding will be used to purchase indoor and outdoor bins, rolling carts,
and signage to foster increased composting of organic material and the
proper disposal of mixed recyclables.
Go to augsburg.edu/green to learn about
Augsburg’s Environmental
Augsburg’s commitment to offering
facilities that are welcoming, sustainable,
Stewardship Committee, Facilities and
and designed for educational excellence.
Custodial staff, and the Augsburg Day
Student Government’s Environmental Action Committee collaborated to
submit the grant proposal.
“Thousands of people touch the campus in some way during the
course of one year,” said Amber Lewis ’17 MAE, an Environmental
Stewardship Fellow who supports on-campus sustainability initiatives.
“In addition to students, faculty, and staff, guests join our community
for graduation ceremonies, sporting events, performances, convocations,
summer camps, conferences, and workshops. This presents us with an
opportunity to share a clear message about the importance of recycling
in our community.”
SUCCESS
Read about the wide range of prestigious academic
achievements and awards earned by Auggies during
the 2015-16 year at augsburg.edu/now.
AUGSBURG EXHIBITION
SHINES in Guerrilla Girls
Twin Cities Takeover
World-renowned feminist art activists the Guerrilla
Girls recently “took over” Minneapolis and St. Paul
to celebrate their 30th anniversary. Augsburg
College was among more than two dozen arts and cultural institutions that
hosted exhibits and events highlighting gender and race inequalities and
promoting artistic expression.
The Guerrilla Girls, who wear gorilla masks and use the names of famous
female artists as pseudonyms, were on campus for the opening reception
of “Reconfiguring Casta,” a site-specific installation for the Christensen
Center Art Gallery. Combining prints and paintings, artist Maria Cristina
Tavera addressed the social concept of race and the issue of socio-racial
classifications. Tavera, known on campus as “Tina,” also serves as the director
of Augsburg’s McNair Scholars program, which seeks to increase graduate
degree awards for students from underrepresented segments of society.
Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow delivered
the keynote address for Cargill’s annual ethics week this
spring. Pribbenow is recognized as one of the nation’s
most engaging commentators and teachers on ethics,
philanthropy, and American public life. His talk, “Promises
to Keep: An Ethic of Stewardship,” reached Cargill
employees located in Minneapolis and around the world.
Summer 2016
5
AROUND THE QUAD
ON THE SPOT
What does it mean to matter? What does it look like to matter?
With the Black Lives Matter movement, questions of racial equity have ignited important—and difficult—
conversations in communities and courtrooms, on political campaign trails, and on college campuses.
Augsburg College Professor William “Bill” Green studies and writes about history and law. His most recent book,
“Degrees of Freedom: The Origins of Civil Rights in Minnesota, 1865–1912,” chronicles conditions for African American
Minnesotans and others in the half-century following the Civil War. Today, Minnesota and the nation are very different
than they were in the postbellum period that Green examined, but tightly woven threads unite contemporary events with
those occurring more than a century earlier.
COMMENCEMENT 2016
Students of color, award winners, and former KARE 11
anchor stand out at graduation
Augsburg College celebrated students completing degrees
in the traditional undergraduate, adult undergraduate, and
graduate programs through commencement ceremonies
held April 30. The 2016 traditional undergraduate class is
the most diverse in the College’s history and comprised of
more than 42 percent students of color.
Commencement keynote speaker Michael Botticelli,
director of the White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy, addressed ceremony attendees and
was awarded an honorary doctorate. Michael Good ’71
also was awarded an honorary degree in recognition of
his service to the College. Eleanor Barr ’16 earned the
Marina Christensen Justice Award, and Kim Chisholm ’16
received this year’s Richard Thoni Award, recognizing
exceptional contributions to their communities.
Teaching and learning
award winners
Augsburg recognizes individuals or
groups who have made exemplary
contributions to creating an
engaging academic learning
environment. The 2016 recipients
of the Distinguished Contributions to
Teaching and Learning awards are:
Teaching
Former KARE 11 News anchor Diana
Pierce ’16 MAL earned her Masters of
Arts in Leadership and participated in
commencement this spring.
“The program at Augsburg gave
me exactly what I wanted to add to my
skillset for a new adventure,” Pierce
said on KARE 11 in April.
Joe Underhill, associate professor of
political science
Research
Michael Lansing, associate professor
and History Department chair
Service
Dulce Monterrubio, director of Latin@
Student Services
6
Augsburg Now
Q:
What prompted your interest in
studying the history of African
Americans in Minnesota?
A:
In 1860, a slave woman was freed
in a Minneapolis courtroom. In the
aftermath, citizens in the communities of
St. Anthony and Minneapolis for days walked
the streets eyeing their neighbors, waiting for
the smallest provocation to spark violence.
We were on the verge of seeing our own
little civil war erupt in Minnesota over the
issue of slavery. Ultimately, Minnesotans’
attention was averted by news of the
Confederate bombardment of the federal
installation of Fort Sumter. Upon hearing the
news, Minnesota was the first state to send
volunteers into the Union Army. Seven years
later, it would be the first state to extend
voting rights to black men, pre-dating the
ratification of the 15th Amendment. I felt
compelled to understand this dynamic.
Q:
When Minnesota granted suffrage
to people who are black, what
implications did this have in citizens’ lives?
ELCA college conference
Students, faculty members, and staff from two dozen
colleges and universities affiliated with the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America came together this summer
as Augsburg hosted the annual Vocation of a Lutheran
College Conference. The event featured a partnership with
Interfaith Youth Core—an organization renowned for uniting
young people of different religious and moral traditions for
dialogue around shared values. IFYC Founder Eboo Patel [pictured speaking] discussed
the colleges’ role in preparing students for life in a religiously diverse world.
‘Degrees of Freedom’ in
Minnesota’s past and present
A:
[L to R]: Michael Lansing, Dulce Monterrubio,
and Joe Underhill.
In a practical sense, the implications
were non-existent. There simply
weren’t enough black voters in Minnesota
to influence political leaders or affect
public policy. Symbolically, however, during
a time of mounting economic dislocation
coupled with the spread of white supremacy,
it raised the bar, not just in terms of the
broader virtue of racial equality, but, more
fundamentally, stressing the need for true
leadership that called on ordinary people to
overcome their baser instincts and choose to
act with common decency.
Q:
And yet you’ve said that race is
“written between the lines” of early
Minnesota history, rather than spoken
about directly. What do you mean?
A:
The fact that the black population was
so small made it easy for historians
and opinion makers to draw rosy pictures
of racial exceptionalism without needing
to be checked by a more balanced reality.
Without the “significant other” whose
history was hidden in footnotes, it became
easy to believe what one wanted to believe.
But could it really be true that Dred Scott
was the only slave to live in Minnesota?
Could Frederick Douglass be the only
African American to be denied service
in a prestigious hotel in St. Paul, even
though the proprietor was a friend of his
and an officer in the Union Army? Could
the paucity of discrimination lawsuits in
the 19th century really mean there was no
discrimination in restaurants and taverns?
Q:
Today’s Black Lives Matter movement
involves participatory democracy—
participation by many and with more
diffuse leadership than the civil rights
movements of the 1960s. When you look
at the Black Lives Matter movement, what
strikes you, considering the lens through
which you write your books?
A:
In 1965 when the civil rights
movement pressed for voting rights,
the powerful symbolism of Martin Luther
King and Malcolm X joining forces placed
pressure on the President of the United
States to shepherd through Congress the
Voting Rights bill and sign it into law.
Federal protection of the right to vote
was a moral issue. But it was the union
of two leaders who embodied opposing
approaches to advancing civil rights that
heightened a sense of urgency to enact
the bill. The moral: As long as there are no
“inside”-“outside” forces simultaneously
working for the same clearly defined issue,
advocates on either side of the spectrum
can be marginalized and eventually
dismissed. I don’t see a rival force to Black
Lives Matter that is pushing for the same
ends but through different means. This
isn’t the fault of BLM, but the absence of
a “significant other” should be a concern
to them, nonetheless. History can only
provide suggestions on how or even
whether to proceed.
The Minnesota Book Awards honored Green with
the 2016 Hognander Minnesota History Award.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to learn more
about Green’s research.
Summer 2016
7
Devean George ’99 was the first NCAA Division III player ever selected in
the first round of the NBA Draft—and he played professionally for more
than a decade. Now retired from basketball, he’s gone back to his roots
to help revitalize the Minneapolis neighborhood where he grew up.
BY CHRISTINA HALLER
8
Augsburg Now
November 3, 1999. The Los Angeles Lakers are debuting in their brand new home,
the Staples Center, with an unveiling ceremony followed by a game against the
Vancouver Grizzlies. A crowd of 20,000 fans is packed inside, waiting for NBA stars
Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal to make opening remarks.
But instead, the Lakers players decide to encourage their newest rookie to
address the crowd. The lights go down, and all becomes still. In less than 30
seconds, it’s go time.
“No, guys, don’t make me do this! I don’t know what to do,” whispers a
22-year-old Devean George ’99. But his pleas were met with laughter.
“I just remember shaking in my boots. There are tens of thousands of people
here, and I’m going to be out at center court—all eyes on me,” recalls George. “So I
get out there, and it just clicked. It was easy.”
George credits his education in communication studies from Augsburg for
helping to prepare him for that life-changing moment, as well as all of his public
speaking engagements from that point forward.
“As an NBA player, you have a camera with that big, red light in front of your
face every day,” George said. “You have to know how to conduct yourself and
communicate effectively. And all those communication classes I took at Augsburg
come into play.”
After high school, George enrolled at Augsburg assuming he would play basketball
for the Auggies, earn a degree, and find a job in business. But his “hoop dreams”
became a reality pretty early on in his Augsburg career.
“When I recruited Devean, he was about
6'2" and 170 pounds,” said former Augsburg
basketball coach Brian Ammann ’85. “Fortunately
for Devean, he grew about five inches and put on
50 pounds by his sophomore year. And his hard
work paid off in big ways.”
George was the first NCAA Division III player
ever selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.
He was the 23rd overall pick in 1999, chosen by
the Los Angeles Lakers—one of the most storied
franchises in NBA history.
George is now retired from the NBA after playing
11 seasons and becoming only the seventh player
in history to win a league championship in each of his first three seasons. He has since
found a successful career in real estate development and a passion for giving back.
George played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1999 to 2006.
In 2006, he signed with the Dallas Mavericks and played in
Texas until 2009. He then joined the Golden State Warriors in
Oakland, California, in 2009 until his retirement in 2010.
George was raised by devoted, hardworking parents in the Willard-Hay neighborhood
of north Minneapolis and still calls the Twin Cities home — a place he loves for its
friendly people and four seasons. His current work focuses on helping to improve his
childhood community.
10
Augsburg Now
Summer 2016
11
After George joined the NBA, he started volunteering his time in schools and
after-school programs. He noticed many of the children he visited didn’t have
stable housing, which significantly affected their security and education.
“That’s when I decided helping kids and families would be the foundation of
what I do,” said George, who has two young sons. He founded Building Blocks,
a nonprofit organization committed to providing quality housing, community
development, and programming for youth and families.
“If you don’t have stable housing, you’re not going to care about schooling,
safety, or eating healthy. If we get those families into stable housing, then they
can focus on those other things,” George said.
George’s first affordable housing project opened this spring—The Commons at
Penn in north Minneapolis, an income-restricted, 47-unit workforce apartment
building that also includes an on-site health and wellness facility, an after-school
program, a fitness center, a toddler playground, and a grocery store.
Long-term, George would like to help create a more family-friendly community
in north Minneapolis—a community that provides greater amenities for its
residents. So far, The Commons at Penn has been a successful addition to the
neighborhood.
“[The] Commons at Penn achieves multiple city goals: creating new, highquality, affordable housing options [and] increased residential density along a
key commercial and transit corridor, and bringing in commercial activity and
services,” said Andrea Brennan, director of Housing Policy and Development for
the City of Minneapolis. “This project sets us on a promising course to continue
development at this important north Minneapolis node.”
George is planning phase two of The Commons at Penn, which will go up
right across the street from the existing mixed-use building. He also is developing
housing complexes in South Carolina and Louisiana, and has been contacted by
fellow professional athletes who would like to see a change in the neighborhoods
where they were raised.
In addition to literally helping build a solid foundation for families through stable
housing, George also helps build a strong foundation for young people through
mentorship programs like Read to Achieve.
“The kids think that [NBA players] are not human beings because we know
how to play basketball,” said George. “If I can tell a kid to go to school and not to
do drugs, and just because I can play basketball he’ll listen to me, I’m going to
try to use that to my advantage.”
George is also busy instilling the values of compassion and service in his own
two sons, ages 7 and 4. For starters, they learn to share by donating their toys to
kids who otherwise wouldn’t have any.
“They’re still young, but I started teaching my boys early on a way of giving
and understanding. I explain to them that this [lifestyle] isn’t normal; they’re in
a blessed situation,” George said. “I’ve been able to achieve a lot of things. But I
know I’ve had a lot of help along the way.”
12
Augsburg Now
WORKFORCE HOUSING offers reduced rent to people who are gainfully employed (and don’t qualify as low-income), yet still struggle to afford market-rate housing.
It’s explained by the Urban Land Institute as housing that is “affordable to families earning 60 to 100 percent of area median income.” Workforce housing commonly is
targeted for essential workers in a community, such as police officers, firefighters, teachers, social workers, and nurses.
Summer 2016
13
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE AND LAURA SWANSON LINDAHL ’15 MBA
THE CITY:
COURSE CONTENT
AND CLASSROOM
Each semester, painting and drawing classes typically occur in what originally was an Augsburg
College chapel. Old Main 100 is an inspiring place with 25-foot ceilings and soaring windows.
On-campus studios offer focused spaces for students to learn about visual art media, methods, and
creative expression. For 25 years, Associate Professor and Art Department Co‑Chair Tara Sweeney
has taught foundational drawing principles in Old Main with what she calls “as few spectators
and distractions as possible,” and in recent years she also has led short-term international travel
courses in which students develop the same skills without the support of a traditional studio.
This spring, Sweeney and her Minneapolis-based students traveled close to home as they
stepped beyond the boundaries of the campus studio, choosing to forgo a controlled setting to
embrace learning opportunities present in public areas that are as complex and challenging as they
are diverse.
“Instead of creating a still life with the same old props, I utilized the city as subject matter
and classroom,” Sweeney said. “Students were as actively engaged in creative placemaking as
they were in making drawings — effectively shaping the physical and social character of whatever
neighborhood, museum, coffee shop, or landmark we chose as a drawing site.”
A CORE CHALLENGE
In the article “The Power of Experiential Education,” nationally recognized education scholar and
professor Janet Eyler noted that a central challenge for liberal arts educators like Sweeney—and
indeed the entire Augsburg College faculty—is to “design learning environments and instruction
so that students will be able to use what they learn in appropriate new contexts.” That is, to
successfully “bridge classroom study and life in the world and to transform inert knowledge into
knowledge-in-use.”
In a drawing course, for instance, students develop technical skills while exploring individual
subject matter and creative expression. It is perhaps the latter of these elements that came into
clearer focus when Sweeney took her students out in the community.
The artists “made connections with strangers and learned things about themselves in the
process,” Sweeney said. They become comfortable creating art in the midst of daily life and
finished the course with “real skills and the right tools to continue drawing wherever they find
themselves and wherever inspiration finds them.”
JUST A GLIMPSE
At Augsburg, students across disciplines and degree programs benefit from faculty instruction that
integrates experiential learning opportunities with traditional instructional methods, thereby linking
course concepts with real-world applications. The pages that follow offer a glimpse at a small
sample of the faculty and students who use Minneapolis as their classroom.
16
Augsburg Now
Johanna Goggins ’16 works on a sketch
in the solarium at the American Swedish
Institute in Minneapolis.
Summer 2016
17
ARTS AND THE CITIES
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
ENV 120:
Students clad in safety gear and
earplugs to dampen the deafening
noise weave their way through a Eureka Recycling processing
plant. Environmental Science focuses on understanding and
resolving problems humans have created in the natural world.
The course includes hands-on learning opportunities that
make complex scientific concepts more approachable and
applicable for students.
“The city is the perfect place for these types of
experiences to happen—it’s all right at our fingertips: a
wastewater treatment plant, power plant, recycling center, and public transit,” said Assistant
Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies Emily Schilling. “We can observe the detrimental
effects humans are having on the environment, and we also can see some of the ways we are trying
to mitigate that impact.”
MIS 375:
HON 230:
Students in Augsburg College’s Honors Program join
Minnesota Orchestra performers onstage following a symphony
event at Orchestra Hall. As an interdisciplinary course, “Arts and the Cities”
unites film, music, theater, and visual art — offering students the chance to peruse
Picassos, soak in Shakespeare, and mingle with musicians. Together, students and
teachers explore the role of the arts in a culturally dynamic urban setting.
“Students enjoy the experiential nature of this course,” said Associate Professor
of Music Merilee Klemp ’75. “They often comment that it presents them with
opportunities that they would not have on their own and deepens their understanding
of the role of the arts in their lives long after the course is over.”
18
Augsburg Now
E-COMMERCE
Students speak with
Abdirahman Mukhtar,
a youth program manager at Pillsbury
United Communities’ Brian Coyle Center.
Mukhtar oversees the Sisterhood Boutique,
a secondhand clothing store that serves
as a training ground for young women to
learn about entrepreneurship, business,
community partnerships, and sustainable
fashion. Through their discussions with
Mukhtar, the Auggies began to apply some
of their fundamental course concepts in a
real-world setting.
Summer 2016
19
2016 NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE FORUM
LEADERSHIP
& CONFLICT
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
2014 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Kailash Satyarthi shared his vision for global compassion during the Nobel
Peace Prize Forum. More than 300 students, academics, activists, and thought leaders participated in three
days of discussion and presentations to advance peacebuilding.
O R G A NI ZI NG PA RT N E RS
20
Augsburg Now
MED IA SPO N SO R
GRADUATE STUDENTS STUDY
GLOBAL COMPASSION AT THE 2016
NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
Conflict is a pervasive characteristic of
human interaction.
This is the opening line of the summer
syllabus for Augsburg College’s Master of
Arts in Leadership course, “Navigating
Local & Global Conflict: Interfaith
Dimensions.” The statement underscores
how important it is for leaders to develop
the ability to navigate and inspire others
in the face of conflict and sets the stage
for the work of analyzing leadership in the
context of real-world situations.
By design, the course is integrated with
the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, for
which Augsburg is the host sponsor.
“The Nobel Peace Prize Forum is a
gem,” said history and leadership studies
professor Jacqueline deVries. It’s a oneof-a-kind event that allows students to
learn through direct engagement about
the contexts and complexities involved
in conflict. deVries, who also serves as
director for Augsburg’s general education
program, co-taught the course with Martha
Stortz, Bernhard M. Christensen Professor
of Religion and Vocation, and Tom Morgan,
professor of leadership studies.
Held annually in Minneapolis, the
Nobel Peace Prize Forum is one of only
three programs officially associated with
the Norwegian Nobel Institute. The Forum’s
mission is to inspire peacemaking by
focusing on the work of Nobel Peace Prize
laureates and by engaging students and the
wider community with national and global
leaders in the process of peacebuilding.
The Forum provided the students in
the graduate course with direct access to
leaders from businesses, nonprofits, and
government organizations whose work
involves navigating complex, real-world
challenges that range from food security
to civil unrest to poverty and climate
change. The students used examples
from the Forum, as well as from their
own lives, to analyze conflict involving
religious diversity in their communities,
examine contemporary issues in a historical
perspective, and develop a view on what
effective leadership looks like (or might
look like) in actual situations.
Students come to the Master’s of Arts
in Leadership program with experience
PEACEB U ILD IN G PARTN ER- SPONSORS
Summer 2016
21
AUGGIES CONNECT
Martin Olav Sabo ’59
leaves mark on
Augsburg College
community
in both for-profit and not-for-profit
organizations. In gathering during a
lunch break to share reflections about
what they were learning at the Forum,
the class observed that it is not possible
to be effective as a leader without
knowing what’s going on in the world.
The Forum, they said, was a prompt
for thinking about how a leader would
approach addressing challenging topics
and situations in their work.
Too often, people are so
wrapped up with their jobs and
family and school that they don’t
think about the difficulties others
are facing in the world. It’s not that
people don’t care about these topics, one
student said, but they often just don’t
pay attention to the issues on a daily
basis. Being at the Forum offered a level
of understanding that may not happen in
a classroom, the students said.
In fact, during the Forum the
students directly engaged with difficult
topics, and it required a conscious
choice to hear the tragic stories about
topics like child slavery and human
trafficking. This is where our general
population may be falling short, one
student observed—choosing to turn away
instead of understanding the reality of
these issues.
The Master of Arts in Leadership
program, however, equips individuals to
turn toward—rather than away from—
challenging issues in order to seek
solutions and inspire others toward a
common goal. The program is designed
to prepare leaders who are ethically and
morally responsible, who can see beyond
immediate concerns, and who are
sensitive to the complex problems that
organizations face. By using the Nobel
Peace Prize Forum as a classroom, these
students worked to understand both the
systems that contribute to conflict and
the systems that effective leaders can
use to address it.
“WE HAVE TO CHANGE
THE DEMAND”
Top [L to R]: Dean Jarrow ’16 MAL and
Dele Odiachi ’17 MAL
Bottom: [L to R]: Jacqueline deVries; Margaret
PowellMack ’17 MAL; Kevin Stirtz ’17 MAL; Subashini
Ambrose ’18 MAL; Tom Morgan; Eric Miamen ’04,
’14 MBA, ’16 MAL; David Nyssen ’16 MBA, ’17 MAL; Nobel
Laureate Kailash Satyarthi; Howie Smith ’80, ’19 MAL;
Satyarthi’s wife, Sumedha Kailash; MAL Director Alan
Tuchtenhagen; and Brad Beeskow ’17 MAL.
22
Augsburg Now
For example, some students thought
that business was potentially the most
powerful force for addressing the issues
discussed at the Forum; others argued
that the biggest changes will come
when consumers demand it, quoting
comments by Nobel Laureate Kailash
Satyarthi, who, in his opening remarks,
said, “We have to change the demand.”
Another student observed that
every person has a powerful “what’s in
it for me” filter and noted that, if we
don’t translate the message in a way
that addresses this filter, it will not
be effective. And, although the class
agreed, the students also recognized that
people are often motivated not just by
what benefits them directly, but also by
generosity and helping others—by what,
as one student phrased it, satisfies a
need of the heart.
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
Former U.S. Representative Martin Olav Sabo ’59, who passed away on March 13 at
age 78, was a lifelong public servant and renowned Augsburg College alumnus who
exemplified the progressive approach and personal integrity that were modeled in
his Lutheran upbringing and education.
The work he and his wife, Sylvia, devoted to guiding the Martin Olav Sabo
Center for Democracy and Citizenship, the Sabo Scholars program, and the annual
Sabo Symposium—all of which create opportunities for civic experiences and skillbuilding inside and outside the classroom—will leave a lasting legacy at Augsburg.
Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow said that Sabo’s “life-long
commitment to public service is an inspiration to all of us. The Sabo Center gives
Augsburg the ongoing opportunity to celebrate the life and work of our dear friend.”
One year after graduating from Augsburg College, Sabo—then 22—was elected
to serve in the Minnesota House of Representatives. During his tenure, he became
the first member of the Democrat-Farmer-Labor party to serve as Speaker of the
House—a post he held from 1973-78. He went on to serve for 28 years as a
member of the U.S. House of Representatives, retiring in 2007.
At the same time that Sabo served in Congress, he volunteered 12 years to
Augsburg College as a member of the Board of Regents. The College named Sabo
a Distinguished Alumnus and awarded him its first-ever honorary degree. Sabo was
distinguished in all he undertook and, in 2006, was appointed Commander of the
Royal Norwegian Order of Merit for outstanding work and dedication to NorwegianAmerican relations.
Congressman Sabo and Sylvia Sabo are parents of Auggies Karin Mantor ’86 and
Julie Sabo ’90.
Summer 2016
23
AUGGIES CONNECT
New to the Alumni Board
Five Auggies elected to serve three-year terms on the Augsburg College
Alumni Board will network with and mentor current Auggies, build community
with alumni, and provide a vital link between the College and graduates.
TRAVEL IN THAILAND AND CAMBODIA
JANUARY 3-15, 2017
To learn more, go to
augsburg.edu/alumni/travel.
Derek Francis ’08
School counselor, Minneapolis Public Schools
“Through the awesome community and volunteer opportunities at
Augsburg, I realized I was passionate about working with youth.
Augsburg’s value of service to the community transformed my life.”
Lori Higgins ’94, ’12 MAL
President, MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce
“I am eager to give back to the school that has given me so many
opportunities, such as political internships with [former U.S. Rep.] Martin
Sabo ’59 and MN Sen. Bill Luther, which began my career.”
MAKES LASTING IMPACT
With its Give to the Max Day gifts, the Biology Department funded new research
opportunities for two students: Oksana Burt ’17 and Davy DeKrey ’17 [pictured].
24
Augsburg Now
Business development, Gravie
“A continuing passion of mine is to grow our networking efforts, both for
employers and individuals as they connect with Auggie alumni.”
Online giving day supports students, faculty, programs
Auggies last fall made Augsburg College No. 1 in the annual Give to the
Max Day challenge. This year, Give to the Max Day is November 17, and
the College is calling on alumni to push Augsburg into the top spot for the
fourth year in a row.
In 2015, in just 24 hours, more than 1,000 Auggies—many of whom
were first-time donors—generously stepped up to give more than $240,000
to Augsburg. As a result, Augsburg ranked first among all participating
Minnesota colleges and universities, and earned a $10,000 bonus.
Alumni support on Give to the Max Day has a lasting impact and
supports new opportunities for students. Funds raised last year supported
the expansion of on-campus research; the purchase of a 3-D printer for
the mathematics and statistics department; production costs for Howling
Bird Press, the student-run book publishing project in the Master of
Fine Arts in Creative Writing program; and trips by athletic teams for
competition, education, and community service.
This November, alumni also can give to scholarships that honor the
legacy of music, research, and civil service at Augsburg. Gifts are being
sought to honor the work of Leland Sateren ’35, U.S. Rep. Martin Sabo ’59,
the StepUP® program, and the Office of Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity, which connects students with new and existing
research and scholarship on campus, across the United States, and
around the world.
Anyone can donate any amount on Give to the Max Day. Schedule
your gifts online at givemn.org beginning November 1.
Josh Krob ’08, ’15 MBA
Janeece Oatman ’05
Development director, American Diabetes Association
“I have a passion for committee-building, and I am interested in
networking opportunities, reconnecting with campus, and fellow Auggies.”
Brad Randall ’13
Mechanical maintenance planner, Xcel Energy
“As a graduate of Augsburg’s Adult Undergraduate program, I am
interested in mentoring Augsburg alumni in all fields.”
[L to R]: Lewis Istok ’18 and Abigale Enrici ’18 create a two-material print
using a 3-D printer purchased with Give to the Max Day funds.
Jordan Brandt ’17 throws a pitch on the baseball team’s 2016 spring break trip
to Arizona. The team raised more than $17,000 on Give to the Max Day 2015.
Back row [L to R]: Josh Krob ’08, ’15 MBA; Brad Randall ’13; Mary Prevost ’12 MBA; Cyrus Batheja ’08, ’10 MBA;
Jay Howard ’03, Nick Rathmann ’03; Hanna Dietrich ’05; Rick Bonlender ’78; Patricia Jesperson ’95; Melissa
(Daudt) Hoepner ’92; Howie Smith ’80, ’19 MAL; Marie (Eddy) Odenbrett ’01; Greg Schnagl ’91. Front row
[L to R]: Adrienne (Kuchler) Eldridge ’02; Meg (Schmidt) Sawyer ’00; Adriana Matzke ’13; Janeece Oatman ’05;
Chau “Tina” Nguyen ’08; Jill Watson ’10 MBA. Not pictured: Derek Francis ’08; Lori Higgins ’94, ’12 MAL;
Nick Swanson ’09
Q&A
with tour guide and Professor
of English Kathy Swanson
Q:
A:
How many times have you traveled to
Thailand? What keeps bringing you back?
My husband and I lived in Thailand as Peace
Corps volunteers for two years and have
returned eight times since. We return because
we feel Thailand is our “second home.” We love
Thailand’s beauty—from the huge city of Bangkok to
the mountains of northern Thailand in Chiang Mai
to the small beach town where we lived. We also
have many dear friends, some former students and
colleagues, with whom we love to reconnect.
Q:
A:
Can you share with us a memory from a trip
you led with Augsburg students?
We have shared our love of Thailand with
Augsburg students during five trips and have so
many good memories. Former Auggies still share their
memories and pictures of the trips with us. Some
of these students became English language learner
teachers because of their experience teaching English
in our former school. I remember one student, for
example, who was hesitant about going so far away
from home and to such an unfamiliar place. She had
been my student in several classes and seemed to
trust me when I encouraged her, so she took the big
step. We are still in contact after many years and she
has written about her trip to Thailand as being “lifechanging.” She stepped out of her comfort zone and
experienced things she could have never imagined,
gaining confidence and self-awareness.
Q:
A:
Who should take this trip?
Anyone who values expanding a worldview,
learning about a new culture, and experiencing
beauty.
Summer 2016
25
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
AUGGIES CONNECT
Martin Sabo ’59 leaves a
lasting legacy. See page 23.
1960
Rev. Dennis Glad ’60
and Barbara Glad
of St. Francis, Minnesota, have
led nearly 1,000 volunteers on
mission trips to 14 Caribbean
islands, Costa Rica, and Belize
over the past 25 years. Working
on a volunteer construction team,
the Glads and their crew have
built schools, clinics, churches,
orphanages, and more. In April,
the couple received WCCO Radio’s
Good Neighbor Award, and they
are now in the station’s Good
Neighbor Hall of Fame. In 1999,
Rev. Glad retired after serving in
the United Methodist Church for
more than 40 years.
empowering dreams
Travelers EDGE® grant affords
students pathway to success
In March, Augsburg was awarded a
$115,000 grant to continue offering
Travelers EDGE (Empowering Dreams for
Graduation and Employment), a program
that provides underrepresented students
with scholarships, paid internships,
and mentorship in an effort to break
down barriers and provide long-term
opportunity. The highly successful
program, now in its sixth year at
Augsburg, is poised to have 15 Travelers
EDGE scholars on campus this fall—its
largest cohort yet.
This prestigious program—open
to only 12 colleges in the United
States—has lifetime payoffs for
students, including the chance to find
challenging and rewarding careers in
the insurance and financial services
industry. To get there, each Travelers
EDGE scholar works with a career coach
and a professional mentor at Travelers
and participates in financial literacy
programming.
Marlene Ibsen, vice president of
community relations at Travelers, said
Augsburg was already doing great work
and made for a natural Travelers EDGE
partner.
“Everything and everyone we
encountered at Augsburg, including
President Pribbenow and throughout
the organization, made us think, ‘This
is a team of people who really get it and
would be outstanding additions to the
Travelers EDGE collaborative,’” said Ibsen.
Students in the program receive financial
26
Augsburg Now
scholarships and something that, in the
long run, pays even greater dividends—
networking contacts.
“Once they begin immersing
themselves in the professional
development workshops and start
to build relationships with Travelers
employees, students quickly learn
that the networking and professional
coaching they are getting will be of
significant use to them in the long
term,” said Janet Morales, Augsburg’s
director for the program.
So far, Augsburg has had 23
Travelers EDGE scholars participate in
the program and some have gone on to
accept full-time positions with Travelers.
Dustina Granlund ’14 is one of the
Travelers EDGE alumni who works at
Travelers. Granlund had two internships
at the company, including one in
Hartford, Connecticut. As an intern,
she helped develop new and more
efficient reporting systems that are still
in use today.
Granlund said her mentor helped
her understand how school applies
to the real world by encouraging her
to accept and take on challenges, to
network, and to push herself beyond
her comfort zone.
“My Travelers EDGE scholar
work taught me business etiquette,
interviewing techniques, and résumé
writing,” she said. “It helped connect
me with resources at Augsburg that I
didn’t really know about.”
Travelers EDGE connected Granlund
with staff in Augsburg’s Clair and Gladys
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work
who helped Granlund become more
comfortable seeking regular advice on
graduate school.
Morales sees that the value of the
program goes far beyond job experience.
“Travelers EDGE is confidence
building,” she said. “Our scholars
do not typically have any corporate
experience prior to becoming a part
of Travelers EDGE, nor do they have
family members with that experience,
so starting their professional journey
within insurance and financial services
can be intimidating. However, Travelers
EDGE gives the scholars opportunities
to learn and build their skills within a
safe space. The end result is that they
can imagine themselves with a career in
insurance and financial services, which
they couldn’t before.”
1964
Roger Johnson ’64
was presented with
the Donald Clark Memorial Award
at Minnesota Hockey’s annual
banquet in April. The award is
given to an individual who has
been dedicated to the grassroots
growth and development of youth
hockey in Minnesota. Johnson was
the head coach for boys’ hockey in
Fergus Falls, Minnesota, from 1965
until 1972 and then was varsity
assistant and junior varsity head
coach for the next 27 years until
1999. He is a substitute teacher
and a volunteer general manager
for the boys’ hockey team.
1969
Royce Helmbrecht ’69
graduated with a
degree in education. Today,
47 years later, he works as a
substitute teacher with students
who struggle to get through
school. He also teaches jail
inmates for the GED program.
fundraisers. Her leisure activities
include gardening, walking,
biking, and reading.
Michael Good ’71 celebrates
at groundbreaking ceremony.
See page 2.
jazzy food songs. Sullivan attended
Augsburg as a flute student, studied
broadcasting at Brown Institute,
and has worked in radio and as a
voice-over artist. After appearing at
venues that draw swing dancers,
she teamed up with Laurie to create
the duo Retro Swing Sister.
Three years ago at Valley of Peace Lutheran Church in Golden Valley,
Minnesota, three parishioners took on a Lenten art project to create a mosaic
for their church entry. Led by Barb (Durkee) Mikelson ’71, the committee
also included Emilie Moravec ’07 and Jon Daniels ’88. The design, primarily
Mikelson’s work, echoed the stained glass window design in the church’s
sanctuary created by the late August Molder, an Augsburg professor. Mikelson
served the past 12 years as director of her church’s early childhood education
center, All God’s Children Learning Center, and retired in January. The school’s
leadership is now in the able hands of another Auggie, Courtney GadboisBrumbaugh ’95.
From the Auggie Connections blog.
Read more at augsburg.edu/alumni/blog.
He says the Lord intervened in his
life and directed him to Augsburg,
and he feels blessed to have
followed the Lord’s direction.
1971
Mary (Soulen) Johnson ’71
is the new branch
assistant at Minnesota’s Aitkin
Public Library. She especially
enjoys working with children
at the library and at the Aitkin
Children’s Center. As a volunteer
at Wild and Free in Garrison,
Minnesota, she helps with
feeding animals and assists with
Merilee Klemp ’75 uses the
city of Minneapolis as her
classroom. See page 16.
1982
Maryann Sullivan ’82
and Rhonda Laurie
have been entertaining listening
audiences and swing dancers for
the past three years. In February,
the two performed “Swingin’ a
la Carte” as part of the Jazz@
St. Barney’s concert series at St.
Barnabas Lutheran Church in
Plymouth, Minnesota, reflecting
the singers’ love of cooking through
Scott Whirley ’82 and Henry
Gerten ’98 were inducted into
the National Wrestling Coaches
Association Division III Hall of
Fame in a ceremony in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa, prior to this year’s
NCAA Division III Wrestling
National Championships. Whirley
and Gerten are the ninth and 10th
Auggies to be inducted into the
NWCA Division III Hall of Fame.
Dr. Paul Mueller ’84 breaks ground
on Augsburg’s new, signature
academic building. See page 2.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
1967
In March, the Rev.
Terry J. Frovik ’67
and his wife, Pauline, were invited
by Archbishop Nemuel Babba
to participate in the installation
service for the Rev. Peter
Bartimawus, who was elected
Bishop of the Gongola Diocese of
the Lutheran Church of Christ in
Nigeria (LCCN). The service took
place in Bartimawus’ home village of Guyuk.
1992
Rosanne Newville Bump ’92 plans events, including
the St. Paul Winter Carnival as president and CEO
of the Saint Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation. She received
her MBA in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls.
She has stayed in touch with many of her Auggie classmates
over the years, and is pleased that both the St. Paul Winter
Carnival and the Cinco de Mayo organizations benefit from
the help of Augsburg interns as they plan events. She lives
with her husband of 28 years, Jeff Bump ’85, and their three
daughters (Madelyn, Ella, and Julia) in River Falls where she
served for nine years as CEO of the River Falls Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Bureau.
Summer 2016
27
2000
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Brian Ammann ’85 reflects on one of
the standout athletes he coached.
See page 8.
1988
Building hope
In March, Bob Strommen ’74 volunteered for a
Habitat for Humanity project in Nicaragua. He
joined cousins Tim ’70 and Dawn (Hofstad) ’70
Strommen, and Judy (Knudson) Strommen ’77, and
was overwhelmed by the magnitude of poverty in
the small village where they worked. The trip was
Tim’s third visit to the same site.
Bob writes, “Prior to our venturing out,
we had an orientation led by our Nicaraguan
Habitat leader, Aleandra, who reported that there
was a need for more than 600,000 homes in
Nicaragua—either new builds or fixing up existing
homes in desperate need of repair. And we were
going to build one home. At the time I thought,
‘What difference will this make? How do you tackle
such an overwhelming need?’”
Upon meeting the eventual homeowner, her
daughter, and grandchildren, Bob soon learned
that their work in that one week would make a lifechanging impact for the family.
He’d considered the impact they would
make on the family of the house, but did not
comprehend the impact that the people and
volunteering would have on him, saying: “My goal
is not to be better than anyone else, but to be
better than I used to be.”
Jeff Judge ’88 successfully
defended his doctoral
dissertation at Minnesota State
University. His thesis was “Spirituality in
Higher Education: A Narrative Analysis of
its Use by Leaders for Decision-Making.”
Judge graduated from Augsburg with
bachelor’s degrees in music education
and Spanish, and received a master’s
in Spanish from Middlebury (Vermont)
College. He lives in Minnetonka,
Minnesota, with his wife, Jeannie, and
their three teenagers: Nico, Danny, and
Clare. He is the dean of the humanities
division at Normandale Community
College in Bloomington, Minnesota.
1989
Troy Bakker ’89 received a
doctorate of science degree
from Dakota State University in Madison,
South Dakota.
Stephen Hindle ’89 has been appointed
practice lead at the partner level for Aon
Hewitt’s assessment and leadership
practice for Asia, the Middle East, and
Africa. He also is the face of Aon Hewitt
in these markets. His responsibilities
include commercial management of all
assessment and leadership business
across 14 countries as well as all
operations, solution development, and
mergers and acquisitions activity in
these markets.
He is based in Singapore with his
wife of more than 21 years, Adean,
and their two daughters, Claudia and
Madeleine.
1996
As twin sisters, Kaja Foat ’96
and Zoe Foat ’96 have shared
a lot in life—a last name, a love of
color and nature, and a vision for a
more ethical world. In 2002, the sisters
followed their shared vision to create
FOAT. Their goal was to offer a refreshing,
eco-conscious alternative in women’s
fashion, starting with yoga apparel. Since
then, they’ve expanded their designs to
additional lines of one-of-a-kind garments
and wedding gowns, and their workspace
to studios in Minneapolis and Charleston,
South Carolina.
Devean George ’99 builds neighborhood
pride alongside community housing in
north Minneapolis. See page 8.
2000
Augsburg theater alumni
Stephanie Lein Walseth ’00,
Quinci Bachman ’15, and Jorge
Rodriguez ’15, and Professor Emerita
Martha Johnson participated in the
Full Circle Theater Company’s return
engagement of “Theater: A Sacred
Passage.” Lein Walseth and Johnson are
two writers of this original performance
piece, devised by the core artists of
Full Circle from their personal journeys
into theater. Their stories embody
the challenges and transformational
experiences they have had in becoming
theater artists and how their lives
and work reflect the changes in the
theater community during the past two
decades. The piece incorporates acting,
storytelling, choreography, and music.
Bachman was production coordinator,
stage manager, and sound designer.
Rodriguez served as set and technical
director and lighting designer. Johnson
was dramaturge and assistant director.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
1992
Heather Johnston ’92
(second from left) was
invited to speak at the annual
conference of the Municipal
Finance Directors of Israel in Eilat,
Israel. Johnston is president of
the Government Finance Officers
Association of the United States and
Canada. Johnston serves as the city
manager for Burnsville, Minnesota.
28
Augsburg Now
1999
[L to R]: J. Roxanne
Prichard, associate
professor of psychology and
neuroscience, and Jeanne “Birdie”
(Ramacher) Cunningham ’99,
associate director of health and
wellness, have created and
launched the Center for College
Sleep at the University
of St. Thomas in St. Paul.
2005
Jon Dahlin ’05
participated in track
and field at Augsburg, and he set
a national record in the hammer
throw that still stands. He went
on to compete nationally and
internationally in Highland games.
He competed in states including
California, Florida, and Texas, and
he also competed in Iceland. He
traveled to Gyor, Hungary, as part
of Team USA for the 2015 World
Highland Games Championship
where he squared off against 15
athletes from around the world.
He was pleased to record one
of his best performances ever
in caber (tossing a 175-pound
wooden beam), and finished in
seventh place. Dahlin lives in
Minnetonka, Minnesota, and works
as a software developer at Barr
Engineering, focusing primarily
on creating web applications. He
also is a sports photographer who
covers NFL games.
Jenni Fisher ’05 and Jade
Boettcher ’15 MAE were united
in marriage on January 20 in
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
Boettcher received his Master of
Arts in Education from Augsburg
and is a special education teacher
at John Marshall High School
in Rochester, Minnesota. Fisher
received her bachelor’s from
Augsburg and is a clinic assistant
at Planned Parenthood
in Rochester.
Brandon Green ’05 is a new
managing partner at MG
Resources. Before joining the
company, Green spent nearly 18
years with Griffiths Corporation.
2007
James Lekatz ’07
wrote the music for
“The Snow Queen,” which was
presented at Stages Theatre in
Hopkins, Minnesota, in March.
This summer, Lekatz worked with
a group of students with autism
on a production of “The BFG” as
part of a program called CAST,
Creative Accepting Sensoryfriendly Theatre. He will be
assistant director on a production
called “Twinkle Twinkle,” as part
of Stages Theatre Company’s
theater for the very young, and he
will compose Stages’ next dance/
ballet piece, “The Velveteen
Rabbit,” to be performed next
spring.
2008
Andrew Webb ’08
volunteers his
time to assist local and global
communities as they recover from
natural disasters and tragedies.
He encourages others through
a letter-writing campaign and
invites groups, such as area
high schools, to join him in his
dedication to this mission.
Sara (Quigley) Brown ’00
received her chaplain badge
for the Alaska Police and Fire Chaplains
Ministry, a statewide nonprofit that serves
police and fire personnel. The program
follows a strict training that mirrors the
training of police officers.
Brown will return to the Twin Cities
in August to attend a clinical pastoral
education residency through which she
will receive certification to become a hospital chaplain.
2000
Ross Murray ’00,
’09 MBA, has
been issued a call from the
Metropolitan New York Synod in
New York City to be consecrated
as a diaconal minister and focus
on LGBT advocacy at GLAAD. He
and Richard Garnett ’07, ’09 MBA
were married in April.
2001
Sarah (Grans) Peterka ’01
married Erik Peterka
on December 12. Several Auggies
were at the celebration including:
Carrie Lind ’01, Skylar Hanson ’01,
Laura Hahn ’02, Erica ’01 and
Jason ’01 Bryan-Wegner, Ben
Hoogland ’00, Larye ’98 and
Melissa (Moyle) Pohlman ’00,
Lenise Butler ’01, and
Birgitte Simpson ’13.
2010
Jennifer (Mathwig)
Ortloff ’10 became joint
owner of the public accounting
firm of Peterson Juergensen
Hemerick & Co. in Hutchinson,
Minnesota, after five years with
the firm. Prior to becoming an
owner and before earning an
accounting degree at Augsburg,
she worked on the administrative
side of the company. Ortloff is a
native of Brownton, Minnesota,
and worked for the city of
Brownton while completing
her degree.
2005
When Claire Pettry ’05
moved to Ohio in the
fall of 2015, her Augsburg College
connection played a key role in
helping her form friendships in
her new locale. She met Chris
Ascher ’81 and wife, Susan, and
the three became fast friends
who completed a 5K run on
Thanksgiving.
2003
Megan and Jay
Howard ’03 welcomed
their son, Elias John, on April 28.
Lisa Svac Hawks ’85 sees Augsburg College as a “pillar of faith,” one of the reasons she chose the College
and why she continues to be involved. She served six years on the Alumni Board and is a founding
member of Augsburg Women Engaged.
Hawks is vice president, external communications, for United Healthcare Services. She is focused on
helping simplify the complicated health care landscape for the consumers so that they can live healthier
lives. In her spare time, Hawks enjoys gardening, cooking, and playing golf and other sports. She also
enjoys coaching her 10-year-old son Andrew’s baseball team, which she has done for the past three years.
From the Auggie Connections blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
2011
Patrick Siegel ’11 is
the proud owner of
Robusto & Briar cigar store and
lounge in Lakewood, Ohio. The
establishment is made for all
who appreciate a fine cigar and
conversation-worthy décor. He
got hooked on the cigar business
when, as a student at Augsburg,
he was hired by the Golden Leaf
shop, where he bought his cigars.
He and wife, Nicole, who grew
up in Rocky River, Ohio, decided
to settle in Lakewood. Robusto &
Briar specializes in hand-rolled
products that are kept in a 15-by30 foot humidor. The shop offers
about 400 types of cigars and
about 50 kinds of tobacco.
2012
The Minnesota
Women’s Press
published an article on Interfaith
Youth Connection, a program
for high school and college-age
youth that promotes interfaith
understanding and service. The
article includes comments from
Fardosa Hassan ’12, Muslim
student program associate at
Augsburg College and program
coordinator of Interfaith Youth
Connection. By holding regular
conversations and yearly service
events, the group seeks to give
youth “a way to be proud of
who they are in whatever faith
background they [believe],
while reducing prejudice and
misconception,” Hassan said.
“In the midst of what is going on
today, this is something we need.”
Patrick Sayler ’12 is the new
general manager of Co-op Natural
Foods in Sioux Falls, South
Dakota. Before returning to Sioux
Falls three years ago, he spent
16 years in the Minneapolis area
managing cafes and retail shops.
As the general manager of Co-op
Natural Foods, he will oversee an
established business that employs
approximately 20 people and does
more than $2 million a year. He
is completing work on a degree in
business management/marketing
and project management at the
University of Sioux Falls.
2014
Allison Zank ’14 has
been named a National
Science Foundation Graduate
Research Fellow for 2016-17.
Zank will receive a $34,000
annual stipend and $12,000 costof-education allowance to assist
her in achieving a research-based
graduate degree. An NSF GRFP
indicates to graduate schools that
a student is a top undergraduate
scientist in the nation. Zank
conducted summer research
on biofilms with Augsburg
Associate Professor Jennifer
Bankers-Fulbright as well as at the
University of Minnesota’s Dental
School. Zank also has spent time
conducting research in industry.
At Augsburg, she was named an
URGO Scholar, McNair Scholar,
AugSTEM Scholar, and Goldwater
Scholar. She plans to pursue
a master’s degree in clinical
microbiology at the University of
Wisconsin-La Crosse this fall.
GRADUATE
2015
Katie Clark ’10 MAN, ’14 DNP
presented at a breakout session
for Fairview Health Services’
Somali Cultural Health Day in
April. Her topic was “Critical
decision making and chronic
illness.” Clark connected her
previous bedside nursing
experience with her current
experience working with Somali
community members at the
Health Commons in the CedarRiverside neighborhood. Her
focus was to teach health care
providers to deliver culturally
congruent care to marginalized
populations. She concentrated
her efforts on reducing the role of
stereotypes and assumptions in
the patient-provider relationship.
Jordan Holm ’15
competed in the 2016
Olympic trials in the 85-kilogram
weight class for Greco-Roman
wrestling at Carver-Hawkeye
Arena in Iowa City, Iowa, on
April 6. Holm was one of three
athletes automatically earning the
No. 1 ranking. He graduated from
Augsburg with a business degree
in marketing.
Duina Hernandez ’16 lets
dirt fly at an Augsburg
groundbreaking ceremony.
See page 2.
Evan Berg ’10 MBA was hired as
assistant vice president and loan
officer at the Janesville State Bank
in Janesville, Minnesota. He has a
bachelor’s degree in economics/
business administration from
Winona State University and an
MBA from Augsburg, as well as
eight years of experience in credit
analysis and lending with Farm
Credit and several banks.
AUGGIE CONNECTIONS:
a new, personalized
newsletter
Whether it be in the classroom, cheering on your favorite Auggie
team, or supporting the on-campus groups that mean the most to
you, Augsburg College emphasizes a direct, personal experience
for its students and alumni. In today’s world where information is
coming from all angles and at all times, personalized, meaningful
information is more important than ever.
The Alumni Association recognizes this and is taking a step
to provide more pertinent and timely information about what’s
happening at Augsburg. Beginning this summer, Augsburg is
offering a personalized e-newsletter that will be delivered on a
schedule of your choosing, in a format you want. No more monthly
Now@Augsburg emails. The Auggie Connections newsletter is
now in your hands.
Choose the topics you are most interested in: Auggie
athletics? Theater and music? Science? Want to hear it all? With
your new, improved Auggie Connections newsletter, you won’t
miss a thing.
The first personalized Auggie Connections newsletter
arrived in your email inbox in late June. If you haven’t yet set your
preferences, check your email for the message titled “Augsburg
College - delivered YOUR way,” to get started.
To update your contact information, email alumniupdate@
augsburg.edu.
2009
Benjamin Austin ’09
and Michelle
(Anderson) Austin ’11 were
married December 19 in St. Paul.
They met at Augsburg during her
sophomore year and his senior
year.
Schuyler (Dunhaupt)
Tilson ’10 graduated
from Mitchell Hamline School of Law
in St. Paul in January with a focus in
Indian law. She recently passed the
Minnesota bar and became a staff
attorney for the Ho-Chunk Nation
Trial Court. She holds undergraduate
degrees from Augsburg in history
and American Indian studies.
2012
Muneer Al-Hameed ’12
won the Dancing with the
Twin Cities Celebrities Charity Ball
in February. Augsburg alumna Carla
Beaurline ’91 was a judge this year
and a 2015 Dancing with the Twin
Cities celebrity dancer.
FRESH LOOK,
INCREASED
INTERACTION
Nic Thomley ’06 MBA was named to the
2016 Class of Henry Crown Fellows and the
Aspen Global Leadership Network at the
Aspen Institute. This growing network unites
a worldwide community of entrepreneurial
leaders from business, government, and the
nonprofit sector who share a commitment
to enlightened leadership and to using their
creativity, energy, and resources to tackle
the foremost societal challenges of our time.
Thomley is an accomplished entrepreneur
in the human services industry and the
founder of companies that provide an array
of services to persons with disabilities and
senior citizens. Thomley is the founder and
30
Augsburg Now
CEO of Morning Star Financial Services and
the founder and chairman of Summit Fiscal
Agency and Pinnacle Services, Minneapolis.
Thomley was named a 2015 Ernst & Young
Entrepreneur of the Year Finalist and,
in 2006, was named to Inc. Magazine’s
“30 Under 30, America’s Coolest Young
Entrepreneurs” list and to the Minneapolis/
St. Paul Business Journal’s “40 Under 40”
list. In 2010, Thomley was presented with
Augsburg’s First Decade Award, which
honors graduates of the past 10 years who
have made significant progress in their
professional achievements and contributions
to the community.
Enjoy several new features on the Augsburg Now magazine’s
companion website. Thanks to a site upgrade, it’s possible to:
• Read articles on mobile devices with ease
• Share favorite stories and photos on social media
• View exclusive slideshows and videos
• Manage your magazine subscription and delivery method
• “Go green” by opting for digital content instead of print
• Submit class notes and share good news
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
Tell us about the news in your life—your new job, move,
marriage, and births. Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/connect to submit
your announcements.
Mike Polis ’10 has
started Backboard
Media, based in Northeast
Minneapolis. Check it out at
backboardgroup.com.
2010
augsburg.edu/now
Entrepreneurial leader recognized
2010
2013
Kuoth Wiel ’13 cofounded the NyaEden
Foundation, a nonprofit that aims
to provide basic survival necessities
to disadvantaged women and
children throughout Africa. She is an
actress, model, and humanitarian
whose debut film role was in “The
Good Lie,” a drama starring Reese
Witherspoon that tells the story of
a group of Sudanese refugees who
are offered shelter in the United
States. Wiel was born to a Sudanese mother and father in an Ethiopian
refugee camp following her parents’ escape from war-torn Sudan. As a
young adult, Wiel moved to Minneapolis to attend Augsburg and study
social psychology. Visit nyaedenfoundation.org to learn more about the
organization’s work to foster girls’ and women’s safety, empowerment,
independence, dignity, self-esteem, and self-respect.
Fall 2015
37
Summer 2016
31
In memoriam
Chester R. Heikkinen ’40,
Robbinsdale, Minnesota,
age 99, on November 24.
Helen (Quanbeck)
Nichols ’44, Monticello,
Minnesota, age 94, on
April 27.
Frederick “Fred” M. King ’71,
Onalaska, Wisconsin, age
73, on February 5.
Helen E. (Berg) Peterson ’46,
Minneapolis, age 92, on
November 23.
Martin O. Sabo ’59,
Minneapolis, age 78,
on March 13.
Kenneth J. Dahlberg ’80,
Colorado Springs,
Colorado, age 62,
on December 21.
Doris M. Rear-Hustad ’46,
Blanchardville, Wisconsin,
age 90, on March 18.
Gary A. Hoonsbeen ’60,
Crystal, Minnesota,
age 77, on March 7.
Brenda L. Fredrick ’82,
Strawberry Point, Iowa,
age 57, on April 23.
Loren M. Thorson ’46,
Green Valley, Arizona,
age 96, on March 8.
Robert N. Martin ’61,
Dracut, Massachusetts,
age 81, on March 22.
Janice C. Olson ’84,
Lakewood, Washington,
age 79, on January 19.
Robert “Bob” E. Lee ’47,
Hallettsville, Texas,
age 92, on March 3.
Norbert W. W. Mokros ’61,
Duluth, Minnesota,
age 77, on January 25.
Melissa A. Lawrence ’88,
Minneapolis, age 59,
on March 1.
Aagoth E. (Hanson)
Hansen ’48, Willmar,
Minnesota, age 89,
on January 4.
Sherman P. Coltvet ’62,
Rochester, Minnesota,
age 75, on January 30.
Marilyn J. (Cederstrom)
Teubert ’88, Waconia,
Minnesota, age 84,
on November 23.
Paul D. Hilton ’51,
Cumberland, Wisconsin,
age 86, on January 28.
Eugene M. Nelson ’51,
Colorado Springs,
Colorado, age 86,
on January 11.
Lillian K. (Ysteboe) Ose ’51,
Benson, Minnesota,
age 87, on January 5.
Leonard E. Dalberg ’52,
Solvang, California,
age 90, on April 21.
Randall “Randy” Fischer ’52,
Lynchburg, Virginia,
age 85, on February 5.
Robert C. Ingman ’54,
Minneapolis, age 85, on
September 3.
Charles “Bob” R.
Hudgins ’62, Burnsville,
Minnesota, age 75,
on December 12.
Charles W. King, Jr. ’62,
Sun City West, Arizona,
age 76, on December 17.
Philip O. Sidney ’63,
St. Paul, age 75,
on April 10.
Mary M. Lindgren ’64,
Minneapolis, age 74,
on March 15.
David A. Mallak ’65,
Austin, Texas, age 72,
on February 10.
Steven H. Steinke ’65,
Pequot Lakes, Minnesota,
age 68, on January 26.
Robert R. Benson ’67,
Preston, Minnesota,
age 70, on December 23.
Karl B. Lunder ’70, Red
Wing, Minnesota, age 69,
on March 12.
SAVE THE DATES:
SEPTEMBER 22-24
New events and schedule!
William “Bill” J. Schutt ’75,
Watertown, South Dakota,
age 74, on February 2.
Richard “Dick” L. Berg ’57,
Minneapolis, age 85,
on February 3.
Vera C. (Alberg)
Hafstad ’50, Owatonna,
Minnesota, age 86, on
March 11.
Augsburg Now
Dayne W. Sather ’55,
Maple Grove, Minnesota,
age 86, on January 25.
Joyce I. (Engstrom)
Spector ’70, Minneapolis,
age 68, on April 1.
Mary (Mortensen) Nelson ’45,
Minneapolis, age 92, on
January 22.
Arnold H. Skaar ’48,
Edina, Minnesota, age 91,
on February 2.
32
Dale W. Quanbeck ’54,
Grand Forks, North
Dakota, age 84,
on January 18.
Carol R. (Pasquarella)
Liedtke ’89, Shorewood,
Illinois, age 73,
on December 5.
Diane P. Ondrey ’94,
Minneapolis, age 80,
on February 19.
Jean W. (Thompson)
Rondeau ’94, Minneapolis,
age 77, on April 12.
Sandra K. Berg ’98, Inver
Grove Heights, Minnesota,
age 69, on January 26.
Conrad D. Meyer ’98,
Merida, Mexico, age 66,
on April 3.
.
S
E
I
G
G
U
A
E
B
.
D
U
O
PR
E
B
.
D
E
L
BE CAL
Barbara (Steinle)
Huckle ’00, Burnsville,
Minnesota, age 55,
on April 16.
Jason C. Magnon ’13,
Georgetown, Texas,
age 25, on January 15.
Go to augsburg.edu/homecoming to register and see the new events this year.
The “In memoriam” listings in this publication
include notifications received before May 10.
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
The Augsburg Choir joins Barry Manilow on stage
The exceptional talent and hard work of the Augsburg Choir was rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sing backup
during Grammy-award winner Barry Manilow’s farewell tour. Members of the choir sang three of his hits in an encore at the
Xcel Energy Center: “I Write the Songs,” “Miracle,” and “Copacabana (At the Copa).”
Show less
An alumna’s cutting-edge research
Augsburg University Day
Women of influence
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
AUGGIES MAKE
AN IMPACT
FALL–WINTER 2017 | VOL. 80, NO. 1
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing... Show more
An alumna’s cutting-edge research
Augsburg University Day
Women of influence
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
AUGGIES MAKE
AN IMPACT
FALL–WINTER 2017 | VOL. 80, NO. 1
INSIDE
AUGSBURG NOW
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Assistant Director of
Marketing Management
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On celebration
Augsburg’s ninth president, Bill Frame,
was fond of pointing out our “militant
modesty,” the tendency to avoid touting our
accomplishments for fear that we might be
accused of boasting. Whether occasioned by
our Lutheran faith tradition or Scandinavian
roots (or some combination thereof), this
modesty meant that often our good work as
an institution was hidden under a bushel.
Now, as someone steeped both in
Lutheran and Scandinavian ways, I may
have occasionally fallen victim to that same
modesty, but perhaps I am being rehabilitated
because there is just so much to celebrate at
Augsburg these days! We can no longer hide
our light, as this issue of Augsburg Now most
clearly illustrates.
Whether it is our name change to Augsburg
University, officially celebrated in early
September; the 29th annual Nobel Peace
Prize Forum in mid-September, attracting
international attention for this remarkable
gathering of Nobel laureates and other
peacemakers; the progress on the Hagfors
Center for Science, Business, and Religion,
our signature academic building to open for
classes in early January 2018; or one of the
myriad other signs of good work—like the
renewal of our McNair Scholars program,
preparing first generation and students of
color for graduate and professional school—I
just can’t deny the need to celebrate!
So, here’s my point. I’m all for humility
and modesty in pursuing the mission-based
work we are called to do for our students
and our community. The gifts we share as a
community—our values and commitments,
our faculty and staff, our alumni and partners,
and our inspiring students—these truly
are gifts to be stewarded responsibly, not
exploited. But it is not boasting when we
celebrate how those gifts come together and
are deployed to achieve our distinctive calling
in the world: to be small to our students
and big for the world, to educate students
as informed citizens, thoughtful stewards,
critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.
In fact, I might argue that not celebrating
what has been achieved means that we miss
the opportunity to proclaim what God has
done in our midst and how others are invited
to join us in the work we are called to do. We
live in a world marked by a sense of scarcity;
Augsburg models what it means to model the
way of abundance.
We choose abundance, and we celebrate
all that God has made possible at Augsburg
University—surely a beacon of light and hope
in the world.
Faithfully yours,
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate, Design
Denielle Stepka ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Web Manager
Joe Mann
mannj@augsburg.edu
Communication and Social
Media Specialist
Briana Alamilla ’17
alamilla@augsburg.edu
Advancement Communications
Specialist
Asha Sorenson
sorenso3@augsburg.edu
Contributing Writers
Kate H. Elliott
Jessica Mueller
All photos by Courtney Perry
unless otherwise indicated.
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg University
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
University policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Send comments to:
now@augsburg.edu
AUGSBURG NOW
Fall–Winter 2017
The Norman and Evangeline
Hagfors Center for Science,
Business, and Religion is
located near the corner of
21st Avenue South and South
7th Street on Augsburg’s
Minneapolis campus—a
site strategically selected
to further connect the
University to the community.
02
Around the quad
19
Women of influence
08
Annual report to donors
22
Auggies connect
10
Augsburg University Day
26
Class notes
12
The fatherhood bonus and
the motherhood penalty
32
In memoriam
16
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
On the cover
The Augsburg University quad
featured vibrant autumn colors
this October. Photo by Kevin Healy.
Inset photo by John Solem,
University of Massachusetts
Amherst.
that Augsburg University’s quad now
boasts a splash of color. At more than
82 feet wide, the vinyl graphic installed
on Science Hall’s eastern-facing facade
is nearly impossible to miss. The design
pairs an excerpt from Augsburg’s
strategic vision statement with vibrant
hues chosen to reflect the accent colors
on the exterior of the new Hagfors Center
for Science, Business, and Religion,
which stands northwest of Science Hall
and is blocked from view in the quad.
One of the priorities outlined in
Augsburg’s 2016 campus master plan is
to extend the quad from the west edge
of campus, through the existing campus
core, and on to Murphy Square. This
vision requires the demolition of Science
Hall, which will be possible only after
departments and program offices now
housed in the facility relocate following
the completion of the Hagfors Center.
The timeline for this work is not yet
determined, so, in the near term, those
strolling through the heart of campus
or navigating nearby streets will see
Science Hall stand as an illustration of
Augsburg’s vision to be “small to our
students and big for the world.”
160 Y E A R S A G O
Fifteen years before Augsburg moved in
next door, Edward Murphy donated land
for the first city park in Minneapolis—
what is now Murphy Square. For years
prior, the parcel had been used as a
cow pasture.
1937
1857
LOOKING BACK: DECADES OF AUGSBURG HISTORY
BEFORE
AFTER
ARCHIVE PHOTOS
8 0 Y E A RS A GO
Augsburg elected an erudite and scholarly
teacher, Bernhard Christensen ’22, ’25,
to be president. He led the institution
for nearly 25 years, during which time
Augsburg made vigorous efforts to
expand and enhance academic offerings.
1967
IT WOULD BE OVERLY MODEST to claim
5 0 Y E A RS A GO
Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel played for more than
3,000 people in Si Melby Hall on Nov. 10, 1967.
According to an Augsburg Echo review, the lengthiest
applause was reserved for the song, “To Emily,
Wherever I Might Find Her.” The same year
saw the openings of Urness Hall and the
Christensen Center, with the Marshall Room
at the time serving as a faculty lounge to
the resentment of the Echo’s editorial board.
PHOTO BY MARK CHAMBERLAIN
CURB APPEAL
AROUND THE QUAD
Where faith and public life meet
30 Y E A RS A GO
Augsburg began offering its first
graduate degree program, the Master
of Arts in Leadership. Augsburg
now offers nine post baccalaureate
programs and set an enrollment record
this fall with 1,035 master’s students.
2007
40 Y E A R S AG O
Construction began on what is
now the Charles S. Anderson Music
Hall, which would open a year
later, bringing the entire music
department under one roof for
the first time in 100 years.
AN AUGGIE THROWBACK
PHOTO BY REBECCA SLATER
1987
1977
The Rev. Mike Rusert [center] and
members of Intertwine NE meet
on a Sunday morning to plan a
December 10 launch event designed
as an inclusive experience for young
adults interested in being part of an
intentional spiritual community.
PHOTOS BY DON STONER
It is no secret that the gap between young adults and Christian congregations
is widening. The good news, though, is that young people are not rejecting
faith or religion; many are living out their faith through political activism, the
arts, environmental stewardship, and interfaith engagement—places where
public life and faith intersect.
Bridging this gap will require congregations to adapt and innovate. To
support this adaptive work, Augsburg’s Bernhard Christensen Center for
Vocation has launched a five-year project, called the Riverside Innovation Hub,
with $1.5 million in funding from Lilly Endowment, Inc.
In its first year, the Riverside Innovation Hub will work with an
interdisciplinary research team of Augsburg faculty to study 12 local
congregations that are effectively engaging young adults in their communities.
Using the lessons learned from that research, the program will recruit and
train a cohort of youth to serve as coaches, working alongside approximately
15 partner congregations committed to new ministry with young adults.
“Partner congregations can then apply for two-year innovation grants to
implement their programs in 2019 to 2021,” said Kristina Frugé, program
manager for the Riverside Innovation Hub. At the end of that experience, all
program participants will share their key learnings. Augsburg will publish the
results and share the outcomes and insights through conferences and workshops.
“Vocation is at the center of this project,” Frugé said. “For congregations,
it’s about discerning their call in relationship with their young adult neighbors.
For young adults, it’s about a connection with a Christian community who can
accompany them in exploring
how faith and public life
intersect in ways that matter
most to them.”
Melissa Lee ’04, Augsburg’s head
softball coach, threw out a ceremonial
first pitch before an August Minnesota
Twins game at Target Field as part
of the team’s annual Lutheran Night
festivities. Lee joined former St. Olaf
pitcher the Rev. Charlie Ruud, with the
pair dressed in costume as historical
husband and wife duo Martin Luther
and Katharina (von Bora) Luther in
celebration of the 500th anniversary
of the 1517 Protestant Reformation.
Ruud previously served as a Campus
Ministry intern at Augsburg.
1 0 Y E A RS A GO
In 2007, Oren Gateway Center opened, connecting Riverside
Avenue with the James G. Lindell Library, which opened
a decade earlier. OGC will lose the distinction of being
Augsburg’s newest building when the Norman and
Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and
Religion is completed in late 2017.
FALL - WINTER 2017
3
A N O T H ER F IV E YEARS OF
SERVING SCHOLARS
Every year, more than two dozen undergraduate
students participate in Augsburg’s McNair
Scholars Program, an intensive 21 months of
graduate school preparation that opens doors
to some of the most competitive institutions in
the U.S. What’s more, these McNair Scholars
are from populations who statistically are
less likely to have the opportunity to pursue
advanced research and doctoral degrees—firstgeneration college students with financial
need and/or students from racial and ethnic
populations who are underrepresented in
Each year, Augsburg selects two
graduate education.
McNair Scholars to represent
Now, with a five-year renewal of its grant,
the University at the Minnesota
Private College Scholars Showcase
Augsburg’s McNair Scholars, a federal TRIO
at the Minnesota State Capitol.
program funded by the U.S. Department of
Education, will be able to continue supporting these students’ pursuit of
advanced degrees through at least 2022.
The McNair Scholars Program was created by the U.S. Congress in honor
of Ronald E. McNair, one of the first African American astronauts in the U.S.
space program. Augsburg’s program provides graduate school preparation
workshops, travel to a national research conference, hands-on scholarly
research projects with faculty mentors, and more.
Since 2007, according to “Tina” Maria Tavera, director of the McNair Scholars
Program, Augsburg McNair Scholars alumni have completed or are currently
pursuing more than 30 master’s degrees, 19 doctoral degrees, two medical
school degrees, and two doctor of pharmacy degrees. With nearly $1.2 million
of future funding, Augsburg is excited to see further program success.
Augsburg awarded $475,000
to infuse sustainability in university life
Augsburg University has new opportunities
to live out its commitment to sustainability
on campus, in the community, and among
institutional partners thanks to nearly half
a million dollars in new grant funding
from Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, a
Minnesota-based foundation that believes
colleges and universities can serve as models
of operational sustainability for society at large.
Using the grant award, Augsburg will
facilitate student internships and other
experiences at sustainability-focused
organizations, strengthen and expand course
offerings in Environmental
Studies, fund student and
faculty research, integrate
In 2015, the Margaret
sustainability and wellness
A. Cargill Foundation
contributed $1 million to
across the academic
the campaign to build the
curriculum, and more.
Hagfors Center for Science,
“The next breakthrough
Business, and Religion.
in sustainability could come
from a student majoring in communications,
philosophy, or education,” said Allyson Green,
Augsburg chief sustainability officer. “For
all of us to live on this planet sustainably
and equitably, we need all perspectives,
experiences, types of knowledge, and skill sets
to be part of the work.”
Did you know?
AN OC C A S IO N TO C E LE B R AT E
Augsburg event series honors Reformation anniversary
Augsburg held a series of events this fall marking the 500th
anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. To kick off the series,
Augsburg was honored to host ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth
Eaton for two events: the Christensen Symposium, which
focused on interfaith friendships, and a panel discussion with
representatives of #DecolonizeLutheranism, a grassroots movement
challenging long-held patterns of white power and privilege in the
ELCA and stereotypes of what it means to be Lutheran.
The series continued in October, in observance of Heritage
Day, when Mary Lowe, associate professor of religion, invited
community members to consider Martin Luther’s perspectives on
bodies and creation. Lowe explained how—even today—Luther’s
theology relates to complex issues.
Lowe discussed themes related to
climate change, gender and sexuality,
abuse, and deforestation.
In November, award-winning musical group The Rose Ensemble
presented “Welcome the People: The Musical Legacy of the
Reformation.” The ensemble creates musical performances and
educational programs that connect audiences to compelling stories
of human history, culture, and spirituality from around the world.
The celebration ends with this year’s Advent Vespers, the theme
of which is inspired by Luther’s hymn, “From Heaven Above.”
Visit augsburg.edu/now to learn
more about Augsburg’s Reformation
event series and Advent Vespers.
4
AUGSBURG NOW
AROUND THE QUAD
MAKING HISTORY
VISIBLE
In the basement of Wilson Library at the University of
Minnesota Twin Cities, a team of researchers is working to
map the history of racial segregation in Minneapolis. The
group is unearthing racial restrictions buried in Minneapolis
property deeds to create the first comprehensive visualization
of historical racial covenants for a U.S. city.
The project, called Mapping Prejudice, started with
Augsburg’s Historyapolis Project, which seeks to illuminate
the history of Minneapolis and has traced the roots of
the city’s present-day racial disparities through historical
research. To date, Mapping Prejudice researchers have
found around 5,000 property deeds containing language
that historically restricted ownership of residential properties
by race. Enforcing these restrictions has been illegal
in Minnesota for more than 60 years, but the records
provide insight into the racial segregation that persists in
Minneapolis neighborhoods.
“Minneapolis is known for its parks, high-quality schools,
and progressive politics,” said Kirsten Delegard, director of the
Historyapolis Project and Augsburg scholar-in-residence. “Yet
we have the highest racial disparities in the country.”
Delegard said racial covenants were once pervasive in
many U.S. cities and were instrumental in remaking the
racial landscape of Minneapolis, which had not always
been segregated. As many as 10,000 or more Minneapolis
property deeds may contain such racially restrictive
language. One of those properties is the Augsburg House,
a residence on West River Road in Minneapolis that the
University purchased in 1998.
“When I saw the information that the Mapping Prejudice
team had compiled for south Minneapolis, I suspected that
Augsburg House originally had a racially restricted deed,”
said Augsburg University President Paul Pribbenow. “Nearly
every new development in south Minneapolis in the early
20th century carried those types of restrictions.”
The property’s 1926 deed didn’t initially show up in the
project’s electronic search process because the document
was handwritten, but Delegard was able to locate the deed
manually. The University has sought legal counsel regarding
options for clarifying that Augsburg does not support
discriminatory restrictions on the property.
“At the same time, we want to ensure we maintain the
historical record represented by the deed,” Pribbenow said,
“so that we never lose track of the disgraceful manners in
which covenants were used to segregate our communities
and to inflict real harm on so many.”
The Mapping Prejudice project is a massive undertaking,
so the group strives to engage volunteers in the work. Many
Augsburg students have become involved, including two
history students who did semester-long internships last year
helping build a digital map display and an entire history
The Mapping Prejudice team includes Kevin Erhman-Solberg ’14 [left], a University
of Minnesota graduate student in geographic information science; Penny Peterson
[center], a veteran property records researcher; Kirsten Delegard [right], director of the
Historyapolis Project and Augsburg scholar-in-residence; and Ryan Mattke [not pictured],
a map and geospatial information librarian from the University of Minnesota.
class that is working with the project throughout the fall
semester this year. Several sociology classes got involved
this past spring and summer, helping develop the program’s
volunteer outreach strategy. Students from Pribbenow’s
honors seminar also helped transcribe deeds this past spring,
and a cohort of Augsburg first-year students engaged in the
work as part of City Service Day at the beginning of the 2017
academic year.
“We absolutely could not have developed the project
without this kind of participation from both students and
faculty,” said Delegard, who is continuing to seek funding
that will allow the project to get even more students involved
in all aspects of the work.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to link to an interactive map illustrating the spread of racially
restrictive deeds across Minneapolis during the first half of the 20th century and to
learn more about getting involved in Mapping Prejudice research.
FALL - WINTER 2017
5
AWARDS 2017
Top 25 LGBTQ-friendly Colleges & Universities:
Augsburg was named to Campus Pride’s list
of the top 25 LGBTQ-friendly colleges and
universities in 2017. Campus Pride is the
leading national organization for creating
safer, more LGBTQ-friendly colleges and
universities.
Top 50 nationally for contribution to the public
good: Augsburg was the No. 2 institution in
Minnesota named by Washington Monthly in
its 2017 Master’s Universities rankings. The
list rates schools based upon their contribution
to the public good in three categories: social
mobility, research, and service.
Top 25 schools for service-learning: Augsburg
has been named one of U.S. News &
World Report’s 2018 Top 25 Colleges and
Universities for Service Learning. The sole
Minnesota school on this list, Augsburg
requires volunteering in the community as
an instructional strategy. Schools garnering
recognition were nominated by fellow
institutions, college and university presidents
or deans, and chief academic officers.
At its September meeting, the Augsburg Corporation elected four additional
members to the Board of Regents and re-elected three currently serving
members. In addition, in accordance with the bylaws for Augsburg University,
two bishops were appointed as ex-officio board members this fall. Augsburg
University welcomes these new regents and thanks them for their service.
•
Eric J. Jolly, president and chief executive officer of
Minnesota Philanthropy Partners. Jolly previously
served on the Augsburg Board of Regents from
2008-2015.
•
Cynthia G. Jones ’81, senior level advisor for nuclear
safety and analysis at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. Jones previously served on the
Augsburg Board from 2010-2012.
•
Dean Kennedy ’75, co-founder and chief strategy officer
of Texakoma Oil & Gas Corporation. Kennedy previously
served on the Augsburg Board from 2005-2013.
•
Karolynn Lestrud ’68, retired photography and
publishing industry professional; former board
member in historic preservation and performing
arts organizations; and active volunteer in arts,
education, and theater.
COURTESY PHOTO
Elected to a new four-year term in 2017:
Eric J. Jolly
COURTESY PHOTO
Recognition for being student-centered: For
the second year in a row, The Wall Street
Journal and Times Higher Education ranked
Augsburg No. 2 in Minnesota for student
engagement in the learning process in their
ranking of U.S. colleges and universities. The
student engagement score is based largely
on results of a student survey that addresses
how challenging classes are, whether they
foster critical thinking and prompt students
to make connections to the real world, and
how much interaction the students have with
faculty and other students.
WELCOMES NEW MEMBERS
Cynthia G. Jones ’81
COURTESY PHOTO
Best Regional Universities: U.S. News & World
Report again named Augsburg among the
best universities in the Midwest. Rankings
are based on factors including average firstyear retention rates, graduation rates, class
sizes, student-to-faculty ratios, acceptance
rates, and more.
BOARD OF REGENTS
Elected to a second four-year term:
•
Wayne Jorgenson ’71, senior vice president of wealth
management at UBS Financial Services Inc.
•
Dennis Meyer ’78, chief marketing and business
development officer at Robins Kaplan LLP
•
Pam Moksnes ’79, vice president for gift planning
services, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, through
the Lutheran Church Extension Fund
Elected to a third four-year term:
•
Ann Ashton-Piper, president of the IT consulting firm
The Bridgie Group
Appointed as ex-officio members of the Board of Regents
for a three-year term:
•
The Rev. Patricia J. Lull, bishop of the Saint Paul
Area Synod
•
The Rev. Steven H. Delzer, bishop of the Southeastern
Minnesota Synod
Dean Kennedy ’75
PHOTO BY CAROLINE YANG
Augsburg University is consistently
recognized for excellence. This year’s
accolades include:
Karolynn Lestrud ’68
S
T
C
FA
AROUND THE QUAD
ON THE SPOT
Communications expert describes
history and peril of “fake news”
WHILE THE TERM “FAKE NEWS” IS RELATIVELY NEW, the phenomenon, of course,
is not. People throughout time have been motivated to share false information in ways
that give it the appearance of legitimacy or to discredit accurate information in order
to serve their own interests. Newer, digital media channels have made the tools to do
so readily available and more effective, according to Jenny Hanson, assistant professor
of communication studies, film, and new media. What’s more, social media sites tend
to present users with information that confirms existing biases. In her classes, Hanson
teaches students the media literacy skills necessary to be critical consumers of the news.
Q:
A:
What is the history of “fake news”
in media?
Fake news has been around for
centuries; it’s probably as old as
humans’ ability to communicate. People
seem to have a natural desire to tell tall
tales. After all, spectacles draw crowds and
outlandish stories trend. Fake news took off
with the invention of the printing press in
1439, in part because stories were difficult
to verify and mass distribution meant news
could travel relatively quickly. A journalistic
code of conduct toward objectivity and
the practice of fact-checking did not yet
exist. Stories about strange beasts, hideous
crimes, and falsified scientific discoveries
sold papers, and for advertising-supported
publications, that was the goal.
As journalism evolved and as
newspapers came to rely on subscription
models, impartiality and accuracy
became guiding principles. In the 1980s,
standards changed when cable TV made
the 24/7 news cycle a reality. Next, the
internet created alternate—and rapid—
means of news distribution and increased
access to content-creation tools among the
general population. Today, new reasons
for using fake news are emerging: to
distract, to challenge existing knowledge,
and to raise doubt about the validity of
information, all in order to favor particular
interests. In this way, calling something
“fake news” and creating fake news both
can be used to advance political, social, or
personal interests in a way that functions
more like propaganda. Calling something
fake triggers a reaction in us to question
and doubt, thereby decreasing our
confidence in the information and opening
us up to different possibilities.
Q:
A:
What are the potential real-world
implications?
There are immense implications
when news is inaccurate. Journalists
understand that if they misreport,
misquote, or just plain get the story
wrong, there are often legal implications,
damage to the outlet’s reputation, and
harm to those wronged.
When fake news is used as propaganda,
it threatens the very legitimacy of news
itself, inviting us to believe what is most
aligned with our own ideologies rather
than what actually is. The damage can
be widespread, creating lasting impacts
that go on to shape industry, policies,
procedures, culture, artifacts of history,
and society.
Q:
What can individuals do to protect
themselves from falsities and to
process news and information critically?
A:
There are many actions people can
take to become savvy information
consumers. The advice we tell students
includes getting your news from a variety
of sources, seeking connections on social
media who have viewpoints differing from
your own, and reading beyond the headline
and before sharing information. In a critical
reading, check the author’s credentials,
watch out for emotional appeals or
outrageous claims, look to see that sources
are named and are experts in their fields,
review the article date for context, and
consider your own bias. Understand the
source and their interests, and be sure
websites are the official sites and not ones
intended to mimic another’s appearance.
Go to augsburg.edu/now to learn more
about the line between falsehood and satire.
FALL - WINTER 2017
7
2016-17 AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY
ANNUAL REPORT
When you give to Augsburg, you aren’t just supporting a
private university—you’re paving the way for students
to make a living, make a life, and make a community.
The impact of your generosity can be seen in the lives of
thousands of students who are now embracing financial
security, finding their vocation, and following their calling.
TO DONORS
ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE
$40.5
$38.3
May 31, 2017—$43,878,362
$32.4
$28.2
$39.4
$34.6
$33.3
$31.5
$43.9
REVENUE BY SOURCE
$29.8
75%
8%
7%
$24.5
2007 2008
2009 2010 2011
2012 2013
2014 2015 2016 2017
As of May 31, 2017, Augsburg University’s endowment had annual
realized and unrealized gains of 12.19 percent. The five-year average
annual return on the endowment is 8.21 percent, and the 10-year
average annual return is 4.34 percent. The University is
committed to maintaining the value of the principal to
provide support to Augsburg in perpetuity.
Your philanthropy
is creating an Augsburg that will be
SUSTAINABLE,
7%
3%
EXPENSES BY CATEGORY
38%
33%
20%
4%
3%
2%
1%
Salaries and Benefits
Financial Aid
Operating Expenses
Debt Services
Utilities and Insurance
Student Compensation
Capital Improvement
FAITHFUL,and RELEVANT
long into the future.
Thanks to you and other committed friends, Augsburg is preparing students of all ages, abilities,
and backgrounds to serve and lead in our communities, schools, places of worship, and businesses. During
fiscal year 2016-17, more than 9,300 individual donors gave $17,216,961 through cash gifts, pledges, and
planned gifts. Augsburg Fund supporters provided the University with more than $1.1 million in unrestricted,
discretionary funds to improve the student experience.
Tuition
Room and Board
Private Gifts
and Grants
Other Sources
Federal Grants
MAKE A LIVING
When juggling the rigors of family life, owning three businesses, and
coaching high school sports, starting a graduate program might not hit
the top priority list for many people. But for Joe Tadros ’98, ’17 MBA,
the benefits of pursuing a Master of Business Administration degree
to further his career and build greater financial security for his family
were worth the effort. “My graduate experience was an eye opener.
It reminded me where I came from, and where I wanted to be in the
future,” said Tadros. “My classmates had unique abilities and talents,
and I learned so much from them.”
Joe Tadros ’98, ’17 MBA
Shika Addo Memorial Scholarship
Tadros now serves as a guest lecturer for Augsburg finance classes,
sharing life lessons with undergraduates. With his degree, and your gifts,
he looks to the future with confidence, knowing that his kids will be well
provided for and that his impact will extend beyond his career.
MAKE A LIFE
As a shy, small-town kid, Kevin Tran ’18 would never have believed it
had someone told him that as a college student he would become a
board member for three student organizations, travel abroad with the
choir, work as an intern for US Bank, and volunteer in the community in
his free time. Tran began to really come out of his shell by living his life
through the Auggie experience. “When I came [to Augsburg], I didn’t
know what to expect. In high school, I was just really all about my work.
Augsburg exposed me to who I am supposed to be ... I became more
independent, more knowledgeable, more vocal, and more myself.”
Kevin Tran ’18
Leland and Louise Sundet
Scholarship
Because of you, Tran has found his calling and is planning to pursue
his dream by working in marketing for the entertainment industry in
Los Angeles.
MAKE A COMMUNITY
Singing, studying, social work, public policy, and reconstructing the
criminal justice system. These are among the top priorities for Augsburg
student Alexa Anderson ’19.
Anderson may be a proud member of the Honors Program and Augsburg
vocal ensembles, but the deeper she dives into her studies as a social
work major, the more motivated she has become to change her community
through restorative justice.
Alexa Anderson ’19
Mabeth Saure Gyllstrom
Scholarship
Dorothy Lijsing Kleven President’s
Scholarship in Choral Music
“Augsburg has completely changed me as a person, specifically regarding
how I view my role as a member of a community,” she said. “Before
coming here, I didn’t understand how important being an active member
of a community was. Through my classes, volunteering, internships, and
living in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, I now believe that in order
for a community to succeed, its members must act and live in a way that
encourages understanding, acceptance, and unity.”
A NEW DAY, A NEW KIND OF UNIVERSITY
BY JESSICA MUELLER
AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY DAY was a moment of celebration—a time to honor and appreciate the abiding principles on
which Augsburg was founded and an opportunity to consider Augsburg’s commitment to shaping the world for generations to
come. Augsburg marked the transition from college to university through a commemorative day full of fun and fellowship. And,
although Augsburg College officially became Augsburg University on September 1, the campus threw its proverbial hat in the
air a few days later—on September 5, the day Augsburg formally welcomed its most diverse incoming class in school history.
OPENING CONVOCATION
On September 5, Augsburg’s Class of 2021 rose early
to participate in the grand finale of their welcome
week: Opening Convocation. New students marched
across campus, past rows of cheering faculty and staff,
and toward Hoversten Chapel with pride (and maybe a
few sheepish grins), to engage in a historic beginning
for them and for their school: the commissioning of
Augsburg University’s inaugural first-year class.
This year’s event featured elements linked with
Augsburg’s commitments to faith, diversity, and
vocation: Lutheran hymns, interfaith blessings, and
international flags representing the countries from
which Augsburg students come. President Paul
Pribbenow encouraged new Auggies to do justly, love
mercy, walk humbly ... and follow him on Twitter.
And that was just the beginning.
A MOMENT TO REMEMBER
Following Opening Convocation, the Class of 2021 processed
from the chapel to the quad where they were met by stilt
walkers, local musicians, Haitian and Somali dancers, and the
smells of dishes as varied and diverse as the neighborhoods
surrounding Augsburg’s metropolitan campus. More than 800
students, faculty, staff, and friends of the University convened
to feast on sambusas, Mexican tacos, cotton candy, brats and
sauerkraut, and, in some cases, all of the above.
10
AUGSBURG NOW
Students had nearly two hours to take in their surroundings,
grab food, pose at the Auggie photo booth, and assemble
hygiene kits for the Augsburg Health Commons, which serves
unsheltered persons throughout Minneapolis. Many even had
time to read a proclamation, signed by Minnesota Gov. Mark
Dayton, naming September 5, 2017, Augsburg University Day.
A UNIVERSITY OF THE CITY
In the afternoon, more than 500 students, faculty, and staff gathered in small groups and dispersed
throughout Minneapolis to listen to, learn from, and volunteer with local partners and nonprofits with
ties to Augsburg. In total, the Class of 2021 donated nearly $35,000 in service work at more than 20
Twin Cities locations.
The entire string of events—from the convocation, to the celebration, to the service-learning
opportunities—demonstrated that Augsburg’s name change was much more than updated monument
signs (though they do look nice), letterhead, and websites. The name change was a collaborative effort
to share Augsburg’s story—the narrative of a place that’s deeply embedded in its community, that richly
lives out its traditions, and that points to a bolder vision of what a student-centered, urban university
can be … small to its students, and big for the world.
FALL - WINTER 2017
11
The fatherhood BONUS
a n d th e
PENALTY
motherhood
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
G r o un d b r e a k i n g r e s e a rch by alum na
M i c he l l e B u d i g ’ 9 3 s h eds light on wage
ga p b e t we e n f a t h e rs and m others
Michelle Budig’s story is deeply woven
into her pioneering research to expose
gender inequality and examine family
policies in the workforce.
The product of an outspoken dental
receptionist and a pious electrician—
who staked the yard with opposing
political signs—Budig learned from
a young age to question, wonder, and
voice her beliefs. In preschool, for
example, she insisted her class change
the lyrics of “Yankee Doodle Dandy” to
remove “and with the girls be handy.”
But despite her early and strong
advocacy for girls’ rights, Budig still
believed that as an adult she would
have to choose between motherhood
and a meaningful career. Indeed, at 22,
she married her Augsburg sweetheart,
nurse practitioner Peter Landstrom ’91,
but then waited almost 20 years—until
12
AUGSBURG NOW
after she secured tenure as a sociology
professor—to adopt their daughter, Lucy.
Her beliefs about how things should be
were tempered by her understanding of
how things actually are.
It may be no surprise, then, that
Budig focused her scholarly research
on the impact of parenting across
gender—specifically the wage inequities
between fathers and mothers across the
pay scale. Her latest findings, currently
making rounds in The New York Times
and the like, assert that although the
gender pay gap is decreasing (women
now make about 76 cents for every
man’s dollar), wage inequalities among
parents who work are increasing.
Overall, fathers incur an average wage
increase of more than 6 percent with
each child, while women experience,
on average, a 4 percent decrease
in salary per child. Fatherhood,
ultimately, is considered a “valued
characteristic, signaling perhaps a
greater work commitment, stability, and
deservingness,” said Budig, Sociology
Department chair at the University of
Massachusetts Amherst. Mothers, on
the other hand, are often perceived as
“exhausted and distracted at work,”
rendering them less productive.
Beyond perception, other significant
contributors to the discrepancy include
that women often take time off to care
for children and bypass higher wages
for mom-friendly roles. “Kids are seen
as a privilege, not a right, so if you
want to have them, you must pay the
price,” Budig said, referencing a view
some hold.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN SOLEM,
UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
TY
Michelle Budig ’93 is an award-winning professor and author whose research interests
focus on gender, employment, labor markets, earnings, stratification, and family.
FALL - WINTER 2017
13
But it’s not as simple as “dads make
more, moms make less,” Budig said.
Using sophisticated statistical techniques
on a large sample of U.S. workers,
Budig found that parenting exacerbates
earnings inequalities within genders
depending on income.
The “fatherhood bonus,” as she calls
it, is highest for the most advantaged
men—married, white, college graduates
with professional jobs. Unmarried, black
men in non-professional occupations,
for instance, receive minimal—if
any—bonus. The motherhood penalty
is smallest among women who earn
above the 90th percentile of female
workers, with women at the very top of
the income distribution experiencing no
wage penalty. Low-to-average earning
women incur the greatest motherhood
penalty, Budig found.
“I always thought that women who
made the most would have the most to
lose, but that is certainly not the case,
and it makes complete sense when you
consider factors and stressors influencing
populations at the top and bottom of the
pay scale,” Budig said. “Fathers and
mothers earning lower wages often rely
on fragile networks of free child care, and
when a grandmother or friend is sick or
doesn’t show, those parents can’t make
it to work. Conversely, parents who can
afford it, secure reliable, consistent child
care operated by licensed professionals.”
Additionally, lower-earning men and
women statistically are more likely to
have children, Budig said, which leads to
higher penalties for those families.
Accessible child care among
policies to close the gap
Budig suggests two policy shifts to
reduce the gap: publicly funded,
high-quality child care for babies and
toddlers and nontransferable paid
leave for both mothers and fathers. The
“nontransferable” part is critical, Budig
reiterated, as “evidence suggests that
if fathers can transfer leave to a female
partner, they will.”
“Access for all to high-quality,
reliable, licensed child care options
would certainly even the playing field for
both parents and children,” Budig said.
“Think of all the stress it would alleviate
from low-income families relying on
less dependable child care. Businesses
would likely be more productive with
a more resilient, consistent workforce.
And children growing up in low-income
situations would benefit from the same
instruction and care as wealthier families,
giving those young ones a stronger start.”
This approach is not new. Many
Scandinavian countries, which support
publicly funded child care and offer
incentivized paternal leave, report smaller
It' s not as simple as
“dads make more, moms make less.”
Wider wage gaps among lower-earning
individuals are exacerbated by the fact
that people tend to marry within socioeconomic situations, Budig adds, so
low-earning couples take greater hits,
while highly paid duos keep climbing.
14
AUGSBURG NOW
or no parental pay gaps. In contrast,
countries with entrenched gender roles,
like Germany, where new mothers are
expected to take a year or more off work,
report the highest motherhood penalties.
“Workplace policies matter,” Budig
Budig’s 19-page curriculum vitae
details the more than $725,000 in
grants she’s received, including
some from the National Science
Foundation, and lists her articles
in professional journals, including
the American Sociological Review.
She regularly contributes to
national and international media
outlets, including The New York
Times, Money Magazine, and the
Washington Post.
said. “Most of my life, I had to choose
between being a mother and having a
meaningful career, and unless progressive
policies are adopted, the parental and
economic gaps will persist.”
The Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development ranked
the United States last in a study
the intergovernmental organization
conducted about the national paid
maternity leave policies of its member
countries. The average amount of
paid leave time for mothers among its
35-member countries was a little more
than one year, as of 2016.
Budig notes there is progress on the
state level, citing California’s paid family
leave, which allows family members to
take time off to care for a loved one or
to bond with a new child entering their
life (either by birth, adoption, or foster
care). Without a comprehensive federal
approach, however, Budig warns of the
implications of inconsistencies across
states.
“It’s encouraging to see states and
companies take action, but it leads to
inequities among states and industries,
which may only add to our country’s
increasing divide,” said Budig, who
has testified before Congress and the
United Nations about the implications
of her research. “More universal support
will reduce wage gaps, promote greater
equality, and better prepare our children to
be productive members of society.”
The culture is shifting as men
embrace female roles
But beyond evolutions in policy, Budig sees
hope in the young people she interacts with
as a professor and mentor. They expect
both parties—and want both partners—to
be involved in maintaining the household.
Single-paycheck families are difficult to
sustain, and popular books and blogs are
encouraging mothers to shed the mom guilt,
cast aside the superwoman expectations,
and go order a pizza for dinner.
“Believe me, I get it. Even with the
most supportive husband, who as a nurse,
experiences his own gender stereotypes,
I still slip into unrealistic expectations,”
said Budig, who earned a master’s and
doctorate in sociology from the University
of Arizona. “Our marriage is a constant
conversation, and splitting up the chores
by room works for us.”
A 2016 PayScale Gender Pay Gap Report
found that men still out-earn women in
every state in the union, but Vermont is
the closest to equality, with women earning
84.8 percent of what men earn overall, as
opposed to Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, and
Wyoming where women earn from 71 to 73
percent of their male counterparts’ income.
The national average is 76 percent, per the
report, which does not factor in years of
experience, education, or job title. When
such national statistics were first calculated
in the 1970s, it was about 60 percent.
Mentors pushed her to live with a
‘heart for service’
Budig lost both her parents nearly two years
ago. She often wishes she could talk with
her mom about her latest research, knowing
her mom would get a kick out of hearing
about innovative solutions to promote
equality and increase access for women.
“My mom was wildly supportive of my
work, but I’ll never forget the first time
she read a major study I published about
the wage gap. I was driving, and she was
in the back seat. She looked up and said,
‘Michelle, everyone knows women earn less
than men. That’s what you’ve been working
on?’ Gee, thanks, mom,” Budig said. “I
think she would have appreciated this last
batch of research and what I’m focused on
next, which involves female entrepreneurs
and a study about the motherhood penalty
in Israel.”
Although there is no replacing a driveand-talk with mom, Budig is not short on
inspiring female mentors. At Augsburg,
where she majored in English and sociology,
Budig sought out educators to support her
journey. Sociology Professor Diane Pike
has taught Auggies for more than three
decades, and Budig certainly stands out.
“Michelle had a seriousness and
sophistication about intellectual ideas
and work that was exemplary, and being
a first-generation student, she never lost
sight of the privilege it is to pursue higher
education. She set the bar high for herself,
and we’ve been following her career ever
since,” said Pike, who specializes in
organizational analysis, sociological theory,
and research methods. “There is nothing
better than seeing one of your students
succeed at such a level. Michelle’s a
big deal in sociology, speaking at top
conferences and advocating for important
change. She has a rare ability to convey
complex data and theories to general
audiences, and we are very proud of her.”
Budig’s Auggie roots run deep, and both
she and Landstrom commit themselves
to its mission through caregiving and
advocating for change. Augsburg gave
them a way of looking at the world and
approaching life that will never leave them,
Budig said.
“The greatest takeaway from Augsburg
is our desire—the responsibility, really—
to give back and live with a heart for
service to others. Every day, we try to
live out that change in our personal and
professional lives.”
FALL - WINTER 2017
15
N
I
E
U
G
O
DIAL SOCIETIES
D
E
D
I
V
I
D
20
17
N
ob e
l Pe
a ce P
rize Forum
li s
o
p
nea
n
i
M
—
[Above] Representatives of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet are joined on stage
by Peace Scholars and other participants at the closing ceremony of the Forum.
[Left] During a break, the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize laureates posed for photos in front of
a three-story mural featuring their images along with dozens of other past laureates.
N
obel Peace Prize laureates, world leaders, and
renowned peacemakers came together this fall as
Augsburg University hosted the 29th annual Nobel
Peace Prize Forum—Minneapolis. As an international
peace congress, the Forum united honored guests, students,
and community members in considering the globally
significant, multidimensional nature of peace by examining
topics that ranged from disarmament and human rights to
economic development and environmental sustainability.
This year’s Forum kicked off with several hundred attendees
filling Augsburg’s Si Melby Gymnasium to listen to the
incredible, true story of the 2015 Nobel Laureates—leaders
who inspired a sharply divided nation to find common ground
and, ultimately, form one of the world’s newest democracies.
During a conversation presented in both English and
Arabic, representatives of the Tunisian National Dialogue
16
AUGSBURG NOW
Quartet described an arduous and inspiring peacemaking
model in which members of business, labor, human
rights, and law disciplines crafted a sustaining democratic
constitution through peaceful dialogue.
Recognized collectively with the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize
for their contribution to building a pluralistic democracy
in Tunisia following the Jasmine Revolution of 2011, the
Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet is made up of leaders
from four key organizations in the north African nation’s
civil society. In the tense early moments of the Arab Spring
uprisings, the Quartet exercised its role as a mediator and
demonstrated the power of civil communication in sensitive
political circumstances. Perhaps no other Forum experience
better illustrated the event’s overarching theme: Dialogue in
Divided Societies.
Nobel Peace Prize Forum art festival
Augsburg University has served as the Nobel Peace
Prize Forum’s official host since 2012, but in recent
years, the event itself has taken place at several
conference venues across the Twin Cities. Bringing
the Forum back to Augsburg this fall gave global
peacebuilders the opportunity to experience the
unique, urban beauty of the University’s location and
to engage with a large-scale outdoor art exhibition on
display across campus.
In the spirit of fostering dialogue during the Nobel
Peace Prize Forum, artists from across the United
States collaborated on installations that highlighted
the layered and often overlapping complexity of finding
solutions to global issues. The art exhibition was
curated by Christopher Houltberg, assistant professor
of art and director of Augsburg’s Design & Agency
program, a student-run design studio experience
that teaches design thinking and problem-solving in
graphic design.
One of the most talked-about installations at
the Nobel Peace Prize Forum was a Hex House
constructed in Murphy Square. Designed by Architects
for Society, a nonprofit seeking to enhance the built
environment for disadvantaged communities, the Hex
House is a prototype for dignified, low-cost, flexible
housing that’s easy to deploy in emergency situations.
Given that the Forum dates fell just after Hurricanes
Harvey and Irma brought havoc and destruction to
the Caribbean, Texas, and Florida, the Hex House
was a timely opportunity to see how smart design can
address critical community needs.
Building peace in the greater Twin Cities,
around the world
Throughout the four days of the 2017 program,
attendees participated in dozens of breakout sessions
led by globally recognized leaders in the fields
of international development and peacemaking.
Participants had the opportunity to meet and hear
from national and world leaders—including Norwegian
Ambassador to the United States Kåre Aas, Tunisian
Ambassador to the United States H.E. Fayçal Gouia,
U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, and U.S. Rep. Keith
Ellison. Other often-recognized presenters at the event
included former congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who
is seeking to end gun violence, and Barbara Bush,
who founded the Global Health Corps organization to
mobilize young leaders to support health equity.
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum also prompted
attendees to consider local peace-building needs,
convening conversations focused on present-day
issues in the Twin Cities. Students, community
members, and facilitators worked through difficult
discussions on respecting and honoring sacred spaces,
bridging political differences through civil dialogue,
and addressing cross-generational injustice. These
mediated conversations went beyond campus to places
that brought the topics to life. For example, part of
the dialogue on preserving Native American sites took
place in suburban Eagan at Pilot Knob, an area that
was an indigenous gathering place and sacred burial
ground for centuries.
“It’s entirely fitting that these important
conversations are happening at Augsburg University
as part of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum,” said the
Forum’s Program Director Joe Underhill, reflecting on
the entire event.
“A university is a place where civic dialogue
on difficult topics is not only allowed, but highly
encouraged,” said Underhill, an associate professor of
political science at Augsburg. “It is only through that
kind of dialogue that we are going to move toward any
mutual understanding on these issues.”
[Far left] Augsburg Design & Agency students created
numerous large-scale art installations to convey the theme,
Dialogue in Divided Societies.
[Near left] The Hex House, a low-cost, emergency housing
prototype, showcased how smart design can create humane
solutions during crises.
FALL - WINTER 2017
17
JOIN US FOR THE 30TH
[Above] Chief Arvol Looking Horse and Methodist Bishop Bruce Ough visit
the Red Rock, a boulder that is located at a United Methodist Church in
Newport, Minnesota, and considered sacred by the Dakota people. The 2017
Forum included site visits addressing local peace-building topics.
September 19–22, 2018
Augsburg University
[Left] Interactive art installations allowed Forum attendees to participate in
creating displays that reflected their own perspectives on peacemaking.
PRESENTED BY
LEAD SPONSORS
®
SPONSORS
MEDIA SPONSORS
45 0 100 3
18
AUGSBURG NOW
#93C33A
0 70 85 0
#F76
WOMENOF
INFLUENCE
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
Augsburg outscores national average of
female coaches, supports inclusive culture
across Athletics department
“Only priests and participants’ fathers
can be anywhere near the pool,” three
St. Catherine’s nuns echoed in protest as
Augsburg’s 1963 swim instructor, Malcolm
“Mac” Gimse, led then-20-year-old Joyce
Pfaff ’65 and three other physical education
majors onto the pool deck.
Gimse reluctantly exited the building,
but as the Auggies lined up at water’s edge,
“GO AUGSBURG” boomed from the stands.
Pfaff looked up, and there was her instructor,
wearing a big smile and a clerical collar.
Call it obstinate or call it resolute, but
Pfaff adopted that tenacity—and it helped
her climb over, chisel away, and bust down a
decade’s worth of walls in women’s athletics
and coaching prior to the passage of Title IX,
a federal law that allows women access to
any federally funded educational program
or activity. So, it comes as no surprise that
Augsburg’s first women’s athletic director
is “beyond proud” that a recent report
ties Augsburg with Macalester College
as the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic
Conference’s schools with the most female
head coaches.
Head Women’s and Men’s Cross Country Coach
Meghan Peyton ’14 MAL leads a team practice.
FALL - WINTER 2017
19
PHOTO BY CYNDI NIGHTENGALE, CYNBADMEDIA
This distinction, out of the
University of Minnesota’s
Tucker Center for Research
on Women and Girls in Sport,
is particularly encouraging
as national studies point to
dramatic decreases in women
coaching women’s sports. When
Title IX was passed in 1972,
women coached 90 percent
of women’s collegiate athletic
teams. Today, only about 40
percent of those teams are led
by female coaches, according
to the NCAA.
Augsburg hits national
average out of the park
Pfaff coached at a time
before women’s athletics were
afforded official equipment or
facilities. In fact, Pfaff helped
build Augsburg’s first softball
field. Today, she remains
confident in Augsburg’s ability
to advance equality. According
to the Tucker Center, Augsburg
leapt from having slightly more
than 36 percent female head
coaches in 2014 to nearly 73
percent in 2017.
“Think of how far we’ve
come,” Pfaff said. “Augsburg’s
first volleyball coach, Mary
Timm ’81, could ‘afford’ to
coach for us because she
had a full-time job as a day
care supervisor, and she used
vacation time to travel with
the team. Today, Augsburg has
more women’s teams (11) than
20
AUGSBURG NOW
men’s (10), and the Athletic
Department works hard to create
an equitable, forward-thinking,
and inclusive culture.”
Augsburg Athletic Director
Jeff Swenson ’79 and Associate
Athletic Director Kelly Anderson
Diercks appreciate the Tucker
Center’s acknowledgement
of Augsburg’s dedication to
women’s athletics. University
leaders are ever-vigilant in their
efforts to support all coaches,
staff, and student-athletes in
achieving a well-balanced life.
“Coaching demands all of
you and more, with 365-day
recruiting on top of practices,
planning, and leading studentathletes in competition and
out in their everyday lives,”
said Swenson, who has worked
at Augsburg for more than 36
years. “We are committed to
work-life integration. The best
coaches are fulfilled, healthy,
and productive members at
home and in the community—
an approach to life we want to
mirror for our student-athletes.”
Anderson Diercks recruits
coaches and advises studentathletes interested in
transitioning from court to
clipboard. She is keenly aware
of the factors contributing to
the diminishing number of
female coaches across the
U.S. and emphasizes that
even if you’re in a position of
success, there’s still room for
improvement.
It’s vital for
all students to
see women as
role models in
all professions,
including
athletics.
—Kelly Anderson Diercks,
associate athletic director
“College athletic departments
need to do a better job of recruiting
and retaining women coaches
through mentoring, professional
development, and supportive
cultures,” she said. “And it is
critically important that this
conversation is not just about
women coaching women. It should
be about women in coaching, which
includes women coaching boys
and men. It’s vital for all students
to see women as role models in all
professions, including athletics.”
Popularity of women’s
athletics contributes to
decline in coaching equity
The NCAA’s findings suggest that
a major factor contributing to the
decline of women coaching women
is, ironically, tied to the boom of
women’s athletics. With increased
popularity came expanded staffs
and higher salaries, attracting
men—particularly longtime
assistant coaches—to lead
women’s teams. And while 60
percent of women’s teams are
coached by men, according to the
study, women guide only about 3
percent of men’s teams. Roughly
80 percent of collegiate athletic
directors are men.
Is a solution to ignore gender?
“Absolutely not,” Anderson Diercks
said. “Like any dimension of
diversity, to ignore or deny a part of
someone’s identity does not allow
them to show up as their fullest
and best self, and then we all miss
out. There is richness in diversity,
and women are an important part
of that diversity, especially in the
athletic arena.”
A coaching job is demanding,
with long hours, travel, and high
expectations, but those pressures
can be overcome, Swenson said.
The more universities exemplify
work-life balance, the more
family-oriented student-athletes,
regardless of gender, will be drawn
to the profession, he added.
Negative perceptions still
cast a shadow
Stigmas, misconceptions, and high
stakes also contribute to the decline
in women seeking and maintaining
leadership roles in university
athletics, according to the NCAA.
Interviews with female coaches
across the U.S. drew out comments
about increasing demands,
assumptions about female coaches’
sexuality, and perceived gender
bias. Augsburg Women’s Hockey
Head Coach Michelle McAteer said
if she could squash an assumption
curbing female coaches, it would be
the belief that “all women are catty
and emotional.”
“Since women hold fewer
leadership positions in all realms—
from athletics and business to
politics—we are put under a
microscope and our actions are
generalized,” she said. “Women
in leadership need to become the
norm and not the exception in
order to combat these myths so
we can get onto the business of
empowering those we lead (and
winning games).”
And she would know. McAteer,
who led the Augsburg women’s
hockey team to its highest MIAC
finish since the ’90s, played for
female coaches throughout her high
school and college years. These
models of “strength, resolve, and
compassion” gave her confidence
and an awareness of her role now, as
a coach, to model those values for
the next generation, she said. “It’s a
responsibility I care deeply about.”
For Pfaff, this and other
reflections from today’s women
coaches signal that the legacy
she and others fought to instill is
[L to R]: Women’s Lacrosse
Head Coach Kathryn
Knippenberg and Graduate
Fellow Taylor Tvedt ’19 MAL
greet a prospective student.
holding strong. Sure, there always is
yet another contest to win, she said,
but what’s the fun in not having a
fight? The best part, for Pfaff, is
knowing that Augsburg is on the
right side of the field—maybe even
the infield she helped grade for
Augsburg’s first softball diamond.
FALL - WINTER 2017
21
AUGGIES CONNECT
AUGSBURG WOMEN ENGAGED:
COURTESY PHOTO
Dear alumni and friends,
It’s an exciting time for Augsburg University,
and the Alumni Board aims to infuse
positive energy from Augsburg’s big events
this fall in our year-long agenda.
The board’s objective is to advance
Augsburg’s mission by making the most
of the time, talents, and treasure found in
our alumni group. Each year, the Alumni
Board plans events where Auggies can network, collaborate, and
serve together. The 2017 Summer Series was an example of this
work. Auggies attended a Minnesota United soccer game, took
part in Auggie Night at Canterbury Park, and listened to Augsburg
community members give presentations on a range of topics at the
7 People 7 Passions 7 Minutes event at Sisyphus Brewing. Alumni
Board members also hosted Happy Hour Squared at Brave New
Workshop, which featured a twist on a traditional social hour—
attendees enjoyed beverages while making 1,500 sandwiches for
unsheltered people in the Twin Cities.
It is fun watching the talents of fellow Auggies come to life at
our social events, and our upcoming calendar is available online:
augsburg.edu/alumnievents. Using your time and talents to make
connections with current students is simply one of the best ways to
stay connected with Augsburg, so stay tuned for details about the
upcoming 2018 Auggie Networking Experience on February 6.
Auggies also can join the Alumni Board’s effort to sponsor a
tree in the Urban Arboretum planned for Augsburg’s Minneapolis
campus. The trees selected for the first phase of this plan will
surround the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science,
Business, and Religion and include species native to Minnesota.
All gift levels are welcome.
As the Alumni Board continues to advance the mission of the
University through events and networking, we invite you to join us.
We work hard, and we make sure we don’t forget to have fun, as well.
MOVING IN A NEW DIRECTION
The Augsburg Women Engaged Philanthropy
Council has grown in the past year. Augsburg
alumnae formed AWE in 2009 to unite women
with shared interests and passions through
events, mentorship, and philanthropy. Today,
AWE inspires women to connect, learn, and give.
AWE highlights:
Connect—Members gathered at Homecoming
for a painting party to prepare pieces of a
mural titled “Emergence” that will be installed
in the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center
for Science, Business, and Religion.
Learn—AWE hosted a discussion following
the 2016 Center for Wellness and Counseling
Convocation and a pre-concert reception
at the annual Woman Voice: Voice of Hope
choral performance.
Give—Members raised more than $100,000
for the “Emergence” mural and are engaged
in planning to raise an additional $1 million
for scholarships.
AWE’s participation has nearly doubled during the
past year and includes Augsburg women from all
generations, degree programs, and career fields.
COURTESY PHOTO
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Go Auggies!
NICK RATHMANN ’03, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
AWE Philanthropy Council members [L to R]: Debby
(Fredrickson) Crowley ’76, Danielle Stellner ’07, Joni
Marti ’05 MAL, Lori Moline ’82, Martha Truax ’16 MAL,
Shelby (Gimse) Andress ’56, Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL, Cheryl
Jensen ’86, Donna McLean, and Kris (Peterson) Pearson ’78.
Not pictured: Rachel (Olson) Engebretson ’98, Dr. Lisa
Latham ’83, Diana Pierce ’16 MAL, and Cindy (Winberg)
Sisson ’83.
Visit augsburg.edu/now to
learn more about joining AWE.
22
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGGIES CONNECT
Celebrate
STEPUP ® PROGRAM MARKS 20 YEARS OF SUCCESS
COURTESY PHOTO
A
Heidi Bausch ’07
ugsburg University’s
StepUP Program is in its
20th year of empowering
students in recovery to achieve
academic success. StepUP held its
annual gala October 28. The gala
was an evening of inspiration and
fellowship in which emcee Don
Shelby, an Emmy-award-winning
broadcast journalist and person
in recovery, welcomed nearly 500
Auggies, families, friends, and
advocates for recovery. Each year,
the StepUP Gala is organized by
a committee of volunteers with
support from Augsburg staff. The
2017 committee co-chairs were
Gina Gage and Cindy Piper.
Two of the evening’s highlights
were the keynote address by
alumna Heidi Bausch ’07 and the
presentation of the Toby Piper
Labelle Award to the James and
Sally Dowdle and Pat and Jeanne
Dwyer families.
Bausch is celebrating the 10th
anniversary of her graduation
from Augsburg, where she studied
psychology and philosophy,
was an active member in the
StepUP community, and worked
for the Center for Wellness and
Counseling. Today Bausch lives out
a passion for serving the recovery
community. She is pursuing a
doctorate in counseling psychology
at the University of St. Thomas.
Her clinical practice included an
internship at The Hazelden Betty
Ford Foundation’s residential
program for young people and work
at the University of Minnesota
Medical Center, Fairview inpatient
unit for youth facing chemical and
mental health difficulties. Bausch
also works with the Minnesota
Psychology Association to promote
legislation aimed at improving
behavioral health care quality.
This year, Bausch partnered with
her StepUP Program roommate,
Samantha Yerks ’06, to launch
Singularity Behavioral Systems &
Technology, a business that develops
clinical software products for the
mental health field.
Go to augsburg.edu/stepup to
learn more about the StepUP
Program and its fundraising gala.
FALL - WINTER 2017
23
introduces high school students to health science careers
When University alumni and
community members step up to help
make an Augsburg program succeed,
everybody wins.
Since 2008, Augsburg University
has hosted Metro Scrubs summer
camps that offer high school students
a glimpse into health science careers.
Through workshops and hands-on
activities, students gain insight
into career paths that range from
veterinary medicine and public health
to physical therapy and nursing. The
success of the weeklong program—
formerly known as Urban Scrubs—
hinges on faculty involvement and
volunteer engagement through which
working professionals teach workshops
and mini-courses. This year, an
Augsburg alumna and the parent of
two Auggie alumni stepped in to offer
their expertise—and to learn a thing
or two from their pupils.
Jenny Kelley ’85 pursued a nursing
degree after completing her Augsburg
education and now serves as a
nurse and asthma educator at the
Hennepin County Medical Center in
COURTESY PHOTO
METRO SCRUBS PROGRAM
Nearly six dozen students participated in Augsburg’s Metro Scrubs Camp this
summer. One of nine such programs for Minnesota high school students, Metro
Scrubs is a collaborative effort of Augsburg University, HealthForce Minnesota,
Fairview Health Services, and St. Catherine University.
Minneapolis. Kelley initiated a Metro
Scrubs class by asking students to
inhale and exhale through a narrow
cocktail straw, an exercise that
highlighted how difficult it is for
someone with asthma to breathe.
Kelley noticed that her students were
from a diverse array of backgrounds,
but previous knowledge of asthma was
something that unified the group.
“I felt I was having an impact on
students from many different cultures
and different communities,” Kelley
said. “Yet, everyone knows somebody
with asthma, so this education is
helpful in ensuring people use their
inhalers the right way.”
One out of 12 people in the U.S.
is diagnosed with asthma. For Kelley,
leading a Metro Scrubs course was a
way to teach young people about the
medical condition and to spur interest
in careers that could help tackle this
pressing health care need.
For Dr. Robert “Bob” Florence,
a primary care internist at Allina
in Vadnais Heights, Minnesota,
teaching Metro Scrubs students was
an opportunity to reconnect with the
basics. Florence knows Augsburg
well through his children, Jeffrey
Florence ’02 and Beth Florence ’08,
and he noted that teaching high
school students was a reminder about
the importance of clear doctor-patient
communication.
“I show the students what it’s like
to do an office call with a patient,
explaining the types of interactions
I have with patients, along with
the best and worst ways to handle
certain scenarios,” Florence said. “I
began teaching the class because
the students hadn’t been exposed
to primary care in the other Metro
Scrubs sessions, and I wanted to
teach them what they could and
should expect.”
While it can be difficult to fit extra
opportunities into a physician’s hectic
schedule, Florence said leading
Metro Scrubs classes has been
worthwhile. “It has helped me to be a
better physician and taught students
interested in medical careers valuable
lessons,” he said.
Visit augsburg.edu/now to learn more about volunteer
and sponsorship opportunities with Metro Scrubs Camp.
24
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGGIES CONNECT
GIFT EXPANDS
MARINE AQUARIUM FACILITY
for study of biological diversity
When the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science,
Business, and Religion opens for classes in January 2018, the
new building will feature a state-of-the-art marine aquarium
facility thanks to the generosity of donor Fritz Grimm, who
made a substantial gift to fund the project.
Twenty years ago, Associate Professor of Biology William
“Bill” Capman created a large multi-tank coral reef aquarium
system on campus to inspire interest in biological diversity,
to serve as a teaching and research tool, and to provide
living specimens for lab demonstrations. In the years since,
the aquaria have been integral to Capman’s teaching,
making interaction with marine life a unique aspect of
Augsburg’s biology laboratory experience, exposing students
to biodiversity they would not see elsewhere, and promoting
careful stewardship of the world’s ecosystems.
Capman has been passionate about aquatic life since his
childhood. He and Grimm, as fellow members of the Twin Cities
Marine Aquarium Society, have known each other for years.
Grimm is the former proprietor of a store selling items
for keeping coral, fish, and other sea life, and has assisted
Capman in past efforts to care for Augsburg’s aquaria. For
Grimm, sponsoring Augsburg’s marine environments is a way
to support quality work already underway and build on it for
the future. Grimm’s gift is enabling Augsburg to significantly
expand its marine facilities to include a 350 gallon coral
reef aquarium and six additional 60-90 gallon tanks housing
additional diverse organisms, along with a research lab for
studying coral biology and captive breeding of coral reef fish.
“We rely on places like this to inspire people,” Grimm
said of Augsburg’s marine aquarium expansion. “How should
people know they need to care about seahorses and coral
without ever seeing them?”
Grimm is concerned by the known degradation of natural
environments, pointing to the fact that a significant portion of
the world’s coral are becoming more susceptible to disease and
are dying due to increases in water temperature and pollution.
“If anyone is going to inspire the future generation to do
something about it, it will be Bill,” Grimm said.
During a presentation to the Minnesota Aquarium Society,
Bill Capman demonstrates how he creates artificial reef
structures for new aquaria.
COURTESY PHOTOS
FALL - WINTER 2017
25
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1950
Carl Vaagenes ’50, a retired
pastor, helped to translate the
mission articles of Georg Sverdrup. Vaagenes
was inspired to translate Sverdrup’s sermons
for future generations and did this as a
member of The Georg Sverdrup Society. In
1898, Georg Sverdrup and Sven Oftedal,
co-founders of Augsburg Seminary and
College, published their sermons at the
founding of the Lutheran Free Church but
without their names. In “Aand og Liv” (“Spirit
and Life”), they reveal their mind and heart
for the church and for Augsburg.
1952
Millie
Nelson ’52
received a Spirit of
Augsburg Award
at Homecoming in
recognition for her
dedication to Augsburg
University. Before
retiring, Nelson worked
at Augsburg for decades. In her role as
Christensen Center manager, she guided
student assistants who described her as
professional, competent, knowledgeable,
and kind. These former students
acknowledged that Nelson embodied the
spirit of Augsburg.
1957
Stan Baker ’57 received the
Ella Stephens Barrett Award for
excellence in professional leadership and
counseling from the North Carolina Counseling
Association during its annual conference in
February in Durham, North Carolina.
1964
Garrett “Gary” Waldner ’64 and
his wife, Nancy, celebrated their
50th anniversary in October. They have
three sons and four grandchildren. Waldner
is active in the real estate appraisal field,
specializing in litigation valuations.
1966
After graduating from Augsburg,
Ron Blake ’66 went on to Luther
Seminary and has pastored several churches
before retiring in 2009 as a pastor with dual
membership in the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America and the United Church
of Christ. Blake and his wife remain active
members of Trinity Lutheran Church in
Lynnwood, Washington. They have two
children and four grandsons.
1968
Bruce
Benson ’68
received a Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming. Benson
served as campus
pastor at St. Olaf
College for 30 years
and has been a board
member at church camps in Minnesota,
Montana, and Ohio. He graduated cum
laude from Augsburg with a Bachelor of
Arts in English, earned his Master of Divinity
degree from Luther Seminary in 1972, and
further earned a degree in Sacred Theology
from Yale Divinity School in 1980. Benson
hosts a radio program called, “Sing for Joy,”
which is broadcast on 140 radio stations
in the United States, carried by cable
networks, and broadcast in 40 countries in
and near Africa.
1970
Mark
Francis ’70
received a Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming and
was recognized for
his leadership in the
Arizona school system.
After graduating from
Augsburg with a music degree, Francis
founded the Arizona School for the Arts in
1995. ASA became one of the top charter
schools in the state. Today, Francis is a deputy
associate superintendent within the Arizona
Department of Education. He is an active
member of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran
Church, which he has served in a number
of capacities, including as congregational
president, treasurer, and music leader.
In June, Ray Hanson ’70 retired and moved
to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, one day later. He
completed his career with Goldbelt Raven,
where he provided scientific and technical
assistance to the chemical forensics program
at the Department of Homeland Security.
1972
In May, Rob Engelson ’72
received the Distinguished
Service Award from Ashford University at its
commencement ceremony in San Diego. The
award acknowledged 21 years as a faculty
member and five years as a member of the
Faculty Senate.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
’01
’05
’76
26
AUGSBURG NOW
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1973
Terry
Lindstrom ’73
received a Distinguished
Alumni Award at
Homecoming. After
graduating from
Augsburg with degrees
in chemistry and
biology, Lindstrom
received his doctorate in biochemistry with a
pharmacology minor in 1977. He went on to
complete postdoctoral research at Michigan
State University from 1978 to 1979. During
his career, Lindstrom led research teams that
obtained patents for prescription medications
Evista and Cymbalta. In addition to Lindstrom’s
many scientific achievements, he and his
wife, Janet Lindstrom, have provided 16
full Undergraduate Research and Graduate
Opportunity summer scholarships for
Augsburg students during the past five years.
1974
Thomas Koplitz ’74 has been
elected to the Minnesota Baseball
Hall of Fame and was inducted at a September
ceremony held in St. Cloud, Minnesota.
1977
Augsburg
honored
Inez Bergquist ’77 with
a Distinguished Alumni
Award at Homecoming.
As the current president
of Waltman Associates,
Bergquist has more than
35 years experience in
fundraising and is an expert in the area of
nonprofit management. She served on the
Augsburg University Alumni Board for eight
years and on the Augsburg Parent Council for
four years. Bergquist authored several books
on families of wealth including the “Book of
Minnesota Family Trees.” She also is a Wells
Foundation board member.
1978
Phyllis Bartel ’78 published
“Scooter ‘n’ Oaks: A Cat Adoption
Story” in October 2016. As Bartel’s premier
work, this fictionalized tale teaches children
about the pet adoption process with
compassion and gentle humor and shares
similar themes with human adoption.
1979
Dave Boots ’79, who was inducted
into Augsburg’s Athletic Hall of
Fame in 2004, was named to the University
of South Dakota Vermillion’s Henry Heider
Coyote Sports Hall of Fame in October after
retiring in 2013 with the 14th most wins
in Division II men’s basketball history. He
led the Coyotes to 23 consecutive winning
seasons from 1989-2011, 10 NCAA Division II
tournaments, six NCC titles, and back-to-back
Elite Eight appearances in 1993 and 1994.
At the Division I level, Boots also won a Great
West Championship in 2010. Boots began his
coaching career at Anoka Ramsey Community
College and spent six years coaching at
Augsburg before arriving in Vermillion.
Sally (Hough) Daniels Herron ’79 is the new
parish and communications administrator for
Valley of Peace Lutheran Church in Golden
Valley, Minnesota.
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE
Leah Abdella ’76 retired in 2016 from a 40-year
teaching career in the field of special education.
At Augsburg, Abdella earned a double major in music
and music therapy as one of the first three music therapy
majors. Abdella stays fulfilled in retirement through
volunteer work and flute performance at assisted living
residences, nursing homes, and churches. She also
stays active in ballet classes and yoga. She is a former
member of the Andahazy Ballet Company.
’76
Katie (Koch) Code ’01, director of alumni and
constituent relations at Augsburg University, married
Chris Code in April during an intimate ceremony at the
Guthrie Theater—where the couple met while both on staff.
The wedding was officiated by Code’s father, the Rev. Jack
’01
’14
Former hockey and
football player Paul
Holmquist ’79 was
inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. Holmquist
was a key member of
Augsburg teams that
dominated in the late
1970s, earning the National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics national title in 1979
and qualifying for NAIA national tournament
play all of Holmquist’s four seasons. The
teams he competed with also won Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in
1978 and 1979. He was named a team MVP
in the 1978-79 season, the same time period
in which he earned All-MIAC Honorable
Mention honors.
1980
Paul Kilgore ’80 wrote a novel,
“The Broken Key,” that is
available through online and retail outlets.
1985
Brian Ammann ’85 has been
running the Minnesota School of
Basketball in Apple Valley and Golden Valley
for 12 years. He is the former head basketball
coach at Augsburg.
1987
Lee Ann (Burson) Hohenstein ’87
left a 20-year career in mortgage
banking to follow her dream and become a
staff writer for the Mille Lacs Messenger. She
also opened Restoration Books and Gifts in
Crosby, Minnesota.
Tell us about the news in your life—your new job, move, marriage, and
milestones. Visit augsburg.edu/now to submit your announcements.
Koch, and was witnessed by sibling Jason Koch ’93 and
sister-in-law Heather Johnston ’92.
Allison (Cornell) Broughton ’05 and Matt
Broughton ’06 welcomed new baby Nicholas
James in June. Nicholas joins big brother Calvin, age 4.
’05
This August, Samantha Cantrall ’14 and Austin
Smith ’14 were married in Ellsworth, Wisconsin,
by Augsburg Professor of Computer Science Larry
Crockett. The couple met in Augsburg’s Urness Hall in
2010, and both graduated from the Honors Program in
2014. They have taken Samantha’s mother’s last name
as their wedded name and will be known as Samantha
and Austin Wolf.
’14
FALL - WINTER 2017
27
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1991
Kristin
Dragseth
Wiersma ’91 had an
outstanding volleyball
career at Augsburg, an
accomplishment that
earned her induction
into the Athletic Hall of
Fame. Wiersma played
three seasons of volleyball, earning All-MIAC
and Academic All-MIAC honors in 1990,
and All-MIAC Honorable Mention honors
in 1989. She remains in the top 10 players
in school history in three career statistical
categories: kills per-set, attack percentage,
and digs per-set. A team co-captain in
1990, Wiersma also served as an assistant
coach at Augsburg in 1991.
1992
Athletic
Hall of
Fame inductee Juli
Gustafson ’92 played
two years of softball
at Augsburg earning
All-MIAC honors as
a shortstop in both
1991 and 1992, while
also earning National Fastpitch Coaching
Association All-West Region honors in
1991. Her .395 career batting average is
the third-best in school history. She also
ranks third in career slugging percentage
and sixth in career doubles. Gustafson was
a member of Auggie teams that went 47-22
in her two seasons.
Though he only
competed in one season
of wrestling at Augsburg,
Bret Sharp ’92 made
the most of it. He went
43-2-1 with 15 pins
and 95 takedowns,
won the MIAC title
at heavyweight, and
finished third at the NCAA Division III
national tournament in the 1991-92 season,
where he helped to clinch a second-place
national team finish for the Auggies. Sharp
was inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. He competed his first three seasons
at Drake University in Iowa.
1993
Dr. Jason Koch ’93 was appointed
president of Southdale Pediatrics,
where he has worked for the past 16 years.
Wrestling star Gary
Thompson ’93 was
inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. A four-year
competitor in wrestling,
Thompson completed
his Auggie career with a
91-40-1 record, finishing
fourth at the 1993 NCAA Division III national
championships and earning All-American
honors. He was a MIAC champion, a National
Wrestling Coaches Association Scholar AllAmerican, and a two-time Academic All-MIAC
honors student-athlete. Thompson was a
member of Augsburg squads that won the
NCAA national championship in 1993 and
finished second and third in other years.
1994
Chris Terrell ’94 was promoted
to vice president of finance for
Medtronic’s Cardiac and Vascular Group
Global Operations. Terrell joined Medtronic
in 2003 and most recently served as a
senior director of operations in finance,
where he drove finance strategies for nine
manufacturing locations.
1995
Dual sport
athlete
Marty Alger ’95 was
inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall
of Fame. In football,
Alger set an Augsburg
program record for
career rushing yardage,
which stood until 2014. In 1992, he became
the first Auggie ever to rush for 1,000-plus
yards in a season. He earned All-MIAC
honors in football in both 1992 and 1993. As
an Auggie wrestler, he qualified for the 1993
NCAA Division III national tournament after
winning the MIAC title at 190 pounds.
1997
Augsburg
Athletic
Hall of Fame inductee
Eric Rolland ’97 was
a leader on some of
the most successful
men’s golf teams in
school history. He led
squads that won the
MIAC championship in 1995 and recorded
second-place finishes in 1994 and 1996,
while competing in three straight NCAA
Division III national tournaments. Rolland
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
Denielle (Johnson) Stepka ’11 and
Timothy Stepka were married July 15
in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Their ceremony
was officiated by Josh Corrigan ’11, and their
wedding party included Augsburg alumni
Katie (Christensen) Beadell ’11, Korri (Yule)
Corrigan ’11, Tim Lund ’12, Amy Jo Opsal ’12,
and Tyler Phillips ’12.
’11
28
AUGSBURG NOW
In July, Enrico Barrozo ’14 and Mara
(Breczinski) Barrozo ’14 were married
at Augsburg University’s Hoversten Chapel.
The ceremony was officiated by the Rev.
Mike Matson ’06. The newlyweds live in
Gainesville, Florida, where Enrico is pursuing
a Ph.D. in genetics and genomics at the
University of Florida, and Mara teaches
middle school science.
’14
Rebecca (Welle) Winters ’05 and Paul
Winters ’07 welcomed a daughter, Maisy
Beverly, in May. She joins siblings Max, who is
six years old, and Millie, who is three years old.
’05
Matt Tonsager ’09, co-owner of
Gullton Wood, and Melissa (Moberg)
Tonsager ’10 welcomed a daughter, Adalind
Kay Tonsager, in April.
’09
earned All-America honors in 1995, AllDistrict honors in 1997, and All-MIAC honors
in 1995 and 1996. Since 2014, he has
served as Augsburg’s men’s and women’s
golf head coach.
1999
Elizabeth
(Petrik)
Brown ’99 had an
outstanding goaltending
career on the Augsburg
women’s soccer team,
an accomplishment that
earned her induction
into the Athletic Hall
of Fame. Brown started all but one game of
her collegiate career, finishing with 34 career
victories, including a then-school-record 13
in 1995. She stands second in school history
in career shutouts, fourth in career wins,
and eighth in career win-loss percentage.
Her 1.69 career goals-against-average is
10th-best in school history.
Cheri Johnson ’99 wrote two book series
released this fall for young readers.
“Origins: Urban Legends” and “Origins:
Whodunnit” are high-interest, low-readinglevel books that target upper-elementary
and middle-school students. The books
will be distributed by Lerner. Johnson also
is working on a performance project in
Minneapolis called “Crocus Hill Ghost Story”
with the music ensemble Zeitgeist; her
sister, Julie Johnson ’98; and actor, director,
and filmmaker D.J. Mendel. “Crocus Hill
Ghost Story” tells a tale set in an evil house
in St. Paul.
’11
’14
’05
’09
’00
Devoney Looser ’89 published a new
’89 book, “The Making of Jane Austen,”
which was named in Publishers Weekly’s list
of Best Summer Books of 2017 (nonfiction).
This May, Lewis Nelson ’00 graduated
from the University of Virginia’s Darden
School of Business with a Master of Business
Administration degree. Nelson left a 15-year
military and government career and is
seeking the next challenge. Nelson resides in
Charlottesville, Virginia, with his three children.
’00
’89
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
2000
The Rev. Sara (Quigley) Brown ’00
has accepted a term-call as
the associate interim pastor at Saving Grace
Lutheran, Lutheran Congregations in Missions
for Christ, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She
will serve and work alongside its faithful
congregation and pastor, the Rev. David
Irgens, during a time of great transition
and growth. Brown will serve Saving Grace
Lutheran for one year until the congregation
places a call for a permanent associate pastor.
2001
James Shropshire ’01, former
assistant director of public safety
at Augsburg, is the new director of campus
safety at Grinnell College. At Augsburg,
Shropshire also served as a Title IX
adjudicator and investigator. Besides
revising diversity training, Shropshire’s
agenda for campus safety at Grinnell will
include updating the department’s software,
computers, and other equipment.
2002
Augsburg
Athletic Hall
of Fame inductee Chrissy
(Baune) Bloemendal ’02
was a 16-time AllMIAC selection in cross
country (three times)
and track and field
(13 times). The team’s
No. 1 runner her final three seasons in cross
country, Bloemendal finished sixth in the MIAC
championships in 2001 and 13th in 2000.
In track and field, she won the MIAC title and
qualified for the NCAA Division III outdoor
national championships in the 3,000-meter
steeplechase in 2002, finishing ninth nationally.
AUGGIE
SNAPSHOTS
30
AUGSBURG NOW
’15
Two years ago Heather Cmiel ’02 left 13
years of communications agency life behind
to go corporate. She now serves as global
marketing communications strategist within
3M Healthcare. Cmiel spends her free time
as president of Minnesota Public Relations
Society of America. She also leads a
contemporary worship band.
2003
Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin ’03
is the founder and director
of the Rural Enterprise Center, a program
of Main Street Project, a nonprofit
organization focused on rural development.
Haslett-Marroquin also serves on the
boards of the Northfield Area Foundation,
the Northfield Area United Way, and Fifth
Bridge, a nonprofit organization promoting
volunteerism.
2005
Ryan Bosshart ’05 is a vice
president of services at phData,
a global leader in big data consulting and
managed services. Most recently, Bosshart
was a principal sales engineer at Cloudera.
2006
Michelle Dirtzu ’06 is a new
marketing manager at Pacific
Trellis Fruit/Dulcinea Farms based in Los
Angeles, California. Dirtzu has 10 years of
experience in the grocery-retail-produce
business. Previously, she was a marketing
director for North Shore Living Herbs, in
marketing with Flagstone Foods, and in
brand management with Supervalu. Dirtzu
earned a Master of Business Administration
degree from Opus School of Business at
the University of St. Thomas in 2014.
Brenda Valentine ’06 welcomed her son,
Jackson James Valentine Rice, in April.
2007
A managing
partner of
business planning at
the American Public
Media Group, Danielle
Stellner ’07 received
a First Decade Award
at Homecoming.
After graduating
from Augsburg, Stellner went on to earn a
Master of Business Administration degree
from the Carlson School of Management at
the University of Minnesota in 2016. She
was recruited for the board of Isuroon and
Secretary, and she is the active co-chair of
the AWE Philanthropy Council at Augsburg.
In addition, Stellner serves the Friendship
Academy of the Arts as a board member and
expansion committee member.
2008
Tony Landecker ’08 serves
as a portfolio manager in the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s Minneapolis-St. Paul field
office and is responsible for assisting with
the management of local housing stock.
Landecker was named the Minnesota
Civil Servant of the Year by HUD’s Federal
Executive Board for helping others find
the comfort of a home in the aftermath of
a disaster. In 2016, he left his home and
family to spend time helping Baton Rouge
flood victims, leading a team that found
permanent housing for 130 families initially
placed in temporary shelters.
Rachel Shaheen ’15 and
Christopher Kopp ’15
were married in July. The bride
and groom were joined by fellow
Augsburg alumni [L to R]: Becky
Shaheen ’11, Patrick DuSchane ’13,
Laura Schmidt ’11, Jakob
Anderson ’12, Erika Osterbur ’11,
Aren Olson ’11, Lily Moloney ’15,
Mary Stickelmeyer ’74, Emily
Knudson ’15, Kate Gray ’15, Tyler
Dorn ’15, and Alisha Esselstein ’15.
’15
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Curtiss Schreiber ’08 is now an associate at
the law firm Donohue Brown Mathewson &
Smyth LLC in Chicago.
2011
Jennifer
Weber ’11
received a Spirit of
Augsburg Award at
Homecoming for
her dedication to
Minneapolis’ CedarRiverside community
and in recognition
for the projects she has initiated in the
Twin Cities area. Before graduating from
Augsburg with a triple major in emotional/
behavioral disabilities, learning disabilities,
and American Indian studies, Weber
created an American Indian resource
library for the Anoka-Hennepin Indian
Education Program. Weber has been
involved in many community projects and
is a crisis prevention and interventions
trainer at the Charter School Special Ed
Network. She is also a certified school
coach, teacher, and member of the Cedar
Riverside Community School Board.
2012
Katie Radford ’12, ’18 MBA
started a new position at
Fairview Health Services as a training
consultant. She helps facilitate individual
and team development sessions for
professional growth.
2014
Maren Daniels ’14 teaches
elementary visual art at Hiawatha
Academy Morris Park in Minneapolis.
2015
Awale Osman ’15 serves as a
community innovation associate
at the Bush Foundation. He has experienced
much change: coming to the U.S. from
war-torn Somalia and Kenyan refugee camps
to learning English as a third language and
graduating with high academic honors.
His work as a change agent has included
expanding after-school opportunities for
Somali youth; impressing upon Congress
the value of federal TRIO programming; and
activating safe spaces for women, people of
color, and queer students.
2016
Victoria Linstrom ’16, Andrew
Kleidon-Linstom ’16, Bridgette
Henry ’16, and student Mitch Ross ’18 formed
the Open Door Theater where Linstrom serves
as the executive director, Kleidon-Linstom is
the artistic director, Henry is the company
manager/dramaturg in residence, and Ross is
the marketing director.
Muna Mohamed ’16 received a scholarship
at the University of Minnesota to pursue
a Master of Science degree in behavioral
aspects of physical activity. At the university,
Mohamed conducts research on East African
mother-daughter physical activity.
2017
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton
appointed Eron Godi ’17 to the
Young Women’s Cabinet, part of the Young
Women’s Initiative of Minnesota that aims to
improve opportunity for women ages 12 to 24
by bringing together nonprofits, businesses,
government, philanthropic organizations, and
young women to create plans for building
equity. Godi was one of 25 women selected
statewide for a cabinet position.
Emily Gregg ’17, former Augsburg women’s
soccer defender, was named one of 174
nationwide recipients of a $7,500 NCAA
Postgraduate Scholarship honoring her
achievements as both a scholar and an
athlete. A biology major with a 3.72 GPA,
Gregg is the first Auggie to receive an NCAA
Postgraduate Scholarship since 2014. Gregg
will attend graduate school at the University
of Wisconsin-Madison. She hopes to someday
work as a wildlife/large animal veterinarian.
Anna Renner ’17 has been accepted to
the Clarkson University Master of Physician
Assistant Studies program in Potsdam,
New York.
Dua Saleh ’17 had one of her songs played
on “The Current” radio station. She performs
music and poetry at Twin Cities venues.
Riley Siddorn ’17 was among nearly 450
summer interns at NASA’s Goddard Space
Flight Center. Interns seek out new ways
to explore their career fields and engage
NASA’s international scientific community in
Goddard projects. Siddorn, who majored in
physics, held an internship in ionospheric
physics. The internships covered a wide
spectrum in science-related areas, from
planetary science to sounding rockets to
Earth science.
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Doris Rubenstein ’93 MAL won the silver
Independent Book Publishers Association
Benjamin Franklin Award for her book, “The
Journey of a Dollar,” at the association’s 29th
annual award ceremony in Portland, Oregon.
Kathleen Clark ’10 MAN, ’14 DNP; Joyce
Miller ’02, ’04 MAN, ’11 DNP; Katherine
Baumgartner ’04 MAN, ’11 DNP; and Cheryl
Leuning, former Nursing Department chair,
co-authored an article, “The Citizen Nurse: An
Educational Innovation for Change,” which was
published in the Journal of Nursing Education.
Jamie Heitzinger ’11 MPA earned a Certificate
of Added Qualifications by completing
specialty training from the National
Commission on Certification of Physician
Assistants. She works at Queens Medical
Center in Honolulu.
Ryan Stopera ’11 MSW/MBA is a social worker
and social entrepreneur. He serves as a
program analyst for the Graves Foundation
and teaches in Augsburg’s Social Work
Department. Stopera enjoys building
community through art, cycling, and rock
climbing in his spare time.
Allison DeGroot ’15 MAL is the new head
women’s soccer coach at the University of
Wisconsin-Superior. The women’s soccer
program competes at the highest level in
the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference,
and DeGroot is looking forward to working
with players to help the program reach its
potential. DeGroot was an assistant coach at
Augsburg from 2012 until 2016.
Angela Mejdrich ’15 MAE is the new director
of administration at Spirit of the Lake
Community School in Duluth, Minnesota.
She provides lead support and oversight of
several administrative and business matters.
Mejdrich has more than 20 years of teaching
and administration experience, most
recently as vice principal of St. Michael’s
Lakeside School.
Thomas Hirsch ’16 MPA is a new physician
assistant at the Essentia Health–Hermantown
Clinic in Minnesota.
FALL - WINTER 2017
31
PHOTO BY CAROLINE YANG
IN MEMORIAM
Alfred W. Walck ’40, Urbandale,
Iowa, age 96, on April 27.
Addell L. (Halverson) Dahlen ’43,
Minneapolis, age 96, on June 2.
Carl G. Gilbertson ’43, Battle
Lake, Minnesota, age 96, on
April 14.
Arlene L. (Dunham) Sandberg ’43,
Madelia, Minnesota, age 95,
on May 12.
Muriel R. (Ruud) Frosch ’45,
Winona, Minnesota, age 94,
on July 26.
Lorene M. (McGinnis) Hansen ’49,
Clear Lake, Iowa, age 92,
on July 7.
Lorraine (Telander) Hendershot ’49,
Mora, Minnesota, age 89,
on March 29.
Phyllis (Erickson) Quanbeck ’49,
Salem, Oregon, age 89,
on June 28.
Donald P. Sateren ’49, Long
Beach, California, age 96,
on June 18.
Russell G. Solheim ’49, Racine,
Wisconsin, age 96, on July 8.
Marilyn L. (Larson) Forslund ’50,
Moline, Illinois, age 94,
on May 26.
Roger C. Mackey ’57, Saint
Paul, Minnesota, age 83,
on July 20.
David C. Siedlar ’71, Huaian
City, Jiangsu, China, age 68,
on March 19.
Norman O. Landvik ’50, Port
Angeles, Washington, age 89,
on April 6.
Warren L. Anderson ’59, Grand
Marais, Minnesota, age 84,
on March 16.
Bradley W. Shoff ’77,
Akeley, Minnesota, age 62,
on June 18.
Arnold R. Aasen ’51, Fridley,
Minnesota, age 88, on July 23.
Carrol A. Bakken ’59,
Rushford, Minnesota, age 82,
on March 18.
John A. Faeth ’89, Stillwater,
Minnesota, age 51, on April 3.
Elden O. Landvik ’51, Duluth,
Minnesota, age 92, on July 3.
James D. Slarks ’51, Saint Peter,
Minnesota, age 92, on June 27.
LeVon M. (Paulson) Dinter ’52,
Edina, Minnesota, age 86,
on March 18.
Mildred C. Hetager ’52,
Minneapolis, age 103,
on June 30.
Donald W. Siegel ’53,
Minneapolis, age 89,
on April 6.
Peter L. Hauser ’62, Lakeville,
Minnesota, age 76, on July 10.
Michael L. Kropp ’95, Albert
Lea, Minnesota, age 49, on
April 2.
Gerald W. Mortenson ’62,
Stone Lake, Wisconsin, age 79,
on March 31.
Charity Thunder ’99, Black
River Falls, Wisconsin, age 71,
on July 1.
Paul S. Monson ’63,
Coon Rapids, Minnesota,
age 76, on July 12.
Jacob R. Collins ’03,
Austin, Minnesota, age 36,
on August 25.
Gary W. Paulson ’63, Willmar,
Minnesota, age 75, on June 10.
Christopher G. Frame ’09,
Minneapolis, age 33,
on March 20.
Richard E. Kuehne ’64, Walker,
Minnesota, age 76, on August 7.
Elnora C. (Hanson) Beireis ’54,
Parkers Prairie, Minnesota,
age 84, on July 27.
Ronald A. Hanson ’65, Grand
Rapids, Minnesota, age 74,
on July 17.
Mary Ann E. (Fox) Domholdt ’56,
Mentor, Ohio, age 83, on
April 5.
Terence W. Rindal ’66,
Crystal Lake, Illinois, age 82,
on August 12.
Mark D. Lukitsch ’20,
Cottage Grove, Minnesota,
age 19, on August 5.
The “In memoriam” listings in this publication
include notifications received before September 15.
32
AUGSBURG NOW
JOIN US FOR THE
GRAND OPENING OF
THE NORMAN AND EVANGELINE
HAGFORS CENTER
FOR SCIENCE, BUSINESS, AND RELIGION
SATURDAY, JANUARY 27, 2018
4–5 p.m. | Alumni and Community Open House
Hagfors Center, Augsburg University
700 21st Avenue South
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55454
RSVP by January 8 at augsburg.edu/alumni/events.
Send questions to Hannah Walsh ’14, advancement
assistant, at walsh@augsburg.edu or call 612-330-1098.
FALL - WINTER 2017
33
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Thousands of Auggies. One Augsburg.
Augsburg’s 2017 Homecoming celebration was held October 12–14, a festive weekend when alumni,
students, and community members took part in more than 35 events, including reunions for the
classes of 1967, 1977, 1992, and 2007. In all, more than 600 alumni from different generations
visited campus to show their Auggie pride and mark the first Homecoming as Augsburg University.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG
UNIVERSITY
SPRING–SUMMER 2017 | VOL. 79, NO. 2
COMING SEPTEMBER 2017
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On the power of both/and
I am writing these notes on c... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG
UNIVERSITY
SPRING–SUMMER 2017 | VOL. 79, NO. 2
COMING SEPTEMBER 2017
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John ’13 MBA
rjohn@augsburg.edu
NOTES FROM PRESIDENT PRIBBENOW
On the power of both/and
I am writing these notes on commencement
weekend when we have just sent the final
graduates of Augsburg College into the world,
full of promise and aspiration—as has been the
case for almost 150 years. As you will read in
this issue of Augsburg Now, the change of our
name to Augsburg University will become official
in September, and we will welcome the incoming
class on Labor Day weekend. We are busy
preparing for this exciting new era for Augsburg!
For some, the name change may reflect
a break with Augsburg’s past. For others,
perhaps this is a welcome acceptance of the
need to embrace the future. For the Augsburg
community, however, the change is a remarkable
opportunity to re-present Augsburg to the
world—to tell a story that is about an abiding
mission and identity shaped by faith, and
academic and civic values, and at the same
time to point to innovative and urgently needed
responses to our dynamic environment. In
other words, this change is about the pivot
from “either/or” to “both/and.” This is about
embracing the best of past, present, and future.
This is about Augsburg University.
The almost 1,000 Auggies who commenced
into the world this spring reflect in their
achievements and aspirations the foundation for
embracing this change.
Across undergraduate and graduate programs,
the Class of 2017 achieved academic excellence
of the highest order, excellence that defines a
university: national and international honors for
scholarship and service; exemplary undergraduate
research that equips students for graduate
work and professional opportunities; innovative
community building that strengthens democratic
engagement; and a commitment to equity in
education that promises to change the world.
At the same time, our newest graduates
reflect the diversity that we expect in a
university—diversity of ethnicity, thinking, life
experience, identity, and ability—diversity not
for its own sake but for the promise of a more
robust, healthy, and just world. As I watched our
diverse graduates cross the stage, I could not
help but be filled with hope in our future leaders
who already have learned to navigate difference
in ways that unite rather than divide.
In a final way, these newest Augsburg
graduates offer a perhaps countercultural
lesson about what makes for a great university.
Though some imagine a university as big and
bureaucratic and faceless, Augsburg has a
vision to be a new kind of student-centered,
urban university—small to our students and
big for the world. The sense of community was
palpable in our commencement ceremonies as
graduates cheered each other and celebrated
the relationships they have forged at Augsburg,
lifelong relationships that engendered
achievement and success. And propelled by those
relationships, our graduates will indeed be “big
for the world,” as they live Augsburg’s mission as
“informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical
thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
Here’s to the power of “both/and” and the
promise of Augsburg University!
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Director of Marketing
Communication
Stephen Jendraszak
jendra@augsburg.edu
Communication Copywriter
and Editorial Coordinator
Laura Swanson Lindahl ’15 MBA
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate, Design
Denielle Johnson ’11
johnsod@augsburg.edu
Production Manager
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Marketing Copywriter
Jessica Mueller
muellerj@augsburg.edu
Contributing Writers
Kate H. Elliott
Jen Lowman Day
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Faithfully yours,
Send address corrections to:
alumniupdate@augsburg.edu.
Send comments to:
now@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
AUGSBURG NOW
Spring–Summer 2017
02 Around the quad
08
Preserving Norway’s
treasures
12
Augsburg University
name change
18
Winning the long game
24
Auggies connect
28
Class notes
33
In memoriam
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
On the cover
Augsburg College will become
Augsburg University effective
September 1. Learn more about
this historic transition on page 12.
An Auggie passes by the first art installation in the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center
for Science, Business, and Religion. This new academic building, which will open in January
2018, celebrates Augsburg’s commitment to learning at the intersection of disciplines.
Glass fritting on the lobby curtainwall depicts the pattern of Martin Luther’s handwritten
score of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” overlaid with the cell structure of elm wood.
“Knowing that light will pour through the tall glass of the Hagfors Center, and that
people will pass through the reflected shape of the notes of this stirring hymn, ties the
whole idea of the building together for me. Science, business, and religion, drawn together
in space, time, and rhythm of the ages,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow, who,
with his wife, Abigail Crampton Pribbenow, sponsored the artwork.
AROUND THE QUAD
HONORING
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
Retiring Faculty
RALPH BUTKOWSKI
MAGDA PALECZNY-ZAPP
Assistant Professor, Department of
Biology—with the College
since 2001
Associate Professor, Department of
Business Administration—with the
College since 1986
CASS DALGLISH
NOEL PETIT
Professor, Department of English—
with the College since 1986
Professor, Department of
Computer Science—with the
College since 1984
PETER HENDRICKSON ’76
Associate Professor, Department of
Music—with the College since 1994
BOYD KOEHLER
Associate Professor, Library—with
the College since 1967
SANDRA OLMSTED ’69
Associate Professor, Department
of Chemistry—with the College
since 1978
DEBORAH REDMOND
Assistant Professor, Department of
Communication Studies—with the
College since 1981
STUART STOLLER
Professor, Department of Business
Administration—with the College
since 1986
TARA SWEENEY
Associate Professor, Department of
Art—with the College since 1990
Auggies advocate at
STATE CAPITOL
The Augsburg community
celebrated the Class of 2017 on
Saturday, April 29. In a morning
ceremony, 503 traditional
undergraduate students were
conferred their degrees. In the
afternoon, the school recognized
469 adult undergraduate, master’s,
and doctoral students—50 of
whom studied at Augsburg’s
Rochester site. [Pictured]: Fatimah
Kinaphone ’15, ’17 MBA receives
her master’s degree hood.
2
AUGSBURG NOW
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
COMMENCEMENT
Augsburg College students recently visited the Minnesota State Capitol to
participate in advocacy events hosted by the Minnesota Private College
Council. First, in February, two of Augsburg’s TRIO McNair Scholars took
part in a Private College Scholars at the Capitol event that promoted the role
undergraduate research plays in students’ educational and professional
development. Then, in April, Auggies met with Minnesota representatives
and senators for Day at the Capitol.
These students advocated for
several programs, including
Minnesota State Grants, that help
undergraduates afford higher
education.
[L to R]: Professor of Sociology Diane Pike
advised McNair Scholar Devin Wiggs ’17, who
was invited to present his undergraduate
research project at Scholars at the Capitol.
AROUND THE QUAD
TICKETS ON SALE:
NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE FORUM
Visit nobelpeaceprizeforum.org to find ticket, presenter, and schedule information.
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
COURTESY PHOTO
September 15-16
Each year, the Nobel Peace Prize Forum offers opportunities to learn from the world’s most
celebrated, innovative, and dedicated peacemakers. Hosted and presented by Augsburg, the
Forum invites attendees to turn abstract ideas into the skills our world needs for fostering
better relationships and for building peace. In September, international guests from leading
organizations will explore the theme “Dialogue in Divided Societies” and honor the work of
the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, for its decisive
contribution to building a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia after the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.
Electronics lab is electrifying!! Building the circuits of
tomorrow, today. #MaroonMilestone @AugsburgCollege
FUEL FINISH
THERE IS, PERHAPS, NO GREATER CURE
FOR STRESS than taking a moment to
acknowledge the good. As Augsburg students soldiered through the last week
of classes this spring—turning in final papers and finishing projects—they
also made time to reflect on their achievements in 2016-17. Students posted,
tweeted, and shared #MaroonMilestones on social media, and soon a powerful
collective story came together. Whether it was winning athletic championships,
landing job interviews, or beating cancer, Auggies finished strong.
FOR THE
CELEBRATING
STUDENT
SUCCESS
FUEL
E
FOR TH
FINISH
For those who posted
#MaroonMilestones, Augsburg
partnered with its food service
provider, A’viands, to provide handdelivered treats and cheerful notes
that offered additional fuel for the end
of the term, though physics students
kept their beverages safely stationed
outside the lab (pictured above)!
Read about the scope of prestigious academic
achievements, awards, and honors earned by Auggies
during the 2016-17 year at augsburg.edu/now.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
3
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
AROUND THE QUAD
After a morning practice, goaltender Jordyn Kaufer ’17 and members of the Augsburg men’s
hockey team presented Minasie Theophilos with a check for $5,000. In comments aired on
KARE 11 news, Kaufer told Theophilos the sum was, “A token to give you thanks for your
selflessness, your service, your care to the rink and the guys.”
Honoring
Luther’s legacy
To mark the 500th anniversary
of the Reformation, Augsburg is
hosting a series of events this fall.
Visit augsburg.edu/ccv/events
for dates and details.
4
AUGSBURG NOW
A SEASON OF REFORMATION CELEBRATIONS!
In September, Augsburg will welcome the fourth
presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, the Rev. Elizabeth Eaton, as an honored
speaker for the Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium.
To mark Augsburg College Heritage Day in October,
Associate Professor of Religion Mary Lowe will lead a
discussion on the revolutionary life of Martin Luther.
In November, award-winning musical group The
Rose Ensemble will present “Welcome the People: The
Musical Legacy of the Reformation.”
To kick off the holiday season in December, Augsburg
will host Advent Vespers with the theme “Welcome,
Noble Guest,” inspired by Martin Luther’s hymn “From
Heaven Above.”
AROUND THE QUAD
MINASIE THEOPHILOS has cared for Augsburg’s athletic facilities—most notably the ice arena—
during his more than 25 years of service on the College’s custodial staff. Theophilos and the men’s
hockey team developed a life-changing relationship that was shared by media outlets across the
United States and around the globe.
When members of the team learned that Theophilos’ mother had died in Ethiopia—a home
Theophilos hasn’t seen for nearly 35 years—and that Theophilos missed her funeral because he didn’t
have the money to visit, the team created a fundraiser. In less than 48 hours, the players and Auggies
worldwide raised thousands of dollars for
Theophilos to use to visit his family.
Today, Theophilos and his wife are planning a
trip to see his father and their families, thanks
to a special friendship with the Augsburg
athletes he has supported for decades.
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
FRIENDSHIP ON ICE … AND OFF
right,’
ou raised ’em
‘y
of
y
or
g
te
ca
“In the
y team.”
Augsburg hocke
e
th
of
s
d
ki
e
we give you th
—Bob Collins,
Minnesota Public Radio News Cut
COURTESY PHOTO
Who’s on first? Auggies are! This spring, the Augsburg baseball team kicked
off its season at U.S. Bank Stadium, competing in four nonconference
doubleheaders. The new Minnesota Vikings venue is only a stone’s throw (or
a really strong pitch) from Augsburg’s campus.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
5
PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
ON THE SPOT
IT’S SIMPLE MATH: Fewer people are entering the teaching profession, more are
leaving it, and many educators lack the qualifications required to teach Minnesota’s
increasingly diverse student body. These factors have prompted teacher preparation
programs—including those at Augsburg—to adapt in support of more inclusive,
flexible learning environments that accommodate a spectrum of needs and abilities.
As the director of education programs at Augsburg’s Rochester location, Kaycee Rogers is working alongside colleagues
and legislators to better support and retain teachers and to inspire a more diverse workforce. She is driven to ensure the
next generation of Minnesotans experience a meaningful education through hands-on, relevant learning.
Q:
How does educating, training, and
employing K-12 teachers with specialty
backgrounds improve our schools?
A:
The demographics of our student
population have changed given the
influx of new populations into our welcoming
state and education’s shift to incorporate
students with special needs into the general
classroom. Because of this, teachers with
specialty licenses are in demand, and these
positions are often tough to fill. Augsburg
is leading the charge to offer broader
licensures, which prepare teachers to
succeed in today’s classrooms and qualify
them for a wide range of teaching positions.
Exposure to more teaching strategies
and more specializations helps teacher
6
AUGSBURG NOW
candidates adapt and innovate so they can
offer students multiple access points for
understanding.
Q:
A:
What’s an example of an innovative
teaching strategy?
Students learn best when they’re
engaged in experiences that matter to
them. We’ve been incorporating real-world,
student-led experiences into the classroom,
and the results are impressive. Augsburg
teacher candidates, for instance, are helping
fourth- and fifth-graders write grants, speak
to community groups, navigate teamwork,
and participate in democracy. It’s been
amazing to watch our teachers transition
to more of a coaching role, while students
PHOTO BY BRENDAN BUSH
Education expert Kaycee Rogers describes how an inclusive,
agile K-12 model can help Minnesota classrooms make the grade
take the lead to apply classroom learning to
issues and situations of meaning to them.
Q:
A:
How do teachers recognize students’
home cultures and diverse experiences?
Although “English as a Second
Language” is a widely used term, we
say, “English learners,” because it’s more
accurate given that some students learn
English as a third or fourth language. We
also celebrate home culture and language
rather than asking students to check their
heritage at the door.
In special education, we try to be more
inclusive. It used to be that educators
relied on what was called a medical
model of diagnosis and treatment. Today,
AROUND THE QUAD
Outstanding
EDUCATORS
Share your ideas for
Each year, Augsburg recognizes
individuals who have made
exemplary contributions to creating
an engaging academic learning
environment. The 2017 recipients
of the Distinguished Contributions to
Teaching and Learning awards are:
AUGSBURG’S 150TH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION
1869-2019
Visit augsburg.edu/150 to
submit your suggestions.
Alumni, parents, friends, faculty, and staff are invited to
celebrate Augsburg’s 150th anniversary in 2019. What
aspect of your Augsburg experience would you like to
highlight during the sesquicentennial year? Were you
connected to a team, an organization, or a department
that made a difference? Would you like to see a reunion
for your favorite activity—whether it was campus
ministry, KAUG radio, student government, or a music
ensemble? Let us know how to best honor Augsburg’s
past, present, and future.
Teaching
Full-time faculty
Joyce Miller ’02, ’05 MAN, ’11 DNP,
assistant professor and Nursing
Department chair
Part-time faculty
Alyssa Hanson ’01, mathematics and
statistics instructor
Scholarship
William Green, professor of history
Service
Q:
A:
David Crowe, associate professor of
biology
How do we inspire a workforce that is
more reflective of diverse classrooms?
It’s well documented that students
retain more information and have a
positive view of education when they relate
to teachers. We want to reach out to people
who look like our students and come from
the same backgrounds, particularly those
already working as teacher aides or in other
supporting roles. Growing teachers from
within each community’s diverse population
will beget more teachers of color and inspire
some to remain in their community to make a
lasting difference.
Stella Hofrenning, associate professor
of economics
Dixie Shafer, director of
Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity
PHOTO BY BOB STACKE ’71
we recognize that our role isn’t as much
about changing someone as it is about
using an approach that welcomes learners
of different styles, that encourages support
networks to address, adapt to, and respond
to each young person. We seek to accept,
listen, and innovate as we help students
gain as much as possible to prepare them
for a fulfilling life.
Both approaches fall under an umbrella
of universal design that can be applied to
all students, regardless of ability. If our
goal is understanding, then we must create
multiple access points for students. We urge
teacher candidates to get to know students,
their families, and the community to
appreciate the backgrounds coming together
in each classroom.
[L to R]: Stella Hofrenning, Dixie Shafer,
William Green, Joyce Miller, David Crowe, and
Alyssa Hanson.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
7
PHOTO BY ANNAR BJØRGLI
8
AUGSBURG NOW
Juliane Derry ’00 works on an artifact from Norway’s national collection.
As an objects conservator, she studies and preserves historical materials.
BY LAURA SWANSON LINDAHL ’15 MBA
“As you can see, I’m not in my office,” says
Juliane Derry ’00 answering a video call and
gazing toward the cell phone resting in her
outstretched palm. “It’s kind of a little crisis.”
Behind her, a warehouse complex comes into
focus. It looks tidy—for the most part—but
there’s chaos emerging in what otherwise would
be a meticulously organized space.
Derry is standing in one of the storage
facilities for Norway’s Nasjonalmuseet, the
National Museum of Art, Architecture and
Design, and she is responding to an immediate,
all-hands-on-deck plea to mitigate an unnerving
discovery in the archive: water.
“Oxygen, light, and variations in
humidity are the things that cause
damage,” Derry said, hours later,
offering a primer on the fundamental
culprits in the degradation of
historical materials. As a conservator
for the national museum in Oslo,
she plays a multifaceted role in
the institution’s efforts to hold,
preserve, exhibit, and promote public
knowledge about Norway’s most
extensive collections.
Vestbanen – Downtown Oslo
Future home of the Nasjonalmuseet
Norway’s new national museum will open
in 2020. Juliane Derry ’00 is working to prepare
hundreds of objects for public display.
Oslo, Norway
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
9
PHOTO BY ANNAR BJØRGLI
During her career, Derry has
restored furniture, objects,
frames, and gilded surfaces.
10
AUGSBURG NOW
“There are so many different materials in our
collection that we have textile, paintings, paper,
and book conservators,” said Derry, who is an
objects conservator specializing in furniture,
frames, and gilded surfaces. She has studied
restoration on three continents and has become
an expert in both preserving national treasures
and making new creations shine. Derry is
someone who excels at finding connections
between seemingly disparate areas. Her
conservation work blends science with artistry,
research with intuition, and the practical with
the theoretical.
Derry’s personal life has been filled with
complementary relationships as well. She was
born in Norway, and she lived there until age 15
when she, her sister, and her American mother
moved from the tiny alpine town of Ål to the
densely populated Twin Cities lying on the edge
of Minnesota’s prairie. Later, as an Augsburg
student, she focused on women’s studies,
international relations, religion, and studio arts.
“I took classes based on what interested me,”
Derry said, shrugging her shoulders. “When
you get out into the real world and meet new
people you begin to realize that [some of them]
followed a very narrow path. I’m not looking
down on that in any way, but I appreciate the
fact that I was able to experience so many
different things.”
As her former faculty advisor, History
Professor and Director of General Education
Jacqueline deVries acknowledges that
Derry is the type of person who thrives in
interdisciplinary programs like women’s studies.
Now known as “gender, sexuality, and
women’s studies,” the major includes courses
in biology, English, history, political science,
sociology, and other disciplines. And it seems
Derry’s inclination toward diverse opportunities
only increases with time.
“Juliane’s path is fantastic. She totally
wandered,” said deVries, who now counts Derry
among her friends. “I think she’d laugh that I
said that, but along the way she discovered a
true passion.”
Derry’s career in restoration and conservation
began because misdirected mail literally came
across her desk. Shortly after graduating
from Augsburg, Derry worked as an assistant
to buyers at Dayton’s, Minneapolis’ storied
hometown department store chain. Even though
she didn’t support staff in the furniture division,
she received heaps of catalogs for that area.
Eventually, a thoughtful colleague noticed
her growing interest in woodworking and
encouraged her to pursue her calling. After
some networking and introspection, Derry
signed up for a wood finishing program at
a technical college—an experience that
ultimately led to her launching a small
business, obtaining an advanced degree,
and developing industry contacts around
the world.
One of those connections is Don
Williams, an author, educator, scholar,
and furniture conservator who retired after
serving the Smithsonian Institution for 29
years. Williams was a guest lecturer who
instructed Derry during her Minnesotabased finishing program, and he became
a mentor as she took her education and
career to new levels.
Williams has taught hundreds of
students, and he’s noticed that those who
succeed often have similar predispositions.
“How many people do you know who
are both scientists and artists?” he
asked. “That’s what we are. If you are not
consumed by creativity, this is going to be
a miserable path for you. People need not
only creativity but also curiosity.”
For Derry, an eagerness to experiment
and to learn has triggered some of her most
defining life events.
After working a handful of day jobs and
operating an independent business in the
U.S. for three years, Derry enrolled in an
immersive, full-time restoration program
near Florence, Italy. There she gained
studio experience and new skillsets,
including the ability to speak Italian through
a crash course lasting a single month. After
completing the restoration program, Derry
moved with her wife, Jody Scholz ’97, to
Norway. Derry was armed with a portfolio
of recent work and ambition to relaunch her
business in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
“I ended up making a CD full of pictures
of various restoration projects, and I made
the rounds in town,” she said. “I looked up
people in the yellow pages and then handed
out my pictures. In the beginning I worked
a little bit at a frame shop, and then I got a
job in a gallery where I restored frames.”
During the years since, Derry’s workload
has grown to match her expertise, and
sometimes her expertise has grown due to
Derry prepares an Oslo
city model from the
1930s for display in an
architectural exhibit.
PHOTO BY ANNAR BJØRGLI
the requirements of her work.
She earned a master’s degree at the
University of Oslo’s Institute of Archeology,
Conservation, and History by completing a
project-based thesis that examined shellac,
a sealant created using a resin secreted by
insects. For this project, Derry conducted
fieldwork in the rural Jharkhand region of
India where villagers harvest stick lac—the
key ingredient that becomes shellac and
its by-products—and she analyzed the
chemical characteristics of several samples
at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation
Institute where Williams served as her
internship sponsor.
“Investigative problem-solving” is one of
the aspects Derry said she most enjoys about
her field, and her liberal arts experience at
Augsburg informs the way she approaches her
assignments. She uses traditional techniques
and materials in her conservation projects
whenever possible, and her ability to think
critically is paramount.
While employed at a furniture restoration
company, she was tasked with repairing
beloved pieces used by the Oscarshall
Summer Palace, the Office of the Prime
Minister, and private clients. She also has
served Fortidsminneforeningen, a nonprofit
that preserves and protects monuments,
including 40 of the stave churches located
throughout Norway.
“Ashes to ashes and dust to dust is not
only a homily, it is an inexorable law of
the universe,” said Williams, describing
the vital role individuals like Derry play
in preserving cultural heritage for future
generations. “Everything is going back to
dust. As conservators, it is our job—to
the extent that is rational—to slow that
process down and concurrently enjoy and
extract the most utility from an artifact on
its path.”
Today Derry’s workdays primarily are
devoted to making internationally important
materials accessible to the general public.
At the national museum, she has completed
assignments that range from applying gold
leaf on the frames of masterworks to cleaning
a plaster-of-Paris city model measuring more
than 100 square feet. And still, her current
undertaking is the largest one yet.
The Norwegian government is building
a joint “all-arts” museum, which is slated
to open in Oslo in 2020. Intended to be a
dynamic arena for people to interact with
the visual arts, the space requires new
exhibits so curators and conservators are
working hand-in-hand to select and prepare
pieces for display. Derry is in the midst
of locating, evaluating, cataloguing, and
potentially repairing 400 pieces of furniture
for the museum.
It’s a process that requires passion and
persistence—two words that also perfectly
describe the manner in which Derry has
shaped her career. She’s prepared to
address new challenges if issues arise in a
workshop, at a laboratory bench, or during
the process of managing complex projects.
Even in a soggy situation at a storage
venue, Derry sees the annoyance of
rewrapping objects impacted by a minor
cooling system leak as an opportunity to
formulate a plan for the future should staff
ever need to address a true disaster.
“She can pursue something with
intelligence and diligence and still with a
smile on her face,” Williams said. “That’s
an unusual gift.”
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
11
AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY:
SMALL TO OUR STUDENTS
AND BIG FOR THE WORLD
BY REBECCA JOHN ’13 MBA
O
n September 1, “Augsburg College” officially will become
“Augsburg University”—a change approved by both the Board
of Regents and the Augsburg Corporation.
For generations of Augsburg alumni and friends, it may seem like
the place always has been called “Augsburg College.” That’s been
the formal name of the school for the past 54 years.
Over the course of the school’s history, nearly 24,000 people
have completed degrees at Augsburg. With so many Auggie alumni
accustomed to thinking of Augsburg as a college, why change the name?
In short, the term “university” illustrates the breadth of Augsburg’s
current reality and goals for the future. And, “while our name is
changing,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow, “the essence
of who we are is not.”
As the first seminary created by Norwegian Lutherans in America,
the name Augsburg—chosen by the school’s founders in 1869 to
honor the Augsburg Confession—always has defined the ethos of
this institution and its mission to support those called to service in
the world. Since its founding, Augsburg has been known by at least
four different names. The name has shifted as the school has grown,
but our commitment to an accessible, quality education has never
wavered. Likewise, our dedication to the Lutheran principles of
hospitality, service to the neighbor, and social justice is as steadfast
today as ever.
12
AUGSBURG NOW
In announcing the name change, Pribbenow affirmed
that becoming Augsburg University “does not alter our
dedication to integrating the liberal arts and professional
studies or our commitment to being small to our students
and big for the world.”
Rather than moving Augsburg away from its roots,
the name change helps Augsburg remain both faithful
to its heritage and relevant to the educational needs of
students in the 21st century.
Ever evolving, always Augsburg: Growth
in graduate programs
From its early years, Augsburg stressed that a good
education is practical and focused on educating
ministerial candidates and theological students as well as
farmers, workers, and businesspeople.
So, it’s no surprise that Augsburg today offers
a number of professional master’s and doctoral
degrees — a mix of programs that makes Augsburg
already more like a university than a college. While there
is no fixed definition outlining the distinction between a
“college” and a “university,” offering post-baccalaureate
degrees commonly is associated with institutions named
as universities.
Augsburg’s first advanced degree program, the
Master of Arts in Leadership, launched 30 years
ago. Since then, 3,700 people have earned master’s
or doctoral degrees from Augsburg. This past fall,
Augsburg’s graduate enrollment reached a record
high — representing 28 percent of total enrollment — and
continued growth in Augsburg graduate programs is
anticipated in the coming years.
An international perspective
Today, Auggies live and work all over the world. In many
countries and cultures, the word “college” is associated
with a high school-level education. Alumni who work
in international settings have noted that they already
refer to their alma mater as “Augsburg University” in
order to avoid confusion. For the same reason, the name
change also will help Augsburg be more attractive as a
destination for international students, which represents a
potential growth area for Augsburg.
A view from the outside in
With nearly 150 years of history, it’s no surprise that
Augsburg is well known in the region—even among
people who haven’t (or haven’t yet) studied here. What
impact would a name change have on their perceptions
of Augsburg? We asked the following groups to share their
thoughts:
• high school students,
• parents of high school students,
• high school counselors,
• people considering getting an advanced degree, and
• people who didn’t finish an undergraduate degree
right after high school and are thinking about going
back to school to earn a bachelor’s.
These conversations generated several important
insights, but the core takeaway is that Augsburg’s reality,
reputation, and promise are aligned with the name change.
Our reality and reputation. Conversations with
members of the general community demonstrated
that people associate the word “university” with a
number of attributes that clearly apply to Augsburg.
Specifically, people view universities as having high
academic standards, a commitment to research, strong
international programs, and diverse student populations.
Augsburg has robust programs for scholarly research
and global study, and is recognized nationally for its
leadership in inclusion and equity. In many ways,
Augsburg already embodies much of what people expect
of a university.
The promise of a student-centered university. We also
learned from these conversations that Augsburg has a
strong reputation for direct student-faculty engagement.
We already know how important this is to our alumni,
students, faculty, and staff, but it was gratifying to hear
that members of the broader community also value
Augsburg as a student-centered organization.
This is something Augsburg needs to ensure does
not change. Augsburg University will not become an
institution marked by big campuses or large studentto-faculty ratios. Instead, as is articulated in our
Augsburg2019 strategic vision, Augsburg will be a new
kind of student-centered university, and just as we have
done for decades, Augsburg will remain committed to
educating students for lives of purpose in a vibrant,
engaged learning community.
Learn about the visual identity of Augsburg University
on the following pages.
Learn more about the Augsburg2019 strategic vision, the
name change, and the logo update at augsburg.edu/now.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
13
AUGSBURG NAME CHANGE HISTORY
1869
1872
1892
1942
AUGSBURG
SEMINARIUM
THE NORWEGIAN DANISH
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN
AUGSBURG SEMINARY
AUGSBURG
SEMINARY
AUGSBURG COLLEGE AND
THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
EMBRACING OUR LEGACY
AND OUR FUTURE
When Samuel Gross ’03 was a student at Augsburg, he
designed the original Auggie eagle-head symbol as an
assignment for one of his graphic design courses. The design
was so good, Augsburg ended up buying the rights to the
image and has used the eagle symbol for campus life, student
organizations, and athletics for the past 15 years.
During that time, Gross became an award-winning designer
and creative director who founded his own graphic design
firm, 144design, with a specialty in developing logos for
clients. So, when Augsburg needed to update its logo as part
of the transition to the Augsburg University name, it was a
perfect opportunity to re-engage with Gross to envision and
design the next-generation Augsburg logo.
“Early on, our conversation about the logo confirmed that
this project should be an evolution of the Augsburg brand, not
a revolution,“ Gross said. “We wanted to preserve the strong
recognition that has been built for Augsburg over time.
“Our goal was to preserve and respect the historic nature
of Augsburg’s logo — especially since it already has strong
14
AUGSBURG NOW
[Top Left]: The Augsburg “A”
shape is reimagined.
[Top Right]: Samuel Gross ’03
works on Augsburg University’s
visual identity in April 2017.
[Left]: Gross shows off
merchandise displaying
the first eagle-head symbol
shortly after he created it for
Augsburg in 2003.
energy and good familiarity — while at the same time creating
a treatment that also embraces the future,” he said.
The results, including the updated Augsburg logo, “A”
icon, and eagle-head symbol are shown on the next page.
Separately, the Augsburg seal — which is used on transcripts,
diplomas, and other official documents — was updated by
Augsburg staff Mark Chamberlain and Denielle Johnson ’11 and
is shown on pages 16-17.
1963
2017
AUGSBURG
COLLEGE
AUGSBURG
UNIVERSITY
UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE
Augsburg marks: honoring the legacy
Augsburg logo
Augsburg “A” icon
Eagle-head symbol
The Augsburg University logo is
designed to feel familiar to people who
are already acquainted with the College
logo, connecting the new design with
Augsburg’s legacy. In the new logo, the
word “Augsburg” is more bold than the
word “University.” This approach was
informed by research suggesting that
people’s strong associations are with
the name, “Augsburg,” whether or not it
is followed by “College” or “University.”
The font selected for “Augsburg”
conveys an established, academic feel,
while the font for “University” provides
a sleek, contemporary balance. The
contrast of the two words creates a
dynamic energy.
By strengthening the design of the
“A” icon — broadening its base
and making the vertical strokes
bolder — Augsburg will be able
to use the “A” icon as a standalone graphic element much more
frequently and effectively going
forward.
For example, current plans call
for the “A” icon to be installed on
the shorter ends of the sign on
top of Mortensen Hall. This is one
of the most visible signs in the
region and will be updated this
summer as part of the transition to
“Augsburg University.”
The eagle-head symbol is stronger
and bolder with this evolution.
Whereas the original design lost
detail and contrast when translated
to black-and-white treatments,
the updated design is much more
effective across a broader range
of uses.
Currently, designs using the
updated eagle-head symbol are
under development for an array of
installations—from the Si Melby
gym floor and the Edor Nelson
athletic field scoreboard to the
Christensen Center student lounge
and merchandise sold in the
Augsburg bookstore.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
15
AUGSBURG UNIVERSITY SEAL: HISTORY AND MEANING
Past seals
T
he seal conservation process began as
Augsburg College explored the steps
involved in changing its institutional
name to Augsburg University. The seal
enhances an original centennial
symbol design and aligns with the
institution’s current reality,
reputation, and promise.
THE AUGSBURG COLLEGE SEAL WAS
BASED ON A CENTENNIAL SYMBOL CREATED
BY PAUL KONSTERLIE ’50.
THE LION REPRESENTS AUGSBURG’S
NORWEGIAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE.
AUGSBURG’S CENTENNIAL SYMBOL,
CREATED BY KONSTERLIE.
THE LAMP OF LEARNING
DEPICTS SOUND SCHOLARSHIP.
THE FONT WAS INSPIRED
BY THE CENTENNIAL SYMBOL.
THE SEAL FOR AUGSBURG COLLEGE
AND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
FEATURED MARTIN LUTHER.
16
AUGSBURG NOW
AUGSBURG WAS FOUNDED IN 1869
IN MARSHALL, WISCONSIN, AND
MOVED TO MINNEAPOLIS IN 1872.
THE CROSS DEPICTS THE SIGNIFICANT
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
CHURCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION.
THE SILHOUETTE OF THE
MINNEAPOLIS SKYLINE EMPHASIZES
AUGSBURG’S METROPOLITAN
RESOURCES AND OPPORTUNITIES.
THE DEEPLY THEOLOGICAL
STATEMENT, “THROUGH TRUTH
TO FREEDOM,” SUMMARIZES
THE BELIEF THAT THE TRUTH
SETS US FREE TO BE EDUCATED
AND TO SERVE.
THE EAGLE REPRESENTS
U.S. DEMOCRACY.
THE FOSHAY TOWER RETURNS TO THE CENTER OF THE
SEAL AS A NOD TO AUGSBURG’S CENTENNIAL SYMBOL.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
17
PHOTO BY DON STONER
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
[L to R]: At an Auggie Compass event, panelists Mike Gallagher ’12, Katie Jacobson ’11,
and Dan Brandt ’11 spoke to students about the journey from college to their careers.
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
[Left]: This fall, student-athletes engaged in
team-building exercises led by U.S. Marines.
18
AUGSBURG NOW
[Above]: Student-athletes kicked off evening
workshops by dining together.
WINNING
THE LONG
GAME
BY KATE H. ELLIOTT
Meaningful, relevant workshops
equip students to excel in the
classroom, competition, and
their careers
S
tudent-athletes file past tables,
stacking breadsticks on mounds of
pasta, but this crew isn’t carb-loading
for the next matchup. The nearly 550
students from Augsburg’s 19 sports teams
are preparing to tackle Auggie Compass—a
series of workshops and team-building
exercises designed to inspire personal and
professional success. After piloting the
program in 2014-15, Augsburg Athletics
recruited this year’s lineup of on- and
off-campus partners to engage each class
in issues relevant to each stage of their
undergraduate lives.
Associate Athletic Director Kelly
Anderson Diercks said the biannual
series starts a conversation with studentathletes, then builds upon those
themes each year as Auggies develop
the confidence, expertise, and support
networks they need to navigate known and
unknown challenges during college and
after graduation. For instance, first-year
students discussed study skills, time
management, and wellness, while seniors
learned about financial planning, living
their values, and networking techniques.
“When I moved into my first house,
I didn’t know furnaces had filters, and
that’s just one example of the many things
I should’ve known—but didn’t—before
graduation,” said Anderson Diercks, who
spearheaded the program. “We developed
Auggie Compass from the best aspects of
similar programs and from conversations
with our coaches, student-athletes, and
alumni. Our students seem more aware
of campus and community resources and
better prepared to excel in the real world.”
Panel of alumni shares lessons
from ‘professional lumps’
Among the spring event’s most popular
sessions was a student-athlete alumni panel,
“Not Where They Thought They’d Be,”
which—as the title suggests—invited alumni
to share lessons from their not-so-straight-orsmooth paths to personal and professional
fulfillment. Mike Gallagher ’12 was among
the four panelists asked “not to sugar coat”
their transitions to the workforce.
“My first paid job out of college lasted
21 months before I was laid off with 25
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
19
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
Auggie Compass workshops target needs and issues specific to the phases in student-athletes’ academic and personal journeys. Each session builds
upon the previous event, equipping Auggies with a deeper understanding of their values, career preparation, and wellness practices.
percent of the company’s workforce,
and that’s just one example of the
professional lumps we shared,” said
Gallagher, an academic advisor at
Walden University and the on-air host/
producer of Gopher Sports Update and
MIAC Weekly. “Our stories reinforced
that new graduates likely will have
to do things they don’t enjoy as they
work toward goals. But we encouraged
them to channel the persistence and
dedication they gained as athletes
toward new challenges and to say ‘yes’
to any opportunity to better themselves
or gain new skills.”
Gallagher, also a freelance sports
broadcaster and emcee, talked openly
about his path, which is a fairly common
one: going to college with hopes of
playing professional baseball, then
realizing he wasn’t any better than his
teammates. Then, struggling to find
balance within the fun, demanding
routine of workouts, competitions,
classes, and life until he walked across
the commencement stage and into a
9-to-5 job without the sport, the people,
and the routine he’d always known. “It
is, indeed, a huge wakeup call,” he said.
Women’s golfer Wendy Anderson ’17
was among the seniors who rotated
through the panel discussion. The double
major in music business and accounting
said she valued sessions about financial
planning and interviews, but the alumni
20
AUGSBURG NOW
panel resonated with her the most.
“I’m a type-A, perfectionist planner.
Hearing their stories reassured
me that I may not end up where I
thought I might, but because of these
types of sessions and my Augsburg
experience, I’ll survive and hopefully
have a fulfilling career,” she said. “I’m
glad I attended sessions about fiscal
responsibility, but workshops that
encouraged us to consider our values
and worth and to step outside our
comfort zones were the most rewarding.
Guidance from Auggie Compass
sessions paired with the entirety of our
experiences prepares us to achieve.”
Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79 is
glad to hear student-athletes position
Auggie Compass within the greater
framework of their Augsburg education
and athletic experience. The lessons
and skills are interconnected, he said,
strengthening one another.
“Our athletes learn to win and lose
with class, to embrace leadership, and
to play their role—whatever that may
be—to achieve a shared goal,” said
Swenson, who has been a member
of the Augsburg community for more
than 30 years as a student, coach,
and administrator. “These are all great
lessons for life after sports, and Auggie
Compass builds upon what teams and
coaches are already instilling. At our
core, we are about community and
supporting these fine student-athletes
on their journey. Auggie Compass
prepares them to carry that legacy out
to the world.”
Building skills to navigate a
complex environment
Mike Matson ’07 knows all about
Augsburg’s core principles. They guided
him through his time as one of the
College’s top linebackers, then through
seminary, and now in his role as an
assistant director of leadership gifts at
the College. Matson said Augsburg’s
commitment to diversity, inclusion, and
community outfits students with empathy
and poise to respectfully engage in
meaningful conversations and authentic
relationships. He talked with juniors
about how to lead difficult conversations.
“We live in a complicated world
with complex people and issues, and
those who are able to have difficult
conversations in a respectful manner
advance progress and understanding,”
said Matson, who also serves in the
Navy Reserves and as chaplain for
the Minneapolis Police Department.
“Instead of talking at the students,
we challenged them to work through
case studies. I can’t say I was all that
surprised at how well they handled
themselves, but I was impressed
with how willing they were to share
PHOTO BY DON STONER
PHOTO BY COURTNEY PERRY
This spring, members of the junior class headed to the gym for basketball and bean bag competitions with Special Olympics
athletes, and in September, first-year students learned techniques to manage stress and practice mindfulness.
vulnerabilities, speak about biases,
and view situations through alternate
perspectives. It was amazing to watch
‘community’ happen.”
Unified tournament puts
principles to practice
Student-athletes didn’t only talk about
ideals, they practiced them. Juniors
headed to the Si Melby gymnasium to
compete alongside 40 Special Olympics
athletes in basketball and bean bag
toss competitions. Jennifer Jacobs, who
organized the volunteer effort, said the
tournament underscored Augsburg’s
commitment to service and inclusion.
“We added [the unified competition]
because civic engagement is one of the
college’s co-curricular learning outcomes,”
said Jacobs, then-assistant athletic director
and assistant volleyball coach. “We decided
to collaborate with Special Olympics
because of an NCAA Division III partnership
with the organization and because our
ongoing involvement with the area chapter
continually inspires our students.”
Student-athlete Cody Pirkl ’18 had never
interacted with Special Olympics athletes
before the Auggie Compass event this
spring. Initially, the baseball player had
not been excited about the obligation on
what otherwise would have been a free
night. But as he said goodbye to Special
Olympics teammates, the social work major
said it felt like parting with dear friends.
“We, as college athletes, become so
focused on our own goals and everyday
lives that we forget how rewarding it
is to give back to others,” Pirkl said.
“Our involvement with Special Olympics
shines Augsburg’s positive light on our
broader community, but it also gives us
meaningful perspective. Watching the
Special Olympics athletes’ pure love of
the game reminded me how lucky I am
and how much I love to play.”
Pirkl said he and his teammates took
a lot away from the mix of formats and
engaging activities. That active structure
was intentional, Anderson Diercks
explained, as presenters played to
student-athletes’ competitive nature.
“For years, we had brought wonderful,
inspiring speakers to campus once
or twice a year to talk with students
about hot topics or enduring life-aftercollege lessons,” Anderson Diercks said.
“Although these experts offered great
perspective and information, the format
was a challenge, and we were never
able to cover as many of the topics as
we would have liked. The new Auggie
Compass format allows us to engage each
class in specific topics to prepare them for
the next year and beyond. We can more
easily adjust based on student feedback,
and it’s a nice way to highlight our alumni
and campus experts as well as celebrate
community partnerships and resources.”
Celebrating mindfulness and
meditation
One such resource is Jermaine Nelson, a
meditation and mindfulness coach and
yoga instructor. The former athlete urged
students to seek mind-body connections
as they strive to be more present. He also
reminded them to give themselves grace
during transitions and various phases of life.
“It’s so easy for student-athletes to
continue to eat and sleep how they did
in college without the same level of
activity, and then they look up one day
and realize they are out of shape and out
of sync,” Nelson said. “It’s important
to anticipate, on the field and in life, so
that you avoid injury and prepare for the
next phase of your life.”
Nelson wasn’t expecting to, but looking
out at the dozens of student-athletes
reminded him of his nephew, and
Nelson got personal. His nephew was a
promising college recruit, with plans to
play in the NBA, but he broke down from
all the pressure.
“I wish he would have had a program like
this when he was in school,” Nelson said.
“Imagine all the heartache and recovery he
would have avoided had he been offered the
tools to cope and achieve without grinding
himself into the ground. I worked with
him, and he’s on a good path now, but it
took a while. If Auggies can practice these
techniques now, they’ll succeed.”
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
21
Nelson’s talk reinforced some of the themes presented by
Augsburg’s Center for Wellness and Counseling.
For example, counselor Jon Vaughan-Fier and Beth Carlson, the
center’s assistant director, co-facilitated “Becoming Resilient
to Stress,” which challenged student-athletes to assess what
drains them and to identify ways to recharge. In addition to
discussing the importance of sleep, nutrition, and meaningful
relationships—among other topics—students engaged in yoga,
mindful breathing, and relaxation strategies.
As a senior, Chuckie Smith ’17 took part in Auggie Compass workshops on financial
planning, job search strategies, living authentically, and a variety of other topics.
During the Compass program’s pilot year, the entire CWC
staff also presented on a range of topics related to wellbeing,
including body image, depression, healthy choices, and stress
management, which Vaughan-Fier said is critically important for
today’s overly busy student-athletes.
“To emphasize the connection to sports and improved
performance, we showed testimonials from Seattle Seahawks
quarterback Russel Wilson about his ‘one play at a time’ mindset
and New York Knicks President Phil Jackson’s philosophy of
‘one breath, one mind,’” Vaughan-Fier said. “We hope these
tools help student-athletes as they strive to incorporate self-care
practices into daily life.”
According to a 2015 health survey, the top stressors among
Augsburg students are: a death or serious illness of someone
close, conflicts with roommates, parental conflict, and the end of
a personal relationship. Director of the counseling center, Nancy
Guilbeault, said the opportunity to interact with student-athletes
about these and other topics is a proactive way to introduce the
center’s role and resources.
“Mental health and GPA are linked, and they affect your
performance,” she said. “We want to make sure these studentathletes are working on their physical, mental, and spiritual
health and wellbeing. These sessions provide an overview and
tips, but we also encourage them to follow up with one-on-one
or group support.”
22
AUGSBURG NOW
Financial stressors, professional
communications among top concerns
A key barrier to wellness, Guilbeault said, is stress related to
finances—a worry that plagues many students, particularly studentathletes who might not have the time to hold a job or internship.
To build upon the counseling center’s session, Auggie Compass
introduced a practical question-and-answer session with Tommy
Redae ’09 MBA, a treasury management sales consultant and vice
president of Middle Market Banking for Wells Fargo in Minneapolis.
“Talking with upper-class students, I focused on the importance
of budgeting and managing credit for a healthy financial future,”
Redae said. “I shared several of the many online tools and apps to
help them stick to a budget and monitor credit for suspicious or
fraudulent activities.”
Also in the category of practical and purposeful guidance, Auggie
Compass enlisted faculty mentors Carol Enke and Shana Watters to
offer best practices for professional communications. The pair broke
student-athletes into groups to review and assess emails students
sent professors, many of them lacking clarity, starting with an
informal “hey,” or displaying accusatory language.
“Research shows that people read emails more negatively than
intended, and therefore, communicating effectively in this medium
reduces ambiguity and negative perceptions,” Watters said. “The
students did a great job of improving the emails, and we hope
they will apply the guidance we shared to communicate with
professionals now and in the future.”
Program reinforces Augsburg’s mission,
commitment to students
The blend of practical knowledge and conceptual, creative
exploration reflects Augsburg’s care for and commitment to
student-athletes, and it supports community-building across teams
and among coaches, said Swenson. This year, the program added
a track for coaches that focused on situational leadership, social
media training, and a DiSC® behavioral assessment inventory.
“We’re not offering Auggie Compass to check off the ‘personal
development box,’” Swenson said. “The program was developed
by former collegiate players, thinking about what they wished
they would have known, so that our student-athletes can have
more tools to reach for as they strive for success.”
The creation and evolution of Auggie Compass embodies some
of the innovation, self-reflection, and grit the program aims
to instill. Anderson Diercks said organizers continue to have
conversations with student-athletes, alumni, and experts to align
sessions with players’ needs and to reflect the latest trends and
topics. As a former athlete turned furnace-filter-changing adult,
she knows greatness doesn’t come from perfection but from the
drive to keep playing until you get it right.
HOMECOMING
THOUSANDS OF AUGGIES.
ONE AUGSBURG.
Celebrate the first Augsburg University Homecoming
NEW NAME. SAME SCHOOL SPIRIT. Gather among friends to celebrate the memories
and milestones that define your Augsburg experience. Whether it’s to participate in
a reunion, see campus updates firsthand, or cheer on a favorite team, it’s time to
register for this year’s historic Homecoming—the first as Augsburg University.
Interested in organizing
your reunion?
October 13-14
Call the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations
at 612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Find accommodation information, the event schedule, and more at:
augsburg.edu/homecoming
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
s my second
year as Alumni
Board President
comes to a close, I
look back on the past
several months with
gratitude for what
the Alumni Board
has accomplished. We hope you have enjoyed
recent alumni events, both on campus and off.
At the start of my tenure, when I challenged
the Alumni Board to change, not a little, but
a lot, everyone stepped up to the plate and
went to work. Today the board maintains
more committees with fewer people on each,
operates with clearly defined goals for each
committee, and sustains a high level of
engagement. We’ve also partnered with staff
throughout the College to increase the board’s
effectiveness and relevance.
The Alumni Board continues to seek new
pathways to connect with students, whether
through mentoring, visiting classrooms, or
simply sharing tips on LinkedIn. Students
have said they enjoyed taking part in a
Homecoming lunch last fall where they had
the chance to share a table with distinguished
alumni who pursued similar fields of study.
We also held another successful Auggie
Networking Experience in February, and if you
couldn’t make it to campus, you’ll find some
tips for reluctant networkers on page 27.
In June, we transition board leadership. I’d
like to welcome Nick Rathmann ’03 as Alumni
Board President for the 2017-19 term. He
is full of energy, has a passion for Augsburg,
and is a dynamic leader with innovative ideas
to take the Alumni Board even further. He is
the athletic director at The Blake School, a
longtime supporter of Augsburg as a member
of the A-Club, and an all-around amazing
volunteer. The Alumni Board is in great hands
under his leadership.
I’d also like to recognize Greg Schnagl ’91,
who has led our Networking Committee for
the past two years. His passion for creating
meaningful connections between students and
alumni has helped make the Auggie Networking
Experience event bigger and better.
I recently moved away from the Twin Cities
for work, and I am so pleased to see alumni
events scheduled across the U.S. more often.
In the past two years, alumni gatherings
have occurred in Denver, Las Vegas, Raleigh,
Washington, D.C., and other cities. If you’re in
the Minneapolis area, we hope to see you at
some of this summer’s exciting alumni events!
JILL WATSON ’10 MBA, ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
SUMMER
ALUMNI EVENTS
Minnesota United Soccer Night
June 21 | 7 p.m.
Republic
420 SE 23rd Ave., Minneapolis
Meet for an alumni reception at
Republic from 4:30–6:30 p.m.
before taking the light rail to
TCF Bank Stadium for a game.
7 People. 7 Passions. 7 Minutes.
July 7 | 7–9 p.m.
Sisyphus Brewing
712 Ontario Ave. W., Minneapolis
Hear idea-stirring talks from
seven passionate Auggies.
$10 covers your first beverage
and light appetizers.
Auggie Night at Canterbury Park
July 21 | 5:30–7 p.m.
1100 Canterbury Road,
Shakopee, MN
$5 reservation covers a buffet
meal, $5 of Canterbury Currency,
and reserved seating.
Happy Hour Squared
URBAN ARBORETUM
Join the Alumni Board to sponsor a tree
You can help transform Augsburg into an urban arboretum that serves as an educational
and community resource in harmony with the environment.
Join the Alumni Board’s effort to sponsor a tree in the urban arboretum planned for
Augsburg’s campus. The trees selected for this plan will surround the Hagfors Center
for Science, Business, and Religion and include species native to Minnesota. All gift
levels are welcome.
The total cost to sponsor a tree is $25,000, which includes long-term care and
maintenance. Help us reach this goal by December 2018! Visit augsburg.edu/giving for
more information or contact Amanda Scherer, assistant director of leadership gifts, at
scherera@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1720.
24
AUGSBURG NOW
September 5 | 5–7 p.m.
Brave New Workshop
824 Hennepin Ave.,
Minneapolis
Join alumnae business owners
Jenni Lilledahl ’87 and Jacquie
Berglund ’87 for a happy
hour with a purpose. Make
sandwiches for a good cause
and enjoy a FINNEGANS® as
part of Augsburg’s annual City
Service Day.
For more information and registration,
visit augsburg.edu/alumni.
COURTESY PHOTOS
AUGGIES CONNECT
[Top]: Travelers pose at Wat Chedi Luang Temple
in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
TRAVELING WITH
[Far Left–L to R]: Hans Wiersma and Lori
Brandt Hale, Department of Religion faculty
members and trip leaders, pose with Katie
(Koch) Code ’01, director of alumni and
constituent relations.
AUGGIES
This winter, 15 Auggies traveled to
Thailand and Cambodia with Augsburg
College Professor of English Kathy Swanson
and her husband, Jack, as their hosts.
“The trip was beyond amazing,” said
traveler and Alumni Board President Jill
Watson ’10 MBA. “Our hosts, Jack and
Kathy Swanson, have a passion for the
people and culture of Thailand that was
contagious throughout the trip. They
were always willing to share insights,
recommend food (such as sticky rice and
mango at a floating market) and go out
of their way to help others and ensure
everyone was having a great trip.
“Memories that stand out include
the elephant camp in Chiang Mai, Thai
cooking school, Angkor Wat in Siem
Reap, Light for Kids orphanage, and the
food ... all the foods!
“Traveling with fellow Auggies meant I
[Near Right]: Travelers stand in front of the
Castle Church in Germany where Martin Luther
nailed the 95 Theses to the door.
had at least one thing in common with so
many people I had never met before. By
the end of the trip, I had developed new
friendships, and I will be keeping in touch.”
Celebrating Lutheran heritage in
Germany and the Czech Republic
Last fall, another group of Auggies
traveled to the land of Luther to mark
the 500th anniversary of the Protestant
Reformation. Religion Department
faculty members Hans Wiersma and Lori
Brandt Hale led a group of 30 Augsburg
alumni and friends on a multi-city tour
that included Dresden, Prague, and
Wittenberg—the long-time home of
Reformation catalyst Martin Luther.
One of the highlights for Augsburg
Alumni Director Katie (Koch) Code ’01 was
the opportunity to be in Wittenberg on
Reformation Day. The town marked the
occasion with a festival, and the Augsburg
group visited Castle Church where Luther
nailed his 95 Theses to the door.
“At worship that morning we sang, ‘A
Mighty Fortress is our God,’ which took
me back to my Augsburg days enrolled
in the Luther and the Reformers class
with Religion Professor Mark Tranvik,”
Code said.
Minneapolis Star Tribune reporter Jean
Hopfensperger and photographer Jerry
Holt accompanied the group to chronicle
how Minnesotans observed the 500th
anniversary of the Reformation. In a story
published after the group’s return home,
Augsburg alumnae Carol Pfleiderer ’64 and
Kathleen Johnson ’72 described how the trip
itinerary offered participants opportunities
to build and reflect on their faith.
To view trip photos,
visit augsburg.edu/now.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
25
A GIFT FOR
AUGSBURG IN
ROCHESTER
Louise and Regent
Emeritus Leland
“Lee” Sundet will
help Augsburg’s
Rochester site grow thanks to a generous
$1.5 million gift. The Rochester location
attracts more than 350 working professionals
to undergraduate and graduate programs in
business, education, health care, and nursing.
As longtime supporters of Augsburg,
including the Weekend College and Youth and
Family Ministry programs, the Sundets have
used their frugality to benefit others and to
raise the profile of Augsburg. Several years ago,
in an effort to better communicate Augsburg’s
identity locally, Sundet helped form a marketing
committee and was instrumental in choosing a
new logo with a cross embedded in the “A.” He
remains steadfast in his commitment to religion
and religious freedom as essential to
education.
In his 88 years, Lee has never lost
sight of the basics: thrift, generosity,
and faith.
“I also believe in old-fashioned
discipline—‘don’t spend it till you’ve earned
it,’” he said.
Lee learned these principles early, growing
up in Spring Grove, Minnesota, where most
Norwegian-American community members
attended the big Lutheran church. “My father
died when I was six months old, and my mother
PHOTO BY BRENDAN BUSH
PHOTO BY BRENDAN BUSH
AUGGIES CONNECT
was quite ill so she had to sell everything she
had to pay the bills. She got $7.43 a month,
and of that, 74 cents went to the church,” said
Lee, who has embraced tithing ever since.
A retired industrialist and manufacturer,
Lee owned several companies, including
Century Manufacturing, Goodall
Manufacturing, Britt Manufacturing, and
Fountain Industries. His business acumen
earned him such honors as Minnesota’s Small
Business Man of the Year and the University
of Minnesota’s Outstanding Achievement
Award. The couple has sponsored a business
scholarship at Augsburg since 1992.
Overall, the Sundets are impressed by the
potential of Augsburg’s programs in Rochester
and by the work of another community anchor,
Mayo Clinic, which the couple believes shares
their values.
“Augsburg has come a long way, and I
would love to see it grow in Rochester.”
26
AUGSBURG NOW
“I have met people at Mayo who have gone
through the Augsburg program, and I’ve seen
what it’s done for them. It’s a wonderful thing,”
Lee said. “It wasn’t easy to get it started, but
it’s fun to look back on. Augsburg has come
a long way, and I would love to see it grow in
Rochester.”
tips for the reluctant networker
Augsburg College alumna Jenni Lilledahl ’87 was a featured speaker at the Auggie
Networking Experience in February. As co-owner of the sketch and improvisational comedy
theater Brave New Workshop in Minneapolis, Lilledahl brought insight from the improv
world to the crowd of nearly 300 alumni and students meeting to exchange career advice.
No matter their personality or career, Lilledahl said, all people have anxiety about jumping into
new conversations or taking new career paths. Here she shares tips for individuals to jump-start
meaningful conversations and say “yes” to new experiences.
1.
We all get uncomfortable, yet we cannot let this
feeling control us. Instead, we must face our
fears and immerse ourselves in new experiences.
2.
Sometimes saying “yes” is easier than we think.
Don’t rattle off 20 excuses; jump in with an
open mind.
3.
PHOTOS BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
Stop yourself from using the word “but.”
Instead, use the reframing mindset of “yesand” to add something positive to each situation
you are in. Don’t use excuses to squash new ideas,
possibilities, or adventures. Rather, embrace them.
4.
Be intentional about your communication.
Don’t just be there. Be awake, aware, and
connected to the other people in the room.
5.
Have gratitude for the chance to develop
relationships, share ideas, and try new things.
People who create authentic connections with
others are often more successful than those who
possess only technical skills.
Augsburg alumni and students participated in short
improvisational exercises at the event.
with the Young Alumni Council
Auggies who have graduated from any Augsburg degree program
in the past 10 years are invited to join the Young Alumni Council
and help plan year-round activities for recent alumni. In the past,
the Young Alumni Council has organized a Twins game outing, a
financial planning talk and social hour at Summit Brewery, and an
afternoon of ice skating at The Depot in Minneapolis.
For Young Alumni Council Vice President Evan Decker ’12,
taking part in the group provides opportunities to practice valuable
life and business skills that he doesn’t necessarily hone in his day-
to-day work, such as planning meetings and events, communicating
with fellow alumni, speaking to groups, and networking. Serving the
council also is a way to stay engaged with the College.
“Some people feel there aren’t resources for them after
graduation, and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” Decker
said. “This group is here to help bridge that gap.”
To join the Young Alumni Council,
visit augsburg.edu/alumni.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
27
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
1961
Last year, First
Lutheran Church in
Red Wing, Minnesota, recognized
Arlan Johnson ’61 for 50 years
of service to its choir as a singer
and director. While a student at
Augsburg, Johnson played in
the band for four years and sang
in the choir for two years. He
enjoyed tours with the band and
choir in the Pacific Northwest,
and in 1960 he participated in
an extended Alaskan band trip
to the Anchorage Music Festival.
After graduating from Augsburg,
he completed his education
requirements, student taught at
Braham (Minnesota) Area High
School with Herman Aune ’50,
and finished a second major in
biology. Johnson taught band
and vocal music in Stewart,
Minnesota, and elementary, junior
high, and middle school band in
Red Wing until his retirement. He
and his wife, Phyllis, continue to
live in Red Wing.
1967
5 0-Y E AR RE UNI ON
HOMECOMING 2017
Associate Professor of Chemistry
Sandra Olmsted ’69 retires after
serving Augsburg since 1978. See page 2.
1971
Darrell Skogen ’71
retired after teaching
for 46 years. He spent the
past 41 years at St. MichaelAlbertville High School in
Minnesota. Skogen is the
longest-tenured employee in the
history of the school district. He
taught classes such as AP World
History and AP U.S. History.
Skogen continues to instruct
part-time at the high school
and records stats for its football
program. He says that the
school’s Class 5A football state
championship victory in 2015
was the first in his 50 years
walking the sidelines.
1974
Dr. Subhashchandra
“Pat” Patel ’74 and
Annette (Hanson) Patel ’73
donated their dental clinics
in Clarkfield and Cottonwood,
Minnesota, to Open Door Health
Center of Mankato. Open Door will
run satellite dental clinics in the
towns. Pat retired in June 2016.
Associate Professor of Music
Peter Hendrickson ’76 retires
after teaching at Augsburg for more
than two decades. See page 2.
1977
40- YE A R R E U N I O N
HOMECOMING 2017
In August, Neil Paulson ’77 was
elected state committeeman for
the Republican Party in Orange
County, Florida.
for Advanced Science and
Technology.
1979
1990
Walter Ohrbom ’79
earned a doctorate
in chemistry from North Dakota
State University after graduating
from Augsburg. He retired from
BASF as a senior research
associate with more than 120
U.S. patents. Over the years,
he and his wife, Patricia, have
traveled around the world to
backpack, bike, canoe, and
scuba dive.
Athletic Director Jeff Swenson ’79
draws connections between
student athletes’ time on campus and
leadership roles after graduation. See
page 18.
1988
Kiel Christianson ’88
was promoted to
full professor in the Department
of Educational Psychology
at the University of Illinois,
Urbana-Champaign, where he
conducts research on language
processing, reading, and
bilingualism. He is associate
chair of the department, as well
as leader of the Educational
Psychology Psycholinguistics
Lab and co-chair of the Illinois
Language and Literacy Initiative,
both in the Beckman Institute
In July, Karen Jean
Reed ’90, a music
therapy major, was honored
with the President’s Award at
the Southern California First
Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction
Church Of God in Christ 50th
State Women’s Convention,
held in Palm Desert, California.
She also was nominated for
the 50 Women of Excellence
honor for her exemplary service
and outstanding achievement
in music and administrative
service in local, church,
district, regional, and state
positions. Reed has excelled in
music as a gospel saxophonist
and in women’s ministry. She
was recognized for exemplary
service by Barbara McCoo
Lewis, the assistant general
supervisor of the Church of God
in Christ International. Reed
serves as the assistant regional
missionary for the Santa
Barbara region and also works
with youth. Professionally, she
is a program director at the
Department of State HospitalsCoalinga, overseeing the
treatment of sexually violent
predators. She is the author of
“Music is the Master Key.”
AUGGIES NEAR AND FAR
[L to R]: Sociology Professor Tim Pippert and
Torstenson Scholars Ellen Sachs ’17, Emily
Campbell ’17, and Jen Kochaver ’19 meet with
Mark Johnson ’75 on campus. [Not pictured]:
Torstenson Scholar Mark Daniels ’17.
28
AUGSBURG NOW
Last fall, metro-urban studies alumnus Mark Johnson ’75 invited
Sociology Professor Tim Pippert to the remote country of Vanuatu
in the South Pacific. The pair distributed solar lights donated by
Johnson to villages on the island of Tanna, which in 2015 suffered
widespread destruction due to Hurricane Pam. For Pippert, the
trip was an adventure of a lifetime and an opportunity to observe
the relationships Johnson has developed with local people over the
course of several previous trips.
The connection between Johnson and Pippert was built, in part,
through their involvement with Augsburg’s Torstenson Community
Scholars program that supports undergraduate research. Since
2015, Johnson has funded research opportunities for Auggies engaged in the program, which
is named in memory of Professor Joel Torstenson ’38, a founder of Augsburg’s Department
of Sociology. This February, four Torstenson Scholars traveled with Pippert to North Dakota’s
Bakken oilfield region to assess how residents have been impacted by oil exploration.
From the Auggie Connections blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
1992
2 5-Y EA R RE UNI ON
HOMECOMING 2017
Scott Peterson ’92 has accepted
a call to be the pastor at
Lutheran Church in the Foothills
in La Cañada, California. After
living in Canada for more than
17 years, Peterson has returned
to the U.S. to continue ministry
within the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in America.
1993
Chad Shilson ’93
is the Minnesota
women’s wrestling director for
USA Wrestling. He has completed
his 100th marathon and qualified
for his fourth Boston Marathon.
Marathon running has taken him
to 36 states, including 29 states
in the past two years. A dedicated
daily runner, Shilson has run at
least one mile per day for more
than six years.
1996
Stephanie Harms ’96
and Kristin (Young)
Miller ’91 are helping change the
nation’s response to vulnerable
individuals and families through
their work in the supportive
housing movement. Both
Auggies work at CSH, a national
nonprofit organization that
connects housing with services
for vulnerable populations. Based
in New York City, Miller leads a
successful CSH program that
assists communities throughout
New York, New Jersey, and
Pennsylvania. Harms serves
as chief operating officer and
leads CSH’s communications,
administrative, talent, and
human resource efforts. CSH has
ended veteran homelessness in
several communities throughout
the U.S., created more than
100,000 homes for individuals
and families, and changed public
systems to address the root
conditions that create turmoil in
the lives of vulnerable individuals
and families.
’05
’03
1999
Peter Durow ’99 has
been commissioned
by the American Choral Directors
Association of Minnesota for the
2018 ACDA-MN State 4-5-6 Girls’
Honor Choir. ACDA-MN has been
committed to commissioning
new choral works for all-state
and honor choirs from Minnesota
composers each year since 1975.
Durow serves as visiting director
of choral activities at St. Cloud
State University.
’67
Juliane Derry ’00 blends
science with artistry and
research with intuition as a historic
materials conservator. See page 8.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
Andrea (Carlson) Conway ’05 and Riley
Conway ’05 welcomed a son, Soren Jon, in
December. Soren is the grandson of Jon Carlson ’79
and great-grandson of Jeroy Carlson ’48.
Golf Association and president of Women in the
Golf Industry. She also wrote an e-book titled,
“Hit It, Alice! A Woman’s Golf Guide to Everything
But the Swing.”
Barb (Walen) Hanson ’67 became
president of the Minnesota Golf
Association at its annual meeting in November.
She is the first woman to serve in this role. Since
retiring from her teaching career, Hanson has
been actively involved in the golf world, having
served as president of the Minnesota Women’s
Paul Putt ’03, ’15 MAE and his wife, Katie,
celebrated the birth of a son, Theodore
Howard, in October.
’05
’67
’03
Pete Pfeffer ’87, who holds a Doctor of
Chiropractic degree, and his daughter,
Maggie, served on a chiropractic and medical
’87
’87
mission team in Kimana, Kenya. The team
provided care and education to hundreds of
Maasai villagers living in bomas and orphanages
in an underserved area. Pete and his brother,
Mike Pfeffer ’92, jointly own and serve as
chiropractors for a HealthSource Chiropractic
and Progressive Rehabilitation Clinic in
Alexandria, Minnesota. In addition to private
practice, Pete has taken on a national role with
the HealthSource Corporation to provide training
in technique and rehabilitation procedures for
new franchises.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
29
ALUMNI CLASS NOTES
Mathematics and Statistics
Instructor Alyssa Hanson ’01
is honored with a Distinguished
Contributions to Teaching and
Learning award. See page 7.
2002
JCI Minnesota
(formerly Minnesota
Jaycees) selected Katie
Lindenfelser ’02, founder of
Crescent Cove, as one of the Ten
Outstanding Young Minnesotans
for 2016. The mission of
Crescent Cove is to offer care
and support to young people
with a shortened life expectancy
and their families. The vision
of Crescent Cove is to build
and operate the first residential
children’s hospice and respite
care home in the Midwest.
Started in 1950, the Ten
Outstanding Young Minnesotans
honor is Minnesota’s only
statewide recognition program
for outstanding young leaders
ages 18-40 who have devoted
themselves to improving their
communities. The program
acknowledges the efforts
and accomplishments of
young adults who contribute
to Minnesota through their
service, thought and influence,
community involvement, or
entrepreneurship.
2003
Reginaldo HaslettMarroquin ’03
published “In the Shadow
of Green Man.” The book,
published by Acres USA,
chronicles Haslett-Marroquin’s
upbringing in revolution-torn
Guatemala and how he built his
vision to develop a regenerative
farming model that uplifts
individuals and communities.
Throughout the book, he shares
the fable of the Green Man, a
tiny and wise Guatemalan folk
character whose stories teach
the importance of respecting
the natural world. HaslettMarroquin is chief strategy
officer for Main Street Project,
based in Northfield, Minnesota.
Haslett-Marroquin has
served as a consultant for the
United Nations Development
Program’s Bureau for Latin
America and as an advisor to
the World Council of Indigenous
People. He was a founding
member of the Fair Trade
Federation, and was Director
of the Fair Trade Program for
the Institute for Agriculture
and Trade Policy from 1995 to
1998. He also led the creation,
strategic positioning, startup,
and launch of Peace Coffee,
a Minnesota-based fair-trade
coffee company.
Samuel Gross ’03 designs new
university logo. See page 12.
2007
10-YEAR REUNION
HOMECOMING 2017
Mike Matson ’07 helps teach
student-athletes how to engage
in difficult conversations. See page 18.
Jenessa Payano Stark ’07 began
a Master of Science in Nursing
program at Yale University this
past fall. She is studying in Yale’s
Nurse-Midwifery/Women’s Health
Nurse Practitioner program. She
received a prestigious National
Health Service Corps Scholarship
that pays her tuition and fees,
and defrays her living expenses
for three years in exchange for
future service in an area with a
shortage of health professionals.
2011
Dan Skaarup ’11
and Casey (Ernst)
Skaarup ’11 welcomed a
daughter, Eowyn River, to the
world in December.
Laura Schmidt ’11 and Sarah
Witte ’12 launched a nonprofit,
spiritually based community
called Intertwine Northeast. The
group’s mission is to be “made
and moved by story, convinced
by compassion, always in
process, and about questions,
not answers.”
Mike Gallagher ’12 shares life
lessons with current students.
See page 18.
2014
Composer and
percussionist Zack
Baltich ’14 was featured in
the 2017 Cedar Commissions.
Baltich’s piece “ingress/passage”
used contact microphones
and uncommon performance
techniques on marimba, glass
bottles, and other found objects.
The Cedar Commissions
(formerly the 416 Commissions)
is a flagship program for
emerging artists made possible
with a grant from the Jerome
Foundation and has showcased
new work by more than 30
emerging composers and
musicians.
Catherine Colsrud ’14 was one
of 25 leaders who participated
in the eighth cohort of the
Native Nation Rebuilders
Program sponsored by the
Native Governance Center
and the Bush Foundation.
Representatives from 12 Native
nations from Minnesota, North
Dakota, and South Dakota were
selected for the Rebuilders
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
Kathleen (Watson) Bradbury ’12 and
Krissy Bradbury ’12 welcomed Peter
Gene to their family.
’12
Beckie Jackson ’10 received a
Fulbright Distinguished Award in
Teaching and is one of approximately 45
U.S. citizens traveling abroad through
the program in 2016-17. In January,
she headed to Botswana to spend five
months conducting educational research.
Recipients of Fulbright grants are selected
’10
30
AUGSBURG NOW
on the basis of academic and professional
achievement, as well as demonstrated
leadership potential. Jackson teaches at
Moose Lake High School in Moose Lake,
Minnesota.
Nick Rathmann ’03 and wife, Shannon,
welcomed a daughter, Finley Grace, in
November.
’03
’11
Several Augsburg College alumni serve
as tutors and coaches with Minnesota
Reading Corps and Minnesota Math Corps.
Tutors pledge one year of service in schools
to help children become proficient readers
by the end of third grade and proficient in
math by the end of eighth grade. [L to R]:
Charmaine Bell ’11, Kathleen Abel ’76,
Joaquin Vences ’16, Kacie Carlsted ’15,
Christine Fankhanel ’02, Amy Riebs ’18 MAE,
and Alicia (Oppelt) Musselman ’14.
’91
Nancy Palmer ’91 joined the
Minnesota Reading Corps September
Program as a leadership component of a
larger initiative to support tribes as they
strengthen their governing capabilities.
Colsrud serves the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
as the commissioner of administration, chief
of staff, and acting commissioner of natural
resources. Native Governance Center and
Bush Foundation Rebuilders convened for
four structured sessions during which they
developed action plans to share knowledge
with peers and their respective tribal
governments.
’12
’10
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
Nursing Department Chair Joyce Miller ’02,
’05 MAN, ’11 DNP earns a Distinguished
Contributions to Teaching and Learning award. See
page 7.
Tommy Redae ’09 MBA helps Auggies prepare
for a healthy financial future. See page 18.
Rochelle Fischer ’14 MSW became a hospital
administrator at Anoka-Metro Regional
Treatment Center in January. For the past
four years, she has been an assistant
program director at the Minnesota Security
Hospital in St. Peter, Minnesota, providing
day-to-day operational and administrative
leadership for persons with complex
behavioral health symptoms.
’03
’11
Dan Klein ’15 MBA and Kaitlin (Astleford)
Klein were married February 25 in
Hollywood, Florida.
Nicole (Egly) Olson ’15 MBA and Mark Olson
were married February 24 in Playa del
Carmen, Mexico.
Institute and tutors students in kindergarten
through third grade.
’91
Chris Stedman ’08, an interfaith
activist and author, is joining Augsburg
this spring as a fellow serving the Sabo
Center for Democracy and Citizenship where
he will facilitate and build new community
partnerships for non-religious and interfaith
civic engagement. Stedman also will consult
on the development of interfaith engagement
programs at Augsburg.
’08
’08
31
HEALING WATERS
’68
Jason Kusiak ’08 spends late winter
and early spring long-lining for cod and
haddock, and most of the year catching
lobster. Fishing in long-established seaports
near Gloucester, Massachusetts, gives
Kusiak an appreciation for the area’s rich
history and a healthy respect for those who
made a living fishing the Atlantic in earlier
times. “With fishing,” he said, “you can see
the direct result of your work ethic.”
Today Kusiak recognizes that his
entrepreneurial inclination was shaped by
Assistant Professor of Business John Cerrito
and former staff member Peggy Cerrito, and
that his drive for continual personal growth
was influenced by his involvement in StepUP®, the College’s residential collegiate
recovery community. While at Augsburg, Kusiak found that the College’s
commitment to building strong community connections and emphasis on
learning through experience resonated with him. He now seeks out opportunities
to interact with new people, to give back, and to offer hope to individuals and
families who struggle with substance abuse. He’s driven to invest in the future of
his business and his community.
’78
From the Auggie Connections blog.
Visit augsburg.edu/alumni/blog to read more.
AUGGIE SNAPSHOTS
’83
[L to R]: This fall, Lutheran
Immigration and Refugee
Service President Linda Hartke met
with former U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright and the Rev. Mark
Hanson ’68, former presiding bishop
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, at the LIRS Walk of Courage
Award Gala. Albright and Hanson
were honored at the event for their
commitments to furthering equity for
all people.
’68
’71
Actor and performing arts
educator Luverne Seifert ’83 won
a $25,000 fellowship from the William
and Eva Fox Foundation. He is part of
a national cohort of artists supported
by the foundation, which underwrites
training and career development for
performers. The support will enable
Seifert to deeply explore his art and
travel to France and Switzerland. In the
past 25 years, he has acted at theaters
in the Twin Cities and across the U.S.
’83
’05
[L to R]: Margaret Marx ’78,
Margo Casey ’78, and Cathy
(Kaiser) Bloomquist ’78, all members
of the original second step Bachelor
of Science in Nursing program at
’78
’06
32
AUGSBURG NOW
Augsburg, continue their friendship
today. The women gathered in
Scandia, Minnesota, in September,
and they share this photo as
a reminder of the second step
program’s impact on the nursing
profession in Minnesota.
Bob Stacke ’71 received an
award from the Somali Museum
of Minnesota on the occasion of
the museum’s third anniversary last
October. Stacke has provided music
and photography services to the
museum since its inception.
’71
Janeece (Adams) Oatman ’05,
an Augsburg Alumni Board
member, and Jim Gross, associate
provost for academic innovation
and strategic initiatives, were part of
the Auggie team at the Rochester,
Minnesota, Tour de Cure in October.
’05
Missy (Gaulke) Wilson ’06 completed
her first Ragnar trail race and
’06 her third Ragnar overall race in
September. She ran 15.2 miles on the
Ragnar Trail Northwoods - WI in the
Ragnar relay.
Helen M. (Anderson) Johnson ’40,
Hallock, Minnesota, age 96, on
September 4.
Eleanor C. (Christenson) Kline ’44,
Minneapolis, age 93, on May 31.
Marvin W. Johnson ’45,
Rochester, Minnesota, age 93,
on November 28.
Olav Overold ’45, Cando, North
Dakota, age 103, on January 23.
Bonnie J. (Sorem) Anderson ’46,
Cedar Falls, Iowa, age 92, on
December 7.
Delpha M. (Randklev) Berg ’47,
Grand Forks, North Dakota, age
91, on September 12.
Ray E. Gerlinger ’49, Overland
Park, Minnesota, age 93, on
December 4.
Theodore C. Nystuen ’49, Altoona,
Wisconsin, age 94, on January 19.
Lorraine G. V. (Lundh) Qual ’49,
Lisbon, North Dakota, age 93, on
October 4.
Joan L. (Sears) Ryden ’49, Cedar
Hill, Texas, age 91, on October 18.
Phebe D. (Dale) Hanson ’50,
Minneapolis, age 88, on
December 16.
Evelyn I. (Shelstad) Kriesel ’50,
Alamo, Texas, age 88, on
September 21.
Rhonda M. (Hektner) Lybeck ’50,
Fargo, North Dakota, age 88, on
January 29.
Daniel Nelson ’50, Spicer,
Minnesota, age 90, on
February 14.
Melvin E. Vigen ’50, Irving, Texas,
age 88, on September 26.
Arvild T. Jacobson ’51, Sun City,
Arizona, age 93, on November 26.
Donald H. Olson ’51, Henderson,
Nevada, age 87, on December 19.
Robert “Bob” R. Hage ’52,
Hector, Minnesota, age 88, on
December 16.
William “Bill” J. Kuross ’52,
Hopkins, Minnesota, age 87, on
January 31.
Charlotte M. (Kleven) Rimmereid ’52,
St. Paul, age 86, on December 29.
Roger V. Anderson ’53, Ottawa,
Ontario, age 86, on February 11.
Joan J. (Johnson) Kuder ’53,
Williams Bay, Wisconsin, age 86,
on December 19.
Harry E. Olson ’53, Apopka,
Florida, age 84, on October 7.
Nola E. (Bengtson) Studer ’53,
Bemidji, Minnesota, age 85, on
September 5.
Donna R. (Osland) Gaines ’54,
Laguna Hills, California, age 84,
on September 17.
Ruth M. (Pousi) Ollila ’54,
Minneapolis, age 84, on
February 14.
Betty J. (Dyrud) Oudal ’54,
Rochester, Minnesota, age 85, on
December 31.
Arlene V. (Tollefson) Paulson ’54,
Lake Oswego, Oregon, age 89, on
September 20.
Gary R. Rust ’54, Burnsville,
Minnesota, age 85, on October 12.
Robert “Bob” E. Twiton ’54,
Brainerd, Minnesota, age 84, on
February 26.
Theodore “Ted” S. Berkas ’56,
Minneapolis, age 88, on
January 15.
Robert A. Fundingsland ’65,
St. Louis Park, Minnesota, age
73, on September 19.
Sanford E. Egesdal ’56, Minneapolis,
age 82, on October 3.
Marie D. (Hafie) MacNally ’65,
Minneapolis, on November 7.
Robert A. Roos ’56, Robbinsdale,
Minnesota, age 86, on
September 3.
Dale H. Peterson ’69, Sapulpa,
Oklahoma, age 69, on
November 27.
Merlin J. White ’56, Fridley,
Minnesota, age 86, on
September 8.
Anita M. (Lindquist) King ’70,
Pella, Iowa, age 68, on
September 1.
Raymond Seaver ’57, Fergus
Falls, Minnesota, age 82, on
December 5.
Chuck S. Marsh ’73, Puyallup,
Washington, age 65, on
November 14.
Robert H. Gustafson ’59,
Cambridge, Minnesota, age 84,
on January 28.
Colleen M. (Brown) Olson ’74,
Shakopee, Minnesota, age 63, on
August 20.
John P. Martisen ’59, Minneapolis,
age 81, on August 30.
Sheila M. (Conway) Kortuem ’84,
St. Peter, Minnesota, age 76, on
August 26.
Lloyd H. Reichstadt ’59, Flagstaff,
Arizona, age 84, on November 21.
Paul C. Casperson ’60, Dallas,
Texas, age 77, on January 31.
Wayne R. Juntunen ’60, Esko,
Minnesota, age 83, on
December 5.
Karen O. (Egesdal) Trelstad ’61,
Red Wing, Minnesota, age 79, on
November 30.
Coralyn J. (Lunsted) Bryan ’62,
Minneapolis, age 77, on
October 25.
Joshua B. Lerman ’08, Louisville,
Kentucky, age 33, on
November 18.
Angel G. Rodriguez ’15,
Minneapolis, age 25, on January 3.
Tyler G. Kotewa ’17, Fairmont,
Minnesota, age 25, on
December 7.
Mark A. DiCastri ’18, Minneapolis,
age 29, on February 27.
Clair A. Johannsen ’62,
Hagerstown, Maryland, age 79,
on February 10.
Paul W. Anderson ’63, Moorhead,
Minnesota, age 77, on January 31.
Gaylen K. Heggen ’63, Cottage
Grove, Minnesota, age 75, on
October 26.
The “In memoriam” listings in this
publication include notifications
received before March 15.
SPRING–SUMMER 2017
33
PHOTO BY RICKY TAYLOR ’17
IN MEMORIAM
PHOTOS BY COURTNEY PERRY
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Steve Wozniak inspires Auggies to ‘Learn Different’
Apple, Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak engaged the Augsburg community in a conversation that emphasized the
importance of creativity, education, and innovation in an increasingly connected world. Wozniak launched Apple with
Steve Jobs in 1976, revolutionizing the personal computer industry. Wozniak’s visit took place this winter during
Scholarship Weekend, an opportunity for prospective students to compete for Fine Arts and Honors scholarships.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2012
VOL. 74, NO. 2
inside
called
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Auggie Pastors Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Travel
International photo contest Writers’ challenge
of place Roger Griffith ’84
pagePersonality
20
to
inspire
peace
not... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SPRING 2012
VOL. 74, NO. 2
inside
called
Augsburg Now
Magazine
of Augsburg College
25The
Years
of Life-Changing
Auggie Pastors Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Travel
International photo contest Writers’ challenge
of place Roger Griffith ’84
pagePersonality
20
to
inspire
peace
notes
from President Pribbenow
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Innovation and excellence
Senior Creative Associate-Design
A
s I write this, there is much conversation
around the country about President Obama’s
challenge to colleges and universities to
stem tuition increases and make higher education more accessible. It is an important challenge and one we take seriously at Augsburg.
In many ways, Augsburg’s longstanding commitment to access and excellence prepares us well
to address the challenge. We have developed a
strategic model for using College-funded financial
aid to make college accessible for a diverse student
body. We are involved in ongoing efforts to link academic planning, enrollment outlooks, and a sustainable financial model. We focus our attention as
a campus community on ensuring that students are
at the center of our lives and that their success is
our primary objective. All of these efforts are mission-based and challenge us to be open to innovative ways to ensure that Augsburg’s excellence is
sustained into the future.
In fact, Augsburg 2019, our strategic map,
names innovation and excellence as one of our
three key pathways to our future. (The others are
student success and telling Augsburg’s story in
word and deed.) You will read in this issue of
Augsburg Now about several innovative projects,
including the Nobel Peace Prize Forum (see page
9), the American Commonwealth
Partnership (see page 2), and the opening of the
new Gage Center for Student Success (see page 3
and back cover).
All of this said, however, we still must ask ourselves a fundamental question about higher education and about Augsburg in particular. That
question is this: Is it worth it? Why would any of
us—parents and students who pay tuition, alumni
and friends who make gifts—invest the time and
energy and money that college demands?
It is a question I think a good bit about, though
I certainly will admit my bias as a lifelong educator. In engaging in the important public conversations about the role of higher education for our
economy and democracy, there is great value in re-
visiting the reasons why the sort of education
Augsburg offers is worth it—for our students, graduates, and the world.
I find essayist and poet (and farmer) Wendell
Berry’s words in his prose-poem “Damage” particularly instructive when he writes: “No expert knows
everything about every place, not even everything
about any place. If one’s knowledge of one’s whereabouts is insufficient, if one’s judgment is unsound, then expert advice is of little use.”
Education, in other words, is not about taking
someone else’s word for it. It is about finding our own
way into an understanding of our world and our
whereabouts so that we might use our education to
make our whereabouts safer and healthier, and more
fair and just. This is how we think about education
here at Augsburg. Students come here not to be filled
up with someone else’s knowledge but to find and
ask their own questions, to test their own hypotheses,
to create their own art and music, and to engage our
neighborhood and world as they learn and serve. They
come here to learn about themselves, to learn with
each other and with our remarkable faculty, and to
learn about the world they inhabit with all its diversity
and complexity.
And then in a few short years, we send them
out from here to use their education in service and
leadership in the world. We count on them to take
the questions they have asked here and knowledge
they have gained about their whereabouts, and
then we watch with great pride and expectation
how their Augsburg education makes the world a
better place for all of us.
Accountability for our plans and budgets? Indeed. Innovation and excellence in support of our
students? You can count on it. But in the end, we
must be passionate advocates for the value—the
worth—of the sort of education Augsburg offers
and the difference it makes for our students and
the world. I thank all of you for your support and
passion. Please share our amazing story!
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
spring 2012
augsburg now
Features
9
13
24
28
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
COMPILED BY REBECCA JOHN
WE ARE CALLED.
auggie pastors.
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
.
14 Bob Bagley ’58
16 David Lillejord ’86
18 Jeni Falkman Grangaard ’02
20 Peter Morlock ’90
22 Stephanie Quick-Espinoza ’01
9
contents
13
26
On the cover
At the 24th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Augsburg’s President
Paul C. Pribbenow was joined by F. W. de Klerk, former South African
president and 1993 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and Peter Agre ’70,
2003 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and director of the
Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
24
26
28
International photo contest
Auggie writers’ challenge
COMPILED BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
The personality of place—student break room
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
Departments
inside
front
cover
2
5
6
30
31
36
40
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
My Auggie experience
Auggie voices
Auggies in the front office
Alumni news
Class notes
It takes an Auggie
quad
around the
SportsExtravaganza
American
Commonwealth Partnership
Augsburg was named coordinator of the nationwide
American Commonwealth Partnership (ACP), launched in
January by the White House Office of Public Engagement, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The ACP
is rooted in the recognition that education should be—
must be—delivered for the common good rather than be
allowed to become an individual benefit only for those
who can afford it. As coordinator, Augsburg will work to
deepen connections and relationships
and create policies, initiatives, and practices in
public engagement efforts across higher
education. Read more on page 6 of this
edition of Augsburg Now.
Auggies majoring in physical education had the chance
in November to work with more than 225 grade school
kids from 27 schools during the Sports Extravaganza. All
the youth who attended have developmental and/or physical needs and participated in nine different activities designed with their needs in mind. The program is a chance
for future teachers to get hands-on practice working with
students.
Academic
ACCREDITATION
education
Youth Day
Native American
More than 250 Native American youth from grades 6 through 12
were on campus January 13 for Native American Youth Day. As
part of their visit, the students from eight metro-area school districts had the chance to hear Olympian Billy Mills talk about living
a drug-free, alcohol-free life. Mills, who was born and raised on
the Pine Ridge (Lakota) Reservation in South Dakota, also spoke
about “Unity through Diversity” in an evening presentation open
to the public.
2
Augsburg Now
The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher
Education (NCATE) Review Board granted Augsburg’s
Education Department programs continued national accreditation until 2017. Accredited programs include
initial licensure programs in elementary, secondary, and
special education at the undergraduate and graduate
level. NCATE also granted a two-year accreditation to
advanced licensure programs. In addition, the department’s teaching and service to the community
received the highest possible rating by the NCATE
Review Board.
nursing
The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education
(CCNE) Board of Commissioners granted accreditation
to the College’s post-master’s Doctor of Nursing Practice
Program for a term of five years, the maximum time
frame granted for accreditation of new programs.
Clair and Gladys Strommen
EXECUTIVE LEADER SPEAKER SERIES
The 2011-12 Clair and Gladys Strommen Executive Leader
Speaker Series kicked off in November with Steve
Wehrenberg ’78, CEO of Campbell Mithun advertising
agency. In February, the series welcomed Keith Wyche,
a leading African-American executive and CEO of Cub
Foods. The next event in the series, March 29, features Jim
Owens, president and CEO of HB Fuller. All Strommen Executive Leader Speaker events are free and open to the public.
C E L E BRAT I N G
3 0
Y E AR S
GAGE CENTER CELEBRATION
The Center for Global Education celebrates its 30-year anniversary
of offering cross-cultural learning experiences that foster critical
analysis of local and global conditions. During December, CGE
hosted its first trip to Cuba since 2005. The program provided
participants an opportunity to learn about politics, health care,
food security, workers’ rights, and more. Beginning in the fall of
2012, Augsburg will conduct semester-long programs in Cuba
with courses in history, political science, sociology, and Spanish
language. The program will be coordinated by CGE in conjunction with the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, an organization
based in Havana and dedicated to community development and
national and international politics. Augsburg is one of only a
handful of colleges to offer such a unique learning opportunity.
Representatives of the Gage and Groves Family foundations joined Augsburg College staff and faculty in
February for the grand opening of the Gage Center for Student Success and the Groves Center of
Technology, located at the heart of campus on the second level of the Lindell Library.
Celebration of
Philanthropy
Modeling Constructive Debate:
The Celebration of Philanthropy, the second annual celebration of supporters and friends of the College, is June 7.
The event is open to current annual donors who have
made gifts of $1,000 or more in fiscal 2012, Sven
Oftedal Society members, donors who have made cumulative gifts of $25,000 or more, and donors who have given
to the College for 15 or more consecutive years. Invitations to the event will be mailed this spring.
Augsburg’s annual Sabo Symposium modeled constructive debate in addressing some of the contentious issues surrounding
K-12 integration funding in Minnesota. The panel included
Peter Swanson and Scott Thomas, co-chairs of the Minnesota
Integration Revenue Replacement Advisory Task Force, who
discussed their experiences on the task force to illustrate how
people with differing perspectives can lead and model civil
discourse in order to work together productively.
Sabo Public Policy Symposium
To learn more about the Symposium,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Spring 2012
3
quad
around the
MANY VOICES
BOLD VISIONS
New academic programs
The Augsburg College Board of Regents has approved two new
graduate-level programs—the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative
Writing and the Master of Music Therapy—which will launch in the
fall of 2013.
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing offers tracks in fiction,
creative nonfiction, poetry, and screenwriting. Playwriting will be
added in 2014. The MFA will be offered through a low-residency,
hybrid model that includes online and face-to-face learning.
The Master of Music Therapy will address changes to the minimum professional requirements for music therapists as set by the
Music Therapy National Board. The program, offered via a combination of online and face-to-face learning formats, focuses on
music and medicine, which is projected to be a growth field in
nursing homes and hospice care.
Also, the Augsburg College faculty approved an ESL (English as
a Second Language) teacher licensure program, an area of demand
in K-12 education today. The program is currently pending final
approval from the State of Minnesota and will be offered at the undergraduate and graduate levels of the College’s teacher education
programs.
Where Condor Meets Eagle
NATIVE AMERICAN FILM FESTIVAL
Frederic Luskin, director of the Stanford
University Forgiveness Project, spoke February
11 at the Center for Counseling and Health
Promotion Convocation about the process of letting go of hurt, helplessness, and anger, while
increasing confidence, hope, and happiness.
At this year’s Batalden Symposium in Applied
Ethics, members of the Augsburg community
explored the effects of youth on political
change in Egypt through first-hand accounts
from members of the EYouth (Engaging and
Empowering Egyptian Youth) project, who described their experiences as part of the protests
and their observations about the process of
youth-led political change in Egypt.
Kenna-Camara Cotton,
director of Voice of
Culture Drum and Dance,
a Minneapolis-based
Black dance company,
performs an African
dance at the January
Martin Luther King Jr.
Convocation.
Photo by Mark Chamberlain
Augsburg Now
The Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation, held
January 16, featured T. Mychael Rambo, local
actor, vocalist, and educator. The convocation
featured other local performers using poetry,
song, dance, and imagery to explore the topic,
“Now is the Time: Giving Voice to the Dream.”
A full schedule of the 2011-12 Augsburg
College Convocation series is available at
www.augsburg.edu/convo.
Augsburg’s Native American Film Series partnered with
Phillips Indian Educators and the Parkway Theater to
present a three-night film festival in March celebrating
indigenous film, collaborations across national boundaries, and visual storytelling. The festival featured films
by Bolivian and North American artists, many of whom
attended the screenings and participated in audience
discussions about their films. The festival title, Where
Condor Meets Eagle, reflects the prophecy that when
the condor (Bolivia) meets the eagle (North America),
the Indigenous continent will be healed.
4
Convocation Series 2011-12
my
Auggie experience
Beating the Odds
After completing her PhD from Yale in 2009,
Chandra Erdman ’02 was in high demand.
She was recruited for tenure track teaching
positions at several universities, and the
global banking firm Goldman Sachs also
came calling with an attractive offer. But
Erdman’s dream job was to work for the U.S.
Census Bureau.
Today, she is one of the 39 percent of
Washington, D.C., residents who work for
the government. She is a mathematical
statistician in the Center for Statistical Research and Methodology, a group that
makes up less than one percent of U.S.
Census Bureau employees.
She also happens to be the only African
American ever to obtain a PhD in statistics
from Yale University.
There was a time, however, when Erdman
did not care about graduating from high
school, much less obtaining a college degree. But with the encouragement and support from those who recognized her
potential, she has not only succeeded as a
scholar, she has also landed her dream job.
In the 10th grade, Erdman was truant 59
days; if she had missed 60 days, she would
have been expelled. While speaking to mathematics students at Augsburg in January,
Erdman said she had an “attitude” in high
school. Despite her truancy and her bad attitude, she maintained a 4.27 grade point average (out of 4.33).
At the end of her 10th grade year, she
met a man who directed a program that
helped inner city youth focus on their education. “I didn’t think college was an option
for me,” Erdman said. Neither of her parents had graduated from high school, and
in the low-income housing community
where she grew up, she knew no one who
had gone to college.
Erdman enrolled in the Post-Secondary
Enrollment Options program (PSEO) at the
University of Minnesota. After two years, she
transferred to Augsburg to complete her undergraduate degree in mathematics. “My
only aunt who had been to college went to
Augsburg,” she said, “and this just felt like
the right place for me.”
Erdman continued to excel at Augsburg as
a McNair Scholar, a federally-funded program that assists first-generation and low-income students with preparation for graduate
school. She also conducted faculty-led research, served as a supplemental instructor
for Calculus I and II, and tutored in mathematics. Through McNair, and with the guidance of several staff and faculty members,
Erdman realized that a graduate degree
could be in her future.
“They helped me along each step of the
way, getting me prepared and helping me do
what I needed to become a strong applicant
to grad school,” she said. Erdman applied to
and was accepted by three graduate programs in statistics. She chose Columbia,
where she received a full fellowship.
In the summer before graduate school and
again following that year, Erdman participated in Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education (EDGE), a program aimed at helping
women prepare for graduate study in mathematics. She completed her master’s program
in one year and then went on to Yale to pursue a PhD.
When she finished her PhD program,
Erdman applied to the Census Bureau and
heard nothing from them for three months.
Then she learned that the director of the statistical research division was speaking at a
conference in Washington, D.C. She bought
a train ticket and went to meet him. “At the
end of his presentation, I walked up to him,
handed him my C.V., and said, ‘I want to
work for you.’” They talked, and he later invited her for an interview.
Today Erdman works in the Center for
Statistical Research and Methodology at the
U.S. Census Bureau. “I wanted to work at
Census because I wanted to look at good
data, but I got put into the missing data
methods group that only looks at bad data,”
she said. Still, she loves her work and speaks
enthusiastically about the projects in which
she has been involved.
Now that she is finished with school and
settled into her career, Erdman hopes to find
a way to mentor other young women through
the EDGE program.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Spring 2012
5
auggie voices
Higher Education as a Public Good
In January, Augsburg joined the White House Office of Public Engagement, the
Association of American Colleges and Universities, the U.S. Department of Education, other education organizations, philanthropies, and businesses in launching the American Commonwealth Partnership (ACP) to begin a year of activity
exploring how colleges and universities can reclaim their civic identity. At the
heart of this initiative is the recognition that higher education should be—and
must be—delivered for the common good rather than be allowed to become an
AT THE CREST OF A WAVE
For many years, Augsburg, with its mission of educating students
to be “informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers,
and responsible leaders,” has resisted forces turning higher education into a private benefit rather than a public good. When the
public opinion group Public Agenda recently sounded people’s
views on the role of higher
education, they found little
awareness that colleges
and universities can contribute to the health of
neighborhoods, or that they educate students to be problem
solvers with skills of working across differences.
But describing these roles in focus groups also generated animated discussion and created hope. Many remarked that few
places any longer teach such skills. There was the sense that the
country is dangerously polarized and losing control over our collective future.
On January 10 at the White House, many higher education
groups launched a major new coalition, the American Commonwealth Partnership, to respond to the civic crisis. It has support
from the Department of Education, which released a new “Road
Map and Call to Action,” emphasizing citizenship education.
Augsburg is the inaugural host institution for ACP, which seeks
to mobilize colleges and universities in developing “civic identity,
not simply civic activities.” By engaging in this exciting project,
Augsburg is at the crest of a new wave of reengagement of higher
education with communities and the world.
DEMOCRACY AND
CITIZENSHIP
HARRY C. BOYTE is the director of the
Center for Democracy and Citizenship
at Augsburg College and serves as
national coordinator of the American
Commonwealth Partnership.
6
Augsburg Now
individual benefit only for those who can afford it.
As part of the dialogue about the role of higher education in building civic
identity, we asked Augsburg faculty from various academic departments to provide their perspectives on how higher education serves the public good. Their
responses are published here.
For additional information on higher education as
a public good, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
CITIZEN NURSES:
A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON HEALTH
In our society today, people have become so medicalized that we
often forget that health is not about the absence of disease but a
place of belonging. At Augsburg College, the Department of Nursing has focused on returning to what nursing was originally intended to be about—relationships—by opening two drop-in
community health centers.
One of these centers provides care to people living on the streets
of Minneapolis. This center has been in existence for almost 20
years, and the nurses there engage with 120 people each week. We
listen, provide basic necessities, and take the time to make sure
people feel they are supported and are part of a community.
Our other drop-in center, the Health Commons at Dar Ul-Quba,
is a new project focused on immigrant health in the CedarRiverside neighborhood of Minneapolis. Our efforts at Dar
Ul-Quba have been about
trying to help people not
only to understand our
healthcare system but also
to realize how they can practice health and healing as they did in
their country of origin. The center also helps people come together
to create the change they want to see in their neighborhood.
To us, being citizen nurses means that we are working to
strengthen our communities in ways that avoid the expert model.
We see people as collaborators and co-creators. Through their experiences at the drop-in centers, Augsburg nursing students are
changing their worldviews in ways that benefit our society. Our
hope is to continue to do just that.
NURSING
KATIE CLARK is an instructor in
Augsburg’s nursing department
and serves as coordinator of the
Augsburg Nursing Center.
“
In exchange for services rendered to the
neighborhood organization, Augsburg
students are privileged to observe and
learn about citizenship, democracy, and
being a ‘steward of place.’
”
AUGSBURG: AGENT AND ARCHITECT OF
DEMOCRACY AND STEWARD OF PLACE
The work of Joel Torstenson, Bernhard Christensen, Myles
Stenshoel, Vern Bloom, and Robert Clyde reveals the history of
Augsburg’s role as agent and architect of democracy and steward
of place and provides the context for our current activities. As I
reflect and write about their work, I marvel at their insight, commitment, and capacity as agents and stewards of place, well before it was in vogue or even acceptable. I probably would not
have remained in higher education were it not for Augsburg’s
valuing such a commitment for faculty and welcoming me to be
a part of this vision and endeavor.
For 30 years, students in my Human Community and Modern
Metropolis course have engaged in a service-learning experience
in collaboration with the official
neighborhood organizations
surrounding Augsburg: CedarRiverside, Seward, Phillips, and Powderhorn. In exchange for
services rendered to the neighborhood organization, Augsburg
students are privileged to observe and learn about citizenship,
democracy, and being a “steward of place.”
In addition to seeing and feeling the value of grassroots efforts to take responsibility for a neighborhood and influence the
wider political context, students have learned firsthand about
community organizing, community development, and public
service. Many students, as alumni, have expanded their sense of
vocation, both as citizens and professionals, through these engagements with the commonwealth and as stewards of place.
SOCIOLOGY
GARRY HESSER is a professor of
metro/urban studies and sociology
at Augsburg College.
To read Hesser’s complete submission,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
FROM COMPLEXITY TO COMPASSION
In his book My First Summer in the Sierra, John Muir offered a
sentiment which, more than 100 years later, represents as good
a justification for higher education in contemporary society as
one is likely to find in any college catalogue: “When we try to
pick out anything by itself,” he says, speaking of the profoundly
ecological nature of the world, “we find it hitched to everything
else in the Universe.”
To be sure, college campuses—meaning the empirical kind
with living, breathing students, with staff, teachers, textbooks,
trees, quads, and stadiums—sit
squarely at the various junctures
of this tangled-up creation, seeking from these vantage points to
understand through intensive study the pressing issues, the
timeless questions, and the persistent, ineluctable mysteries
that unite our places in time and space with those of countless
others.
College is literally where and when we hope to experience the
joy that comes with accessing the eternal through the particular.
It is where we come to study, in our specific yet overlapping disciplines, the problems of the world so as to appreciate the complexity of all things—because it is, without question, an
informed appreciation for complexity that inspires reflection and
breeds compassion.
ENGLISH
COLIN IRVINE is an associate professor of English at Augsburg College
and serves as the summer 2012 research coordinator for the College’s
Office of Undergraduate Research
and Graduate Opportunity (URGO).
“
College is ... where we come to
study, in our specific yet overlapping
disciplines, the problems of the
world so as to appreciate the
complexity of all things.
”
Spring 2012
7
ARTS-BASED CIVIC DIALOGUE
Arts programs in higher education are all the more vibrant when
a wealth of voices and bodies come together to create and discuss work. Community-engaged performance is progressive pedagogy; it’s theater by, for, of, and about the people—and it can be
an integral part of a civic-minded college culture.
Last winter, the student ensemble of The Living Newspaper
Project: Everyone Has Something used collective research, writing, workshops, and performance to generate discussion about a
taboo topic: the stigma attached to mental illness. They engaged
with audiences through post-show talkbacks and panels, academic conferences, letters in the Augsburg Echo, and outreach
to local community organizations.
Next fall, students will be invited to tackle a Town Hall Nation
project by creating short performances around campus that gen-
THEATER ARTS
erate civic dialogue on campus about students’ financial needs
and crises. Town Hall Nation is a national engagement initiative
inviting arts organizations, colleges and universities, and other
community groups to create 30-minute events that demonstrate,
present, or embody an ideal town hall meeting. Students of any
major may audition for or volunteer to participate in the Town
Hall Nation project, as with any other Theater Department production.
SARAH MYERS is an assistant
professor in Augsburg’s Theater
Arts Department.
“
Community-engaged performance is
progressive pedagogy; it’s theater
by, for, of, and about the people—
and it can be an integral part of a
civic-minded college culture.
”
8
Augsburg Now
“
In transforming individuals, we transform
our communities and our world.
DEVELOPING INDIVIDUAL AGENCY
TO TRANSFORM OUR WORLD
”
Higher education is often viewed as separate from the public
arena, something accessible to a few and beneficial to only the
individual. However, higher education greatly impacts the public good, and that impact is the true mission of higher education. In transforming individuals, we transform our communities
and our world.
In this era of globalization, individualism seems to serve little
purpose. Preparing children to live in a global society is essential and should begin in the K-12 years. Higher education then
is a continuation of that learning and a time to step out into the
world. With this in mind, while higher education does serve the
individual, the larger goal is the influence each individual will
have on the greater public good.
The impact of higher education is increasingly more visible
and far reaching. More frequently, civic engagement has become part of higher education curriculum. The need for students to see and experience a more seamless connection to
their acquisition and application of knowledge is essential.
Knowledge is not only something centered in higher education institutions; it is also something constructed and exercised within the community.
Knowledge then becomes transformative not only to the individual but to the broader community, society, and world. This is increasingly being seen through civic engagement projects such
as Public Achievement, service learning, and travel abroad experiences where students and faculty “develop agency” through
active rather than passive means that, in turn, inform theory
and future practice.
EDUCATION
SUSAN O’CONNOR is an associate
professor of education at Augsburg
College.
“I can really say that [the Nobel Peace
Prize Forum] has changed my
perspective of the world around us!”
“Couldn’t have asked for a more thoughtprovoking and inspiring three days.”
These are just two of the sentiments shared via social media
by participants of the 24th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum,
held March 1 to 3.
The Nobel Peace Prize Forum exists to inspire peacemaking by celebrating the work of Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Founded as a unique partnership between the
Norwegian Nobel Institute and five Norwegian private colleges—Augsburg, Augustana (Sioux Falls), Concordia (Moorhead), Luther, and St. Olaf—the Forum this year moved to its
new, permanent location in the Twin Cities. It is organized by
Augsburg college in partnership with the Humphrey School
of Public Affairs and with ongoing sponsorship from the original college partners.
With “The Price of Peace” as its theme, the 2012
Forum introduced a new format with topical tracks—Business Day, Arts and Music Day, Education Day, and Global
Studies Day—to engage participants in exploring the relationship of stability and peace to business, to arts and
music, to education, and to international policy.
A number of tracks and events were sold out, including
Business Day, the Education Festival, and Global Studies Day.
In fact, as coverage by major Twin Cities media grew on the
second day of the Forum, more than 200 additional tickets
were sold for the closing day of the event.
In addition to the tremendous attendance, the Forum
fostered dialogue around the world through livestreaming.
Students from Assumption University of Bangkok, American
College of Norway, the Copenhagen Business School, Nagasaki University, and Nelson Mandela University of South
Africa watched keynote addresses live, submitted questions,
and engaged in dialogue about peace.
For additional photos, video links, and social media
quotes about the Forum, go to www.augsburg.edu/now
NOBEL PEACE
PRIZE FORUM
WE INSPIRE PEACEMAKING
Spring 2012
9
THE 2012 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
10
Augsburg Now
THE 2012 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
Spring 2012
11
“The prizes of peace, in fact, come to us in very little stages…but in order to claim them, we must be willing to pay the price…We have to be willing to recognize and celebrate the humanity of those whom
we view as enemy…We must start from the place of believing that those who are opposed to us…are
human beings with a story of their own to tell. We must start from an awareness that our side is not
necessarily all good.
The price of peace is the price of our pride…the certainty that we are right…the comfort that we are
on God’s side…As we go out into our lives, be prepared to pay the price for peace—the price of uncertainty, the price of humility, the price of recognizing our connectedness as human beings.”
—Naomi Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Forum “Call to Action” address, March 3, 2012
Augsburg College thanks the sponsors of the 24th annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, whose financial support and subject matter expertise helped make the 2012 Forum a success.
We also owe thanks to the many volunteers, faculty, and staff from all of the participating colleges and universities. We are grateful
for the perspectives shared by speakers, the participation of our student and community attendees, and the dedicated work of the volunteers who ensured this rich and vibrant event ran smoothly from beginning to end.
Now that the 2012 Forum has concluded, we invite you to stay connected to the work of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum by signing
up for e-mail updates at www.peaceprizeforum.org, and by following us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nobelforum) and Twitter
(@NPPF).
Finally, be sure to mark your calendars for March 7-9, 2013. We look forward to seeing you next year!
BUSINESS DAY SPONSORS
MAJOR EVENT SPONSORS
SPONSORS
3M
A Million Copies Initiative
Borton Volvo
Jeanne M. Voigt Foundation
Minnesota Public Radio
Nordic Home Interiors
GLOBAL STUDIES DAY SPONSOR
Oslo Center For Peace and
Human Rights Foundation
Winds of Peace Foundation
Special thanks to our
2013 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
LEAD SPONSOR
12
Augsburg Now
THE 25TH ANNUAL NOBEL PEACE PRIZE FORUM
March 7-9, 2013
Augsburg College and the
University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs
WE ARE
CALLED.
auggie
pastors.
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Last year, Bob Bagley ’58 submitted an idea for a story about his
teacher, mentor, and friend, Mario Colacci.
His submission sparked an idea. We decided to interview different
generations of Augsburg pastors who have served in a variety of
settings. We wanted to know who inspired them. We wanted to
share their experiences and highlight the similarities and differences in their ministries. We wanted to know what they want our
readers to know about their lives as servants.
The following interviews are with pastors Bob Bagley ’58, David
Lillejord ’86, Jeni Falkman Grangaard ’02, Peter Morlock ’90, and
Stephanie Quick-Espinoza ’01.
To read Bob Bagley’s story about Mario Colacci,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Spring 2012
13
14
Augsburg Now
’58
BOB BAGLEY
Retired. First call in Papau New Guinea; served most recently part-time at Christ Lutheran in Lake Elmo, Minn.
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
Here’s the biggie: Bishop Rogness’ dad,
Alvin Rogness…when I came to a rural
parish after being in New Guinea, he said,
“Bob, you use this small parish to better
yourself for future ministry.”
So here’s what I did. I made advanced
standing in clinical pastoral education. I
was endorsed for specialized ministry,
which most pastors don’t make, specializing in chaplaincy work in hospitals. After
my fourth parish, I went to Hazelden and
did a four-year chaplaincy program. Then I
was endorsed for veterans’ hospital ministry. I was a chaplain for a year at the big
VA Hospital in Minneapolis.
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
The first parish after Papua New Guinea
was easy because it was a bunch of loving,
Norwegian farmers. It was a good place to
get re-acclimated to the American way of
doing things after five years overseas.
What are some of the most interesting
or prominent changes you’ve seen in
the church in your career or since you
went to seminary?
There’s a lot more support in empowering
the pastors to do what they’re most gifted
to do. You can’t do everything; you can’t be
good at everything. I think a middle-sized
parish should have a changeover of pastors
every six years because in six years you’ve
kind of done everything and it’s time to
move on.
The concept of the old Lutheran Free
Church and many of the old ELC churches
was that they were tired of the pastor doing
everything and deciding everything, and
they hardly needed a church council. The
reaction to that was “We’re going to tell the
pastor what to do.” Now it’s changed so
that the pastors are empowered to do whatever they’re most gifted in.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for
guidance and encouragement?
I work with 60 global students at Luther
Seminary who come from all over the
world. I also did ministry with people with
alcohol and drug issues. At Gethsemane
Lutheran in Maplewood and where I am
now, I established Stephen ministry, an
outreach. I do more training to help others
minister to people in great need.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
It would be where Jesus said to the whole
church, “I send you.”
The motto that I follow is: Go out and
share the love of Jesus, and only if necessary, say something. Naomi (my wife) says
too often I end up telling people I’m a pastor. She says, “You don’t have to say anything. Just be you.”
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
I’ve never been satisfied to stop growing in
pastoral care and I’m available when people want to talk. The gift I learned from a
Catholic priest in my chaplaincy training is
this: He asked me what I consider to be my
primary gift. I said, “I don’t know.” He
said, “When you’re talking with someone,
there’s just an automatic pipeline between
your eyes and their eyes, and that removes
all reluctance to talk.” I can get people to
share stuff with me that normally would
take four or five visits, but they know I care
about them by just looking them in the eye.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
At the VA Hospital, I touched the lives of
people there who, if I hadn’t had special
training, I wouldn’t have been able to help.
One guy owned a million-dollar auto dealership, and he wouldn’t sign his will and he
was dying. It was on a Saturday that I wasn’t even supposed to work. The people were
waiting for me at the door saying I needed
to come up and talk to their dad. I sat
down with him and his son and had Holy
Communion as a Lutheran priest (he was
Catholic). When we were done, I said,
“Your family is so upset. It’s unbearable for
them that the doctor says you’re dying, and
you haven’t signed your will.” He kept saying, “Nope. I got a few loose ends to tie up
at the dealership.” In the end, I got him to
sign his will by promising I would help him
tie up the loose ends. A cheer went forth to
the Lord above. The next day he was playing cards with his friends in the hospital,
and three days later he died.
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
I probably would have followed in my older
brother Emil’s footsteps and have done
some aspect of social work.
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
Well, I would be meeting Jesus, not God,
and he would say, “Well, welcome thou
good and faithful servant.”
Spring 2012
15
’86
DAVID LILLEJORD
Senior Pastor, Mount Calvary Lutheran in
Eagan, Minn., until March 2012; now Senior
Pastor, St. Andrew in Eden Prairie, Minn.
16
Augsburg Now
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
I mostly learn about myself—what I do
well, what I can improve upon. As a little
kid who grew up in a parsonage, I knew
people inside and out and was able to see
in them the really good and the really bad
or indifferent. I knew the goodness and the
wonderful nature of the church and the underbelly, so what I’ve learned in 20 years is
mostly about myself.
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
I think the issue is the number of people
who simply are not attending church, even
people that years ago would have naturally
been inclined to find a new home, start a
family, baptize their kids, go to Sunday
school, and become involved in the life of
the church. There’s a whole subset of people who simply have not engaged for myriad reasons.
What are some of the most interesting
or prominent changes you’ve seen in
the church in your career or since you
went to seminary?
I think an awful lot of changes have happened in seminary training. When I attended 20 years ago, it was simply, “We
need to teach you how to teach people the
historical context and facts about the
Bible.” I think now it is so much more,
“What does this mean for our life?” I do
think the younger people who do go to
church want a direct connection between
what scripture says and how it will connect
with their lives. That means we have to
make our message contemporary and even
futuristic.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for guidance and encouragement?
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
I’m part of a team ministry, and I’m able to
hear really good sermons delivered by my
colleague. It’s hard to listen when you’re
talking, so I’m fed in and through my colleague who preaches the gospel well. For
guidance and encouragement, I’m so inspired by the members of the congregation.
I’m always greatly fortified by the faith that
parishioners have. I go in as a kind of spiritual lifeguard, and they end up humbling
me. They encourage me because they live
out their faith. It’s like a good teacher who
is fed by the students. My biggest supporters are my wife and children. They are my
lifeline—other than Jesus, of course.
The importance of balancing all those three
and the holistic nature of that continuum.
Being a pastor today is different, thankfully, than when my dad was younger,
which was you basically served the church,
often at the expense of spending time with
family. I have a wife (Joy) and three children: two in hockey and one in soccer who
also rides horses.
Also it’s important for members to
know that the vast majority of pastors are
trying as hard as they can. It’s just a very
difficult and challenging job.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
I would say more of a theme or concept,
one I learned from one of my many mentors. It is that God is in relationship with
you through Jesus. It’s a declaration; it’s
not a theory or something that needs to be
validated. It’s just “God is,” and you explore how that’s true. You notice it, you
name it, and you claim it.
We had a healing service a number of years
ago for a woman who was diagnosed with
terminal pancreatic cancer. We had never
been asked to have a healing service before. So we constructed a service with the
laying on of hands. Not that long after the
healing service she went to the doctor and
they did tests, and the cancer was gone.
When we heard about the lack of cancer,
even we were amazed.
Who at Augsburg inspired or guided
you, and how?
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
The religion professors at Augsburg were
helpful to my life of faith because they
were “good” and solid Lutherans. I have
heard stories of Lutheran colleges that tell
students: “What you were taught in Sunday
school and Confirmation was wrong.”
Thankfully, the professors at Augsburg
helped us look deeper into scripture
through a Lutheran lens.
After this long I can’t imagine what it
would be; however, psychology also makes
me tick.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
It would probably be, “Your mom’s over
here.” She died much too young, and I
would love to see her again.
Spring 2012
17
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
It’s a huge learning experience … things
from how to learn about sump pumps,
budgeting, working with office managers,
how to be tactful and graceful, how to balance a really chaotic life and come at it
with some sensibility and some sense of
peace—all of these are a big part of my
learning experience.
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
One is dealing with a local sugar producer. A
lot of our people harvest beets, and we have
a lot who work in the plant. Their union has
been locked out since August. There are
some people who aren’t union who are working 12-hour shifts now and can’t see their
families. I also have people who are on the
board there. So I don’t make any comments
on the issue. It’s really messy, and there’s no
one side to stand on.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for
guidance and support?
Spiritual practice for me means finding time
for silence. Colin (husband) and I went to
Taizé in France and got into the rhythm of
simple prayer, silence, and meditation. I turn
to colleagues and good friends who are in
similar positions for guidance. There are
some good seasoned pastors who have made
themselves available to have conversations
with, and certainly our bishop’s staff at the
synod has a lot of experience.
Who at Augsburg inspired or guided you,
and how?
Augsburg was a place that really rooted my
faith in the world and really shaped the person I am today. Having not grown up in
church, I was so young in faith when I came
18
Augsburg Now
to Augsburg. The Religion Department faculty took time to respond to my questions,
especially Janelle Bussert, Bev Stratton,
Mark Tranvik, Lynn Lorenzen, Brad Holt,
Phil Quanbeck, and Lori Brandt Hale. Pastor Dave Wold and Pastor Sonja Hagander
were my first pastors, and they invited me
into the language and liturgy of being
Lutheran. The Center for Global Education
taught me to see that faith isn’t just a personal relationship with God but a deep engagement with the world, especially in
places of suffering; they helped me to see
that God is with those who suffer. Augsburg
prepared me to be a pastor before I began
discerning the call to ordained ministry.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
There have been a lot of different verses that
I’ve clung to at different times. Galatians
2:19-21.
19
For through the law I died to the law, so
that I might live to God. I have been crucified
with Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live,
but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I
now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for
me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if
justification comes through the law, then
Christ died for nothing.
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
I just want people to know I’m easy to talk
to, and I’m not trying to get anything from
them. I’m not here to tell people they are
behaving badly. I’d rather just talk about
the gospel. I want people to know we don’t
fit into a mold, and pastors aren’t the
guardians of the gospel. No one can claim
ownership on the gospel.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
I did a prayer service and funeral for a 54year-old man who had served on the board of
a local company. There were over 1,000 people, and we had to have the funeral at a bigger church in town. There’s something
strangely beautiful about a funeral. There’s
no pretending. It’s an inevitable part of life.
Sometimes it’s a celebration, but this one
was special. Before I entered the church, I
closed my eyes and was praying, and there
was a beautiful light streaming in through
the stained glass windows. It was a really
meaningful service. I’m still reflecting on it
and getting comments on it. Working with
the family has been strangely affirming and
grounding.
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
What I hope I’d hear God say is, “I kinda
like that Josh Ritter song, too.” The song is
Thin Blue Flame, and it includes lyrics
like: “Only a full house gonna have a
prayer,” and “You need faith for the same
reasons that it’s so hard to find,” and “And
all wrongs forgotten and all vengeance
made right. The suffering verbs put to
sleep in the night.”
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
If I knew, I would go be that. I don’t know!
Sometimes I think I’d like to be a chef. I like
the idea of making meals and baking bread
and spending time with people. Part of me
wants to design websites. The thing about
being a pastor that is so appealing, other
than the vocational call that brings you there,
is that you have permission to be a generalist. You get to do a lot of different things.
’02
JENI FALKMAN GRANGAARD
Pastor, Glyndon Lutheran Church, Glyndon, Minn.
Spring 2012
19
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
All kinds of stuff! One of the things that they
can’t really teach you in seminary is how to
get into a community and to become part of
that community. You can’t really teach how
to enter into the daily life and get a sense of
the pulse of the community.
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
One of the things I’ve found myself dealing
with that I hadn’t thought of while I was in
seminary is helping people with their dayto-day problems. There’s such a variety of
things that may come up. One day you’re
talking with someone about their medications, which I know nothing about, or
you’re talking with someone about daily living and how it is to do that.
What are some of the most interesting
or prominent changes you’ve seen in
the church in your career or since you
went to seminary?
One of the trends I’ve seen over the years
is a wider inclusiveness, if you will, in an
issue that’s near and dear to my heart. I’ve
seen a concerted effort by the church to
make their buildings and their worship
services and facilities more accessible and
more friendly to folks with disabilities. All
the things that bring people in and into
contact with the gospel are good stuff.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for guidance and encouragement?
One of the challenges of being a pastor, especially in a setting like this, is where I go
to feed myself, to “the well.” I have a
men’s Bible study that I’m part of at
20
Augsburg Now
church, and they have become the group
where I go to get fed. I also meet regularly
with my chaplain colleagues in the area,
and we worship and pray together.
Who at Augsburg inspired or guided
you, and how?
Without doubt major influences during my
time at Augsburg would include the following people: Pastor Dave Wold, Don
Gustafson, “Gabe” (Prof. Stephen
Gabrielsen), Tom Rossin, and my fellow
choir members (1986-1990).
One of the things that I truly appreciate
about Augsburg, even today, is the willingness to engage the idea of vocation and
make intentional questions about the connection between faith and life. Throughout
my time at Augsburg and even beyond that,
these people were/are instrumental in my
walk of life and faith. In broad strokes they
helped to provide the arena in which my
self-understanding and my sense of call
were shaped and honed. Daily contact with
these folks helped me to see vocation in
action and also gave me the space and the
courage to face and voice my questions.
They were, and still are, willing to engage
with me and push me in conversation and
prayer.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
people who work only on Sundays. In this
setting, people aren’t entirely sure what to
do with you. One thing I wish folks would
think of is the importance of spiritual stuff,
the spiritual nature, and how that needs to
be supported and fed.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
We did a service on our Alzheimer’s unit to
break up the winter blahs. We did a renewal of vows ceremony for one of the residents and her husband.
They’d been married for 56 years.
We had a big wedding party, and what was
really neat is that on that unit, it’s kind of a
crapshoot as to whether or not the resident
will remember who their family members
are.
For that particular moment in that service, the wife, Alyce, walked out of the
kitchen and she saw her husband, and her
face lit up, and she came up to him and
chucked him in the chin and said, “Let’s
do this again, sweetie.”
It was awesome. It turned out to be a
meaningful experience for Alyce and her
husband and their family because they’d
never had a wedding. Their families didn’t
like each other, so they eloped. And they
both passed away within three months of
that ceremony.
The walk to Emmaus story resonates really
highly with me, particularly in the work I do
now. A lot of what I’m called to do is walk
alongside people at the end of life. I also
like Psalm 121.
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
“Hi, welcome home.” That’s the short
answer.
I think the perception is that pastors are
A kindergarten teacher.
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
’90 AND GUIDO
PETER MORLOCK
Director of Spiritual Care, Cerenity Senior Care, St. Paul.
Spring 2012
21
Senior Pastor, New Hope Lutheran Church/
Iglesia Luterana Nueva Esperanza in North Aurora, Ill.
’01
STEPHANIE QUICK-ESPINOZA
22
Augsburg Now
Photo by Sally Ryan
As a pastor, what did you learn that you
didn’t expect to learn?
How to get rid of chickens roosting in the
sacristy!
What is an issue that you never imagined yourself dealing with as a pastor?
Racism. We often feel that our U.S. society
is advanced and racism no longer exists,
but we are ignorant to and/or ignore how it
permeates our lives, culture, and even our
church. It is difficult for me to see how
racism has affected the lives of the people
I have been in ministry with—from Inupiaq
in Alaska, to Nicaraguans living in Costa
Rica, to Mexicans and other Latinos in the
Chicago area.
What are some of the most interesting
or prominent changes you’ve seen in
the church in your career or since you
went to seminary?
A decrease in the intentionality of becoming an inclusive, multi-cultural church. I
would like to see more support of ethnic
ministries within our church. For example,
there are no longer classes held in Spanish
at the seminaries for Spanish-speaking student pastors.
What are your own spiritual practices?
Where/to whom do you turn for
guidance and encouragement?
I attend the Spanish worship service on
Saturdays at the congregation my husband
serves, San Andres Lutheran Church. The
mostly Mexican congregation has a great love
for the Virgin of Guadalupe (Mary). As a person firmly grounded in Lutheran tradition
and faith, I have incorporated the Virgin into
my spirituality and turn to her for guidance
and encouragement. My Lutheran and Christian faith says that I only need to pray directly to God. I don’t need intercessors,
though I find it comforting to ask the Virgin,
as mother of our Lord Jesus and mother of all
of us, to pray with me.
Who at Augsburg inspired or guided
you, and how?
The whole religion department really inspired me, both academically and in my
faith. Their classes were interesting and
unique. The quality of the classes helped
prepare me, even more than seminary, for
ordained ministry. PQ2 (or Phil Quanbeck
II), Janelle Bussert, and Lynne Lorenzen
especially guided me by always being willing to lend an open ear to listen to my
questions about my courses, future seminary plans, and just life in general. They
are pastors who were my pastors and
helped me become a pastor.
Is there a particular passage of scripture that frames your call to ministry?
I remember [Professor] Dick Hardel
retelling the call of Isaiah to my Youth and
Family Ministry class at Augsburg. After
Isaiah said, “Here I am, Lord, send me!” I
knew I was called to ministry and I also
said, “Here I am, Lord, send me!”
What is one thing you wish non-clergy
knew about your life/identity/call as
a pastor?
A pastor is on call 24/7, which is really
hard on your family life. It is even harder
because my husband is a pastor, too. We
have people wanting to talk to us starting
at 7 a.m. and sometimes we even get calls
at 3 a.m.
What is one of your most memorable
services?
When I was a missionary in Costa Rica, one
of the congregations I served was only
youth and children. Holy Communion was
always a powerful experience, as I watched
sometimes 80 children come forward to the
Lord’s table with their arms outstretched
and their hands held out in front of them to
receive the sacrament.
During a worship service, I noticed that
one small boy came through the communion line twice. It was only after the service,
I realized it was because he came from an
impoverished family and was hungry. After
that, I gave every child a whole tortilla,
rather then a small piece of bread or a
host, during communion.
What do you think you would be if you
were not a pastor?
A religion professor at Augsburg or a firstgrade teacher.
When you meet God, what do you hope
God says to you?
Well done, good and faithful servant.
Share your stories…
We know these are just a few of the dedicated, inspiring Auggie pastors serving around
the world. If you’d like to tell us who you are and what you’re doing, choose your favorite
question from those we asked our pastors, and send an answer and a photo to
now@augsburg.edu. Or, post it on your personal blog, on Facebook or Twitter, and send
us a link. We’d love to hear from you!
Spring 2012
23
INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
24
Photo Contest
A
A
“Tabacchi” Amanda Rowan ’13
Siena, Italy Landscapes/cityscapes, First place
B “The Elder” Susie Mechtel ’13
Maasai Mara, Kenya Portraits, First place
C
“Afternoon Nap” Jasmine Zand ’12
Dubai, United Arab Emirates Portraits, Second place
D
E
B
“Autumn Fjord” Reed Johnson ’12
Flam, Norway Landscapes/cityscapes, Third place
“Que Viva Cuba!” Danielle Goodwin ’12
Havana, Cuba Photojournalism, First place
F “Iglesia El Rosario” Jakob Anderson ’12
San Salvador, El Salvador Photojournalism, Second place
G
“Chichicastenango, Guatemala” Danielle Goodwin ’12
Chichicastenango, Guatemala Portraits, Third place
Augsburg Now
H
I
C
“Recess Stroll” Caleb Wagner ’12
Havana, Cuba Photojournalism, Third place
“Shepherd’s Field” Jasmine Zand ’12
Beit Sahour, Palestine Landscapes/cityscapes, Second place
To view more student photos,
go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
D
F
E
H
G
I
Spring 2012
25
AUGGIE WRITERS’ CHALLENGE
ith the 2013 launch of the new Master of Fine Arts
in Creative Writing (see Around the Quad, page 4,
and www.augsburg.edu/mfa), Augsburg will welcome even more aspiring writers to the College. To celebrate
Augsburg’s tradition of creative writing excellence, we asked
Augsburg English Department faculty to help us recruit
Auggie alumni writers for a creative writing assignment.
The assignment was to write a 250-word piece—of any
genre—based on the photo below. We told the writers nothing about the photo—not when or where it was taken or by
whom. Following are the stories they crafted. Read their stories first, then see the photographer’s story, below.
W
Write
on!
The Cat
Kayla Skarbakka ’09,
writing consultant,
Walden University
THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S STORY
While studying in Augsburg’s Weekend College program,
Philip Pelto ’10 made this self-portrait for a class. He wrote:
The photo was taken at my condo in downtown Minneapolis. It’s looking
east out over the Depot and the Guthrie Theater, and Augsburg is not too
far off in the distance to the right. It’s a self-portrait, and I was experimenting with the lighting. I was trying to get a cool silhouette with the
outside in focus. What I wound up getting is this really cool photo that
reminds me of where I came from and where I am now. The photo conjures up feelings of success. I’m in my condo, surveying my city, taking
it all in. There’s a sense that I’ve made it.
Alan found the cat in Mom’s bed, under the sour-smelling comforter. It was a weasely thing, patchy, crusty-eyed.
“Did you know about this?” he asked the girls.
Erin was folding a sweatshirt, one of the syrupy ones, printed
with wildflowers and the words Someone special calls me
Grandma. She looked up and gasped.
“Where did it come from?” she asked.
Helen, who’d been sorting jewelry, glanced up and wrinkled
her nose. “The question is, where is it going.” She’d always had
an armored sensibility. “You know,” she added, “the boys are allergic.”
Alan sat down by the cat. It flicked its tail, which was hooked
and jointed like a broken finger.
“Um,” said Erin, which was how she started most arguments.
“I can’t really bring it on the plane.”
“Well,” said Helen, “I certainly won’t take it home.”
Alan offered no excuse, and they didn’t him ask for one. They
rarely did.
They’d had few tussles that day. Alan gave the girls credit for
that. A debate about the sofa, one watery altercation regarding
Dad’s old Dutch clock, but for the most part, they’d worked efficiently, tallying, dividing, and claiming.
Alan claimed little. A bar stool, because one of his had broken.
A crucifix, because Helen made him. But otherwise he’d chosen
odd jobs, clearing the fridge and garage shelves, and stayed out
of the way.
It was a tactic he’d learned early on from Dad…
To read more of Kayla Skarbakka’s story
go to www.augsburg.edu/now
26
Augsburg Now
Late Morning Window View
Jeremy Anderson ’07, client relations manager, Furnituredealer.net
First thing,
stop at Charlie’s on the corner
for a sweet chai on the go.
Catch the rail and scroll
the morning news. Work will start
soon enough, bustling tables,
shit shooting with the regs.
Don’t let Old Rick ride
you too much
because tonight it’s microbrews
along St. Anthony Main.
Usual sites, different taste
(order something the menu describes
as dark and complex).
Let ’em flow down and just talk and listen and talk back.
Try and top ’em. Tell ’em, Tell ’em what you learned,
what you read, who you ran into, that thing you Googled the other
day and what popped up. Remember when? Remember when?
Remember when? And all that shit. It’s good
to let it blur. The best is when it blurs into something
unclear. My head is warm. My arms, heavy and strong.
There’s a pulse in these veins, an exciting calm to the night until
eventually I’ll gaze back out this way
with an arm snug around my Laura (maybe, hopefully)
and a glass of pinot
in my other hand as street lamps torch the dark
dark sky.
Profile Pic
Orion Wisness ’03, technical consultant, Kroll Ontrack
Here is a man who wants to keep you guessing. He looks away
from you but commands your attention by looming large in the
patio doors. He chooses a strong stance, a confident pose, all
while hiding in the light of day right in front of you. But he appears
more hat rack than human. An armless X meant to distract you
from the finer points, the tiny details, which expose his personality.
You suppose he is doing one of three things in decreasing order of
profundity: practicing Zen Croquet, contemplating the evening’s dinner (the size of the grill suggests he consumes a fair share of red
meat), or standing fully clothed in the sunlight in order to tan only his
face. He has cats and creases in his pants. He’s tidy for sure, but he’s
forgotten Mr. Whiskers’ ball near the door jamb. He prefers a shirt
with a collar but won’t spring for a rug to wipe his feet when stepping
from the balcony. A grocery bag near the grill contains the shadow of
a Chihuahua, which makes you wonder why a man so tall would have
so tiny a dog?
You could puzzle yourself with questions all day, but what you want
to do is tap him on the shoulder. The opposite shoulder from where
you’re standing. Make him guess where you are, who you are, and
what you’re doing.
The Apocalypse, as
Seen from Unit 24E
Jaye Lawrence ’05 WEC,
director of web communications,
Carleton College
Franklin liked order. Neatness. Discipline. He’d been a drill sergeant once,
and it showed. You could take the
man out of the Army but never the
Army out of the man.
Military experience was an asset. It
kept him alive, and his ragtag band of
survivors too. But that need for order?
That was a problem. That just might
be the thing that finally drove him
mad.
Franklin no longer lived in an
orderly world.
“You should be asleep,” chided a
voice behind him, thready with age.
“Weren’t you supposed to wake me
for CQ duty at oh-three hundred?”
Esther. Franklin didn’t turn or relax
his stance, but the corners of his
stern mouth twitched. He didn’t smile
much, never had, and he sure as hell
didn’t have occasion to anymore—but
83-year-old Esther Rosenberg from
23C, bona fide blue-haired lady, former bane of the condo board of directors, spouting military jargon? That
tickled his funny bone.
With a slow soft tread of orthopedic
shoes, Esther crossed the room to
stand beside him. Franklin inspected
her with a sidelong glance, granting a
curt nod of approval to the pistol accessorizing her polyester pantsuit.
Esther always kept his rules. Many
who’d been younger, faster, and fitter
had not.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“I like seeing the sun come
up again.”
“Ah.” A sigh, light as a whisper.
“Yes, I do too.”
Esther patted his arm. She used
her left hand, keeping the right free
for the pistol.
Franklin smiled.
Witness
Andrea Sanow ’09,
administrative assistant,
Augsburg College Office of
Undergraduate Research and
Graduate Opportunity
They catch sight of each other’s
shoes underneath a bathroom stall,
and when they are washing their
hands, they are too embarrassed to
look each other in the eye.
Then, they are strangers the next
semester when they take Calculus
together. They laugh about being two
of the four girls in the room and they
bond over the fact that they aren’t
going to major in mathematics. And
when Emily doesn’t come to class,
Rachel worries.
Em, where r u?
My grandma died, take notes
for me.
And Rachel goes to the funeral.
And they take classes together. And
they live together and share clothes
and try to learn to cook while they
recount the jokes of every day.
Then, Rachel travels abroad and
one night, from somewhere in South
Africa where she has gotten drunk
for Em’s 21st birthday, she writes:
Here’s what I see on my walk
home: a tree that grows at a 90degree angle out of the sidewalk, a
woman sitting with a baby, a spraypainted stencil of a tiny red man, a
few kids who ask me to say something with my accent, and a man,
who every day sees me walk back to
my apartment and the triangle from
foot to crotch to foot reminds me
that somewhere we remember geometry or whatever and you are passing
me a note and we’re meeting after
class and you’re pissed—I’ve borrowed your favorite pair of shoes.
Spring 2012
27
1
3
6
4
C
5
E
B
D
A
7
personality
of place
STUDENT BREAK ROOM
BY STEPHEN GEFFRE
28
Augsburg Now
A TEXT MESSAGE GOES OUT AT MIDNIGHT
ON JANUARY 1. “HAPPY NEW YEAR!
And we are working tomorrow. See you at 6:30 a.m.”
The next morning, groggy students stroll into the facilities building, a small
gray box behind the ice arena. They make their way through a maze of tools,
vehicles, and junk into the far back corner, where they fall onto a plethora
of salvaged couches and chairs. Then they fall back to sleep and wait for
their boss, Bruce.
1
KOELE—A family tradition since 2006, the Koele brothers (Jason and Kyle) have worked on the grounds crew.
The years in green are when only Jason worked, the
years in white are when they worked together, and the
year in blue is when Kyle was the lone Koele brother.
2
THE MANNEQUIN—She was found in a residence hall
trash chute. Over the years, some of the more interesting items from the trash are added to her ensemble.
Her accessories have come exclusively from the residence halls.
3
WEST HALL SIGN—The students gather unused and outof-date signs to use as decoration. Almost all of these
are from the sign cache in the Luther Hall underground
parking lot.
4
THE KUBB TROPHY—Kubb is an ancient Viking game
that uses wooden sticks to knock over wooden blocks.
The grounds crew and other facilities staff play Kubb in
Murphy Square on their summer lunch breaks. Stats
are kept throughout the seasons, and the top players
are awarded the Kubb trophy (which never leaves the
break room).
5
THE HEAD—Found in a residence hall trash chute, the
head is used to torment student “B,” Brittany Hecker.
It is placed by her when she is sleeping, put in her
backpack, or just thrown at her to freak her out.
6
I-94 FLAG—The flags in the Urness/Mortensen hall parking lot along the I-94 corridor are replaced yearly, and
the old, tattered flags are distributed among the student crew. Some have even found their way to students’
rooms.
7
THE FURNITURE—All of the furniture has been scavenged from residence hall move-out day in the spring
semester. There are enough couches and chairs in the
break room so that everyone gets their own, but the
Lazyboy recliner is the softest and most coveted chair.
It is, therefore, reserved for the grounds crew student
supervisor’s hindquarters.
2
F
This is a typical start to the new year for a group of Augsburg students who
are lucky enough to work for Bruce Rowe, the College’s groundskeeper.
With Bruce and assistant groundskeeper Arlen Madigan, these students
make sure the grass is clipped, the flowers are pruned, the snow is shoveled, and the campus is maintained year round.
One perk of their job is access to the grounds crew student break room—
a mixture of reclaimed and repurposed items. According to Kyle Koele, the
current student supervisor, the room holds a kind of history and acts as an
unofficial museum of Augsburg College.
STUDENTS IN PHOTO
A—Kyle Koele
B—Brittany Hecker
C—Mary Hildestad
D—Benjamin Grant
E—Jacob Haehnel
F—Meghan Novak
Spring 2012
29
auggies in the front office
Supporting the home team
Roger Griffith ’84
Last season, he didn’t make any three-point shots, pull down
any rebounds, or have any assists on the court. But Roger
Griffith ’84, executive vice president of the Minnesota Lynx,
did have a great season—in part because the Lynx brought
home their first championship title, and in part because of the
team’s dedicated fans.
Griffith came to the Timberwolves franchise in 1994 as a finance officer. When the Lynx, Minnesota’s Women’s National
Basketball Association (WNBA) team, came to the state in
1999, Griffith took on the role of executive vice president. In
that role, he is responsible for making decisions about the head
coach and working with the coaching staff on player and personnel relations. He also maintains the team roster and oversees scouting and drafting functions as well as the signing of
free agents. Basically, he said, his work supports the coaches
so that they can focus on coaching.
And that is how he contributed to the Lynx’ winning 2011
season. In October, the team completed its season, beating the
Atlanta Dream in a three-game sweep of the WNBA championship series. It was the team’s first championship and first
appearance in the playoffs since 2004.
“The championship game was very nerve-wracking,” Griffith
said. The team was behind at half-time, but Griffith said they
weren’t worried. “We had always been a good second-half
team, and we knew we had the skills and talent to pull
ahead.” They did, but nearly lost their lead in the final minutes of the game.
“It was stressful,” Griffith said, “but it was also fun and exciting to see the large number of fans who traveled to Atlanta
to support the team.”
Griffith said the Lynx fans are one of the best parts of his
job. “Last year, through the whole season, it was great to be
able to sit in the stands and look away from the game to see
how much the experience meant to the people,” he said. “Our
fans have been extremely loyal and supportive, and they got
their payoff when we took the championship title.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
30
Augsburg Now
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear Auggies,
n the time since my fall letter, I hope
you enjoyed the holiday season with
your family and friends, and I hope the
new year has begun well for you. With
help from our fellow alumni, we have
been making a difference in our communities and engaging with our student
body. In November, we focused on giving
back to the community at our Alumni Board meeting. Partnering
with Brian Noy, coordinator of Augsburg’s Campus Kitchen program, we participated in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich-making project and produced 250
sandwiches that were taken
to a local homeless shelter.
It was a fantastic project
and the most fun I can remember ever having at a
board meeting!
In December, when thousands
of Augsburg alumni and friends
gathered at Advent Vespers, many
brought basic hygiene supplies and
warm clothing to donate to the Augsburg
Central Health Commons (ACHC), housed at Central Lutheran
Church. Alumni who attended the Auggie Night at the Races last
summer did the same, helping the center to provide for community
members in need.
Auggies will have another opportunity to give back on June 5 by
participating in a Feed My Starving Children event. Please see details on how to register in the information listed on page 33.
I am pleased to announce that alumni engagement is at an all-
i
s
e
i
augGEg
T INVOLVED
time high! Alumni event attendance is up by 25 percent compared
to last year. We are thrilled to see this progress. It is due in part to
your feedback that we have seen such great results. Knowing what events are meaningful and fun for you
drives our program development. Thank
you for your consistent feedback and participation.
In February, the Alumni Board hosted
the annual Student and Alumni Networking event. This event consistently attracts
alumni who are passionate about being a
resource to current students, while providing them the opportunity
to reconnect with fellow alumni. If you or someone you know would
like to help connect or get connected to alumni or students, please
consider attending this event in the future.
Another tool to reconnect you with Augsburg and fellow alumni
is the Maroon Pages. This online tool helps recognize and promote
alumni businesses on the web. It can be used as a marketing tool
for the self-employed as well as a resource for students to reach
alumni for job hunting or networking.
Lastly, I want to lift up the Eye-Opener Breakfasts that are
held quarterly at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul and the
Strommen Executive Speaker Series, which takes place on campus
on a regular basis. These events give alumni opportunities for personal and professional development by hearing from successful
leaders within our community. Come to be inspired, to network
with peers, and to reconnect with your alma mater.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni to learn about all the excellent
resources available to Auggie alumni.
ROBERT WAGNER II ’02
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
The Augsburg Alumni Association is looking for volunteers to serve on
the Alumni Board. All alumni are welcome and encouraged to apply.
The Alumni Board is a governing body of the Alumni Association.
Together with the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations, it
provides resources and opportunities to engage alumni with the College and each other through consistent communication, inclusive
programming, and intentional relationship-building. To apply or get
more information, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni/getinvolved.
Spring 2012
31
alumni news
What a Legacy!
As an Augsburg graduate and as the
director of parent and family relations
at Augsburg, I was delighted to be a
part of the first annual Legacy Family
Reception, held at the Augsburg
House on January 16. I attended with
my two Auggie daughters (Kristin ’09
and Maren ’13) and their dad, Paul
Daniels ’79. We had such a lovely
evening connecting with other legacy
families!
Currently, 112 students enrolled in
Augsburg’s traditional undergraduate
program are part of a legacy family. In
other words, each is a child and/or
grandchild of an Augsburg graduate.
At the reception, Wendy Delesha ’10
MAL said, “I am proud to be an Auggie
and to have both of my children be Auggies, too. We will have graduates three
years in a row: 2010, 2011, and 2012.”
Another Augsburg grad who attended the reception was Howie
Smith ’80. He said, “I loved my years
at Augsburg and am so, so happy to
have my son and daughter here now.”
If you would like to encourage a
member of your family to become an
Auggie, please contact the Office of
Admissions at www.augsburg.edu/
admissions and the staff will be happy
to connect with your family member.
SALLY DANIELS HERRON ’79
L to R: Kristin Daniels ’09, Maren Daniels ’13, Paul Daniels ’79, and
Sally Daniels Herron ’79
L to R: Erica Wilson ’12, Cliff Wilson ’11, and Wendy Delesha ’10 MAL
SAVE THE DATE FOR
homecoming
New events along with traditional favorites make this one of the best times to
come back to campus. Reconnect with fellow alumni and favorite faculty, and
experience the Augsburg of 2012. Watch www.augsburg.edu/homecoming for
future information.
If you would like to help make your reunion a success, contact the Office of
Alumni and Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or alumni@augsburg.edu.
32
Augsburg Now
SEPTEMBER 24-29, 2012
Reunion Classes
50th Reunion—1962 25th Reunion—1987
40th Reunion—1972 10th Reunion—2002
30th Reunion—1982
Auggie
IN RESIDENCE
Last fall, Augsburg implemented a new volunteer
program, Auggies in Residence—yet another great opportunity for alumni to visit campus to reconnect with the College and its students. Through
this speaker series, alumni are invited by faculty to speak at a
fall or spring class and then engage in a question-and-answer
period with students. Of the 70-plus alumni who have volunteered to serve as an Auggie in Residence, those who have
experienced this unique program have been gratified and happy
with the opportunity to speak in the classroom and interact with
future Auggies.
If you think an Auggie in Residence experience is something
you would enjoy and you want to share your time and talent,
contact Pat Grans at gransp@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1329.
Courtesy photo
Feed My Starving Children
JOIN US ON JUNE 5
Join the Alumni Board at Feed My Starving Children to help pack
millions of meals for hungry children in 70 countries. Alumni and
friends may volunteer on June 5, 6-7:30 p.m. or 8-9:30 p.m.
Register to volunteer with the Augsburg College Alumni group at
www.fmsc.org (click “join existing group”). Registration code for
6 p.m. is 205100 and for 8 p.m. is 205101.
Last year 75 Auggies gathered together to pack 22,000 meals for hungry children around
the world through the Feed My Starving Children program. We are hoping for even greater
participation and impact during the upcoming June event. Pictured above [L to R] are
Maria (Mitchell) Helgerson ’07, Jennifer Oliver ’07, Brandon Elegert, Stephanie Gnojek,
Carolyn Mollner ’07, and Erik Helgerson ’07.
Meet Sara Schlipp-Riedel ’06
The Augsburg
College Alumni
Association welcomes Sara
Schlipp-Riedel as
the new associate
director of alumni
and constituent
relations. She
comes to the department with
nearly six years of
event and project
management experience and is thrilled by the opportunity to engage fellow Auggies.
“My primary focus will be to connect with and engage
our young alumni and recent graduates,” said SchlippRiedel. “We want to build awareness among current students that their connection with Augsburg doesn’t end
once they have received their diploma, and our hope is
that there will be a lifelong relationship. I want to develop programming across the board that will cultivate
community, instill pride, and emphasize tradition.”
Schlipp-Riedel lives in South Minneapolis with her
husband, Aaron Riedel ’07, and their one-year-old son,
Aidan. She can be reached at 612-330-1178 or
schlipp@augsburg.edu.
SAVE THE DATE
auggie night
AT THE RACES
August 3, 5-7 p.m.
Canterbury Park
1100 Canterbury Road,
Shakopee, Minn.
Free admission, picnic buffet,
and reserved seating provided.
Go to www.augsburg.edu/
alumnievents to register.
Spring 2012
33
alumni news
AUGSBURG YOUNG ALUMNI HOLIDAY PARTY 2011
YOUNG ALUMNI
summer series
To register for Young Alumni events or to see the full calendar
of events at Augsburg, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
May 31, 5:30-7:30 p.m.
1900 Marshall St. NE, Minneapolis
Live music, one complimentary beverage, and
appetizers provided.
Courtesy photo
PSYCHO SUZI’S MOTOR LOUNGE
June 21, 6-9 p.m.
Since it launched in 2009, the Young Alumni Summer Series has been an incredible success, engaging young alumni
and recent graduates through unique programming. In
2011, the Young Alumni Council expanded the program to
include a winter event by hosting the first Young Alumni
Holiday Party in December at La Meridien Chambers Hotel
in downtown Minneapolis. The event was a huge success
and will be added to future programming.
YOGA BOAT CRUISE
Afton Hudson Cruise Lines
500 1st St., Hudson, Wisc.
$15 includes one-hour yoga session, boat cruise, appetizers,
and one complimentary beverage. SPACE IS LIMITED.
July 18, 5-7 p.m.
MINNESOTA TWINS GAME
Hubert’s and Target Field
$30 includes ticket to game with seating in
the Pavilion, appetizers, and two complimentary beverages at Hubert’s.
5-7 p.m. Pre-game at Hubert’s, 600 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis
7:10 p.m. Twins vs. Orioles
August 3, 5-7 p.m.
Canterbury Park
1100 Canterbury Rd., Shakopee, Minn.
Free admission, picnic buffet, and reserved seating provided.
September 28, 6-8 p.m.
HOMECOMING 2012:
YOUNG ALUMNI RECEPTION
Republic
221 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis
Two complimentary beverages and
appetizers provided.
Join the AUGSBURG COLLEGE
YOUNG ALUMNI FACEBOOK
GROUP to get the full scoop!
34
Augsburg Now
Courtesy photo
AUGGIE NIGHT AT THE RACES
L to R: Rebecca Lewis ’07, Aili Brom-Palkowski ’07, Felicia Faison ’09, and
Shannon Olson ’07
save the date
December 7, 8:30-11:30 p.m.
YOUNG ALUMNI HOLIDAY—UGLY SWEATER PARTY
Location TBD
To register, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
past meets present
A Journey to the Holy Land:
EXPLORING THE PAST, THE PRESENT, AND THE PEOPLE
Courtesy photo
When the travelers heard about the work of the Parent Circle
For 10 days in January, a group of 28 Auggies explored the Holy
Family Forum (comprised of bereaved Israeli and Palestinian famiLand with Philip Quanbeck II, associate professor of religion, and
lies who have lost family members in the conflict, and who support
Ruth Johnson ’74, former Augsburg College Regent.
peace, reconciliation, and tolerance), Turner was particularly imWhen the group arrived, Larry Turner ’69 was surprised at the
pressed by the gentleman who spoke of losing his son in the last
contrast in terrain—not only was it more rugged than expected, but
parts looked like fertile farmland, especially around Galilee. In addi- week of military service. This Israeli father was soon drawn into the
tion to the warm Palestinian welcome, he was
struck by many of the historical sites, several
of which Herod the Great had built—Masada,
the palace in Jerusalem, and Caesarea (where
Herod insisted on building a harbor, even
though his architects advised against it).
From a religious point of view, Turner said it
was very moving to visit the Mount of Beatitudes, the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of
Olives, Capernaum, Primacy of Peter, Gethsemane, and the Via Dolorosa—the very places
Jesus walked some 2,000 years ago.
For Turner, images of the region’s past were
soon overlaid with realities of the Holy Land of
today, especially on a tour bus when the guide
pointed to a nearby village in Lebanon and
then a fence bordering Syria. He noticed yellow signs reading “Danger, Mines” on a fence
along the side of the road. Though Turner
didn’t feel endangered during the trip, he
Front Row [L to R]: Sandy Prince, Sally Daniels Herron ’79, Charlie Green, Barb Green, Ruth Johnson ’74, Sharon Carlson ’72,
Terri Rummans, Mary Kinney ’04, Donna McLean; Middle Row [L to R]: Yousef Eideh (our guide), Larry Turner ’69, Sue Turner,
found the most distressing aspect to be the
Jennie Wilson, Phil Quanbeck II, Nancy Sampair, Susan Carlson, Liz Weninger ’92, Judy Coppersmith ’66, Lee Furman ’61;
wall between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Back Row [L to R]: Barbara Bruce, Sharon Mortrud ’64, Scott Anderson ’96, Judy Reeve ’95, Jeff Gotfredson ’82, Kirk Gill,
When Palestinian Lutheran pastor Rev.
Paul Kilgore ’80, Becky Kilgore, Jim Weninger ’92, Heidi Hunter
Mitri Raheb spoke to the group about his
ministry in Bethlehem, he described three areas of focus: culture,
forum, where he met a Palestinian who had also lost someone. As a
education, and health. Culturally, the ministry helps Palestinians
result, his thoughts about the conflict evolved from quite hawkish to
deal with identity issues and obtain meaningful work, and it promore conciliatory. In pairs, members of the forum (one Israeli, one
vides a place for concerts, art, and theater. Educating the youth is
Palestinian) make regular visits to schools in an effort to help
another priority since 55 percent of the population is under the
younger people think more seriously about the human aspects as
age of 18. Dar al-Kalima College, Bethlehem’s new Lutheran colthey consider military expectations.
lege (the first in the Middle East), will certainly aid in those efforts
Turner and his wife, Sue, have traveled a fair amount since he reas well, providing studies in art, music, communication, and mantired after 38 years with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, but
agement. The ministry also offers opportunities in women’s sports,
this trip was special, he said. It felt like a real pilgrimage for him.
eldercare, and preventive health, helping people learn how to take
CHERYL CROCKETT ’89
better care of themselves.
Spring 2012
35
alumni class notes
Norm Larsen and Jerome “JD”
34Detviler ’74 were inducted into
the Saint Paul Park (Minnesota)
High School Athletic Hall of Fame in
November. Larsen was the head
football coach at Park for 10 years
and served as Park’s athletic director until his retirement in 1977.
Detviler was a soccer, Nordic skiing,
and track and field coach at Park.
Herb Chilstrom, former presiding bishop of the ELCA, released his autobiography, A Journey
of Grace: The Formation of a Leader
and a Church (Lutheran University
54
Press). The book is a reflective account of his family roots, childhood,
education, and pastoral and teaching career. It tells of his life as
bishop, his role in the formation of
the ELCA, and his ministry as the
first presiding bishop.
In June, Richard “Dick” Thorud
56was inducted into the Min-
nesota Inventors Hall of Fame. The
award was based largely on the 80
patents he was awarded as a principal research engineer with the Toro
Company.
Corrine (Froelich) Frank
73became a grandmother for
the first time in December, when
grandson Weston Leslie Frank
was born.
Steven Resnicek was ap-
74pointed interim director of the
Bemidji State University concert
choir for the spring 2012 semester.
Resnicek is an adjunct faculty member in the music department at
Bemidji State.
David Larson and Kate Sholon-
77ski released their book, Wide
auggieSNAPSHOTS
Awake: Three Minutes a Day
to an Inspired Life! in Novem-
36
ber. This volume is filled with personal stories of challenge, triumph,
empowerment, and motivation.
Linda (Slater) Thoni was se-
88lected by the Art Educators of
Minnesota (AEM) as the Elementary
Art Educator of the Year for the State
of Minnesota. She has been employed by the Byron School District
for 12 years. AEM annually recognizes teachers who have made significant contributions to AEM, the
state of Minnesota, and their school
or organization. Award recipients
have demonstrated dedication,
achievement, and professionalism
in the art education field.
Members of the class of ’81 met in October in Cable, Wisc., for
81their annual Augsburg reunion. Pictured [L to R]: Mary Beamish, a
copy editor at the Duluth News Tribune who is rehabbing a 1920s
house in Duluth; Susan (Dahlgren) Sackrison, a history teacher at
Lakeville High School; Maureen Webster, a grandma, an Army mom,
and a Title I teacher at Sunnyside Elementary in Mounds View; Laura
Kasdorf, a master gardener who coordinates the Community Garden in
Chippewa Falls, Wisc.; Mary Lou (Schlosser) Suss of Louisiana, who
misses being able to grow rhubarb; Janna (Wallin) Haug, who just returned from four years with the ELCA Global Mission in Slovakia.
Karla (Morken) Thompson graduated from
81the College of St. Scholastica with a Doctor
of Physical Therapy degree in August. She has
worked at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. for
30 years and is a staff physical therapist specializing in women’s health and vestibular rehabilitation.
Heidi Anderson gave birth to
Jim Lindell and Karri (Birkholz)
04Lindell ’03 were married on July
16, at Central Lutheran Church in
Minneapolis. Auggies in the wedding
party were Kim Birkholz ’05, Britni
(Morgan) Robertson ’05, Jeremy
Robertson ’05, Travis Kalis, Tom
Delisle ’04, Jeff Willihnganz ’04, Kyle
Howard ’04, Jillian (Janicki) Howard
’04, Nick Collins ’04, Stefanie (Lindell)
Lender ’98, Bruce Lender ’98, Jason
Luhrs ’96, and Melissa (Luhrs) Gooder
’93. Karri is a brokerage product manager at Ameriprise Financial, and Jim
is a corporate account manager at
Choice Communications. They live in
Maple Grove, Minn.
Janine (Borchardt) Kellogg
93Soren Russell in May 2011.
04and her partner, Jennifer
Heidi has worked for GE Lighting
in Cleveland, Ohio, since 1999.
Kellogg, welcomed baby boy
Sawyer Jay on August 8.
Becky (Welle) Winters and Paul
05Winters ’07 welcomed Maximilian Robert on August 17.
Marette (Hoffman)
09Hahn married Justin
Hahn on August 26, in Mendota Heights, Minn. Other
Auggies involved included
Leah Jarvi ’09 (bridesmaid),
Shonna Fulford ’09 (personal
attendant), Amber Stransky
’07 (personal attendant),
and Kendra (Christiansen)
Oxendale ’10 (photographer).
Mateo Martin Irby was born
on September 7, to Joanne
K. Reeck-Irby and Cornelius
M. Irby. Joanne is the director of campus activities and
orientation at Augsburg.
The Political History and Landmarks
91
In a January special election,
Marathon Road in January. The film
features Augsburg cross country/track
and field head coach Dennis Barker,
a trainer for Team USA distance athletes. The film was produced through
Sanft’s company, Ideatap Studios.
of South Africa and Namibia:
AUGUST 2013
Courtesy photo
Tom Kerr was named Administrator of the Year by the Iowa
Reading Association. Kerr has
served as the principal of BoydenHull Elementary School in Boyden,
Iowa, for six years.
Jennifer (Richter) and Dylan
92Susan Allen was elected to the 07Soberg ’06 welcomed baby
After nearly eight years, Heather
Johnston left the City of Minneapolis
to become the CFO and director of
administrative services for the City of
Burnsville, Minn. In that capacity,
she oversees finance, communications, community relations, city
clerk, and information technology
operations. In addition, she was recently appointed to the executive
board of the Government Finance
Officers Association (GFOA) of the
United States and Canada.
boy Alexander David on October 10.
Emily Crook, a 2007 graduate and a
current student in the Master of Arts
in Education program, married David
Hamm ’08 on October 8, 2010, in
Duluth, Minn. Many other Auggies
were in attendance to celebrate with
the couple and their families.
Angela (Barron) and Charles
08Brewer welcomed Emma
Rose on November 17.
In November, Dave Lange began a
career at Ameriprise Financial in life
insurance sales.
George Hemmingsen and his
Jesus (Alex) Hernandez Herrera
was promoted to senior director, principal gifts, in the Northwestern University (Illinois) Office of
Alumni Relations and Development
in September.
95
Heather Savage has been writ-
01ing (under HK Savage) and editing and opened her own publishing
company, Staccato Publishing.
Staccato’s purpose is to help authors who want to publish their work
but aren’t sure how to navigate the
twists and turns on the road to publishing.
09brother Grant Hemmingsen,
both 2009 graduates, are assistant
basketball coaches at Kentucky
Wesleyan College. George is in his
second year with KWC and his first
year as top assistant coach, and
Grant is in his first year as assistant
coach.
Katie Wornson was named to the
Volunteers of America-Minnesota
board of directors in December. Volunteers of America is a nonprofit
human service organization headquartered in Edina, Minn.
Julia Sewell and her colleague
Jennifer (Langman) and husband Kevin Reese welcomed
Elsie Marie on November 8.
02
Tony Geckler completed a
05Master of Social Work degree
from St. Catherine University/University of St. Thomas in August. In
November, he passed his licensed
graduate social worker examination.
Augsburg cross country/track and
field alumni Paul Sanft ’05, Dan Vogel
’05, Riley Conway ’05, and Tori Bahr
’09 released their documentary
10and partner, Don Patterson, are
touring the United States spreading
messages of youth voice and action,
leadership, and educational reform
through their 2011-2012 SWAG
(Sharing Wisdom Amongst our Generation) tour concluding in April.
Sandra (Albrecht) Sutton married
Michael Sutton on August 27, 2010.
The couple resides in Baldwin, Wisc.,
where Sandra works as a sponsor
services analyst with Wells Fargo.
Namib Desert
Join Augsburg alumni and friends on this
12-day tour to learn about Namibia and South
Africa’s shared political past and to see the
popular tourist attractions and landmarks this
history has created. Learn firsthand about this
region’s struggle against apartheid while visiting the acclaimed Apartheid Museum, Cape
Point where the Dutch conquerors landed and
built a lighthouse, and Robben Island where
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Tour the former black and colored townships in Windhoek
and Johannesburg and hear from a cross-section of Southern African society.
Discover how the Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Namibia, with a total membership of
more than 700,000, mainly in Northern
Namibia, played a significant role in opposition
to apartheid and was part of the Namibian independence struggle. The Namibia portion of
the trip will also include a visit to the Etosha
Game Reserve and the Namib Desert, the site
of the world’s highest sand dunes.
This trip is offered by the Alumni Association
in partnership with the Center for Global Education (CGE) at Augsburg College. For 30 years,
CGE has provided cross-cultural educational
opportunities that foster critical analysis of
local and global conditions so that personal
and systemic change takes place, leading to a
more just and sustainable world.
To request more details about the trip, call
612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
namibia and south africa
Minnesota House of Representatives
to represent District 61B. Allen is
the first Native American woman to
serve in the Minnesota House.
Spring 2012
37
A phone call.
An e-mail.
A diploma.
When Jennifer Ivers ’13 e-mailed Larry
Couture ’79 as part of her work with
Augsburg’s IGNITE program, she couldn’t
have imagined the chain of events that
would transpire—or that she would end up
with an internship as a result.
Through IGNITE (Involving Graduates
Now in Thoughtful Engagement), current
Augsburg students connect with alumni to
help them find ways to engage with the
College. But when Ivers contacted Couture,
she was surprised by his e-mail response.
“He sent a short essay explaining why he
wasn’t really excited about meeting with
me,” she said. It turns out that Couture
thought he graduated from Augsburg in
1979 but found out in 2006, when he tried
to apply for admission to a graduate program, that his transcript was incomplete.
Couture had been one religion course
short of completing his graduation requirements in the spring of 1979 and had returned to Augsburg that summer to complete
the final class.
That course was
never posted, but
Couture didn’t suspect anything because he’d moved to
a new apartment and
thought perhaps his
diploma had just
been lost in the mail.
After receiving
Couture’s e-mail, Ivers
told him that she
would like to help him.
She said she would forward his e-mail to her
boss, who could bring his issue to the attention of the Dean, and together they would try
to resolve the situation.
“He said that after this long he didn’t
think it really mattered, but if I could help,
he thought that would be great,” Ivers said.
And help she did. On February 1, more
than 30 years after he thought he graduated,
On February 1, more than 30 years after completing his
graduation requirements, Larry Couture ‘79—pictured
here with Jennifer Ivers ’13, a summer intern at Couture’s
company—received his Augsburg College diploma.
nt
llege Commenceme
1979 Augsburg Co
Larry Couture received his Augsburg College
diploma and became a member of the class
of 1979.
Couture was so impressed with Ivers’
tenacity, as well as her speaking and writing
skills, that he asked her to work as a summer intern for his company ECOSmarte, a
Richfield, Minn.-based manufacturer of nonsalt, non-chemical water technology for
’79
LARRY
COUTURE
swimming pools and spas. The relationship
has also led to an internship for a second
Augsburg student.
“This has been one of the more fulfilling
aspects of my position,” Ivers said. “The
IGNITE program aims to re-involve alumni
on campus, and what’s a better way to involve someone than finally getting them their
diploma?”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
38
Augsburg Now
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
In Memoriam
____________________________________________________________
Street address
Edward L. Evenson ’41, age 93, on September 28
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Verlinda L. (Olson) Huus ’42, age 91, on September 19
Carol A. (Hibbard) Kirtley ’42, age 88, on October 22
Vivian A. (Larson) Loren ’43, age 89, on September 23
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
H. Daniel Frojen ’45, age 87, on September 18
J. Bernhard Bretheim ’48 on August 2
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Ruth O. (Holm) Sawyer ’48, age 83, on January 18
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
Evelyn (Green) Harris ’49 on June 29
John H. Wetzler ’49, age 88, on January 22, 2011
Raymond J. Bodin ’50, age 93, on October 27
____________________________________________________________
Employer
____________________________________________________________
Position
Jean (Kuklish) Knudsen ’50, age 83, on July 12
Robert G. “Bob” Smith ’51, age 89, on October 24
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Edwin O. Silrum ’53, age 90, on September 12
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
Elizabeth G. (Hagen) Carlson ’56, age 76, on November 26
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
Roger Lecander ’56, age 77, on July 17
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
John T. Thompson ’56, age 76, on February 28, 2011
Loren G. Berkness ’60, age 82, on February 21, 2011
Bernard A. “Bernie” Onsager ’65, age 82, on September 28
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Beverly Jean (Mattson) Conboy ’73, age 59, on September 10
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
Nancy (Kerber) Anderson ’74, age 59, on November 18
____________________________________________________________
Janice L. Phinney ’74, age 58, on July 30
____________________________________________________________
Jody (Anderson) Sundlee ’79, age 56, on December 6
____________________________________________________________
Patrick D. Hurley ’84, age 49, on March 3, 2011
George C. Ogbonna ’88, age 55, on December 26
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Henry G. Parsons ’04 MSW, age 59, on January 26, 2011
Spring 2012
39
it takes an
Auggie
During fall 2011, 26 student callers dialed 37,925 times, spoke with 3,178 constituents
(parents, friends, and alumni), and raised almost 700 gifts totaling $66,574.
Meet our Augsburg Fund callers
ANYA CLEAVER
Major: Political science, minors in
German and communication studies
Hometown: Technically, Buxton, England
Activities and interests: Queer and Straight
in Unity (QSU), Echo newspaper, Augsburg
Atheist and Secular Humanist group
Interesting fact about me: I moved to Minnesota at age 12 from a town outside of
Manchester, England, because England is
drab and rainy.
KALEB
WILLIAMS
Favorite things about Augsburg and the city:
I’m a film buff, and I love the independent movie theaters. I also like the riverfront and Harriet Island in St. Paul.
Major: Public relations and advertising
Hometown: Lakeville, Minn.
Activities and interests: Football
Interesting fact about me: I always say I’m
like an old black man; I have an old soul.
I think I would have fit in well in the 60s
or 70s.
Favorite things about Augsburg and the city:
It’s such a diverse place, and everyone
seems to get along well. Every day I feel
like I meet someone new.
Favorite Augsburg experience: The football
game last season against St. Thomas. It
was a home game, and the stands were
packed. At the time, we were the top
two teams in the MIAC, so it was pretty
exciting.
40
Augsburg Now
My favorite Augsburg experience: I was a
summer orientation leader and got to connect with many students from different
backgrounds. It helped me learn about
being more inclusive, and I made a lot
of friends.
KATHERINE
WALKER
Major: International relations, minor in
peace and global studies and religion
Hometown: Brainerd, Minn.
Activities and interests: Study Japanese,
volunteer tutor, editor for the Honors
Review
Interesting fact about me: I plan to go to
Vietnam this summer to teach English at
the British Embassy.
Favorite things about Augsburg and the city:
I love Augsburg’s emphasis on community
service. I think that if I had gone to another college, it wouldn’t have given me
such an introduction to the community. I
feel like I live in this neighborhood; I
don’t just go to school here.
Favorite Augsburg experience: I went to El
Salvador to take a class over winter break
two years ago with assistant religion professor Matt Maruggi. We studied liberation
theology, and we got to interact with local
people, community activists, and religious
leaders. We stayed in a small self-sufficient
community in the middle of the jungle, and
there were baby pigs running around.
AN
LEGACY
Dr. Gerald Mindrum
“I shall always remember the personal influence of many Augsburg professors
on my life and career, and also appreciate the continued support of Augsburg
to communities—both at the neighborhood and the global scale. I hope my
charitable gift annuity will foster a similar experience for future students.”
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
The Gage Center for Student Success and
Groves Technology Center
The Gage Center for Student Success and Groves Technology Center have quickly become a
hub of student activity. This photo, created by merging 10 different photographs together,
is a still life time-lapse image showing how this common space is constantly being used by
all members of the community.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2011
VOL. 73, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Awesome
Years
of Life-Changing
internships Commencement 2011
Ali Rapp ’11 Gage Center for Student Success
Travel
International Auggies Ask an Auggie expert
page
20
Achievement
in the ... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
SUMMER 2011
VOL. 73, NO. 3
inside
auggies
Augsburg Now
The Magazine of Augsburg College
25Awesome
Years
of Life-Changing
internships Commencement 2011
Ali Rapp ’11 Gage Center for Student Success
Travel
International Auggies Ask an Auggie expert
page
20
Achievement
in the classroom Nick Ward ’11
go
global
notes
from President Pribbenow
Assistant Vice President of
Marketing and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Education off the main road
Creative Associate-Design
a
s I write these words for the summer issue of
the Augsburg Now—which includes stories illustrating Augsburg’s vision of educating
global citizens—I am in Oslo, Norway, attending an
international conference on the links between higher
education and democracy, and also spending time
with Augsburg students studying peace and conflict
mediation at the University of Oslo. I am struck by
how relevant Augsburg’s longstanding commitment
to what I call an “education off the main road” is to
preparing our students for life in the 21st century. A
simple story illustrates my point.
In a trip last fall to Augsburg’s Center for Global
Education (CGE) campus in Windhoek, Namibia, I remember looking out at the sparkling lights as I was
hosted at a dinner in an ultra-modern restaurant high
above the city. All was well, it seemed, as I waited for
my dinner companions to arrive.
But the view from our perch above the city, nestled in an obviously affluent subdivision of the burgeoning city, belied my experiences earlier in the day.
I had witnessed the remnants of an apartheid system.
Formerly separate cemeteries for whites, colored, and
blacks. Housing that was clearly demarcated by tribal
class. Primary and secondary schools stratified by social class. A sprawling tin village—the so-called “informal settlements”—in which tens of thousands of
Namibians lived in squalor, unable to find work after
they arrived in the city and were left to their own devices to survive. Health clinics with waiting rooms full
of women seeking both prenatal care and HIV tests.
Non-governmental organizations struggling to serve
the needs of indigenous people whose rights were
neglected. The stark contrasts of the day were mindbending.
My dinner companions arrived—a labor activist
and a teacher working to improve education for indigenous people—and as I described our day in
Windhoek, one of them commented that he was
grateful I had witnessed these contrasts because too
many outsiders come to Namibia and travel only “the
main road,” from which all seems well. I had left that
main road and experienced the real Namibia.
My experience that day was a snapshot of what
our CGE students encounter each semester in
Namibia as they participate in intense experiences
that open their eyes to the life-transforming dynamics
of life in this developing country. Through extended
homestays in both urban and rural areas, internships
with organizations doing important social and educational work, classes that feature speakers who have
firsthand experience of the tensions in Namibia’s life,
and opportunities for significant interaction with
Namibian people and culture, our students experience life off the main road in this remarkable country, just 22 years after it declared independence.
And when these students return home to the
U.S., we know they carry with them knowledge and
experiences of this place and its good people that will
shape the decisions they make about their own lives
and what they might be called to do in the world.
Some may return to Africa, perhaps as medical workers or teachers. But most will not, and, for them, we
trust and know that their experiences off the main
road in Namibia will help them understand their own
privilege in an increasingly complex world—privilege
that must be named and then put to responsible use
in the search for equity and justice, both in their personal lives and in the systems they inhabit.
Off the main road in Namibia, off the main road
wherever Augsburg offers its distinctive education for
global citizenship. I’m only beginning to understand
how critical our work as a college is in transforming
the lives of students and contributing to a different
vision of our common future as global citizens.
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Webmaster/Now Online
Bryan Barnes
barnesb@augsburg.edu
Sports Information Director
Don Stoner
stoner@augsburg.edu
Director of Alumni and
Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
www.augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
E-mail: now@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
summer 2011
Features
11
6
“Problem” students become problem solvers
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
14
21
Auggies
are everywhere
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
.
16 Gloria Xinico Morales ’12
A girl of the world
17 Max Bregenzer ’12
Living life to the Max
17 Erica Lippitt ’12
Family teamwork creates a world of possibility
18 Jiahua (Holly) Huang ’12
Holly is a regular Minnesotan
8
14
18 Dat Nguyen ’11
contents
Unlocking possibilities and potential at Augsburg
26
19 Faiza Abbas Mahamud ’11
A life that defies definition
20 Ibrahim Al-Hajiby ’14
Life in the United States: Different, but not weird
21
26
Real experience in the working world
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Commencement 2011
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Departments
On the cover
International Auggies Gloria Xinico Morales, Alom Martínez, Zebokhon
Tursunova, and Gottlieb Uahengo have fun at a Minneapolis landmark,
Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen’s Spoonbridge and Cherry.
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
augsburg now
inside
front
cover
2
6
8
9
10
28
32
Notes from President Pribbenow
Around the Quad
My Auggie experience
Auggies on the track
It takes an Auggie
Auggie voices
Alumni news
Class notes
quad
around the
NEWSNOTES
National fellowship and scholarship awards
Fulbright Awards, 2011-12
• Katie Edelen ’11, majoring in chemistry, biology, and environmental studies, received a Fulbright Research Grant to Norway. She
will study and carry out research at the Peace Research Institute
of Oslo. (See story page 10.)
Urban Debate League success at nationals
Two teams from the Minnesota Urban Debate League (UDL), part of
Augsburg’s Sabo Center for Citizenship and Learning, were among the
top 10 teams in the country at the National Urban Debate League
(NAUDL) tournament in New York in April. A student debater from each
of the two teams—Washburn and South high schools—placed seventh
and eighth respectively in individual speaker competition.
Newberry Library Fellowship to
Michael Lansing
Michael Lansing, assistant professor of
history, received the Lloyd Lewis Fellowship in American History for 2011–12.
The fellowship will support the ongoing
work of his book-length research project
on the Nonpartisan League.
Norma Noonan honored for long-term
direction of the MAL program
Norma Noonan was honored this spring after
stepping down as director of the
Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) program.
Throughout her 18 years of directing
and teaching in the program, Noonan has
been both a leader and a shaper of leaders. Since the mid-’90s, Noonan has had an exceptionally steady
hand in leading the ongoing development of the MAL program and
the Leadership Center. Students have appreciated her accessibility,
encouragement, and clarity. Although she is leaving the director position, Noonan will continue to teach at Augsburg and support the
College’s commitment to leadership.
2
Augsburg Now
• Jennifer Oliver, a graduate student in education and former financial aid counselor in the Enrollment Center, received a Fulbright
English Teaching Assistantship in Germany.
Goldwater Scholarship—Math major Austin Wagner ’12 received Honorable Mention for a Barry S. Goldwater Scholarship.
Newman Civic Fellows—Claire Bergren ’12 was honored by Campus
Compact for her community work around racial justice and social issues linked to poverty.
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship—Katie Edelen will pursue graduate
study in environmental management in 2012–13.
Udall Scholarship—Kathy DeKrey ’12, an environmental studies and
political science pre-law double major, has been awarded a Udall
Scholarship for 2011–12.
Top green power purchaser
Augsburg College has been recognized by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the 2010-11
top green power purchaser in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). Augsburg College
purchased more than 13 million kilowatt-hours of
green power, representing 100 percent of the
school’s annual electricity usage on
the Minneapolis campus.
This is the equivalent to
avoiding the carbon dioxide emissions from the electricity use of more than 1,000 average U.S. homes
or nearly 2,000 cars annually.
EXCELLENCE in research
In April 2011, Jeremy Anthony, a senior
Presidential
Award for
mathematics major, represented
Augsburg College in the Council on
Undergraduate Research Posters on
Community Service
the Hill event. This event, held each
year in Washington, D.C., showcased
Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Awards
Augsburg College earned two $10,000 grants
from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council for
programs recognized for providing “high-quality, age-appropriate arts education.”
Medieval Minnesota: This one-week boarding camp for students ages 14 to17 reimagines life during the Middle Ages.
Students study medieval history, the Crusades, castle design, and the history of
labyrinths. They also learn to build a medieval costume, juggle, dance, fence, and
entertain. The camp, in its fifth year, attracts
students from across the United States and
Canada. For more information, go to www.augsburg.edu/medievalminnesota.
Centro Youth Workshop: This summer photography
workshop provides 10 youths from metropolitan
Latino/Chicano communities the opportunity to develop technical and artistic photography skills. The
program, which is in its second year, is a partnership
between the College and Centro, a Minneapolis-based
social service nonprofit. Learn more at http://overexposuremedia.org/.
the research of 75 undergraduate stu-
Courtesy photo
Augsburg is one of six higher
education institutions in
the nation to receive the
2010 Presidential Award for
Community Service from the Corporation for National and Community Service. This is the highest award given that recognizes institutions for their
commitment to and achievement in community service, and Augsburg is
the only Minnesota school to receive this honor. In three previous years,
the College has been named to the President’s Honor Roll with the additional designation of “With Distinction.”
During the 2009-10 school year, Auggies contributed nearly 200,000
hours of community service to programs, including course-based servicelearning, Bonner Leaders, Campus Kitchen, community gardens,
GEMS/GISE/STEM summer programs, Urban Scrubs Camp, and more.
More than 1,700 students and 200 faculty and staff participated in service-learning last year.
dents from colleges and universities
across the country.
L to R: Isanti mayor George Wimmer, Senator Al Franken, and Clayton McNeff ’91,
vice president of research at SarTec Corporation.
SENATOR FRANKEN
visits Ever Cat Fuels
On April 21, U.S. Senator Al Franken visited Ever Cat Fuels in Isanti, Minn., which
can produce three million gallons of biodiesel each year using the Mcgyan
Process. In 2008, the discovery of the Mcgyan Process began with student research by Brian Krohn ’08, along with chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg.
The process received its first patent in March 2011.
Augsburg receives second grant
for Travelers EDGE
Augsburg received a second gift from Travelers Insurance for their
Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment (EDGE) program. This program focuses on college recruitment and retention of
low-income and first-generation students. In Minnesota, the focus is
specifically on students graduating from the St. Paul Public School
district.
The $100,000 grant will be used for Augsburg’s Travelers
Pathways program for financial literacy training, which is open to all
students. Current Augsburg juniors and seniors who graduated from
a St. Paul public high school may be eligible to apply for a $5,000
annual scholarship, which brings with it opportunities for job shadowing, internships, and mentoring.
Summer 2011
3
In Memoriam:
Jessica Nathanson
Jessica Nathanson, assistant professor and director of the women’s studies program and the
Women’s Resource Center at Augsburg College, died April 5 of breast cancer. Nathanson’s passion for and knowledge of social justice and gender issues was instrumental in shaping the
women’s studies community at Augsburg. Nathanson earned a BA from Wesleyan University and
an MA and PhD from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She co-edited the book Mother
Knows Best: Talking Back to the “Experts” and enjoyed a wide following as a blogger on feminist
issues. The following is an excerpt of an original spoken word piece read by Lucreshia Grant ’11
at the multifaith service in Hoversten Chapel to remember and celebrate Nathanson’s life.
An excerpt from
There are so much things to say
By Lucreshia Grant ’11
For Jessica Nathanson
There are so much things to say right now
There are so much things to say
There are so much things to say right now
There are so much things to say
…
Friends, let me tell you
If we had the time to recall every moment where in which this
woman made me feel like I could levitate, I swear it’d take all day…
This is a piece about praise today because,
if there was bad between us
I just can’t remember it
I never knew I could float with pride this way.
I came in here rusty and naïve, too big for my own britches
You saw a light in me and followed it
My writing then, was sloppy, holey and dishonest
There are times when writing for an audience is just plain perjury
And every time I lifted my pen from this paper in disbelief
Turned my palms up in discouragement
You calmly, proclaimed that
“That must be the oppression talking.”
That day I thought my heart would beat right through my ribcage
I never imagined that someone might get it
Get me, get this
I love you, for the tears you allowed me to cry, often and
The beauty you believed me to write
And I can’t help believing that we were meant to be
in a space like SVERDRUP 207
warm and complicated
in the differences between us
4
Augsburg Now
age, race, class, time, distance
there is love in that and we confronted it daily
learning that
oppression sometimes smells like privilege and
power doesn’t always have to be dominance
you are my best memory about this place and
I know we’re not done
Cuz you African dance through my dreams
Reminding me of the freedom I already keep, on my tongue
You’re in my windpipe
Part of the cadence and confidence in my voice
You’re the social justice in my strut
I won’t lower my head in fear again
Eyes forward ready to stand completely still with another
You gave me grace, honored me with respect
Not just a Black woman on a stage to you…clap me a round of
“thanks and that was beautifuls”
But she knew the truth.
Knew I was a Queen, believed my words and told me.
There are so much things to say
I have so much to say, but I can say nothing fully at all.
Thanks for all the books and
Reminding me that I can do this
Thanks for believing in feminism enough to teach it.
Thanks for loving us as much as you did
Thanks for loving me
It’s not over, we’re not done
You’ll see
Because
This place became a home for me because you were in it
It is better because you graced it
Because you believed it I am better
Jessica, thank you!
CONGRATULATIONS
TO OUR RETIRING TENURED FACULTY
Retiring faculty were honored at the
Faculty Recognition Luncheon on May 5.
Nora Braun, Business Administration
Nora Braun has been described as a role model for successfully
balancing the demands of professional and personal responsibilities
with incredible patience, integrity, and humor during her 14 years
at Augsburg. A few of her contributions include participating in the
College’s accreditation program, chairing a keystone collaborative,
helping to design the business keystone course, and being involved
in the initial design process for the Augsburg Master of Business
Administration program. Braun enjoys writing and is the author of a
children’s book that explores the life of the middle child.
Francine Chakolis, Social Work
Bruce Reichenbach, Philosophy
Francine Chakolis graduated from Augsburg in 1978. Since 1983,
her dedication to her colleagues and students has taken many
forms. Always a proud Auggie, Chakolis was a formidable leader
and the first director of the Master of Social Work program in the
1990s. Her colleague Tony Bibus used these words to describe
Chakolis, “…spouse, mother, family, and COMMUNITY, with capital letters. She is also a teacher, activist, fighter, administrator,
leader, and social worker.”
Bruce Reichenbach began his teaching career at Augsburg 43 years
ago. Students have always been at the top of his priorities, and they
received the very best of Reichenbach’s passion and deep commitment to learning. He organized and led the writing team for the Lilly
Grant and then served on its advisory board. As a logical outgrowth
of the Lilly Grant to explore vocation, he worked on the development
of an extended orientation for first-year and second-year faculty.
Reichenbach is a prolific scholar, having written a dozen books and
many articles, and is regarded for his expertise in helping faculty understand how to teach critical thinking.
Dan Hanson, Communication Studies
A 1986 graduate of the Weekend College program, Dan Hanson
began taking classes when he was a vice president at Land
O’Lakes. A dedicated colleague and teacher for 23 years, Hanson
developed several courses, including the communication studies
keystone course and a course for the Master of Arts in Leadership
program. He is the author of several books, including A Place to
Shine and Room for J: A Family Struggles with Schizophrenia.
Hanson has devoted his energy and years of experience and expertise to the development of his students in both undergraduate
and graduate program classes.
Lynne Lorenzen, Religion
At a reception honoring Lynne Lorenzen’s 22-year career at
Augsburg, Professor Bev Stratton referred to Lorenzen as a trailblazer. A tireless advocate for gender rights on campus and in
broader communities, Lorenzens’s collaboration on the Evangelical
Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) first sexuality task force 20
years ago laid the groundwork for the decision to recognize lesbian
and gay clergy in committed, same-gender relationships. She played
an important role in the design and development of the
Augsburg/Associated Colleges of the Twin Cities (ACTC) women’s
studies program. An active member and leader in the Lutheran
church, Lorenzen’s classes at Augsburg also reflected her interests
and focus on theology, church studies, and feminism.
Charley Sheaffer, Computer Science
Charley Sheaffer has been involved in several curricular development efforts in his department since he joined the College in
1997. He helped revise the computer science major to include the
programming languages and compilers sequence. He was a co-creator of a three-credit cognitive science course, which was instrumental in increasing confidence among many students about their
ability to handle college-level work. His colleague Larry Crockett
said, “If the measure of a person is finally the ability to retain a
gracious sense of humor in the face of all that life can present,
then Charley is a remarkable person indeed.”
Nan Skelton, Center for Democracy and Citizenship
As co-director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship (CDC) at
Augsburg College, Nan Skelton led the center’s external public work
in civic education, reclaiming neighborhoods, and the democratic
renewal of education. She is a co-founder of the Jane Addams
School for Democracy; and she has been an architect of the
Neighborhood Learning Community and, more recently, Learning in
Cities (also called Sprockets), pioneering new approaches to learning
and education. Prior to joining the CDC in 1994, Skelton served as
assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Education
and provided leadership with the National Governors Association.
Summer 2011
5
my
Auggie experience
Floating on the social media bubble
If you’re a friend of Ali Rapp ’11 and weren’t a frequent visitor
to the communication and film studies office where she
worked on campus, you maybe “saw” her on Facebook and
Twitter. And if you didn’t attend a class or go to a local restaurant with her, you may have kept up with the goings-on of Ali
Rapp’s life—and maybe still do—through her blog, “No, I am
a Cat.”
Rapp was the social media intern for Augsburg’s admissions office since 2007. In this position, she maintained her
own blog and managed other student bloggers on Homemade,
the College’s unobstructed window on student life.
6
Augsburg Now
The student bloggers kept prospective and current students entertained and up-to-date with real-life posts about classes, favorite
professors, internships, experiences abroad, papers and projects,
social events, and general commentary on life as an Auggie.
Homemade follows a national trend among college admissions
offices to engage and recruit students using social media. A May
2009 article from The Chronicle of Higher Education cites data
from the Center for Marketing Research at the University of
Massachusetts Dartmouth. It shows that in fall 2008, 61 percent
of admissions offices were using social-networking sites and 41
percent had blogs, up from 29 percent and 33 percent, respectively, in 2007.
Rapp thinks Homemade is an easy way to give new students a
view of Augsburg that they might not get through visits with admissions staff. “Incoming students aren’t dumb,” she said. “They
know that things go on that no one talks about. I think they appreciate our honesty.”
Staying afloat in the social media bubble is more than writing
and editing posts and reminding bloggers to blog. It’s also about
using other social media tools such as Facebook and the microblog
tool Twitter to raise awareness of the blogs. Throughout her internship, Rapp became more adept at promoting Homemade using
unique accounts on those social media sites.
Rapp said the key to staying on top of social media is to remember
that it is always changing. “For me it’s a matter of realizing I can’t
stop learning. If I stay off of Twitter and Facebook for too long, I will
lose some of it.”
To be sure, social media is growing in importance not only for
recruiting new students but also for keeping current students,
alumni, donors, faculty and staff, and the community engaged in
the life of the College. Many campus departments including the
Enrollment Center, Campus Kitchen, the bookstore, and the dining
service rely on social media to keep students informed. Auggie
Eagle is on Facebook, too.
In the fall, Rapp will begin graduate studies at the University of
Minnesota in communication studies with a focus on critical media
studies. She hopes to continue research started as an undergraduate on computer-mediated communication and to explore the role
of social media in the communication studies field.
And just in case you’re wondering, “No, I am a Cat” has no
meaning. At least none that Rapp can remember. She doesn’t have
a cat at her Minneapolis home. She does, however, have a dog
named Per. If you were following her social life through social
media, you may have read about him on her blog, too.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Keeping up with social media
@Augsburg College
Throughout Augsburg College, many departments and programs are finding that
one of the best ways to stay in touch with prospective and current students,
alumni, and the community is through social media.
BLOGS YOU MIGHT LIKE:
Homemade—www.augsburg.edu/homemade
President Pribbenow’s blog—follow at www.augsburg.edu/president
FACEBOOK PAGES YOU SHOULD “LIKE:”
Augsburg College—the official page of the College (2,879 followers)
Augsburg College Alumni Association—all the alumni news you need, and a
great way to connect with your Auggie friends (336 followers)
Augsburg College Homemade—you guessed it (285 followers)
Auggie Eagle—be Auggie’s friend (1,251 followers)
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
@AugsburgCollege (1,088 followers)
@paulpribbenow (258 followers)
@auggieshomemade (107 followers)
Number of followers listed are as of July 2011.
auggies on the track
More than an all-around guy
At Augsburg, Nick Ward ’11 worked hard to
be an all-around student-athlete—one who
was as dedicated to his studies as he was
to setting records on the track. In his last
year of college, he put in extra time to add
one more accomplishment to his list:
All-American athlete.
A physics and mathematics major originally from Milwaukee, Wis., Ward says he had
no intention of participating in college track
and wanted instead to focus on academics.
Then a couple of his first-year friends talked
him into joining the track team.
Augsburg track and field coach, Dennis
Barker, says Ward was a very coachable athlete and a good listener. “He always tried to
absorb and understand the concepts behind
what I asked him to do,” Barker said. “I think
that’s partly the way he thinks as a physics
student.”
Barker was impressed with Ward’s commitment. “I don’t know anyone who studies as
much as he studies,” Barker said. He speculates that track offered a chance for Ward to
let loose after spending long hours in the lab
and the library. “I think track and field maybe
comes more naturally to Nick than physics,
but that never stopped him from excelling,”
Barker said.
Being a member of the Auggie track team
turned out to be a good choice for Ward. One
of the top men’s sprinters in school history,
he earned his first trip to national competition this spring when he competed in
the men’s 55-meter dash at the
National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) indoor
championships in Columbus,
Ohio. Ward’s qualifying time
of 10.73 seconds in the
men’s 100-meter dash was
the 17th-fastest among the
22 entrants in the event.
Last season, Ward won
the conference titles in
the men’s 55-meter dash
and men’s long jump at
the MIAC indoor championships, while finishing
second in the men’s 100meter dash and winning a
conference title as part of
the 400-meter relay at
the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC)
outdoor championships.
In his first-ever appearance at the NCAA
championships in May, Ward clocked a time
of 11.07 seconds to record a 20th-place finish in the event. As one of the top sprinters
in Augsburg school history, Ward will end his
career having earned seven MIAC titles, 12
All-MIAC honors, and eight All-MIAC honorable-mention honors, to go along with eight
school records.
Off the track, Ward completed his studies
with a 3.2 grade point average and conducted
summer research in physics as a McNair
Scholar and also through the North Star
STEM Alliance program. He credits his academic success to faculty and staff who encouraged him, namely his physics adviser Ben
Stottrup, Tina Tavera from the McNair Scholars program, and Rebekah Dupont who advises North Star STEM students at Augsburg.
“They pushed me throughout my whole
college career, making me apply for internships and for research opportunities off campus. I guess they motivated me to keep
going,” he said. Ward applied to three graduate school programs and was accepted into
the master’s program in electrical engineering
at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical
State University in Greensboro.
“Nick has such a great attitude and is always so excited about the opportunities he
has,” Barker said. “I think he feels very fortunate to be at Augsburg, studying in a stellar
physics department and being on the track
team. I think he’s enjoying life here.”
After four outstanding seasons and a successful academic career, Ward’s goal for the
end of the season was to be named an AllAmerican in the 100- and 200-meter dashes
and in the long jump. Unfortunately his name
was not on the NCAA Division III list, but that
doesn’t change the fact that Nick Ward is an
impressive student and athlete.
For Ward, a somewhat shy young man,
talking about his accomplishments is one
thing that does not come easily. “I guess I’m
just trying to be an all-around guy,” he said.
WENDI WHEELER ’06 AND DON STONER
8
Augsburg Now
it takes an
Courtesy photo
Auggie
Visionary leadership in support of student success
In 1984, Skip and Barbara Gage’s oldest son, Geoff, made an unexpected choice. Though he had been determined to attend school
in California, the high school senior decided after a tour of the
Augsburg campus that he preferred to become an Auggie. At parent
orientation the following fall, Skip and Barbara joined the campus
community for the first time.
“We couldn’t have been more pleased with the nurturing and
caring environment provided at Augsburg,” Skip said.
While they remained proud Auggie parents (all four of their
children attended classes at Augsburg, and two graduated from the
College), it didn’t take long for Skip and Barbara to take a more active role in the community. Just two years later, Augsburg President
Charles Anderson asked Barbara to join the board of regents, where
she served for 12 years, including four years as chair of the board.
During the early years of Barbara’s service, she and Skip approached President Anderson to discuss ways to expand student
support.
“We’ve had distinct experience with learning differences in our
family,” Skip said, but at that time, little research had been done
on learning differences at the college level. In fact, according to
the Gages, Augsburg and the University of Colorado, Boulder, were
Barbara and Skip Gage
Skip and Barbara have supported other campus projects
through the years, including the Scandinavian Center,
Lindell Library, Anderson Plaza, and the Gage Family Art Gallery.
And, with their newest gift, the Gages once again reveal their enthusiasm for student support and innovative programming.
The Gage Family Foundation and the Carlson Foundation last
spring announced that they will collectively contribute $900,000 toward the creation of the Gage Center for Student Success—a centralized place where all
“We were so thankful that we had found a school that actually had ways to help
students can go to enhance their learning and
students with learning differences,” Barbara said. “We were excited to help
achieve their academic goals. Construction for
make the program larger and able to meet the needs of more students.”
the center started this summer in Lindell
Library. The center will be on the link level,
the only two colleges they found that provided support services to
creating space at the heart of the campus for the CLASS program as
students with different learning abilities.
well as numerous other academic success programs.
Passionate about this cause, Skip and Barbara commissioned a
Barbara noted the importance of having the learning center
$30,000 study on programming to support learning differences.
near the College’s technological resources and at a centralized loBased on this study’s findings, the Gages, together with the
cation.
Carlson Family Foundation, committed half a million dollars and
“The center will be a part of the students’ daily lives,” she
raised another half a million to institute a new program at
said. “[The students who use the center] will become advocates of
Augsburg, which evolved into the Center for Learning and Adaptive
learning.”
Student Services (CLASS). This program provides services to help
The Gages believe that Augsburg’s leadership in student sucall students—regardless of learning style, preference, or need—
cess is due in part to its mission for service.
reach their full potential at Augsburg.
“Augsburg has been wonderful in being inclusive in working
“We were so thankful that we had found a school that actually
with students of different needs,” Barbara said. “I’m so proud to
had ways to help students with learning differences,” Barbara said. be a part of it.”
“We were excited to help make the program larger and able to meet
the needs of more students.”
KAYLA SKARBAKKA ’09
Summer 2011
9
auggie voices
Treating the system instead of the symptoms
Katie Edelen ’11 wanted to be a
doctor from the time she was five
years old. She watched surgery on
the Discovery Channel before naptime and begged her parents to let
her be present at the birth of her
two younger siblings.
It wasn’t until she was in college
and working with doctors in India
that Edelen realized she did not actually want to be a doctor.
Soon after she arrived at
Augsburg, Edelen began looking for
an opportunity to volunteer abroad
to gain medical experience helping
people in war-torn countries. She
had been interested in Doctors
Without Borders, so she contacted
native health non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to find volunteer opportunities. In her junior year,
Edelen landed in Chennai, India,
where she shadowed doctors in government hospitals and another who
brought internal medicine services to
refugee camps, slums, and villages.
“What really spoke to me were all
the people who had been exposed to
water-borne, preventable diseases
because of unsafe sanitary conditions,” she recalled. Though she had
been interested in environmental issues before traveling to India, there
she began to see in a new way the
consequences of peoples’ actions on
the environment. She saw that issues related to health, education,
poverty, and social justice were connected to environmental problems.
“That is when I started to become
interested in treatment of the systematic inequalities as opposed to
putting a band-aid on the problem,”
she said.
This experience led Edelen to
pursue other opportunities centered
10
Augsburg Now
on water and its role in society. She
took a course on environmental and
river politics led by Augsburg political science professor Joe Underhill.
She traveled to Uganda and worked
with villagers on water access and
conservation, even starting a “safe
water and hygiene club” in the primary school.
This summer, she will be in
Norway on a Fulbright fellowship
researching the correlation between
armed conflict and water hazards
and scarcity at the Peace Research
Institute in Oslo. Following her
time in Norway, Edelen will pursue
graduate work in environmental
studies on a Rotary Ambassadorial
Scholarship.
A triple major in chemistry, biology, and environmental studies,
Edelen said her education and experiences abroad have solidified her
desire to work in the area of policy
analysis and research. “I really see
my vocational work and my background bridging the different realms
of sciences and the humanities together to address problems,” she
said. “The nexus between science,
policy, and society can be messy
and convoluted, but that’s what really excites me about it.”
Edelen said her parents instilled
in her the importance of taking initiative, encouraging her interest in
medicine even before she began
grade school. “I’ve always had a desire to make a difference in the
world somehow. That’s what really
motivates me. I want to use my gifts
as a way to help the world.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
To read more about Katie Edelen, go to
www.augsburg.edu/now.
“PROBLEM” STUDENTS BECOME
PROBLEM SOLVERS
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
Visualize young people in our public schools making positive change in their communities. Who comes to mind? Probably not middle school
students in the special education classroom—kids with emotional and behavioral disabilities who have difficulty paying attention and communicating with each other or their teachers.
Typically, students in special education are labeled as troublemakers. They are marginalized, silenced, and given little choice in their daily
school tasks. But a partnership between Augsburg College and Fridley Middle School hopes to change that. By giving students a voice in their
education and allowing them to focus their time and energy on an issue they care about, this program has turned “problem” students into
public problem solvers.
Public Achievement in special education
Piloted in the 2010-11 academic year, Augsburg’s program
at Fridley Middle School (FMS) is a partnership involving
Augsburg’s Center for Democracy and Citizenship (CDC), the
Augsburg special education faculty and students in the
Master of Arts in Education (MAE) program, and teachers
and students from the school.
The project began when Susan O’Connor, associate professor
of special education at Augsburg, heard Dennis Donovan and
Nan Skelton of the CDC speak about the Public Achievement
model. This model for youth civic organizing was developed by
the CDC’s Harry Boyte. In the classroom, Public Achievement
serves as an empowerment tool that allows students to create
change in an area that they select and take ownership of as
a group.
To O’Connor, Public Achievement seemed like a fit for special education classrooms. “It was like the self-advocacy tool
we are always encouraging teachers to use with their students,”
she said. “The kids with EBD (emotional/behavioral disabilities)
are kids that typically don’t have a voice in their school work.
They’re told what to do. They’re told how to act.”
O’Connor and Donna Patterson from the Augsburg special
education faculty learned how to implement Public Achievement in the classroom. They looked for a location to pilot the
project and settled on FMS because two of the special educa-
tion teachers—Michael Ricci ’07 and Alissa Blood ’07—are
graduates of Augsburg’s teacher education program. Finally,
they hand-picked five MAE students from the Critical Issues
seminar course to work with the middle school students and
then began weekly classes at Fridley in the fall term.
A new way of teaching and learning
The Public Achievement model identifies classroom teachers as
coaches and places all responsibility for decision-making and
action on the students. The middle school students identified
two projects: one concerning alternative energy and another on
homelessness.
In each project, the students were responsible for designing
every aspect. They created timelines, conducted research, contacted experts and members of the community to schedule
speaking engagements or field trips, and communicated about
their projects with faculty and students in their school.
Cheryl McClellan, an Augsburg MAE student, worked with
the “Solar Heroes” team on installing solar panels to light the
school’s flag and a solar thermal to heat water for domestic
uses at the school. “The idea is, the students decide who gets
invited to be a part of the project. They find out how to contact people, send them an e-mail or call, and follow up with
them,” McClellan said. At the end of the year, Solar Heroes
had not been able to finalize the projects but pledged to con-
Summer 2011
21
11
tinue working on fundraising initiatives
for the solar panels.
For many of the students, these were
tasks they had never been entrusted to perform. In addition to learning about how it
feels to be empowered, McClellan said students also came to understand that community organizing and advocacy is not always
easy work. “You get a lot of ‘no’s,’ but they
are learning the skills to move forward.”
Kayla Krebs is one of the Augsburg MAE
students working with “Team Making a
Way,” the class focused on homelessness.
Her students went to the State Capitol to
speak with legislators and also made fleece
blankets to donate to Families Moving
Forward, a North Minneapolis shelter that
provides services for families with children
who are experiencing homelessness.
Krebs saw her role in the classroom as a
facilitator. “I learned how to be flexible and
how to let the students’ voices shine.” For
students with special needs, she says this is
an important part of the learning process because “so many times, people tell them
what to do.”
Molly McInnis, an Augsburg MAE student, said the program has taught her a new
way of teaching. “I have learned how to let
the students make the decisions and drive
their own project,” she said. “I can’t come
in and be a teacher—I need to listen to
them and let them lead.”
Blood said the program was beneficial to
her students because they struggle with
taking responsibility. “This program has
given them a sense of power and responsibility and taught them that what they think
and do matters. They are much more committed and have a sense of pride in what
they are doing.”
By giving students the power to choose
the issues they want to work on and the
methods of solving problems, Donovan said
the students have developed the capacity to
become public problem solvers. That means
they work to solve problems affecting the
Augsburg-Fridley
Public Achievement Team
Back Row [L to R]: Dennis Donovan, Stephen Keeler, Cheryl
McClennan, Alissa Blood, Steph Bloxham, Heidi Austin,
*Barbara West
Middle Row [L to R]: Michael Ricci, *Susan O’Connor,
*Dee Vodicka, *Elizabeth Ankeny, *Donna Patterson
Front Row [L to R]: Molly McInnis, Becki Hamlin, Kayla Krebs
*Augsburg College Faculty
12
Augsburg Now
“THIS PROGRAM HAS GIVEN THEM A SENSE OF POWER AND
RESPONSIBILITY AND TAUGHT THEM THAT WHAT THEY THINK AND DO
MATTERS. THEY ARE MUCH MORE COMMITTED AND HAVE A SENSE OF
PRIDE IN WHAT THEY ARE DOING.”
ALISSA BLOOD ’07
public and are doing it in a public way. The
students created displays for cases outside
their classroom, logos and posters for their
projects, appeared on the FMS Friday
radio broadcast, spoke at a luncheon at
Augsburg, and held a public presentation
at the school. “Kids that are marginalized
really rise to the top when they are given
power,” he said.
“In education, we say it’s not an
achievement gap—it’s an empowerment
gap,” Donovan said. “We have to ask ourselves how we can empower teachers and
students to learn about things that are
meaningful to them and have a voice in
their education.”
Lessons for teachers
One of the most important reasons for implementing this Public Achievement project was to drive institutional change,
O’Connor said. “We want these students to
be seen in a more positive light, not as
trouble-makers.” She added that the Fridley
students were noticed by their administrators and peers, recognized publicly for
their work, and asked to contribute to future discussions.
Another goal of the project was to bring
lessons learned by the Augsburg students
and faculty into the special education curriculum at Augsburg. The faculty are creating a three-year plan to integrate into
the special education curriculum and
hope to develop a Public Achievement
coaching course that can be used in other
departments.
Donovan is excited to see how this project will affect Augsburg’s special education curriculum and students. “I think
Augsburg students are going to be different teachers because of this experience,”
he said. A former public school administrator, Donovan is passionate about working with teachers and helping them
acquire new skills for the classroom.
Helping the Fridley students find their
voice and become more visible in their
middle school community are outcomes
that also had a strong impact on the
Augsburg students who will one day lead
their own classrooms.
Heidi Austin, an Augsburg MAE student
who worked with the Solar Heroes group,
said that as a future teacher, this program
makes her very hopeful. “It is so important
to give kids an opportunity to see that they
can make a difference,” she said. “I came
in thinking there wasn’t going to be much
progress with this project, but I’ve been totally blown away with what they’ve done.”
Speaking to the Augsburg community at
an event in May, McClennan said this project transformed the FMS culture, the students, and also transformed her personally
in a way she hadn’t anticipated. “At my
core I am a better parent, a better citizen,
and a better teacher,” she said.
She commented that the students have
felt empowered by their accomplishments
and the public recognition they received.
“I have learned that these kids who are so
often silenced have a strong voice.”
To read more about the Fridley Middle School Public
Achievement project, go to www.augsburg.edu/now.
Summer 2011
13
ERICA LIPPITT ’12
Erica, a Weekend College
student, studied abroad in
Mexico to learn Spanish.
a
Cuernavaca, Mexico
San Lucas Sacatepequez,
Guatemala
GLORIA XINICO MORALES ’12
ugsburg’s Office of International Programs (OIP) for
more than 25 years has provided internationally recognized and award-winning programs to students who
seek cross-cultural and hands-on learning abroad. The office also brings international students to campus.
“Increasingly, a global perspective is critical to a liberal
arts education,” said Orval Gingerich, assistant vice president for International Programs and director of the Center
for Global Education. “Intercultural experiences—at home
and abroad—are a way to bridge global and local issues.”
During the 2009-10 school year, nearly 275 students
studied abroad. At the same time, Augsburg’s Minneapolis
campus was home to nearly 100 international students
from about two dozen countries including Morocco, Nepal,
Norway, Tanzania, Togo, and many more.
In this edition of Augsburg Now, we present a snapshot
of the stories of students with ties to Guatemala, Germany,
Mexico, China, Vietnam, Kenya, and Yemen. Some traveled
from Augsburg to other parts of the globe. Others came to
Augsburg and the Twin Cities from far away home countries. Still others have graduated and are on to the next
chapters of their stories.
To learn more about OIP and its programs, go to
www.augsburg.edu/oip.
Gloria, an international student
from Guatemala
plans to study in
Namibia this fall.
auggies are ev
14
Augsburg Now
MAX BREGENZER ’12
Max has traveled, studied,
and lived in four countries,
but was born and raised in
Germany.
Würzburg, Germany
IBRAHIM AL-HAJIBY ’14
Guangzhon, China
FAIZA ABBAS MAHAMUD ’11
Faiza went back
to her home
country of Kenya
as an exchange
student to help
African women.
Sana’a, Yemen
Hue, Vietnam
Holly, a student
at United International College in
China, came to
the U.S. to study
education at
Augsburg.
JIAHUA (HOLLY) HUANG ’12
Ibrahim hopes one day to
return to his home in
Yemen to start a non-governmental organization.
Nairobi, Kenya
DAT NGUYEN ’11
Windhoek, Namibia
Dat, a recent graduate and international student, will
be a graduate student at Dartmouth.
verywhere
BY STEPHANIE WEISS
Summer 2011
15
GLORIA
XINICO MORALES
A girl of the world
Gloria Xinico Morales has worked so hard at
Augsburg since arriving during 2008 that
she twice won outstanding student of the
year awards—once during her sophomore
year and again her junior year.
The hard work that earned Xinico Morales
these honors is fundamental to her personality. She doesn’t give up. She doesn’t quit.
Xinico Morales was 18 when she first applied for—and was denied—a student visa.
She wanted to study at Augsburg College, a
school she has known of for her whole life
because her father is director of the Center
for Global Education in Guatemala. Xinico
Morales wasn’t deterred by the denial.
Top: A view of the mountains from Gloria Xinico Morales’
hometown of San Lucas Sacatepequez, Guatemala.
Bottom: Xinico Morales, left, is the oldest of three children. Here she is shown with her brother, Manuel, and
sister, Nickte.
Courtesy photos
16
Augsburg Now
She waited the three months before she
again could apply, and this time was approved. But the whole process pushed her
college plans back by a full year. And as if
that wasn’t enough, her visa was delivered to
the wrong city the day before she was to fly
to the United States. She drove to the city to
pick up her visa.
“After waiting one year and one week, I
had two days to get here, unpack, and settle
in,” Xinico Morales said. “I’d never been
outside of Guatemala before.”
But she still didn’t get to start at Augsburg
right away. She said that by working with admissions staff, they decided she should
study English for three months before starting college. It was a good plan.
“Going to Global Language Institute was
very helpful,” she said. “When I did start at
Augsburg, it seemed the teachers talked really fast. I wasn’t comfortable with English,
homework took a lot longer.”
She kept plugging away. She joined the
Spanish club and quickly was an officer. She
joined Allied Latino/a Augsburg Students,
and finally the International Student Organization of which she now is president. That’s
not even all of it, though, because Xinico
Morales said she can’t say ‘no.’
Being a student from another country can
be challenging and students sometimes
grapple with living life in two cultures. Xinico
Morales grew up in Guatemala and was
raised Catholic. She looks for answers to
questions about varied perspectives in part
through self reflection.
“My life is like a tree,” Xinico Morales
said. “The roots are the morals my parents
taught me. When things get messy, that’s
where I go. The trunk is my immediate family that is there for me no matter what. Then
there are the leaves. The leaves go away and
come back as I grow and change.”
Lately, people have been asking Xinico
Morales what she plans to do with her degree
in international relations and minor in political science. She doesn’t know the answer.
“Minneapolis is my second home. My life
is built here, but Guatemala is where I belong, all my roots are there and my heart is
there,” she said. “But I’ve become a different person and don’t fit there.”
She hopes that she’ll find the answer in
Namibia, in southern Africa, where she’ll
study in the fall as an exchange student.
“Namibia is a neutral place, a different
country, a different continent,” she said. “It
will help me make a decision from far away.
Or maybe I’m just a girl of the world and I’ll
go other places.”
MAX
BREGENZER
Living life to the Max
Max Bregenzer has traveled, studied,
and lived in four countries—Germany,
Spain, Argentina, and the United
States—and he might not yet be done.
Bregenzer, 22, was born and raised
in Germany and now works in his
home country for a large grocery
wholesaler. The company, called
Edeka, also is sending him to school.
He studies for three months, then applies what he’s learned for three
months. He’ll do that for a total of
three years and at the end will have a
holistic perspective of the company. It was through
this model that Bregenzer came to Augsburg.
He researched schools in the U.S. and found
that Augsburg offered the classes he wanted, including human resources and project management, problem-solving for business, and
international business. He said he also was lured
by the arts and outdoor activities.
“I learned about theatre and was totally surprised that everyone is biking here in the winter,”
he said.
This isn’t the first time Bregenzer has studied
or lived abroad. He spent a year of high school
in Spain. Then he went to Argentina to work
with street youths as part of his civil service.
Bregenzer is the oldest of three boys, and his family since about 1869 has owned a group of bakeries and cafés within 40 miles of his home city. You can see all the tasty-looking treats his family
makes at Maxl Bäck (http://maxlbaeck.de).
He hasn’t shut the door on the idea that he might someday work in the family business, but for
now he is focused on learning and practicing regional store management.
ERICA
LIPPITT
Family teamwork creates
a world of possibility for WEC student
Some people buy home study courses to learn
Spanish. Some enroll in Spanish classes. And some
people, like Erica Lippitt, go all the way to
Cuernavaca, Mexico, to live and study.
“I definitely achieved what I wanted in only four
months,” said Lippitt, a single working mother and
Weekend College student. “My son’s family is from
Cuba and they say that my Spanish is getting good.
We can communicate, and I understand them.”
Studying at the Center for Global Education’s
Mexico location was possible because Lippitt’s family pulled together. Her parents offered to care for
her son, and Lippitt’s brother helped, too. Her father, a Lutheran pastor, even got a night job so the
family could afford daycare for Lippitt’s son.
“My parents pushed me,” she said. “They showed
me this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Lippitt originally enrolled at Augsburg during
2001 for business administration. She said she left
the school—also her mom’s alma mater—because
Erica Lippitt visited the pyramids of Teotihuacan in Mexico City and
the Xochicalco pyramids in Cuernavaca, Mexico, with friends she
made on her travels.
Courtesy photos
she wasn’t focused. Lippitt moved to Florida to work
and while there, met her son’s father.
“I left Florida to escape an abusive relationship,”
she said. “My dad is a pastor, and I wasn’t raised to
live like that. I had to leave.”
When Lippitt returned to Wayzata, she returned
to Augsburg where she earned a 4.0 grade point average while working as many as 30 hours a week
and raising her son.
“It shows I am more focused, more determined. I
am here because I want to learn, not because I have
to be here.”
Studying in Cuernavaca also opened new possibilities and ways of thinking. Erica now knows she
wants to work in human resources for an international company. She’d also like to live and work in
Mexico for a time so her son can experience living
in a Spanish-speaking country. And finding ways to
help other women is on her radar screen, too.
“I’ve gained so much strength from my experience, that if there is something I can do to help
other women, I’d like to,” she said.
Summer 2011
17
JIAHUA (HOLLY) HUANG
Holly is a regular Minnesotan
In the 12 months Jiahua Huang was in the United States, she became a typical Minnesotan. Holly, as she prefers to be known in
the U.S., liked the Minnesota State Fair and shopped at the Mall
of America. And she got sick of snow.
Huang, a student at United International College (UIC) in
China, came to the U.S. to study education at Augsburg College.
She learned about
the college through
an Auggie studying
abroad at UIC. She
wanted to learn about
the United States’
culture and improve
her English skills,
and she was attracted
to Augsburg because
of its location.
“It’s better for me
to live in a city,” said
Jiahua Huang was originally excited for snow, and her
Huang, who comes
friends were jealous that she was able to experience
from
a city of 1.6 milwinter. By April, though, she was ready for springtime.
lion people. “Friends
who went to [rural private colleges] said they were bored. But,
when I got here, I asked where all the people were. I went to the
State Fair, and I liked it a lot—all the people.”
Huang was raised near Hong Kong. She has two older sisters
and an older brother. Many families in China have only one child,
but some are able to afford more children.
“My parents wanted another boy, but got another girl,” she
said. “Many friends would think from my name that I am a boy
because my name means ‘handsome’.”
Huang struggled with classes at first. “English is so hard,” she
said. “I would listen to the professor, and I didn’t know what he
was talking about. I would read the textbook, and I didn’t know
what I was reading.”
She also worked hard to become comfortable with cultural differences in the classroom.
“In China, you raise your hand and stand up to participate,”
she said. “Here, all the students talk. I wish I were more confident in class—I feel comfortable talking, but it also feels like I
am being impolite.”
Despite growing tired of the snow, Huang said she would like
to return to Minnesota. She wants to go to graduate school at the
University of Minnesota and teach Chinese while staying connected with her new friends in Minnesota.
18
Augsburg Now
Success in the sciences started for
Dat Nguyen when
his photographer
father lectured
him on the solar
system. It was
1995 and the
two were taking
pictures
of
the
total
solar
Dat Nguyen, right, performs with
folksinger Peter Yarrow of Peter,
eclipse in Vietnam. Nguyen was
Paul, and Mary
more interested in how the
camera and solar system worked than in the photos.
Nguyen, who is Buddhist, said that his success also can
be traced to selling candy at his mother’s store, and performing improvisational theater with American students visiting Vietnam in 2004. It was through these experiences
that Nguyen learned to break out of his comfort zone.
“As a Buddhist, we aren’t real loud or active. You have to
break out of your shell and contribute,” Nguyen said.
The American students that Nguyen’s family hosted invited him in 2005 to an improvisational theater camp in
Colorado.
“I didn’t expect to be invited to America when we
hosted the students,” he said. “But I’ve found that if you do
something voluntarily, without expectation, something automatically will come back.”
In Nguyen’s case, that “something” turned out to be lifechanging relationships that resulted from his theater performances in Colorado. He met Peter Yarrow—of Peter, Paul
and Mary—and later sang backup with Yarrow when the
singer was in Vietnam for a fundraiser. He also connected
with a group of families who offered to sponsor his education by providing his tuition, health insurance, and a
stipend.
In the sciences, Nguyen credits his success to the strong
advising, encouragement and opportunities provided by his
Augsburg professors, all of whom encouraged him to explore
his curiosities and broad-ranging scientific interests.
He will continue to feed his unlimited curiosity this fall
as a graduate student at Dartmouth, where he has earned a
full scholarship. He said he is looking forward to continuing
his studies in a setting similar to Augsburg College—one
with a smaller department where he can connect and interact with many people.
DAT
NGUYEN
Unlocking
possibilities
and potential
at Augsburg
FAIZA
ABBAS MAHAMUD
A life that defies definition
Faiza Abbas Mahamud moved a lot when she was young. First
her family moved from war-torn Somalia to Kenya. Then the
family moved four times in Kenya, including living at one time
in a refugee camp.
All the moving meant Mahamud wasn’t able to have one set
of friends with whom to spend time, connect, and grow up. But
she did have one constant—a dictionary.
“As a child, textbooks had to be purchased. We couldn’t buy
books, but we always had a dictionary. I feel like this is a tradition in our home,” she said.
The moving stopped in 2004 when Mahamud’s family came
to Minnesota.
“My aunt put her life on hold to help us,”
Mahamud said. “Aside from God, if it weren’t for
my mom’s youngest sister, it would be hard for us
to have a stable life.”
Mahamud graduated from Roosevelt High School
in 2007, then enrolled at Augsburg College. She
went back to Kenya during 2010 as an exchange student to work for a United Nations agency in a variety
of roles, including as a premarital counselor.
“When I went back to Kenya, I was a totally different person,” she said. “I wasn’t the girl who wanted
to get away from this country. Where is home for me?
When I was in America, I would say ‘I’m going home.’
When I was in Kenya, I kept calling Minnesota home.”
Mahamud, now a U.S. citizen, graduated in spring
2011 with majors in English and women’s studies and
with a minor in chemistry. She’s now exploring options
for graduate school but isn’t ready to confine herself
only to the United States.
“I want to be in Africa to help women who don’t have
that second helping hand like my aunt,” she said. “I
want to be in a position to make a difference in the lives
of women and children.”
And she still needs to finish reading the dictionary.
“I spent so much time reading and using the words I
learned,” she said. “But there are so many words I haven’t
gotten to.”
During her trip to Kenya, Faiza
Abbas Mahamud learned beadmaking from the women of
Narok who sold their goods at
Maasai Mara.
Courtesy photos
Summer 2011
19
IBRAHIM
AL-HAJIBY
Life in the United States:
Different, but not weird
Ibrahim Al-Hajiby’s time in America is a study in contrasts.
He first came to the United States during 2007 as a
high school exchange student. He crossed the globe from
Yemen’s capital city of Sana’a to Cloquet, Minn.—in the
dead of winter.
“I always seem to come to Minnesota in the winter,” he
said. “In Cloquet, I loved McDonald’s double cheeseburgers. I would eat one every day. Even in winter, I’d ride my
bike and the wheels would just spin in the snow.”
Volunteerism and politics are different, too.
“I live in one of the most conservative countries in the
Middle East, and we have a tribal culture,” said Al-Hajiby,
20. “In Yemen, our schools are focused on academics—
there isn’t the focus on serving the community.”
Al-Hajiby volunteered time since first arriving in the U.S.
and next year will serve as an officer of the International
Student Organization.
Al-Hajiby said that a key to his success in America is to
embrace wherever he is living, and to be open to new experiences and people.
“One of my host moms and I have a slogan: ‘It’s not
weird, it’s different’,” Al-Hajiby said.
Al-Hajiby said he misses and worries about his parents
and sister but is glad that his brother also is in Minnesota
Al-Hajiby is shown wearing the traditional clothing
worn by men in his home country of Yemen.
Courtesy photo
20
Augsburg Now
Ibrahim Al-Hajiby said two of his favorite foods in
the United States are hot dogs from The Wienery
and double cheeseburgers from McDonald’s.
this year. His country is in turmoil with protests against the government,
and some demonstrations turn deadly.
“I know people who have been killed,” he said. “My parents’ last
words on the phone are that they are glad my brother and I are here and
that we are safe.”
Al-Hajiby is an honors student in chemistry and recipient of Augsburg’s
International President’s Scholarship. He hopes one day to return to
Yemen to start a non-governmental organization.
“I really want to go back at one point and make a change,” Al-Hajiby
said. “I feel like God has chosen me to pursue such a fine education so I
can go back and help.”
REAL EXPERIENCE IN THE WORKING WORLD
BY WENDI WHEELER ’06
INTERNSHIPS, ONCE A NECESSARY STOP ON THE CAREER PATH OF ASPIRING PHYSICIANS, ARE NOW COMMON FOR MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS. WE TALKED TO FOUR
AUGGIE INTERNS ABOUT WHAT THEY ARE LEARNING OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM.
INTERNSHIPS PROVIDE VALUABLE OPPORTUNITIES for college students to gain hands-on experience in their fields. In addition to practical
training, internships can give students an inside view of a business or industry and help them broaden their professional networks. The internship
experience often validates a student’s career choice, but it can also lead
them to consider options they hadn’t before.
Today an internship is part of many students’ college experience and
perhaps a must for those hoping to be hired after college. According to a
May 2011 Washington Post article, internships are common for 75 percent of U.S. college students.
There are a number of reasons why students should and do take on
internships, said Lois Olson, executive director of the Clair and Gladys
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work at Augsburg. “Students get excited about what they are learning in the classroom and want to apply it
in another setting.” Often, she said, students will tell her that an internship experience helps them better understand lessons from the classroom. “They say, ‘Now I understand why we needed to learn that.’ ”
One of the most significant reasons for doing an internship relates to
getting a job after college. “A prominent message from employers is that
they want practical applied experience related to a student’s major on
their résumé,” Olson said. “They want to know they are making a good
hiring decision.”
In fact, completing at least one internship during college can have
great value beyond the learning experience. According to the 2010 Student Survey published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, 42 percent of graduates with internships who applied for a job
received an offer compared with only 30 percent for students who had no
internship experience. In addition, students with internships tended to
receive higher starting salary offers.
As for internships leading to a job offer, Olson said technically a job
cannot be promised in an internship situation. “Most students hope it
will lead to a job,” she said. Olson added, “The reality is that many organizations will look to their interns to fill open positions should the opportunity arise.”
The prominence of internships and the rise of importance in the hiring process means students should start thinking about an internship
early. Olson said students who want to do an internship in their junior
year should start the process of planning in their sophomore year. “The
competition has really changed. It’s not as easy as making a phone call
anymore,” she said. Because the process takes longer, Olson encourages
students to dedicate as much time and attention to it as they would
when applying for a job.
Here we profile four students whose unique and challenging internships have given them insight into their chosen career fields and also
helped them grow as future leaders.
Summer 2011
21
What are you doing?
I bring the children of major donors and long-time season ticket holders onto
the field for batting practice so they can see what happens and meet the players. I also coordinate a few of the opening pitches.
’11
22
22
What have you learned?
I have learned how much goes into the presentation of a professional sporting
event. There is so much that you don’t see or hear about that’s behind the
scenes to make a baseball game run.
DAN BRANDT
What is the value of your internship?
Major: marketing
Internship: Minnesota Twins public affairs office
I have had a lot of unique experiences—meeting people, networking, and
doing things out of the ordinary that most people don’t get to do. At some
point I would like to have a career in this field, but it is very competitive.
Augsburg Now
Now
Augsburg
’11
KRISTI VINKEMEIER
Major: chemistry, biology minor
Internship: Aveda Corporation/SarTec Corporation
What are you doing?
My internship is a joint project between Aveda and SarTec Corporation. We are using the Mcgyan reactor technology to synthesize
new surfactant precursors from renewable resources. Surfactants
are an important class of molecules and integral to the performance of shampoos, conditioners, and soaps. This new surfactant
will be produced almost exclusively from renewable resources and
is expected to be fully biodegradable.
What have you learned?
When you work in lab class, your professor says, “This is what you
need to do, this is how you do it, and this is what you are going to
get.” In industry, you don’t know what you are going to get. You
have to keep strict notes. In lab you assume you’ll remember minor
details, but in the real world you can’t remember from the first
time to the fifth time. In industry, it’s not always clear as day what
is going to happen. The learning curve is much greater.
I’ve also learned about myself. Before this, I told everyone I
didn’t like research. Now I love it. I need change, so research and
development and the variety of tasks I’ve been able to do are a lot
of fun. Originally I was strongly interested in becoming a physician
assistant, but I have started to explore the idea of getting my master’s or PhD in chemistry.
What is the value of your internship?
I can’t explain how awesome an internship is. The companies are
willing to work with a student who is learning. I wish everyone
could have this opportunity. You learn so much about working with
people in a real chemistry lab.
If I went to a big school I don’t think I would have had the
same opportunities as I have had here. Augsburg has great affiliations with companies. Here, the chemistry department [faculty] got
to know me and know what I am interested in.
Summer 2011
23
What are you doing?
I have been researching the area around the proposed stops along University
Avenue on the Central Corridor Light Rail line. I have looked at the cost of developing high-density housing units in the area. I have also looked at government policies that were changed, such as some zoning policies and parking
regulations. I have had to look at the background information of the proposed
stops and give their story.
’11
TOM THAO
Major: sociology
Internship: Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC)
What have you learned?
I am getting more into urban planning and learning about the policies involved
in implementing a big project into a city.
What is the value of your internship?
I would like to have a career in urban planning, so it’s been beneficial to go
into the field and get to know people. I hope I can build up my résumé these
next few years and then get a master’s in urban regional planning. But right
now it’s about building the connections.
’11
GEOFFREY GILL
Major: youth and family ministry, psychology minor
Internship: Seeds of Change at St. Paul Central High School
What are you doing?
Seeds of Change is an after-school program directed toward African
American males. We try to give them the support they need in their
education and in their personal lives.
Our main goal is to get the families involved in the kids’ lives.
A lot of their parents don’t go to conferences and don’t know about
their kids’ grades. We are inviting the parents to a family night where
they come and get involved in conversations. We are doing a small
play to portray their experiences in school and life. It’s a chance for
them to literally tell their parents what is going on in their lives. At
the end we give the parents an opportunity to talk about what they
saw.
My goal is to be a support for the students. I first of all want to
be a listening ear and hear where they are in life and be with them.
They talk about how they moved around all their life and they never
had a stable home. A lot of them don’t have fathers in their lives.
They talk about how their relationship with their parents isn’t good
and how they have seen their parents at their lowest points. They
didn’t know how to handle it so they found a way to cope. You see
kids who get into drugs because it’s the only way that makes them
feel normal. Some of them don’t go home sometimes; they just ride
the bus all night.
What have you learned?
It has helped me immensely. I’ve been put in a leadership position as
the artistic coordinator. I’ve learned how to be a leader, how to make
decisions, and how to lead a group. It’s different leading a group of
people who are going out to do volunteer work or working with kids,
but having your own employees and needing to delegate and make
sure they stay on top of it is different. It’s been totally new for me.
I’ve learned the importance of being consistent and organized and on
time. If you’re slacking on something, it starts to show.
What is the value of your internship?
It has prepared me for the real world. When I walk into a new job situation, I am confident that I will be able to step in right away. I feel
comfortable working with young people because through the youth
and family ministry major we were taught to focus on what youth really want—not just from a religious perspective but on a human level.
When I come into a situation I am able to understand what a person
really wants.
Summer 2011
25
2011
commencment
Commencement by the numbers
3,655
150 faculty lined 7 ½ Street
and applauded graduates as they processed
tickets redeemed
2 drummers 314 steps
Bob Stacke, professor of music, was unable to
lead the procession in May due to an injury, so
he enlisted the help of Andrew Myers ’10.
718
participating graduates
(May and June)
18 FLAGS
8
Augsburg Now
210
5,200
minutes
of music, speeches, recognition, and applause
from Christensen Center
to Si Melby front steps
3
number
of
volunteers
Kwok Siu Tong, founder of United International College in Zhuhai, China
The Reverend Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway and
founder and president of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights
The Reverend Ishmael Noko, general secretary (retired) of the Lutheran
World Federation
70
Doctor of Nursing
Practice graduates
representing countries of international students graduating
26
sandwiches served at postcommencement receptions
honorary degrees conferred
6 bows
1 bow
on Colin Stanhill’s beard, photo
featured in the May 8 Pioneer Press.
on President Pribbenow’s neck
(at each ceremony)
dnp
The first graduates of Augsburg’s Doctor of Nursing Practice program
are prepared to bring new perspectives to the nursing practice.
Back Row [L to R]: Kristin McHale '08 MAN; Susan Loushin '03 BSN, '06 MAN; Mary Ann Kinney '04 MAN; Kaija Freborg Sivongsay '08 MAN
Front Row [L to R]: Joyce Miller '02 BSN, '05 MAN; Katherine Baumgartner '05 MAN; Jean Gunderson '03 MAN; Deb Schuhmacher '04 MAN
At this year’s June commencement, Augsburg College graduated its
first cohort of students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
program. The DNP program, which began in 2009, is the College’s
first doctoral program.
The DNP curriculum focuses on transcultural nursing in community life, and the program has given students new perspectives
on treating people and illness.
Katherine Baumgartner ’05 MAN has been a member of the
nursing faculty since 2005. For her, the DNP program was a logical fit to expand her journey and practice and to strengthen and
deepen her knowledge in transcultural nursing. An ongoing focus
of her study and practice has been providing training and skill
building for health promoters in indigenous communities in rural
Guatemala.
Baumgartner said the DNP program reminded her that her own
experiences matter and encouraged her to go forward with her work
in Guatemala. “I learned that the practical wisdom borne from my
own experiences is not to be minimized,” she said. “That’s not a
classic outcome but is so important to my work.”
Joyce Miller ’02 BSN, ’05 MAN also has taught for the past
five years in the Augsburg nursing program. Her career focus has
always been on leadership, she said, and she felt the DNP program
would add a different dimension of care to her practice.
“This program has changed the way I look at the world and pa-
2011
tients and the way I envision health care,” Miller said. “I ask who
isn’t being cared for and how we can make sure everyone is being
cared for in the same way.”
Miller said she has learned to value “metis,” a term that refers
to collective wisdom, and to respect its role in the nursing practice.
“There is tremendous wisdom that we can learn from indigenous
healers,” she said. The nurses learned from the practices of healers in Mexico, Africa, and Native American traditions. “This program has given me the ability to stand back and respect everyone
for who they are and what they bring,” Miller said.
Jean Gunderson ’03 MAN was one of the first students to graduate from Augsburg’s nursing master’s degree program and is also
one of the first doctoral graduates. A public health nurse for the
majority of her career, Gunderson says she has dedicated her whole
life to creating systems of care that resonate with cultural diversity.
“This program has been lifelong learning for me,” Gunderson
said. She added that the program has transformed her models of
care and helped her recognize diverse ways of knowing. She also
said she has been moved to honor and recognize indigenous wisdom and to work in partnership with healers.
Both Miller and Gunderson said that being “pioneers” of the
DNP program has been rewarding. “We jumped right in with huge
faith and helped to co-create the program,” Gunderson said. “We
felt like we were partners.”
commencment
Summer 2011
27
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear fellow alumni,
I
t is with great honor and a humble
acceptance that I will serve as your
Augsburg Alumni Board president for
the 2011-2012 academic year. Having
been a part of the Alumni Board for three
years, I am very fortunate to have been selected to lead our alma mater in connecting and engaging alumni. It is my goal to
help create fun and efficient programs that will not only get you connected but will keep you engaged!
I grew up playing golf, and I absolutely love the game! My favorite
times are when I am heading off that first tee with either family or a
group of buddies and we are reminiscing or razzing one another
about past memories that bring a few laughs. It’s that type of bond
that keeps us connected and eager to reunite.
When I think of family, Augsburg is a place I keep close to my
heart—the friends that I made and the new friends that continue to
emerge. Over the past few years, the Young Alumni Council has
helped reunite old and new friends with the Young Alumni Summer
Series of events, attended by 1,500 alums. We have had a blast putting this program together and have enjoyed watching its success.
Following Auggie Eagle on Facebook and Augsburg College on
Twitter have been fantastic ways to stay in touch and relay information when groups are getting together.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the 2011
graduating class! I look forward to seeing you at the 2011 Young
Alumni Summer Series. We have another engaging and entertaining set of events in store for you, including Canterbury Park on
August 5 and a Minnetonka boat
cruise on September 15! Register at
www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents
or 612-330-1085.
Auggies are literally all over the world! With
more than 25,000 alumni, Auggies can be found from
New Zealand to Denmark, the United States to Japan, and
Minneapolis to San Diego. We are everywhere doing good things
for our communities! The Alumni Board is rolling out a networking
program, Augsburg Builds Connections, which will enable alumni
professionals to provide information, encouragement, and support
to current students and recent graduates. This flexible volunteer
program will allow alumni mentors to connect with students via
e-mail, phone, or face-to-face meetings and assist them in navigating their career path and achieving their professional goals.
Read more about this program on the next page. Now, assisting
Auggies is as simple as ABC!
With all of this, I can’t help but be excited for the future. I wish
you well and look forward to getting connected this year.
Sincerely,
ROBERT WAGNER II ’02
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
P.S. The Alumni Board would like to welcome our new members:
Kathy Amos ’87, Heather Cmiel ’02, Kate Loyd ’05, and Jerry
Poland ’92
Alumni Board of Directors 2011-12
Standing (L to R): John Stadler ’07 MAL (past president); Jennifer M.
Carlson ’91; Sarah Grans ’01; Chad Darr ’04; Sharon Mercill ’09; Tracy
Anderson ’95 (secretary); Julia Mensing ’00, ’07 MBA; Michael Loney ’03
(treasurer); Kate Loyd ’05; Chris Ascher ’81 (president elect); Kathy
Amos ’87; Jerry Poland ’92; Dale Hanka ’60; Robert J. Wagner II ’02
(president); Misti Allen Binsfeld ’93; Daniel Hickle ’95
Seated (L to R): Holly Ebnet Knutson ’03, ’07 MBA; Sharon Engelland ’87;
Chris Hallin ’88
Not Pictured: Heather Cmiel ’02; Lee Anne Lack ’67; Nancy Nordlund
’91, ’07 MAL; Carolyn Spargo ’80; Maggie Tatton ’01
28
Augsburg Now
abc
Augsburg Builds Connections
CONNECTIONS HELP GRADUATES DISCOVER WHAT’S NEXT
After college, many graduates ask, “What am I going to do now?”
Since he graduated from Augsburg, Cory Allen ’07 has helped
several Auggies answer this question and find ways to share their gifts
and talents with the world.
“Augsburg is great about helping you understand your vocation,
but it’s difficult to go the rest of the way,” he said. “You have to push
yourself to discover what is next.”
Allen works with students and graduates to help them understand
their strengths and their weaknesses, what they do well and where
they can improve. He said that knowledge might help in a person’s
career but will also be beneficial in other areas of their lives.
One recent graduate who has benefitted from Allen’s mentorship
is Joe Lichtscheidl ’11. Allen helped Lichtscheidl improve his résumé
and also gave him an “in” with a local company.
Lichtscheidl said having a mentoring relationship with an alumnus who has gone through the job search is extremely helpful. “I feel
that it keeps me from stressing out about getting a job in this tough
economy because I have someone who has gone through it to help.”
Sama Sandy ’08 reconnected with Allen at a Young Alumni Summer Series event, and the two continued communicating after that
e
w
a
Alumni mentoring volunteer
opportunities will begin this fall
night. Sandy said mentorship is a mutually beneficial relationship because both parties learn from each other.
He added, “Mentorships are a fantastic way of networking in
every sense because you are able to learn more about a person, potentially provide advice or assistance during times of struggle, and
also get to be a part during the times of triumph.”
For Allen, mentoring and working with others is simply “organic.”
He said, “I think it’s my responsibility to pass on my knowledge and
experiences, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see students go from the
start of their senior year to a successful career.”
SUPPORTING FELLOW AUGGIES IS AS EASY AS ABC
The Augsburg Builds Connections (ABC) program is one of the many
volunteer opportunities available to Augsburg parents and alumni.
Volunteers in the program meet or correspond with students or graduates who are in the process of applying for a job or are interested in a
career in their industry.
Augsburg alumni and parents who participate in the ABC program
have the opportunity to help Augsburg students navigate their career
path. To learn more about Augsburg Builds Connections, go to
www.augsburg.edu/alumni/abc.html.
Auggie alumnae seek to engage
women through AWE
In late 2009, a group of Auggie women gathered to respond to a
challenge: how to effectively engage more women in the life of
Augsburg College. They created AWE: Augsburg Women Engaged.
In Spring 2010, Augsburg graduates convened to share their insights about meeting this challenge. These alumnae shared two key
pieces of advice. First, alumnae desire to re-establish or strengthen
meaningful connections with classmates, faculty, current students,
and the College community. Second, women desire to make an impact in whatever they do.
We invite all alumnae to be part of making strategic connections
for the coming years for Auggie women. Participate in whatever way
best suits your interests, circumstances, and availability. Contact any
of the Advisory Council members or Donna McLean, director of development initiatives, mclean@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1556, to
find out how you can be involved.
AWE women gathered at Augsburg House on Wednesday, June 1. Pictured [L to R]:
Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL; Donna McLean; Shelby Andress ’56; Buffie Blesi ’90, ’97
MAL; Cassidy Titcomb; Sherilyn Young; Kari Eklund Logan ’82
The AWE Advisory Council members are Shelby Gimse Andress ’56;
Buffie Blesi ’90, ’97 MAL; Lisa Svac Hawks ’85; Kari Eklund Logan
’82; Jennifer Hipple ’09; Lori Moline ’82; Roz Nordaune ’77; Heidi
Wisner Staloch ’93; and Lisa Zeller ’81, ’89 MAL. We thank them
for accepting the challenge to engage more women in the life of
Augsburg College.
Summer 2011
29
alumni news
YOUNG ALUMNI
summer series
To register for the Young Alumni events or to see the full calendar
of events at Augsburg, go to www.augsburg.edu/alumni
Friday, August 5, 5-7 p.m.
AUGGIE NIGHT AT THE RACES
Canterbury Park
1100 Canterbury Road, Shakopee
Free admission, picnic buffet, and
reserved seating
Thursday, September 15, 6-8 p.m.
BOAT CRUISE ON LAKE MINNETONKA
Join other Young Alumni donors for a
sunset boat cruise on Lake Minnetonka
with complimentary appetizers and beverages. Not a donor? Don’t miss the
boat! Become a donor today at augsburg.edu/giving.
Thursday, October 20, 7-8:30 a.m.
EYE-OPENER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
BREAKFAST sponsored by Thrivent Financial
for Lutherans™
Town & Country Club
300 Mississippi River Blvd. N., Saint Paul
$5 includes full breakfast buffet and networking
Friday, October 21, 6-8 p.m.
HOMECOMING 2011: AUGGIE HOURS
Republic (formerly Preston’s)
221 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis
Two complimentary beverages and appetizers provided
30
Augsburg Now
10% Auggie discount
In an effort to attract Augsburg’s finest back to campus
to continue their education, the Augsburg Master of
Business Administration (MBA) is offering a 10% discount on MBA tuition to graduates of any of Augsburg’s
undergraduate programs including Weekend College.
The discount applies to students who begin the MBA
program in September 2011 and will be applied to each
course in the MBA program. Admission requirements
and deadlines for the Augsburg MBA can be found at
www.augsburg.edu/mba or by calling 612-330-1101.
The Augsburg MBA is an accredited MBA that has recently become a formal candidate for global business accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business
Schools & Programs (ACBSP). Consider coming back to
Augsburg for a two-year MBA program grounded in the liberal arts with a focus on local, national, and global business issues.
Augsburg LIVE! webinar
SEPTEMBER 21
Augsburg’s President Paul C. Pribbenow has traveled this year
to ten cities and six states to engage the Augsburg community
in discussions about the College’s mission, vision, and vocation, and to foster opportunities to advance the College’s key
strategic initiatives. Alumni who have had the opportunity to
hear from the president have left with a greater sense of pride
in their alma mater and excitement for the future of the
institution.
The Augsburg LIVE! webinar is your chance to hear firsthand from President Pribbenow. Log in at www.augsburg.edu
on Wednesday, September 21, at noon CT for a 30-minute
conversation with President Pribbenow. See
images of the campus master plan
and hear stories of student success and excellence.
Augsburg
alumni
experience
the
EMERALD ISLE
Courtesy photo
auggie
involved in monitoring
Japanese nuclear facility
After the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan,
Augsburg alumna Cynthia Jones ’81 was called upon
to monitor nuclear safety of the affected Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear site.
Jones, a physics graduate and Augsburg
College regent, is a senior staff member in the
Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response
of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
and worked as part of NRC’s 24-hour Operations
Center team in the aftermath of the earthquake.
During mid-May, the NRC transitioned this 24hour monitoring to a Japanese regulatory office.
Since that time, Japanese officials have been managing the recovery process for the site.
Because of Jones’ early involvement in the response, she now is presenting at scientific conferences. During late June, she chaired a special
session at the national Health Physics Society
meeting in Florida on the response to the events.
For continuing information on NRC activities in
response to this event, go to
www.nrc.gov/japan/japan-info.html.
Early in May, Auggie alumni and friends journeyed through Ireland on an
alumni tour led by Phillip Adamo, director of the medieval studies program and
history department chair.
Highlights from the group’s travels include a Dublin cruise on the river
Liffey and sites such as the Rock of Cashel and Holy Cross Abbey. Travelers experienced the majestic landscapes at the Cliffs of Moher and explored the ancient fort of Dun Aengus on the Aran Islands. Traditional Irish music was
enjoyed in the village of Dingle and the bustling city of Galway.
The travelers are pictured in front of Kylemore Abbey, a working Benedictine abbey in the countryside of the Connemara.
Front Row [L to R]: Phil Adamo, Fritz and Linda Morlock, Marya (Christensen)
Farrell ’63, Jessica Motschenbacher ’08, Jean Moucha, Sara Naegeli, Sandi
Prince ’05, Ted Naegeli, Clodaugh Horner (Irish guide)
Back Row [L to R]: Trace Regan, Mary Ellen Kelly, John Greenfield ’66, Mary Jo
Greenfield, Bob Farrell, Jennifer Carlson ’91, Sue Tesmer ’74, Nancy and
Richard Borstad, Amanda Storm
Courtesy photo
Journey to the Holy Land
With Religion Professor Philip A. Quanbeck II
JANUARY 3-14, 2012
Travel with a community of Augsburg alumni and friends under the leadership of
religion professor Philip Quanbeck II and Dr. Ruth E. Johnson ’74. Discover the
geography, places, and people of the Holy Land. Visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem,
Caesarea, Capernaum, the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, and much more. Woven
into the itinerary are several opportunities to dialogue with local community
leaders who give voice to the complex history and geopolitical issues of the region. Return home with a broader and deeper understanding of a land considered holy by the world’s three monotheistic religions.
To register or request more information call 612-330-1525 or e-mail
alumni@augsburg.edu
Summer 2011
31
alumni class notes
57the 50th anniversary of his or-
Rev. Alfred Kaupins celebrated
dination on June 11.
72Come Join Their Song (pub-
Mark Shepperd's choral piece,
lished by Beckenhorst Press) won
the 2010 VocalEssence & American
Composers Forum Christmas Carol
contest. The world premiere performance was given by VocalEssence at
their Welcome Christmas concerts in
December 2010 and will be rebroadcast in December 2011 on
American Public Media. Mark has
served as minister of music at Woodbury Lutheran Church in Woodbury,
Minn., since 1990.
98master’s degrees at Hamline
Beverly Bushyhead earned
auggieSNAPSHOTS
University in nonprofit management
32
and public administration. Bev
hopes to do some research and policy work after her graduation.
Ann Jenkins has accepted a position
as an intake investigator with Allen
County Children's Services in Lima,
Ohio.
Matt Butler licensed his invention,
the ROLLORS® lawn game, to
Maranda Enterprises. Matt conceived of the game while he was
serving in the Air Force in
Afghanistan. The game has sold
more than 25,000 copies.
Julie Johnson, with Doug Otto ’05 and
Drew Druckrey, released The Banks
of the Little Auplaine, an experimental roots album that mines historic
Upper-Midwestern folk music. Julie
Johnson & The No-Accounts trio performed the song collection at a CD
release show at the Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis in April.
99graduated in May 2010 with
Kyran (Christianson) Cadmus
her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
degree from Colorado State University. She finished her Master of Public Health degree in April 2011
through the University of Minnesota.
Kyran lives in Fort Collins, Colorado
with her husband, Pete.
00
Mauris DeSilva received
recognition for a study on controlled delivery of antibiotics to
wounds. His team of researchers received first place for their work at a
poster competition.
Meg (Schmidt) Sawyer married Jim
Sawyer on October 9, 2010 in Shoreview, Minn. Meg works for Youth
Encounter, a Christian nonprofit
youth ministry organization, as the
business communications executive.
04ated with an MFA in musical
Deanne M. McDonald gradu-
theatre from Minnesota State
University Mankato.
07years as a bicycle courier in
After serving for almost three
New York City, Jenessa Stark moved
to El Paso, Tex., to study midwifery
at Maternidad La Luz midwife
school. She was also featured in
“Triple Rush,” a Travel Channel
series about New York City bicycle
messengers that aired this spring.
99Damion Spilman welcomed
Sarah (Ginkel) Spilman and
Elizabeth (Libby) Frances
Spilman on December 6, 2010.
She joins big brother Zane, 5.
00Nicki, welcomed son Foster
Mac Gordon and his wife,
06Aaron Riedel ’07 wel-
Sara Schlipp-Riedel and
on March 9.
01welcomed their first child, Liam
Carrie (Lind) Cabe and Chris Cabe
comed son Aidan Theodore on
February 22.
Christopher, on March 20.
71-73together at Augsburg and have met
Members of the Chi House lived
annually since graduation. The group received mittens hand knit by Lennice Keefe. Making them was
on her “bucket list.” Pictured [L to R] are Julie
(Hagberg) Swaggert ’73, Marilyn (Moxness) Hall ’71,
Carol (Pederson) Jorgenson ’72, Mary Lynn (Monson)
Oglesbee ’72, Lennice “Sparkie” (Nordaune) Keefe
’72, Jill Steele ’72, and Mary (Boraas) Janotta ’73.
Not pictured: Suzanne (Olson) Swanson ’73.
Augsburg Now
09ried Tom Henry Fields III
Emily (Tischer) Fields mar-
02Whaylen were married September 11, 2010 in
Brooke (Stoeckel) Whaylen and Courtney
Edina, Minn. Shelly Laugerman ’04 and Erica Champer
’04 were also in the wedding party. Brooke works as a
hospitality sales director at an area convention and visitors bureau, and Courtney works in IT security software.
on August 28, 2010 in
Rochester, Minn. Other Auggies
in the wedding party included
Killa Martinez-Aleman ’08,
Caris Warnock ’09, and Kasi
(Clauson) Lange ’08.
08
Emma Stensvaag returned to the states in December 2010
after completing 27 months of service for the U.S. Peace
Corps in Mozambique.
10program in clinical psychology at the California School of
Leann Vice-Reshel has been accepted into the doctoral
Professional Psychology in San Diego, Calif. She will begin the
program in September 2011.
Graduate Programs
Timothy (Tim) Van Rooy ’89 MAL and Rob Wagner ’02 (new
alumni board president) were chosen to help build a community with families in need through Thrivent Builds with Habitat
for Humanity in El Salvador. They helped build homes with families in need thanks to a multiyear, multimillion dollar partnership between Thrivent Financial for Lutherans™ and Habitat for
Humanity International.
Patrick Troska ’94 MAL was appointed executive director of the
Jay and Rose Phillips Family Foundation. In addition to providing leadership for the organization’s overall strategy, Patrick will
be the lead contact for the foundation’s grantmaking strategies
related to housing and transit.
Nicolas Thomley ’06 MBA has been named one of the 2011
Minnesotans on the Move by Finance & Commerce. The award
honors professionals who are poised to make business history
of their own during the coming years.
Chris Wolf ’09 MAN recently published “A Head Injury Teaching
Module for Pre-Hospital Assessment" in the February 2011
issue of Military Medicine Journal. Susan Nash, Augsburg College associate professor of nursing, was co-author.
ENGAGING
Homecoming
October 16-22
2011
Join Augsburg alumni, parents, students, and friends in a fun-filled
week of events and activities.
New events have been added to this year’s schedule, including the
Student and Alumni Networking Event following the Sabo Symposium on
Wednesday, October 19, and the Alumni Art Exhibition on Friday,
October 21.
Homecoming Convocation will kick off the weekend’s events on Friday,
October 21. At convocation, we will recognize the First Decade, Spirit of
Augsburg, and Distinguished Alumni Award winners, as well as members of the class of 1961. Don’t miss opportunities for fellowship and
reminiscing at the Homecoming Convocation Luncheon that afternoon or
later that evening at Republic (formerly Preston’s).
Experience the Best of Augsburg on Saturday, October 22, by attending a brief lecture from three of Augsburg’s outstanding faculty
members: Garry Hesser (sociology, metro/urban studies), robert tom
(studio art), and David Murr ’92 (physics).
This year’s Taste of Augsburg pregame picnic on Saturday will include carnival-style booths operated by student, parent, and alumni
groups. Following the picnic, cheer on the Auggies at the football
game as they take on St Olaf.
The Auggie Block Party is back by popular demand! Following the
game, gather in the parking lot to the north of Si Melby Hall to enjoy
food, entertainment, and camaraderie. The activities don’t end there—
after the block party, attend the Hognander Music Scholars Reunion
Concert at 6 p.m. in Hoversten Chapel.
Homecoming weekend truly has something for everyone. For
more information and to see a complete schedule, go to
www.augsburg.edu/homecoming. We look forward to seeing you there!
go auggies!
WITH THE SCIENCES
• Beer Brewing 101 with physics professor Ben
Stottrup. Saturday, September 17, 2-4 p.m.
Great Waters Brewing Co., 427 Saint Peter
Street, Saint Paul
• Stargazing and Minnesota Starwatch Class
with WCCO Radio meteorologist Mike
Lynch and astronomy professor Mark
Bransford. Saturday, October 1,
7-9:30 p.m. Quarry Hill Nature
Center, Savanna Room, 701 Silver
Creek Road, Rochester
For more information and to RSVP, go to
www.augsburg.edu/engage or call
612-330-1085.
Summer 2011
33
’72
ASK AN AUGGIE EXPERT
Greg Fitzloff
Certified barbecue cook-off judge
How did you become certified as a barbecue judge?
Since I retired five years ago, I’ve been doing a lot of volunteer
work. I met a gentleman who was a caterer but also cooked for
a living. He would call me and I would go over when he was
testing recipes, and he said I should become a judge.
There are a couple of professional societies for barbecue
cooks, and they have a certification class and process for
judges. I found out more about it and said, “Why not?” If you
will, it kind of ended up on my own personal bucket list.
Why is a judge so important?
As the contests become more popular, the key is to draw in
top teams, and they want to be sure the judging is done correctly. In the last several years there have been more people
involved, and the prize money has grown significantly in the
professional circuit. A winner in a recent contest won
$10,000. That’s why the judging is so important.
After retiring five years ago from a career in teaching and economic development, Greg Fitzloff started checking items off
his bucket list. Now he travels around the country tasting
chicken, ribs, beef brisket, and pulled pork as a certified barbecue cook-off judge. We caught up with him at his cabin “up
North” to find out more about this delicious-sounding job!
What’s the key to a perfect barbecue?
Two key words: low and slow. Cook it on low heat, 200 to 225
degrees, and slow. It takes time—anywhere from a couple of
hours to 12 to 16 hours depending on the size and cut of meat.
What are your favorite summer barbecue side dishes?
I think the classics tend to go best. In the South and Southeast you see barbecue beans with a great variety of tastes.
Further north and in the Midwest you see potato salad and
cole slaw, of course. The other thing we’ve discovered over
the years is that after you’ve been tasting barbecue all day,
the thing that goes extraordinarily well is ice cream. I don’t
know why. That nearest Dairy Queen generally gets a big hit
after a contest.
What criteria do you use in judging barbecue?
It is fairly structured, but you are looking for three things. First
is appearance—how the meat actually looks. Does it look like
something you want to eat right away? Presentation is so important. The second is tenderness—is it cooked correctly? Each
category has a slightly different process, but the questions are:
Is it done? Is it cooked all the way through? Does the meat pull
off the bone? And the final thing is the taste. Can you taste the
meat? Does it taste good? We’re trying to judge to a certain
standard, not based on what we like personally.
Have you had any judging mishaps? Tasted an
especially bad barbecue?
Even though these are supposed to be really good cooks, they
make mistakes. The most difficult category is beef brisket,
and they usually make one of two mistakes. They overcook it
to the point where it’s absolutely overdone, and once that
happens, there’s nothing you can do about it. Or if they cut it
with the grain, that meat is literally the consistency of shoe
leather. We are supposed to taste it, but if you can’t get a bite
out of it you can’t taste it. That’s always somewhat comical.
34
Augsburg Now
Would you like us to feature you in a future
issue? E-mail now@augsburg.edu and tell
us about your area of expertise!
Send us your news and photos
Please tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and births.
Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi or a 1MB file.)
For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g. an obituary, funeral notice, or
program from a memorial service.
Send your news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now
Class Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or e-mail alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
www.augsburg.edu/alumni.
____________________________________________________________
Full name
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
____________________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
In Memoriam
Rev. Hamar Benson ’34, Auburn, Wash., age 100, on November 27.
William A. Benson, Jr. ’42, Minnetonka, Minn., age 90, on April 11.
____________________________________________________________
Street address
____________________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
Dr. Henry Staub ’43, Minneapolis, age 91, on March 8.
Maria E. (Sandness) Berryman ’47, Minneapolis, age 89, on February 26.
____________________________________________________________
Home telephone
Melvin Haven ’47, Mesa, Ariz., age 88, on December 8.
Gordon D. Ahlquist ’48, Robbinsdale, Minn., age 88, on February 24.
Paul D. Arnold ’48, Milaca, Minn., age 85, on April 20.
____________________________________________________________
E-mail
Okay to publish your e-mail address? q Yes q No
Vincent S. Dahle ’49, Shoreview, Minn., age 83, on April 18.
Donald H. Hegg ’49, Minneapolis, age 86, on March 10.
Lillian L. Stadelman ’49, Pound, Wis., age 90, on April 27.
Jeanette Jacobson Martinson ’49, Decorah, Iowa, age 85, on March 15.
Quentin G. Quanbeck ’50, Sioux Falls, S.Dak., age 83, on February 18.
Don L. Ortler ’51, Coon Rapids, Minn., age 82, on October 1.
Donald R. Oscarson ’52, Northbrook, Ill., age 81, on April 23.
Ralph Kirchoff ’53 on January 6, 2010.
Edwin T. Johnson ’55, Walton, N.Y., age 91, on May 7.
____________________________________________________________
Employer
____________________________________________________________
Position
____________________________________________________________
Work telephone
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
Marshall D. Johnson ’57, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., age 75, on January 26.
Jerry D. Carlson ’59, New Brighton, Minn., age 75, on December 20.
____________________________________________________________
Maiden name
Harold W. Schilling ’59, Annandale, Minn., age 80, on May 8.
Viola (Anderson) Aaseng ’69, Eau Claire, Wis., age 86, on August 20, 2010.
Ronald A. Berg ’69, Arden Hills, Minn., age 64, on April 20.
Your news:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Thomas P. O’Meara ’71, Minneapolis, age 63, on November 28.
____________________________________________________________
Terrance L. Blue ’72, Minneapolis, age 61, on February 15.
Richard W. Kelley ’72, Minneapolis, age 64, on August 25, 2010.
Nancy (Krusemark) Kruse ’76, Eden Prairie, Minn., age 56, on November 30.
Janice O’Brien ’87, Burnsville, Minn., age 68, on June 21, 2010.
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Lucas R. Johnson ’07, New Hope, Minn., age 27, on April 3.
Summer 2011
35
’67
gene hugoson
Auggie tills a different field to success
Gene Hugoson credits his success to a lifetime of farming and a
liberal arts education. He said that his grounding in a range of topics—politics, communication, science, geography—allowed him to
bridge diverse issues and backgrounds in each of the public service positions he’s held.
“The idea of a liberal arts background was perfect for what I’ve
done,” Hugoson said. “My knowledge is 15-miles wide and half an
inch thick.”
Hugoson, who earned a social sciences teaching degree from
Augsburg College, recently was appointed a senior fellow for the
University of Minnesota’s Global Initiative for Food Systems Leadership. He will collaborate with farmers and farm groups, state and
federal government, and businesses to find improved ways to
maintain food security.
“The idea of a liberal arts background was perfect for
what I’ve done,” Hugoson said. “My knowledge is
15-miles wide and half an inch thick.”
One project on which he will focus is the development of a plan
for the prevention, isolation, control, and economic recovery from
foot-and-mouth disease in the domestic livestock herd. This project includes working with a multistate education consortium.
“Part of my role is to use past contacts and experiences to tap
into relationships at the federal level,” he said. “It will be a challenge and will test my mettle. But we need that broad base of information and understanding at the table.”
Prior to his work at the University of Minnesota, Hugoson served
as commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
(MDA). It’s a post he held for nearly 16 years and through three
gubernatorial administrations. And again, he credits his education
for this success.
“Most of my colleagues in other states were agriculture school
grads. Veterinarians,” he said. “Mine was social science and education—in reality, it was perfect. It is key for these kinds of roles.”
Hugoson also credits his success to a lifetime of farming. He
36
Augsburg Now
farmed while at MDA. He farmed before that, during the five terms
he was a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Even
in his new post, he still farms 600 acres of corn and soybeans located less than a mile from the East Chain, Minn., farm on which
he was raised.
“I kept farming out of necessity to keep my day job,” Hugoson
said. “The governors said they wanted a real farmer. I think being a
farmer turned out to be a huge plus. I have credibility with the
farming community. I can stand up and talk about what it’s like to
be in the combine all night because of threatening weather or at
the elevator selling my beans.”
As much as farming has helped Hugoson succeed in his public
leadership roles, it also has other rewards.
“Farming also is my relaxation,” Hugoson said. “In the tractor or
combine, I can see what I accomplish right behind me. That’s not
always the case at the office. It’s nice to see corn combined or
tilled earth.”
STEPHANIE WEISS
a
an
augsburg legacy
to
sy p h o
g
k celebratin
Harriett Kure
hday.
her 90th birt
Harriett Kurek, a long-time member of Trinity Lutheran
Congregation, generously included a gift of $250,000 to
Augsburg College in her will. “She was a very giving,
caring person to her family and to her community,” said
her niece, Joyce Nyland. Senior Pastor Jane BuckleyFarlee said Kurek loved the way Trinity is involved the
Cedar-Riverside neighborhood and appreciated how
Augsburg shares that commitment with Trinity and welcomes the congregation on its campus.
C o u rte
Courtesy photo
Harriett Kurek
an augsburg legacy
1-800-273-0617
www.augsburg.edu/giving
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
2010 Presidential Award for Community Service
In the summer, Augsburg’s laboratories and classrooms come alive with the enthusiasm of our
neighborhood youth. Aspiring scientists and future healthcare professionals learn through programs
like Girls in Engineering, Mathematics, and Science (GEMS) and Guys in Science and Engineering
(GISE), as well as the Urban Scrubs camp (pictured here). These are three of the programs for
which Augsburg was recognized this year with the 2010 Presidential Award for Community Service.
(See story on page 3).
Show less
AUGSBURG NOW
Opening Convocation
At this year’s opening convocation, Augsburg College welcomed nearly 400 new first-year
students and 160 transfer students to campus. The College also added 437 new students in
adult undergraduate and graduate programs in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn., t... Show more
AUGSBURG NOW
Opening Convocation
At this year’s opening convocation, Augsburg College welcomed nearly 400 new first-year
students and 160 transfer students to campus. The College also added 437 new students in
adult undergraduate and graduate programs in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn., this fall.
Higher education in the 21st century
30 years of Weekend and Evening College
Stewardship of space
MAL celebrates 25 years
40 years of women’s athletics and Title IX
Auggie Days 2012
living
OUR
calling
FALL 2012 | VOL. 75, NO. 1
inside
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
notes
from President Pribbenow
Stewardship of place and people
t
he Augsburg College mission statement says
that Augsburg “educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
These aspirations for our students require that all
of us who are part of the
Augsburg community consider how we model in our
lives and work the core values embodied in these aspirations. In other words, we
need to live what we teach!
This issue of Augsburg
Now offers several examples
of how we are seeking as a
college community to live as thoughtful stewards.
You’ve read in past issues of this magazine the
remarkable progress we have made as an institution in our commitment to environmental stewardship—composting leftover food from the cafeteria,
community gardens on campus, new biodiesel production methods, and a commitment to carbon
neutrality by 2019.
All important work, but stewardship is a rich
concept and extends to our care for all of the gifts
we have been given as a community. I am particularly struck by how our College has explored ways
in which we care for our physical location and facilities. The 2010 Campus Space and Master Plan
is not simply a map to future facilities; it is a
statement of values around stewardship of the
land and buildings we occupy and the need for us
to be constantly vigilant about the opportunities to
renew, reuse, and extend the life of our spaces
and buildings. In addition, the plan points to our
commitment to stewarding relationships with our
neighbors, building facilities and designing landscapes that welcome our neighbors to campus
rather than keep them away.
Stewardship is also about people—and as I
was reminded again this year at our Homecoming
celebrations, Augsburg is all about people. The
upcoming celebration of the 40th anniversary of
Title IX—the landmark federal legislation that seeks
to ensure equity for women and men in intercollegiate athletics—is an example of what it means to
be good stewards of our people. For years and years,
women students at Augsburg participated in athlet-
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Integrated Communication
Specialist
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
ics without the support and recognition enjoyed by
their male counterparts. A couple of years ago, we
honored those unheralded women Auggies with the
athletic letters they never received while on campus.
Now, we lift up our enduring commitment to opportunities for all Auggie student-athletes. Our recent
news about establishing the first intercollegiate
women’s lacrosse program in Minnesota is just one
example of how we steward the gifts of people—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends
who make Augsburg strong!
In 1931, the renowned 20th-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote in The Christian Century an essay with the provocative title, “Is
Stewardship Ethical?” His indictment of Christians
for the ways in which they had turned stewardship
into random programs of fundraising and voluntarism stands as a relevant challenge to all of us.
We are called to be thoughtful stewards. Stewardship is a way of life. At Augsburg, we are working
hard to live what we teach.
Yours in Augsburg,
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Senior Director of Alumni
and Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Members of the Maroon & Silver Society lead by example with monthly gifts
of $84 or more, or annual gifts of $1,000 or more to The Augsburg Fund.
These unrestricted gifts to The Augsburg Fund allow the College to award
more financial aid, employ high-quality faculty and staff, offer a challenging
and thought-provoking academic curriculum, and provide support to our
students so that they can become the people they are called to be.
To learn more about the Maroon & Silver Society, contact the
Office of Annual Giving at 612-330-1652 or giving@augsburg.edu.
augsburg.edu/giving
WE ARE CALLED auggies
fall 2012
Features
8 Calling and purpose: Lutheran higher education in the 21st century | BY LAURA SWANSON
11 Stewardship of space | BY REBECCA JOHN
16 Auggie Days 2012 | BY STEPHEN GEFFRE AND WENDI WHEELER ’06
20 Augsburg College annual report
23 Homecoming 2012
26 Weekend and Evening College celebrates 30th anniversary | BY LAURA SWANSON
Departments
2 Around the Quad | 6 Augsburg celebrates 40 years of women’s athletics | 15 Auggie voices
19 My Auggie experience | 22 It takes an Auggie | 31 Alumni news | 37 Alumni class notes
All photos by Stephen Geffre unless otherwise indicated.
quad
around the
COLLEGE
In August, the College
announced support of the
“Vote No” work of
Minnesotans United for All
Families to prevent passage
MINNESOTANS of a Minnesota Constitutional
UNITED FOR amendment that would
ALL FAMILIES define marriage. The College
is proud to stand with five of Minnesota’s synods
of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America,
nearly 600 businesses and organizations, and
150 ordained church leaders. The College’s
decision to support the “Vote No” effort is
grounded in the commitment of the College to
end discrimination; its academic tradition of
critical and humble
inquiry and of modeling and fostering
civil discourse; and
its Lutheran heritage, which
requires that we
build inclusive
communities, learn from the other,
and seek social justice.
SUPPORTS
VOTE NO
Courtesy photo
WORK OF
celebrating success
A group of Augsburg College McNair Scholars and staff attended the 20th Annual McNair Scholars
Symposium in California in August. Front Row [L to R]: McNair Scholars Program assistant Lara Crombie,
Beau Elkington ’13, Alexandra “Alix” Young ’13, Allison Zank ’14, Nou Yang ’13, Shoua Moua ’13, McNair
Scholars Program director Tina Maria Tavera, Nikki Stauffer ’13; Back Row [L to R]: Jazmine Darden ’13,
Arianna Genis ’13, Roseanna “Rosie” Benser ’13, Jon Barrick ’13, Charlie Olson ’13, Dustin Ritchea ’13,
Leah Tillman ’13, and McNair Scholars Program assistant director Brian Greening
McNair Scholars Program grant renewed for five years;
STUDENTS PRESENT AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE
To read a sampling of feedback on the
College’s decision, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Sociology professor honored by peers
DISTINGUISHED CONTRIBUTIONS TO TEACHING AWARD
Augsburg College’s McNair Scholars Program recently
received a renewal grant for five years. The total award of
$1.1 million from the U.S. Department of Education will
provide $220,000 per year from 2012 to 2017.
The McNair Scholars Program prepares first-generation,
low income, and underrepresented students for doctoral studies. This August, 12 Auggies traveled to the University of
California, Berkeley for the 20th Annual McNair Scholars
Symposium.
Many of the students presented findings from their facultyled, on-campus summer research. Students who participate in
the McNair Scholars Program spend an average of 400
hours exploring their topics, developing theses, collecting
and reviewing data, and preparing formal paper presentations.
2
Augsburg Now
Sociology professor Diane Pike
was named co-recipient of the
Distinguished Contributions to
Teaching Award at the 2012 meeting of the American Sociological
Association (ASA). Pike, who
received her PhD from Yale
Diane Pike
University, was honored for her
nearly 20 years of commitment as evidenced by her
extensive presentations to teaching colleagues via
paper sessions, professional workshops, regional
meetings, keynote and panel participation, and
more. Pike also is editor of TRAILS (Teaching
Resources and Innovations Library for Sociology),
the ASA’s online library of teaching materials.
Physics faculty receive awards from
National Science Foundation
Eboo Patel, president and founder of
Interfaith Youth Core, spoke at the
Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium.
Mark Engebretson,
physics professor, was
awarded $243,000 to
study Earth’s space environment, known as the
magnetosphere. The
award, Number
Mark Engebretson
Ben Stottrup
1142045 from the
National Science Foundation (NSF), brings to more than $1.8
million the awards earned by Engebretson since mid-2008.
In addition to his teaching and research, Engebretson
recently presented at a pre-launch meeting for NASA officials
and members of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes (RBSP)
science team. His ground-based space research will
strengthen the work of the RBSP mission that
launched in late August. Ground data gathered by Augsburg instruments in the Arctic
will provide a large-scale picture of what is
happening in the Earth’s environment to add
to the data gathered by the RBSP satellite
probes.
Associate Professor of Physics Ben Stottrup was
awarded more than $157,000 by the NSF for investigation
of pattern formation and morphology in two-dimensional, selfassembled model biomembranes. The work will allow Stottrup to
continue research on how multicomponent lipid systems spontaneously assemble. The long-term goals of this work are to
contribute to the development of new biomaterials and nanotechnology and to prepare undergraduates from diverse backgrounds for careers at the intersection of the physical sciences
and biology. The funding is from NSF award Number 1207544.
MANY VOICES
BOLD VISIONS
CONVOCATION SERIES 2012-13
The Convocation series kicked off during
September with the Bernhard M. Christensen
Symposium. Eboo Patel, president and founder of
Interfaith Youth Core, spoke about the holiness of
common ground and the value of developing interfaith understanding.
During October, the Center for Counseling and
Health Promotion Convocation was an opportunity
for the Augsburg community to learn from psychiatrist and author, Dr. Henry Emmons, about ways to
restore mental and emotional resilience in the face
of depression, anxiety, and other stress-related
conditions.
The Humanities and Fine Arts Convocation in
November featured Dan Phillips, a designer and
builder of recycled housing. Phillips also is
founder of The Phoenix Commotion, a local building initiative that, according to its website, was
created to demonstrate that salvaged materials are
viable building materials.
The Convocation series is a cross-disciplinary
speaker series that explores ideas and thoughts
around the impact each person can have in a
world of 6.9 billion people.
To see photos and video from the Convocation
series, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Dual MBA/MAL program
meets needs of senior-level employees
The work world is an ever-evolving place,
and Augsburg College continually seeks
ways to meet the ongoing needs of students
who strive to advance their careers. One new example of the College’s
approach is its fall 2012 offering of a dual Master of Business
Administration/Master of Arts in Leadership program. Students in one program
now will be able to add skills and knowledge from the other program and to
earn master’s degrees in both areas. The program can be completed in as
few as three years.
at
Fall 2012
3
quad
around the
accelerates path to MBA
4+1
Traditional undergraduate
students will be able to
earn a bachelor of arts in
business and a Master of
Business Administration
in just five years beginning in the fall of 2013 through
Augsburg’s new “MBA 4 + 1” program. The program, the
first of its kind in the Twin Cities, offers an accelerated
schedule that is cost efficient because it reduces overall time spent in college. Designed for traditional undergraduates, the program will be friendly to international
students, will feature close academic advising relationships, and will include hands-on learning through focused
internships. The College is exploring how the program
might serve students at other Minnesota colleges that
do not offer graduate programs.
Correction: In the “Honoring Our Retired Faculty”
story on pages 17-18 of the summer 2012 edition of
Augsburg Now, information about Norma Noonan’s
education was incorrectly cited. A corrected version
of Noonan’s information is posted here.
Professor of Political Science Norma Noonan served
Augsburg for more than 45 years, joining the faculty
during 1966. She was instrumental in the development of the Master of Arts in Leadership, the
College’s inaugural graduate program, and served as
program director for 18 years. She chaired the
Political Science Department, served on key faculty
committees, and was a mentor to many. In addition,
Noonan was founding director of what now is the
Center for Teaching and Learning. Noonan received a
bachelor of arts in political science from the
University of Pennsylvania. She earned a master of
arts and PhD in political science from Indiana
University. She also holds a certificate in Russian
and East European Studies from Indiana University.
4
Augsburg Now
Regents elect Harpstead as chair
Courtesy photo
New program
Jodi Harpstead, chief executive officer
of Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota,
was elected chair of the Augsburg
College Board of Regents at its May
2012 meeting and began her term on
July 1.
As chair of the governing board of
Jodi Harpstead
the College, Harpstead will play a key
leadership role in Augsburg’s planning and fundraising
initiatives. She will guide the Board’s oversight of the
College’s strategic priorities, including:
• Helping define the plan to build a signature academic
building, the Center for Science, Business, and
Religion;
• Ensuring the quality and relevance of the academic
offerings; and
• Monitoring the development of a long-range enrollment
plan for the College.
Harpstead has served on the Board of Regents since
2005.
In addition, the Augsburg Corporation at its
September meeting elected four new members to the
Board of Regents. Each member was elected to a fouryear term. Newly elected Regents include:
• Jennie Carlson, executive vice president of human
resources for U.S. Bancorp;
• Pam Moksnes ’79, management consultant;
• Curt Sampson, chairman and director of Canterbury
Park Holding Corporation; and
• Steve Wehrenberg ’78, chief executive officer of
Campbell Mithun.
Regents elected to second, four-year terms
include Mark Eustis, Alexander
Gonzalez ’90, and Eric Jolly.
Anthony Genia ’85 was elected
to a third, four-year term.
Thank you to Philip
Styrlund ’79, who retired
from the Board of
Regents after 12 years
of service to the College.
Upholstery project
supports local economy
experiential
At first glance, the choice to refurbish the chairs in Hoversten
Chapel is just good financial management. The move to refresh
versus replace the chairs saved the College more than
$40,000.
But that’s only the surface of the decision.
What really went on gets to the heart of what it means to be
a good steward.
When the College this past summer opted to refurbish the
17-year-old chairs, staff requested a bid from All About
Upholstery, a locally owned business.
“We had worked with Tonya, the owner, on a smaller project
in the old coffee shop, and she was great,” said Matt Rumpza,
director of Purchasing and Central Support Services. “By making the decision to reupholster the chairs, we were making an
environmentally friendly and cost-sensitive decision.”
Tonya DuRoche, who lives in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, worked with her team to refresh 597 chairs. The job
included new upholstery, replacing the seat and back cushions, regluing joints, and touch-up varnishing. It was rewarding work, too.
“Contributing to the comfort of students who are studying
and those who are practicing their spirituality in the chapel is a
way to contribute to the future,” DuRoche said.
DuRoche, who is committed to her community and other
local businesses, sources nearly all of her fabrics from a familyowned company in Minneapolis. Studies show that money
Tonya DuRoche, owner, All About Upholstery
spent locally stays in a community longer than money spent at
companies with headquarters outside of that community, state,
or region. In fact, the 2004 Andersonville Study of Retail
Economics found that $100 spent in locally owned independent stores returns $68 to the community through taxes, payroll,
and other expenditures. Money spent at a national chain only
returns $43 to the community.
DuRoche also hires and trains local employees. She completes a mix of residential and large-scale commercial work for
tribal businesses such as casinos and helps stabilize other local
companies by providing suppliers with a fairly steady stream of
business. In turn, her suppliers are able to provide a stable
income for their employees. This interconnected way of doing
business is important to her.
“It’s a way to be an entrepreneurial role model, to give back
to our community,” said DuRoche, a member of the Iowa Tribe
of Kansas and Nebraska. “I’ve always wanted to be an artist or
work in the medical field. This gives me the chance to offer a
kind of healing by creating beauty in surroundings.”
National Society for Experiential Education AWARD
Augsburg College’s commitment to experiential education was recognized for the third time in as many years on October 5
when the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) presented President Paul C. Pribbenow with the
2012 William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education.
The award, presented by the NSEE and funded by The Washington Center for Academic Internships and Seminars, celebrates the dedication of a sitting college or university president who has made significant contributions to experiential
education on campus and in the community.
Pribbenow was nominated for the award by Garry Hesser, sociologoy professor and Sabo Professor for Citizenship and
Learning; Orval Gingerich, assistant vice president for international programs; and Lois Olson, former director of the
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work.
The Burke Award, a testament to the fact that hands-on learning is a core part of the College’s curriculum, includes a
$2,000 scholarship that will be awarded to a deserving Auggie who is involved in experiential learning.
education
Fall 2012
5
2012
Augsburg celebrates 40 years
of women’s athletics
The passage of Title IX, enacted as part of the U.S. Education
Amendment of 1972, mandated equal opportunities in education, allowing women to participate on high school and college
athletic teams. But the tradition of women’s athletics at
Augsburg actually dates back to the earliest days of Auggie athletics in the 1920s.
On November 10, Augsburg celebrated 40 years of varsity
women’s athletics and the 40th anniversary of the passage of
Title IX. Lavonne (Mrs. Pete) Peterson ’50 and Joyce Pfaff ’65
were honored at the celebration with “One of Our Own” plaques
for their contributions to Augsburg College and the Athletic
Department. In addition, female athletes from each decade were
chosen for All-decade Teams.
Peterson, an instructor, coach, and women’s physical education director, started the Auggiettes basketball team in 1950 and
coached the team for 18 years, leading them to an incredible
154-6 record. Pfaff, an Augsburg coach, instructor, and director
of women’s athletics, started several women’s teams after the
passage of Title IX and served the College for 43 years.
Here we recognize a few of the leaders and milestones in
women’s athletics at Augsburg. To read more about these women
and others who contributed to the proud tradition of women’s
athletics at Augsburg College, go to athletics.augsburg.edu.
1980
1995
1951
Auggiette basketball team
1972-73
1979
Women’s varsity intercollegiate volleyball, gymnastics,
and tennis are founded while basketball is restarted.
The softball team places second
at the MAIAW State Tournament.
1985
1974-75
1970s
1970
The volleyball team places second in the Minnesota
Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women
(MAIAW) state tournament, qualifying to compete in
the Region 6 AIAW tournament both years. The
Auggies place fourth in the Region 6 tournament in
1974 and fifth in 1975.
1971
Softball is added as a varsity sport.
Title IX is passed June 23, 1972.
In both the floor exercise and balance beam, gymnast Ann Knutson
Brovold ’74 is the first Augsburg female athlete to compete in a
post-season event—an Association for Intercollegiate Athletics
for Women (AIAW) Region 6 tournament.
6
Augsburg Now
1979-80
Kathy Korum ’81 is the first woman to play
and letter on a men’s varsity team (golf).
1980
1974-75
1972
Women’s soccer is
added as a varsity sport.
1980s
1975-76
Women’s track and field is
added as a varsity sport.
1982-83
Augsburg joins the Minnesota
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC).
1981-82
The softball team qualifies for its
first AIAW national tournament.
1988
1982
2003-04
1971
2006-07
1974
1999-00
1988
2012
Under coach Paul Grauer, the women’s track
and field team earns a third place National
Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) team
finish with Carolyn Ross Isaak ’89 and
Melanie Herrera-Storlie ’88.
Augsburg announces that it will establish
the first varsity intercollegiate women’s
lacrosse program in the state of Minnesota.
2003-04
1991
Women’s cross country is reestablished
as part of the varsity athletics program.
1990
1990s
1995-96
Augsburg establishes the
first Midwest varsity
women's hockey team.
Augsburg establishes the swim and dive program.
2000s
2010
2000
1999-00
2004-07
The women’s hockey team is the Division III
national tournament runner-up in the American
Women’s College Hockey Alliance (AWCHA).
Women’s soccer qualifies for the MIAC playoffs.
Fall 2012
7
CALLING
PURPOSE
LUTHERAN HIGHER EDUCATION
IN THE 21ST CENTURY
AS PAUL C. PRIBBENOW ENTERS THE
SEVENTH YEAR OF HIS PRESIDENCY
at Augsburg College, he believes Lutheran higher education is more relevant than ever before.
Pribbenow affirmed this view through a summer sabbatical project in which he developed succinct ways to
articulate how five theological traditions make Lutheran
colleges and universities valuable—and sustainable—in
an increasingly diverse society.
For Pribbenow, the role of Lutheran higher education
is well described by Darrell Jodock, professor emeritus at
Gustavus Adolphus College. Jodock has written that a
Lutheran college uses religion as the foundation of the
institution’s identity so that it may explore “the riches of
that tradition as part of its contribution to the community
as a whole.” Jodock continues, “The Lutheran tradition
summons a college to work out a ‘both…and,’ both
affirming the religious identity and engaging with today’s
world.”
BY LAURA SWANSON
8
Augsburg Now
GIFTS OF THE ELCA TRADITION
P
ribbenow during his sabbatical identified the ways in
which five gifts of the Lutheran theological tradition
serve colleges and universities as they navigate challenges in the 21st century. The tenets that he deems
applicable to higher education include:
1. VOCATION
theologically, Lutherans believe God has created humankind in
all its diversity in God’s own image.
Eboo Patel, founder and president of the Interfaith Youth Core, spoke during
September on interfaith dialogue, neighborhood service, and intentional diversity at
the Augsburg College Bernhard M. Christensen Symposium. Patel’s remarks allowed
the Augsburg community to explore the concept of engaging with otherness and difference (see “Around the Quad,” page 3).
The Lutheran view of vocation has a deep, philosophical
meaning that extends beyond an individual’s occupation.
Lutherans believe that all people have a calling—a vocation—
to live a life that serves the well-being of their community.
Lutheran colleges and universities are uniquely situated to
help students of all ages and backgrounds. “Our students
come to us hungry for something. Hungry for knowledge, yes.
Hungry for career paths, yes. But they’re hungry for more,”
Pribbenow said. “They are hungry for meaning. The concept of
vocation gives us a way to talk with students in a nuanced and
sophisticated manner about how they can live purposeful
lives.”
2. CRITICAL AND HUMBLE INQUIRY
A liberal arts education equips individuals with the skills and
knowledge required to engage in civic life, public debate, and
thoughtful analysis across a wide range of disciplines and topics. The Lutheran commitment to critical and humble inquiry
highlights the importance of a liberal arts education in “teaching students how to go out into the world not as experts who
lord their knowledge over others but as people who are determined to bring their particular wisdom or knowledge to bear,”
Pribbenow said.
3. ENGAGING WITH OTHERNESS
AND DIFFERENCE
The world’s citizens live and work in increasingly complex and
diverse cultures. Lutheran colleges are positioned to offer students the knowledge, skills, and values needed to navigate a
world with people of all backgrounds and experiences. The liberal arts approach to learning and teaching has a fundamental
commitment to engaging with otherness and difference so that
people understand and embrace the richness of the human
experience. Diversity is a core value of the Church because,
4. SERVICE AND JUSTICE
Since the beginning of his Augsburg College presidency,
Pribbenow has articulated a simple but powerful vision for the
College: “We believe we are called to serve our neighbor.” The
Lutheran commitment to service and justice is embraced and
fulfilled in different capacities at each Lutheran college or
university. But the institutions are unanimous in their desire to
use education, civic engagement, and community service as
pathways to develop informed citizens who engage with their
neighbors.
Service at Augsburg takes many forms, and the College is
committed to the “anchor institution” movement—a model
where service is not seen as one-way “charity” but instead an
opportunity to find shared value among institutional partners
and to strengthen the economic vitality and safety of the
neighborhoods in which the institutions are located.
Read the fall 2011 Augsburg Now article, “Community
Relations,” at augsburg.edu/now to learn more about
the College’s role as an anchor institution.
5. SEMPER REFORMANDA
Translated from Latin as “always to be reformed,” semper
reformanda is a tenet of Protestant reformist Martin Luther,
who advocated for the Church to continually re-examine itself
in order to maintain its vitality. The term, Pribbenow asserts, is
useful for colleges and universities because it creates not an
allowance for—but an expectation of—continuous review and
change. This flexibility empowers institutions to implement
initiatives to better serve students, to change policies that do
not deploy resources responsibly, and to align themselves with
contemporary market needs.
Fall 2012
9
LIVING OUT A
LUTHERAN CALLING
T
he five gifts of the Lutheran tradition that
Pribbenow identified during his sabbatical project
may serve as a common lexicon for the 26 U.S.
higher education institutions committed to providing
post-secondary education in affiliation with the ELCA.
The ELCA colleges and universities are not held together by
a centralized governance model, but rather choose to claim a
common identity based on their shared values. The institutions
form a mutually beneficial network where they help one another
align their work to the deeply held values and priorities of the
Lutheran faith so that all of its gifts are well used. Pribbenow’s
sabbatical research is acutely relevant as each area of his investigation can deepen conversation among Lutheran colleges and
universities across the United States during a time when the
leadership at many of these institutions is in transition.
Lutheran colleges and universities will undergo significant
turnover in their leadership in the near future as current presidents at these institutions retire or move on to new vocational
callings. Many institutions are changing their bylaws to allow
non-Lutherans to apply for the openings in order to broaden the
applicant pool for those positions. The implication of this trend
already is visible.
Pribbenow immediately used his sabbatical research to foster discussions with four individuals who do not hail from the
Lutheran tradition but who were slated to begin their presidencies this fall at the Lutheran institutions Carthage College,
Newberry College, Pacific Lutheran University, and Wittenberg
University.
The integration of non-Lutherans into the leadership of
ELCA institutions fosters critical review and offers a new perspective to existing ELCA college presidents, like Pribbenow,
who are deeply rooted in the Lutheran faith. “It sometimes
takes a non-Lutheran to remind us of the gifts of this tradition
and to lift them up,” said Pribbenow, who was raised the son of
a Lutheran pastor.
Pribbenow’s commitment to leading Augsburg as a “both…
and” Lutheran college is firm.
“Being Lutheran is our bedrock,” Pribbenow said. “The
gifts of this firm foundation enrich our students’ experiences
and strengthen our future.”
10
Augsburg Now
The focus of Pribbenow’s sabbatical research is lived out
daily on the Augsburg College campus where the gifts of
the Lutheran tradition are paired with the gifts of the
College’s urban setting. Higher education models and
expectations are shifting at a rapid pace, which requires
universities to embrace semper reformanda and engage in
continuous review and change.
Because Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus is located in
the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, the College is uniquely
situated to live out the commitments of its Lutheran tradition in a seamless, integrated manner. Located in one of
the more diverse ZIP codes in the nation, Augsburg College
students have daily opportunities to engage with people
from across the globe, become committed to service and
justice at organizations throughout the neighborhood,
and—as a result—participate in critical and humble
inquiry. Ultimately, these features allow the College to fulfill its calling to prepare students for meaningful vocations.
“I was called to Augsburg to tell our story,” Pribbenow
said. “I’m proud of this College and its Lutheran heritage
because it allows us to live out our mission, to create an
educational space that’s welcoming and progressive, and to
serve our community on local and global levels.”
Pribbenow was granted a two-part sabbatical as a provision of his
contract, which the Augsburg College Board of Regents approved in
2008. The sabbatical was slated for the end of his sixth year at the
College, and he conducted his research project for six weeks from
July to mid-August at the ELCA churchwide headquarters in Chicago.
ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson ’68 invited Pribbenow to spend
his sabbatical at the denomination’s headquarters because the two
men are engaged in ongoing conversations about Augsburg and the
wider context of Lutheran higher education.
In Chicago, Pribbenow also spoke with ELCA leaders “who consider how the Lutheran church expresses itself in the world,”
Pribbenow said. “Church leaders understand that colleges are one of
the places where the Lutheran faith is explored deeply, but they don’t
necessarily understand every aspect of our lives.” The sabbatical, he
said, was an excellent opportunity both to educate and to learn.
During December, Pribbenow will travel to Asia with his family
for the second leg of his sabbatical. On their trip, the Pribbenows will
visit the birthplaces of their children Thomas (Soc Trang, Vietnam)
and Maya (Chonquing, China). The Pribbenows will return to
Minneapolis before the end of 2012.
BY REBECCA JOHN
STEWARDSHIP
OF SPACE
&
PLAN
CAMPUS
SPACE
Twenty-three acres.
MASTER
That’s the area of Augsburg’s
Minneapolis campus—roughly the size
of 21 football fields.
As an urban college, Augsburg recognizes that thoughtful stewardship of
this finite resource is critical to its success in serving students and providing
an affordable, high-quality educational experience.
That’s why, in 2010, a cross-functional team—including
faculty, staff, and outside consultants—established the
Augsburg Campus Space and Master Plan. This 20-year strategic
vision for the use, reuse, and improvement of Augsburg’s nineblock urban campus identifies and integrates near-term priorities with future construction plans. The result is a logical,
cohesive progression of projects and enhancements that work
in concert to enable the College to achieve its long-term vision
for the campus.
“How we use our space is part of how we express our priorities and tell our story—how we live out our mission and
promise to students,” said Tammy McGee, Augsburg vice president and chief financial officer.
“One of the core tenets of the Campus Space and Master
Plan is that Augsburg College, in its current footprint, has
enough space to deliver on its mission,” said McGee, who led
the year-long planning commission effort. The focus of the
long-term plan is on stewardship—“building to replace, fix, or
improve our spaces, not necessarily to have more space,” she
said.
The master plan’s focus on student experience is evident
in that it is built around the College’s No. 1 campus priority:
the planned Center for Science, Business, and Religion. The
center will be constructed on the west side of 21st Avenue
South, across from the James G. Lindell Library, replacing the
existing Science Hall, which was built in 1949.
“Augsburg’s vision for the Center for Science, Business,
and Religion is a physical manifestation of the interdisciplinary inquiry and critical thinking our faculty bring into classroom and lab experiences every day,” said Barbara Farley, vice
president of academic affairs and dean of the College.
“Augsburg believes that co-locating and fostering deep inquiry
across these academic disciplines will prepare our students to
be the problem solvers, leaders, and citizens our community
and nation will need in the 21st century.”
While the College continues the
fundraising effort for the Center for
Science, Business, and Religion,
the campus master plan guides
progress on other campus and interior space improvements that help
prepare for and complement the
new building.
One of the main goals in improving campus space usage,
according to David Draus, Augsburg Facilities Management
director, is to create adjacencies—locating departments
that work together near each other to help improve their
effectiveness.
A prime example of this work was the Gage Center for
Student Success and Groves Technology Center, which opened
in the spring of 2012, co-locating a range of student support
services at the heart of campus. (See “Gage Center for
Student Success” in the summer 2012 Augsburg Now.)
Following this model, the College moved its career and internship services staff into the newly renovated Clair and Gladys
Strommen Center for Meaningful Work this summer. (See sidebar, page 14.)
“Because of the vision and generosity of the Strommen,
Gage, and Groves families, Augsburg was able to enter this
academic year with two new, beautiful spaces dedicated to
The Center for Science, Business, and Religion
12
Augsburg Now
The Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work overlooks the Quad from the main level of Christensen Center. Directly outside its floor-to-ceiling
windows is the “Burning Bush” sculpture, funded in 1989 by Clair and Gladys Strommen and created by Augsburg Professor Emeritus of Art, Norm Holen.
serving students throughout their educational journeys and
beyond,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow. “By
locating these centers in such highly visible, high-traffic areas,
we expect a dramatic increase in the number of students who
will take advantage of the academic and career services
Augsburg offers.”
With the opening of the Gage Center, several student support departments moved out of Science Hall, which, Draus
said, opened up space for additional moves that better support
student and department needs. For example, Augsburg’s signature Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO)
program moved to a larger space in Science Hall, and that
shift enabled the College to expand its psychology labs and to
add student and faculty space in mathematics and environmental studies. The Department of Nursing also moved to
Science Hall—at least until that building is ready to be
razed—as the department had outgrown its former suite in
Memorial Hall.
“As much as is possible with these moves, we are working
to minimize the amount of disruption and relocation that will
be required when the Center for Science, Business, and
Religion is built,” Draus said. URGO, psychology, mathematics, and environmental studies are all slated to move out of
Science Hall to the new Center once it is built.
The College’s space upgrades also include several highprofile projects in Christensen Center. This past fall, the
College moved all of its admissions operations—first-year,
transfer, adult undergraduate, and graduate—together in a
welcoming new suite in the lower level of Christensen Center,
creating a warm and engaging first impression for visiting
prospective students and their families. This move also created important adjacencies. With the new Strommen Center
for Meaningful Work just upstairs from the Office of
Admissions, campus tours now “begin with the end in mind”
by talking with families about how the entire Augsburg educational experience prepares students for postgraduate and lifelong learning and success.
As with the Gage Center, co-locating the admissions teams
created additional opportunities for repurposing space in
Christensen Center. One of the major results was a newly refurbished suite for Augsburg Abroad, the International Student and
Scholar Services team, and the College’s multicultural student
services directors. The new location for these groups is just
down the hall from the admissions office and the Campus
Activities and Orientation department. So now, the admissions
team can easily introduce prospective students to staff and
programs that support some of the major life-changing opportunities that a college experience provides.
Augsburg Abroad, International Student and Scholar
Services, and the multicultural student services directors previously were housed in Murphy Place, which was originally
built in 1964 as a temporary structure across 7½ Avenue
from Murphy Square park. With those groups now in
Christensen Center and Augsburg’s Center for Global Education
relocated in the Anderson Hall suite that formerly housed the
Strommen Center, Murphy Place was vacated and, as outlined
in the Campus Space and Master Plan, was scheduled to be
razed. The campus master plan does not call for developing
the land where Murphy Place previously stood until other,
higher-priority construction projects are completed, but it
does outline a long-term vision for creating a green-space
gathering area in that location.
While there certainly were numerous changes on campus in
the past year, not all campus improvements involve relocation.
&
SCIENCE BUSINESS RELIGION
Fall 2012
13
“Many of the improvements involved upgrading furniture to foster more collaboration and interaction in existing
spaces,” said Matt Rumpza, director of Purchasing and
Central Support Services. Two examples of these kinds of
upgrades include the casual learning spaces in Old Main and
outside the Enrollment Center—a centralized services location where students can meet with a financial aid counselor,
process late registrations, and work with the Registrar’s
office to finalize their graduation application.
“We also did significant renovations in Hoversten
Chapel,” Rumpza said. Upgrades included introducing a
new sound system, recarpeting the stage risers, and refurbishing the chairs for the chapel and nearby TjornhomNelson Theater (see “Around the Quad,” page 5). “Rather
than throw the existing 600 chairs into a landfill, we were
able to hire a locally owned business to recover and refurbish them,” Rumpza said. “We get a refreshed look for our
chapel while supporting the vitality of our neighborhood.”
Old Main
The Enrollment Center
14
Augsburg Now
Cutting the ribbon at the opening ceremony of the Clair and Gladys Strommen
Center for Meaningful Work is Gladys Boxrud Strommen ’46. She is joined by her
family [L to R], granddaughter Tjersti Strommen ’07, son Robert Strommen ’74,
grandson Bjorn Strommen, and grandson Hans Strommen ’04, along with
Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow.
Clair and Gladys Strommen Center
for Meaningful Work moves
to campus student center
On September 28, members of the Clair ’46 and Gladys Strommen
family joined Augsburg students, staff, and faculty at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for
Meaningful Work in its new, central location on the main level of
Christensen Center. Located within eyesight of Einstein Bros. Bagels
and directly on the path to the stairwell to the Christensen Commons,
the Strommen Center makes a statement to hundreds of passers-by
each day about Augsburg’s commitment to helping students find
meaningful work.
“Meaningful work, or discerning one’s vocational calling, is not
just about being successful in one’s career,” said Amy Gort, assistant
vice president and dean of arts and sciences. “Vocation is about
developing and using your gifts to serve others. So, it involves understanding not only your own strengths but also the larger context of
where those talents and strengths can best be put to use. This exploration is an important part of what makes an Augsburg education
unique.”
“This Center is a place where students, both past and present,
can get the assistance they need” in finding meaningful work, said
Gladys Strommen, who spoke at the grand opening ceremony. “Four
generations of the Strommen family have been part of Augsburg,” she
said. “Clair [Gladys’ husband, who passed away in 2001] would be so
pleased that this Center has become a reality.”
Clair and Gladys’ son, Bob Strommen, also spoke at the dedication event, honoring the work his mother has done over the years to
fulfill the dreams of both of his parents. “The gift [to fund the relocation of the Center] was an event, but the hope is that the Center will
be a journey—for the College, as well as for faculty, staff, students,
and alumni. We all come [to college] for an education,” he said, “but
the dream is to leave and have a meaningful life. To help our students
have an impact on what’s important to them in their lives—that’s our
hope for this Center.”
auggie voices
Music with a mission
Since her graduation from Augsburg
College, Sarah Elhardt ’06 has gone
from playing piano and French horn
arrangements in Hoversten Chapel and
Sateren Auditorium to performing experimental, orchestral indie rock at concert
venues and music festivals across the
United States.
In 2008, the multi-instrumentalist
joined Minneapolis-based band Cloud
Cult—a nationally acclaimed group recognized by Rolling Stone magazine for
its commitment to the environment.
Elhardt said her music education at
Augsburg prepared her for performing on
three instruments and singing during
Cloud Cult shows, but she laughed when
she acknowledged that during her time
at the College she was more accustomed
to “playing gospel praise” than rock
music.
Preparation for meaningful work
Elhardt enrolled at Augsburg because she
wanted to continue her family’s tradition
of attending a private Lutheran college.
Originally from a northern suburb of the
Twin Cities metro area, Elhardt sought to
establish roots in the art and music
scenes of Minnesota’s most urban city.
She declared majors in music and
marketing communication—degree programs that allowed her to develop skills
required in a variety of careers. “I was
always trying to figure out how music performance, teaching, and arts administration could be a part of my life,” she said.
After graduation, Elhardt worked in
arts administration at the Minnesota
Orchestra and the Dakota Jazz Club. In
2007, she founded her own piano studio
through which she instructs more than
40 students. Teaching allows Elhardt to
positively impact her community while
sharing her passion for music with a
younger generation.
Yet, Elhardt said she also felt called
to use her musical talents for performance. The opportunity to join Cloud Cult
aligned with her vocational goal and her
desire to be a thoughtful steward of the
Earth’s environment.
Cloud Cult: Music and mission
Cloud Cult, formed in 1995, was
described in a 2008 Rolling Stone article as “extremely environmentally conscious: They tour in a biodiesel van,
record in a geothermal-powered studio,
and even printed their liner notes on
recycled paper with nontoxic vegetable
oils.”
The band’s green focus resounded
with Elhardt. “I had found a way to play
music and love playing music,” she said.
“I’m sharing a positive message around
the world.”
Cloud Cult performs in venues across
the U.S., and many of the shows occur
in environmentally friendly cities such as
Boston, New York, Portland, and Seattle.
Elhardt joined Cloud Cult on stage in
Chicago’s famed Millennium Park this
past summer, and few venues seem a
more perfect fit for a performance by the
band. Millennium Park’s creation transformed more than two dozen acres of
industrial wasteland into a world-class
center for art and music. Cloud Cult
crafts multimedia art during each of its
performances, and the eight-person
group includes two trained artists who
start with a blank canvas at the beginning of each show, which adds a visual
aspect to the concert experience.
Cloud Cult performances are opportunities to mix art forms, indie-rock, and
environmental activism. Band members
like Elhardt see their openhearted songs
as a call to action toward a greener
world.
“It’s music with a purpose, not just
another rock band,” she said.
LAURA SWANSON
Fall 2012
15
auggie days
CITY SERVICE DAY
September 4, 2012
Every year on the day before fall semester classes
begin, first-year and new undergraduate transfer students in the day program participate in City Service
Day projects in the neighborhoods surrounding campus. Students are organized into “AugSem” groups
according to their anticipated fields of study. The purpose of AugSem is to help new students embrace the
learning community at Augsburg by encountering the
community, engaging in the learning process, and
exploring their academic interests. Students meet with
their AugSem faculty and student leaders throughout
their first semester.
En route to Aesthetic Apparatus
Powderhorn Park
16
Augsburg Now
Focus Minnesota
Brian Coyle Community Center
Mixed Blood Theatre
KFAI Radio
Cedar Cultural Center
Mississippi River
West Bank Business Association
Cedar Riverside Community School
Trinity Lutheran Congregation
Augsburg Community Garden
Korean Peace Garden
More than 400 students, faculty, and staff served at 20
locations throughout the community on City Service Day.
Bethany Lutheran Church
SPOKES
Aesthetic Apparatus
Seward Montessori School
Holy Rosary Church
Matthew’s Center
Minnesota Indian Women’s
Resource Center
Bedlam Theatre
Focus Minnesota
Powderhorn Park
Fall 2012
17
New Auggie Tradition
begins with Class of 2016
PICTURE THIS:
Hoversten Chapel is packed with nearly
400 first-year students, excited about
beginning their Augsburg classes after a
week of Auggie Days orientation activities.
They are grouped into the “neighborhoods” they’ve been connected to since
their summer orientation: CedarRiverside, Downtown East, Downtown
West, Hiawatha, Loring Park, Midtown
Phillips, Powderhorn Park, Seward, and
University.
They’ve just learned who won each of
the events they competed in during the
Neighborhood Challenge, one of the
most highly anticipated activities of
Auggie Days:
• Auggie Pride for the neighborhood that
sported the most Augsburg bling—
18
Augsburg Now
shirts, buttons, lanyards, and more!
• Scavenger Hunt all across campus
• Knowledge Bowl about Auggie trivia,
which is not so trivial after all
• Pie-Eating Contest
• Obstacle Course through a giant
inflatable bounce house in Murphy
Square park
• Water Relay celebrating the Land of
10,000 Lakes
In the chapel, they begin shouting their
neighborhood cheers, trying to drown out
every other neighborhood.
The orientation leaders (OLs), a
group of 18 returning students who have
guided, encouraged, and supported
these first-year students, file up to the
front of the chapel. They are welcomed
with thunderous applause.
And then, the big finale comes,
thanks to biology professor Jennifer
Bankers-Fulbright (called “Dr. B” by her
students). It’s the call-back cheer she
originated.
OLs: We are called!
First-years: AUGGIES!!!
OLs: We are called!
First-years: AUGGIES!!!
OLs: We are called!
First-years: AUGGIES!!!
Can’t you just hear it? It’s a new year
marked by a new tradition.
Watch the video at ow.ly/dEBWh
WE ARE CALLED auggies
my
Auggie
experience
Tina Prchal (left) and Wendi Wheeler ’06 (right).
Helping a new Auggie get Started
On the first Saturday of the 2012 Weekend and Evening
College (WEC) fall term, Tina Prchal seemed as excited and
nervous about returning to college as you might expect a new
student to be. Tina met with me on that first day of classes
through Augsburg’s “Start” program, which helps new WEC
students transition to Augsburg and provides WEC alumni an
opportunity to help those new Auggies navigate their college
experience.
At lunch in the Quad between Tina’s morning and afternoon classes, she talked about her first class—algebra. She
said she loved her professor, but she was nervous about studying math after more than 20 years away from the subject. She
also talked about her previous college experience, her current
job, her family, her long commute to campus in the winter,
and her career and educational goals.
As I listened to Tina, I remembered my own feelings about
beginning classes at Augsburg in 2001. Like Tina, I looked
forward to being a student again but was also anxious about
getting good grades, balancing life and work obligations with
schoolwork, making friends, and, frankly, being able to stick
with the program in order to complete my degree. What I
know now, and what I shared with Tina that day, was just how
much support is available at Augsburg for all students.
For 30 years, students in Augsburg’s weekend and
evening programs have achieved the goal of obtaining a
degree through their own dedication and with the encouragement of staff and faculty. The Start program now gives WEC
alumni an opportunity to join in to support students and help
them achieve success at Augsburg.
So how is it going for Tina? After her first week, she said
she felt less intimidated. “I was afraid that I wasn’t going to
be successful in my classes, but seeing that other students
felt the same way as I did gave me confidence,” she said.
“I’m so very glad I transferred to Augsburg.”
SHARE YOUR SUCCESS WITH A NEW AUGGIE
If you are a WEC alum, you can help support a new adult
undergraduate student through the Augsburg Start program.
Contact Pat Grans in Alumni Relations at 612-330-1329 or
gransp@augsburg.edu to volunteer for the upcoming winter
or spring trimester.
WENDI WHEELER ’06
Fall 2012
19
Augsburg College
2011-2012
ANNUAL REPORT TO DONORS
Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Augsburg College realized its
most successful fundraising year in fiscal 2012, with $14,815,000
received from 4,350 donors.
This philanthropy supports building and ongoing maintenance
projects, financial aid, salaries, and other resources that allow
Augsburg to provide a quality education to more than 4,000 students in our undergraduate and graduate programs in Minneapolis
and Rochester, Minn. But more importantly, your gifts enhance and
continue to grow the quality of teaching and learning at Augsburg,
helping the College to attract gifted, ambitious students and the talented faculty and staff who teach and guide them.
Your gifts help Augsburg educate future thinkers, stewards, leaders, and
citizens of our world. We invite you to meet two outstanding Auggies:
Jazmine Darden ’13, a mathematics and physics major, McNair Scholar, Phillips Scholar,
North Star STEM Scholar, GEMS/GISE summer camp leader, and member of the residence
life student staff.
Eric Dooley ’13, a physics and secondary education major, Regents’ Scholar, Christensen
Scholar, physics tutor, and offensive lineman and four-year starter for the Auiggie football team.
20
Augsburg Now
To read more about Jazmine and
Eric, go to augsburg.edu/now
2011-2012 FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
REVENUE BY SOURCE
Tuition
70%
Room and board
11%
Private gifts and grants
11%
Government grants
4%
Other sources
4%
EXPENSES BY CATEGORY
Salary and benefits
44%
Financial aid
26%
Operating expenses*
18%
Debt service
4%
Equipment and capital improvements
3%
Utilities and insurance
3%
Student salaries
2%
*Expenses in this category include: facility repairs and maintenance, information
technology expenditures, marketing expenditures, membership dues and fees,
outside consultants, supplies, and travel and business meetings.
$33.3
$32.4 $31.5
$25.4
2004
$29.8
$28.2
$27.2 $27.8
May 31, 2012
$29,778,094
$24.5
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2012 ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE
2011
2012
We are committed to maintaining the value of
the principal gifts and providing support to the
College in perpetuity. As of May 31, 2012,
Augsburg had annual realized and unrealized
losses of 8.91 percent on its endowment. Our
five-year average annual return on the endowment is -1.61 percent, and the ten-year average annual return is 2.72 percent.
(IN MILLIONS)
Please visit augsburg.edu/giving/report for our 2012 Honor Roll of Donors.
Fall 2012
21
it takes an
Auggie
Augsburg Associates
The Augsburg College Associates is a
service auxiliary of volunteers including
alumni and friends of Augsburg whose
mission includes fundraising for special
projects and scholarships in support of the College.
Throughout the year, the Associates manage estate
and moving sales in the Minneapolis and St. Paul
metro area and host a boutique and buffet for the
annual Velkommen Jul celebration at Augsburg. For the
past two years, they have also had a booth at the Taste
of Augsburg during Homecoming weekend. The
Associates have given to Augsburg more than a half
million dollars from their fundraising efforts for projects, including:
• creation of the Welcome Desk in Christensen Center,
• renovation of the Green Room in Foss Center,
• renovations of the Augsburg and Marshall rooms in
Christensen Center,
• creation of the Special Collections room in Lindell
Library, and
• purchase of the Dobson pipe organ in Hoversten
Chapel.
Thank you, Augsburg Associates, for your commitment to
supporting Augsburg and our students!
22
Augsburg Now
HOMECOMING
During the past few years, the Augsburg Homecoming festivities
have expanded beyond the classic class reunions, and this year
was no exception. Homecoming 2012 included a reception for
recent graduates, a reunion of the famed Cabaret Singers, a new networking breakfast for Latina and Latino alumni, a Silver Auggie
reunion for alumni who graduated more than 50 years ago, a football game watch reception hosted by the A-Club, and anniversary
celebrations for the Master of Arts in Leadership program (25 years)
and the Weekend and Evening College (30 years). More than 2,000 alumni and friends came to campus for
Homecoming 2012 to reconnect with former classmates and professors and to enjoy the Auggie spirit.
Homecoming provides an opportunity for all Augsburg alumni to stay connected to the College.
Save the date for Homecoming 2013: September 23 to 28. If you are interested in serving on your reunion
committee or volunteering to help plan events, contact alumni@augsburg.edu. For more information, go to
augsburg.edu/alumni for more information.
2012
go auggies
Fall 2012
23
24
Augsburg Now
2012 alumni awards
Distinguished Alumni
Awards
Bruce Brekke ’70
CEO of Heartland America
I’ve always been
proud to be an
Auggie.To know that
Augsburg is proud of
me is very special. I
meet successful people every day. Most
are just like me: ordinary people. Don’t
ever let anyone tell you that you can’t,
you won’t, you’ll never. Thanks,
Augsburg, for the most transformational years of my life.
First Decade Award
Spirit of Augsburg Awards
Joyce Miller ’02, ’05 MAN, ’11 DNP
Dale Hanka ’60
Retired Mayo Clinic nurse manager
and assistant director, Mayo Clinic
research study coordinator, and
Augsburg faculty member
Former teacher, real estate agent,
financial planner, bank president,
and title company owner; founder of
the Dale and Carolyn Hanka Business
Scholarship
As nurses, we have
lots of scientific
knowledge to use in
helping care for our
patients, but the
patients are the
experts, not us. We
need to walk alongside of them and
understand their stories. Otherwise,
how will we know what they need for
health care?
Richard Ekstrand ’72
Founder of Rural Cellular
Corporation, now part of Verizon
Wireless, and board member for
American Solutions for Business
The seeds planted in
college really helped
prepare me: Be a
good steward; be
humble; encourage
others to succeed.
These were the foundations for my company’s ideology.
Surround yourself with good people,
and you and they will be successful.
I volunteer because I
care and because I
can. I always say,
“Give until it feels
good.” My family,
faith, and my experience at Augsburg
have all worked together to make my
life successful.
Dick “Pork Chops” Thompson ’61
Athletic Hall of Fame
Congratulations to the alumni who
have been inducted into the
Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame:
Allan Berg ’68, football/men’s basketball
Jennifer Coyle Rhoads ’97, softball
John Evans ’82, men’s hockey
Jack Grengs ’88, baseball
Kurt Habeck ’91, wrestling
Anne Richter ’86, volleyball/softball
Former teacher, co-founder of Mobile
Sports Athletic Camps, president and
owner of Playmore Travel
You don’t do [the
things that earn you
awards] because you
want to get awards.
You do them
because that’s what
you’ve been taught
to do. There are so many people
deserving of this award. It’s an honor to
receive it.
Meg Schmidt Sawyer ’00, women’s
hockey/softball
John Selstad ’67
Retired senior vice president,
National Chronic Care Consortium;
lead staff (retired) at the Minnesota
Department of Human Services and
the Minnesota Board on Aging
Augsburg played a
formative role for
me, but it was the
people of Augsburg
who influenced me
most. We need to
carry on that outreach; all 24,000 alumni must carry
out the charge to serve our neighbor.
Timothy Tousignant ’91, wrestling
2012 Coaching Excellence Awards:
For biographies and more information
about this year’s award winners, go to
augsburg.edu/now
Larry Hoff ’66, football
Timothy Theisen ’93, men’s basketball
homecoming
alumni awards
Fall 2012
25
weekend
and evening
30
college
years
26
Augsburg Now
BY LAURA SWANSON
Weekend and Evening College
celebrates 30th anniversary
Augsburg’s Weekend
and Evening College
for three decades has
offered nontraditional undergraduate students the opportunity to obtain their
bachelor’s degrees through a schedule
that accommodates full-time employment, parenthood, and the countless
other time commitments present in an
adult learner’s life.
Augsburg was among the first colleges and universities in its region to
offer classes in the evening and weekend
format. The weekend and evening program was founded in the spring of 1982
with 69 students and a single major.
Today more than 800 adult students are
enrolled in 17 degree programs at
Augsburg’s Minneapolis location and
Rochester campus. Since its founding,
Weekend and Evening College has fulfilled a need for adult education in the
Twin Cities’ and Rochester’s higher education markets, and it has aligned with
Augsburg’s commitment to intentional
diversity.
“Like with all of the categories of
diversity, there are inherent challenges
and benefits,” said Lori Peterson, assistant vice president and dean of graduate
and professional studies. “We believe
that our students come to us with gifts
and that we—as an institution—are
changed because of their presence. Nontraditional students have brought to us a
greater understanding of what it means
to value lifelong learning.
“We all have many vocations in our
lives, and the vocation of a student can
come at any time,” she continued. “Nontraditional students allow the College to be
deeply aware of what it means to say that
years
we’re an institution of learning for all.”
The College continually has sought to
offer students the “highest quality option
in the Twin Cities’ adult education market,” according to John Schmit, former
director of Weekend and Evening College
and current chair of the English
Department. At Augsburg, it’s worth noting that adult learners are instructed by
full-time faculty members whose expertise is key to students’ exceptional education, Schmit said.
Today, as it did when Weekend and
Evening College was founded 30 years
ago, Augsburg seeks to provide innovative
adult education that meets market
needs. This year, in advance of the
College’s 2014 reaccreditation process
with the Higher Learning Commission
and in response to changes in federal
regulations regarding minimum credit
contact hours, Augsburg faculty and staff
are exploring possible schedule and format changes that will enable the College
to meet the education requirements,
and—most importantly—to further the
College’s call to serve traditional and
nontraditional students.
In this edition of Augsburg Now, we
invite you to read how an Augsburg education shaped the lives of several
Weekend and Evening Auggies.
To learn more about Weekend and
Evening College and its programs, visit
augsburg.edu/weekend.
To read how an Augsburg education changed the
lives of three other Weekend and Evening College
students, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Patrick BAYLE ’12
Matt VAN ZANT ’08
Sharon WADE ’08
30th Anniversary Breakfast
The Weekend and Evening College hosted an anniversary breakfast in conjunction with
Augsburg’s 2012 Homecoming week. Alumni, faculty members, and friends met in the Oren
Gateway Center lobby to celebrate three decades of adult education. Guests reconnected
with former classmates and met current students.
Fall 2012
27
Karen
’05
HARTZ
“There was a hole in my
life, and I knew I could fill
it by going back to school
and getting my degree.”
years
years
28
Augsburg Now
Karen Hartz ’05 enrolled in Augsburg’s
Weekend and Evening College because earning a college degree was her lifelong goal.
“I was missing something,” Hartz said. “I
knew that I had excelled in my career, but I
wanted to go through the classroom experience. I wanted to meet fellow students, take
exams, write papers, and do everything else
students do. There was a hole in my life, and
I knew I could fill it by going back to school
and getting my degree.”
Hartz declared a major in communication
studies because she believed sharpening her
organizational communication skills would
positively impact her vocation.
For more than 20 years, Hartz has worked
as a church administrator—a role, she said,
she fell into by “happenstance.” While in her
mid-30s, Hartz switched from a career in
banking and finance to one where she could
serve her church congregation. Her professional career since has led her to work for
multiple suburban churches in the Twin Cities
metro area, and in 2009 she became the
director of operations at Minneapolis’
Plymouth Congregational Church.
“I love the challenge of being in an urban
setting and having the pulse of city life
around me,” Hartz said. “I experience all
that’s going on in the neighborhood and in the
community.”
As with all of her previous church administration roles, her position at Plymouth
Congregational Church requires quick thinking
and a “ready-for-anything” attitude. Hartz
oversees approximately 20 employees on the
church’s support staff team, and each of her
workdays is unique. “I never know exactly
what is going to come up,” she explained. “I
could have a tree fall down, or a plumbing
leak, or an HR problem, or maybe an issue
with donor giving.
“I believe that in order to work as a
church administrator, as with any ministry
position, you need to be called to serve
because it can be tough, tough, tough work,”
she added.
Hartz dedicates more than 40 hours a
week to her job, and she juggles numerous
volunteer and family commitments that
require much of her time. She said that
Augsburg’s adult undergraduate program
accommodated her schedule as a working
adult and supported her educational
ambitions.
“I went to school thinking that the professors were going to be very strict,” Hartz
recalled. But, she soon realized that the first
priority of faculty members and academic
advisers was to help her succeed at the
College. “The people at Augsburg respect
adult students and understand that we all
have very busy lives with families and jobs,”
Hartz said.
Hartz wanted to live the college experience firsthand, but she also wanted to finish
her degree by the time she turned 50 so that
she could move on to new life goals.
And she did it—with a month to spare.
James
’07
CHAMBERS
“I don’t think I would have
been able to complete my
degrees and work full time
to support my family without this program.”
years
James “Bubba” Chambers ’07 sums up his
typical workday in one word—“busy.”
And that, he says, is exactly how he
wants to spend his time. As an accounts
payable supervisor at Ecolab, Chambers
works on accounting tasks, corporate banking, tax analysis, and so many other duties
he can barely relay the list in a single
breath. But, even if he must pause,
Chambers undoubtedly will mention that he
supervises other staff members.
In 2004, Chambers enrolled in
Augsburg’s accounting program through the
Weekend and Evening College because he
needed a bachelor’s degree in order to find
a job that matched his skill level and desire
for leadership.
Chambers served in the U.S. Navy for
20 years and retired from the military as a
chief petty officer in 2001. While enlisted,
he worked as a course supervisor for an
eight-week school house program. The Navy
uses the school house model to educate
and train servicemen and servicewomen for
specialized roles. The training activities
that Chambers managed prepared sailors
for their first duty assignment by teaching
them payroll and travel entitlement
procedures.
Chambers sought an Augsburg education because he knew that the College was
renowned for its business programs and
that furthering his education would enable
him to find a challenging civilian vocation
where he could return to a supervisory role.
“It was upsetting to have the qualifications to do a job and know the only thing I
was missing was a four-year degree,”
Chambers said.
At Augsburg, Chambers took two
classes each term to maintain full-time
enrollment status, a requirement for his
G.I. tuition benefit. Some of his military
experience fulfilled course requirements at
the College, and he finished the accounting
degree in 2007. Chambers secured his job
at Ecolab a few months before completing
the accounting program, and he later
returned to Augsburg to obtain his finance
degree when the company granted him
funds for continued education.
“I’m glad that Augsburg offered the
Weekend and Evening College,” Chambers
said. “I don’t think I would have been able
to complete my degrees and work full time
to support my family without this program.”
Signs of a liberal arts education
As an Augsburg student, Chambers ’07 took American
Sign Language (ASL) classes to fulfill his modern language core curriculum requirement. Chambers completed accounting and finance degrees through the
Weekend and Evening College and now uses his business savvy during each workday.
He also applies his second language skills to his new
night and weekend gig—serving as the fifth and sixth
grade assistant football coach in Eagan, Minn.
Chambers communicates with the mother of one of his
players using ASL. He said his ability to sign allows the
parent and the player to feel more involved in the football program.
Fall 2012
29
years
It’s uncommon
for an incoming
student to visit
every college and
university within
a five-state area
before determining that
Augsburg is the
perfect fit.
Jennifer Weber ’11 for nearly 10
years worked as an Indian education
advisor in the Anoka-Hennepin School
District and took high school students on
more college tours than she could count.
While her job was to encourage her students to obtain bachelor’s degrees, she
awaited the opportunity when she, too,
could become a college student.
That’s why Weber accepted a layoff
intended to downsize her employer’s
Indian education department. In return,
she received financial assistance from a
dislocated worker program that would
allow her to attend Augsburg’s adult
undergraduate program. Weber called the
Augsburg American Indian Student
Services office upon taking the layoff and
within two days was registered for
classes.
“There was no looking back once I
set my mind to it,” Weber said. “I
thought, ‘If I’m going to do this, I’m
going to do it completely.’ I was a 16year-old mom, and I watched all of my
friends go off to college. I wanted to say
that I still had that experience; I just had
it at a different time.”
Weber declared a triple major in
emotional/behavioral disabilities, learning
disabilities, and American Indian studies,
and she participated in an Augsburg
Abroad trip to Chiapas, Mexico. She
30
Augsburg Now
Jennifer
anticipated that her study-abroad experience would change her perspectives on
education and American Indian studies
by introducing her to a new culture, but
she found she was most engaged by discussions surrounding water contamination and the unequal distribution of water
resources to native peoples. “An elder
asked us, ‘Now that you’ve been here and
you’ve seen our communities, are you
going to go home and forget about us?
Or, are you going to go home and do
something?’”
Weber felt called to raise water conservation awareness and later learned of
the Mother Earth Water Walk through an
event held at Augsburg College. The
water walk was established by
Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) who regard themselves as the caretakers of the Great
Lakes. The walk called attention to the
need to conserve water as the source of
all life. “I left the event that night and
everything made sense to me,” Weber
said. “This was my chance to do something.”
During the water walk, Anishinaabe
grandmothers, women, men, and youth
from Canada and the United States carried water to Bad River, Wis., from the
Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, the
Atlantic Ocean, and the Hudson Bay.
Weber coordinated the southern direction
water walk. She found lodging for participants, acquired donations, and joined
walkers on their journeys—all the while
finishing her coursework at Augsburg in
preparation for graduation.
Today Weber continues to raise water
conservation awareness, and she, with
Native educators from across Minnesota,
is writing a curriculum that will accompany a Mississippi River water walk
WEBER ’11
slated to begin during March 2013. The
curriculum will be made accessible
online to any school or organization working with youth. “If you want to make an
effective change, you must start with
children,” Weber said.
Since her Augsburg graduation,
Weber has resumed her meaningful
vocation working with Twin Cities
youths. She now serves Cedar-Riverside
Community School as a behavior specialist, K-8 special education teacher,
and athletic director.
By working in the Augsburg neighborhood, Weber serves her alma mater in a
unique way. She is in the midst of a collaborative project with Augsburg education department faculty members
Elizabeth Madson Ankeny and Dee
Vodicka to create hands-on learning
opportunities for students in Augsburg’s
weekend and evening program. The students learn about positive behavioral
interventions through an on-site classroom experience at the Cedar-Riverside
Community School. Research on the collaborative project’s success in teaching
Augburg students has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Weber.
Ankeny, Vodicka, and Weber presented observations from the collaboration at the Teacher Education Division for
the Council for Exceptional Children
national conference in November in
Grand Rapids, Mich. Their presentation
was titled, “A Walk from Campus to a
Neighborhood School: Preservice
Teachers’ Experiences in a Partner
School.”
It seems Weber’s educational journey with Augsburg College will continue
to fork—like a river—at each new
opportunity.
alumni news
FROM THE ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Dear alumni and friends,
a
save the date
s I reconnected with former classmates and teammates during the
Homecoming 2012 festivities, I
was again reminded how important it is
for Auggie alumni to support one
another. The entrepreneurial impulse is
strong in Auggies, and many of us
choose to launch new businesses. Augsburg is committed to
helping alumni-owned businesses through the new Auggie Food
and Fun Deals program.
If you are an alum and a business owner, Auggie Food
and Fun Deals can increase the visibility of your business and
drive customers to
you, provide an
attractive benefit
for our fellow
alumni, and
deliver a modest
return to the
College. Through
the Auggie Food and Fun Deals program, you can reach more
than 15,000 alumni households—a great pool of potential
customers for alumni-owned or managed hospitality, retail,
and food-related businesses. The program is free to alumni,
and I encourage you to contact Laura Roller, senior director of
corporate, government, and foundation relations, at
roller@augsburg.edu to learn more.
Another program that supports Auggies is the Maroon Pages,
a directory of businesses and services offered by Augsburg
alumni. Participation in Maroon Pages is free, so please email
alumni@augsburg.edu for more information.
Save the date for one of my favorite opportunities to connect with fellow Auggies—the Student and Alumni Networking
event on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Please consider volunteering your time that evening to teach students how to
network. I was fortunate to meet Dennis Som ’12 at the event
last year, and we have continued to stay in contact. The relationship has benefited both of us!
CHRIS ASCHER ’81
ALUMNI BOARD PRESIDENT
Alumni and student networking event
Wednesday, February 13
6-8 p.m.
Au
gg
Chief ie Eag
le
Spir
it Off
icer
The Augsburg Alumni Board
invites you to an evening of networking. Connect with fellow
Auggie alumni from a variety of
professions and help Augsburg students hone their professional networking skills as they prepare to
venture out into the working
world. Program details will
be available soon. You may
register to participate at
augsburg.edu/alumni.
FIND US ON
FACEBOOK
AND TWITTER
Facebook pages you
should “like:”
Augsburg College—the official page of
the College
Augsburg College Alumni Association—all
the alumni news you need, and a great
way to connect with your Auggie friends
Auggie Eagle—be Auggie’s friend
Augsburg College Young Alumni & Recent
Graduates—connect with alumni who have
graduated in the past ten years
Follow us on Twitter:
@AugsburgCollege
@AugsburgAuggies
Fall 2012
31
Courtesy photo
alumni news
World-renowned scientists present
to Augsburg alumni in Norway
Renewable energy, the green economy, and partnership opportunities between the United States and Norway were topics of a lateSeptember meeting of more than 30 Augsburg College alumni in
Norway. The meeting was led by Clayton V. McNeff ’91, vice
president of research at SarTec, Ever Cat Fuels LLC, Mcgyan
Biodiesel LLC, McNeff Research Consultants, and ZirChrom
Separations, and Alf Bjørseth, chairman of Scatec AS, a business development company focused on renewable energy and
environmentally friendly advanced materials.
The two men, each with extensive credentials in green
technologies, met at the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Forum
hosted and coordinated by Augsburg College. McNeff is the cocreator of the innovative Mcgyan biodiesel production process,
and Bjørseth is the founder of one of the world’s largest solar
energy companies.
Augsburg College has partnered with schools in Norway for
more than 15 years to welcome international students to its
Minneapolis campus. This relationship has resulted in a large
alumni population in the country. The September green economy event was part of an ongoing effort to connect and engage
Alf Bjørseth, President Paul C. Pribbenow, Clayton McNeff ’91
alumni with the College and to maintain Augsburg’s connection to its Norwegian heritage.
Augsburg also is connected to Norway through its work as
host of the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum, held in cooperation
with the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of
Minnesota. The Forum is supported by the Norwegian Nobel
Institute, Augsburg’s sister Norwegian Lutheran colleges, and
community partners who share a commitment to education for
peace.
The 2013 Forum will be held March 8 to 10 on the campuses
of Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
The keynote speaker is Tawakkol Karman, 2011 Nobel Peace
Prize winner, journalist, and human rights activist.
Learn more at peaceprizeforum.org.
AN AUGSBURG
legacy
During Homecoming week this fall,
Augsburg Legacy students received an
“Auggie Family” photo frame from
President Pribbenow and Auggie Eagle.
Legacy students are those whose
grandparents, parents, or siblings are
Augsburg graduates or current students and students who are children
or spouses of ELCA pastors.
Congratulations, Legacy students, and
thank you for carrying on the Auggie
family tradition!
If a member of your family would
like information about becoming an
Auggie, contact the Office of
Admissions at 612-330-1001.
32
Augsburg Now
alumni tour
Join Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow
and fellow alumni and friends on this African tour
through South Africa and Namibia’s shared political past
and the popular tourist attractions and landmarks this history has created.
Learn first-hand about this historic region by visiting Cape Point where the Dutch Conquerors landed
and built a lighthouse, Table Mountain, and Robben
Island where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned. Tour
the former black and coloured townships and hear
from a cross-section of southern African society.
Discover how the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
Namibia played a significant role in opposition to
apartheid and was part of the Namibian independence
struggle.
This trip is offered in partnership between the
Augsburg College Alumni Association and Center for
Global Education (CGE) at Augsburg College. For more
than 25 years, CGE has provided cross-cultural educational opportunities that foster critical analysis of local
and global conditions so that personal and systemic
change takes place, leading to a more just and sustainable world.
To request more details about the trip, call
612-330-1085 or email alumni@augsburg.edu.
Courtesy photo
The Landmarks of South Africa and Namibia
August 11-24, 2013
@
auggies
THE TWINS GAME
Auggies Jason Bryan-Wegner ’01, Erica Bryan-Wegner
’01, Sarah Grans ’01, and Skylar Hanson ’01 represented Augsburg College and Thrivent at the Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans® Night at the Twins on July 30.
Janet Paone ’83 (not pictured) threw out the first pitch.
To watch the Augsburg video that was displayed on the big screen at Target Field
before the game, go to augsburg.edu/now.
Winter Eye-Opener Breakfast features Mike Good ’71
THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013
Come hear from outgoing Augsburg College Board of Regents
Chair, Mike Good ’71, CEO of Sotheby’s International Realty. As
board chair, Good provided four years of outstanding leadership to the College. He is now taking on the critical role of
national campaign chair for the Center for Science, Business,
and Religion. Learn how Good’s undergraduate experience at
Augsburg equipped him to rise to the rank of CEO and why he continues to remain so engaged with his alma mater.
During his tenure at Sotheby’s, Good has been instrumental in attracting more than 150 quality real estate firms, representing nearly 500 offices from around the world, to join the
Sotheby's network. Under Good’s leadership, Sotheby’s has
won Franchise Business Review’s Best in Category for Real
Estate Franchisee Satisfaction award for the past three years.
It was also rated the most prestigious real estate company by
high-net worth consumers in the 2008 Luxury Brand Status
Index survey, and in 2009 was ranked second on Franchise
Times’ Fast 55 list.
Augsburg’s Eye-Opener Breakfast series provides an opportunity for alumni and friends to network and learn about current
issues in our community. The series is sponsored by Thrivent
Financial for Lutherans® Central Minnesota Regional Financial
Office. Cost is $5 per person, which includes breakfast and
presentation. RSVP at augsburg.edu/alumni.
Save the date for the spring Eye-Opener Breakfast, Thursday,
May 9, 2013.
Fall 2012
33
HOMECOMING 2012 REUNION CLASSES
SILVER AUGGIES—CLASS OF 1961 AND EARLIER
First Row [L to R]: Jeroy Carlson ’48, Eunice (Nystuen) Sortland, Grace (Forss) Herr ’57, Ruth Aaskov ’53, Charlotte (Kleven) Rimmereid ’52, Dora (Frojen) Quanbeck ’49;
Second Row [L to R]: Mert Strommen ’42, Harris Lee ’57, Farolyn (Johnson) Gehring ’56, Inez (Olson) Schwarzkopf ’59, Leroy Nyhus ’52, Arthur Rimmereid ’53, Louise Jones
’56, D. Josh Nelson ’57, Philip Quanbeck Sr. ’50; Third Row [L to R]: Grace (Kemmer) Sulerud ’58, Leola (Dyrud) Furman ’61, Shelby (Gimse) Andress ’56; Fourth Row [L to R}:
Allan Sortland ’53, Virg Gehring ’57, Ainy Carlson, Paul Almquist ’59, Millie Nelson ’52, Dale Hanka ’60, Richard Thorud ’56, Larry Gallagher ’61, Dave Hanka ’60, Dick “Pork
Chops” Thompson ’61, Milt Kleven ’46, Jerry Peterson ’61
50-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1962
First Row [L to R]: Judy (Lerstad) Hill, Marjorie (Engevik) Espe, Maryann (Sorensen) Urban, Bonnie Pehrson, Jennelle (Johnson) Cunning, Mercia (Anderson) Fredrick, Joyce
(Gustafson) Hauge, Bunny (Beglinger) Larson, Barbara (Anderson) Stamp; Second Row [L to R]: Lois (Knutson) Larson, Kathy (Aaker) Casperson, Eugene Strand, David Fredrick,
Sally (Stuber) Cook, Marilyn (Olson) Gronner, Ann (Ring) Odegaard, Kay (Hanenburg) Madson; Third Row [L to R]: Loiell Dyrud, Ken Erickson, Paul Grover, John W. Christensen,
Eunice (Kyllo) Roberts, Julia (Ose) Grose, Rose Marie (Nordin) Anderson; Fourth Row [L to R]: Jack Osberg, Dean Larson, Paul Gunderson, Elaine (Pedersen) Gunderson
34
Augsburg Now
40-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1972
1. Linda (Engstrom) Akenson 2. Ron R. Johnson 3. Lorraine (Wietzke) Aaland 4. Sharon
Carlson 5. Rachel Iverson 6. Ken Wistrom 7. Sue Maahs 8. Judy (Bacon) Haugo 9.
Jennifer (Klema) Cuthbertson 10. Sue (Didrikson) Lisell 11. Karen Sandness 12. Jill
Steele 13. Susan (Lindbloom) Johnson 14. Larry Laingen 15. Jim Wolslegel 16. Marilyn
(Moxness) Hall 17. Ginny (Dahlen) Baali 18. Gail (Thacker) Ofstehage 19. Judy
(Mendenhall) Trimble 20. Nancy (Olson) Hrdlicka 21. Sue Anderson 22. Jim Agre 23.
George Dahlman 24. Joe Stork 25. Rob Engelson 26. Kathy (Langemo) Dugdale 27.
Jackie (Wolhart) Harvestine 28. Carol (Pederson) Jorgenson 29. Tom Fischer 30. Tom
Snell 31. Mary Kay (Johnson) Stensvaag 32. Saul Stensvaag 33. Michelle (Karkhoff)
Christianson 34. Bernelle (Mattson) Hansen 35. Kathy (Seim) Tilderquist 36. Cheryl (Lindroos) Martin 37. Cindy (Barr) Karels 38. Sandie (Youngquist) Kidder 39. Kristin (Parbst)
Rohde 40. Kristine Olson 41. David Christianson 42. Marius Anaházy 43. Jonathan Nye 44. Steve Frantz 45. Darla Frantz 46. Jan (Christensen) Tift 47. Linda (Truax) Johnson 48.
Tom Howe 49. Burton Haugen 50. Rick Ekstrand 51. Tom Haas
2013 REUNION CLASSES
Silver Auggies—Class of 1962 and earlier
Interested in volunteering?
50-Year Reunion—Class of 1963
If you would like to help make your reunion
a success, contact the Office of Alumni and
Constituent Relations at 612-330-1085 or
alumni@augsburg.edu. Save the date for
Homecoming 2013: September 23 to 28.
40-Year Reunion—Class of 1973
30-Year Reunion—Class of 1983
25-Year Reunion—Class of 1988
10-Year Reunion—Class of 2003
Fall 2012
35
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
30-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1982
25-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 1987
[L to R]: Kari (Eklund) Logan, Gail (Sathre) Kaderlik, Lori LaBelle Bartz, Tia
(Opsahl) Schimek, Lori Moline, Brad Lehto, Tamara Cowan, Beth Anderson, Heidi
(Smith) Labyad, Kaia Knutson
Front Row [L to R]: Tammy Rider, Kathy (Trost) Amos, Anne
(Skurdalsvold) Johnson; Second Row [L to R]: Cheryl (Witsoe) Dudley,
Angela (Schilling) Aitken; Back Row [L to R]: Charles Jorenby, Chris
Hahn, Doug Johnson
Courtesy photo
auggie reunions
10-YEAR REUNION—CLASS OF 2002
Members of the Class of 2002 [pictured above] gathered to celebrate and
reconnect during Homecoming week.
The 10-year reunion committee includes Ben Carlson, Heather (Schwartz) Cmiel,
Jackie (Heyda) Eyberg, Michael Fasching, Britt Gilbertson, Nick Slack, Robert
Wagner, and Brooke (Stoeckel) Whaylen.
36
Augsburg Now
alumni class notes
54Corinne, coauthored a book 72elected president of the
staff qualification manager at
Seagate Technology.
from Princeton Theological
Seminary on May 19.
Minnesota Construction
Association in 2012. She is the first
woman to serve in this position.
99James Johnson, and their
11at St. Paul Preparatory, was
76
daughter, Stella (3), welcomed son
and brother Adrian James on
January 4.
one of five teachers selected from
across the United States to participate in an exchange program
through World Savvy and the U.S.
State Department. Woolever will
travel to Bangladesh to study the
environmental, social, economic,
and political impacts of climate
change and to observe communities that have been affected by climate change. Teachers and
students will spend a month living
with a host family and participating
in research and service projects
with local Bangladeshi students.
Herb Chilstrom and his wife,
of daily inspirational reflections
titled Every Morning New.
63Wisconsin Press released
Alana Sunness Griffith was
In August, the University of
Mau Mau’s Children: The Making of
Kenya’s Postcolonial Elite by David
P. Sandgren. In the book, Sandgren
reconnects with former students he
taught in a Kenyan school for boys
beginning in 1963. Sandgren is a
professor of history at Concordia
College in Moorhead, Minn.
Carol Ann (Nelson) Zwernik was
honored in February with the
Donald A. Vetter Educational
Service Award. The award recognizes extraordinary achievements
and contributions to Lutheran education and commitment to the values of the Evangelical Lutheran
Education Association.
Poet Mary (Belardi)
Erickson’s second chapbook,
While You Blue-Step, was released
in May by Aldrich Publishing.
94enjoying her fifth year of
Patricia (Sotanski) Pardun is
independent practice in Stillwater,
Minn., as a licensed marriage and
family therapist and licensed alcohol and drug counselor. She also
welcomed her first grandchild,
William Joseph McDearmon, on
July 21, 2010.
96ect management professional
Angela Zurn, her husband,
00Russell Brown were married
Sara (Quigley) Brown and
June 18, 2011, in Minneapolis.
Sara is an ordained and rostered
minister in the ELCA, and Russell
works in IT for Wells Fargo.
01and her husband, Aaron, welElizabeth Meskan Neiderhiser
comed daughter Camille Jane in
June. Camille is the third child for
the couple.
Ryan Carlson achieved proj-
(PMP) certification and in
September was named a senior
08
Michael John Gyura of
Rochester received a Master
of Divinity and a Master of Arts
Kate Woolever, an art teacher
graduate programs
Craig and Tina Meeker Mattson ’07
MBA welcomed daughter Audrey
Anne on June 3.
auggie SNAPSHOTS
73Holmes Spun 2, presented at Holmes Theatre in Detroit
Corrine Ruth (Froelich) Frank acted, sang, and danced in
Lakes, Minn., in May.
62brated her 50th anniverJudy Lerstad Hill cele-
38College Commencement cer-
38Thompson ’40 grew up
emony, Gretha (Halvorson) Loken
and her daughter Mary (Loken)
Veiseth ’70 celebrated the graduation of Amy Aylsworth ’12, Loken’s
granddaughter and Veiseth’s
daughter. The three generations of
Auggies are pictured here.
together in Dawson, Minn., and were
college roommates for four years at
Augsburg. They had not seen each
other for 30 years, so Thompson’s
daughter drove him all the way from
Salt Lake City, Utah, to visit Nelson in
Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
At the May 2012 Augsburg
Edor Nelson and Roger
sary as Miss Minnesota 1962.
Crowned the evening before
her Augsburg graduation, Hill
was the first Auggie to win the
competition. In 2011, Hill was
reunited with her former
Augsburg woodwinds teacher,
Ruben Haugen (pictured here).
Hill credits Haugen for developing her talent on saxophone
that earned her a scholarship
at the Miss America Pageant.
Fall 2012
37
auggie
SNAPSHOTS
98Jenell (Torma) Agrimson
Erick Agrimson and
95Severson were married July 7.
Tracy (Anderson) Severson and Scott
’00 welcomed their first child,
Anders, on June 12. Erick
works at St. Catherine
University as assistant professor of physics and is a
Minnesota Space Grant affiliate director. Jenell works at
East Suburban Resources as
a job coach.
00MSW, was named the
Heidi Kammer Jensen,
99wife, Tracy (Holloway)
Thane Drier and his
Drier, welcomed daughter
Morgan Rae on July 29.
Morgan joins brothers
Tristan and Caden.
director of Recovery
Resource Center (RRC), a
division of RESOURCE in
Minneapolis.
97his wife, Mary
Brent Grier and
Ellen, welcomed
daughter Lily Anne
on May 17.
01Espinoza welcomed son Simon on
Stephanie Quick-Espinoza and Jorge
00husband, Eric Darwitz, welcomed twins
Jodie Marie (Henriksen) Darwitz and
November 11, 2011.
Dino Patrick and Delanie Marie on February
11. Jodie is a peer coach in the West St. PaulMendota Heights-Eagan (Minn.) school district.
05Burgess, welcomed daughter Tenley
Kyla (Rice) Burgess and husband, J.R.
Renee on November 2, 2011. Burgess is a
school counselor in St. Cloud, Minn.
07graduated from
Jeni Strom
Northwestern Health
Sciences University
with a Doctor of
Chiropractic degree
in November 2010.
She opened a chiropractic practice in
Roseville in February.
She and Nathan
Massa were married
October 6.
38
Augsburg Now
08and husband, Chris
Megan (Carlson) Lagasse
08Pictured are [L to R] Sara Horishnyk ’08, Jackie
Nicky Cronin was married on June 16 to Kyle Bohm.
Bohm (sister of groom), Nicky Bohm, Kyle Bohm, Pam
Breadman (sister of the bride), and Annika Spargo ’09.
Nicky is a part-time teacher at West Metro Learning
Connections and a program coordinator at the Mentor
Network/REM Ramsey. Kyle is an IT support tech for
Minneapolis Public Schools.
Lagasse, welcomed son Micah
Steven on May 22. His parents
hope he will be a fourth generation Auggie following his
mother, Micah’s grandfather
Steven Carlson ’73, and his
great-grandfather Fabian
Carlson ’49.
Send us your news and photos
Tell us about the news in your life, your new job, move, marriage, and
births. Don’t forget to send photos! (Digital photos must be at least 300
dpi or a 1MB file.) For news of a death, printed notice is required, e.g., an
obituary, funeral notice, or program from a memorial service. Send your
news items, photos, or change of address by mail to: Augsburg Now Class
Notes, Augsburg College, CB 146, 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, MN
55454, or email alumni@augsburg.edu. You can also submit news at
augsburg.edu/alumni.
______________________________________________________
Full name
______________________________________________________
Maiden name
______________________________________________________
Class year or last year attended
______________________________________________________
Street address
______________________________________________________
City, State, ZIP code
Is this a new address? q Yes q No
______________________________________________________
Home telephone
______________________________________________________
Email
Okay to publish your email address? q Yes q No
______________________________________________________
Employer
______________________________________________________
Position
In memoriam
______________________________________________________
Work telephone
Vincent Kenstad ’33, San
Diego, Calif., age 102, on
June 3.
Wayne A. Peterson ’50,
Cambridge, Minn., age 84,
on August 21.
Doris C. Hanson-Currens ’40,
Minneapolis, age 96, on
August 14.
Beverly Lentz ’55, Bird Island,
Minn., age 78, on April 29.
Edna Ericksen ’42,
Cottonwood, Tex., age 92,
on June 5.
Ruth N. (Framstad) Steen ’43,
Eden Prairie, Minn., age 91,
on June 9.
David H. Larson ’44, Great
Falls, Mont., age 89, on
January 26.
Rev. John N. Parbst ’45,
Bloomington, Minn., age 88,
on August 4.
Dr. Ernest Thorsgard ’49, Thief
River Falls, Minn., age 88, on
June 7.
Robert Moylan ’56, Spokane,
Wash., age 78, on July 15.
Marcia (Myring) Carlson ’60,
Bloomington, Minn., age 74,
on January 30.
Shelly M. (Forslund) Ulven ’06,
Apple Valley, Minn., age 34,
on July 7.
Is spouse also a graduate of Augsburg College? q Yes q No
If yes, class year __________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Spouse’s name
______________________________________________________
Maiden name
Your news:
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
Dorii Gbolo ’08, Minneapolis,
age 56, on June 30.
______________________________________________________
Joseph R. Beckfeld ’13,
Minneapolis, age 36, on
June 11.
______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
q I know a student who is interested in attending Augsburg.
Fall 2012
39
Master of Arts in Leadership
celebrates history with a look toward the future
The Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL)
program celebrated its 25th anniversary
in late September. The milestone was an
opportunity to acknowledge the healthy
and long success of the program and to
look toward the future of the College’s
graduate studies as a whole.
The success of the MAL program comes
from the vision of its early leaders and its
alignment with Augsburg’s mission, said
MAL director Alan Tuchtenhagen. “It
seems natural,” he said, “that one of
Augsburg’s first graduate programs was in
leadership because leadership is central
to who and what defines Auggies.”
Norma Noonan, Augsburg professor of
political science, directed the program for
18 years and stepped down from that role
last spring. About Noonan, Tuchtenhagen
said, “Norma played a critical role in
establishing the MAL program’s identity
and strength, making it a cornerstone
graduate program for Augsburg.”
Throughout the years, the program has
grown and changed. Going forward, and
thanks to a formal program assessment
done in partnership with MAL faculty,
Augsburg can ensure that the program
continues to be timely and relevant.
During the assessment, Tuchtenhagen
worked with Andy Aoki, professor of political science; Tom Morgan, executive director of the Center for Faith and Learning;
Diane Pike, professor of sociology; and
Velma Lashbrook, director of the Center
for Teaching and Learning and assistant
professor of leadership studies. Other faculty and alumni also were engaged in the
review.
The group explored educational outcomes of the program and identified ways
to ensure that the curriculum matches
current and future students’ needs. Some
recommendations from the group include
refreshing the MAL model to reflect current issues in leadership and integrating
community engagement into the curricu-
40
Augsburg Now
MAL director Alan Tuchtenhagen speaks at the MAL 25th
anniversary celebration on September 26.
lum. Additionally, the group suggested
streamlining the curriculum and program
completion options and placing a greater
emphasis on development of graduatelevel writing and research skills.
The MAL program will continue to offer
a classic classroom-based format and an
integrated hybrid format that combines faceto-face and online learning. In addition, the
College now pairs the Master of Business
Administration (MBA) program with the
MAL to form a dual degree that,
Tuchtenhagen said, “integrates the career
focus of the MBA with the developmental
nature of the MAL.”
These changes to the MAL program
will help maintain the strength of the
graduate studies program at Augsburg.
“Graduate studies offers one of the highest areas of growth potential for
Augsburg,” said Lori Peterson, assistant
vice president and dean of graduate and
professional studies. “We are excited to
have the strong foundation in the MAL program and to see it and other graduate programs continue to evolve to meet the needs
of learners in our community.”
WENDI WHEELER ’06
at
Augsburg offers nine graduate
programs with classes meeting
primarily in the evenings and on
weekends:
Doctor of Nursing Practice
Master of Arts in Education
Master of Arts in Leadership
Master of Arts in Nursing
Master of Business Administration
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
BEGINNING SUMMER 2013
Master of Music Therapy
BEGINNING SUMMER 2013
Master of Science in
Physician Assistant Studies
FULL-TIME DAY PROGRAM
Master of Social Work
Dual degree programs:
MBA/MAL
MBA/MSW
MSW/MA Theology
For more information about
graduate studies at Augsburg,
go to augsburg.edu/grad.
notes
from President Pribbenow
Stewardship of place and people
t
he Augsburg College mission statement says
that Augsburg “educates students to be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
These aspirations for our students require that all
of us who are part of the
Augsburg community consider how we model in our
lives and work the core values embodied in these aspirations. In other words, we
need to live what we teach!
This issue of Augsburg
Now offers several examples
of how we are seeking as a
college community to live as thoughtful stewards.
You’ve read in past issues of this magazine the
remarkable progress we have made as an institution in our commitment to environmental stewardship—composting leftover food from the cafeteria,
community gardens on campus, new biodiesel production methods, and a commitment to carbon
neutrality by 2019.
All important work, but stewardship is a rich
concept and extends to our care for all of the gifts
we have been given as a community. I am particularly struck by how our College has explored ways
in which we care for our physical location and facilities. The 2010 Campus Space and Master Plan
is not simply a map to future facilities; it is a
statement of values around stewardship of the
land and buildings we occupy and the need for us
to be constantly vigilant about the opportunities to
renew, reuse, and extend the life of our spaces
and buildings. In addition, the plan points to our
commitment to stewarding relationships with our
neighbors, building facilities and designing landscapes that welcome our neighbors to campus
rather than keep them away.
Stewardship is also about people—and as I
was reminded again this year at our Homecoming
celebrations, Augsburg is all about people. The
upcoming celebration of the 40th anniversary of
Title IX—the landmark federal legislation that seeks
to ensure equity for women and men in intercollegiate athletics—is an example of what it means to
be good stewards of our people. For years and years,
women students at Augsburg participated in athlet-
Vice President of Marketing
and Communication
Rebecca John
rjohn@augsburg.edu
Creative Associate-Editorial
Wendi Wheeler ’06
wheelerw@augsburg.edu
Integrated Communication
Specialist
Laura Swanson
swansonl@augsburg.edu
Creative Director
Kathy Rumpza ’05 MAL
rumpza@augsburg.edu
Senior Creative Associate-Design
Jen Nagorski ’08
nagorski@augsburg.edu
Photographer
Stephen Geffre
geffre@augsburg.edu
Director of News and
Media Services
Stephanie Weiss
weisss@augsburg.edu
Production Manager/Now Online
ics without the support and recognition enjoyed by
their male counterparts. A couple of years ago, we
honored those unheralded women Auggies with the
athletic letters they never received while on campus.
Now, we lift up our enduring commitment to opportunities for all Auggie student-athletes. Our recent
news about establishing the first intercollegiate
women’s lacrosse program in Minnesota is just one
example of how we steward the gifts of people—students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends
who make Augsburg strong!
In 1931, the renowned 20th-century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr wrote in The Christian Century an essay with the provocative title, “Is
Stewardship Ethical?” His indictment of Christians
for the ways in which they had turned stewardship
into random programs of fundraising and voluntarism stands as a relevant challenge to all of us.
We are called to be thoughtful stewards. Stewardship is a way of life. At Augsburg, we are working
hard to live what we teach.
Yours in Augsburg,
Mark Chamberlain
chamberm@augsburg.edu
Senior Director of Alumni
and Constituent Relations
Kim Stone
stonek@augsburg.edu
augsburg.edu
Augsburg Now is published by
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Opinions expressed in Augsburg Now
do not necessarily reflect official
College policy.
ISSN 1058-1545
Send address corrections to:
Advancement Services
CB 142
Augsburg College
2211 Riverside Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55454
langemo@augsburg.edu
Email: now@augsburg.edu
PAUL C. PRIBBENOW, PRESIDENT
Members of the Maroon & Silver Society lead by example with monthly gifts
of $84 or more, or annual gifts of $1,000 or more to The Augsburg Fund.
These unrestricted gifts to The Augsburg Fund allow the College to award
more financial aid, employ high-quality faculty and staff, offer a challenging
and thought-provoking academic curriculum, and provide support to our
students so that they can become the people they are called to be.
To learn more about the Maroon & Silver Society, contact the
Office of Annual Giving at 612-330-1652 or giving@augsburg.edu.
augsburg.edu/giving
AUGSBURG NOW
Opening Convocation
At this year’s opening convocation, Augsburg College welcomed nearly 400 new first-year
students and 160 transfer students to campus. The College also added 437 new students in
adult undergraduate and graduate programs in Minneapolis and Rochester, Minn., this fall.
Higher education in the 21st century
30 years of Weekend and Evening College
Stewardship of space
MAL celebrates 25 years
40 years of women’s athletics and Title IX
Auggie Days 2012
living
OUR
calling
FALL 2012 | VOL. 75, NO. 1
inside
2211 Riverside Avenue
Minneapolis, MN 55454
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 2031
Show less