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An Auggie Finds His Calling

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Photo credit: Zoya Greene.

For Jay Matchett ’08, ’13 MAL in his current job, all the pieces have come together. His long-held interests in politics, sociology, and human rights have coalesced into a vocation that couldn’t feel more right. Since he took on the directorship of , a multipronged social service agency in his hometown of River Falls, Wisconsin, he feels he can convincingly say: “This is where I’m supposed to be.”

Our Neighbors’ Place is an organization Matchett watched grow from its infancy to serve a great need in for people who found themselves homeless or in need of transitional housing.

“It’s been exciting, exhilarating,” he says, of his four months as director, serving his community and engaging the complex issues surrounding poverty and homelessness.

Drawn to Justice

His attraction to social justice was born early and instinctively. A lifelong passion to do something about the cause of poverty began as a child. On a trip to Tucson, he saw an older person pushing a shopping cart alone on the sidewalk. He couldn’t understand why that would ever happen. He never forgot it.

His mother was a teacher, and he would volunteer in her classroom. There, he saw that not all kids were equipped for school—they were hungry or didn’t have boots in the winter.

As a young person he knew intuitively, “This is not right.”

Then, in middle school, as part of his preparation for Confirmation, he spent a night and served a meal at a homeless shelter. Even in that short time at the shelter, he saw that they had more in common than differences. “They like the Packers; they’re just like us,” he remembers thinking. “That just changed my world.”

And the idea started to germinate: How can I make things better for folks? In college, he was drawn to sociology and political science because he wanted to change things. Continue reading “An Auggie Finds His Calling” →

Finding Home All Over the World

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Wubitu Ayana Sima ’89, ’15 MBA might never have predicted she would end up as the proprietor of a classic British tea room, but she never expected to spend more than a decade in Geneva, Switzerland, working abroad for the United Nations and the World Health Organization either.

At 54, the dual-degreed Auggie has always been a woman who likes a challenge. She’s happy when she’s busy, and as the owner of Lady Elegant’s Tea Shoppe in the leafy St. Anthony Park neighborhood of St. Paul, and a part-time MBA student at Augsburg, the mother of three is already thinking about her next adventure.

Serving Tranquility
Lady Elegant’s, which she purchased from the previous owner, is actually two businesses—a tea shop and a tranquil tea room that is perfect for conversation and popular for groups of all sizes by appointment. Ayana Sima does the baking for the formal teas, including croissants and scones with clotted cream. The adjoining tea shop sells more than 80 varieties of tea. Her husband, Admasu Simeso, helps manage the restaurant, from the paperwork to the online shop.

She manages four part-time employees, and everyone works Saturdays, because it is their busiest time.

Each place in the tea room is set with a distinct tea cup. She’s collected cups from all over—they come from the United Kingdom, China, and Japan—and washes each one by hand. They break easily, she warns, especially in the transition from a group service in the morning to a group in the afternoon.

“I’m a coffee drinker,” she confesses. Growing up in Ethiopia, she would pick coffee out of the backyard at her mother’s house and they’d roast it themselves. She learned to enjoy tea while working in Switzerland, and has grown to know the delicate chemistry of time, tea leaves, and temperature of boiling water.
Continue reading “Finding Home All Over the World” →

Summer Get-Together and Fall 2015 Kick-Off

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AugsburgHouseReceptionPresident Paul C. and Abigail C. Pribbenow invite you to Augsburg House for a Parent Open House on Thursday, August 13, from 5:30-7:00 p.m.

Come celebrate summer and welcome the start of the 2015-16 academic year. You will have a chance to meet other Auggie parents and enjoy refreshments as we prepare for another great year together.

Space is limited! Please R.S.V.P. to herron@augsburg.edu as soon as possible.

Financial Services News for Parents

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Fall 2015 billing statements will be electronically sent to all registered students on July 9. To ensure that all financial aid has been applied for, and correct amounts are owed, please make sure your student has turned in all necessary documents to the Student Financial Services Office by July 1. Students can see what documents are missing by logging into their Augnet account and clicking on ‘Records and Registration’ and then ‘Track My Financial Aid.’

All students are encouraged to give parents/guardians access to view their billing statements. Students must log in to and select ‘Make a Payment/Account Activity’ on the right hand menu. Click ‘View your online student account’ and follow the instructions under ‘Parent/Third Party Access Instructions – Make a Payment.’

All students are eligible to enroll in Augsburg’s Online Payment Plan; enrollment will open on July 10. Students must log in to and select ‘Make a Payment/Account Activity’ on the right hand menu. Click ‘Payment Plans and Discounts’ and follow the instructions under ‘Augsburg Online Payment Plan.’ To ensure 5 monthly payments, the application must be completed by July 26.

Journey to the Holy Land with Auggies

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The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem
The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem.

Join Auggie guides Dr. Phil Quanbeck and Dr. Ruth Johnson ’74 on a tour of the Holy Land to explore its past, present, and people. January 4-17, 2016, your hosts will guide you through a customized and comprehensive tour of the biblical places of the Older and New Testament in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. Stay two nights in Bethlehem where, along with the biblical sites, you’ll meet and dialogue with local community leaders and learn about the ministry of the International Center of Bethlehem.

Riding a camel on the Mount of Olives in 2012.
Riding a camel on the Mount of Olives in 2012.

Visit Jordan with two nights at Petra, featuring explorations of Madaba, Mt. Nebo, the ancient city of Petra and the recently opened baptismal site on the Jordan River. Fly into Tel Aviv on Delta Airlines and stay 12 nights, enjoying the hospitality and services of a professional, licensed Christian Palestinian guide throughout Israel and Palestine and a professional, licensed Jordanian tour guide in Jordan. Continue reading “Journey to the Holy Land with Auggies” →

Mike Newman Receives the Augsburg College Golden Bow Tie Award

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In April, President Pribbenow invited Mike Newman, Vice President of Community Relations at Travelers Insurance, to celebrate five years as a partner institution with the , Empowering Dreams for Graduation and Employment. The cocktail hour and focused program on campus highlighted key aspects of the EDGE program:

  • Increase the pipeline of underrepresented students to Augsburg
  • Help underrepresented students graduate from Augsburg
  • Build awareness of careers in the Insurance and Financial Services industries

Newman is a true champion of education, and advocates strongly for access to higher education for all students. As a surprise to Mr. Newman, President Pribbenow presented Mike Newman with the Golden Bow Tie Award, which is bestowed upon a leader within the Augsburg Community who exemplifies outstanding contributions, embodies the core values of an Augsburg education, and inspires great pride for all Auggies. The award was named, playfully, after Paul Pribbenow’s daily ritual of wearing a bow tie, a tradition he started to initiate conversation with students. Along with a certificate, Newman also received bow tie cufflinks. Continue reading “Mike Newman Receives the Augsburg College Golden Bow Tie Award” →

Alumni Connect at Rochester Reception

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More than 90 Augsburg alumni, friends, and community leaders came together for a special networking event at the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester on May 18, featuring Rochester mayor Ardell Brede, President Pribbenow, and guest speaker Dr. Paul S. Mueller ’84.

Mueller, the chair of the Augsburg Board of Regents spoke on the topic of “Augsburg College: Small to Our Students and Big for the World,” and cited current student Vision Bagonza ’17 and recent graduate Michelle Grafelman ’15 as students living out Augsburg’s mission. With more than 2,500 Auggies living in the Rochester area, the College’s presence in Minnesota’s fastest growing city is growing. The event was an opportunity for local alumni to connect, meet community leaders, hear more about the great work Augsburg is doing as the premier private education provider in Rochester. Continue reading “Alumni Connect at Rochester Reception” →

Nothing Retiring About Life after Research

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George Johnson ’65 counts his time at Augsburg as “the days of Courtland Agre.” In those days, Johnson was on a mission to pursue chemistry.

Johnson 3Johnson came to Augsburg determined to do something good with his life, and for the cum laude chemistry graduate from Annandale, Minn., science was the path to that goal. He remembers the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood as a dicier place than the small town where he grew up, and his urban education was eye-opening. The community work he saw happening on and around campus struck a chord with Johnson, who, growing up, was eager to help people. He pursued a career as a research scientist to do what he could to help better lives.

These days, thanks to a mission of another kind, he keeps up with Pakistani English-language newspapers, and has a new perspective on a world he knew nothing about six years ago. He came to know more—and to teach, another thing he’d never done before—when his church in Bethesda, Bradley Hills Presbyterian, connected Johnson and his wife, Leslye, with in Lahore, Pakistan.

In January of this year, he helped organize a workshop on chemical pharmacology in Lahore, Pakistan, after he and Leslye spent the past three-and-a-half years teaching in the sciences, from undergraduates to PhD students.

Both hold PhDs in biochemistry, and though they’d never taught before, that didn’t deter the couple who saw their mission trip there as an opportunity to learn about the world as it really is, through direct engagement.

Road to Lahore

After spending more than 35 years at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Maryland, where he worked as a laboratory investigator and as a research grant manager in drug discovery and development, Johnson and Leslye, also a career research scientist, were ready for a new adventure.

They weren’t looking for a cruise. Continue reading “Nothing Retiring About Life after Research” →

Grace Dyrud Honored by Alumni & Faculty

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Grace smallerEarly in life, Grace Dyrud tested seven standard deviations above the mean on a measure of endurance, she joked at her retirement reception in May. Dyrud began teaching in the psychology department at Augsburg in 1962, and in more than five decades at Augsburg she exemplified not only endurance but a deep commitment to her students. Her areas of research include gambling risk and attitudes toward the environment.

At the reception, attended by psychology faculty and alumni from every decade of her career, Dyrud thanked Keith, her husband of 49 years, as well as her children, students, and colleagues. All six of her children are Auggies. Lars Dyrud ’97 and Lara (Dyrud) MacLean ’90—a music major who played the violin at the reception—were in attendance and shared words of support and admiration for her long career. Alumni stood to thank Dyrud for encouraging their path to vocation, speaking truth to power, and supporting feminism at a time when it was unpopular.

Neil PaulsonNeil Paulson ’77, a psychology graduate, initiated an effort to honor Dyrud on her retirement from Augsburg with a scholarship for a female psychology student.

“I remember Dr. Dyrud as a caring instructor who was always willing to talk with her students. For many of her 52 years at Augsburg, she led the psychology department as chair. Through her published research, we have a better understanding of addictions like gambling. Dr. Dyrud represents what was and is still today special about Augsburg—student-centered faculty who excel in their field,” Paulson says.

To date, the scholarship has received $6,000 toward the $25,000 goal. Continue reading “Grace Dyrud Honored by Alumni & Faculty” →

Record-Breaking Year in Grant Seeking

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Dr. David Hanson, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, has mentored 19 undergraduate student researchers and serves as an investigator on three active research studies.

On May 21, faculty and staff gathered to celebrate a record-breaking year in grant seeking at Augsburg.

At Augsburg, grants are used to support faculty-led research, scholarship, and inquiry; enhance and extend student learning, inside the classroom and out; and support a number of programs on campus and in our community.

In fiscal year 2015, Augsburg submitted 29 new  proposals for funding. This is five more than what was submitted in FY2014, and almost double what was submitted in FY2013. These proposals originated from 12 different departments on campus.

At the close of the fiscal year on May 31, Augsburg had received 13 new grant awards totaling $2,075,009, up from $1.6MM the previous year. The College maintained 48 active grants, 10 more than last year.

  • 18 of these projects support student learning or provide supportive services
  • 20 of these projects provide paid learning experiences, such as research or internships, to undergraduate students.

In total, it is estimated that these grants touch approximately 350 students each year.

Dr. David Hanson, Assistant Professor of Chemistry, reflected on how grants have supported his research and provided opportunities for his students to learn in his laboratory. Dr. Hanson’s current research on particle formation is important for urban air quality and global climate issues. Dr. Hanson has mentored 19 undergraduate student researchers and serves as an investigator on three active research studies—two funded by the National Science Foundation and one by the Department of Energy.