First endowed President's Scholarship honors Dorothy Lijsing Kleven ’47
by Dan Jorgensen

Dorothy Lijsing Kleven ’47 spent her life sharing the joy of music with the world, and in her memory her husband, and her four children and spouses have created Augsburg's first endowed President's Scholarship to be given annually to an entering student in choral music.

On March 23 the Kleven family members gathered with the family of the first recipient of the award, Carl Grulke of Kelley, Iowa, to both honor Dorothy and the student who received the award.

"My family and I are pleased to present this first annual scholarship for choral music," Said E. Milton Kleven ’46. "It seems a fitting tribute to Dorothy because, in addition to her family and her Christian faith, choral music was very important to her. From an early age when her parents discovered that she had beautiful talent, she took voice lessons and was active and involved in church and school choirs.

"While a student here at Augsburg in the mid-40s, she was a member of the Augsburg Choir, and throughout our 53 years of married life, while busy raising a family, running a busy household, and helping me run our flooring business, Dot remained an active member of the church choir."

Kleven said that over the years Augsburg has never been far from his thoughts. He also said he was pleased that his children and their spouses joined him in giving their emotional and financial support to the scholarship because they understand the importance of maintaining Augsburg's strong musical heritage and attracting talented students to the College. Grulke displayed that talent by performing two songs, accompanied by his future choir director, Peter Hendrickson ’76, music professor and director of choral activities.

Joining with their father in funding the endowment were Bruce and Maren Kleven, David and Barbara Kleven, Zane and Barbara Kleven Birky, and Philip and Diane Kleven Larson.
"It's our family's hope that the recipients of this scholarship will find an Augsburg College community where their love and talent for choral music can be nurtured and developed and bring them to a lifetime of happiness," Kleven said.

Sue Klaseus, vice president for institutional advancement, both welcomed the participants and spoke about the prestige of the scholarship itself. "The President's Scholarship is the most prestigious and highly competitive scholarship, recognizing the most academically qualified freshmen entering Augsburg College each year," she said. "This particular scholarship sets a model for future endowments that will help build our reputation and recruit the kind of talent that Carl Grulke represents."

While President's Scholarships have been awarded annually since the fall of 1982, this is the first one to provide full tuition, fees, room and board thanks to the Kleven Endowment. Ninety students competed for the award with five others receiving the traditional scholarships covering tuition and fees. Grulke, who is a student at Ballard High School, plans to major in youth and family ministry.

Hendrickson spoke about the transformation that occurs when students come to the College, noting that he came to Augsburg to prepare for medicine and left to live his life in choral music. "This is a place where we want you to be you," he said to Grulke, "and if you can do that through choral music, that's fabulous."

And Herald Johnson ’68, assistant vice president for enrollment and market development, spoke about the impact that scholarships make on the life of the institution.

"Augsburg always has been an access place," he said, "and gifts such as this show an ongoing confidence in the College and its mission. Fundamentally, it's a commitment to an individual student, but it's also commitment to Augsburg College, what we stand for and are trying to perpetuate into the future.

"When you endow something you are creating something for posterity," he said. "You've given us a wonderful vehicle to carry things into the future."

—Dan Jorgensen is director of the Office of Public Relations and Communication.

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