As a local dentist, Augsburg College alumnus Dr. Pat Patel ’75 served the small communities of Clarkfield and Cottonwood, Minnesota, for decades. The Advocate Tribune of Granite Falls and Clarkfield recently published a story detailing Patel’s career and the unusual way he’s leaving his business upon his retirement. Instead of selling his dental practice property, Patel opted to donate his assets to the city of Clarkfield so that they could be awarded as an incentive for young dentists seeking to start their own practices in the area.
According to the article, Patel did not want Clarkfield to be without a dentist after his retirement and sought a way to “give back to the community that he spread his roots in.”
Read, “Dr. Patel retires with an abundance of smiles” on the Advocate Tribune site.

Augsburg College President Paul C. Pribbenow was named the 2015 Outstanding Professional Fundraiser in the National Philanthropy Day Awards presented by the Minnesota chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. Pribbenow will be honored at a National Philanthropy Day event held November 20.

The 2011-12 fiscal year has been one of the most successful fundraising years in Augsburg’s history with nearly $14 million raised to support programming, scholarships, buildings, and research. One of the ways the College celebrated this success was by welcoming more than 250 donors and volunteer leaders to campus for the the annual Celebration of Philanthropy on Thursday, June 7.
During this spring’s student philanthropy week, Augsburg students saved their pennies—and maybe a few 1 and 5 dollar bills—to support The Augsburg Fund and to learn about the importance of giving back.
Last week, Augsburg welcomed more than 200 attendees to the first annual Celebration of Philanthropy event. In this interactive event, guests connected with each other, had their photo taken with Auggie Eagle, told us why they support Augsburg in the video booth and on a large display board, and met student researchers. The evening concluded with dessert and discussion and the presentation of a