For the past two years, I have worked with three of my Augsburg colleagues (Sociology Professor Tim Pippert, Associate Nursing Professor Katie Clark ’10 MAN, ’14 DNP, and former Sabo Center staff member Green Bouzard) on a volume that tells the story of Professor Joel Torstenson ’38 and his legacy at Augsburg in our curriculum, co-curriculum, and community engagement programs. Professor Torstenson, who passed away in 2007, spent his career as a professor of sociology here at his alma mater. Along the way, he was instrumental as Augsburg embraced its urban setting and transformed the university’s commitment to teaching its students at the intersections of mission and place, vocation, and location.

The book is titled “Radical Roots: How One Professor Transformed a University,” and it will be published later this fall (more to come on how you can order a copy!). As we have shared the manuscript with interested readers outside the Augsburg community, the response has been gratifying because it confirms Augsburg’s national reputation as a university that believes in the public purposes of higher education—a reputation that has been shaped by 60 years of innovation and genuine commitment to education for service.

As I read through this edition of Augsburg Now, I am struck again by how those radical roots, first tended by Professor Torstenson and his colleagues in the 1960s, continue to shape Augsburg’s latest innovations. Augsburg Family Scholars, led by Professor Pippert, is a perfect example of seeing a need in the world—in this case, students in the foster care system who need support to attend college—and organizing a program to meet those needs. The faculty and students in our distinguished Department of History lean into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Augsburg community and seek ways to document that impact for future generations. The staff and students who lead our on-campus art galleries forge close partnerships with area artists to tell stories of marginalized communities. And our Physician Assistant Studies faculty and students focus attention on the needs of rural and underserved communities, and get to work meeting those needs.

Radical roots, indeed. Roots that are strong and deep, and that will continue to ensure that an Augsburg education is always education for service!

Faithfully yours,

Paul C. Pribbenow, President

The post Notes from President Pribbenow: On ‘Radical Roots’ appeared first on Augsburg Now.

For most of her life, Madelyne Yang ’26 thought she’d never go to college.

“During my senior year of high school, I was like, ‘I don’t want to go. I’m not going to be able to afford it. My situation is horrible.’ Going to college was honestly not a thought in my head,” she said.

Then, a teacher told her about Minnesota’s new Fostering Independence Grant. As a student with a foster care background in Minnesota, Yang would qualify for a grant to cover the full cost of her college attendance.

“At first, I was like, ‘That must be fake. No way,’” Yang said.

But once she learned more about the program, she decided to go for it.

Yang applied to �̲�ֱ�� and two other Minnesota colleges—but because she’d grown up in the Twin Cities, Augsburg was her first choice.

When Yang arrived at Augsburg in Fall 2022, she found a full support system waiting for her. It was the first semester the university offered Augsburg Family Scholars, a new program that aims to narrow the opportunity gap for students with foster care backgrounds.

“Augsburg Family Scholars has been awesome. I haven’t heard of another university doing this,” Yang said. “I didn’t expect it, honestly, but it’s been a big help.”

According to Augsburg Family Scholars Executive Director Tim Pippert, Augsburg is the only university in Minnesota and one of only a few in the Midwest with a program specifically designed to support students who’ve experienced foster care.

“We’re the only institution doing anything like this,” said Pippert, who is also Augsburg’s Joel Torstenson Endowed Professor of Sociology. “If being in foster care was a significant part of your past and that’s an important aspect of who you are, then Augsburg Family Scholars is absolutely something you could be a part of.”

An accelerated start

Pippert led the creation of Family Scholars as a response to some of his experiences teaching sociology at Augsburg.

“As a family sociologist, I got tired of being the professor who talked about how our foster care systems really just set up youth for failure,” he said. “I love teaching, and I still want to do that, but I was also thinking about ways in which I could do something more.”

Then, in May 2021, Pippert began a yearlong fellowship with the Lutheran Education Conference in North America, which required him to complete a leadership project. He chose to develop a program to support students from foster care.

At the time, Pippert didn’t know that the state of Minnesota had its Fostering Independence Grant in the works. “I had started developing what I thought would be a proposal to launch something in a couple of years,” he said.

But after Minnesota legislation to establish the state grant passed in the summer of 2021, Pippert quickly accelerated his plans for Augsburg’s program. By Fall 2022, Family Scholars was ready and began serving 15 students.

The state legislation not only sped up Pippert’s timeline for the Augsburg program—it also changed the way he shaped the program to most effectively support students.

“Originally, I thought I was going to have to fundraise to help pay the tuition for fosters,” Pippert said. With the Fostering Independence Grant, the need to cover tuition immediately went off the table, so Pippert focused on efforts to enhance the student experience and retention.

“Just having the state pay your way isn’t enough,” he said. “Having the financial resources, they’re amazing. It is a really good state grant. But it’s not enough on its own, and there’s way more to college success than paying for college.”

In addition to financial challenges, foster youth often experience instability and frequent changes in where they live and where they go to school, according to the National Foster Youth Institute. This contributes to academic difficulties, with only 50% of foster youth finishing high school, studies show.

“This program, Augsburg Family Scholars, is based on the idea that if somebody has worked hard enough to get to college, then we will support them and do what we can to help them finish,” Pippert said.

Building a support system

Family Scholars is built around three components: financial support, academic support, and community and relationship support.

The financial support involves helping students navigate the Fostering Independence Grant and other financial aid programs. This component also includes funding from the Sauer Family Foundation and the Constellation Fund to give students money for basic needs such as buying groceries, outfitting dorms, or living on campus during the summer. While many college students may be able to turn to their families for extra financial help, students who grew up in foster care usually do not have that option.

“A lot of people have their parents put money away for their college fund, or they have the time to focus on school and get good grades to get scholarships,” said Donovan Holmes ’26, a Family Scholars student. “But foster youth don’t always get those opportunities. Some of us end up being homeless. Some of us have domestic violence going on at home. A lot of us have extremely unstable lives for a long time, so our grades go down, and then we don’t get those scholarships.”

That’s part of why the academic support component of Augsburg Family Scholars is crucial. Pippert meets with students individually as needed to help them stay on track with their schoolwork.

“I’m pretty rigidly tracking how they’re doing,” he said. “Some students I meet with every week. Some students I meet with once or twice a semester because they’re killing it and they don’t need much, so we just kind of check in. But there’s heavy academic mentoring and support available to help them get through.”

The program’s final component, community and relationship support, includes activities and events to help the Family Scholars students bond with each other. The students also have a designated lounge in Memorial Hall where they can relax or study together.

“It feels like we are our own little family,” Yang said. “We’re just a bunch of fosters that attend the same college, but when we hang out together, I forget that we’re even in this program because we are fosters. … It’s nice that you forget about that part.”

Holmes said he has also made meaningful connections through Family Scholars.

“It’s really nice to know that there are other people who have similar experiences to me,” Holmes said. “My peers in Augsburg Family Scholars share my perspective.”

From foster care to college

According to the National Foster Youth Institute, the challenges that children in foster care face outside of school can affect their academic performance and ultimately lower their chances at graduating from college. Studies show that only 3–4% of former foster youth obtain a four-year college degree.

“Many students (who are not from foster care) don’t have to figure everything out on their own. They have folks who have their back,” Pippert said. “But for some of our Family Scholars, there just isn’t that home base where they can call and get advice or resources. … There are more barriers when you don’t have a secure home or guardianship base.”

However, the challenges that come with foster care affect each student differently, Pippert said, and Augsburg Family Scholars works to address each student’s individual needs. “With 15 students, it runs the gamut of folks who need an awful lot and folks who are doing really well on their own,” he said.

Holmes, for example, entered foster care when he was 2 years old. He bounced around between schools for years while switching foster homes. Then, he stopped attending high school for a while when he became homeless.

“Up until high school I had a really good academic career,” Holmes said. “I got straight As. I was a huge nerd. … But then in high school, I became homeless. I was homeless for about a year and a half, couchsurfing with my friends, and I was like, ‘Okay, I can’t do school anymore.’”

Holmes said he eventually ended up with a foster family that helped him get back into high school, but then he dropped out after experiencing transphobic discrimination at school. “I could have graduated, but honestly, I just didn’t want to be there,” he said.

Instead, Holmes pursued a career in activism and landed a job with the Division of Indian Work office in Minneapolis, where he was also a client. Holmes said he never intended to go to college until his mentor at the Division of Indian Work encouraged him by saying that not having a college degree would limit his future job prospects.

“I was doing all this learning through work experience. I thought, ‘I don’t really need to go to school,’ until my mentor brought up a really good point, which was, ‘You’re going to stay at these lower-level jobs if you don’t pursue an education,’” Holmes said. The new state grant offering free tuition was another reason Holmes began to seriously consider going to college.

Holmes had also met with Pippert and learned about Family Scholars, which sealed the deal—he applied to Augsburg and started classes in Fall 2022.

Navigating the first year

Holmes’ transition to Augsburg felt very easy. “I definitely have to say it was because I had people who were supporting me and helping me through,” he said. He added that he enjoys being able to just focus on school as a full-time student.

There are some Family Scholars students who have had a harder time adjusting to college, Pippert said. “We’ve had some real academic challenges, and we have a couple folks who won’t be able to continue at Augsburg because the issues were so significant. That’s the reality of it,” he said.

“We do our best to help students navigate those situations,” Pippert said, “and I think we still consider it worthwhile if they know that when they are more able to navigate life and when they can feel like college is an option again, we’ll be waiting for them.”

Overall, though, Pippert reflected on the first year of Augsburg Family Scholars by describing the students’ eagerness and growth at Augsburg.

“It’s simple stuff,” he said. “It’s when students come into the Augsburg Family Scholars lounge or up to my office to tell me about something, like how well they did on a test. We had a student who got an amazing internship this summer; he was so excited to tell me about that.”

Yang is among the students who say Augsburg has helped her feel more excited about her education and future opportunities. “College flipped my life around. It’s just different now because I finally get the chance to do my own things and choose my own path,” she said.

Pippert added that seeing the students come together in community is also rewarding. “Sometimes, from my office, I can hear people in the lounge laughing. That, to me, is amazing,” he said. “I’ll usually stay away because I’m not going to interrupt that at all. When they connect with each other, that’s so much fun to see.”

Looking ahead

With Augsburg Family Scholars moving into its second year this fall, Pippert is looking for ways to grow the program and offer more support to students.

This includes exploring grants or other fundraising that might financially support former foster youth who do not qualify for Minnesota’s Fostering Independence Grant. To be eligible for the state grant, students must be younger than 27 and have been placed in foster care in Minnesota after age 13. Those requirements leave out non-traditional students, students who experienced foster care in other states, and students who were in foster care before age 13 but still need support, Pippert said.

“The students who are not eligible for the Fostering Independence Grant need a lot financially. I’m trying to work on fundraising for those students,” he said.

Pippert also wants to better promote Augsburg Family Scholars. “Every person in Minnesota who has a foster care background should know that college is a possibility, and so many assume it’s not. They don’t even apply because they don’t think it’s possible. So, I’m hoping that Augsburg becomes a model,” he said.

Both Yang and Holmes said they are looking forward to starting their second year at Augsburg with Family Scholars.

“I’m just excited for the fall semester to start again,” Holmes said.

Top image: Professor Tim Pippert (right) talks with Augsburg Family Scholars students, Madelyne Yang ’26 (left) and Donovan Holmes ’26 (middle) in the Augsburg Family Scholars lounge on campus. (Photo by Courtney Perry)

The post A place to thrive appeared first on Augsburg Now.

Once Tony Valek ’12, ’14 MAL became part of the �̲�ֱ�� community, he never left. From student wrestler to head wrestling coach, he remains invested in training the next generation of Auggies—helping them not only grow as athletes, but as human beings ready for life after graduation. Amateur wrestling website The Open Mat named Valek the 2022–23 NCAA Division III Coach of the Year for leading the men’s wrestling team to its 14th national championship in program history. Following last season’s tremendous success, Valek reflects on his Augsburg journey and what he loves most about coaching.

 Q: How did you end up at Augsburg?

A: I’ve been involved in the Augsburg community for quite a while. My older brother, Ryan Valek ’06, actually attended and wrestled at Augsburg. The relationships with the coaches—like Coach [Jeff] Swenson—and the people ended up drawing me here. I wrestled at Augsburg from 2008 to 2012, and I really haven’t left. I was the graduate assistant coach for two years, and then I became a full-time coach in the 2014–15 season and have been here ever since.

 Q: Was there a particular Augsburg coach who invested in you?

A: Mark Matzek ’05 was our head coach during my time wrestling for Augsburg, and Jared Evans ’07 was my personal coach. Every student-athlete in the program gets a personal coach. Coach Evans was super devoted to the team and gave me way more time than any student-athlete deserved. Jim Moulsoff is the other full-time coach with me here at Augsburg. He also coached when I was wrestling, and I’ve learned so much from him—probably even more while we’ve been coaching together. Whether it’s literally talking about health insurance plans, buying a house, or having kids, the people I go to the most—besides my parents—are the wrestling connections, the wrestling family that Augsburg has.

Q: How did you become a wrestling coach? 

A: Wrestling was a big part of my college search. I didn’t necessarily know what I wanted to do after graduation. Augsburg’s liberal arts degree was a good fit because I had a little more flexibility to pursue different careers. When I went to grad school at Augsburg and coached, I think that’s when I fell in love with it and knew that this could be a good fit, because I get to wear a lot of different hats. I’m recruiting. I’m coaching the student-athletes. I’m dealing with budgets and scheduling. It’s definitely different throughout the day and throughout the year.

 Q: What do you love most about coaching?

A: Building the relationships with the student-athletes is the best part. Sure, we’re coaching wrestling, but ultimately, we’re preparing them to be successful when it’s all said and done here. A lot of life lessons can be learned on the wrestling mat and from all the trials and tribulations you go through.

Q: Tell us about the road to the 2022–23 championship and what it felt like to win the title.

A: It was Augsburg men’s wrestling’s 14th NCAA championship, but none of the wrestlers on this team had been part of a team championship before. We won nationals in 2019, before any of this crew were at Augsburg. We were heavy favorites in 2020, but the championships were canceled due to COVID-19. The night before the championships, we were actually already down in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, when the cancellation decision was announced.

This year’s senior class in particular went through so much because the wrestling experience looked so different during online learning. That was by far the most challenging time of my coaching career—trying to help student-athletes understand that we were going to get back to more normal things. We were going to be able to wrestle, but it seemed like that was never coming. For those guys to finish with that national championship experience, it was really gratifying. They’ll have that the rest of their life.

For me personally, this was my first year as the sole head coach. Those moments with the parents and the student-athletes talking about everything being worth it—those are the coolest moments. Obviously, winning the matches, sure. But I think it’s the senior speeches. At nationals, we have all the student-athletes who wrestled get up on a chair and hold the trophy and just say a few thank yous. Sometimes the speeches are kind of unscripted and unprompted, and it’s fun to see the appreciation these student-athletes have for everything that goes into it and the men they become.

 

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It’s later in the evening, but Augsburg physician assistant student Alyssa Raiolo ’23 happily takes the time to journal. Gratitude flows into her as she reflects on the experiences of her recent days.

There was her medical preceptor’s hospitality and generosity, going above and beyond the normal requirements of simply supervising a student; the preceptor took steps to make Raiolo feel comfortable as she settled into her five-week clinical rotation in Crookston, Minnesota.

There were the times she directly assisted during surgeries and other procedures, opportunities rarely afforded to a rotating PA student at busier clinics where medical residents and others are well ahead on the priority list.

There were the conversations with her preceptor, who took the time and care to truly walk through an experience they just had with a patient to help Raiolo learn as much as she could from it.

“Learning from someone who has been doing this forever, you can’t put a price on that. It’s just the best,” Raiolo says. “To have the space and time for these experiences, they’re only available because I’m out here in Crookston. It’s priceless.”

It’s no coincidence that one of Raiolo’s rotations as a student in the Augsburg PA program brought her to Crookston, a town of about 7,500 people nearly 300 miles northwest of Augsburg’s Minneapolis campus. It’s one of several rural and underserved communities where Augsburg is working to get students into clinical rotations. These foundational blocks in building true partnerships give students invaluable experiences and serve communities where there is a shortage of health care providers.

“Our president, Paul Pribbenow, has the saying of, ‘Show up and do the work.’ This is us truly doing that,” says Associate Professor Vanessa Bester, the PA program’s director since 2021. She says the program is committed to establishing long-term partnerships with clinics and giving students experiences with the barriers to health care across various communities.

Augsburg’s ability to do that work got a major boost earlier this year when the university secured a $300,000 health equity grant from the Minnesota Department of Health to train students to practice in rural and underserved communities, including through telehealth services. The money helps students pay for transportation and cost of living expenses so they can spend more time living and working in these communities. The grant also funds Augsburg faculty and staff taking time to build stronger relationships and partnership models with medical providers.

“How do we prepare health care provider partners to train our students and to get what they need out of these programs? We’re not swooping in once a year with five students. There’s continuously someone from Augsburg,” Bester says. “It’s really about the long game and building those relationships and trust. … The more trust a community has in you, the more you’re welcome and able to contribute.”

While the grant was obtained by the PA program, it’s also being used to help train students in Augsburg’s nursing, social work, music therapy, and clinical psychology graduate programs. That means Augsburg students are going into communities with a foundation of holistic care built across those programs, and they’re using their experiences to, as Bester says, “continue growing into change agents, recognizing barriers to health care, and helping build a better system.”

“Augsburg’s health programs are really a powerhouse working together; the model of collaboration is really powerful and wonderful,” Bester adds. “There’s this concept of collaborative care that we develop in our students where we work together as a team, support that team-based care, and see that outcomes are so much better.”

Getting students where they’re needed

Well-documented and discouraging health disparities persist in many rural and underserved communities across Minnesota and the United States. (Health disparities refer to differences in health status compared to the overall population, such as higher rates of disease, disability, chronic pain, and mortality.) Perhaps no number paints the contrast more painfully than the harsh gap in life expectancy: , life expectancy in 2019 for rural men and women was nearly three years less than their urban counterparts across the U.S.

Access to health care is a challenge for many rural populations. Although about one in five people in the U.S. live in rural areas, less than 10% of physicians practice there, . Beyond that, nearly 150 rural hospitals have closed since 2010, in part due to staffing shortages.

Those shortages are a key part of why getting Augsburg students into rural clinics and hospitals is so important, Bester says.

“We want to build relationships with our partners so the community is part of the students’ training. Does that guarantee they’ll go practice there after graduation? Not necessarily, but the level of autonomy and feeling of connection may draw students back to rural communities when they are making that decision of where to work,” she says, adding that the PA program has seen success in retention with its clinical partners in Little Falls, Minnesota. The $300,000 grant starting this year builds on the work of a previous grant that helped fund the development of a longstanding relationship between Augsburg and CHI-St. Gabriel’s Health in Little Falls.

Raiolo says that despite being “such a city person” growing up, her time in Crookston has dramatically increased her interest in returning to a rural setting to practice medicine, citing the ability to provide holistic care and time to work more consistently with “people as full people.”

“People come from all over the area to get care in Crookston. It’s so nice to get to know the people you’re caring for and understand more fully their way of life and what their experiences are like,” she adds.

PA student Vanessa Amanor ’23 has had similar experiences: Born in Ghana and raised just west of Minneapolis, Amanor says she has been amazed during rotations in underserved communities—more formally identified as federally designated health professional shortage areas—in rural Sherburne and Morrison counties. Smaller clinics that are part of larger health systems often provide student training in and patient access to primary care, behavioral health, and addiction medicine. As a part of her training in clinics outside of St. Cloud and Elk River, Amanor saw the community connections that providers develop and the benefits of continuous care they have with their patients.

“The provider I worked with in St. Cloud delivered a lot of these patients in Little Falls and was their family provider throughout their life, and now they struggle with addiction and he’s their provider (for coping with addiction). It was just this amazing journey,” she says, adding that she’s planning on starting her career in a rural and/or underserved community. “I love the idea of being able to see people throughout their lives and help guide them through things. You build a sense of trust when you’re with them for that period of time and see them that often. I’m looking forward to that.”

‘Grateful for these experiences’

There’s a sense of excitement and gratitude, Bester says, as Augsburg moves through the first of three years with grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Health. It helps to have so much momentum and experience from the initial grant-supported partnership with CHI-St. Gabriel’s in Little Falls, which helped provide a proof of concept for how to match student training directly to addressing health inequities across Minnesota.

Augsburg established from the previous grant a substance use disorder curriculum, so PA students were ready to obtain their Drug Enforcement Administration licensure and could prescribe suboxone to combat opioid dependence. Funding from the new $300,000 grant is helping ramp up training and develop a curriculum for telemedicine that will launch this fall. It is also paying for two telehealth stations on campus for students to practice and meet with patients during their rotations.

“The biggest thing is that funding opportunities like this are so critical to address the disparities going on in our state,” Bester says. “This is an excellent way for us to help facilitate that access and contribute to improving health in all of our state’s communities.”

For Raiolo, getting to see firsthand the issues facing her neighbors in rural and underserved communities has been eye-opening. She knows there’s plenty more to see and a lot more to learn in how she can help create better outcomes for her future patients.

“I’m grateful for these experiences,” she says. “I’ve seen more now of what people experience and understand more of what needs are out here.”

It’s safe to say there are a lot more journal entries in her future.

Top image: Physician’s Assistant Program Director Vanessa Bester takes a visitor’s blood pressure at Augsburg Health Commons. (Photo by Courtney Perry)

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Olivia House ’20 knew something was bubbling up inside of her—something she had to get out.

“Everyone was finally decompressing from a lot of what had happened in 2020, and I just remembered how much we were working as Black designers, and especially as Black femme designers,” said House, a Minneapolis native now living in New York City. “We were constantly working since that summer, whether that was designing handouts and posters, designing curriculum around anti-racist training, and things like that.

“For me personally, I felt like I hadn’t had a chance to take a deep breath and think about my work and the future. I felt like I was just responding to the things happening in Minneapolis and the rest of the world.”

That feeling was the inspiration behind “To Illuminate Abundance,” an art show that House and fellow Augsburg graduate Silent Fox ’18 curated at Augsburg’s Gage and Christensen galleries in the winter and spring of 2023. The show featured the works of nine Black femme artists from the Twin Cities: Ashley Koudou, Kelsi Sharp, Leeya Rose Jackson, Marcia Rowe ’22, Olivia Anizor, Sabrina Peitz, and Terresa Moses, along with the two curators.

“The overall theme of the show was the radical act of joyous making,” House said. “I felt that if I was feeling this way, other Black femme designers in the Twin Cities must be feeling that way as well.”

And House knew just the space for the show.

“The energy around Augsburg is that it’s a community school. It just feels so Minneapolis, and that was really important for the show,” she said. “I definitely wouldn’t have wanted to have this in a super-fancy gallery, because I just don’t feel like that would connect with the theme. I really wanted it to feel like it could be accessed by anyone in the community. I don’t think there are any other gallery spaces that embody that view like Augsburg’s.”

Jenny Wheatley, Augsburg’s coordinator of galleries and exhibitions, agrees that “To Illuminate Abundance” had a lot to offer the community.

“The Augsburg Galleries work to create supportive and meaningful experiences for artists, developing work that serves the Augsburg community, which is a reflection of our broader community,” Wheatley said. “Olivia and Silent exemplified that ethos by providing supportive opportunities for artists to explore what was meaningful to them and share those ideas with an engaged audience.”

Their show garnered a widespread positive response, including from local media such as and .

“Olivia and Silent had a vision to create meaningful connections,” Wheatley said, “and out of that—out of the labor, imagination, and creativity—a successful exhibition was created. That success was certainly measured in the public response to the show, but also in the experience the artists had creating and installing their work together.”

Supporting students and artists

“To Illuminate Abundance” is just one example of the impactful experiences that the Augsburg Galleries strive for. Wheatley approaches her role at the university with a double-pronged focus in mind, making sure her efforts are spent both on students and artists. She employs students as gallery interns, empowering them with the responsibility of a variety of tasks, including maintaining the galleries, installing exhibitions, giving tours, and designing promotional materials for the shows.

“When I train the interns, I tell them that they will do a bit of everything in this job,” Wheatley said. “It is rigorous, physical work. But most of all, they will develop as creative problem solvers. I tell them that I think of each show like a new puzzle that has never been done before. We figure things out as we go, and it’s important that they are part of that process.”

She added that working in tandem with the artists helps demystify the creative process and inspires the student interns’ confidence in their own creative visions. It also helps ensure that the artists feel seen and heard every step along the way.

“If the artist leaves feeling supported and wanting to make again, we have done our part in helping us all be more connected, because that is what it is all about: art as connection,” Wheatley said. “When we better understand ourselves, we better understand each other. When we better understand each other, we tend to be kinder, more caring individuals. Supporting artists, creating experiences for students, fostering connections: that is how I approach my work in the galleries.”

Community connections

In keeping with the goal of strengthening cultural ties to communities around Minneapolis, the Augsburg Galleries have fostered a relationship with Soomaal House of Art, the only Somali artist collective in the United States, located near campus in the Seward neighborhood. The Soomaal Fellowship, which was established in 2018, provides focused support for two artists working in both traditional and new media to collaborate with Augsburg instructors and students over an 18-month process that culminates in a gallery exhibit.

The 2021–22 fellows were photographer and visual artist Yasmin Yassin and poet and visual artist Khadija Charif, who are both based in Minneapolis. They exhibited their work in separate shows at the Gage and Christensen galleries in Fall 2022. Augsburg and Soomaal House will welcome two new fellows into the program this fall.

Charif believes the fellowship will help open the eyes of young Somali artists to the possibilities of making a career out of their art, and she hopes the exhibits at Augsburg were as meaningful to the audience as they were to the artists.

“With Augsburg being an academic space, I hope that students would find anyone’s work, anyone’s craft, anyone’s exhibitions to be of inspiration for them to do something similar—to tell stories, to share narratives, to participate in peeling back the veils of their lives and their thoughts so that others can learn more about them and learn more about their own communities, cultures, and thought processes,” Charif said.

“For myself, it was thrilling,” she added. “It’s one thing to have something in your mind. But it’s another thing when it’s tangible and it’s in a space where other people are seeing your most intimate thoughts.”

She added that the experience also created tendrils that will reach beyond the campus and immediate neighborhood.

“The beautiful thing about this collaboration is that it’s inviting other artists to explore creating their work in academic institutions. After the exhibition, several artists from different backgrounds reached out wondering how they could participate and where they could collaborate with this fellowship and apply,” Charif said. “Some expressed interest in collaborating with students at the university, creating work that advances curiosity and allows the freedom of exploration and experiment.”

It’s another example of how art appreciation is a two-way street, with both the artist and the audience growing from the experience.

“These were moving exhibitions that documented important perspectives and invited audiences into intimate conversations and meditations on human experiences,” Wheatley said of the Soomaal Fellowship exhibits. “It’s the work of the artists that garnered significant attention. And it’s the work of the artists that I believe demonstrates in a meaningful way what the Augsburg Galleries are about.”

House agreed, adding that these unique exhibition spaces combined with the Art and Design Department’s dedicated faculty make Augsburg an ideal destination for young artists.

“All of the professors are so ready to be mentors in a way that’s just really rare,” she said. “I developed a tight relationship with all of them, even some of them who I didn’t have classes with. And it’s a huge advantage to have multiple galleries. Each space is so different and has its own vibe. It’s one of Augsburg’s biggest strengths.”

Top image: Two people view the artwork in the “To Illuminate Abundance” show in the Christensen Art Gallery on Augsburg’s campus. (Photo by Courtney Perry)

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“Our lives are stories, and collectively, those stories make our history,” said Carvajal, who was raised in southern Minnesota.

During her first year at Augsburg, Carvajal enrolled in a history class about Islamophobia. “It was this blend of social justice, reflections of the past, and visioning for the future,” she said. “I never thought history could be so engaging, so alive.”

She signed up for more history classes. “I learned the importance of history and the power that comes with telling it,” she said. “I realized I wanted to dedicate my life to empowering others to tell their story because if you don’t tell your story, others will.”

Through the Augsburg Department of History, Carvajal didn’t simply study history—she created it by researching lost voices and oral histories, including .

“We learned to approach history with action,” Carvajal said. “Instead of focusing on textbooks, we handled primary sources, created historical documents, and helped people share their stories. Learning and telling history creates empathy, understanding, and action.”

Carvajal graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in history. She now works full-time as the bilingual program specialist for Pillsbury United Communities, a network of programs and centers for marginalized groups. In her role, she supports the personal, social, and economic well-being of youth in Minneapolis’ East Phillips neighborhood.

“I got a grant through the Minnesota Humanities Center to help middle schoolers capture their own stories and conduct oral histories in their neighborhoods,” she said. “I am teaching these kids the importance of documenting lives, events, and artifacts. I want to excite them about history the way my professors excited me.”

Carvajal is among Augsburg’s thousands of history graduates whose classes challenged them to apply classroom knowledge to relevant projects that connect members of the public with the past. History Professor Michael Lansing says students learn about the past so they can make sense of the present.

“History is not the memorization of facts. History is about reading and writing and thinking,” Lansing said. “We ask careful questions, consider multiple perspectives, and analyze information because history doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. Those who have the skills and knowledge to look back and interpret what was done and why can make more informed decisions about the future.”

Doing history in public

Lansing has engaged students in dozens of public history projects for community partners, including Purple Places: A Digital History Tour of Prince’s Minneapolis and .

In Spring 2023, Lansing worked with a team of students to document the voices and policies of Augsburg during the COVID-19 pandemic. The course, Doing History in Public, is a 4-credit class open to all majors interested in practicing historical methods for non-academic audiences.

Since this course’s inception in 2009, students have contributed to or created oral histories, archives, exhibits, digital history experiences, historic preservation, and more. In 2019, the class—taught each spring—became a required course for all history majors. “That move,” Lansing said, “demonstrates Augsburg’s pledge to a practical, relevant education.”

Last semester’s COVID-19 focus emerged from a conversation with Mike Bloomberg, a digital and research services librarian at Augsburg. Bloomberg said he was reviewing the university’s archives from the 1918 influenza pandemic and found “almost nothing, other than a few articles in The Echo student newspaper and a report that the president’s secretary nursed students to health in the gym.”

“When something is negative, we don’t want to linger in it. We want to move on and forget, but it’s important for us to look back and reflect,” Bloomberg said. “I didn’t want us to repeat that history, so I talked with Dr. Lansing about how we could preserve the experiences of our students, faculty, and staff during this time. Had we had more information about the pandemic response in 1918, we might have made some different decisions today.”

Capturing diverse voices

Bloomberg and other library staff worked alongside Lansing and his students to learn how to use recording equipment, identify people to interview, develop questions, and collect artifacts such as masks, documents, and photos.

“The process of collecting and reflecting is healing,” Bloomberg said. “The pandemic changed us in profound ways that we might not realize, and many of us involved in this project—from the students interviewing subjects to the subjects themselves—enjoyed connecting about what happened to us during and because of this time.”

Stewart Van Cleve, associate library director and university archivist, advocates for and supports capturing history at Augsburg. He considers this work a gift to the future.

“I’m looking through the oral histories we have of Augsburg memories, and it’s this gallery of faces of amazing people who have shaped the institution. Many of them are gone, but through these oral histories, they can talk to us across time, which is truly a miracle,” he said. “My goal is to ensure our community has a sense of belonging and connection to the institution, this legacy that is something greater than any of us could be on our own.”

Carvajal said she and her peers felt that connection with the people they featured in the COVID oral history project. She interviewed Dorris Carter-Murray, a custodian at Augsburg, to reflect on the time and energy it took to maintain a clean and safe campus through an uncertain, menacing time.

“Dorris was an important voice to hear,” Carvajal said. “She was on the front lines during the pandemic, and she worked extremely hard to make sure we all stayed safe. It’s easy for people in her role to feel invisible or even looked down on, but it was encouraging to hear that she felt really supported and seen at Augsburg.”

Nell Matheny ’23 interviewed �̲�ֱ�� President Paul Pribbenow. An aspiring museum professional, Matheny said learning to make history engaging and relevant will inform their career. The COVID project compelled them to consider how the pandemic affected others.

“COVID impacted me quite a bit. I had to switch schools and move back home,” said the history major from Maplewood, Minnesota. “It was interesting to see the institutional side of things and how others dealt with such challenges and chaos.”

Matheny and Pribbenow talked at length about the complexity of the leadership challenges Augsburg administrators faced with limited information. Pribbenow hopes people who see his COVID-19 oral history interview appreciate the genuine effort he and his staff took to make sound decisions.

“I found the history project interview to be a little jarring as I realized how much of the pandemic was a bit of a blur for me,” Pribbenow said. “I sometimes had trouble remembering exactly when we made certain decisions as the years blended in my memory. I hope that the combination of perspectives included in the oral history will ensure that there is an accurate picture of what we did and when.”

Matheny and their peers focused on oral histories to capture details and perspectives that might otherwise be overlooked or lost in the gathering of artifacts, data, and documents. Hearing someone’s voice, Matheny added, completes the story.

�̲�ֱ�� Pastor Babette Chatman ’06 was also among the voices in the COVID-19 oral history project. She was eager to share her perspectives as an essential worker and Black woman walking alongside people, particularly the most vulnerable.

“There is a move in this country to be selective about what history and whose history is told, so it’s important to engage and excite people about documenting history,” said Chatman. “During the interview, I recalled a story about meeting with students over Zoom. I promised them that if they did not give up, I would be there when they walked across the stage at Commencement 2023, and I was.”

Walking people through history

The COVID-19 oral history project is one of several produced through the university archives. Oral histories of Muslims in Minnesota, graduate memories, and the Health Commons are among those available online, alongside the archive’s collections of yearbooks, alumni magazines, photographs, and more.

Many of the students and professors who worked on those projects have also contributed to , a collection of stories and virtual tours that explore thought-provoking topics such as racial and ethnic tensions during Minnesota’s suffrage movement and the history of Minneapolis’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood. These interactive experiences involved collaborations with other programs across campus, including information technology and graphic design.

History Department Chair Jacqueline deVries is among the faculty who have led these dynamic projects. In Spring 2020, she and eight students persisted through the pandemic shutdown to gather photos and stories about the women’s suffrage movement in Minnesota. They collaborated with the Hennepin History Museum to create “Votes for Women,” a digital walking tour that invites people to walk in the footsteps of women activists and reformers more than 100 years ago, remembering the 1920 passage of the 19th Amendment.

DeVries is working with students to finalize a digi-tour to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Hennepin Theatre Trust. The tour weaves stories, photos, and audio into a walking tour that explores the history of theater in Minneapolis.

“This type of work really stretches students,” deVries said. “They have to do a lot of original scholarship with primary sources and then also consider what people want to know and learn. They have to think spatially about how to develop a walking tour, and then they have to engage with technology to produce it.

“Students are looking for meaning and purpose and significance, and having a real audience heightens students’ engagement,” deVries said.

Carvajal said these hands-on experiences are what led her to realize her passionate purpose, and Lansing said hearing this and other stories motivates his department to continue to teach beyond the classroom.

“We are driven to nurture students to be informed citizens, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders and to help them find a vocation where their talents meet the world’s needs,” Lansing said. “History is woven into every aspect of our lives, and it’s encouraging to see so many students get excited about history’s application in their lives.”

Possibilities of the past

Nick Stewart-Bloch ’17 reflects the power and potential of a history degree from Augsburg. During his sophomore year, the double major in history and international relations collaborated with deVries to research the civic agency of Jewish women in interwar Great Britain. That experience led to a legislative internship followed by contributions to , which documents the history of racial segregation in Minneapolis through oral histories and engaging visual maps online.

After graduating, Stewart-Bloch moved to China to teach English and host international conferences before returning to Minneapolis to serve as a case manager for Agate Housing, where he mediated conflicts between property managers and tenants.

“When I worked with unhoused folks, my experience at Augsburg helped me understand inequalities as well as what a more just city and more just policies can look like,” he said. “The university’s commitment to applied learning that is community-based and geared toward social justice is how I want to practice. Public history helps explain where we are today and hopefully makes us more aware of how our decisions create the kind of society we want.”

In 2021, Stewart-Bloch moved to Los Angeles to pursue a master’s degree in urban and regional planning at the University of California. The Minnesota native hopes to support labor and environmental justice movements as a strategic researcher.

“The training and ideas I gained at Augsburg have set me up to look at urban planning more critically,” he said. “It makes me want to engage with it in a way that redresses the wrongs committed by past planners.”

Lansing easily recalled the names of other graduates who are applying their history degrees in a range of fields. He and his colleagues in the history department regularly invite alumni and community members to speak to and partner with classes.

“Connecting students with professionals facilitates conversations with people actually doing this work and using these skills in a variety of venues,” Lansing said. “These interactions inspire my students but also lead to internships and future jobs. Our collaborative work is building bridges.”

Top image: Jacqueline deVries, Stewart Van Cleve, Mike Bloomberg, and Michael Lansing hold a COVID-19 distancing floor sticker used at Augsburg, now filed in the university archives. (Photo by Courtney Perry)

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Earlier this year, George Dierberger was appointed the inaugural Thomas ’72 and Karen Howe Endowed Professor for Entrepreneurship. The Howe professorship was established in 2022 to strengthen Augsburg’s business department and inspire innovation and leadership. Dierberger spent 25 years in a variety of leadership positions at 3M and continues to consult for entrepreneurial organizations. As director of Augsburg’s Master’s of Business Administration program, he oversees MBA field projects that include writing strategic plans for Fortune 500 companies, Mayo Clinic, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits. He was a 2022 Fulbright Scholar in Letterkenny, Ireland.

In May, Rachel Bergman was named the inaugural Leland B. Sateren ’35 Professor and Endowed Chair of Music. The Sateren chair was established in 2022 to advance the Department of Music’s commitments to inclusion, access, equity, and belonging, and to serve as a local and national spokesperson for the department’s distinctive programs and learning opportunities.

An active flutist and advocate of new music, Bergman previously served as director of academic initiatives and arts outreach, dean of visual and performing arts, and dean of online learning at Sheridan College in northern Wyoming. She also previously served as associate professor of music theory and director of graduate studies for the School of Music at George Mason University. In addition to teaching, Bergman researches, promotes, and performs contemporary works for flute in solo and chamber settings.

At its January meeting, the Board of Regents approved staff emeritus status for Lawrence Handsuch, who served as the university locksmith for more than 40 years until his retirement. At its May meeting, the board approved faculty emeritus status for David Apolloni, associate professor of philosophy, and faculty emerita status for Joan Kunz, professor of chemistry. The board also recognized the distinguished contributions of three regents completing their final term of service: Karen Durant ’81, Matt Entenza, and Jeff Nodland ’77.

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1975

Dan Bruss ’75 received the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award from Bethany Lutheran College, where he is president emeritus. Bruss is credited with leading the college’s transition to a four-year, bachelor’s degree–granting institution during his tenure as president.

1976

Larry Morgan ’76 was presented with the Minnesota Society of CPAs’ Friend of the Association Award at their annual meeting for his help to organization members over the past 10 years. Earlier he was presented with the Lifetime Recognition Award by the Twin Cities Compensation Network. He also served on the Carlson School of Management HR/IR Alumni Board of Directors.

1980s

1983

Luverne Seifert ’83 performed the roles of Papa and Warren T. Rat in the world premiere of “An American Tail the Musical” at the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis. The show was covered in the May 21 New York Times article, “.”

1985

In January, Ron Huemoeller ’85 was appointed as chief executive officer for Saras Micro Devices, a provider of advanced power delivery solutions for high-performance semiconductor devices.

1989

Stephen A. Hindle ’89 is regional vice president (Asia) of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Deutsche Bank. His work is based in Singapore.

1990s

1991

Bill Koschak ’91 was appointed to the advisory board of Reborn Coffee Inc., a California-based retailer of specialty coffee. He is chief financial officer of Calyxt, a plant-based synthetic biotechnology company.

1992

Sven Erlandson ’92, founder of Badass Counseling, was the guest on of the Good Athlete Podcast, released on January 31.

Carol Gronner ’92 is co-producer of “Unzipped: An Autopsy of American Inequality.”  The documentary focuses on the homelessness epidemic in Los Angeles and the United States and the efforts to enshrine affordable housing as a human right.

1993

Darin Olien ’93, a plant-based exotic superfoods hunter and founder of 121 Tribe, is the TV host on the Netflix docu-series “Down to Earth With Zac Efron.” He also recently co-founded Barukas, offering a super nut from Brazil.

1995

Dave Kerkvliet ’95 was recently named superintendent at Sebeka Public School in Sebeka, Minnesota. He was previously band director at the school for 27 years.

1998

Ryan Aytay ’98 has been named chief executive officer of Tableau Software. He had previously been serving as Tableau’s president and chief revenue officer and retains his role of president along with his new role as CEO.

Matt Osberg ’98 was named chief financial officer and executive vice president of Apogee Enterprises.

1999

Jennifer Grimm ’99 is the new music director of Crooners Supper Club in Fridley, Minnesota.

2000s

Ross Murray ’00, ’09 MBA and Richard Garnett ’07, ’09 MBA received extensive media attention for their hats piled high with flowers at the New York City Easter parade, including on the front page of the . Murray is author of the newly published book, “The Everyday Advocate: Living Out Your Calling to Social Justice.”

Miriam Zien-Edgar ’06, Kou Lee ’11, ’19 MAE, and Tim Binger ’11, ’21 MAL took the St. Louis Park (Minnesota) High School orchestra to San Diego, running into fellow orchestra alum Suzanne Jokela ’08 along the way. Lee is the St. Louis Park middle school and high school orchestra director, a role that Zien-Edgar held from 2010 to 2018. Binger is the St. Louis Park elementary orchestra director.

2006

Brooke Hamann ’06 and her father were the subjects of the April 14 article, in the Perham Focus newspaper.

2007

Rachel Engstrom ’07 earned a doctorate in educational leadership from the University of St. Thomas in 2021. She is co-chair of Minnesota’s Behavioral Health Planning Committee and chair of the Governance Committee for the Pro-Choice Minnesota board. She’s also applying to law school.

Erik Steen Hinderlie ’07 graduated from the University of Massachusetts—Boston with a Master of Science in urban planning and community development. He was the recipient of the Urban Planning and Community Development Graduate Program Director’s Award for Excellence for his public service in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Brad Wise ’07 was recently sworn in as sheriff of Anoka County, Minnesota. Previously he served as the Coon Rapids police chief.

2008

Alyssa (Baumann) Ryder ’08 was promoted to senior police crime and intelligence analyst with the Duluth (Minnesota) Police Department in 2022. She also received her subject matter expert certification in call detail record and geolocation analysis.

2009

On March 19, Kyle Soderberg ’09 was ordained as deacon of outreach and organizational development at Nativity Lutheran Church in St. Anthony, Minnesota.

2010s

2010

Ryan Barnick ’10 MAE was selected as superintendent of the Zumbrota-Mazeppa School District in Minnesota. Previously he served as a principal with Austin Public Schools.

Chad Leonard ’10 is the new mayor of Amery, Wisconsin. He teaches business for the Osceola School District and served on the city council prior to being elected mayor.

Kelly Roselyne ’10 was promoted to executive director of finance and operations of Terrybear Urns and Memorials.

2011

Elle Thoni ’11 received second place in the Kennedy Center’s Paula Vogel Award in Playwriting competition for their play “Monstrous,” which explores the post-Roe v. Wade era. They are completing an MFA in dramatic writing at Carnegie Mellon University.

Jennifer (Daniels) Umberger ’11 MBA was named vice president of marketing and communications for Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. Previously she was associate vice president of marketing and communications and chief marketing and communications officer at Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania.

2012

Christine (Brenno) Fenner ’12 MBA is a member of a group bringing the Carver County Public Health’s Communities of Belonging initiative to Waconia, Minnesota. Their goal is to work with area residents to create a community where people are truly connected, know each other, and take care of each other.

Vickie (Hargrave) Spyhalski ’12 was appointed minister of First United Methodist Church in Austin, Minnesota.

2013

Maren Daniels ’13 is author and illustrator of “The Elements of Art: An Elementary Art Teacher’s Guide to Color, Shape, Texture & More.” She is an elementary art teacher in South St. Paul Public Schools.

Aimee (Nguyen) Norasingh ’13 MBA was recently welcomed to United Way’s Women United Global Leadership Council. Women United is committed to advancing gender equity and expanding access to quality, affordable, educational childcare. Norasingh is a senior relationship executive with Optum Financial.

2016

Sagal Ali ’16 was one of 20 global leaders included in Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity’s 2023 cohort. Fellows meet in-person and virtually to explore health equity topics, bolster their leadership skills, build a global community, and work with AFHE staff, faculty, and mentors. This year’s fellows were chosen from a pool of more than 400 applicants.

Muna Mohamed ’16 was featured in the May 27 Star Tribune story, “.” Her modest activewear brand, Kalsoni, is now sold by retailers such as REI.

2017

Alexis Halvorson ’17 is head coach of the girls’ lacrosse team at Northfield High School in Northfield, Minnesota.

2019

The novel, “Blue Lake,” by Jeffrey Boldt ’19 MFA received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and won an award for 2022 Best of Indie Press.

2020s

2020

Jojo (Khadijo) Abdi ’20 MFA is teaching screenwriting at Metro State University. She recently served as guest journalist for The Forum on Workplace Inclusion. She also has studio space in Midtown Global Market for a new project based on interviews in the community.

Jimmy Aguilar ’20 is new co-director of diversity and inclusion for AIGA Minnesota, a professional association for people working in the field of design, including graphic design and web design.

2021

Karina Kafka ’21 has made a film called “A Mother’s Love.” This 26-minute documentary focuses on missing and murdered Indigenous women through the story of one mother’s search for her daughter.

Simon Redstone ’21 recently directed a short film called “Sister Diane” and accepted a position working in the film/marketing/advertising industry.

2022

Alexa (Turcios) Carrera ’22, a student in the Master of Science in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy program at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities, was featured in the April 21 University of Minnesota news story, “.”

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We had karaoke at our wedding (2022) and A.J. Bohler ’12 requested and played the Auggie fight song! Many Auggie alumni were at our wedding, and we had a great time shouting the fight song. It was unexpected and very fun. I love my fellow Auggies! —Elisabeth (Clemans) Habisch ’11 via Facebook

I tell people my daughter goes there every chance I get. Maya Merritt ’24 is part of among other things, including band.  —@sweetsoulvinyl via Instagram

Auggie Pride! —Sarah Kyllonen via Instagram

Showing our Auggie colors at every game!!! #WinFromWithin —Krista Santillana via Facebook

This is how I show my Auggie Pride. —Gerald Shepherd Jr. ’24 via Instagram

I try to give back what generosity and support I was given during my academic career. I went from being homeless to being one of three air toxic scientists in the state of Minnesota. Anything is possible! —Derek King ’17 via LinkedIn

My Augsburg education prepared me to take on the world at an international level—Italy just happened to be my first stop. As an alumnus, you learn that one never stops being a responsible leader and thoughtful steward, especially when being introduced to new cultures. —Nathan Olson ’23 via email

Photos of myself and my family spreading the Augsburg brand on Kenyan soil, including proud Auggie Dad at a school function in Kakamega, Kenya. —Brandon Gohole ’25 via Instagram

For more engagement opportunities, Auggie updates, and event highlights, follow us on social media:

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Top image: Auggies cheer at the Homecoming football game, October 2022. (Photo by Courtney Perry)

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