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Advent Vespers 2011
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Happy New Year!
Is it your New Year’s resolution to network with fellow Auggies and further your personal and professional development? If so, the Augsburg College Alumni Association has lots of opportunities to help you achieve your goals through a verity of networking events scheduled throughout the year and the Maroon Pages which allow you to promote your product or services online to fellow Auggies. So, update your Maroon Pages profile and register to attend the upcoming Student and Alumni Networking Reception, Strommen Executive Speaker Series, or the Eye-Opener Breakfast at www.augsburg.edu/alumni and get 2012 off to a good start!
Upcoming Auggie Events
Florida Augsburg Reception and Student Symphony Orchestra Concert
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Christ Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, 304 Druid Hills Rd., Temple Terrace, FL
6 p.m.—Reception
7 p.m.—Student Orchestra Concert
Join President Paul C. Pribbenow and Augsburg alumni, parents, and friends for a pre-concert reception, followed by a student symphony orchestra concert. Conducted by Douglas Diamond, the group has performed masterworks including Beethoven’s 1st and 8th symphonies, Schubert’s 3rd, 5th, and 8th symphonies, Dvorak’s 7th, and a host of smaller works. You will be sure to enjoy this musical experience and the opportunity to connect with Auggies.
Refreshments will be served. RSVP by Tuesday, January 3, to alumni@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1085.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation
T. Mychael Rambo—actor, vocalist, and educator
Monday, January 16, 2012
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center
1 p.m.
This year’s Convocation speaker—an affiliate professor and recruitment coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts, Theatre Arts and Dance at the University of Minnesota—is T. Mychael Rambo, best known as a member of Penumbra Theatre Company. He has performed in several Guthrie mainstage productions and other Twin Cities theatre venues.
Eye Opener Breakfast, featuring Pat Peterson, VP of Research & Development for Aveda Corporation
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Town and Country Club, 300 North Mississippi River Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55104
7 a.m.—Networking
7:30–8:30—Breakfast and Speaker
Cost: $5 (includes breakfast)
Please join us for the first Auggie Eye Opener Breakfast of 2012! Pat Peterson will share how Aveda successfully incorporates a strong mission of sustainable practices alongside current, fast-moving beauty trends. Special thanks to Thrivent Financial for Lutherans–Southern Central Minnesota Regional Financial Office, Golden Valley, for their generous sponsorship of the 2011-2012 Eye Opener Breakfasts.
RSVP to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents by January 20, 2012, to reserve your seat. Space is limited, and reservations and pre-payment are required.
Strommen Executive Speaker Series
Featuring Keith Wyche, President, CUB Foods
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Sateren Auditorium, Music Hall
5–6 p.m.
Cost: Free
With more than 30 years of experience in some of corporate America’s most notable companies, including Pitney Bowes, AT&T and IBM, Keith Wyche is among the highest-ranking African American executives in the US. In January 2010, Wyche was named president of CUB Foods, a $3 billion retail grocery chain that is part of the $40 billion SUPERVALU Corporation. An expert, author and speaker on career growth, success and leadership, Wyche will share his thoughts and experience on how to move up the corporate ladder.
RSVP to www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents, and we will send a complimentary parking ticket to your e-mail address.
After the event, attend the 6 p.m. alumni/student networking event in the lobby of the Oren Gateway Center. It’s a great way to hone your networking skills, while providing valuable assistance to students as they begin navigating their careers.
Alumni/Student Networking Event
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Oren Gateway Center Lobby
6–8 p.m.
Connect with alumni from a variety of professions and help Augsburg students hone their professional networking skills. Program details will be available soon. You may register to participate at www.augsburg.edu/alumnievents.
CCHP Convocation—Forgive for Good
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Hoversten Chapel, Foss Center
Noon–1 p.m.
Cost: Free (open to the public)
The Center for Counseling and Health Promotion (CCHP) convocation will feature Frederic Luskin, PhD, the director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects. A senior consultant in health promotion at Stanford, and professor of clinical psychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, Luskin also serves as the co-chair of the Garden of Forgiveness Projects at Ground Zero in Manhattan.
A book signing will take place prior to the presentation in the Arnold Atrium of the Foss Center, beginning at 11:30. For information, call 612-330-1104.
Following the presentation, a conversation on the subject of forgiveness, designed for women and sponsored by Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE), will be held. (See next item.)
Conversation for Women—Augsburg Women Engaged
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Oren Gateway Center 100
Gather immediately after the CCHP convocation
Registration required; space is limited
Forgiveness is healing for both body and mind. Join in conversation with other Augsburg women about creating a path to forgiveness and improving your health and well-being. Augsburg Women Engaged (AWE) will host a conversation to explore and share our experiences with grievances as a way to discover our positive intention and create our own forgiveness stories.
Mark your calendar now to connect with other women and share this unique learning opportunity. Then, watch for an e-mail in January with instructions on how to register online for the AWE conversation. Space is limited.
Whole Leaders See Things Whole, Tom Morgan
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Kennedy Center, Room 303
5:30 p.m.—Social time with refreshments
6–8 p.m.—Presentation
Cost: Free
This workshop, first presented in our series last winter, is back by popular demand in an expanded version that allows more time for exploration and discussion. Tom Morgan will introduce a framework for thinking about our lives as a set of relationships among three dimensions—identity, purpose, and stewardship—each with its own needs, desires, and preoccupations. While these dimensions can pull us in different directions, when we are at our best, they offer us complementary perspectives that allow us to see things whole.
In this workshop, you will complete the Seeing Things Whole Profile, a 39-question survey designed to take a multi-dimensional snapshot of your life and well-being. The profile helps you explore your strengths within the three dimensions and can give you perspective around challenges you face.
You will also receive a workbook, WholeLife Aspirations and Goals, to help examine how your life purpose connects to your life choices. The workbook offers a powerful exercise for clarifying what is important to you and what you plan to do to make your dreams a reality.
About the Speaker: Tom Morgan is the executive director of the Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning and professor of Business at Augsburg College. He holds a PhD in educational policy from the University of Minnesota, a MS in economics from the University of Oregon, and a MBA in finance and operations research from the University of Denver. He has served as a member of the steering committee for the Faith in the City Collaborative since its inception and serves on the boards of the Augsburg-Fairview Academy, Seeing Things Whole, and Select Learning Resources. Morgan has over 25 years of teaching experience and has extensive experience in institutional planning, design, and implementation of new programs. Prior to working in higher education, he worked doing research and grant-writing in health care.
For more information, or to reserve a space in this free workshop, contact Patty Park at 612-330-1150 or parkp@augsburg.edu.
Nobel Peace Prize Forum
Campuses of Augsburg College and the University of Minnesota
March 1-3, 2012
Featured among the speakers at this year’s forum will be Nobel Peace Prize Laureate F.W. de Klerk, former president of South Africa, speaking on the subject of the XII World Peace Summit. With the Norwegian Nobel Institute as an institutional partner, the event will be hosted by Augsburg and the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School for Public Affairs. Registration for the event will open in early January, and you can obtain updates on event plans by joining the e-mail list here. More details are available at www.nobelpeaceprizeforum.org.
MAE Tribal Special Education Information Sessions
Beginning in fall 2012, Augsburg and the University of Minnesota-Duluth will begin a third cohort offering a post-baccalaureate special education license with a focus on tribal communities and learning styles. This program will be offered in an online format, and courses will follow a semester schedule. For information, see http://www.augsburg.edu/mae/academics/ais_focus.html.
Information sessions are scheduled for the following Wednesdays in 2012: February 1, March 14, April 18, and May 23. All sessions will be held at Augsburg College in Oren Gateway Center, Room 103, 6–7 p.m.
Called to Lead 2012: A Path from Success to Significance to Fulfillment
Four-session workshop
April 17 & 24 and May 1 & 8
Total cost: $200 (includes books, weekly breakfast, and tuition for all sessions)
If you are wondering where you are going in your professional and personal life and feel that you could be doing something more significant, explore “Called to Lead,” a four-week intensive experience for Augsburg alumni and friends of the College. Together you will explore:
- the challenges of leadership
- the nature of servant leadership
- the centered life
- the myth of a balanced life
- seeing things whole
- development of your own strategic game plan
Join in for four mornings in the spring of 2012 (7:30–9:00 a.m., on April 17, April 24, May 1, and May 8) and emerge energized and renewed for new challenges in your life. Facilitators include Professors Tom Morgan, Jack Fortin, and Norma Noonan. The workshop is co-sponsored by the Augsburg Center for Faith and Learning and the Augsburg Center for Leadership Studies. For more information, please contact Norma Noonan at noonan@augsburg.edu. Registration closes April 1, 2012.
Auggie Travel
A Journey to the Holy Land with Religion Professor Philip A. Quanbeck II and Dr. Ruth Johnson ’74, January 3-14, 2012
A community of 26 Augsburg alumni and friends will be traveling to the Holy Land in January under the leadership of Religion professor Philip Quanbeck II and Dr. Ruth Johnson ’74, and accompanied by alumni staff member Sally Daniels ‘79. Together, they will discover the geography, places, and people of the Holy Land, and will visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Caesarea, Capernaum, Sea of Galilee, Dead Sea, and much more. Woven into the itinerary are several opportunities to share in dialogue with local community leaders who give voice to the complex history and geopolitical issues of the region, so the group will return home with a broader and deeper understanding of a land holy for the world’s three monotheistic religions.
Unique Travel/Continuing Ed Experience
Augsburg College–Rochester’s Spanish for Medical Professionals will be holding a large portion of its class in Havana, Cuba. The course is scheduled for spring trimester, with the time in Havana occurring May 5–13, 2012.
This international study seminar:
- Can be taken for college credit (4 semester units) or it can be audited.
- Is designed to help health-care professionals gain greater comfort in using their Spanish in social and work-related situations through intensive, small-group language study and in a variety of real-life situations, such as in medical clinics or at the local market.
- Provides opportunity to learn in the context of the Cuban medical system, considered one of the best in the world.
- Includes opportunities to visit cultural treasures of the island’s museums and musical heritage, meet with community action groups, and tour a local hospital.
Program highlights include:
- Intensive Spanish classes
- Visits to family doctors’ clinics
- Engaging with physicians to learn about the country’s focus on preventive care
- Learning about nutrition through urban gardens
- Exploring the impact and response to HIV/AIDS
- Visiting a primary school and discussing the intersection of education and health
- Experiencing the rich musical traditions.
To register, go to http://www.augsburg.edu/global/shorttermseminars/onlineregister.html. The link near the bottom of the page will take you to the registration form. Your commitment is needed by January 15 to be part of this very special opportunity. The cost is about $3,000 (8 days, 7 nights).
For more information, contact Karl G. Wolfe, Augsburg Rochester campus director, at wolfek@augsburg.edu, or Prof. Julie Gloss at jgloss@chatfield.k12.mn.us.
Successful College Parenting
Auggie parents may want to check out the Successful College Parenting website. You will find plenty of tips and resources to make sure that your student has a solid support system and is given every chance to succeed. http://www.therapysites.com/sites/successfulcollegeparenting.com
Alumni Spotlight
This Business Is Making Sweet Music!
When Anne Mollison Klus ’76 studied music at Augsburg, she did not anticipate being owner and CEO of a national medical supply distribution business that would offer over 80,000 products. But life can take strange and unexpected turns.
When Anne is asked why she decided to attend Augsburg, she is very clear about the reason. She recalls the day a guest conductor visited her high school, and she knew immediately that she wanted to study music with him. The conductor was the late Leland Sateren, beloved composer and conductor of the Augsburg Choir for many years. In fact, while directing the high school choir that day, Sateren paused, pointed to Anne and said, "You will be singing someday with the Augsburg College Choir. Make it happen." Indeed, Anne did make it happen.
Later, in 1993, Anne and husband George Klus decided to seize an opportunity, and entered the field of health care distribution. They founded several companies, and now, through Trinity Uniforms, offer a full line of employee uniforms to health care providers. As a woman-owned business, they have contracts with large hospital systems to small clinic/doctor offices. Trinity has become an attractive choice offering "one-stop shopping" for uniforms. They are part of a network of suppliers to a hospital group purchasing organization that provides over $42 billion in sales to the health care industry.
In addition to her work with Trinity, Anne continues to work with students of all ages in vocal music. She is very grateful for the “great education” she got at Augsburg—and though she did not take one single business class at Augsburg, much of what she learned in other classes has proven to be “portable” and very useful in her business.
CFO Now in AWE
In October, the City of Burnsville (MN) welcomed Heather Johnston ’92 as its new director of administrative services and chief financial officer. In this capacity, she oversees not only the City’s finance department, but the work of community relations, communications, information technology, and the city clerk as well. Johnston found some familiar territory in her new work, since she had served as budget director for the City of Minneapolis for the previous 7.5 years. In that position, she had also led City efforts to consolidate the City’s library system with that of Hennepin County, and spearheaded efforts to merge closed pension funds into the statewide pension fund, resulting in greater efficiency and a more stable financial outlook for pensioners and employers.
Johnston knew, as a Political Science and Communications major at Augsburg, that she wanted to work in government. Living in Washington D.C.—and attending graduate school at The George Washington University—confirmed that choice and nudged her toward the area of government financing. Over the next 15 years, she was afforded several opportunities to pursue this interest—including a White House internship with the National Performance Reviews and work experience in statewide education policy and financing issues. When she branched off into city government work, she found it gratifying, especially as it offered exposure to increasingly broader issues. Recently, she was appointed to the executive board of the national Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).
Johnston, who grew up in Cottage Grove (MN), believes that her Augsburg professors pushed her to be more analytical in her thinking, and encouraged her in the direction of one of Augsburg’s central themes—engaging with the community. She currently lives in Eagan (MN) with her husband, Jason Koch ’93 (a pediatrician at Southdale Pediatrics), and their two children. Over the years she has served on the Augsburg College Alumni Board and as a class agent, mentored Augsburg students, and joined the AWE (Augsburg Women Engaged) Giving Action Team. Several such teams are being formed to engage alumnae in connecting, learning, and giving. If you are interested in joining other Augsburg women to contribute your time, talent and resources in order to make a difference, contact Donna McLean at mclean@augsburg.edu, or (612) 330-1556. Each action team selects from a list of priorities and participates in whichever way best suits its members’ passions and availability.
Around Augsburg
Help Sama Sandy ‘08 Crash the Super Bowl!
You can cast a vote online to help an Auggie make it to the big time—the Super Bowl ads, that is! Again this year, Doritos will sponsor a Crash the Super Bowl competition, when contestants submit their creative videos promoting Doritos. The winner receives $1 million, a commercial spot during the Super Bowl, and a chance to work with Andy Sandberg of “Saturday Night Live.”
Sama Sandy has been given the lead role in a Doritos entry by Flip the Script Films, and you can watch him in the video here (click on Gallery, and search on Flip the Script). If the entry is one of the final five, you can go to the same website and vote for the video between January 4 and 29. Sama says thanks!
An “In the City” Event with Augsburg College’s Graduate and Weekend Program--
Information Session at the Mill City Museum
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Mill City Museum, 704 South 2nd St., Minneapolis, MN 55401
5:00–5:45 p.m.—Arrival and check-in at the Mill City Museum’s main door; pick up a bistro box dinner
5:45–6:45 p.m.—Information sessions on your choice of Augsburg’s undergraduate (17 majors) or graduate programs (MBA, MAL, MAE, MAN/DNP)
6:45–8:00 p.m.—Tour the Mill City Museum and experience the Flour Tower and the video, “Minneapolis in 19 Minutes Flat”
Enjoy an informative evening and learn how you could earn a bachelor’s degree (17 different majors) or a graduate degree in business (MBA), leadership (MAL), education (MAE), or nursing (MAN/DNP). Programs are geared toward working adults, with convenient weeknight or weekend schedules. Many programs can be completed in a two-year timeframe.
RSVP by Wednesday, February 1, to gradinfo@augsburg.edu or 612-330-1101. The Mill City Museum event is for adults only. We will again be collecting tube socks as a donation for the Augsburg Central Health Commons. The Health Commons is a place where Augsburg nursing students work with people in need. All donations are greatly appreciated!
Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings
As part of the Augsburg Choir’s 75th anniversary celebration, CD versions of re-mastered historical recordings of the Augsburg Choir (1949–1979) have been released as the Augsburg Choir Legacy Recordings. They are available in three boxed sets, and a monograph about Leland B. Sateren’s life and career, written by Bill Halverson ’51, is included with each set. You may obtain the recordings from Augsburg’s bookstore (check or cash only). Find details at www.augsburg.edu/music/saterenCD.html
Upcoming Music Performances
January 5–13, Augsburg Symphony Orchestra, Florida tour
February 11, Chiarino Piano Quartet, 7:30 p.m., Sateren Auditorium
March 10, Augsburg Choir pre-tour, 7 p.m., Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Excelsior, MN
March 11, Augsburg Choir pre-tour, 10 a.m. Worship, Bethany Lutheran Church, Onamia, MN
March 11, Augsburg Choir pre-tour, 2 p.m., Church of the Holy Cross, Onamia, MN
March 25, Augsburg Concert Band, home concert, 7 p.m., Hoversten Chapel
For details, check the Augsburg Music Department’s webpage, http://www.augsburg.edu/music.
Upcoming Theater Performances
365 Plays/365 Days, by Suzan-Lori Parks
Directed by Martha Johnson
February 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 at 7 p.m.; February 5, 12 at 3 p.m.
Tjornhom-Nelson Theater
Cost: (see details at http://www.augsburg.edu/theater/tickets.html)
In the fall of 2002, Suzan-Lori Parks (Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright) decided to take on the challenge of writing one play a day for a full year. 365 Days/365 Plays is the successful result, featuring 365 short plays whimsically exploring such divergent topics as sex, war, fairy tales, Indian mythology, American historical figures, love, politics, race, contemporary celebrities—and numerous other issues from American life. The world premiere of these plays was an extraordinary event: In 2006 and 2007 more than 700 theaters in major cities across America performed various pieces or sections from Parks’ cycle.
For our production we will stage selections from this body of work to create an entertaining, thought-provoking, and imaginative assortment of contemporary theater pieces.
A Mechanical Midsummer, by William Shakespeare
Adapted from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Student directed by Kat Lutze
March 7, 8, 9, 10 at 7 p.m.
Foss Center
Cost: (see details at http://www.augsburg.edu/theater/tickets.html)
"Lord what fools these mortals be!" Join Puck and his fairy friends as they stumble upon a bunch of foolish mechanics rehearsing a play. Musical mayhem ensues as the trickster fairy uses his magic to interrupt their clownish play acting. Inspired by the original Midsummer, the cast and crew will create songs, music, and dance to stage a totally unique and fun-filled piece of theatre.
And showing in Arizona for our southwestern alumni (and snowbirds)— The 39 Steps
Adapted by Patrick Barlow from the novel by John Buchan and movie by Alfred Hitchcock
Arizona Theatre Company–The State Theatre
Tucson, January 14–February 4, 2012
Phoenix, February 9–26, 2012
If you’re in Arizona in January or February, you could catch an unusual and intriguing performance of the Hitchcock classic, The 39 Steps. Luverne Seifert ’83 (spouse of Darcey Engen ’88 of Augsburg’s Theater Department) is one of four actors who will play over 150 characters in this fast-paced tale of an ordinary man on an extraordinarily entertaining adventure. The madness begins when mild-mannered Richard Hannay starts his evening at the theatre and ends the night with a dead body in his lap. Caught in a maze of murder, espionage and flirtatious entanglements, he careens from the British music hall to the moors of Scotland and back to the London Palladium in search of a plausible alibi and the true identity of the killer. Find more details at: http://www.arizonatheatre.org/our-shows/alfred-hitchcocks-the-39-steps/
Athletics
Valek dominates weight class with 4 bonus-point victories at St. Cloud wrestling event.
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2011/12/10/wres121011.aspx?path=wrestling
Adam Carl and Edmond Smith named to D3football.com All-West Region Team.
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2011/12/6/fb120611.aspx?path=football
Auggie women’s basketball team triumphs over St. Benedict team to break losing streak.
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2011/11/30/wbb113011.aspx?path=wbball
Levine and Polta named to D3hoops.com Team of the Week.
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2011/12/7/gen120711.aspx?path=mbball
Men’s basketball team wins first five games, then falls short.
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2011/12/5/mbb120511.aspx?path=mbball
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2011/12/10/mbb121011.aspx?path=mbball
Haege and Phillips in Aztec All-Star Bowl.
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2011/11/30/mbb113011.aspx?path=mbball
8 Auggies named all-MIAC football.
http://athletics.augsburg.edu/news/2011/11/23/fb112311.aspx?path=football
