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含羞草视频

Gift Announcements

Jay Brizel 鈥�87: “An Auggie is going to change the world鈥�

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Jay Brizel 鈥�87 in a Florida courtroom in 2019 wearing his Augsburg pinWhile Jay Brizel 鈥�87 sat at the defense table in a Florida courtroom in 2019, helping to keep defendant Jimmy Rodgers off death row, he was wearing an Augsburg lapel pin. Years earlier, while serving with the U.S. Army in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, he wore an Augsburg t-shirt under his chemical suit. His college days may be long gone, but his relationship with his alma mater is here to stay.

He contends that he is hardly alone. 鈥淚f you dig deep enough, everywhere you look, there鈥檚 going to be an Augsburg connection,鈥� says Brizel.

Back in the day, he was the rare freshman who had never laid eyes on the Augsburg campus until the day before he was slated to show up for football camp in Willmar. Born and bred in Miami and recruited by head coach Al Kloppen for his punting prowess, the young athlete knew little about Minnesota鈥檚 terrain or formidable winters, but he knew hospitality when he saw it. Charles S. Anderson, Augsburg鈥檚 president at the time, used to seek him out, as did the late campus pastor Dave Wold.

鈥淚t was a very welcoming place, and I always knew that people wanted me to succeed up there,鈥� Brizel says. He is honoring that legacy with a recurring gift to the sports medicine department.

鈥淚 wasn鈥檛 the best student, but I liked playing football, and the people who took care of me were the sports medicine people,鈥� he explains. 鈥淭hey were always there, no matter how early I got to the locker room. They trained us, they taped us, and when we could barely move our bodies, they got us ready to play again.鈥�

Just a few credits short of graduation, Brizel left Augsburg in 1987 to join the army and work as an armorer on Apache helicopters. After serving in the Gulf War, he finished school and earned his law degree at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale. He started out as a public defender in central Florida, then spent 16 years in private practice. Eventually, he returned to public service, where the paycheck is reduced but the endeavor rewarding. A Ft. Myers resident since 1997, he now devotes his time to handling homicide cases and death penalty challenges while also mentoring young attorneys. He claims that retirement is out of the question; he is too busy having 鈥渁n absolute blast鈥� training the newbies.

鈥淚鈥檓 having the time of my life getting the next generation of lawyers ready to defend the Constitution,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 can tell you that there is a bright future for freedom in this country. A whole group of young people are not going to freely give up their rights or the rights of others.鈥�

Brizel also coached high school football for 13 years. Although he worries about concussions and wishes the game were safer, he does not want it to die. He treasures the memories. 鈥淚 loved playing the game and I loved playing it for Augsburg. It was an awesome, awesome experience. This is the best way to give back to both,鈥� he says about his ongoing philanthropy. 鈥淚 love the school, I love its mission, and I love what Augsburg has turned out to be. I have always believed that an Auggie is going to change the world.鈥�

Support the Student Emergency Fund during COVID-19

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Just as your family and community have felt the changes and uncertainties during this unprecedented time, Augsburg has made challenging decisions in the past week in response to COVID-19. These decisions have had a widespread effect on our lives and especially on the lives of our students. We’ve announced that classes are moving to online instruction, spring sports have been canceled, and much of our campus has moved to limited operations.

As we keep the wellbeing of our community as a top priority during this time, we also realize the impact it has had on our students, both financially and emotionally. We are currently on spring break, but our faculty and staff are working tirelessly to quickly adapt to new online instruction methods and the new financial circumstances we and our students now face. Especially to our students who face financial insecurity, the impact has been profound.

As President Pribbenow said in a message to the campus community last week: What I would ask of the Augsburg community is this: remember our mission and our 150 years of offering our students an education that equips them for life in the world; remember that we are a community that shows up for each other, with generosity and grace; and remember that we have found ways over and over again throughout our history to navigate difficult challenges – as we will do together in this moment.

I have been personally grateful to have heard from many alumni, faculty, and staff on campus who have shown great concern for our student’s wellbeing and asking what they can do to help. With that in mind, we have decided to create an immediate solution to helping those who need it the most right now.

础听Student Emergency Fund聽has been established to support the needs of financially insecure students, such as costs related to unexpected travel requirements or lost income when their jobs disappear in this economic reality. Gifts to this fund will assist students who have faced unanticipated financial burdens resulting from COVID-19.

Thank you for considering this special request and for your continued support of Augsburg. You can learn more about how Augsburg will be designating these funds at聽augsburg.edu/giving. Stay up to date with campus changes through聽our task force website. Please let me know if you have any questions or feel free to drop me a note at any time.

Sincerely,

Heather Riddle

Vice President for Advancement

鈥淎 way to help others who were like me鈥� first-generation college graduate Lars Sandven ’69 says of planned gift

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Lars Sandven '69 holds photo of himself standing with King Olav V of Norway who visited Augsburg in 1968.
Lars Sandven ’69 holds a photo of himself standing with then Augsburg President Oscar A. Anderson and King Olav V of Norway who visited Augsburg in 1968.

Many who benefit from an Augsburg education say thanks by designating a gift to the University in their estate plan. But only a few pepper their lives with intriguing thank-you stories along the way. Lars Sandven 鈥�69 is one of those.

The son of Norwegian farmers, Sandven was completing his compulsory service with the Norwegian air force in 1965, stationed north of the Arctic Circle at a base that also served American soldiers training in the frigid elements. At night he taught English, capitalizing on the year he had spent as an exchange student in Pennsylvania, for extra pay. During the day he worked at a desk job, 鈥渟hoveling paper.鈥� One of his duties was to file government newspapers, each issue a four-page compilation of name changes, divorce decrees, and other essential ephemera.

鈥淚 was supposed to just put them away, but I had plenty of time. So I read them. I happened to see an ad from the American-Scandinavian Foundation about a new Augsburg scholarship in honor of Norway鈥檚 Crown Prince Harald V. I was fluent in English, so I applied,鈥� Sandven recalls. His application was accepted; the scholarship was his.

鈥淚t was so funny鈥攖hey called from the palace! It was a big deal. I have an image of the lieutenant, my boss, standing at attention while he talked to the royals in Oslo,鈥� he says. Returning home on leave, he discovered that they had first contacted his small town in fjord country. 鈥淚t sounded like a fairy tale. The ladies at the switchboard were all abuzz. It was very humorous.鈥�

Sandven knew little about Augsburg, of course, and having just lost his father to a farm accident, lacked travel funds. When the ASF 鈥渁sked sweetly鈥� whether he might need some help, he accepted. Passage on a boat shipping out of Bergen was negotiated, as long as he was willing to join the crew, loading fruit, aluminum bars, and other cargo as necessary. After navigating the Atlantic and the St. Lawrence Seaway, he disembarked in Montreal and took a Greyhound bus to Detroit and then St. Paul.

鈥淚 got there in the morning, very disoriented. I never got a sense of direction in the Twin Cities. It was so flat鈥攏o Eiffel Tower, nothing,鈥� Sandven, then 21, remembers with a chuckle. He moved into freshman housing, where he secreted Wonder Bread and margarine (it melted) in his metal locker to help stretch his limited finances. To supplement his one-year scholarship, he taught Norwegian as an 鈥渋nstructional assistant鈥� while the Augsburg professor was on sabbatical, worked summers at the Concordia Language Camp, dug ditches, painted walls, translated for pastors, and donned a Beefeater costume to wait tables at the Sheraton Ritz Hotel鈥檚 Cheshire Cheese Olde English Beefe House. He was paid $100 to join three other foreign students and two American drivers on a six-week, cross-country, Ambassadors for Friendship road trip. Organized by Macalester College and underwritten by American Motors, the experience was 鈥渆ye-opening,鈥� memorable and meaningful, with homestays in locations ranging from Salt Lake City and New Orleans to Las Vegas (where he got lost) and Nogales (where he slipped across the border for a beer). He also worked in the kitchen at the Minikhada Country Club; his colleagues there served him and his mother a fancy dinner when she visited Minnesota. Thanks were in order on all fronts.

After finishing his Spanish degree in three years, Sandven (and his skis) shipped home to the University of Bergen, where he met his California-born wife, Ann. It was during a celebrity-studded World Cup event, at an intimate party of about 20, that he got the opportunity to thank Crown Prince Harald directly for his scholarship. 鈥淲e came full circle. After I got home, the staff sent me a Christmas card from the palace with a picture of the royal family and a note that said, 鈥榗ome and see us while you are in Oslo.鈥� I was feeling very 鈥榗lose鈥� to royalty for a while,鈥� he jokes. (He had met and been photographed with Norway鈥檚 King Olav V during the king鈥檚 1968 Augsburg visit.)

Following a rather common path of first-generation farm kids becoming teachers, says Sandven, he taught elementary school in Oslo. He also worked in television before he and Ann headed back to America, two small sons in tow. In 1982, the growing family settled in Boise, Idaho, where he worked as an educator and school counselor before retiring. His sons graduated from Stanford and his daughter from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin; all have thriving careers, and two of them have settled their families in his home country.

With their planned gift, Sandven sums up his gratitude and expresses appreciation for his philanthropically inclined wife. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a thank-you to Augsburg, and a way to help others who were like me,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to be able to share our blessings, both of us.鈥�

Agre Legacy at Augsburg Continues with Planned Gift to the StepUP Program

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Jim, Brenda and President PribbenowThe Agre legacy at 含羞草视频 is well-established. The late Courtland L. Agre accepted the position of chairperson in the chemistry department in 1959 and became a beloved professor, inspiring hundreds of admiring students to stake out careers in science. His lessons were not lost on his three sons, all of whom majored in chemistry: Nobel prize winner Peter Agre 鈥�70, Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and director of the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute; Jim Agre 鈥�72, professor of rehabilitation medicine at the University of Minnesota; and Mark Agre 鈥�81, a rehabilitation medicine specialist in St. Paul. (Their sister, Annetta Agre 鈥�69, majored in elementary education and taught in the Minneapolis school system.)

So when Jim Agre and his wife, Brenda Gauvin-Chadwick, designated a planned gift of $1.25 million to Augsburg in their estate, it certainly fit the family tradition. But this couple also has deeply personal reasons for committing their funds to the StepUP program. Alcoholism contributed to the early deaths of Jim鈥檚 first wife and Brenda鈥檚 sister.

鈥淲e saw how awful the disease of addiction can be. Now we are in a position to be able to give back,鈥� says Jim, who also serves on StepUP鈥檚 board of directors. 鈥淭he StepUP program offers recovering students an opportunity to regain control of their lives and become fulfilled and productive citizens.鈥�

Health and wellness have long been a touchstone for him. He majored in biology and chemistry and participated in team sports; both he and Peter joined Augsburg鈥檚 original men鈥檚 soccer team in 1968. After graduating at the end of soccer season a few years later, Jim spent five months in Hamburg, Germany, where he played on a Hamburg soccer team, brushed up on his German language skills, and worked at a light fixture manufacturing plant.

He came home to attend the University of Minnesota medical school, then one of the few in the country that offered a specialty in physical medicine and rehabilitation. He recalls being drawn to that specialty because its treatments were focused on the recovery of individuals who had experienced severe loss of function due to medical illness. Becoming part of the medical team that restores function and quality of life to those individuals proved very fulfilling.

鈥淎s I look back on my career, I am very happy with the decision I made,鈥� he says.

Jim and Brenda skiingJim plans to retire this spring but has no plans to slow down. He takes Swedish classes and returns often to Sweden and Norway to visit family and participate in cross-country ski competitions; he and his wife are both avid skiers. At home, he takes part in Loppet Nordic Racing at Theodore Wirth Park.

He also remains connected to Augsburg. Back in medical school, he coached men鈥檚 soccer after his classes and labs were done for the day. Last fall, he volunteered as an assistant coach. 鈥淚t was nice to see those young boys so full of enthusiasm and energy,鈥� he says.

The supportive environment he encountered on campus 50 years ago has not changed, he adds. Although he had considered attending the University of California, Berkeley, where he lived with his family while his father was on sabbatical, he feels blessed to have chosen the smaller school. 鈥淓ven as a freshman, I knew my professors, and I could go to them if I had questions or a problem. They knew me as a person, not just a number in a class. That personal touch was very helpful.鈥�

The sense of caring still pervades the campus, creating a firm foundation for StepUP, one of the first comprehensive programs in the country to emphasize and support students in recovery. Services range from sober living space to sobriety pledges to counseling as needed. 鈥淭hey are helping folks who have various challenges that the average student doesn鈥檛 have. It makes me feel good to be a part of Augsburg,鈥� Jim says, 鈥渁nd doing wonderful things to help folks along also helps our society.鈥�

Fahlberg Scholarship will encourage and support students to have a holistic Augsburg experience

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John FahlbergA serial entrepreneur who relishes new challenges and opportunities to share his leadership expertise, John Fahlberg 鈥�68 has not forgotten what it is like to work hard, play hard, and struggle to afford a college education. He and his wife have designated $375,000 as a planned gift to establish the John A. and Martha C. Fahlberg Scholarship, which will support students who have financial need and enjoy participating in extracurricular activities.

Extracurricular activities marked Fahlberg鈥檚 early life, but they were not always the fun kind. Yes, he played sports as far back as he can remember, and he was happy to serve as student council president and captain of the football team. But he also started pumping gas at his father鈥檚 filling station at age 13, shoveled snow, and did whatever odd jobs needed doing in the small town of Alexandria, where his family moved when he was in the third grade. He also spent a college summer as a spot welder on the assembly line at the Ford plant in St. Paul.

鈥淚 learned about the world of hard work at a very young age, and it stuck with me my whole life. I was very lucky. I chose the right parents,鈥� says Fahlberg, who is now a business consultant and executive coach in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. 鈥淢y dad was a stoic Swede and my mom an outgoing Norwegian. They married in the early 鈥�30s, during the Depression, and they had a rough life. They never got a chance to finish college, but they taught me great values.鈥�

One of those values was education, of course. Sportsmanship was another. Both Fahlberg and his brother, ten years his senior, were very competitive and became outstanding athletes, following in their father鈥檚 footsteps. Fahlberg鈥檚 prowess in football and baseball attracted offers from several good liberal arts colleges. He chose Augsburg because he wanted to live in the 鈥渂ig city鈥� and 鈥渉it it off immediately鈥� with the late, legendary coach Edor Nelson 鈥�38. A scholarship paid his tuition.

Fahlberg pitched baseball for the Auggies throughout his college years and earned several division honors as football quarterback. He was inducted into the Auggie Hall of Fame鈥攁 surprise he was not expecting鈥攊n 2001. 鈥淚n retrospect, it was a great four years, and the late 鈥�60s was an interesting time, to say the least,鈥� he says, recalling Seven Corners and the funky Cedar-Riverside neighborhood during that turbulent time. 鈥淚 got a good education on all fronts.鈥�

A business administration major, he grew fond of assistant professor Bruce Budge, who 鈥渞eally looked after us, really cared about us,鈥� and treasured his connection with the late Jeroy Carlson 鈥�48, 鈥渙ne of those genuinely great, warm human beings who supported any and all of us. He made the Augsburg experience a real plus.鈥� These and other faculty members became a community of friends who shared the value system his parents had instilled in him: treating people fairly and well, respecting honesty and diligence, admitting mistakes, trying again after failing, doing the right thing no matter what.

Those values would also serve Fahlberg well in the business world. Getting a job was difficult in the late 鈥�60s, but a chance opening in the University of Minnesota鈥檚 MBA program gave him a degree and 15 job offers from around the country two years later. His financial planning and analytic skills took him to Exxon in Houston before friends eventually convinced him to move back to snow country. He joined Target, where he met his wife, Marty, and became director of accounting by the time he was 31. Preferring scrappy start-ups to large corporations, however, he quit to embark on an eclectic entrepreneurial journey that took him from freight services (Murphy Transportation) to supercomputers (Zycad, where he became CEO), retail signage (Insignia Systems), and golf courses (LinksCorp).

Tired of long winters at last, Fahlberg and his wife decamped to Chapel Hill 19 years ago, although they return to Alexandria every summer. He stays busy as an angel investor, a member of several boards, and a coach who helps young executives plumb their strengths and weaknesses.

鈥淲e all have our ups and downs, but I have always felt that if I do it right, even if I fail, then I will be all right. My Augsburg experience really helped me solidify my values and live my life. I have never wavered from that,鈥� says Fahlberg. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 think of anything better than to help students get into and get through 含羞草视频.鈥�

Full Circle: Music Educator Duane Esterly ’75 Establishes Planned Gift to Augsburg’s Music Department

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Duane EsterlyWith his planned gift to 含羞草视频鈥檚 music department, Duane Esterly 鈥�75 has come full circle in his musical life, helping to ensure that future students who share his passion can pursue similar dreams.

By the time he reached fourth grade, Esterly had teaching goals clearly in sight. A church choir director had named him a boy soprano and instilled in him a love for music, and his parents sang in the senior choir at Calvary Lutheran Church of Golden Valley, where he took organ lessons as a high school sophomore from the church organist. The senior choir at Calvary was directed by Dr. William Halverson, professor of philosophy at Augsburg from 1959 to 1967, and often performed anthems by Leland Sateren 鈥�35, who headed Augsburg鈥檚 music department from 1950 to 1973 and directed the choir until retiring in 1979. By the time Esterly was ready to choose a college, it was evident that Augsburg was 鈥渁 good place to get a music degree.鈥�

Such a pursuit was 鈥渃hallenging then. They had nowhere near the facilities they do now,鈥� Esterly recalls. In those days the music department was housed in a group of renovated churches deeded to Augsburg by dwindling congregations. Recitals were held in an old white church where one could also hear toilets flushing throughout the building. The organ studio was housed in a converted grocery store, and the band building was located across the freeway on Franklin Avenue in another former church with a questionable heating system during the winter months.

鈥淏y the time I graduated in 1975, I figured the college had better do something about their facilities in order to stay competitive,鈥� says Esterly.

His music education, however, was top-notch. He took voice lessons, sang in the choir, and learned much about choral technique, conducting, and interpreting text through music. As a senior, he directed the student production of Oklahoma, facing the formidable task of turning the old music building into a theater in a mere three weeks. He made good friends, such as Peter Hendrickson 鈥�76, who became artistic director of the Masterworks Chorale and recruited Esterly, who sang for the Chorale from 1996 to 2015. 鈥淚鈥檓 very appreciative of the tools I learned while at Augsburg. They taught me quality, first and foremost,鈥� he says.

Esterly worked in sales administration, market research, training, and finance with such companies as Sandoz, Novartis, and Nestle for 35 years, but he never left music behind. For 27 years he taught privately鈥攁dults mostly, whom he deems often more difficult than elementary or high school students. He has held church music positions with various congregations throughout his working life, and, since retiring from the business world in 2016, he claims he is now 鈥渄own to one job.鈥� That means working with three different churches at present, fulfilling principal organist duties at each on alternating Sundays, directing a vocal choir and a handbell choir, and being on call for plenty of weddings and funerals.

When he is not working on choral arrangements for his choirs in his home office in Plymouth, Esterly fills his time with books, concerts, plays, flower and auto shows (in season), and dining out with friends. Because he has no children to inherit his financial legacy, he has chosen Augsburg鈥檚 music department as one of its worthy recipients. 鈥淚 am so pleased to see what鈥檚 happening there now. Almost all the professors I had are no longer living and my contemporaries are retiring, but I am very impressed with what I currently see,鈥� he says. 鈥淭heir degree of dedication is deep, and I believe in all the possibilities they can offer to the students to come.鈥�

Two Students Find Support and Mentorship from Augsburg Women Engaged

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Checking your email can get tedious, right? But for two Augsburg students, the digital chore yielded unexpected benefits. Informed that they had been selected as recipients of this year鈥檚 Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) scholarships, they registered both shock and delight.

鈥淚 was very, very surprised. It was not something I had applied for, so I was very excited to hear I got it,鈥� says Nayra Rios 鈥�20. After earning an associate degree at Century College in White Bear Lake, she decided to transfer to Augsburg to major in biopsychology, the next step on her way to becoming a physician鈥檚 assistant. Unfortunately, the deadline for obtaining a transfer scholarship had passed.

鈥淚 was disappointed, but I figured I would just have to find other ways to pay for school. Then a month later, this email arrived,鈥� Rios says. She was familiar with financial challenges. Her parents are laborers who grew up in Mexico but immigrated to California, where they met, married, and had three children. They moved to Minnesota when Rios was seven years old. She attended a charter school for Hispanic students before transferring to Tartan High school in Oakdale, a transition that carried its own culture shock. But Rios found friends and pursued academic success.

Although her older brother is now pursuing a degree in law enforcement, she was the first in her family to attend college. As a child, she had encountered health issues that scared her, but compassionate treatment relieved that fear; she has wanted to pursue a career in health care ever since.

鈥淢y parents always supported my dreams,鈥� she says. They had their own dreams鈥攈er mother wanted to be a nurse and her father a lawyer鈥攂ut lacked resources. In Mexico, she points out, families had to pay for everything related to school: books, uniforms, etc. These days, Rios helps support herself through her off-campus work with STAR Services, which supports young people with disabilities.

She has enjoyed meeting the women involved with AWE, which was formed in 2009 to unite women with shared interests and passions through events, mentorship, and philanthropy. 鈥淭hey are very kind, and they made me feel important,鈥� says Rios.

Her sentiments are echoed by Sydney Fields 鈥�22, who describes her benefactors as 鈥渞eally cool.鈥� She, too, was surprised by the scholarship award, although she recalls meeting the person who recommended her through a multicultural diversity engagement group. A graduate of Champlin High School in Brooklyn Park, she chose Augsburg for its diversity, its proximity to home, and a chance to play on the basketball team. She is #10, a guard.

鈥淚 love playing at Augsburg. It鈥檚 such a welcome and supportive program,鈥� she says. And although she got good grades in high school and was expecting to work hard at college, she was not quite prepared for the amount of schoolwork she would encounter. Studying, on top of basketball practice and her work as a housing specialist, 鈥済ets really exhausting!鈥�

With four older and two younger siblings, all of whom have or are pursuing some sort of college degree, Fields did come to Augsburg prepared with goals. Currently a finance major and management minor, she wants to launch two businesses. One would be a college prep class for teens, to help them prepare for the onslaught of responsibility she is discovering. The other would be a nonprofit 24-hour childcare center, designed for low-income families who need extra help because they work nights or have other scheduling challenges.

As she navigates her college years, Fields is grateful not only for the financial support AWE has provided, but also for the connection to people who understand the various situations she will experience at Augsburg. 鈥淲e participants know we have a resource in this group of women. They will help us with anything we need.鈥�

Inspiring and Supporting Augsburg Women through an Estate Gift

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Lisa Zeller 鈥�81 has long been a vocal and enthusiastic fan of Augsburg. She was part of the first class to complete the Master of Arts in Leadership (MAL) degree in 1989, and she was a founding member of Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE). She volunteers regularly for both and supports their fundraising initiatives regularly. But her latest effort鈥攖o support the endowed AWE scholarship with a substantial estate gift鈥攊s born of a deeper connection.

The first in her family to attend college, Lisa did not have the usual college experience. Shared dorm or house living, evening study sessions, weekend parties, and fun with friends were not for her. Her mother was a single parent who 鈥渟truggled her whole life. Money was always a worry,鈥� Lisa recalls. Yet 鈥渕y earliest memories are of her instilling in my sister and me that we get an education and become self-sufficient. She planted those seeds early and strong.鈥�

At church, Lisa had noticed two posters, one for Pacific Lutheran University and the other for Augsburg. Pacific Lutheran was too far away, so Augsburg became her alma mater. But tight finances meant she was living at home, working several jobs, getting parking tickets on a regular basis, and devoting all spare time to her studies. 鈥淚 was shy and introverted, although I loved college. The one thing I regret is that I had no social life. I think that is actually a big part of why I鈥檓 involved now.鈥�

Lisa majored in communications and religion, the latter surprising her. While taking the requisite classes, she discovered that she loved studying religion and philosophy that went beyond Lutheranism and Christianity. Undecided about her future, she considered going into the ministry until one of her business professors explained that 鈥渢he business world needs good, ethical people, too.鈥� She pursued an advanced business degree elsewhere but found that accounting and statistics classes felt 鈥渓ike sticking needles in my eyes. I hated every second.鈥� Augsburg, on the other hand, was 鈥渢alking about creativity and a whole new liberal arts approach to leadership. If I could have designed my own program, MAL would have been it.鈥�

As part of the first cohort, Lisa made the lasting friendships and connections she missed the first time around. 鈥淚t was such a great experience,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 give so much credit to Augsburg for my self-discovery and becoming who I am today. No one had told me I was smart before. Augsburg helped me cultivate my passion and interests.鈥�

She embarked on an eclectic business career and in 1994 founded the Phaedrus Group, a training and consulting firm she still runs with her husband. As a member of AWE, Lisa has observed that women approach philanthropy differently from men, seeking more connection with causes and recipients. Her planned gift to the AWE endowed scholarship provides just that. This scholarship exists to support Auggie women, especially those who are first-generation, students of color, or other underserved populations, so perhaps they will be able to earn a degree without giving up friends and fun. It is her way of paying it forward.

鈥淚鈥檝e had an opportunity to meet the first two AWE scholars, and these young women inspire me and give me hope for the future. It is so fun to cheer on this generation of women!鈥�