From the Alumni Board president's desk...

On May 4, I had the privilege and honor to address a new class of graduates at the 134th Commencement ceremony, and welcome them as official alumni of Augsburg College.

Thirty years ago, I sat in the same seats in Melby Hall as a young graduate looking forward to new horizons, but feeling sad that I was leaving so many good friends. These years later, I still get together with some of my classmates once or twice a year.

Being Alumni Board president has brought me back to campus, and now I have a new set of friends from different classes and programs. It has been a great experience to work with the College and the wonderful members of the Augsburg community.

As my term has ended, Dr. Paul Mueller ’84 from the Mayo Clinic is slated to become the next president of the Alumni Board, with Bill Vanderwall ’93 WEC as president elect.

We are fortunate to announce that Lew Beccone ’98 MAL; Dan W. Anderson ’65; Tom A. Peterson ’70; Jacqueline (Brookshire) Teisberg ’80; Luann Watson ’88, ’02 MAL; and the Rev. Karsten Nelson ’83 have been nominated to the board.

The fall issue of the Augsburg Now will provide more information on the board's new leadership and members. Several dedicated board members have completed their terms, and we will endeavor to keep them involved in the Augsburg community.

Speaking of keeping involved with Augsburg, please contact the Alumni Board or Alumni/Parent Relations and let us know what interests you as alumni. We want all of you to know about the wealth of new programs at the College and the numerous opportunities for alumni to become involved with Augsburg. A good time will be had by all.

—Andrew Morrison ’73
President, Alumni Board

ALUMNI PROFILES:

Erica Benson ’94:
Path leads from
basement to Beverly Hills

Jane Jeong Trenka ’95:
A journey in words

Lori Moline ’82 receives women's business award

It's not every day that a tour company specializing in religious travel wins a business award. But in April, creating journeys of faith and pilgrimage earned Lori Moline ’82 and her business partner, Martha Van Gorder, the honor of Emerging Business Owners of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners. Their travel company, CrossingBorders, Inc., based in Bloomington, Minn., creates church-related international tours that provide spiritual expression and religious education.

Few businesses have faced such a series of challenges as CrossingBorders. First, the viability of one of their key travel products was eliminated when the conflict erupted in Jerusalem in late 2000.

"The first destination for many Christian travelers," Moline and Van Gorder note, "is a journey to the Holy Land." A year later there was the impact of September 11, 2001, followed by a weak economy and the weakening U.S. dollar, and now the situation in Iraq.

It has required strength and unwavering commitment to the long-term potential of their business mission. Van Gorder states, "We remain committed to helping U.S. citizens discover their Christian heritage, other cultures, and often times other faiths through international travel." To meet the challenges, CrossingBorders has expanded travel products, strengthened its overseas people-to-people connections, and focused on working with church leaders who put a high value on international travel.

"We have witnessed," Moline said, "some church leaders embracing the belief that it is more important than ever to travel beyond our borders to understand our place in the world."

With planning up to 18 months in advance, clients are preparing to travel to Greece, Turkey, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, and China.

Tours created by CrossingBorders emphasize a combination of church heritage, cross-cultural, and spiritual experiences. Prior tour highlights include a choir performance in the church of a Slovak village to standing-room only, a pastor given permission to play one of France's greatest church organs with the tour group listening by his side, a church group meeting elderly members of the Lutheran church in Dresden to hear how the church was bombed in WWII, and members sharing communion at the Christian Catacombs in Rome.providers.