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鈥檚 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鈥檚 Board of Regents.
鈥淚 was excited to say yes,鈥� says Mark, who served on the Board from 2008 to 2020. 鈥淧aul 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.鈥� 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鈥檚 Strategic Fund, which could provide 鈥渢he resources he needed to do things he might otherwise not be able to do,鈥澛� either because they were not in the budget, or there was a shortfall, or some other reason. 鈥淲e wanted Paul to have that flexibility. I trust his leadership.鈥�
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.
鈥淲ith so many first-generation college students coming to Augsburg, we needed to tailor programs specifically to those students and their needs,鈥� Mark says. 鈥淎ugsburg 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.鈥�
Mark鈥檚 wife, Margie, was new to Minnesota as well as Augsburg, but she was impressed by what she saw. 鈥淚鈥檝e always been amazed at the passion people have at this institution for its continuing programs and for creating new programs. They鈥檙e almost always a step ahead of everyone else,鈥� she says. 鈥淧aul has done a wonderful job. He鈥檚 super smart but very caring and totally passionate. It鈥檚 been fun to watch.鈥�
Augsburg is also committed to 鈥渘ot just educating its students, but also making their aspirations a reality,鈥� 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鈥檚 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, 鈥渉e is a true example of servant leadership. He believes in doing what鈥檚 right for the community.鈥�
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鈥檚 Council, where they enjoy staying connected and continue to nurture an administration they believe in. 鈥淎ugsburg 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,鈥� says Mark. 鈥淭hey 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.鈥�