{"id":49815,"date":"2026-04-02T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T09:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/?p=49815"},"modified":"2026-04-02T13:58:56","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T13:58:56","slug":"celebrating-the-spirit-of-augsburg-supporting-the-promising-futures-gala","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/2026\/04\/02\/celebrating-the-spirit-of-augsburg-supporting-the-promising-futures-gala\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the Spirit of Augsburg\u2014Supporting the Promising Futures Gala"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"David<\/a>As David Tiede reflected on his commitment to Augsburg, themes of faith, vocation, and service to the community surfaced repeatedly in his stories and observations. His leadership roles at Augsburg span more than two decades. From 2005 to 2010, he held Augsburg\u2019s inaugural endowed position, the Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, and served on the Board of Regents from 2010 to 2022, eventually becoming vice chair.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

David began his career teaching the New Testament at Luther Seminary and later served as its president for 18 years. He also served as interim president at Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and at Luther College in Decorah. As a fellow lifelong educator and scholar, he holds deep admiration for President Paul Pribbenow and his leadership. \u201cIt\u2019s a real gift to have a leader who embodies the values that have long defined Augsburg,\u201d David shared.<\/span><\/p>\n

For David, Augsburg\u2019s Lutheran roots continue to have a profound impact on an increasingly diverse and even secular landscape and student body. \u201cMartin Luther wrote a wonderful treatise called <\/span>The Freedom of a Christian<\/span><\/i> that is a testimony to the fact that everyone has a calling,\u201d he shared. \u201cWhen we examine what that means in terms of an Augsburg education, it means being called in service of the world. How can we use our calling to better the lives of our neighbors and communities?\u201d A religious background isn\u2019t a prerequisite for finding one\u2019s vocation. Instead, Augsburg’s mission is to equip <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> students to contribute meaningfully to the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When David and his wife Muffy were presented with the opportunity to support the <\/span>Promising Futures <\/span><\/i>gala<\/span> at the silver sponsorship level, the decision was an easy one. \u201cI knew I wanted to invest in whatever was key to Augsburg\u2019s soul. The more I reflected on what nurtured Augsburg\u2019s enduring strength, I realized it was Paul,\u201d David stated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with recognizing the incredible accomplishments of President Pribbenow, this event is also a celebration of Augsburg\u2019s future. \u201cWe are going to have to go through another learning experience leading up to and following the gala,\u201d David reflected. For him, the evening is not only about honoring one leader\u2019s legacy but also about recognizing the strength of Augsburg\u2019s community\u2014students, alumni, and supporters who continue to advance its mission. \u201cLet\u2019s take a moment to celebrate the work that is already being done here.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With thoughtful, intentional stewardship, the vibrant members of the Augsburg community, and the values they uphold, will continue to serve as lodestones guiding Augsburg\u2019s future.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As David Tiede reflected on his commitment to Augsburg, themes of faith, vocation, and service to the community surfaced repeatedly in his stories and observations. His leadership roles at Augsburg span more than two decades. From 2005 to 2010, he held Augsburg\u2019s inaugural endowed position, the Bernhard M. Christensen Professor of Religion and Vocation, and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":470,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/470"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49815"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49815\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49817,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49815\/revisions\/49817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.augsburg.edu\/giving\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}