Bill Schmidt 鈥�76 and his wife Jill were more than thrilled to welcome fellow Auggie Alumni to their cabin for a wrestling reunion that took place on Saturday, August 14.聽 This annual event provides a fun way for Auggie wrestlers to stay connected.
Front row left to right:聽Daryl Miller 鈥�69, Larry A. Stewart 鈥�72, William C. Hickman 鈥�71,Michael R. Good 鈥�71, Scott J. Brown 鈥�73聽Back row left to right:聽Roger L. Gorham 鈥�73,聽Charles E. Blixt 鈥�77,聽Jeff F. Swenson 鈥�79, Murray L. Herstein 鈥�78,聽William A. Schmidt 鈥�76,聽Mike Benson 鈥�78,聽James J. Pappas 鈥�78,聽Jeffery A. Blixt 鈥�77, Stephen M. Varichak 鈥�84,聽Ronald R. Johnson 鈥�72,聽Patrick J. Marcy 鈥�72,聽Dean R. Kennedy 鈥�75
Check out more fun photos from the reunion:
Bill Hickman and Ron JohnsonMary & Jim Pappas, Bill Schmidt, and Melissa & Jeff SwensonDaryl Miller, Ron Johnson, Mike GoodPat Marcy, Ron Johnson, Bill Hickman, Mike Good, Daryl Miller, and Larry StewartMike Good, Larry Stewart, and Bill Hickman
含羞草视频 is pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Alkire as vice president of Institutional Advancement, effective September 8.
Amy will lead the university into the public phase of Augsburg’s Great Returns Campaign, our largest campaign in history, as well as continue to grow our culture of philanthropy and engage our alumni, friends, faculty, and staff.
Amy started at Augsburg eight years ago as a gift officer and director of leadership gifts. In 2015, she was promoted to assistant vice president, a role she held until this past August when President Pribbenow asked her to move into the interim vice president role after Heather Riddle鈥檚 departure.
“The opportunity to promote Amy to serve as Augsburg’s vice president for institutional advancement was very meaningful to me,鈥� says President Paul Pribbenow. 鈥淪he has been a part of the advancement staff for several years and has illustrated through her outstanding work a passion for Augsburg’s mission and strong professional skills. I look forward to working with Amy and her colleagues as we continue to strengthen Augsburg’s philanthropic culture.”
When asked about her new role, Amy says she is excited for the challenge of it. She loves working with Augsburg’s alumni, donors, faculty, and staff and is passionate about Augsburg’s mission.
“Amy has provided amazing leadership working with our board and the Augsburg community over the years,鈥� says Matt Entenza, 含羞草视频鈥檚 Board of Regents chair. 鈥淚’m very excited to get to work with her because she embodies what it means to be an Auggie!”
Prior to her work at Augsburg, Amy was a development officer for two years at Children鈥檚 Hospital Minnesota and a major gift officer at Concordia University鈥擲t. Paul for three years. Amy was also a teacher for eight years, teaching English and literature, before she moved into a career in development.
鈥淚鈥檓 laser focused on the strategies that will engage the Augsburg community and foster philanthropy to solidify Augsburg鈥檚 long-term financial stability,鈥� says Amy. 鈥淲e have a strong team and I am eager to continue to build upon their strengths. I am grateful to Kristen and Sarah for their partnership in leading Advancement efforts and look forward to great successes in the future.鈥澛�
Along with Amy鈥檚 promotion to vice president, Institutional Advancement has two other promotions. Sarah Erkkinen, assistant vice president for special projects, will be promoted to associate vice president, Institutional Advancement leading principal and major gifts and the campaign. Kristen Cooper, senior director of advancement, will be promoted to assistant vice president, Institutional Advancement Operations and Alumni/ae Engagement.
Outside of work, Amy serves on the Lake City Education Board of Directors and is a member of the City Council for Lake City.
Amy currently lives in Lake City, her hometown, with her husband, their two kids, and their three dogs.
Kevin Fjelsted ’18, MBA ’20 is one of many Augsburg students who graduated during the pandemic. However, Kevin鈥檚 higher education story has a unique beginning. While most of Augsburg鈥檚 recent graduates started their higher education in the last four or five years, Kevin started in 1973.
Kevin graduated from high school in the 70鈥檚 and as he thought about college, he wasn鈥檛 particular about where he would go. He admits he wasn鈥檛 heavily involved in picking Augsburg.
鈥淢y grandparents wanted me to go to Augsburg. They told me to look at Augsburg and I said 鈥榝ine,鈥欌�� says Kevin.
He started at Augsburg in 1973 and took a few classes during the fall and January interim semesters. But Augsburg didn鈥檛 have what Kevin was looking for at the time, so he transferred to the University of Minnesota in 1974 where he also worked at the U of M鈥檚 Computer Center.
Shortly after, Kevin began working full-time as an operating systems programmer at Lawrence Berkeley National Labs. Over the next fifteen years, he worked for a few companies 鈥� including IDS Financial Services, McGraw-Hill, and American Express 鈥� before going out on his own as a systems consulting and programming service provider. He took computer science courses here and there, but never focused on a degree because he was working full time.
In 2010, Kevin decided to go back to school and finish his degree in computer science.
鈥淢y default was to go back to the U of M,鈥� says Kevin. 鈥淏ut there were two problems. One, the lecture size. There were over 100 people in my computer science classes. And two, I needed accessibility. I needed books in braille and although the U of M has a large disability resource center employee count wise, they didn鈥檛 have the experience accommodating a blind person.鈥�
Kevin knew Kathy McGillivray from the National Federation of the Blind, and knew she was the director in Augsburg鈥檚 CLASS Office.
鈥淲e talked about smaller classes that were actually taught by the professors, unlike the U of M having Teaching Assistants do a lot of the teaching. Kathy knew what I needed for accommodations as well. She was an ally in the whole process. We worked together through accessibility for both my computer science undergraduate degree and the MBA program. Once we got that solved, it was great!鈥�
Kevin completed his undergraduate computer science degree in 2018 and immediately started in Augsburg鈥檚 Master of Business Administration program, graduating in the winter of 2020.
Now he is working with a business colleague on building a couple company鈥檚 telecommunications space and Voice over Internet Protocol and Omnichannel call center solutions. Kevin is also excited about starting an A.I. venture in the near future.
Despite the process taking almost 50 years from start to graduation, Kevin is thankful for his time at Augsburg. He鈥檚 particularly thankful for the professors he studied with.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have a single negative experience with a professor at Augsburg, even going back to the 70鈥檚. I had a great calculus professor and psychology professors. George Dierberger, the MBA director, has pulled in great adjunct professors who are the best in the industry. You can respect and trust the information from the professor because they have the knowledge and industry experience.鈥�
When asked why others should consider a degree in computer science at Augsburg versus another university, Kevin pointed out that Augsburg uses the same program as the U of M for their undergraduate computer science program.
鈥淭hey use the same textbooks, the same curriculum. At the U of M, you have 100 plus people in a class, but shrink that down to 25 people at the high end at Augsburg, and that is a significant difference. Yes, Augsburg has teaching assistants and tutors like the U of M, but they don鈥檛 have the same concept where the professor pushes all the work onto the teaching assistant. At Augsburg you have direct interface and direct communication with the professors.鈥�
After nearly nine years of advancement work and leading two of 含羞草视频鈥檚 most successful fundraising campaigns, Heather Riddle, vice president for Institutional Advancement, has accepted a position as senior vice president and chief development officer for American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).
“Under Heather’s leadership, generous Auggies have given millions of dollars for strategic campus improvements, created new scholarships for talented Augsburg students, and made impacts well into the future. I am thrilled for Heather and confident in the great group of Augsburg advancement leaders she’s encouraged, who will continue the culture of generosity at Augsburg moving forward,” says Matt Entenza, chair of Augsburg’s Board of Regents
Heather on a 2016 hard hat tour of the Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion.
Heather joined Augsburg in September 2012, during the capital campaign for the Norman and Evangeline Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion. Under Heather鈥檚 leadership, that campaign successfully raised more than $55 million from more than 1,000 donors. Heather herself closed three of the largest gifts for the Hagfors Center campaign, totaling more than $25 million.
“Heather’s leadership in Institutional Advancement has been nothing short of transformational,鈥� says Robert Groven, associate professor of Communication Studies, Film & New Media, and director of the Minnesota Urban Debate League at Augsburg. 鈥淪he built a true culture of collaboration and philanthropy across campus and throughout Augsburg鈥檚 worldwide network of alumni. Heather’s creativity and relationships helped to break nearly every fundraising record in Augsburg history!”
Heather鈥檚 commitment to lead Augsburg鈥檚 development and constituent relations work has made a great impact on the university. During her time at Augsburg, Heather helped reimagine alumni relations and supervised an Alumni Board that has hosted many successful events in recent years, including Augsburg鈥檚 Sesquicentennial Gala and Homecoming in 2019. She has also helped lay the foundation for Augsburg鈥檚 first ever All School Reunion, to take place Fall 2022.
Beyond Heather鈥檚 fundraising skills was her ability to build an exceptional team in Institutional Advancement. The team has been working hard on the quiet phase for Augsburg鈥檚 next campaign, the Great Returns Campaign, which is already poised to reach a level of giving that will make it the largest single campaign in Augsburg history.
Heather with artist at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion.
“When I first met Heather, it was obvious that she found joy in both the art and science of philanthropic fundraising. When she came to Augsburg nine years ago, she brought that joy, along with her strong professional experience and skills, and helped transform the culture of philanthropy for our university. There are obvious signs of her good work鈥�the Hagfors Center, the Great Returns Campaign, Give to the Max Day records, and so on鈥�but perhaps most importantly, she has invited all of us into the wonder of how philanthropy can transform an institution. Heather’s impact on Augsburg will be clear well into our next 150 years,鈥� says President Paul Pribbenow.
President Pribbenow has asked Assistant Vice President of Advancement, Amy Alkire, to serve as interim vice president for Advancement. Assistant Vice President for Special Projects Sarah Erkkinen and Senior Director of Advancement Kristen Cooper will work closely with Amy and President Pribbenow on organizational planning during this transition.
The Augsburg Community shares our gratitude for Heather鈥檚 work as she embarks on a new adventure. We thank her for her unyielding commitment and dedication over the past nine years and wish her all the best.
Silent Fox and Olivia House at an art exhibition they worked on with University of Minnesota Graduate students.Billboard created by Silent Fox and Olivia House with copywriter Jalen Cannon.
About a year ago, Olivia House ’20 and Silent Fox ’18 were approached by their art advisor at the time, Christopher Houltberg. He wanted to know if Silent and Olivia would be interested in doing an art project through a grant provided by the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation. For them, it was an easy thing to say yes to.
“Right away, we knew we wanted it [the art] to have more than one output,” said Olivia.
Silent majored in Studio Arts and Graphic Design and Olivia majored in Graphic Design. Their time at Augsburg gave them the opportunity to meet various studio artists, explore their interests, and take a hold of their agency as artists. With graduation only shortly behind them, they are already establishing their artistic careers and sharing their experience about a recent project they completed in partnership with Augsburg.
Both Augsburg and the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation supported聽Silent and Olivia’s idea聽to expand their work beyond the singular campaign.聽Part of the grant went to the billboard art and the other half went to starting a Black Arts Collective, 13.4 Collective.聽As the聽anniversary of George Floyd鈥檚 murder was approaching,聽they wanted to create a piece that commemorated that historic moment.
“My goal was to vocalize the black experience in America and show authenticity to our lives,” added Silent.
Translating a powerful message into art may not be innately ingrained in all artists, but for Silent and Olivia, activism is at the core of their work.
“For me, activism is naturally intertwined into my art. It’s part of me, my history, and my community. I can’t imagine it not being part of my work,” reflected Silent.
“I take a lot of inspiration from聽Emory Douglas, the Black Panther Party’s designer,” Olivia added. “He knew how to create messages succinctly and that were accessible to people by using a lot of imagery and minimal words.”
As they created the ad campaign, they aimed to keep the art somewhat ambiguous and make others think about the deeper meaning.聽The billboards went up for the Juneteenth holiday and will be taken down in mid-July. Check out the聽 their art is displayed.
In addition to their billboard campaign, Olivia and Silent shared their excitement about the future of the 13.4 Collective and other work they completed together. They recently wrapped up an outdoor exhibition they worked on with some graduate students at the University of Minnesota that touched on the history of mutual aid in the Twin Cities (top picture). Silent, Olivia, and Jalen Cannon (copywriter for the billboard), serve as contributors to the 13.4 Collective. They hope to continue expanding their reach with each project and sharing the messages behind the stories of the black community.
Dr. Ruth Johnson 鈥�74 Contributed photo by Mayo Clinic
Dr. Ruth Johnson 鈥�74 has been elected to the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota, representing the First Congressional District. She credits her time on Augsburg鈥檚 board as a major contribution to her being elected to the U of M鈥檚 board.
含羞草视频
Ruth had a number of influences that led her to choose Augsburg as an undergraduate. She grew up in the Minneapolis suburbs, so she knew of Augsburg. Her family was also active in their large, vibrant Lutheran congregation, whereDr. Ted Hanwick, Augsburg鈥檚 first chairman of the Physics Department, was also a member. Ruth sought a college with excellent academics, a Lutheran faith background, with a preference for an urban location.聽Dr. Hanwick encouraged her to explore Augsburg.
Halfway through her senior year of high school, Ruth鈥檚 father passed away. During his illness, she spent time in hospitals with her father. Also, since age 16, she had worked in the hospital pharmacy where her father was Chief of Pharmacy. All these experiences pivoted her interests to pre-med.
鈥淢y first love was languages and I planned to pursue a Ph.D. in English or Spanish. But all I saw in hospitals moved me to a career in medicine. There鈥檚 so much a person can do in terms of advances in science and in patient care, all of which can make such a difference in people鈥檚 lives,鈥� says Ruth.
After graduating summa cum laude with majors in chemistry and biology and a minor in religion, Ruth went on to graduate from Mayo Medical School and completed her internal medicine residency at Mayo Graduate School of Medicine.
Ruth was the first woman associate director of the Internal Medicine Residency program at Mayo Clinic and chaired the Bioethics Courses at Mayo Medical School. She later devoted 17 years to the Mayo Clinic MD-PhD 含羞草视频 Committee. She founded the Mayo Diagnostic Breast Clinic in 1993. It was shortly after this that then Augsburg President Charles Anderson invited Ruth to join the Board of Regents.Dr. John Holum, an Organic Chemistry professor and one of Ruth鈥檚 favorite professors at Augsburg, recommended her.
鈥淚 thought, 鈥業 love Augsburg and this is a great chance to re-engage in a new way and contribute to the college.鈥� It was a very meaningful experience,鈥� says Ruth.
Early on in her stint as a board member, Ruth was involved in the fundraising and celebration of the Lindell Library, which opened in 1997. By the late 90鈥檚, she was helping with foundational work that would lead to the creation of the Hagfors Center for Science, Business, and Religion. Among the work Ruth is proudest of during her time as a Regent is sparking the idea for Augsburg鈥檚 Rochester Campus.
鈥淢y work with nurses at Mayo Clinic made me aware that many nurses in Rochester were certificate RN鈥檚 without a baccalaureate degree. Because of this, their career advancement was limited and there was no readily available way to complete a BSN. Augsburg鈥檚 Weekend College had already had years of experience offering degree programs for adults. I went to then President Bill Frame and suggested Augsburg create a degree program in Rochester.鈥�
University of Minnesota
In 2020, Ruth was approached by the alumni and friends of the University of Minnesota to join their Board. Her educational leadership at Mayo Clinic was well known, as was her 16 years on Augsburg鈥檚 Board of Regents.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e on a board, it鈥檚 about governance, higher level, big picture thinking. It鈥檚 not managing, that鈥檚 the administration鈥檚 job. My 16 years with three different presidents at Augsburg meant I knew how a board functions, this was a strong background for me,鈥� says Ruth. 鈥淎ugsburg also has a really excellent reputation among legislators, they know Augsburg has done good work and they know those values are part of my work.鈥�
held on March 15, 2021 for a six-year term.
Augsburg will always be part of Ruth’s life, though. At Augsburg, Ruth loved getting to know fellow regents, alumni, faculty, and students.聽Ruth is also married to Phil Quanbeck II, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Religion at 含羞草视频.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great place and a privilege to be involved with such an incredible group of people.鈥�
She is now looking forward to her work with the U of M, and to connecting to the people she will work with over the next six years.
On June 8, 2021, Augsburg held an in-person commencement ceremony for the classes of 2020 and 2021. After a difficult year of virtual learning and social distancing, the community was able to come together and celebrate the achievements of our Auggie grads!
The event recognized 857 graduates from our undergrad, graduate, and doctoral programs. 4,000+ attendees聽watched as their loved ones crossed the stage and received their diplomas. U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar also had a special message to share with the graduates. You can watch it on our
To all of the new alumni, congratulations and we hope you stay connected with us!
We are thrilled to introduce the newest members of the Augsburg Alumni Board! Please join us in welcoming:
Berlynn Bitengo ’21
Arianna Antone-Ramirez 鈥�20
Willie Giller 鈥�19
Navid Amini 鈥�19 MBA
Dave Stevens ’90
The Augsburg Alumni聽Board聽is an opportunity for alumni from all programs and class years to build relationships with each other and the University today. Members connect with institution leaders, faculty, and students to better understand and support the mission. To learn more go to our聽Alumni Board page.
Rodger Ericson graduated from Augsburg in 1966. He initially chose Augsburg for a simple reason: his brother was an Auggie. But in a short amount of time, Rodger found his calling.
Originally hoping to pursue a career in mathematics, Rodger was recruited his freshman year at Augsburg to participate in a summer residency in New Jersey which was geared towards students attending Lutheran colleges. That experience helped Rodger realize his strength was not in math but in being a pastor. He switched to a Religion major with a minor in Philosophy. Rodger joined the student government and spearheaded Augsburg鈥檚 Spiritual Life Commission as a Senior before continuing on to seminary school.
鈥淚 cherish my experience at Augsburg. I鈥檓 grateful for the education I got and the way in which it molded me. Augsburg truly turned my life around.鈥�
Stained Glass Art
The art of stained glass making came into Rodger and his wife, Margaret鈥檚, lives quite accidentally. 鈥淚 was in the parish for 10 years, and ended up going into the Air Force,鈥� says Rodger. It was during his assignment in Florida when he had his first encounter with making stained glass. 鈥淲e found a house on the corner, that when you drove straight towards it, you could see right into the master bathroom!鈥� After being told by the builders that they couldn鈥檛 install frosted windows, Rodger discovered some stained glass classes being held at a local shop and asked if that was a possibility. To his delight, it was, and he and Marge took a handful of classes where they made a 5鈥� X 6鈥� window for their bathroom.聽
Since that first window, Rodger and Margaret have continued making stained glass art. For each house they鈥檝e lived in, they create an original piece to go in one of the windows. One of Rodger鈥檚 favorite pieces is of Santorini, Greece. 鈥淚t was a lot of work trying to get the angles and coloration right.鈥� What makes stained glass art so intricate is having to buy specific sheets of glass that come in the color you want and fitting all the pieces together. Rodger often gets asked if he simply paints the glass he buys, but it鈥檚 actually quite methodical to connect all the pieces.聽
Augsburg Art
Rodger and Margaret consider themselves fortunate to live a comfortable life. Remembering what he learned at Augsburg about supporting your neighbors, the couple donates their works of art to help raise funds for different organizations. They are a long-time supporter of Jaltepec Educativo, a Mexican school that empowers low income high school age girls who have great potential with scholarships to obtain skills and confidence. 鈥淥ver the past year we raised about $5,000 that all goes to them.鈥澛�
So when Augsburg鈥檚 Vice President for Advancement, Heather Riddle, reached out to Rodger about joining the , Rodger wondered how he could connect his glass making to support the university.聽
He had made a stained glass Minnesota outline with the Augsburg 鈥楢鈥� for an old classmate and liked how the piece turned out. He decided to make another piece and donate it to Augsburg, with explicit instructions that the piece be used to raise money for Augsburg鈥檚 Sesquicentennial Fund Scholarship.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a win-win-win. I win because I get to make something. [An Augsburg student] wins because they get something, the scholarship. And someone else wins the artwork in the raffle.鈥�
Rodger hopes that his stained glass donation will encourage people to participate in the raffle, and continue donating into the future.
A Raffle for the Augsburg Sesquicentennial Scholarship Fund
The Auggie Community has the chance to win this hand-crafted stained glass piece to show off your Auggie pride! And two runner-ups will have a chance to win a stained glass hummingbird, also hand-crafted by Rodger.聽
Tickets:
1 ticket $5
3 tickets $10
6 tickets $20
Drawing will be held on August 31, 2021.
To enter, mail in a check or cash to: 含羞草视频
Attn: Institutional Advancement
2211 Riverside Ave
Minneapolis, MN 55454.
Players must be at least 18 years old. Mail a check or cash with this slip; credit cards cannot be used for this raffle.
Mr. Stamschror-Lott leading a community healing session. Photo credit: The New York Times
In the aftermath of the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last year, mental health experts across the country say they have seen African-Americans, whose skepticism of therapy has been documented by research, seeking it in growing numbers.
Jamil and Sara Stamschror-Lott, the founders of Creative Kuponya, a mental health practice in Minneapolis, said the demand for therapy had 鈥済one through the roof鈥� over the past year. The couple said 31 percent of their practice鈥檚 clients are Black.
鈥淲e鈥檝e seen everything that the nation has seen from afar, from folks in civil unrest and devastation, despair,鈥� said Mr. Stamschror-Lott. The couple said that some residents were overwhelmed and exhausted by the events of the past year, and that there remained a 鈥済reat deal of pain and trauma.鈥�
含羞草视频 is pleased to announce the appointment of Amy Alkire as vice president of Institutional Advancement, effective September 8.
