{"id":52173,"date":"2025-11-10T19:44:36","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T19:44:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/?p=52173"},"modified":"2025-11-11T01:45:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T01:45:12","slug":"alumni-spotlight-ross-murray-00-09","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/2025\/11\/10\/alumni-spotlight-ross-murray-00-09\/","title":{"rendered":"Distinguished Alumni Spotlight: Ross Murray \u201900, \u201909"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Ross Murray \u201900, \u201909<\/b>, and his husband, <\/span>Richard Garnett \u201907, \u201909<\/b>, share a unique bond as both double alumni of Augsburg University. Ross graduated with a degree in Youth and Family Ministry, while Richard graduated with a degree in computer science. Together, they completed their MBA in 2009. \u201cWe decided that going to graduate school would be a good couples-building activity,\u201d Ross joked. Today, that shared Augsburg foundation continues to shape their lives in meaningful ways\u2014evident in Ross\u2019s recognition as one of Augsburg\u2019s 2025 Distinguished Alumni.<\/span><\/p>\n

His impressive career centers on faith and advocacy, as he is both an ordained deacon and Vice President of the <\/span>GLAAD Media Institute<\/span><\/a>. When reflecting on what this recognition means to him, Ross shared, \u201cIt\u2019s a huge honor to be in the company of others who have built these social enterprises that are supporting their community. It\u2019s truly amazing.\u201d His national leadership and reputation can be traced back to his formative years at Augsburg.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While attending community college, Ross was part of an honor society that helped students gain admission to four-year institutions, and Augsburg seemed like a good fit. \u201cAugsburg was really good with how they treated transfer students and accepted credits from other places,\u201d Ross shared. Experiences with Campus Ministry and service learning opportunities began shaping his pathway of faith and advocacy. \u201cWorking with people in the community allowed me to put myself in scenarios where I\u2019m connecting with people from all walks of life,\u201d he reflected. Attending Augsburg also gave Ross the chance to embrace himself. \u201cI used my move to Minneapolis and Augsburg as a way to begin showing up authentically,\u201d he shared. Reconciling his Christian faith and gay identity empowered him to pursue a vocation grounded in integrity and service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The values Ross cultivated at Augsburg not only informed his career choices, but also inform philanthropic causes he and his husband choose to support. \u201cRichard and I ask ourselves what institutions can help society build a better future and be a leader in that effort\u2014and this is where Augsburg becomes especially important,\u201d Ross shared as he reflected on the state of higher education. \u201cIt\u2019s in a unique position to have a sincere religious conviction while also ensuring outreach is as inclusive as possible.\u201d He noted the growing Somali population and programs like StepUP, which help students in recovery, and Augsburg Family Scholars, which provides support for students who have experienced the foster care system. \u201cThis is why unrestricted giving is so beneficial,\u201d Richard added. \u201cWe trust the university to deploy our gifts to the areas of greatest need. Augsburg has done a lot to help elevate people who might need a little extra support.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ross and Richard continue to see the unlimited potential of current and future Auggies. \u201cAugsburg has always been a place that has fostered connection and dialogue as a way to confront challenges and build bridges,\u201d Ross said. \u201cIf we could provide one message to students, it would be to be the advocates and leaders they wish to see in the world,\u201d Richard added. Just as Augsburg shaped their journeys, Ross and Richard now model what it means to live out a life of authenticity, advocacy, and service.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Join Ross, Richard, and others in making a gift for Give to the Max Day<\/a> between now and November 20 to help advance Augsburg\u2019s mission and continue their legacy of giving back. Generosity helps unlock the potential of current and future Auggies!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ross Murray \u201900, \u201909, and his husband, Richard Garnett \u201907, \u201909, share a unique bond as both double alumni of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":606,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/606"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52173"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52173\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52178,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52173\/revisions\/52178"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/alumni\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}