Buffie Blesi ’
90, MAL ’97 is on a mission. For the last five years she has been coaching small businesses as an AdviCoach franchises and along the way she has learned a few things about what makes them tick and what holds them back. And through this experience, she realized that the conversations surrounding small business were not telling the real story – that the challenges these small businesses faced were bigger than taxes, access to capital and regulation. She also realized that millions of dollars and thousands of hours of effort were being dedicated by non-profits, government organization, chambers and the like to help them be successful, but no one was working together.
Thus was born AccelerateMN, a collaboration of businesses and community leaders committed to Come Together, Work Together and Stay Together. AccelerateMN believes that we can significantly improve our economy and get more Minnesotans hired by concentrating on education and the commitment of each business to take small steps that lead to hiring just one person. On August 14, Augsburg will be the host the keystone event the 2nd Annual AccelerateMN Let’s Get Growing 2013 Small Business Conference.
This commitment to small business growth and support of Augsburg includes her own organization. More than half of Blesi’s team are Auggies: Denielle Johnson ’11- Marketing and Administrative Support Coordinator, Ward C.Schendel ’74- Business Coach and Zebo Tursunova’13– intern working on AccelerateMN. They are a very diverse team engaging in our small business community by bringing together business partners, community leaders, and business owners by facilitating conversations, providing opportunities to share knowledge and ideas, and encourage small businesses to provi
de job opportunities.
Come support your fellow Auggies at AccelerateMN as they continue the College’s missions of educating to “be informed citizens, thoughtful stewards, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders.”
During the last weekend of June, Alumni who attended Augsburg in the 1970s were invited to campus to share fellowship and meet with Augsburg’s President, members of the faculty and student researchers. This “Alumni Leadership Summit” was organized by Mike Good ’71 and Wayne Jorgenson ’71 who are both serving as leaders in the campaign to build the Center for Science, Business, and Religion.
After graduating from Augsburg in 1971 with a degree in music education, Robert Stacke wanted to share his love for music with the next generation so he became a music teacher at Jefferson Junior High school for three years before moving on to the Minneapolis Edison High School where he taught for six years. It was that love for music that took him to Venezuela for a year to play in the Maracaibo Symphony before returning to Minnesota to play in the band at the Chanhassen Dinner Theater, where he entertained the guests for 13 years. During this time he also taught at Hopkins High School and the University of St Cloud.
On June 21 and 22, former Augsburg classmates, roommates and teammates from the 1980s reunited on campus for the 1980s Leadership Summit to learn about the college’s top priority, the Center for Science, Business, and Religion. The Summit began with a warm welcome from Karina Karlén ’83 and an inspirational speech from Chris Ascher ’81 who encouraged his classmates to invest in this new signature facility that will engage future leaders in collaborative inquiry and, through them, shape our world.
The Augsburg College summer commencement ceremony was held June 23 and was an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our 479 graduate students and undergraduates in the Weekend and Evening College and Rochester programs. June Commencement featured Nancy Cantor, Chancellor and President of Syracuse University, 
who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the ceremony.