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EX C EL LE N C E
LI B ER A L A R
2020-21
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IS TI A N
ADMINISTRATION Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, president Dr. Pam Homan '81, chief strategy officer & executive vice president Dr. Colin Irvine, provost & executive vice president Shannan Nelson, chief financial officer & executive vice president Pamela Miller '94, chief of staff BOARD OF TRUSTEES Jill Weber Aanenson '93, chair Pat McAdaragh '81, vice chair Melinda Keith Snell '89, secretary Scott Barth '91 Dr. Maria Bell '84 Dennis Bly '94 Greg Daniels '75 Tom Davis '83 Paul Harmel '72 Rickard Hedeby '83 Dr. Gene Hoyme '72 Jillian Klein '01 Cassandra Kranz '16 Dr. Cheryl Leuning '72 Craig Lloyd Lois Martin '85 Ronald Moquist Kevin Nyberg '79 James Odland '77 Dr. Mike Olson '72 Rev. Nyla Schoeld Keith Severson '79 Kathy Walsh Todd Williams '83 DEVELOPMENT OFFICERS Robin Anderson Thormodsgaard Mike Flynn Joel Gackle Jon Mammenga Suzie O'Meara Hernes '97 Paul Rasmussen '03
To view the graditude report and full listing of those who supported Augustana University in the 2020-21 Fiscal Year, visit augie.edu/donors.
OUR MISSION
Inspired by Lutheran scholarly tradition and the liberal arts, Augustana provides an education of enduring worth that challenges the intellect, fosters integrity and integrates faith with learning and service in a diverse world.
OUR VALUES
Christian. Liberal Arts. Excellence. Community. Service.
OUR VISION
Augustana University aspires to be one of America’s premier church-related universities.
B ECAUSE OF L OYAL DONORS DEAR DONORS, ALUMNI AND FRIENDS,
Thank you for your generous and loyal support of Augustana’s enduring mission. Because of you, our students receive an education of enduring worth, which prepares them to lead and serve with excellence in an everchanging world. We are pleased to share with you the 2020-21 Augustana University Annual Report. The pages within highlight the significant impact of your generosity. You will read about a young alumna whose life-changing experiences led to landing her dream job; an Augustana couple whose passions for the arts and sciences have been at the heart of their generous giving; and of AU sweethearts who have attracted a community of fans and gifted and raised countless funds, with family and fun at the center of it all. With our Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030 road map as our trusted guide, we made significant progress toward our goals this year. The support of more than 3,500 donors who gave a total of $10,724,867 in cash gifts to sustain our mission-critical priorities made it possible for us to provide the exceptional academic and student life experience our students expect and deserve. We are deeply grateful for you. We hope you enjoy reading these stories, which demonstrate the impact of Augustana, made possible through your generosity. Thank you for being bold with Augustana! Sincerely,
Pamela J. (Pam) Homan ’81, Ed.D.
Chief Strategy Officer & Executive Vice President Augustana University
Annual Report 2020-21
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A LASTING LEGACY: Alumni Deliver Family, Fans, Fundraising and Fun to Augustana
Jim '72 and Carol (Saltee) Oakland '71 | BY JILL WILSON
T
here have been many alumni who have met one another and fallen in love at Augustana, who got married and led successful careers. However, few have accomplished so much apart yet complement one another like James (Jim) ‘72 and Carol (Saltee) Oakland ‘71. And, lucky for AU, the power couple has attracted a community of fans, given and raised countless amounts of funds and recruited family members to attend the university. All of these things, separate and together, have left a lasting legacy — not just in the center of the city, but throughout the community.
THE FUNDRAISING, FANS AND FUN
Carol, who grew up on a farm near Canby, Minnesota, said her story at Augustana began between her junior and senior years of high school when her family went on a Lutheran college tour. “My dad was fond of saying that once I had been to Augustana, I didn’t want to hear about any other college. Coming to Augie was a major decision in my life,” said Carol. While at Augustana, Carol majored in biology, minored in chemistry and English and earned her secondary education certification. The biology lab, where she worked as a lab assistant, is where she met her husband, Jim — a Viborg, South Dakota, native who also majored in biology and chemistry. “One thing led to another and I asked her out. We were engaged six months later, so that worked out well,” said Jim. The two wed two days before Carol graduated from Augustana. Jim had another year left in school so they were living in married student housing when Carol landed her first job teaching in Garretson, South Dakota. Her second teaching position was in McCook Lake, South Dakota, while Jim attended medical school in Vermillion. 2
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Annual Report 2020-21
He was part of the last 2-year class at the University of South Dakota (USD) in which students had to transfer to a larger medical center to finish their degrees. That led to Carol teaching in Richmond, until Jim graduated from the Medical College of Virginia (VCU) in 1976. “Those are the only four years we haven’t lived in Sioux Falls. I never thought twice about not living forever in Sioux Falls. I loved it,” Jim said. When the two returned to Sioux Falls in 1976, Jim started a family practice residency at the same time their first child, Kristin, was born. Carol filled in teaching at O’Gorman High School and was then a part-time instructor at Augustana — directing first-year students in the biology lab. In the fall of 1985, she was offered the position of Augustana’s director of athletic development — a position she held for 17 years. “There were no women in fundraising at Augie,” said Carol. “When I went to my first athletic fundraising conference in 1986, I believe there were three women and 70 men, who were pretty much all former coaches.” In that role, Carol started Augustana’s Athletics Auction in 1987. Over the years, it grew in the number of people who attended and funds raised. In its first year, the auction raised $18,000. The last one she organized raised about $80,000. In 1993, she was also a part of establishing the Augustana/Sam Milanovich Golf Tournament, also known as “The Sammy.” The tournament, which honors the legacy of the late Sam Milanovich, is still one of the highlights of the summer for many. “Athletic fundraising is a wonderful way to bring the college to the community or get the community involved in the life of the institution. I was not afraid of picking up the phone and calling people. The business community, in particular, was responsive to the corporate sponsorship kinds of programs that I put together,” said Carol. “Just being out and encouraging people to attend our games and doing things to promote students coming in ... it
made the college more a part of the community. Many alumni and friends of the institution joined in supporting scholarships for student-athletes and coming to our games, as well. “My greatest sense of pride was in promoting the institution. I was able to bring that fun of athletics, and corresponding dollars to the institution. Through the years, I was fortunate to work with dedicated volunteers, including Jim, on annual membership campaigns, auctions and The Sammy golf tournaments. I also worked closely with Bill Gross, the (former) athletic director.” Before she retired from Augustana in 2002, Carol was also the president of the National Association of Athletic Development Directors (NAADD) during the 2000-01 Academic Year. Among the members of the national organization, she was the only one from a Division II program. “I never thought of myself as having a less prestigious position than any of the Division I people. I learned a lot of things from those guys, and I learned it’s just a decimal point — the amount of money they had to raise. I had to raise a fraction of what they did, but they had more staff. It was great fun to know people from all across the country,” recalled Carol. Jim practiced at Family Practice Physicians (now Sanford Family Medicine) for 25 years. As part of that experience, he and his partners provided coverage for Augustana football and basketball games. “Every other Friday, our children were out of school early to hit the road in the North Central Conference (NCC) for games,” Jim added. He retired from clinical medicine in 2001, due to the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. He served as a part-time administrator at Sanford until 2015. Over the course of his long and successful career as a physician, he delivered approximately 1,000 babies, and took care of them as they grew up, along with their families.
THE FAMILY
The Oaklands’ love for Sioux Falls and Augustana also rubbed off on their children. Both their parents’ ties and their own experiences at AU led Kristin (Oakland) Canfield ‘99 and Dr. Jeff Oakland ‘02 to fall in love with the blue and gold. “They were going to games when they were a year old, so they have been around Augustana their entire lives,” said Carol. Just like their parents, Canfield and Oakland majored in biology. Canfield went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in nursing from South Dakota State University (SDSU) and graduate degree from Mount Marty University (then College). She became a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) at the Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls.
Oakland earned his Doctor of Optometry at the Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago. He joined Dakota Vision Center in 2011, and is also a clinical assistant professor in the Pediatric Department at the USD Sanford School of Medicine. Canfield and Oakland each have two children, and it would be hard to believe they haven’t visited AU a time or two.
THE FUNDS
Aside from fundraising, the Oaklands have contributed countless funds in the form of their own gifts to Augustana. Since 1978, the couple has given year after year to many different areas at Augustana, including The Augustana Fund, Center for Western Studies, Library Associates, Oliver Innovation Fund, as well as to many academic and athletics facilities. They said a big accomplishment for them was helping to make the Elmen Center a reality for students. The contribution they’re most proud of, though, isn’t the largest in size, but the thought behind it. “I think it's probably our first gift,” said Carol. “We both made a $1,000 pledge. That was a very proud moment.” Because at the time, Carol was teaching and Jim was still in residency. Carol remembered it was their advisor in the biology department, Dr. Sven Froiland, who came to talk to them about giving. “I think philanthropy has to be taught or learned. It isn’t something that people come by naturally and I think we grew up in families where our parents supported their church and community. We learned the spirit of giving,” said Carol. Jim joked that since retirement, they haven’t missed a step and are now instead working for free — mostly participating in volunteer work. Carol served 10 years on the Board of the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, and a year as president. She was the congregational president of the couple’s church, Our Savior’s Lutheran, and the two successfully co-chaired its capital campaign for a $12 million expansion in 2007. Viking Days 2021 marked Carol’s 50th reunion at Augustana, and to no one’s surprise, she served as her class agent. The Class of 1971 exceeded their fundraising goal and established an endowed scholarship fund to support students for years to come. Next year, they’ll be heavily involved in planning Jim’s 50th reunion as well. After all, they hardly miss Viking Days, and they continue to get together with treasured Augustana friends. “It’s just pride in the institution,” said Carol. “I’m proud of what the results are, proud of the students who attend and proud of the faculty and staff. I think all of those things are why we continue to believe in Augustana, to care about it and we’re fortunate that we’re able to support it.” Annual Report 2020-21
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2020-21 FINANCIAL OVERVIEW
SUPPORT
Thank you for investing in the university's future and ensuring an Augustana education remains within reach for the passionate, talented and deserving students we serve. Please consider making a gift today. Visit augie.edu/giving for more information.
Foundations
Friends/Faculty & Staff
14%
(current & former)
19%
Business/ Corporations/ Organizations
% OF DOLLARS RECEIVED BY SOURCE
Parents
(current & former)
3%
Church & Religious Organizations
31%
<1%
Alumni
REVENUE
32%
ANNUAL REVENUE as of July 31, 2021 (unaudited)
$84,678,731 Total Revenue
$24,420,720
$27,974,370
NET INVESTMENT INCOME & GAIN
NET TUITION
$8,099,726 AUXILIARY INCOME
$21,633,750
$2,550,165
EXPENSE
GIFTS, GRANTS & CONTRACTS
ANNUAL EXPENSE as of July 31, 2021 (unaudited)
$51,105,331
$8,699,446
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT
$22,487,148 INSTRUCTION
Total Expense
$3,974,087
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
$6,081,991
STUDENT SERVICES
$6,811,036
AUXILIARY ENTERPRISES
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OTHER INCOME
Annual Report 2020-21
$1,761,294
PUBLIC SERVICE
$1,290,329 RESEARCH
Capital
CASH GIFT SUPPORT BY TYPE & VALUE (including planned gifts)
$2,503,391
Restricted
$10,724,867
$2,936,787
Endowment
$991,999
New Planned Gifts
$1,486,369
other Annual Fund &unrestricted
Total Support
ENDOWMENT MARKET VALUE as of July 31, 2021 (unaudited)
ASSET ALLOCATION as of July 31, 2021 (unaudited)
120M
20%
100M
FIXED INCOME
80M 60M
65%
40M
EQUITIES
15%
ENDOWMENT
$2,806,321
REAL ESTATE
20M 0
2017
2018
2020
2019
ORIGINAL GIFT
2021
MARKET INCREASE
ENDOWMENT IMPACT 2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
$1,942,263
$2,075,691
$2,207,329
$2,296,886
$2,571,035
$1,425,563
$1,588,201
$1,627,460
$1,868,528
$1,847,499
annual distribution total
annual distribution total
annual distribution total
SCHOLARSHIPS
OTHER
$3,367,826
SCHOLARSHIPS
OTHER
$3,663,892
SCHOLARSHIPS
OTHER
$3,834,789
SCHOLARSHIPS
OTHER
annual distribution total
$4,165,414
SCHOLARSHIPS
OTHER
annual distribution total
$4,418,534 Annual Report 2020-21
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THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT:
Little Things Lead Alumna to AU and Dream Job Sara Waldner '19 | BY KEELEY MEIER ‘20
S
ara Waldner ‘19 had just paid her housing deposit to attend South Dakota State University (SDSU) when she got a call from Thad Titze ‘13. After she hung up the phone with the now former Augustana admission counselor, the Hartford, South Dakota, native was a Viking. “Thad was a hugely instrumental person in my life, whether he recognizes the significance of that or not. Honestly, without him, I would not be where I am today,” Waldner said. It wasn’t just Titze who led her to Augustana, though. Waldner’s path to AU is similar to her mother’s. Anna (Smith) Waldner ‘93 began her college career at SDSU as a non-traditional nursing student, but after meeting with admission counselors at Augustana, she knew she had found a new home. “If those admission counselors hadn’t been around, and if my mom hadn’t gone to Augie, who knows where I would be?” Waldner wondered. “All these things are like the butterfly effect.” Augustana donors are another reason Waldner, a communication/business and media studies double major, chose the university. Through the Distinguished Scholars Program, additional endowed scholarships and some outside awards, Waldner financed her first year of college without student loans. “That was a huge selling point,” Waldner said. “I could get a world-class education and have unique study abroad opportunities during January Interim because I had those scholarship dollars that helped me to do so.” Studying away brought life-changing experiences for Waldner, who studied in Barcelona, Spain, during spring break of her first year, and in London, England, during J-Term her senior year. In London, the Brexit course provided her a hands-on learning experience, and she even completed her Civitas Honors Program project as a result.
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Waldner also received experiential learning opportunities through her involvement with Augustana’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) — serving as an account executive and vice president for engagement. “With PRSSA’s annual trip to Minneapolis, where we toured different PR agencies, I knew I wanted to work at an agency someday,” Waldner said. “Having that exposure to different types of agencies throughout the Twin Cities and in Sioux Falls was really key to knowing I was interested in different areas of marketing and different types of roles.” One of those roles included wedding planning with Serendipitous Events, an internship Waldner scored the summer prior to her senior year. Her internship led to her role as an independent contractor with the company — planning 11 weddings the first six months after graduating from Augustana. Waldner even planned the wedding for Titze and his wife, Madeleine Ellis, former director of undergraduate enrollment of Augustana. Waldner got the ultimate opportunity, however, from an internship with Lawrence & Schiller, a marketing and advertising agency in Sioux Falls, right out of college. After interning from June to November of 2019, Waldner was hired as an associate account executive. “Account service is the relationship between the client and the agency,” said Waldner. “ We're the ones who are leading all the meetings, setting the strategy and next
steps, as well as making sure everything that happens is delivered to the client’s expectations. That was something that I had experienced in PRSSA, and I felt well prepared to take that role. “It all worked out,” Waldner said of her life postgraduation. "I was at this time in my life where I truly didn’t know what was supposed to be next, and there were all these confusing things going on — with graduating and leaving all these friends that I made, but it just fell into place.” Waldner acknowledged the role that Augustana played in shaping her life. “I grew as a person at Augie because I came to see things from different perspectives,” Waldner said. “I think with the liberal arts education, you get such a well-rounded viewpoint of life; it's not ever just black and white. Being in classes with people who were very different from me and from different backgrounds allowed me to have those discussions.” Waldner attributes these experiences back to the scholarships that allowed her and her peers to attend AU. “I have never met a single person at Augie who wasn't getting scholarships from the university, and that didn't have the best experience of their life,” she said. “I am forever indebted to scholarship donors and the people who allowed me to have this experience because I would not be here today without it.”
I AM FOREVER INDEBTED TO SCHOLARSHIP DONORS AND THE PEOPLE WHO ALLOWED ME TO HAVE THIS EXPERIENCE BECAUSE I WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY WITHOUT IT.”
Waldner walks down Abbey Road with Shelbi Gross '17 during her J-Term trip to London, England.
Waldner poses in front of the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, where her Brexit J-Term class traveled for a day trip.
Annual Report 2020-21
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A HEART FOR THE ARTS AND SCIENCES: Alumni Continue to Give Where They are Most Passionate
Dr. Greg '74 and Karen (Devick) Schultz '75 | BY JILL WILSON
W
hile former Board of Trustees member Dr. Greg Schultz ‘74, and his wife, Karen (Devick) Schultz ‘75, have given to many of Augustana University’s endeavors throughout the years, there’s no doubt that their true passions have never wavered — their hearts still resting in the same places as when they left college. Karen Schultz grew up in Sioux Falls. Her parents were both Augustana graduates — her mother, an art major and Augustana faculty member, and her father, a physician. She is one of five children, four of whom graduated from Augustana. Her identical twin majored in biology and chemistry and eventually became a physician as well. As for Karen, she was a music major and earned her master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She later stayed home to raise the couple’s three children, one also an Augustana 2010 graduate. When their kids went to college, Schultz returned to work as a volunteer teacher in the piano lab at First Lutheran Church until a few years ago when she retired. Greg Schultz, originally from Madison, South Dakota, double majored in biology and chemistry while at Augustana. Schultz was the first trained certified vascular surgeon in the region, and still today, is dedicated to providing stateof-the-art vascular care to his patients at Sanford Vascular Associates. Among several other awards, Schultz recently earned the distinction of the Marquis Who’s Who — celebrated for his dedication to the field of medicine. “My wife and I benefited from the tremendous Augustana educational experience. In my liberal arts education, I truly learned how to learn and that prepared me well for the field of medicine in that physicians are indeed perpetual students,” said Greg. For this reason, the Schultzes have contributed millions of dollars to the university. To name a few, they’ve donated to athletics, the Library Associates, Center for Western Studies, Augustana Fund and construction of the Madsen Social Science Center. Naturally though, most of their gifts have centered around the fields of arts and sciences at 8
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Annual Report 2020-21
Augustana. Their contributions helped build the Froiland Science Complex and what is now the Center for Visual Arts. Thanks to their generosity, the Dr. Arlen Viste Endowed Faculty Fund was also established and the Augustana Chapel’s tracker pipe organ restored. While the couple left campus more than four decades ago to serve their family, church, professions and community, they remain tightly woven into the fabric of the university. Just this spring, along with a grant from the Oliver Innovation Fund, the Schultzes contributed the remaining dollars needed to purchase a virtual cadaver table — one of only two known Anatomage Virtual Cadaver tables in South Dakota and one of only a few in the region. “As someone who has gained so much from the educational experience at Augustana, it made a great deal of sense to gift this educational tool that might stimulate the exceptional faculty and excite the gifted students of Augustana,” Greg said. The Anatomage table is state-of-the-art technology that allows students to explore, discover and study the human body. The Anatomage table allows people to visualize human and/or animal anatomy at the highest level of accuracy. “The technology is intriguing,” Karen said. “I always enjoyed technology and working with computers, with the SMART board. This virtual cadaver is like a SMART board ... on steroids. I mean, really, an amazing tool.” “I have not seen it anywhere,” said Greg. “When we were granted the opportunity to go and experience it, I thought it was amazing. I just reflect on how we continue to learn differently. When I initially started my medical training, there were no CAT Scans, there were no MRIs and, now, we are learning virtually.” With the virtual cadaver table delivered to campus just this past summer, faculty say they will keep working with the technology to begin incorporating it into more and more courses; not just anatomy courses, but developmental biology and physiology — just to name a few. “I’m particularly excited that this educational experience can easily be used by other fields of study like physical therapy, athletic training, nursing and even dentistry — fields that had not previously been exposed to cadaver anatomy,” Greg said. “Institutions that fail to embrace these new technological advances are destined to fall behind their peers and lose the interest of aspiring students. It’s my opinion that the best education can be achieved with the use of exciting advanced technologies along with a guiding mentor or professor to assist, stimulate and challenge those trying to learn.” Thanks to the Schultz’s continuous trail of giving, Augustana can continue to embrace new technology — providing great impact for generations of students to come. And, hopefully, they can keep up with Greg.
Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Kevin Natukunda teaches students how to interact with the Anatomage Virtual Cadaver table.
Greg and Karen on Augustana's campus in 1973.
Annual Report 2020-21
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