{"id":49405,"date":"2024-12-18T14:12:16","date_gmt":"2024-12-18T14:12:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/?p=49405"},"modified":"2024-12-18T14:12:16","modified_gmt":"2024-12-18T14:12:16","slug":"the-nielsens-commitment-to-augsburg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/2024\/12\/18\/the-nielsens-commitment-to-augsburg\/","title":{"rendered":"The Nielsens\u2019 Commitment to Augsburg"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"A<\/a>Steve \u201964 and Becky \u201965 Nielsen chose to attend Augsburg for different reasons. Steve, raised on a sharecropping family farm in rural Minnesota, needed a school where he could work to cover his expenses and find a job. \u201cWe were quite poor, and I knew my parents wouldn\u2019t be able to help me,\u201d Steve said. \u201cAugsburg was a Lutheran institution in the heart of Minneapolis. Back then, many kids from rural communities would go to Minneapolis for college.\u201dBecky was set on attending the University of Minnesota but was convinced by her family to give Augsburg a chance. \u201cMy father was friends with Dr. Christensen, who said he would appreciate it if I came to Augsburg, even if it was just for one semester.\u201d Becky reflected, \u201cI’m so glad I did!\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In his sophomore year, Steve met Becky through a mutual friend on the football team. \u201cOnce I met Steve, the party was over,\u201d Becky laughed. Becky attended Augsburg for two years, and Steve graduated in 1964 with a physical education degree and a minor in biology.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steve saw Augsburg\u2019s Lutheran values in action throughout his four years on campus. \u201cAt the start of our freshman year I received a semester\u2019s worth of meal tickets, but I ran out of them halfway through the term,\u201d Steve shared. \u201c When my football coach, Edor Nelson learned about my situation he stepped in to help. He set me up with a job at the United Parcel Service on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis\u201d.\u00a0 \u201cAnd later, I found work changing tires at a Goodyear tire store on Lake Street through my roommate’s father.\u201d Steve worked continuously through his college years at a variety of jobs, during both school terms and summers. His Augsburg community was always there by creating a network for employment. They supported me.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of Steve\u2019s most impactful courses was a philosophy class taught by Dr. Bill Halverson. \u201cI appreciate the critical thinking skills I developed in his class,\u201d Steve shared. \u201cHe taught us not just facts and information but <\/span>how<\/span><\/i> to think. Analyzing issues and considering multiple perspectives are skills that have served me well in my career and life.\u201d \u201cI concur with that.\u201d Becky chimed in. \u201cWhenever there is a problem, Steve is always thinking about how to solve it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Steve and Becky moved back to Minnesota following their retirement and have maintained their connection to Augsburg through philanthropy, a love of Auggie Athletics, and life-long college friends. Reflecting on their support, the Nielsens emphasized the importance of unrestricted giving.\u201cWhy would I feel I have a better idea of what is needed here at Augsburg than the administration? I have faith that leadership knows where the greatest needs are,\u201d Steve said. \u201cI give Augsburg a lot of credit for making it possible to work my way through school and earn a few bucks in life. It feels good to give back to the place that provided me with such a valuable education.\u201d\u00a0 Becky smiled, \u201cIt is the right thing to do.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Steve \u201964 and Becky \u201965 Nielsen chose to attend Augsburg for different reasons. Steve, raised on a sharecropping family farm in rural Minnesota, needed a school where he could work to cover his expenses and find a job. \u201cWe were quite poor, and I knew my parents wouldn\u2019t be able to help me,\u201d Steve said. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49407,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49405\/revisions\/49407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}