Peter Agre wins Nobel Prize

Peter Agre, a 1970 graduate and Distinguished Alumnus of Augsburg, was one of two winners of the 2003 Nobel Prize in chemistry. He is a professor and researcher at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. His discovery of "aquaporin-l," a "channel" that lets water pass in and out of cells represented a major breakthrough that has led to greater understanding of many inherited and acquired water balance disorders, such as kidney disease.

After graduating from Augsburg, Agre received his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and is now professor of biological chemistry there.

Agre's father, the late Courtland Agre, was chemistry professor at Augsburg from 1959-76. Three of Agre's siblings also attended Augsburg: Mark Agre ’81, Annetta (Agre) Anderson ’69, and James Agre ’72, who currently serves on Augsburg's Science Advisory Board.

"The Chemistry Department is elated at this news," said chemistry professor Arlin Gyberg. "Those of us who had Peter as a student are not surprised he has reached this level. It's no shock that he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry."

Agre shares the chemistry prize with American Roderick MacKinnon.

Top rankings in college guides

Augsburg has been named among the nation's best colleges in three categories and ranked in the top tier among Midwestern universities.

U.S. News & World Report listed Augsburg (the only Minnesota school) among 20 of the nation's best institutions for service learning.

The Princeton Review includes the College in the 150 "Best for the Midwest," praising an outstanding faculty, small class sizes, and friendly environment.

Kaplan Publishing's The Unbiased Guide to the 328 Most Interesting Colleges, 2004 includes Augsburg and names it as one of the top five schools that may be underrated, as judged by a national survey of guidance counselors.

For the third year, Augsburg is one of the best 201 in Great Colleges for the Real World, selected for best demonstrating both the education and the opportunities to prepare students for the real world.

Augsburg has been named one of 12 "founding institutions" nationally to participate in a project jointly sponsored by the Policy Center on the First Year of College and the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) to develop a model of excellence for the first college year.

$1 million—an Augsburg Fund first!

The $1 million goal for Augsburg's annual fund was reached for the first time in College history during 2002-03. This 25 percent increase in giving over the previous year was achieved by a total of 1,928 donors.

Often referred to as "the lifeblood of the College," Augsburg's annual fund supports the financial aid commitment that allows the College to remain affordable for a wide variety of academically-qualified students. Last year, more than 80 percent of Augsburg students received $25 million in financial aid, including $9 million in Augsburg scholarships and tuition grants.

Sixty percent of The Augsburg Fund total was contributed by the 185 members of the Maroon & Silver Society, the College's leadership-level donors. These donors pledge to support the financial aid commitment with annual cash gifts of $1,000 to $25,000 for a minimum of four years.

Much of the growth in The Augsburg Fund has occurred in the last six years, during the tenure of President William Frame. When he arrived at Augsburg, the annual fund level was at $178,000. His push to increase the level and commitment to annual fund giving has resulted in its more than five-fold growth. Augsburg regent Tracy Elftmann ’81, chair of the Development Committee, and Donna McLean, director of The Augsburg Fund, provided leadership for the fund's success.

Planning for Augsburg's next capital campaign includes continued aggressive growth of The Augsburg Fund.

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