“I woke up at 44 years old with a chronic addiction issue, no marketable job skills, and no GED,” Bayle said. “I was in early recovery from that addiction, and it was evident to me that I needed to go to school or at least do something that would allow me to begin to put together a career.”

During 2003, Bayle was living in Cabrini House, a Minneapolis-based transitional housing program where he and other adults received support services to help them maintain sobriety. Residents were encouraged to set life-changing goals with program staff and to build connections to their surrounding community by developing a wide support system of neighbors and friends.

The recovery program empowered its residents to determine their personal and family objectives, and to take the steps needed to achieve them. Bayle consulted his case manager, and “she recommended that I take a look at Augsburg’s weekend college program,” he said. “It certainly looked like something that would fit into the plan I was putting together.”

Back on track

After completing his high school degree equivalency in 2004, Bayle enrolled in the Augsburg Weekend and Evening College. He participated in Augsburg’s , funded by the U.S. Department of Education to assist students to overcome class, social, and cultural barriers to complete their education. Bayle qualified for TRiO as a first-generation college student and—as with all program participants—benefited from its academic, financial, and personal services.

“It’s been an interesting haul to get my degree,” said Bayle, who has encountered a litany of events since his first year at the College. “I’ve moved five times. I have experienced a triple-bypass. I’ve lost my mother and my brother. I’ve witnessed three of my nieces and nephews get married and start having families, and I’ve stayed sober the entire time.”

Bayle also has secured four different jobs in the eight years he has attended Augsburg. From his first visit to campus, Bayle knew it could take longer than four years for him to earn his degree, but he was determined to finish school at his own pace.

Augsburg faculty members also encouraged Bayle to persist to graduation. Glenda Dewberry Rooney, professor of social work, was “one of the main reasons that I stayed my first year,” Bayle said. “I got ‘spooked.’ I’d lived a very undisciplined life and having an academic career requires discipline. I didn’t know how to do that.”

But Dewberry Rooney was “an excellent motivator and teacher,” Bayle said, and “she taught me that the journey is always inward—to ask yourself ‘How do you make sense of the world?’ and ‘How would you help others?’”

Meaningful work

Bayle responded to Dewberry Rooney’s question with action.

“It was pretty self-evident when I got sober that my life would be dedicated to helping others in that sort of endeavor, but that’s broadened out considerably since then,” he said.

Bayle has worked for organizations that serve the Twin Cities’ recovery community since he began attending Augsburg. He has worked for Cabrini House and The Salvation Army’s Minneapolis Harbor Light Center, which provides its clients with emergency assistance, shelter, chemical dependency treatment, and other services. Bayle also has served Prodigal House, a leading relapse-prevention treatment center, and he currently is employed by St. Stephens Human Services as a case manager.

As a communication studies major, Bayle uses the skills learned in his Augsburg classes each workday. “Communication informs my vocation at all levels,” he said. “Tomorrow I may speak to our program’s funders. The next day, I might work in a homeless camp or shelter,” he continued.

Bayle has traveled to major cities across the United States to attend recovery events and to serve as a non-profit consultant. He said that his college education gave him the confidence to serve his community on local and national levels.

Augsburg has been “a springboard to getting engaged,” he explained. “My ability to succeed academically—which is something I never thought I could do—has projected me outward from Augsburg. I came here to get my fuel…and then I go burn that fuel in the community.”

Then and now

Today Bayle has achieved many of the goals he established for himself in the early days of his sobriety. He has developed a vast support system that is made up of “a network of friends and associates through Augsburg and my work,” he said. “When I stand back and look at it, I’m as surprised as anybody.”

In December 2012, he is slated to complete his degree—an accomplishment that demonstrates how persistence pays off even when work priorities, family pressures, health issues, and life intercede in the academic schedule of a non-traditional student.

“I don’t think that I could have gotten a degree at a school that didn’t understand us non-traditional students,’” he explained. “The strength of Augsburg’s program is the fact that they’ve been doing it for a long time, and they understand the needs that adult students have.

“I’m an experiential learner; I’m not an academician,” he explained. “I need to have experience with something for it to make sense to me. And I have had many great experiences at Augsburg.”

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Homecoming provides an opportunity for all Augsburg alumni to stay connected to the College. Save the date for Homecoming 2013: September 23 to 28. If you are interested in serving on your reunion committee or volunteering to help plan events, contact alumni@augsburg.edu. For more information, go to for more information.

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2012 Alumni Awards

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Bruce Brekke ’70

“I’ve always been proud to be an Auggie.To know that Augsburg is proud of me is very special. I meet successful people every day. Most are just like me: ordinary people. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t, you won’t, you’ll never. Thanks, Augsburg, for the most transformational years of my life.”

Bruce Brekke is CEO of Heartland America, which opened its doors in 1985 with a mission of providing quality goods at affordable prices. Even though the company has grown (with more than 4 million valued customers), their commitment to their customers has not wavered. Initially conducting business out of his small, one-bedroom apartment, Brekke eventually transformed his one-man importing shop into a highly successful retailing/merchandising facility. Now headquartered in Chaska, Minn., Heartland America operates out of a 70,000-square-foot warehouse with two telemarketing locations in South Dakota. It is one of the nation’s premier direct-marketing companies, employing 340 people. Brekke participates in a variety of charity events and has been a long-time supporter of the Children’s Heart Foundation of Nevada and the Miracles of Mitch Foundation. For the past several years, he and his wife Nancy have been involved with the Humane Society by volunteering in the shelters and supporting its mission. He has been a strong supporter of Augsburg College over the years, attending music and athletic events and participating in the annual A-Club golf tournament. He has also been a member of the Maroon & Silver Society.

Richard Ekstrand ’72

“The seeds planted in college really helped prepare me: Be a good steward; be humble; encourage others to succeed. These were the foundations for my company’s ideology. Surround yourself with good people, and you and they will be successful.”

An innovator in wireless communication, Richard Ekstrand served as the president and CEO for Rural Cellular Corporation (RCC), a publicly traded wireless service provider which he founded in 1990. Headquartered in Alexandria, Minn., RCC provided cellular, paging, long-distance, and PCS (personal communication services) to nearly 700,000 telephone customers in rural markets in 14 states. It was acquired by Verizon Wireless in 2008. A leader in the industry, Ekstrand was appointed in 2011 to the board of directors of American Solutions for Business. He has served as chairman of the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) board of directors, a member of the executive board of the CTIAPac subcommittee, and chairman of the board of directors of the CTIA Wireless Foundation, as well as president of the Minnesota Telephone Association, the Association of Minnesota Telephone Utilities, and the Minnesota Telecommunications Association. He received the 1998 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Minnesota and the Dakotas in the Entertainment/Communications division, the 1998 CTIA President’s Award for leadership in promoting safe and responsible use of wireless phones, and the 1997 GRTE/TSI Celli Award for outstanding contributions to the wireless industry. Ekstrand has also served on the Lowry (Minn.) volunteer fire department and in leadership posts at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, the Lowry Lions Club, and the Minnewaska Laker Foundation. He has been a strong supporter of Augsburg College over the years, serving as a member of the Maroon & Silver Society and A-Club.

John Selstad ’67

“Augsburg played a formative role for me, but it was the people of Augsburg who influenced me most. We need to carry on that outreach; all 24,000 alumni must carry out the charge to serve our neighbor.”

After four years in the U.S. Marine Corps piloting RF-4B Phantom jets and time serving as the drug and alcohol abuse prevention coordinator of Minnesota, John Selstad devoted the next 30 years to senior care, where he distinguished himself as an innovator of creative solutions to integrate the often-fragmented treatment of American seniors with health and long-term care needs. He joined the aging services field as the vice president managing the Ebenezer Society Community Services Division. There, he was instrumental in developing a health model called Seniors Plus, part of a national Medicare demonstration. In the following years, he became a founding board member and later the senior vice president of the National Chronic Care Consortium (NCCC), a forward-looking group of hospital networks and health plans that worked as a sort of national “think tank” to improve chronic care. Prior to his retirement in 2011, Selstad worked for the Minnesota Department of Human Services and Minnesota Board on Aging, where he was the lead staff member tracking implications of health reform for seniors and the aging network as well acting as legislative liaison and public policy support for the Board on Aging. Convinced that Alzheimer’s disease and related conditions absolutely require both medical and non-medical care, and that we must integrate health and social service systems for the most efficient and effective treatment, he was a spokesman for PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care of the Elderly), as well as lead staff to the Alzheimer’s Disease Working Group Report to the Minnesota Legislature. In 2011, Selstad received a Lifetime Service Award from the National Council on Aging (NCOA), and in 1992 was granted the Minneapolis Award for those who “have gone the extra mile to make Minneapolis a better place.” He has been called upon to serve as a volunteer leader within the ongoing community collaboration to improve Alzheimer’s care in Minnesota as well as ongoing health reform affecting seniors.

First Decade Award

Joyce Miller ’02, ’05 MAN, ’11 DNP

“As nurses, we have lots of scientific knowledge to use in helping care for our patients, but the patients are the experts, not us. We need to walk alongside of them and understand their stories. Otherwise, how will we know what they need for health care?”

In a sense, Joyce Miller is a nursing pioneer at Augsburg. She was in the first group of nurses in the bachelor’s degree completion program in Rochester in 1998, then one of the first group of nurses to begin the leadership track in the Master of Arts in Nursing program in 2002, and later, a member of the College’s first post-master’s degree program, the Doctor of Nursing Practice. During her doctorate program, Miller helped develop, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., a prenatal education program for Somali women that honors the wisdom and traditions of the Somali culture. In her educational journey, Miller explored non-traditional healing practices of other cultures. She studied holistic healing and energy practices and is a Reiki master practitioner. Miller has taught in Augsburg’s undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral nursing programs. She also served on the Augsburg Alumni Board for six years in the roles of secretary and president.

Spirit of Augsburg Awards

Dale Hanka ’60

“I volunteer because I care and because I can. I always say, “Give until it feels good.” My family, faith, and my experience at Augsburg have all worked together to make my life successful.”

Dale Hanka is a former teacher, real estate agent, financial planner, and bank president. Together with his wife Carolyn, he also owned and managed a title company. Now retired, the couple has acknowledged the importance of Augsburg College to their success by establishing the Dale and Carolyn Hanka Business Scholarship, providing encouragement and financial assistance to business students. Hanka is an active community leader who has served as president of his church’s council and as president of the Madelia Golf Course board for 10 years. He is an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts, Rotary International (36 years), chamber of commerce, and the United Way. Hanka has served the College in a variety of capacities—as an active member of the Alumni Board for several years, a class agent, a member of the A-Club, and a member of the class of 1960 50-year reunion committee.

Dick “Pork Chops” Thompson ’61

“You don’t do [the things that earn you awards] because you want to get awards. You do them because that’s what you’ve been taught to do. There are so many people deserving of this award. It’s an honor to receive it.”

Dick Thompson spent 30 years of his career as a teacher for the Minneapolis school district. He served as the head basketball coach at Minneapolis Lutheran High School, Minneapolis North High School, and Golden Valley Lutheran College. He completed his teaching and coaching career as the athletic director at Minneapolis Southwest High School. In addition, he was the co-founder of Mobile Sports Athletic Camps and president and owner of Playmore Travel. As a real estate developer/carpenter he built a home in Eden Prairie, two lake homes in the Remer/Longville area, and a 12-unit apartment building in Crosby, Minn. In the 1970s, Thompson was asked to serve as the president of the A-Club. He remained the intermittent president until the early 1990s. When he retired from teaching and coaching, he became a permanent fixture as president of the A-Club and served in that capacity until 2010. He was instrumental in raising funds for the organization and special projects like the press box and the Jeroy Carlson conference room. He remains a member of the A-Club executive board.

Athletic Hall of Fame

Congratulations to the alumni who have been inducted into the Augsburg Athletic Hall of Fame:

Allan Berg ’68, football/men’s basketball

Jennifer Coyle Rhoads ’97, softball

John Evans ’82, men’s hockey

Jack Grengs ’88, baseball

Kurt Habeck ’91, wrestling

Anne Richter ’86, volleyball/softball

Meg Schmidt Sawyer ’00, women’s hockey/softball

Timothy Tousignant ’91, wrestling

2012 Coaching Excellence Awards:

Larry Hoff ’66, football

Timothy Theisen ’93, men’s basketball

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The Augsburg College Associates is a service auxiliary of volunteers including alumni and friends of Augsburg whose mission includes fundraising for special projects and scholarships in support of the College.

Throughout the year, the Associates manage estate and moving sales in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area and host a boutique and buffet for the annual Velkommen Jul celebration at Augsburg. For the past two years, they have also had a booth at the Taste of Augsburg during Homecoming weekend. The Associates have given to Augsburg more than a half million dollars from their fundraising efforts for projects, including:

• creation of the Welcome Desk in Christensen Center,
• renovation of the Green Room in Foss Center,
• renovations of the Augsburg and Marshall rooms in Christensen Center,
• creation of the Special Collections room in Lindell Library, and
• purchase of the Dobson pipe organ in Hoversten Chapel.

Thank you, Augsburg Associates, for your commitment to supporting Augsburg and our students!

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On the first Saturday of the 2012 Weekend and Evening College (WEC) fall term, Tina Prchal seemed as excited and nervous about returning to college as you might expect a new student to be. Tina met with me on that first day of classes through Augsburg’s “Start” program, which helps new WEC students transition to Augsburg and provides WEC alumni an opportunity to help those new Auggies navigate their college experience.

At lunch in the Quad between Tina’s morning and afternoon classes, she talked about her first class—algebra. She said she loved her professor, but she was nervous about studying math after more than 20 years away from the subject. She also talked about her previous college experience, her current job, her family, her long commute to campus in the winter, and her career and educational goals.

As I listened to Tina, I remembered my own feelings about beginning classes at Augsburg in 2001. Like Tina, I looked forward to being a student again but was also anxious about getting good grades, balancing life and work obligations with schoolwork, making friends, and, frankly, being able to stick with the program in order to complete my degree. What I know now, and what I shared with Tina that day, was just how much support is available at Augsburg for all students.

For 30 years, students in Augsburg’s weekend and evening programs have achieved the goal of obtaining a degree through their own dedication and with the encouragement of staff and faculty. The Start program now gives WEC alumni an opportunity to join in to support students and help them achieve success at Augsburg.

So how is it going for Tina? After her first week, she said she felt less intimidated. “I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be successful in my classes, but seeing that other students felt the same way as I did gave me confidence,” she said. “I’m so very glad I transferred to Augsburg.”

Share your success with a new Auggie

If you are a WEC alum, you can help support a new adult undergraduate student through the Augsburg Start program. Contact Pat Grans in Alumni Relations at 612-330-1329 or gransp@augsburg.edu to volunteer for the upcoming winter or spring trimester.

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Every year on the day before fall semester classes begin, first-year and new undergraduate transfer students in the day program participate in City Service Day projects in the neighborhoods surrounding campus.

Students are organized into “AugSem” groups according to their anticipated fields of study. The purpose of AugSem is to help new students embrace the learning community at Augsburg by encountering the community, engaging in the learning process, and exploring their academic interests. Students meet with their AugSem faculty and student leaders throughout their first semester.

More than 400 students, faculty, and staff served at 20 locations throughout the community on City Service Day. See more photos on the Augsburg College .

New Auggie tradition begins with Class of 2016

Picture this:

Hoversten Chapel is packed with nearly 400 first-year students, excited about beginning their Augsburg classes after a week of Auggie Days orientation activities.

They are grouped into the “neighborhoods” they’ve been connected to since their summer orientation: Cedar-Riverside, Downtown East, Downtown West, Hiawatha, Loring Park, Midtown

Phillips, Powderhorn Park, Seward, and University.

They’ve just learned who won each of the events they competed in during the Neighborhood Challenge, one of the most highly anticipated activities of

Auggie Days:

• Auggie Pride for the neighborhood that sported the most Augsburg bling—shirts, buttons, lanyards, and more!
• Scavenger Hunt all across campus
• Knowledge Bowl about Auggie trivia, which is not so trivial after all
• Pie-Eating Contest
• Obstacle Course through a giant inflatable bounce house in Murphy Square park
• Water Relay celebrating the Land of 10,000 Lakes

In the chapel, they begin shouting their neighborhood cheers, trying to drown out every other neighborhood.

The orientation leaders (OLs), a group of 18 returning students who have guided, encouraged, and supported these first-year students, file up to the front of the chapel. They are welcomed with thunderous applause.

And then, the big finale comes, thanks to biology professor Jennifer Bankers-Fulbright (called “Dr. B” by her students). It’s the call-back cheer she originated.

OLs: We are called!

First-years: AUGGIES!!!

OLs: We are called!

First-years: AUGGIES!!!

OLs: We are called!

First-years: AUGGIES!!!

Can’t you just hear it? It’s a new year marked by a new tradition.

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In 2008, the multi-instrumentalist joined Minneapolis-based band Cloud Cult—a nationally acclaimed group recognized by Rolling Stone magazine for its commitment to the environment

Elhardt said her music education at Augsburg prepared her for performing on three instruments and singing during Cloud Cult shows, but she laughed when she acknowledged that during her time at the College she was more accustomed to “playing gospel praise” than rock music.

Preparation for meaningful work

Elhardt enrolled at Augsburg because she wanted to continue her family’s tradition of attending a private Lutheran college. Originally from a northern suburb of the Twin Cities metro area, Elhardt sought to establish roots in the art and music scenes of Minnesota’s most urban city.

She declared majors in music and marketing communication—degree programs that allowed her to develop skills required in a variety of careers. “I was always trying to figure out how music performance, teaching, and arts administration could be a part of my life,” she said.

After graduation, Elhardt worked in arts administration at the Minnesota Orchestra and the Dakota Jazz Club. In 2007, she founded her own piano studio through which she instructs more than 40 students. Teaching allows Elhardt to positively impact her community while sharing her passion for music with a younger generation.

Yet, Elhardt said she also felt called to use her musical talents for performance. The opportunity to join Cloud Cult aligned with her vocational goal and her desire to be a thoughtful steward of the Earth’s environment.

Cloud Cult: Music and mission

Cloud Cult, formed in 1995, was described in a 2008 Rolling Stone article as “extremely environmentally conscious: They tour in a biodiesel van, record in a geothermal-powered studio, and even printed their liner notes on recycled paper with nontoxic vegetable oils.”

The band’s green focus resounded with Elhardt. “I had found a way to play music and love playing music,” she said. “I’m sharing a positive message around the world.”

Cloud Cult performs in venues across the U.S., and many of the shows occur in environmentally friendly cities such as Boston, New York, Portland, and Seattle. Elhardt joined Cloud Cult on stage in Chicago’s famed Millennium Park this past summer, and few venues seem a more perfect fit for a performance by the band. Millennium Park’s creation transformed more than two dozen acres of

industrial wasteland into a world-class center for art and music. Cloud Cult crafts multimedia art during each of its performances, and the eight-person group includes two trained artists who start with a blank canvas at the beginning of each show, which adds a visual aspect to the concert experience.

Cloud Cult performances are opportunities to mix art forms, indie-rock, and environmental activism. Band members like Elhardt see their openhearted songs as a call to action toward a greener world.

“It’s music with a purpose, not just another rock band,” she said.

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The award, presented by the NSEE and funded by The Washington Center for Academic Internships and Seminars, celebrates the dedication of a sitting college or university president who has made significant contributions to experiential education on campus and in the community.

Pribbenow was nominated for the award by Garry Hesser, sociologoy professor and Sabo Professor for Citizenship and Learning; Orval Gingerich, assistant vice president for international programs; and Lois Olson, former director of the Strommen Center for Meaningful Work.

The Burke Award, a testament to the fact that hands-on learning is a core part of the College’s curriculum, includes a $2,000 scholarship that will be awarded to a deserving Auggie who is involved in experiential learning.

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As an urban college, Augsburg recognizes that thoughtful stewardship of this finite resource is critical to its success in serving students and providing an affordable, high-quality educational experience.

That’s why, in 2010, a cross-functional team—including faculty, staff, and outside consultants—established the Augsburg Campus Space and Master Plan. This 20-year strategic vision for the use, reuse, and improvement of Augsburg’s nineblock urban campus identifies and integrates near-term priorities with future construction plans. The result is a logical, cohesive progression of projects and enhancements that work in concert to enable the College to achieve its long-term vision for the campus.

“How we use our space is part of how we express our priorities and tell our story—how we live out our mission and promise to students,” said Tammy McGee, Augsburg vice president and chief financial officer.

“One of the core tenets of the Campus Space and Master Plan is that Augsburg College, in its current footprint, has enough space to deliver on its mission,” said McGee, who led the year-long planning commission effort. The focus of the long-term plan is on stewardship—“building to replace, fix, or improve our spaces, not necessarily to have more space,” she said.

The master plan’s focus on student experience is evident in that it is built around the College’s No. 1 campus priority: the planned Center for Science, Business, and Religion. The center will be constructed on the west side of 21st Avenue South, across from the James G. Lindell Library, replacing the existing Science Hall, which was built in 1949.

“Augsburg’s vision for the Center for Science, Business, and Religion is a physical manifestation of the interdisciplinary inquiry and critical thinking our faculty bring into classroom and lab experiences every day,” said Barbara Farley, vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College.

“Augsburg believes that co-locating and fostering deep inquiry across these academic disciplines will prepare our students to be the problem solvers, leaders, and citizens our community and nation will need in the 21st century.”

While the College continues the fundraising effort for the Center for Science, Business, and Religion, the campus master plan guides progress on other campus and interior space improvements that help prepare for and complement the new building.

One of the main goals in improving campus space usage, according to David Draus, Augsburg Facilities Management director, is to create adjacencies—locating departments that work together near each other to help improve their effectiveness.

A prime example of this work was the Gage Center for Student Success and Groves Technology Center, which opened in the spring of 2012, co-locating a range of student support services at the heart of campus. (See “” in the summer 2012 Augsburg Now.) Following this model, the College moved its career and internship services staff into the newly renovated Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work this summer.

“Because of the vision and generosity of the Strommen, Gage, and Groves families, Augsburg was able to enter this academic year with two new, beautiful spaces dedicated to serving students throughout their educational journeys and beyond,” said Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow. “By locating these centers in such highly visible, high-traffic areas, we expect a dramatic increase in the number of students who will take advantage of the academic and career services Augsburg offers.”

With the opening of the Gage Center, several student support departments moved out of Science Hall, which, Draus said, opened up space for additional moves that better support student and department needs. For example, Augsburg’s signature Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (URGO) program moved to a larger space in Science Hall, and that shift enabled the College to expand its psychology labs and to add student and faculty space in mathematics and environmental studies. The Department of Nursing also moved to Science Hall—at least until that building is ready to be razed—as the department had outgrown its former suite in Memorial Hall.

“As much as is possible with these moves, we are working to minimize the amount of disruption and relocation that will be required when the Center for Science, Business, and Religion is built,” Draus said. URGO, psychology, mathematics, and environmental studies are all slated to move out of Science Hall to the new Center once it is built.

The College’s space upgrades also include several high-profile projects in Christensen Center. This past fall, the College moved all of its admissions operations—first-year, transfer, adult undergraduate, and graduate—together in a welcoming new suite in the lower level of Christensen Center, creating a warm and engaging first impression for visiting prospective students and their families. This move also created important adjacencies. With the new Strommen Center for Meaningful Work just upstairs from the Office of Admissions, campus tours now “begin with the end in mind” by talking with families about how the entire Augsburg educational experience prepares students for postgraduate and lifelong learning and success.

As with the Gage Center, co-locating the admissions teams created additional opportunities for repurposing space in Christensen Center. One of the major results was a newly refurbished suite for Augsburg Abroad, the International Student and Scholar Services team, and the College’s multicultural student services directors. The new location for these groups is just down the hall from the admissions office and the Campus Activities and Orientation department. So now, the admissions team can easily introduce prospective students to staff and programs that support some of the major life-changing opportunities that a college experience provides.

Augsburg Abroad, International Student and Scholar Services, and the multicultural student services directors previously were housed in Murphy Place, which was originally built in 1964 as a temporary structure across 7½ Avenue from Murphy Square park. With those groups now in Christensen Center and Augsburg’s Center for Global Education relocated in the Anderson Hall suite that formerly housed the Strommen Center, Murphy Place was vacated and, as outlined in the Campus Space and Master Plan, was scheduled to be razed. The campus master plan does not call for developing the land where Murphy Place previously stood until other, higher-priority construction projects are completed, but it does outline a long-term vision for creating a green-space gathering area in that location.

While there certainly were numerous changes on campus in the past year, not all campus improvements involve relocation.

“Many of the improvements involved upgrading furniture to foster more collaboration and interaction in existing spaces,” said Matt Rumpza, director of Purchasing and Central Support Services. Two examples of these kinds of upgrades include the casual learning spaces in Old Main and outside the Enrollment Center—a centralized services location where students can meet with a financial aid counselor, process late registrations, and work with the Registrar’s office to finalize their graduation application.

“We also did significant renovations in Hoversten Chapel,” Rumpza said. Upgrades included introducing a new sound system, recarpeting the stage risers, and and nearby Tjornhom- Nelson Theater. “Rather than throw the existing 600 chairs into a landfill, we were able to hire a locally owned business to recover and refurbish them,” Rumpza said. “We get a refreshed look for our chapel while supporting the vitality of our neighborhood.”

Clair and Gladys Strommen Center for Meaningful Work moves to campus center

“Meaningful work, or discerning one’s vocational calling, is not just about being successful in one’s career,” said Amy Gort, assistant vice president and dean of arts and sciences. “Vocation is about developing and using your gifts to serve others. So, it involves understanding not only your own strengths but also the larger context of where those talents and strengths can best be put to use. This exploration is an important part of what makes an Augsburg education unique.”

“This Center is a place where students, both past and present, can get the assistance they need” in finding meaningful work, said Gladys Strommen, who spoke at the grand opening ceremony. “Four generations of the Strommen family have been part of Augsburg,” she said. “Clair [Gladys’ husband, who passed away in 2001 ] would be so pleased that this Center has become a reality.”

Clair and Gladys’ son, Bob Strommen, also spoke at the dedication event, honoring the work his mother has done over the years to fulfill the dreams of both of his parents. “The gift [to fund the relocation of the Center] was an event, but the hope is that the Center will be a journey—for the College, as well as for faculty, staff, students, and alumni. We all come [to college] for an education,” he said, “but the dream is to leave and have a meaningful life. To help our students have an impact on what’s important to them in their lives—that’s our hope for this Center.”

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Pribbenow affirmed this view through a summer sabbatical project in which he developed succinct ways to articulate how five theological traditions make Lutheran colleges and universities valuable—and sustainable—in an increasingly diverse society.

For Pribbenow, the role of Lutheran higher education is well described by Darrell Jodock, professor emeritus at Gustavus Adolphus College. Jodock has written that a Lutheran college uses religion as the foundation of the institution’s identity so that it may explore “the riches of that tradition as part of its contribution to the community as a whole.” Jodock continues, “The Lutheran tradition summons a college to work out a ‘both…and,’ both affirming the religious identity and engaging with today’s world.”

Gifts of the ELCA tradition

Pribbenow during his sabbatical identified the ways in which five gifts of the Lutheran theological tradition serve colleges and universities as they navigate challenges in the 21st century. The tenets that he deems applicable to higher education include:

1. VOCATION

The Lutheran view of vocation has a deep, philosophical meaning that extends beyond an individual’s occupation. Lutherans believe that all people have a calling—a vocation—to live a life that serves the well-being of their community. Lutheran colleges and universities are uniquely situated to help students of all ages and backgrounds. “Our students come to us hungry for something. Hungry for knowledge, yes. Hungry for career paths, yes. But they’re hungry for more,” Pribbenow said. “They are hungry for meaning. The concept of vocation gives us a way to talk with students in a nuanced and sophisticated manner about how they can live purposeful lives.”

2. CRITICAL AND HUMBLE INQUIRY

A liberal arts education equips individuals with the skills and knowledge required to engage in civic life, public debate, and thoughtful analysis across a wide range of disciplines and topics. The Lutheran commitment to critical and humble inquiry highlights the importance of a liberal arts education in “teaching students how to go out into the world not as experts who lord their knowledge over others but as people who are determined to bring their particular wisdom or knowledge to bear,” Pribbenow said.

3. ENGAGING WITH OTHERNESS AND DIFFERENCE

The world’s citizens live and work in increasingly complex and diverse cultures. Lutheran colleges are positioned to offer students the knowledge, skills, and values needed to navigate a world with people of all backgrounds and experiences. The liberal arts approach to learning and teaching has a fundamental commitment to engaging with otherness and difference so that people understand and embrace the richness of the human experience. Diversity is a core value of the Church because, theologically, Lutherans believe God has created humankind in all its diversity in God’s own image.

Eboo Patel, founder and president of the Interfaith Youth Core, spoke during September on interfaith dialogue, neighborhood service, and intentional diversity at the Augsburg College . Patel’s remarks allowed the Augsburg community to explore the concept of engaging with otherness and difference.

4. SERVICE AND JUSTICE

Since the beginning of his Augsburg College presidency, Pribbenow has articulated a simple but powerful vision for the College: “We believe we are called to serve our neighbor.” The Lutheran commitment to service and justice is embraced and fulfilled in different capacities at each Lutheran college or university. But the institutions are unanimous in their desire to use education, civic engagement, and community service as pathways to develop informed citizens who engage with their neighbors.

Service at Augsburg takes many forms, and the College is committed to the “anchor institution” movement—a model where service is not seen as one-way “charity” but instead an opportunity to find shared value among institutional partners and to strengthen the economic vitality and safety of the neighborhoods in which the institutions are located.

Read the fall 2011 Augsburg Now article, “” to learn more about the College’s role as an anchor institution.

5. SEMPER REFORMANDA

Translated from Latin as “always to be reformed,” semper reformanda is a tenet of Protestant reformist Martin Luther, who advocated for the Church to continually re-examine itself in order to maintain its vitality. The term, Pribbenow asserts, is useful for colleges and universities because it creates not an allowance for—but an expectation of—continuous review and change. This flexibility empowers institutions to implement initiatives to better serve students, to change policies that do not deploy resources responsibly, and to align themselves with contemporary market needs.

Living out a Lutheran calling

The five gifts of the Lutheran tradition that Pribbenow identified during his sabbatical project may serve as a common lexicon for the 26 U.S. higher education institutions committed to providing post-secondary education in affiliation with the ELCA.

The ELCA colleges and universities are not held together by a centralized governance model, but rather choose to claim a common identity based on their shared values. The institutions form a mutually beneficial network where they help one another align their work to the deeply held values and priorities of the Lutheran faith so that all of its gifts are well used. Pribbenow’s sabbatical research is acutely relevant as each area of his investigation can deepen conversation among Lutheran colleges and universities across the United States during a time when the leadership at many of these institutions is in transition.

Lutheran colleges and universities will undergo significant turnover in their leadership in the near future as current presidents at these institutions retire or move on to new vocational callings. Many institutions are changing their bylaws to allow non-Lutherans to apply for the openings in order to broaden the applicant pool for those positions. The implication of this trend already is visible.

Pribbenow immediately used his sabbatical research to foster discussions with four individuals who do not hail from the Lutheran tradition but who were slated to begin their presidencies this fall at the Lutheran institutions Carthage College, Newberry College, Pacific Lutheran University, and Wittenberg University.

The integration of non-Lutherans into the leadership of ELCA institutions fosters critical review and offers a new perspective to existing ELCA college presidents, like Pribbenow, who are deeply rooted in the Lutheran faith. “It sometimes takes a non-Lutheran to remind us of the gifts of this tradition and to lift them up,” said Pribbenow, who was raised the son of a Lutheran pastor.

Pribbenow’s commitment to leading Augsburg as a “both…and” Lutheran college is firm.

“Being Lutheran is our bedrock,” Pribbenow said. “The gifts of this firm foundation enrich our students’ experiences and strengthen our future.”

The focus of Pribbenow’s sabbatical research is lived out daily on the Augsburg College campus where the gifts of the Lutheran tradition are paired with the gifts of the College’s urban setting. Higher education models and expectations are shifting at a rapid pace, which requires universities to embrace semper reformanda and engage in continuous review and change.

Because Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus is located in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, the College is uniquely situated to live out the commitments of its Lutheran tradition in a seamless, integrated manner. Located in one of the more diverse ZIP codes in the nation, Augsburg College students have daily opportunities to engage with people from across the globe, become committed to service and justice at organizations throughout the neighborhood, and—as a result—participate in critical and humble inquiry. Ultimately, these features allow the College to fulfill its calling to prepare students for meaningful vocations.

“I was called to Augsburg to tell our story,” Pribbenow said. “I’m proud of this College and its Lutheran heritage because it allows us to live out our mission, to create an educational space that’s welcoming and progressive, and to serve our community on local and global levels.”

Pribbenow was granted a two-part sabbatical as a provision of his contract, which the Augsburg College Board of Regents approved in 2008. The sabbatical was slated for the end of his sixth year at the College, and he conducted his research project for six weeks from July to mid-August at the ELCA churchwide headquarters in Chicago. ELCA Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson ’68 invited Pribbenow to spend his sabbatical at the denomination’s headquarters because the two men are engaged in ongoing conversations about Augsburg and the wider context of Lutheran higher education.

In Chicago, Pribbenow also spoke with ELCA leaders “who consider how the Lutheran church expresses itself in the world,” Pribbenow said. “Church leaders understand that colleges are one of the places where the Lutheran faith is explored deeply, but they don’t necessarily understand every aspect of our lives.” The sabbatical, he said, was an excellent opportunity both to educate and to learn.

During December, Pribbenow will travel to Asia with his family for the second leg of his sabbatical. On their trip, the Pribbenows will visit the birthplaces of their children Thomas (Soc Trang, Vietnam) and Maya (Chonquing, China). The Pribbenows will return to Minneapolis before the end of 2012.

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