by Betsey Norgard<\/p>\n
![\"E.](\"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2012\/10\/legacy.jpg\" "\\"legacy\\"")
President\u2019s Scholarships recognize students with exceptional academic ability and leadership potential and can provide financial support up to full tuition for four years. Donors who choose to endow a President\u2019s Scholarship make special connections with these students, and those that follow them, one after another, as they see an Augsburg education made possible.<\/p>\n
E. Milton Kleven \u201946 taught school in Minneapolis for 33 years and knows what this means to students from low-income families. He and his family have endowed three President\u2019s Scholarships and enjoy being part of the lives of the students who receive them, helping them begin their work and careers free from college debt.<\/p>\n
Milt Kleven\u2019s Augsburg story began in a home two blocks from the College, where his Norwegian immigrant mother and father raised nine children. Since Augsburg was the college in the neighborhood, six of the Kleven children attended, with three completing their degrees.<\/p>\n
In 1940, Milt followed his sister Agathe, who had just graduated from Augsburg. Like most students then, Milt\u2019s studies were interrupted by World War II, and in 1946 he returned and finished. Their brother Luther graduated in 1950. Milt graduated with a major in mathematics and a minor in physical education. His strongest and longest friendships he formed in the Augsburg A-Club, even though his student job downtown at the Minneapolis Club kept him too busy to participate in most sports, except for lettering in golf.<\/p>\n
![\"Becky](\"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2012\/10\/shaheen1.jpg\" "\\"shaheen\\"")
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Becky Shaheen \u201911<\/strong><\/p>\n Becky Shaheen is a sophomore from Elk River, Minn., majoring in\u00a0vocal music performance and composition, with a pre-engineering\u00a0minor. She sings in the Augsburg Choir, Gospel Praise Jazz Ensemble, and other ensembles. This is her second year as the recipient of the Dorothy Lijsing Kleven President\u2019s Scholarship in choral music, and she keeps in touch with the Kleven family.<\/p>\n \u201cMusic is my life, and this semester I\u2019ve been able to dedicate\u00a0more time than ever before to music. I am finally realizing that being a musician is possible \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cThis scholarship has opened so many doors for me. I don\u2019t have\u00a0to worry so much about the financial issues, and it has provided me with confidence and such an \u2018I can do anything!\u2019 attitude.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I first met the family, it was like meeting a huge part of my\u00a0extended family that I didn\u2019t know about. \u2026 A picture of the family\u00a0and me taken at the scholarship brunch hangs by my desk, a reminder of the people who are making this journey possible. \u201c<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kleven\u2019s Augsburg story has a romantic twist on a broken leg. In late 1943 he left Augsburg to enter Navy pilot training. When he suffered a broken leg, he decided to spend the eight-week recovery period back at Augsburg, completing his math major with Professor George Soberg.<\/p>\n One evening in Augsburg\u2019s library, in the basement of Old Main, he met Dorothy Lijsing, the daughter of a Swedish immigrant father and mother, and she became his wife and partner for 53 years. Dorothy transferred to Gustavus Adolphus College and graduated there. They were married in 1947.<\/p>\n Soon after graduating, Kleven began teaching mathematics in the Minneapolis Public Schools. In addition to teaching, he also served as the teacher representative with Great West Financial on a voluntary investment fund created following a strike in 1970. From that experience, he learned a great deal about investments and wise financial planning that has served him well.<\/p>\n In the 1950s, the Klevens were approached by Sig Hjelmeland \u201941, Augsburg\u2019s development director, and asked for the first time to consider giving back to Augsburg.<\/p>\n \u201cMy parents always set aside their tithe,\u201d Kleven says, \u201cand taught us that giving is a part of our responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n In 1958, he and Dorothy established a scholarship in honor of his parents, Magnus and Kristofa Kleven. In its 50 years, more than 200 Augsburg students have benefited from the financial support of this scholarship.<\/p>\n During the 1960s, the Klevens continued their philanthropic support to Augsburg, and for many years worked closely with development officer Jeroy Carlson \u201948.<\/p>\n In 2001, when Dorothy passed away, Kleven established a scholarship in her name. With college costs skyrocketing, he knew from his large family what a difference a full tuition scholarship could make for students from low-income families, like those he had taught in Minneapolis.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the main thing,\u201d Kleven says. \u201cI want to help kids who have a need, and I want it to be a full scholarship.\u201d<\/p>\n So, the Dorothy Lijsing Kleven Scholarship became the first endowed President\u2019s Scholarship, and provides a full scholarship to a student interested in choral music, as Dorothy had been throughout her life. This endowment was created by Milt and their four children and families\u2014Bruce and Maren Kleven, David and Barbara Kleven, Barbara and Zane Birky, and Diane and Philip Larson.<\/p>\n In 2007, the family created two additional endowed President\u2019s Scholarships. They added Dorothy\u2019s parents, David and Florence Lijsing, to the original scholarship for Milt\u2019s parents and raised it to the level of a full President\u2019s Scholarship.<\/p>\n The third was created in Milt\u2019s name\u2014the E. Milton Kleven Scholarship for public service, so he can enjoy supporting students with a real financial need who plan to enter public service.<\/p>\n Kleven helped to facilitate two other scholarships. The Margaret Andrews Scholarship was established by Kleven and his fellow Trade and Industry coordinators in the Minneapolis public school system to honor their supervisor, Margaret Andrews. The Donald C. Carlson Scholarship, through the Normandale Lutheran Church Foundation, is named for founding pastor Donald Carlson \u201942 to support a Normandale member attending Augsburg.<\/p>\n The Kleven legacy also includes major support to capital projects. In 1995-96, the family worked with President Charles Anderson and gave $1 million toward the construction of Lindell Library.<\/p>\n Milt founded Kleven Flooring Service, which installed hardwood flooring in houses in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Over the years, he provided hardwood floors throughout the Augsburg campus, including the Augsburg Room in Christensen Center and Augsburg House.<\/p>\n His most recent gift celebrates his over 60-year tie to Augsburg A-Club and close friendships with Glen Person \u201947 and Dick \u201cPork Chop\u201d Thompson \u201961. Together, as part of the construction of the new press box on Edor Nelson Field, the three provided the funding to name the Jeroy C. Carlson Hospitality Room in Kennedy Center in honor of their longtime friend and colleague.<\/p>\n For more information about endowing a President\u2019s Scholarship honoring Augsburg\u2019s most promising students, contact Institutional Advancement at 612-330-1613.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Betsey Norgard President\u2019s Scholarships recognize students with exceptional academic ability and leadership potential and can provide financial support up to full tuition for four years. Donors who choose to endow a President\u2019s Scholarship make special connections with these students, and those that follow them, one after another, as they see an Augsburg education made <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[64,39],"class_list":["post-860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-featured-stories","tag-it-takes-an-auggie","tag-spring-2009"],"wps_subtitle":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=860"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11708,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/860\/revisions\/11708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/now\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"The](\"http:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2012\/10\/group1.jpg\" "\\"group\\"")
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