cjohnson, Author at Giving to Augsburg University

The Nielsens’ Commitment to Augsburg

Posted on December 18, 2024

Steve ’64 and Becky ’65 Nielsen chose to attend Augsburg for different reasons. Steve, raised on a sharecropping family farm in rural Minnesota, needed a school where he could work to cover his expenses and find a job. “We were quite poor, and I knew my parents wouldn’t be able to help me,” Steve said. “Augsburg was a Lutheran institution in the heart of Minneapolis. Back then, many kids from rural communities would go to Minneapolis for college.”Becky was set on attending the University of Minnesota but was convinced by her family to give Augsburg a chance. “My father was friends with Dr. Christensen, who said he would appreciate it if I came to Augsburg, even if it was just for one semester.” Becky reflected, “I’m so glad I did!”.

In his sophomore year, Steve met Becky through a mutual friend on the football team. “Once I met Steve, the party was over,” Becky laughed. Becky attended Augsburg for two years, and Steve graduated in 1964 with a physical education degree and a minor in biology.

Steve saw Augsburg’s Lutheran values in action throughout his four years on campus. “At the start of our freshman year I received a semester’s worth of meal tickets, but I ran out of them halfway through the term,” Steve shared. “ When my football coach, Edor Nelson learned about my situation he stepped in to help. He set me up with a job at the United Parcel Service on Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis”. “And later, I found work changing tires at a Goodyear tire store on Lake Street through my roommate’s father.” Steve worked continuously through his college years at a variety of jobs, during both school terms and summers. His Augsburg community was always there by creating a network for employment. They supported me.”

One of Steve’s most impactful courses was a philosophy class taught by Dr. Bill Halverson. “I appreciate the critical thinking skills I developed in his class,” Steve shared. “He taught us not just facts and information but how to think. Analyzing issues and considering multiple perspectives are skills that have served me well in my career and life.” “I concur with that.” Becky chimed in. “Whenever there is a problem, Steve is always thinking about how to solve it.”

Steve and Becky moved back to Minnesota following their retirement and have maintained their connection to Augsburg through philanthropy, a love of Auggie Athletics, and life-long college friends. Reflecting on their support, the Nielsens emphasized the importance of unrestricted giving.“Why would I feel I have a better idea of what is needed here at Augsburg than the administration? I have faith that leadership knows where the greatest needs are,” Steve said. “I give Augsburg a lot of credit for making it possible to work my way through school and earn a few bucks in life. It feels good to give back to the place that provided me with such a valuable education.” Becky smiled, “It is the right thing to do.”

Make a lasting impact on Augsburg students before the year ends!

Posted on December 16, 2024

As we approach the close of the year, we invite you to make a donation that will make a meaningful difference on the lives of our students. By making a donation to the Augsburg Fund, you are helping to reduce the costs for our students – and in turn, helping to create a learning environment that is not only accessible, but empowering and transformative.

Your generous year-end gift will join with others that will impact students now, and for years to come. This is more than just a donation – it’s an investment in the future. Thank you for including Augsburg in your year-end giving plans.

P.s. To make your gift, we encourage you to donate through our secure online portal at augsburg.edu/giving. If you prefer to mail in your contribution, please ensure your credit card information reaches us by Monday, December 30, or your check is postmarked by Tuesday, December 31. For any questions, please call us at 612-330-1613.

Empowering the Future of Students through Unrestricted Giving

Posted on October 28, 2024

The first family member of Phil Hoversten ’71 to graduate from Augsburg was his uncle Knut Holversten in 1930. Since then, four generations and 40+ Hoversten family members have attended Augsburg, including Phil who graduated in 1971 with a degree in biology. “I knew I wanted to go into pre-med and Augsburg gave me a generous financial aid package that first year,” Phil said.

However, Phil’s path to graduation was not without its challenges. He experienced financial hardship after his first year, but with encouragement from his professor, John Holum, Phil decided to stay at Augsburg. “The caliber of instruction, the smaller class sizes, and the individual attention I received helped me do well,” he reflected. Phil’s experience at Augsburg prepared him for medical school at the University of Minnesota. He had a 24-year career at Allina Health as a Physician in Occupational Medicine until his retirement in 2020.

Throughout the years, Phil has kept in touch with a few fellow students from his time in the choral club, but, Phil’s primary connection to Augsburg is rooted in his family’s enduring legacy. In the 1980s several Hoversten family members contributed to the construction of the Hoversten Chapel. “I’m fortunate that my family listened to what the college needed at the time,” Phil shared as he reflected on the vision for a multi-purpose space. Today, the Hoversten Chapel is a central location for worship, music, and other community-building events.

The belief in Augsburg as a unifying and dynamic community has been a cornerstone for Phil and his family for generations. Phil said he sees his unrestricted giving as his link to the Hoverstens’ commitment to supporting education centered on service and a connection to the gift his relatives established forty years ago

The concepts of experiential learning and meaningful engagement in local communities, introduced by Augsburg Department of Sociology founder Joel Torstenson have deeply resonated with Phil. “Schools have been faced with great difficulties recently. There was a [time I experienced ] tremendous need here and it motivated my desire to give back to the place that gave me my education, This is my way of supporting local efforts.”

For Phil, unrestricted giving has the potential to lead to incredible change. “I look at the beautiful buildings like the Hagfors Center that accommodate a modern education and all the programs that support our diverse student body… I understand the difference it makes when universities have the means to be sure critical areas are funded,” he shared. “I encourage others to consider an unrestricted gift”

Through his commitment to giving back, Phil continues to strengthen the legacy of his family at Augsburg, ensuring generations of Auggies have opportunities to thrive in a community that helped shape his life and many others.

Introducing Augsburg’s Giving Societies

Posted on August 21, 2024August 21, 2024

To celebrate and recognize the generosity of our Augsburg Fund donors, Augsburg University has established giving societies. Annual gifts at any society or sustainer level secures a bright future for our students, but each society will be recognized distinctly according to their cumulative yearly (from June 1-May 31 each year) giving to the Augsburg Fund.

Ambassadors Society
$1,000 – $2,499.99

Leadership Society
$2,500 – $4,999.99

Directors Society
$5,000 – $9,999.99

Deans Society
$10,000 – $24,999.99

Presidents Society
$25,000 – $49,999.99

Founders Society
$50,000+

Other Giving Societies

Maroon and Silver Society
Gifts of $1,000 or more to support any fund or initiative at Augsburg.
*Note: If you make a gift of $1,000 or more to the Augsburg Fund, you will be a member of the Maroon and Silver Society and one of the above societies.

Augsburg Sustainers
Augsburg Sustainers make a monthly contribution to Augsburg University

Sven Oftedahl Society
Sven Oftedahl Society members have committed a planned gift to Augsburg University

For more information on Augsburg’s Giving Societies, visit our webpage. Thank you for investing in a bright future for our students!

A Gift to Endow a Professorship in Chemistry

Posted on May 8, 2024

Terry ’73 and Janet Lindstrom have made an incredible commitment to establish the Terry ’73 and Janet Lindstrom Endowed Professor of Chemistry in support of the new School of Natural Sciences. Terry and Jan have remained dedicated to enriching students’ education and enabling them to discover their love for science and research. “Everyone deserves a passionate career,” Terry reflected in a past interview.

Terry found his deep appreciation for science while conducting research during his undergraduate years. He graduated from Augsburg in 1973 with degrees in biology and chemistry. After earning his Ph.D. in pharmacology and biochemistry from the University of Minnesota, he embarked on a decades-long career at Eli Lilly and Company, retiring from his position as Distinguished Lilly Research Fellow in 2010.

Terry serves as a member of Augsburg’s board of regents, where he chairs the enrollment management committee. He also stays engaged through volunteering at events such as the annual Agre Symposium, and meeting students when the opportunity arises. “My Augsburg experience was transformational as a result of the faculty and administration’s commitment to rigorous learning, understanding, and critical thinking. This commitment was further emphasized through intense experiential learning opportunities which made the academic work directly applicable to real-world issues. I knew my professors were genuinely invested in my success. These attributes continue at Augsburg University today and it is my honor and privilege to support this outstanding institution,” Terry said.

Along with this most recent gift, he and Jan established the Endowed Lindstrom Research Fund which supports students’ participation in summer research.

Endowed professorships like the Lindstrom Endowed Professor of Chemistry play a vital role in supporting faculty, promoting academic excellence, and ensuring the long-term success of students. “This transformative gift affirms Augsburg’s longstanding commitment to excellence in the natural sciences,” said President Paul Pribbenow. “In a time when scientific knowledge has itself become contested, we are incredibly grateful to the Lindstroms for this investment to strengthen the critical leadership of our faculty.”

“We are thrilled about the creation of this endowed professorship. This position, the first to be embedded within the School of Natural Sciences, will encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and prepare generations of future Auggies to be scientific leaders in their communities,” added Paula O’Loughlin, provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Terry and Jan for their unwavering dedication and investment in the future of our students.

Generosity Across Cultures: Fostering Interfaith Relationships Through Listening

Posted on May 6, 2024May 7, 2024

Supporting Generosity and the Harmony of Acceptance

An early life experience encountering the kindness of strangers continues to guide the generosity of Dilnaz Waraich, President of the WF Fund, who has recently made a major gift to Augsburg University.

Dilnaz was just 2 years old in 1972 when her family left Hyderabad, a city in Central India, to come to Chicago. Dilnaz had contracted chicken pox on the plane and was running a high fever. Her mom spoke little English, and she was struggling to manage two toddlers and an unfamiliar place. Her father was waiting for their arrival.

The TWA flight attendant noticed her mother and how sick Dilnaz was. She said, “Hold on! I am going to help you.” They were ushered straight to the immigration desk where again, they saw her mother’s distress. The agents said, “You should go straight to the hospital.” They did a cursory check of their documents and sent them through.

Dilnaz thinks about the difference between then and now and wonders what if she were arriving in 2022 instead of 1972, an immigrant Muslim woman traveling with her children. Would she even be here? She believes they would very likely have been sent back to India.

Born out of generations

The WF Fund was born out of two generations of family generosity; a generosity defined by openness and a non-judgmental approach to deep relationships. This spirit continues to guide the WF Fund in uplifting and empowering communities across the country through strategic philanthropy to support religious pluralism, civic engagement, and human services.

WF Fund president, Dilnaz Waraich, shared that the fund’s work is rooted in the practice of generous listening, something she experienced in her own life during the pandemic. Away at college, one of her sons shared his feelings of isolation, loneliness, and mental health. While Dilnaz was able to connect her son to the necessary resources, the experience inspired the Fund to explore ways to help students navigate the challenges of college life by creating access to Muslim chaplains on campus. The Fund went on to support Muslim chaplains at The Ohio State University, Butler University, and the University of Illinois Chicago.

“We wanted to make sure Muslim students are supported by chaplains and we also know that these chaplains are there to support everyone.” Dilnaz went on to say that it’s noticing in relationships that often drive giving.

“It was when we spoke with Najeeba Syeed, the El-Hibri Endowed Chair and Executive Director of the Interfaith Institute at Augsburg, that we decided to come see the campus for ourselves. Augsburg fosters a connection between leadership, faculty, students, and the broader community. That relational centering is important to us.”

Supporting Acceptance Across Cultures

Last December the WF Fund made a gift of $100,000 to help build relationships and foster generosity among Muslim-led non-profits, family philanthropy, and institutional philanthropy.

“Funding from the WF Fund will support the Interfaith Institute to strengthen interfaith relationships on campus and in the greater Twin Cities community. We are delighted and grateful to have this opportunity to foster multifaith, multisector, and multigenerational connections based on increased understanding and empathy,” Najeeba expressed.

“We want to promote a harmony of acceptance of different cultures and faith backgrounds,” Dilnaz said. “We appreciated seeing this on the Augsburg campus and in how the Interfaith Institute connects with the surrounding community.”

The gift aligns with a new initiative at the WF Fund to foster connections between Muslim Americans and the philanthropic sector by showcasing stories of generosity. Inspired Generosity is inviting Muslim Americans to share their stories of generosity through artistic expression. These stories will be curated into a national showcase opening in Atlanta this September. The Fund believes that we can break down relational barriers and disrupt blind spots by amplifying these stories of generosity, told by Muslims themselves.

As Dilnaz noted, stories about the Muslim community are often told by those outside of the community, which can lead to misunderstanding the generosity of this diverse group.

Dilnaz notes that “it’s not often that we hear stories of generosity from our community. And when we do, who is telling those stories?”

“This gift demonstrates the spirit of collaboration that the WF Fund embodies. Augsburg deeply values the WF Fund’s partnership in our joint work to empower and uplift communities through sharing values and amplifying voices.” Paul Pribbenow

You can learn more about the WF Fund’s inspired generosity project by watching their short video (link https://inspiredgenerosity.org/

Remembering John N. Schwartz ’67

Posted on March 1, 2024March 11, 2024

It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Regent John Schwartz ’67 passed away on February 29 surrounded by loved ones.

John was an invaluable member of the Augsburg University community from the time he enrolled as a student. He had transformative experiences singing in the choir, including getting the opportunity to tour Norway, Denmark, and Germany during his sophomore year. John graduated with a degree in business administration and went on to earn a degree in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota. He had a thriving career as a healthcare executive for 40 years in Milwaukee, Oregon, Montana, and Chicago until his retirement in 2010.

John’s passion for choral music and Augsburg’s impact stayed with him throughout his life. He continued to sing after retirement, including with the Apollo Chorus of Chicago. Always thinking of others, John gave back in extraordinary ways. He showed support for Augsburg music students through his incredible generosity and philanthropy. His most significant gifts were made during the Great Returns: We’re All In campaign, which included the Leland B. Sateren ’35 professorship and chair of music and the John N. Schwartz professorship of choral leadership and conducting. His latest gift established the John N. Schwartz School of the Arts. In addition to those endeavors, he and his husband James Mosley created the John N. Schwartz and James A. Mosley scholarship.

“It was one of the joys of my presidency to know John Schwartz, who was a remarkable human being,” Augsburg President Paul C. Pribbenow remarked. “As an Augsburg graduate, John exemplified our mission in his professional and personal lives. When we sat together in 2023 to establish the Schwartz School of the Arts, I was moved and inspired by John’s humble generosity. We have lost a good friend.”

In 2019, John joined the Board of Regents and served on the advancement, finance, and audit committees. He also was part of Augsburg’s Music Advisory Council. “John brought his years of leadership and business expertise to the Board of Regents as well as his love for Augsburg and its music tradition,” shared Board Chair Dennis Meyer ’78.

“John’s passion, vision and generosity in creating the Schwartz School of the Arts ensures that the arts will be accessible for all and continue to transform students’ lives at Augsburg,” said Paula O’Loughlin, provost and senior vice president for academic and student affairs. “I am grateful to have known such an amazing man. He will be deeply missed.”

John firmly believed in the power of a liberal arts education and its ability to set up students for a successful career and a meaningful life. His legacy at Augsburg will be remembered for generations.

Funeral services will be held in Chicago on Saturday, April 27, at 10:30 a.m. at Alice Millar Chapel, Northwestern University, 1870 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL and in Minneapolis on Saturday, May 4, at 2:00 p.m. at Augsburg University, Hoversten Chapel, 2211 Riverside Avenue Minneapolis, MN 55454.

Read John’s full obituary.

Augsburg’s Inaugural Auggie Entrepreneurship Cup a Success!

Posted on February 2, 2024April 17, 2024

On December 6, 2023, Augsburg held its inaugural Auggie Entrepreneurship Cup. The goal of the Auggie Cup is to help students develop their entrepreneurial skills and prepare them for a successful future. This is done through core curriculum, collaboration between undergrad and MBA students, incubator experiential learning, and mentorship with successful local business leaders.

A total of 21 students were divided into three groups of undergraduate business, MBA, and graphic design students. The graphic design students developed the branding, logo, and marketing materials. Each group presented their projects in front of a panel of judges. They were graded on 5 criteria: mission/vision/value/situation analysis, graphic design, marketing plan, financial plan, and overall presentation.

After a “shark tank” style day of presentations, the judges determined first, second, and third place winners and awarded cash prizes. Around 100 students, parents, faculty, staff, regents, business advisory board members, and donors attended the award ceremony and reception. “The event exceeded everyone’s expectations and there was wonderful synergy and teamwork!” shared George Dierberger, MBA Director, and Thomas and Karen Howe Endowed Professor for Entrepreneurship.

Learn more about the student projects below!

1st Place Winners

Vaske

A proposed AI Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for business owners to use to boost their brand visibility and online presence.

Team Members

Phil Holt, MBA, 2024

Emmanuel Jean, MBA, 2024

Brynn Hostettler Marketing, 2025

Isabella Barrientes, Graphic Design, 2024

Erick Jaramillo, Graphic Design, 2024

Valerie Yang, Graphic Design, 2024

Second Place Winners

Prairie Port

A proposed product to provide accessible electronic vehicle (EV) charging solutions to underserved communities.

Team Members

Mohamed Elshobery, MBA, 2024

Sibille Okadjo, MBA, 2024

Simon Tewalt, Business, 2024

Ikram Barre, Business, 2024

Estefaney Pina, Graphic Design, 2024

Shah Hasan, Graphic Design, 2024

Casey Kreie, Graphic Design, 2024

Ana Pena, Graphic Design, 2024

Third Place Winners

Point B

A proposed service that provides a unique array of sustainable and accessible outdoor experiences for adventure lovers.

Team Members:

Allen Davis, MBA, 2023

Sadia Mohamed, MBA, 2024

Sasha Ortiz International business, 2024

Lauren Damgaard, Graphic Design, 2024

Katie Strombeck, Graphic Design, 2024

Andre Ziemer, Graphic Design, 2024

Blake Carpenter, Graphic Design, 2024

Thank you to the 2023 sponsors of the Auggie Cup:

Tom ’72 and Karen Howe

Mike Nathan

Modulate Capital

Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation

SPIRE Credit Union, as of January 1, 2024 it is now known as Blaze Credit Union

For more information on sponsorship opportunities, please contact Director of Corporate Partnership and Engagement Catherine Hurley at hurleyc@augsburg.edu.

Supporting the President’s Strategic Fund

Posted on September 7, 2023

Mark and Margie Eustis spent no college days at Augsburg, but the connections they have forged since run long and deep. Their $1 million, multi-year pledge to the President’s Strategic Fund as part of the Great Returns campaign is their most recent gift to an institution they support strongly and often.

Mark grew up in Minnesota and earned business and healthcare administration degrees from the University of Minnesota, but he did not become closely acquainted with Augsburg until he became president and CEO of Fairview Health Services in 2007. That was when he met President Paul Pribbenow, who approached him about joining Augsburg’s Board of Regents.

“I was excited to say yes,” says Mark, who served on the Board from 2008 to 2020. “Paul and I belonged to many of the same community groups, and both of our institutions had the same Lutheran immigrant heritage. We became really good friends and close colleagues.” They also embraced the same goals of transformation and innovation.

Early on, Mark spotted an opportunity to help his new friend by helping the Board establish the President’s Strategic Fund, which could provide “the resources he needed to do things he might otherwise not be able to do,” either because they were not in the budget, or there was a shortfall, or some other reason. “We wanted Paul to have that flexibility. I trust his leadership.”

Good ideas can come from anywhere, Mark points out, and when they show up, funds should be available to pursue them. These diverse initiatives have included tutoring neighborhood youth through the Cedar Riverside Athletics and Enrichment program, providing scholarships and support for women in STEM, enriching interfaith programming, supporting Augsburg Health Commons drop-in centers, sponsoring arts and science projects, and designing an admissions process for kids coming out of foster care.

“With so many first-generation college students coming to Augsburg, we needed to tailor programs specifically to those students and their needs,” Mark says. “Augsburg is a unique place. When others fled the city for the suburbs, Augsburg elected to stay. They took advantage of the environment and are now providing an urban education and urban experience to an incredibly diverse population.”

Mark’s wife, Margie, was new to Minnesota as well as Augsburg, but she was impressed by what she saw. “I’ve always been amazed at the passion people have at this institution for its continuing programs and for creating new programs. They’re almost always a step ahead of everyone else,” she says. “Paul has done a wonderful job. He’s super smart but very caring and totally passionate. It’s been fun to watch.”

Augsburg is also committed to “not just educating its students, but also making their aspirations a reality,” adds Mark. That means looking specifically at what employers in the community might need and creating connections so that graduating students can find jobs. While he was at Fairview, for example, Mark knew that biology was a popular major, and that students often went on to pre-med studies or physician assistant programs. It made sense to facilitate the transition from a broad liberal arts background to a more specialized career track.

Pribbenow’s excellence at partnering and his realization that Augsburg cannot achieve its goals alone have not only aided this endeavor, but also made him a leader both locally and nationally. As Mark puts it, “he is a true example of servant leadership. He believes in doing what’s right for the community.”

Mark and Margie now live part-time in Michigan, where they met, and in Missouri, where Mark held healthcare administration and teaching positions. But both still serve on the President’s Council, where they enjoy staying connected and continue to nurture an administration they believe in. “Augsburg has stayed true to its values while others have drifted. As a Lutheran institution, it has strong values based in the Lutheran tradition but open to all faiths,” says Mark. “They are able to engage in that diversity in part because they are small, but in part because they remain focused on the key values that have been in place since their inception.”

Inspiring Others to Give

Posted on September 7, 2023

Once again, Kristin Dragseth Wiersma ’91 and her husband, Augsburg associate professor of religion Hans Wiersma, are leading the way with their three-year, $1,000 annual commitment to the Augsburg Fund. As participants in the Great Returns: We’re All In campaign, they are not only making their own commitment to Augsburg’s future, but also focusing on the “we” by inspiring others to do the same.

Kristin transferred to Augsburg in her sophomore year, after deciding that the party vibe at her first choice, the U. of Wisconsin, did not suit her. Augsburg was a much better fit. She thrived on the personal touch a small campus could provide and appreciated being able to integrate her campus ministry involvement with her studies. She also joined the volleyball team, and the senior year she spent living in a decrepit house with her eight teammates delivered indelible memories.

The house is gone now, but the friendship bonds remain. The teammates used to get together often, at least once a month, and still meet frequently, now with their families in tow. They share camping trips and enjoyed a vacation in Costa Rica last fall. With Kristin’s encouragement, they have also begun giving back, each in their own way.

“We’ve all had life-changing experiences, and we all love Augsburg. The way we met and grew—that’s been really fun. We’ve all known each other since we were 18, and now we’re in our 50s, but we really solidified our values and trajectory together at Augsburg,” explains Kristin, who earned her degree in social work, supplemented it with advanced leadership degrees, and now works with organizations to keep them healthy and on track with their goals.

With kids in college, she acknowledges, no one has a lot of cash to play around with. Her goal is to reacquaint her teammates with their alma mater and nurture their philanthropy in whatever form it takes. She has invited them back to campus on several occasions, often for homecoming, but also to tour the facilities, admire the new academic buildings, and recognize how education has changed. They even got to sit in the chairs like students and learn what today’s “upside-down” classroom is like.

“In the olden days, you’d go hear a lecture, then do the reading, then write the paper. Now the data dump is all on your own, with podcasts, books, media, etc. It’s quite diverse. Then you come to the classroom and apply the theory,” she explains.

Kristin and Hans are contributing to the Augsburg Fund, which provides academic scholarships for those in need. “You can do lots of cool things with endowments, but this one is the heavy lifter,” she says. Education today is expensive, and recognizing how hard students have to work to be in college at all, especially if they are first-generation, is important.

Some of her teammates are giving in new ways. Because women’s sports were so important to them in those early days of Title IX, together they supported a locker room rebuild. One, an avid golfer, made a major contribution to the golf locker room. “I want them to get closer to the University, whatever that means to them. I’m glad when they give—it’s just exciting,” Kristin says.

She notes that some potential donors may wrestle with what they perceive as a “crazy, liberal, progressive direction” that can feel alien to the traditional values they hold dear. But Augsburg, she argues, is “the ultimate place to learn about diversity.” It has amply demonstrated how it is possible to cling to core values while inviting others along on the journey, shifting just enough to support new populations. Hans, for example, still teaches religion—every kind of religion. He and Kristin want to ensure that others “appreciate the adaptation that Augsburg has made in response to a new day. It is working really hard to give everyone a solid education in a complex and ambiguous world. Providing the skills to navigate that ambiguity is the hardest part,” says Kristin. “Justice for me is creating access to education, giving students a chance to reach their potential and get a footing in this world. I want to be part of anything that helps people do that.”