The Augustana: Winter 2012

AUGUSTANA

The

VOLUME 2

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ISSUE 2

THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF AUGUSTANA COLLEGE

Champions

Winter 2012

VIEW FROM SUMMIT AVENUE

Message from the President As most of you know, the education of young people is an issue that’s close to my heart and one that’s always on my mind. Frankly, it concerns me a great deal – not only as a college president, but also as a parent and, more importantly, as a citizen.

Here in South Dakota, public education is a hot topic indeed. Across our nation, it’s the same story. Following the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, fiscal challenges have pushed many states to chip away at already-slim K-12 and higher education budgets seeking efficiency while simultaneously demanding improvements in effectiveness of educational programming. While the challenge to do more with less is worthy and will always be with us, we must also incorporate the call to provide leadership and sacrifice to resolve this complex challenge and serve young people and our greater society. It will not be a simple fix or it would have already happened. It should also not be haphazard, as the stakes are high.

I believe the bottom line is this: We have a moral responsibility to leave this country a better place than what we found it. That means we need to do all we can to ensure that today’s children receive the kind of education that will push them to question, discuss, explore, seek and find better ways to preserve our environment; guarantee equality; extend life; advocate for humanity; grow our economies; share cultures; and advance technology.

I recently had the chance to read about a fellow named Jack Cassidy, CEO of Cincinnati Bell, a regional provider of phone, internet, wireless and digital television services to consumers and businesses.

After learning about the failings of Taft Information Technology High School, an inner-city school in Cincinnati plagued by low graduation rates and even lower reading and math proficiency scores, Cassidy became one of education’s most unlikely champions. He didn’t have a background in education and certainly didn’t consider himself a scholar. Yet, he decided to do something out of what he called “moral responsibility.”

Out of a mix of civic and corporate duty, he offered up his time and treasure to transform the school saying, “…as a capitalist, I want a return on my investment. Business is the consumer of the product that schools produce…”

As I’ve said many times, I believe education is the best and most lasting stimulus for building our economy and developing a civil society. So, after reading about Cassidy, we began to lay the groundwork for this issue of The Augustana.

Themed “Champions,” this issue celebrates those who, like Cassidy, are champions of education. Some serve the role in the most traditional way – in the classroom – while others, like Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman ‘96, are championing causes related to humanity which, in turn, educate the public about serious issues of civility, morality and equality.

Whether in a classroom, as an administrator, a university president, or on a desert migrant trail, we found a common thread woven among those who are featured in this issue – they care. They care about the future. So, they’re doing all they can to help nurture and support the young people of today – the same individuals who will lead our world tomorrow.

As the issue came together – one question became crystal clear: Do we need the government in order to be morally responsible as citizens?

Could we look within ourselves, as Jack Cassidy did, and invest our own time and treasure to ensure a brighter tomorrow?

I think we can. Do you?

Enjoy this issue!

Yours, for Augustana, Rob Oliver President

Editor’s Note My first gig out of college was working as a features writer for a daily newspaper in central South Dakota.

For a kid in her early 20s, it was a chance to meet people from all walks of life, living in a variety of circumstances, with amazing stories to tell.

The funny thing was, nobody ever thought their own story was amazing – certainly not newspaper worthy, they’d say.

Not so – not so at all, I’d say. Everyone has a story.

Case in point: I once wrote a feature about a guy who was awarded the top sales honor by one of America’s most popular power tool

manufacturers.

His story stretched far beyond why he sold tools for a living.

Same goes for the guy who dug graves for a living; the group of retired men who decided to form a barbershop quartet; and so on.

The reality is, people like to read about other people. We like learning “the stories” of others.

As I write this, the fifth issue of The Augustana, the magazine for alumni and friends of the College, is nearly complete. Soon, she’ll enter the final stages of proofreading and spot checking before she makes her way to the printer and arrives in mailboxes all over the world.

Since the magazine made its debut in November The AUGUSTANA

2010, the feedback we’ve received from readers continues to grow.

Whether it’s an email commenting on a story, a suggestion for a feature, or a note to share news about what you or a classmate are up to, we appreciate hearing from you. If you think your idea is newsworthy but just aren’t sure, follow your gut and send it our way.

Everyone has a story. We’re looking forward to telling yours!

Kelly Sprecher Editor kelly.sprecher@augie.edu

CONTENTS

THE AUGUSTANA The Augustana is published three times per year for alumni and friends of Augustana College by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

In 2010, the year of Augustana’s Sesquicentennial, the magazine was named The Augustana, in honor of the College’s first student newspaper, first published in 1908 in Canton, S.D. The Augustana, as it was then, contained essays, news items, humor pages and articles of general interest.

It aimed to “develop a healthy school spirit, be a true exponent of school life, and be an interesting medium between the school and its friends.” It remained the official publication of the College until 1918.

Send correspondence, name changes and address corrections to: The Augustana, 2001 S. Summit Ave., Sioux Falls, S.D. 57197. Telephone: 605-274-4904.

Visit the magazine online at augie.edu/magazine. Find more news about Augustana at augie.edu.

Editor: Kelly Sprecher Class Notes: Jenny Meiners, Mary Toso, ‘90 Contributors: Rob Oliver, president Bob Preloger, vice president for Marketing and Communications Bruce Conley, Sports Information Robyn Swets ‘07 T.J. Nelson ‘05, Photography Steve Woit, Photography Connect with Augustana! augie.edu/connect

DEPARTMENTS View from Summit Avenue Notes from the Green In the Spotlight Navy & Gold Alumni News Talk From the Huddle

© Augustana College 2012

4. Disorder on the Border Drug smuggling. Human smuggling. Death by dehydration. Welcome to life on the southern border of the U.S. – a place that, according to Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman ‘96 – will continue to exist in a state of crisis if change doesn’t come.

d Augustana 10. The Future of Higher Education As president emeritus of the Association of American Universities, long-time chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and interim president for the University of Oregon, Dr. Robert Berdahl ‘59, is considered among America’s most vocal advocates for higher education.

15. The Standouts This fall, the Augustana community mourned the loss of Dr. Daniel Swets and Professor Emeritus Dick English.

MISSION AND VISION 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 vision: Augustana College aspires to become one of America’s premier church-related colleges.

Augustana is an affirmative action, Title IX, equal opportunity institution.

FEATURES

23. The Power of One Senior Hannah Miller is hoping to change the world, one person at a time. At only 22, she’s gone undercover at South Dakota’s legendary Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to research the extent of human trafficking in the state; and has student-taught elementary school children in Slovakia and Tanzania.

ON THE COVER: Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman ‘96 captured this image of a shirt left behind and displayed in the shape of a cross on the migrant trail between Arizona and Mexico. It illustrates the growing humanitarian and social debate over immigration on the southern border. Read about Skogberg Eastman’s research in “Disorder on the Border” on page 4.

The AUGUSTANA

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National Champions

In November, the Augustana women were crowned NCAA Division II women’s cross country national champions. The Vikings earned the program’s first national title and the school’s second overall team national championship with their stellar performance on Saturday, Nov. 19, in Spokane, Wash.

Pictured above: Head Coach Tracy Hellman; freshman Megan Brown, Sioux Falls, S.D.; junior Annie Pfeifle, Rapid City, S.D.; senior Kelly Kougl, Cheyenne, Wyo.; junior Kyle Blakeslee, Cannon Falls, Minn.; sophomore Kristin Brondbo, Steinkjer, Norway; sophomore Runa Falch, Steinkjer, Norway; junior Leah Hansen, Moorhead, Minn.; and freshman Maddy Jourgenson, Craig, Colo. For more on Kelly Kougl and the Cross Country team, see page 27.

Drug smuggling. Human smuggling. Death by dehydration.

Welcome to life on the southern border of the U.S. – a place that, according to Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman ‘96 – will continue to exist in a state of crisis if change doesn’t come.

It’s why she’s working to end the ...

DISORDER ON THE BORDER

J

A fence separates Nogales, Sonora, Mexico from Nogales, Arizona. Photo by Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman.

ust after sunrise, starry-eyed teenagers, hopeful young mothers and fathers, and desperate old men with bony, calloused hands pile into a rusty, dusty van with dark tinted windows and ripped upholstery at a pick-up stop in Altar, Sonora, Mexico.

They carry a few things – a backpack, a water bottle, a change of clothes, a paperback guide to the English language. From their squished spots inside the vehicle, they watch brown billows of dust blow by as the van rumbles over the rough, unpaved terrain of the Sonoran Desert.

Through the dirt, weaving a path between cactus plants and venomous snakes, the van heads north, toward the border into the United States.

When it reaches the “drop-off” point, the driver slams to a stop and the door slides open. The passengers are ordered to get out and are given directions to the “pick-up” point where they’ll board “the magic bus” – the vehicle that will put their dreams within reach. Their excitement and nervousness is palpable. Soon they’ll be working – they’ll have a decent job that pays enough to send money home – for food, for medicine, for shoes.

As a group, they begin to walk in the direction of the “pick-up” point. They walk for hours, crossing over ranchland, through dusty pastures and beside Gila Monsters and deadly scorpions. Days pass. Their water bottles empty. The snacks they packed inside their backpacks are gone. They are covered in dust. In the sunlight, the temperatures can top 100 degrees and they sweat constantly.

After nightfall, the air turns cold. Shivering, teeth chattering, most walk on. Others stop to rest, losing track of the group.

Most will make it to the pick-up point and make their way into the U.S. Some will not.

At the same time, the rusty, dusty van returns to Altar where it will refuel and re-fill with another group of starry-eyed teenagers, hopeful young mothers and fathers, and desperate old men for another trip north.

This is the troubling and unforgiving cycle of immigration on the border between southern Arizona and Mexico – a harsh stretch of desert where a staggering 250 souls died during 2010 alone. How, where and why foreigners cross the border, or die trying, has ignited a heated debate throughout the U.S., especially among the nation’s border states.

It’s a highly complex issue experts have called mentally draining, socially dividing and financially exhausting – one with no right or wrong answer. Do we have a responsibility to help those in need find a better life?

Or, is our first and foremost responsibility to protect the property, jobs and livelihoods of tax-paying Americans?

Many have simply thrown up their hands, calling the situation hopeless.

But not Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman ‘96.

Decorated coffins line the border between Tijuana, Mexico, and San Diego, Calif.

Photos by Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman.

Skogberg Eastman’s hands are dirty – literally – from countless trips to the desert to research the issues of border control and the social responsibilities of two nations living amid a global financial crisis.

Her goal in doing so, she says, is to open the lines of communication.

“I want to restore dialogue – not just to this debate, but to any contentious issue.

We need to be a more civil society. There’s so much polarization; so much blackwhite. That leaves no room for discussion.

The truth is, there is no one right answer.

There are a myriad of problems and we need a myriad of solutions. To find them, we need cooperative dialogue,” she says.

Her recent book, “Shaping the Immigration Debate, Contending Civil Societies on the U.S.-Mexico Border,” seeks to create that dialogue. It is dedicated to “those who have lost their lives crossing borders and [to] those who have dedicated their lives to making a difference on this complex issue.”

By the Grace of God From her research, Skogberg Eastman comes across as a tough debater; a nononsense critic of sensationalistic journalists who have “lost their way” as watchdogs for the public. Her arguments paint her as a citizen journalist who follows the footprints of migrant immigrants and talks at length with border-patrolling, camouflage-clad officers from the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps in an effort to get the “real story” in order to share it with others.

In person, Skogberg Eastman is a petite, 38-year-old mother of two. She speaks with a soft, rolling voice and offers the kind of genuine handshake that comes from growing up in Belle Fourche, S.D. 6

She is part renegade-advocate, part compassionate-citizen. And at the heart of who she is, she says, is a commitment to making the world a better place.

“By the grace of God I was born where I was. I got the education I did and now, I feel like I’m being called to educate others on how we can help others,” she said. “Any one of us could have just as easily been born into the desperation and economic poverty that so many of our neighbors face. Christ is so apparent in the faces, stories and journeys of those neighbors. It is important that their stories are told fairly and that the stories of all those affected by immigration are considered thoughtfully – without the hateful rhetoric that has so often filled the airwaves,” she says.

At Augustana, she double majored in Secondary Education, with an emphasis on English, and Modern Foreign Languages, focusing on Spanish and Norwegian.

After two years and a semester in Oslo, Norway, on an exchange program, she’d exhausted all the Norwegian classes that were available. She took her first-ever Spanish course as a junior.

That course, she says, “was the start of a grand journey I’d never imagined.”

After graduating in 1996, she taught Spanish in Spearfish, S.D. She used her summer and holiday breaks to spend time in Mexico and Costa Rica to sharpen her language skills and also spent a year in Spain as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar.

While in Spain, she was accepted into an accelerated master’s program for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign language.

She also taught at Black Hills State University and eventually returned to Augustana to teach Spanish before deciding to pursue her Ph.D. in journalism and The AUGUSTANA

mass communication, with an emphasis on development communication. The doctoral program, Skogberg Eastman says, was a way to bridge her love of language, culture and writing.

Coinciding with her Ph.D. studies, “immigration” was becoming a household word. The public debate about who should, and shouldn’t, be allowed to pass through the border had become a heated issue. New legislation had sealed the borders in California and Texas which resulted in a “ballooning” of people coming in through the border in southern Arizona.

The immigrants trying to enter didn’t understand the area’s terrain or realize the stark, bleakness of the landscape. They didn’t realize that if they ran into trouble or needed help there would be nowhere to go.

“I began to investigate the issue more.

Eventually, I felt like this was what I was called to do – to research and study this issue. It ignited a passion in me. It tied together all of my interests – language, culture and development.”

For more perspective, Skogberg Eastman began visiting some of the border sights she’d been studying.

“Seeing those sites completely reinforced the fact that this is an incredible issue that people don’t fully understand. I knew I needed to look more deeply into this and describe it to others because there’s no way they could know what was happening simply through mediated reports of the situation.

“I’ve always been a teacher at heart and I’ve always dreamed of being able to make life better for others. God gives us gifts.

It’s our job to use them to make the world better in whatever way we can.”

Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman ‘96

A dusty backpack left on the migrant trail contains a book on learning English.

Disorder on the Border Early on in her research, Skogberg Eastman read “Dying to Cross,” a book chronicling the illegal immigration attempt of some 70 individuals. In an effort to reach a better life, the men, women and children stuffed themselves into the back of a truck in hopes of a quick trip across the MexicoTexas border. Instead, after hours of riding in the overcrowded trailer without fresh air, the passengers began dying. Even after two passengers popped out the truck’s tail lights and began waving their arms to

“I saw one spot that had 14 grave markers – most that read John Doe. I thought, ‘every single one of these is a person who was trying to come to the U.S. to fulfill a dream. Do their families even know they’re here?’”

The gruesome reality, Skogberg Eastman says, is that because of the desert’s environment – including extreme heat and predator animals such as buzzards and coyotes, the dead bodies aren’t preserved in a way that allows for easy identification.

“The remains are sent to the Pima Coun-

A member of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps keeps watch while on border patrol.

causes people to risk their lives coming here.”

“I learned a great deal about security issues from groups like the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps and I acknowledge and respect the views of those who are active along the border because they see [illegal immigration] as a security risk. Yet, according to the U.S. Border Patrol, 70 percent of people who are coming here are coming to work – they want to send money home to their families. At the same time, 25-30 percent of illegal immigrants have some

“Every single one ... is a person ... trying to come to the U.S. to fulfill a dream.”

– Dr. Cari Skogberg Eastman, Class of 1996 alert someone of the group’s presence, the truck did not stop. When the doors finally opened, body after body simply fell out.

Fourteen people had died from suffocation.

“That book made such an impression on me. The sheer injustice of the situation – these people were coming here to work.

They were promised an easy passage. The inhumanity of it all really hit me,” she said.

She visited the Pima County Cemetery in Tucson and witnessed the “pauper” graves firsthand – mass graves for unidentified individuals found in the desert, most of whom had died during immigration attempts.

ty Medical Examiner’s office and are put on record. The hope is they’ll be identified. When I thought of the rituals we have in the U.S. around burying the dead – all in order for loved ones to come to peace – I just stood there and cried. Their stories aren’t being told. I knew I needed to get to the bottom of it. My mind and heart opened up to the humanitarian aspect of the whole situation.”

“I began to concentrate on how the stories of immigration are told through the media and how they compare to what’s really happening. I wanted to uncover the motivating factors – the push-pull that happens on both sides of the border that The AUGUSTANA

kind of criminal record. We need to assess how our policies address that reality.”

Immigration and the Media Immigration issues and life on the border are far too complex for a 30-second sound bite or two column inches, Skogberg Eastman argues. Yet, short stories or quick videos showing immigration raids or showdowns between immigration advocates and opponents are ultimately what fill the papers and cover the airwaves.

“I don’t want to discount the security concerns. My ultimate goal is to help people think more broadly about the issues and to refuse to allow simplified mediated 7

versions of what’s happening along the border to become known as what’s really happening.”

“What we have here are legitimate concerns about security, safety, humanitarian issues and our trade policies. The government pushed the balloon effect in hopes that it would diminish illegal immigration. Instead, we saw increases in people coming through in nontraditional areas.

It just re-directed them. In spite of that, we’ve refused to change the policies and figure out the root of the problem – why are people coming? We need to figure out legal remedies to help these people who need work so badly that they’re willing to risk their lives to find it.”

The ideas are out there, Skogberg Eastman says. It’s just a matter of separating them from the rhetoric.

“We know the majority of immigrants come here to work. I heard one idea for a program that gives Mexicans legal visas to come to the U.S. and work. A percentage of their paycheck is then deposited in their hometown bank in Mexico and only payable upon their return. That’s just one idea. There are so many creative strategies out there to enable a more humane migration cycle.”

“I can understand Americans who say they are concerned about security. I can also understand the humanitarian sentiment that says ‘wait, we’re called to welcome the stranger and treat our neighbor with love and justice.’ Regardless of their viewpoints, people understand one thing: the system is broken. It has to be changed.

It’s destructive for our country; it’s destructive for people coming across; and it’s costing us millions of dollars.”

“My work is not for a political purpose or to convince people to believe one thing

“PAUPER” GRAVES at the Pima County Cemetery in Tucson, Ariz.

or another. I just want desperately for people to know that what’s presented to them through the media is just a fraction of what’s going on. I want to help paint a more accurate picture of what’s happening

along the border so people can understand the points on all sides of the issue. From there, we can focus on the heart of these problems, study the effects, and propose effective solutions.”

NOTES FROM THE GREEN

Two Elected to Augustana Board of Trustees Delegates attending the Augustana College Association’s annual meeting in December elected Dr. Pamela Homan ‘81 and Kathy Walsh to serve on the College’s Board of Trustees.

The Augustana College Association consists of all congregations in the South Dakota, Western Iowa, Southwestern Minnesota, and Nebraska synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The Association is responsible for electing members to serve on the Board of Trustees.

Homan has served as superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District since 2004, and has spent her entire professional career in public schools as a teacher, special education coordinator, principal, director, and now superintendent. After graduating from Augustana 8

in 1981, she earned her MA degree from Augustana and her Ed.D. in educational administration from the University of South Dakota.

Homan is a well-known and respected leader in education in the state of South Dakota, leading one of the larger districts in the Upper Midwest Dr. Pam Homan with more than 23,000 students.

A well-known community leader and civic volunteer in Sioux Falls, Walsh and her husband, Tom (Augustana class of The AUGUSTANA

‘72) own and operate Dakota King, a regional Burger King franchisee operating more than 30 restaurants in five states, headquartered in Sioux Falls.

A graduate of South Dakota State University, Walsh supports and helps lead a number of charitable endeavors, Kathy Walsh most recently the Sioux Falls Catholic School System and the Los Cabos Children’s Foundation in Mexico.

NOTES FROM THE GREEN

J-Term 2012 Takes Students to 14 Countries Ninety-three Augustana students spent the month of January immersed in 14 countries throughout four continents for an intense, first-hand study of history, language and culture.

These real-world courses, which ran from January 3-26, were part of Augustana’s January Interim, a four-week session designed for curricular exploration and enrichment. Dubbed J-Term, the session gives students the opportunity to study abroad and partake in internships, special one-time topic courses and campus exchange programs.

The 93 students overseas were placed through the Upper Midwest Association for Intercultural Education (UMAIE), various Augustana programs and independent study. The students studied in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, England, France, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.

“At Augustana, our students understand that in order to compete in a global economy, they must experience different parts of the globe firsthand. So, we encourage them to Go Viking – to take the risk to go, explore, discover and learn about foreign places, different cultures and ancient histories in order to approach their futures with new perspectives,” said Rob Oliver, president.

“Mark Twain once said ‘…throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.’ Through our partnerships with countless organizations around the globe and, thanks to our passionate Augustana faculty members who lead courses abroad and encourage students to consider such experiences, we’re working to make certain our students do just that.”

International Travel Beyond J-Term In addition to Augustana’s J-Term, 17 students will spend the entire spring semester studying in 10 countries (England, Australia, Germany, Kenya, New Zealand, Korea, Spain, Chile, the Czech Republic and the Dominican Republic) and 54 students will partake in five, one-week courses led by Augustana faculty members in Spain, Greece, Guatemala, Scotland and Ireland over spring break.

Hasseler Named Senior VP for Academic Affairs, Dean Dr. Susan S. Hasseler has been named senior vice president for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College. She will begin her new role this summer.

Her appointment marks the first time in Augustana’s 151-year history that a woman will serve as Dean of the College.

Hasseler succeeds Dr. Mark Braun who was named Provost and Dean of the College for Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., last spring. For the 2011-12 academic year, Dr. Murray Haar, professor and chair of the Department of Religion, Philosophy and Classics, has served as Interim Dean.

“Dr. Hasseler is a passionate educator, a talented scholar and an extraordinary leader with more than 35 years of experience in K-12 and higher education.

Her experience in recruiting and retaining exceptional faculty, developing Dr. Susan Hasseler curriculum, and establishing outreach initiatives for students, alumni and community members, along with her track record for innovation and her willingness to go the extra mile on behalf of the faculty, staff and students she serves absolutely make her well-suited for this role,” said Rob Oliver, president of the College.

Hasseler most recently served as the Dean of Business, Education and Social Sciences and the Dean of Community Engagement at Messiah College in Grantham, Pa. (near Harrisburg), where she oversaw the management and business, elementary and secondary education, psychology, human development and family science, social work and sociology, anthropology and criminal justice departments; the counseling, TESOL, special education; and higher education graduate programs.

“As someone whose hobby is exploring new places, I was immediately intrigued by Augustana’s invitation

The AUGUSTANA

to “Go Viking.” Working with a top quality faculty and staff to create new opportunities for students to explore in ever widening circles; to serve in Sioux Falls, the region, and the world; to discover the wonder of the natural and social sciences, the humanities, the arts and athletics; to create communities on campus and off – there are so many opportunities at Augustana that excite and challenge me as a leader,” Hasseler said.

“I am especially looking forward to exploring what it means to embrace diversity and innovation within the context of a rich Lutheran tradition. I am eagerly anticipating having many opportunities to celebrate the joy of Augustana with alumni, faculty, staff, and students in the years to come,” she said.

Prior to Messiah College, Dr. Hasseler served as Associate Dean for Teacher Education at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., from 2000-2008. There, her responsibilities included visioning and strategic planning, community engagement, grant development and evaluation, the development of international programs and online graduate programs; faculty recruitment and development; curriculum development, accreditation and assessment; student recruitment and retention; faculty and staff supervision for an undergraduate teacher preparation program of 750 students and a graduate program of 150 students.

Dr. Hasseler is no stranger to Sioux Falls, having taught in the Unique Learning Experiences program at Patrick Henry Middle School and multiple elementary schools from 1986-1990.

A skilled grant writer, Dr. Hasseler served as the administrator for youth mentoring grants totaling more than $1.4 million from 2008-2011 alone.

She is the author of numerous articles on education-related issues and has presented at forums for educators throughout the globe.

Dr. Hasseler holds a bachelor’s degree from Calvin College, a master’s degree in Special Education from the University of South Dakota, and a Ph.D. from the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.

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As president emeritus of the Association of American Universities, long-time chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and interim president for the University of Oregon, Dr. Robert Berdahl ‘59, is considered among America’s most vocal advocates for higher education.

He shares his thoughts on ...

The Future of

HIGHER EDUCATION

As a kid in the 1950s, he wore blue jeans and sneakers and felt good about growing up in the U.S. – the newly dubbed global superpower.

In post-war America, the 50s were the best of times. The nation was home to the world’s mightiest military; a booming economy; and a newfound prosperity that enabled more families than ever before to purchase homes and cars and partake in “the good life.”

By admission, Dr. Robert Berdahl, class of 1959, counts himself among the members of the “lucky generation,” especially when it comes to education.

“In the 1950s, opportunities were everywhere. We didn’t have to select our careers based on whether or not we’d be able to pay off the debts we’d acquired while we were in college because, quite simply, it wasn’t that huge a burden to acquire an education,” he said.

Today, Berdahl says, it’s a different story.

According to the CollegeBoard, tuition and fees at private, nonprofit four-year colleges averaged roughly $30,000 in 2011 (about $8,500 for public, four-year institu-

COMPETES Act — a congressional move to encourage research investment and an improvement in U.S. competitiveness, along with increases in federal support for basic research.

After retiring from the AAU presidency in mid-2011, he was named president emeritus. In December 2011, he was appointed interim president of the University of Oregon.

He discussed “The Future of U.S. Higher Education” at an Augustana Thought Leader Forum in December 2011.

A Sea Change The average U.S. college student graduates today with about $20,000 worth of student debt. Perhaps not back-breaking, Berdahl says, but if a student chooses to go on to graduate school or pursue professional study, that amount mounts.

What’s more significant than student debt, Berdahl says, is the public perception about who’s ultimately financially responsible for educating the citizenry.

“We’ve seen a kind of sea change in attitude in this country in recent years about

advanced degree, it’s only 2 percent.”

“The reality is that if you don’t have an education today, your chances of living a ‘comfortable life’ are very, very reduced.

People understand that – they recognize that now, more than ever, it’s important for their kids to get educated. Yet, there’s also the sense that now, more than ever, the odds of that happening for many families are reduced.”

“We’re seeing in the U.S. a flattening out and a reduction in the level of education being achieved. And the middle class is getting squeezed out.”

Berdahl points to the University of California as one example. There, Berdahl says, the number of students coming from middle-class families is down; replaced by students who come from economically disadvantaged families who receive a great deal of financial aid.

With aid, loans and Pell grants, students from families who make up to $60,000 in annual income are able to achieve an education. At the same time, students with a family income above $120,000 can often manage to afford an education. Berdahl

“Investment in human capital is the means of building a strong economy.”

– Dr. Robert Berdahl, Class of 1959 tions) – that’s up more than 350 percent over the last 30 years alone.

Over the same period, state funding for higher education has remained relatively flat or, in some cases, has even decreased; while the median household income has seen only modest increases (with the exception of the last four years, during which median incomes have actually declined).

A 40-year veteran of the industry, Berdahl believes the future of higher education in America is a conundrum of epic proportions.

It’s a puzzle we have to solve, he says, before it’s too late.

A Career in Higher Education After graduating from Augustana, Berdahl earned his M.A. in history from the University of Illinois, and his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

He began his academic career in the history department at the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1965. He later joined the history faculty at the University of Oregon and served as Oregon’s dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1981 to 1986. He left Oregon in 1986 to become vice chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He also served as president of The University of Texas at Austin from 1993 to 1997.

From 1997 to 2004, he served as chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley.

He was named president of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an association of 61 leading public and private research universities in the United States and Canada, in 2006. As AAU president, he led the policy behind the America

public investment in public goods. We hear a lot about the declining infrastructure of the United States – the bridges that are vulnerable; the deteriorating highways; inner city deterioration – all as a lack of public investment. I think the same is true for the intellectual infrastructure of our country.”

“The prevailing attitude when I was a student in the 1950s and 60s was that the nation invested in higher education because it was a public good – because it was the foundation of a democratic society. It was the public as a whole – the society – that benefited from that investment in education.”

“Today, we have the attitude that those who profit from it – the individual, rather than the public – should be the ones therefore that pay for it. And so, as a consequence of that changing attitude, we’re seeing disinvestment in public universities.”

That change in attitude, Berdahl says, coupled with the rising cost of college and an increasingly unequal distribution of wealth has the potential to produce catastrophic results for future generations.

“The middle class is finding itself with a stagnant median income. The top 1 percent of Americans now earn as much as the bottom 60 percent. From 2002 to 2007, out of every $3 of income gained, $2 of those went to the top 1 percent.”

Berdahl says the income gap undoubtedly gives way to an education gap, which segues to an unemployment gap.

“Among people with only a high school diploma in the U.S., 12.5 percent are unemployed. With a college degree, the unemployment rate falls to 4.5 percent; with an The AUGUSTANA

says it’s the group in the middle – families that earn between $60,000 and $120,000 – who are being squeezed.

“Historically, higher education has been the means for social mobility. You get an education; you get ahead. We’ve always boasted as a nation that social mobility is possible here. Yet, we have lower social mobility today than any European country except Britain or Italy.”

Looking Ahead Berdahl says drastic changes are needed in order to improve the outlook for the future.

“I think either states have to reverse their disinvestment in public universities or they must give those public universities more independence. Without this freedom, I think there will be an intolerable decline into mediocrity for our institutions [of higher education].”

With that freedom, Berdahl says higher education institutions would have the power to redistribute income – charging a good deal more to those students who can afford to pay the ‘full freight;’ invest in technology; advance research initiatives; and prepare students for lifelong education.

“To do these things we’ve got to break the political stalemate in this country, which is crippling everything we try to do. The question is, do we still have the political will – the political courage – to continue to push ahead for the next century?”

“We have an unwillingness in this country to sacrifice for the greater good that I find to be dismaying. The bottom line is this: investment in human capital is the means of building a strong economy.”

11

Seeing THE

Opportunities Ass superintendent A i d off the h Sioux Si Falls F ll School S h l District Di i Dr. Pamela Homan, class of 1981, is committed to providing students the opportunities they need today to succeed tomorrow.

I

f there’s one thing you need to know about Dr. Pam Homan, it’s this: she’s never been one to shy away from a challenge. In fact, you could say she thrives under pressure.

Take a cool spring weekend in 1981, for example.

On Friday night, Homan (then Baker) was at her wedding rehearsal dinner.

By midday Saturday, she was in her wedding gown. Later that day, she married her college sweetheart, Tim Homan ’81.

On Sunday morning, she was up early, getting ready for another ceremony. In her black gown and classic mortarboard, she made her way to Augustana’s Commencement Ceremony to receive her college diploma.

A crazy weekend? Maybe to some. But to Homan, it was an economical and travelfriendly way for family members from various geographies to celebrate two milestone events.

Sure the planning, organizing and choreographing was hard, frenzied work – not to mention the academic commitments and professional preparation a student undertakes prior to graduating – but, in the end, it just made sense.

Finding calm amid the storm is something Homan has done well her entire life. Today, as superintendent of South Dakota’s largest

says, was a natural fit.

“I knew that I always found myself in positions of helping others learn and helping others explore. That became an obvious fit to career.”

After graduating, she took a job teaching Special Education at an elementary school in Luverne, Minn., where she served emotionally and behaviorally disturbed students and children with learning disabilities.

“I’ve always asked myself: ‘How can I contribute to others? How can I help others see that ‘there’s a way’ when they feel there isn’t one?’ I love to help others think. I never see challenges or barriers. I see everything as an opportunity.”

After teaching in Luverne, Homan spent two years teaching in Webster, S.D., before accepting a position in Brandon. After her second daughter was born, she spent two years at home raising her children before returning to teaching. (Two of her three children are Augustana graduates – Fenecia, class of ‘05, and Betsy, class of ‘07.)

After what she calls “a lot of soul-searching,” she decided to pursue her Master’s degree.

“I had this thirst for knowledge. [With two small children and very limited income], it was hard. But I knew I wanted to step forward and lead. I can remember so many late

up in 2004, she applied because “I felt there wasn’t a better place to be.”

Preparing Students to Succeed In her current role, Homan says she sees every day as new opportunity.

“Our mission is to educate and prepare each student to succeed in a changing world.

We’re committed to making sure each child has the full opportunity to succeed and to go out of this school district fully able to compete and be a part of this world in which we live.”

That’s no small challenge in a city like Sioux Falls which, due to population growth, has experienced a surge in students, many of whom come from diverse backgrounds and live in a wide range of social and economic conditions.

“We’re growing. We’re growing in diversity; growing in number of students who live in poverty; growing in different family demographics. There are 57 different languages spoken in our district. Nearly 50 percent of our children live in poverty. We look at those numbers as gifts – they present a chance to serve a very diverse culture and to find opportunities for each student to succeed.”

While much of her job as Superintendent is about the numbers, Homan says the core of her role is about much more. It’s about the

“I love to help others think.

I never see challenges or barriers.

I see everything as an opportunity.”

– Dr. Pam Homan, Class of 1981 school district, complete with 23,000 students, 24 elementary schools, five middle schools, three traditional high schools, an alternative high school, a project-based learning high school, a career and technical education academy and one post-secondary technical institute, she has successfully led students, educators, families and community members during a decade of unprecedented social, technological and economic change.

Seeing Everything as an Opportunity As a kid, Homan grew up in central Sioux Falls, near Garfield Elementary School. At the time, the state’s orphanage was located just down the street, at the corner of 15th St. and Western Ave. Some of the residents were Homan’s classmates at Garfield.

“I always reached out to them. I had a sense that they didn’t have what I had in my family. I would bring them home to my house so they could experience my family. I became involved with helping kids with disabilities through the YWCA.” As a teen, Homan even helped start a Y-teen club for young girls with cognitive disabilities.

After graduating from Washington High School, she enrolled at Augustana, doublemajoring in elementary education and special education.

Choosing education as her major, Homan

nights, rocking a baby to sleep while trying to work on a paper. It was tough, but I made it through.”

A short time after receiving her Master’s degree in Education from Augustana, she was offered the chance to start a school program and lead certification initiatives for CharterHospital (a former psychiatric institution in Sioux Falls). She got the program going and got it certified in no time.

In 1990, the Sioux Falls School District invited Homan to come on board to start the “Day Adolescent Program” at McKennan Hospital, an initiative designed to serve high school students challenged with diagnoses such as post-traumatic stress syndrome, schizophrenia and adjustment disorders who couldn’t function in traditional classrooms.

At the same time, she began pursuing her Ed.D. at the University of South Dakota. Following that same thirst for knowledge, she commuted to classes in Vermillion at night, on weekends and during the summer.

“Status quo feels problematic to me. I’ve always felt that there needs to be ways to continue to improve – to grow and to accept change. Change is a vibrant part of life.”

She later served as an elementary principal in Sioux Falls and started the District’s Assessment Department where she led assessment and research.

When the Superintendent’s position opened The AUGUSTANA

students and the educators who serve them.

“It’s about each child. From day one, I’ve committed myself to believing that each student doesn’t learn in the same way or same manner. I’m proud that we’ve worked relentlessly to open the doors of ‘multiple pathways’ so students have multiple ways to reach our goal of graduation. Each student should be valued for who they are. No child should feel like they’re a failure because they didn’t fit some traditional pathway.”

The brick and mortar of new facilities are one thing, Homan says, but the real key to helping a student succeed is the teacher.

“I always tell people that every teacher is a leader. They model the way. They model those core values. We’re about igniting the hearts and minds of our students. Teachers need to be able to inspire; they need to challenge the process when necessary; and encourage others to come into the fold. A teacher’s passion invites every single child to be a part of a community of learners. Passionate teachers don’t just love their subject area – they love to bring their students along with what they’re teaching.”

In South Dakota, the debate over what classifies a teacher as “passionate” and how that passion relates to student performance CONTINUED: Page 36

13

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Great Professors; Great Accomplishments Dr. Rocki Wentzel (Classics) was appointed vice president for the South Dakota region of the Classical Association of the Middle, West, and South (CAMWS).

Dr. Chris Croghan (Religion) presented a paper titled, “Examen Eorum,” at the Sixteenth Century Society and Conference. Also Dr. Geoffrey Dipple (History) chaired a section at the same conference dealing with “Radical Theologies from Different Perspectives” and presented a paper titled “The Spirit of the Prophets: Ludwig Haetzer on Scripture and the Voice of the Spirit.”

Seven South Dakota college/university students were selected through a juried process to perform at the South Dakota Music Education Association Collegiate Honor Recital during the convention Oct 27. Of those, three were Augustana students.

Congratulations to Maren Engel (soprano), Collin Block (trumpet), and Christopher Haak (bassoon).

The manuscript for “Religion with Religion,” for which Dr. Stephen Minister (Philosophy) is a co-editor and in which he has a chapter, has been accepted for publication by Duquesne University Press. This is a volume giving a critical response to Jacques Derrida’s and John Caputo’s notion of “Religion without Religion” and includes a long reply to criticisms from Caputo.

An advisee of Dr. Jared Mays (Chemistry), Kayla Vastenhout, a senior bio/chemistry major, won first place in the undergraduate poster contest in the topic of biochemistry during the joint 46th annual Midwest/39th annual Great Lakes Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, held this fall in St. Louis. Kayla is co-chair of the Student Members of the American Chemical Society Augustana College Chapter. The regional meeting included schools from South Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana and Illinois.

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church’s stained glass windows, designed by Scott Parsons (Art), were reviewed in the November/December issue of South Dakota Magazine, page 53. Parsons also received a commission for approximately 65,000 square feet of terrazzo at the Ft. Lauderdale airport, which he will create with a fellow artist, David Griggs.

“Purple Lullaby,” by Dr. Christopher Stanichar (Music) was performed in a faculty recital at Southern Utah University.

Dr. Laurie Jungling (Religion) presented “Lutheran Ethics 101: How Should Lutherans Do Ethics” at the Northern Rockies Institute of Theology in Montana.

Dr. Lindsay Twa (Art) signed a book contract for her manuscript, “When Haiti was in Vogue: Visualizing Haiti in U.S. Culture, 1910-1950.” The book will be published with Ashgate Publishing. In addition, Twa’s paper, “Jean-Jacques Dessalines: Demon, Demigod, and Everything in Between,” was published in the November 2011 issue of Romantic Circles Praxis series, as a part of the special issue “Circulations: Romanticism and the Black Atlantic.”

Kay Christensen and Deb Hagemeier (Library) presented “Scanning the Stacks: Inventory Gone Viking” as a poster session at the South Dakota Library Association in Spearfish on Oct. 6 and as a

full presentation at the Upper Midwest Aleph User Group meeting in Fargo, N.D., on Oct. 17.

Lisa Brunick (Library) and Donovan DeJong (ITS), presented “Better Together: Leveraging Strengths to Improve the End User Experience” at the South Dakota Library Association’s annual conference in Spearfish.

Dr. Pilar Cabrera (Spanish) will present the paper “Mediums, Spirits, and Gender Issues in Little Maneuvers” at the “1st International Hispanic Conference of the Day of the Dead,” at Florida International University. In addition, Cabrera’s paper, “Mediums, Spirits, and Gender Issues in Small Manoeuvres, by Virgilio Pinera,” was accepted for publication in Hispanet Journal.

Dr. Mark Larson (Biology) collaborated on a manuscript that was accepted by the World Journal of Cardiovascular Diseases titled “The Effects of EPA+DHA and Aspirin on Inflammatory Cytokines and Angiogenesis Factors.”

Dr. Steve Matzner (Biology) collaborated on an article titled “Water deficiency induces evolutionary tradeoff between stress tolerance and chemical defense allocation that may help explain range limits in plants” in Oikos, accepted in August 2011.

Dr. Margaret Preston (History) presented a paper titled “Avera Mckennan Hospital: First Century of Caring” at the 2011 South Dakota Festival of Books in Deadwood, S.D. Dr. Olivia Lima (Psychology) and Dr. Darcie Rives-East (English) presented a paper titled “Building Bridges: Honors Courses that Join the Sciences and Humanities” at the 46th annual meeting of the National Collegiate Honors Council in Phoenix, Ariz.

Dr. Adrien Hannus (Anthropology) co-published a paper that appeared in the Journal of Field Archeology titled “Open Area Excavations at the Mitchell Indian Village, South Dakota (1000-1150): New Interpretations of Site Function from Interdwelling Areas.”

Dr. Karen Mahan (Education) was awarded $3,000 from Colorado Campus Compact for her summer Autism Conference.

Dr. Scott Fish (Modern Foreign Languages) chaired the executive board meeting of Pi Delta Phi, the National French Honor Society, in November at Scripps College in Claremont, Calif., during the Pacific and Ancient Modern Language Association (PAMLA) annual conference. During the meeting, Fish was re-elected to a second, five-year term as National President of the Society.

The Augustana Society of Physics Students, advised by Dr. Drew Alton (Physics), was named an Outstanding SPS Chapter in Zone 11. Augustana students were noted for exceptional high school outreach, student participation in research, presentations on physics topics and overall program activity. Zone 11 (ND, SD, IA, MN, NE) includes over 40 schools with SPS chapters.

Dr. Murray Haar and Dr. John E. Anderson (Religion) have signed a contract with Pickwick publications, a part of Wipf&Stock, to publish a book titled “Circling the Fire.” The work will deal with Jewish and Christian interpretations of the Holocaust.

Dr. Sherry Barkley (HPER) served as a reviewer for the newly published ACSM’s “Resources for the Group Exercise Instructor.”

A manuscript by Jaciel Keltgen (Business Administration) entitled “GEN Y Infuses Healthcare with Generational Angst” was accepted for presentation at the Spring 2012 Marketing Management Association Conference in Chicago, Ill. Dr. Lisa Babcock (Psychology) and Dr. Olivia Lima (Psychology) presented a joint project entitled “Incorporating Primary Sources in an IntroCourse Through Student Presentations of Classic Research” at the 34th annual National Institute on the Teaching of Psychology in St. Petersburg Beach, Fla. Babcock also had an article published in the November issue of Memory titled “SelfGenerated Retrievals While Multitasking Improve Memory for Names.”

Dr. Sherry Feinstein (Education) gave the keynote address, “Teaching the Teenage Brain,” at the International Conference on General Education Roles & Experiences in Cultivating Global Citizens in Bangkok, Thailand.

Dr. Reynold Nesiba (Economics) presented the paper “Who is Foreclosing on Whom? Home Mortgage Lending and Foreclosures In Sioux Falls, South Dakota, 2004-2010” at the national Allied Social Science Association (ASSA) meetings held in Chicago January 5-8. Nesiba co-authored the paper with Dr. David Sorenson (Economics) and senior economics major Kaleb Sturm. The paper has been accepted for publication in the June 2012 issue of the Journal of Economic Issues.

The Ralph and Susie Wagoner Student–Faculty Research Project Endowment Fund and the Augustana Research and Artists Fund (ARAF) provided financial support for this successful student-faculty collaboration.

“Land & Identity” a poster presentation by Dr. Mary Isaacson (Nursing) was accepted by the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Center for Great Plains Studies 2012 Symposium -- 1862-2012: The Making of the Great Plains (March 28-30, 2012).

“Becoming the ‘Other,’ Senior Nursing Students Expressions of Vulnerability during Cultural Immersion Experiences,” also by Isaacson, was accepted for a poster presentation at the Pacific Institute of Nursing Conference in Honolulu, Hawaii.

An article co-authored by Dr. Anne Zell (Psychology) entitled “People-pleasing Through Eating: Sociotropy Predicts Greater Eating in Response to Perceived Social Pressure” was accepted for publication by the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.

The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) announced the Augustana Nursing Baccalaureate Program was granted continuing accreditation for the term of 10 years, extending through Dec. 31, 2021.

According to the 2011 South Dakota CPA Exam Information Report, prepared by the State Board of Public Accountancy, candidates who identified Augustana as their school affiliation produced the top average score of all South Dakota candidates (for the four testing periods of 2011).

For the eight preceding test periods (Q:1 2010 Q:4 2011), Augustana also topped the list, not only alphabetically but in overall average score as well.

the

Standouts Thi ffall, This ll th the A Augustana t community it mourned d the th loss l off D Dr. D Daniel i l SSwets t and d Professor Emeritus Dick English, long-serving contributors taken too soon.

DAN

Swets

Asssociaate Pro Associate Professor, ofesso or Chair of Computer Science and Mathematics

D

r. Daniel Swets was the kind of guy who judiciously brought orange juice, donut holes and bananas to every test he gave. He was a quiet scholar who didn’t seek recognition for the countless grants he secured or for the high-tech scientific endeavors he undertook. He was also a passionate teacher who was committed to helping young people discover the wonder of science.

Swets was killed in a plane crash Friday, Dec. 9, near the Sioux Falls Regional Airport. He was 47. Kevin Anderson, Augustana class of 1987; Joshua Lambrecht; and Brian Blake were among the other victims.

At the time of his death, Swets was serving as associate professor and chair of computer science and mathematics. During his 16 years at Augustana, he taught the hardware sequence for computer science majors and was responsible for many of the upper-level electives in

computer science from Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich., in 1986. He received the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in computer science from Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich., in 1991 and 1996, respectively.

Since 1983, he had been a computer consultant to the small business community. From 1986-1987, he was employed as a software engineer at Rockwell International, Downey, Calif., on the Space Shuttle Orbiter Backup Flight System. From 1987-1992, he was an aerospace software engineer at Smiths Industries, Grand Rapids, working on embedded software for flight systems and ground station software.

From 1990-1991, he was an instructor at Grand Rapids Community College and at Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Mich.

He was an Ameritech Fellow at Michigan State University, East Lansing, from 1994-1995, while pursuing his Ph.D. degree.

His graduate research encompassed facial

“As I reflect on Dan, I think about a man who was soft-spoken and careful with the words he chose. I remember a person occasionally sprinkling in his sly wit to grab our attention and make us smile. He wasn’t brash and boastful, yet had much to be proud of.

He wasn’t loud and comical, yet he was funny, possessing an intelligent sense of humor often reflecting on himself or his own foibles. He never told stories to impress us, but he did tell stories to his students to stretch their imagination and to impress upon them what great things they might do with their lives,” said Rob Oliver, president. “I recall speaking with Dan about the South Dakota FIRST LEGO League. He was so passionate and excited about what he imagined as thousands of young people becoming hooked on learning more about math and science. He spoke of kids who were drawn to sports and their many opportunities for competition, and he wanted to ensure

“His passion and kindness will be missed by everyone who was lucky enough to have known him.”

– Tyler Schultz, Class of 2013 the department, such as Graphics, Networks, and Parallel Processing. His current research interests included algorithm development for remote sensing, computer vision, contentbased image retrieval, computer graphics, virtual reality and robotics.

He also served as president of the South Dakota Robotics Association and was a partner at the South Dakota FIRST LEGO League.

He played a key role in developing the FIRST LEGO League competition in Sioux Falls, part of a larger program called For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST). The competition, the third annual of which was held in his memory on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Augustana’s Elmen Center, allows middle school students to design, build, and program an autonomous robot to earn points for accomplishing prescribed missions on a 4x8 playing field. They also give presentations on research projects where they have tackled a problem and propose a novel solution.

Participants must work as a team and be able to articulate what they did and how they accomplished it. The national organization calls it “sport for the mind.”

Swets agreed with that description.

“The basic premise is that if what our culture values and emulates is movie stars and sports heroes, why can’t we make science just as cool? That’s our basic philosophy. We encourage kids to explore science and engineering through fun, hands-on learning that’s driven by competition. It gives kids something to work for, and the tournaments make them feel like rock stars,” he said last year.

Swets received his bachelor’s degree in

recognition software, instigating a new approach to image processing, a project that eventually led to a real-time facial recognition program in use after the attacks on 9/11.

Throughout his career, Swets worked on a variety of projects. His most notable successes were his work with the Defense Department and NASA, working on the guidance system of Marine One as well as the braking system of the Space Shuttle Orbiter.

He served as the associate director for the NASA South Dakota Space Grant Consortium and was chair of the NASA EPSCoR Steering Committee in South Dakota.

Swets also loved music and was a member of the Augustana College Community Band for six years.

Via Facebook and during a memorial service on Wednesday, Dec. 14, in the Chapel of Reconciliation, colleagues and students remembered Swets as a compassionate and dedicated scientist and a true champion for students. “[Dan] worked tirelessly to instill the spirit of discovery in students and educators across the state and region, especially in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. [He was also a] prolific grant writer. Since coming to Augustana, he has been the recipient of over $1.5 million in grant awards. These grants have helped build computer and technology infrastructure at the College and have supported teaching and research in science and technology at Augustana and across South Dakota, not only for the benefit of Augustana students, but also to “hook” youth on science and technology,” said Dr. Karen Younger, Natural Science Division Chair and professor of Nursing.

The AUGUSTANA

that same competitive outlet for kids drawn to the sciences and to the creative problem solving that this program entails. … Dan was a light for us … [I know he] would want us to go on to challenge young people so that they might go into the world to be light for others.”

“Dr. Swets was an incredible man, and an amazing professor. The courses that he taught were not easy, but he knew every bit of information like the back of his hand. If there was a concept or a certain piece of material that was challenging ... he would go above and beyond to make sure that each and every student understood it. Whether it was in class, or outside of class, you could ask a question anytime, and he would always be there to give an answer. I had the opportunity to help Dr. Swets by volunteering at the FIRST LEGO League last year, and am planning on volunteering again. He was extremely passionate about this event, because it really helps to foster science and technology in younger children, and because he had a blast working with the kids as well. He was passionate about everything he did, and his passion and kindness will be missed by everyone who was lucky enough to have known him,” wrote Tyler Schultz, class of 2013.

Swets is survived by his wife Robyn; children Joseph, 20; Kira, 18; Megan, 14; and Benjamin, 1; his parents, Kenneth and Rosemary Swets; and siblings Keith, Paul, Lynn, Mark, and Beth.

A memorial scholarship has been established to honor the life and many accomplishments of Dr. Dan Swets.

17

DICK

English

Professor P roffessor EEmeritus, meriitus, Business B usiness Administration Administratio and Accounting

H

is students remember him as the guy who could do calculations in his head faster than they could using their calculators. He had a big heart, a big sense of humor, and as many recall, big piles of papers covering the desk in his office. A dedicated and recognized professional, his students remember that Richard “Dick” English, professor emeritus of Business Administration and Accounting, found the greatest joy not in his own accomplishments, but in being able to watch those he loved grow and succeed in their own ways.

English died on Tuesday, Dec. 13, in Arizona.

He was 67.

English received his bachelor’s degree from Creighton University and earned his M.B.A from Washington University. He joined Augustana in 1974 and served the College for 35 years teaching courses such as “Principals,” “Personal Finance,” and “Business Ethics,” among others.

He served as department chair from 1990-1992 and from 1995-1998. He retired in 2009.

In 2010, he was awarded the Outstanding

burning passion to see others succeed, but we can honor his memory by being the family, students and colleagues that he glowingly watched grow to strive for full, happy, and successful lives.”

“One of my favorite memories of Prof. English was how he could do all the calculations in his head and faster then we could enter into our calculators,” wrote Kathy Kirkeby.

“He was one of my favorite professors during my time at Augustana. He taught the most interesting, challenging, inspirational and humorous accounting classes I’ve ever taken. A couple of years after graduating from Augustana, I came back as an employee. I always enjoyed our conversations on campus and a few off campus during short games of golf. To me, he was a great professor, co-worker, and friend. He will be greatly missed,” wrote Tim Nelson.

Mary Jane Minnig, Social Science division coordinator, worked with English for more than 20 years. “[He] was the first faculty person I worked with when I came to Augustana 24 years ago.

He had a project for me, election ballots. I had no idea who the people were, what divisions or

him and his big heart fondly, too,” Minnig said.

Associate Professor of Business Administration and Accounting Dr. Anne Oppegard remembers English fondly, as well.

“For 18 years – both in the Old Barracks and in the Madsen building – I had the office next door to Dick’s. There wasn’t a day that went by that we didn’t talk about one thing or another.

He loved to laugh, and to tell anecdotes from his work-life and his family. He was so compassionate – a kind and gentle man. He lived the ethics he taught,” Oppegard recalls.

“When he cleared out his office he took a leisurely walk down ‘memory lane’ ... he had advising folders spanning his 30-plus years of advising, and before he disposed of that amazing collection, he reviewed each and every one. For many, he knew where they were and where their lives had led them. For some, he’d have the inevitable story. He’d wander into my office, and chuckle while telling me about the individual in question. What a great guy, what a great mentor and friend to students, what a great colleague and friend,” she said.

Dr. Dennis Bolen, assistant professor of Business Administration and Accounting, also called

“We have lost a big man, with a big heart and a burning passion to see others succeed.”

– Evan Kulesa, Class of 2008 Educator Award by the South Dakota Society of Certified Public Accountants in recognition of his contributions to the accounting profession through both education and practice. The award to English marked the first time in 10 years the honor had been given.

Students, friends and colleagues shared memories of English via Augustana’s Facebook page and by email: “I had Dick for numerous classes and while there were many memorable moments and especially stories shared in those classes, what I will remember most about him is how his passion for his profession and his students extended well beyond the ... classroom. You could always find him tucked behind mounds and mounds of papers in his office ready to chat about absolutely anything and always willing to share a laugh. He and his wife, Bev, also made sure to host the semester-end English Soiree that was always a must-attend (I will definitely never forget how he said “soiree” and especially his description of the strawberry dip with “twofingers of amaretto.”),” wrote Evan Kulesa ‘08.

“He spoke often and proudly about his family and former students and I always knew that his greatest joys in life were not his own accomplishments (which were numerous), but being able to watch those he loved grow and succeed in their own ways. The more I reflect the more I realize what an indelible mark Dick left on my life and how many great memories we shared.

We have lost a big man, with a big heart, and a

departments were and it seemed overwhelming. He sat down next to me and said not to worry, we’d work this thing through. That was Dick’s style. He did the same thing with students who might be struggling with an accounting problem. He would calmly help them solve problems they didn’t think they could handle and turned failures into successes,” she remembered.

“Dick was described to me as the real Augustana “Ole” and I found that description very fitting. He had a heart as big as he was. He loved Augie and was proud of this place. He loved the students, too. If his students were involved, you would find him there to support them, be it a play, a concert or a sporting event. He had time to visit with everyone and enjoyed every moment. He remembered every student he ever had – not just because he had a good memory, but because they were important to him. He would follow their careers through the business notices in the newspaper and make sure that others would be aware of their accomplishments,” she said.

“When he served on various committees he was a valiant crusader for everyone; making certain that staff received the same benefits as faculty. Every year I saw people stop by his office for free advice when it came to taxes. He would go out of his way to help everyone. Augustana is a better place because of Dick English. He was “Viking” to the core. I will always miss Dick and his stories, but I will always remember The AUGUSTANA

English a long-time colleague.

“His in-class experiences were memorable when things went humorous, such as in the old building which was often overheated. If a student nodded off, he might have received a flying eraser as a wake-up call,” Bolen recalled with a smile.

“After graduation, not only at local gatherings of professional accountants in large group venues, but also one-on-one when a graduate of several years was considering moving on to the next career position – his interest in his students was lifelong. He was always proud of what Augie students could, and did, accomplish. He was proud of and committed to his profession and advising his colleagues. That will be missed.

The many graduates of Augie were well served by, and should be proud of their connections with, the likes of Professor Richard English,” Bolen said.

English is survived by his wife, Beverly; four children, Barbara White and her husband, Monte, Minnetonka, Minn.; Elizabeth O’Connor and her husband, Glen, Kansas City, Mo.; Theresa English, Kansas City, Mo.; Daniel English, Boston, Mass.; six grandchildren; two brothers, Al English and his wife, Alison, Sioux Falls; and Stuart English and his wife, Constance, Gilford, Conn.; several nieces and nephews; and a host of other relatives and friends.

A memorial scholarship has been established to honor the life and many accomplishments of Dick English.

19

Demonstrated Success. Great Value.

At Augustana, we believe certain individuals are called to “Go Viking.” They understand that in order to create an even better tomorrow, they must explore and discover bold concepts and important ideas today. Once they decide to “Go Viking,” our 10-claim Value Proposition illustrates how Augustana supports students during their journey.

1.We are an authentic, unpretentious campus community where students, professors and staff care deeply about each other. We welcome students of all faith traditions into an atmosphere of spirituality and church-connectedness and promote community in academic and co-curricular learning experiences.

2. We value close student-professor collaboration which enhances learning.

3. We commit to provide a global perspective and promote the importance of understanding self and others through extensive international experiences.

4. We provide undergraduate research opportunities that provide a rigorous and challenging academic experience.

5. We promote the importance of the performing and visual arts as central to a well-rounded liberal arts education.

6. We celebrate involvement in intercollegiate athletics and recognize its centrality to the Augustana experience.

7. We engage the vast resources of Sioux Falls, one of America’s great small cities, as a laboratory for internships, clinical practice, student teaching, part- and full-time employment.

8. We graduate students in four years, unlike public-funded universities where it normally takes five, six or more years to complete a degree.

9. We prepare our students for graduate and professional school. They gain admission to the nation’s finest universities.

10. We produce measureable outcomes. In this region, Augustana’s reputation is second to none. Prospective employers, civic and business leaders hold high regard for Augustana and its graduates.

See the evidence to support these claims: www.augie.edu/value

NOTES FROM THE GREEN

97 Percent of 2011 Augustana Graduates Accept Employment While the national unemployment rate continues to hover above 8 percent, 97 percent of 2011 Augustana graduates seeking employment have accepted a position related to their major or chosen field.

According to a recent report by the Augustana Career Center, among the 342 recent graduates who pursued positions in nursing, human services and business, 100 percent report they are now working in those fields.

In education – a hot topic locally and nationally – 98 percent of Elementary/Special Education majors report being employed in their field.

In addition, 75 percent of 2011 graduates accepting employment remained in South

are in law school.

Augustana’s 97 percent job placement rate for 2011 graduates is an increase of 3 percent over the placement rates for May 2010 graduates.

Critical to graduate outcomes is the Augustana Career Center, which works with employers around the world to match students and soon-to-be graduates to internships and open positions. The Center also helps students prepare for the transition from college to career by providing resume-building advice, interview coaching, workshops and the annual Career Symposium, which features panel discussions by Augustana alumni in a variety of career fields.

“These numbers speak to the power of a liberal arts education in an uncertain economy.”

– Rob Oliver, President

Dakota. Of the 189 graduates now working in South Dakota, 98 were originally residents of the state.

“These numbers speak to the power of a liberal arts education in an uncertain economy,” said Rob Oliver, president. “From the broad-based knowledge provided by our renowned professors, to the exposure and perspective gained through international travel, to the ideas that swell from a culturally and ethnically diverse campus – after their time at Augustana, our liberally educated graduates have mastered the ability to think critically, reason analytically and thoughtfully, and write effectively. They are well-suited to contribute and thrive in virtually any field, anywhere around the globe.”

“At the same time, we’re proud to say that Augustana continues to be a net importer of intellectual capital to the state of South Dakota. Our students enter Augustana to learn and they leave with a commitment to serve – to make tomorrow’s world even better. They’re doing just that in South Dakota communities east and west of the River.”

In addition to accepting jobs after graduation, 20 percent of 2011 graduates are now enrolled in graduate programs. Of those, 31 percent are in medical school; 20 percent are pursuing advanced study in the sciences, such as biology and chemistry; and 7 percent

In 2011, more than 800 students and alumni utilized services provided by the Career Center.

“Augustana graduates have enjoyed the positive trend of securing employment and continuing their education after graduation for the past 27 years,” said Sandi Vietor, director of the Augustana Career Center.

“Year after year, we hear from employers and professional schools who categorize our graduates as exceptional leaders, creative thinkers and effective decision-makers who, from day one, bring a global perspective to their professional roles.”

According to a recent study, liberally educated individuals may be among the most financially and professionally secure in today’s still-challenged economy.

After analyzing standardized test results, a recent survey by the Social Science Research Council found that recent college graduates who scored highest on skills most often associated with a liberal arts education – critical thinking, reasoning and writing – were: • Three times less likely to be unemployed (3.1 percent vs. 9.6 percent); Half as likely to be living with their parents (18 percent vs. 35 percent); • Less likely to have acquired credit card debt (37 percent vs. 51 percent).

The AUGUSTANA

Nesheim Named Augustana’s Director of Choral Music Dr. Paul Nesheim has been named director of The Augustana Choir, the fifth in the Choir’s 90-year history.

He succeeds Dr. James Johnson, who was named principal conductor of Choral and Instrumental Ensembles for First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls in summer 2011.

For the 2011-12 academic year, Dr. Weston Noble, former long-time conductor of the Luther College Nordic Choir, has served as interim Choir director.

Nesheim most recently served as associate professor of music and director of choral activities at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where he conducted three choirs and taught choral conducting.

He also served as artistic director of the Fargo-Moorhead Chamber Chorale and the conductor of the Senior Choir at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Moorhead.

“Dr. Nesheim brings rich experience and accomplishment, but what really impressed the search committee was the way he worked with faculty colleagues and with students. Colleagues appreciated his creativity and commitment to collaborative work. Students were impressed with his passionate energy, his commitment to precision, and his deep understanding of the mission of The Augustana Choir to bring a “sermon in song” to every audience member. I think we have found a gem,” said Dr. Richard Swanson, chair of the Humanities Division and professor of Religion/ Philosophy/Classics.

Dr. Nesheim has served on the faculties of Concordia College in Moorhead and Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota. He has held positions conducting high school, church, and community choirs in Minnesota, California, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Arizona.

Dr. Nesheim holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music education from St. Olaf College, a Master of Music degree in choral music from Arizona State University, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in conducting from the University of Arizona. He has studied conducting with Maurice Skones, Douglas McEwen, Kenneth Jennings and Miles Johnson. Nesheim is an active member of the American Choral Directors Association, and is a frequent clinician and guest conductor for high school festival and honor choirs. He is a published composer and the author of “Building Beautiful Voices,” a book of vocalization methods and materials published by the Roger Dean Publishing Company.

21

In the late 1880s, a fearless 23-year-old reporter named Nellie Bly took an undercover assignment from the famed New York World newspaper to write an exposé of the Women’s Lunatic Asylum, hidden away on New York’s Blackwell’s Island.

Bly posed as a demented woman in order to be admitted to the asylum and spent a grueling 10 days in the institution.

When her report of the asylum’s cruel beatings of patients, icy baths, rotten food and rampant filth was published, complete with graphic illustrations, it stirred the public into a frenzy. Politicians were forced to act and aggressively funneled money and wrote policies to reform the institution and the mental health industry.

Today, history counts Bly among the earliest investigative journalists – a true watchdog for the public who practiced what was then known as “stunt reporting.”

One person, Bly argued, could indeed change the world by helping one person at a time.

THE POWER OF

ONE

M

eet Augustana senior Hannah Miller, a modern day Nellie Bly.

At 22 years old, the education major from Mankato, Minn., has gone undercover at South Dakota’s legendary Sturgis Motorcycle Rally to research the extent of human trafficking in the state; and has student-taught elementary school children in Slovakia and in Moshi, Tanzania.

Her efforts as a student, and her goal of becoming a middle school science teacher, all fall in line with what Miller believes is her true calling.

“I’ve seen the injustice around the world. I’ve seen it here in South Dakota.

I can see how I can be a change agent.

I can influence change in the classroom.

As a teacher, you can empower students to be confident in who they are. You can remind them that they can do something – anything – if they put their minds to it. They can carry that confidence with them to high school and beyond.”

colleges study at the University of Oslo’s International Summer School deepening their understanding of issues related to peace, justice, democracy and human rights.

Miller spent seven weeks in Oslo, Norway, studying causes of armed conflicts, peace building, peacemaking, humanitarian interventions and aid, peacekeeping operations, gender, civil society and nonviolence, and peace movements.

“It was an amazing experience to study at this international school surrounded by people from so many different countries. To hear what they’ve been through and compare it against what I’ve experienced gave me a real global lens.”

For her final project as a Peace Prize Forum scholar, she examined the growing issue of human trafficking in South Dakota.

“South Dakota is among the top six worst states for human trafficking. From Sturgis, to the hunting season, to the Native American Reservations, people

victed of human trafficking in South Dakota could face up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Those convicted of human trafficking involving kidnapping, prostitution, death or a victim younger than 16 could face up to 25 years in prison and a $50,000 fine.

“Education is key. We need to get the word out about what’s going on. That’s the first step. Most people are blind to what’s happening. Education is the foundation of democracy. These people are being trafficked from impoverished countries where there’s no stable government, mass unemployment and other significant problems. Before human trafficking can diminish, we first need to look at a grass roots effort like the one I was involved with to help the vulnerable.”

In January 2011, Miller returned to Slovakia and brought four other Augustana students with her.

“I wanted to expose others to the same educational experience I had,” Miller said. “We left after Christmas and backpacked through Europe. We started

“I really want to empower kids and remind them that they matter.”

– Hannah Miller, Class of 2012 “I can’t end [all the injustice in the world]. But, I can change the world, one person at a time.”

Seeing the World Miller’s first taste of international travel happened when she was a sophomore. She completed a fourweek, independent study while student teaching at a Lutheran school in Martin, Slovakia. She taught English to students in kindergarten through seventh grade, observed classes and assisted with afterschool programs. She lived on campus in a dormitory.

“The fact that there was little English spoken in Slovakia was definitely a cultural shock. But – a good one. I felt totally vulnerable; I was reliant on the Slovakian people for everything. I ended up meeting another teacher there who was from Minnesota. She was a great help.”

The following spring, she was selected as one of Augustana’s Peace Prize Forum scholars.

The Peace Prize Forum Scholars Program is sponsored by the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, a consortium comprised of Augustana College, Augsburg College, Concordia College (Moorhead), Luther College, and St. Olaf College. Two students from each of the participating

are preying on the vulnerable. Men and women are trafficked here to work in hotels, bars and other establishments.”

To gauge the seriousness of the issue, Miller went undercover at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally for a first-hand account.

“I dressed up like a biker girl and walked up and down the streets to see what was really happening.”

Miller took her own research and paired it with ongoing investigations conducted by Be Free Ministries, a nonprofit organization based in Sioux Falls that is committed to ending human slavery, trafficking and exploitation locally and round the globe.

She presented her findings to the campus community at the Augustana Symposium while Be Free officials presented the evidence to South Dakota lawmakers.

For Miller, the experience illustrated the sheer and lasting power of education.

“South Dakota now has a human trafficking law,” Miller says, smiling, referring to a measure signed by Gov. Dennis Daugaard last March that allows the state to prosecute people for using force, fraud or coercion to make others engage in prostitution or involuntary servitude.

According to the new law, people conThe AUGUSTANA

in Amsterdam, went to Germany, the Czech Republic, Poland, Austria and finished in Slovakia. From there, we taught through J-Term.”

Currently, she’s teaching fourth and fifth graders at the International School at Moshi in Moshi, Tanzania, located at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. She’ll be there through March, when she’ll return to campus and prepare for Commencement in May. “Traveling abroad really boosted my confidence. By having a global perspective, you’re able to have a local perspective. I’m now able to see the similarities to my own culture and I can see the injustice in my own culture as well.”

Looking Ahead Miller says her experiences as a student have confirmed her conviction to teach and empower students. She’s hoping to find a teaching job in Colorado.

“Anybody can teach; but not everyone can be a great teacher. I really want to empower kids and remind them that they matter. Maybe at night there are other factors but, at school, they’re safe.

My job won’t be easy but, my job will be rewarding. For kids in middle school, there’s a lot of vulnerability. Their world is changing every day – I can be a constant in their lives.”

23

NAVY & GOLD

As a leader on the basketball court, senior Cody Schilling hopes to inspire students to play at the ...

TOPof the

KEY

C

ody Schilling deftly schools all those who challenge his basketball skills.

He is Minnesota’s all-time leading high school scorer with 3,428 points. He is among the top ten in six other career categories. At Augustana he is the career scoring leader.

“Cody has had a terrific four years at Augustana,” said Tom Billeter, head men’s basketball coach. “Not only has he done well personally and our teams have won a lot of games, he has also grown as a person. He will be well remembered for many wonderful accomplishments.”

Now, it’s time for the 6-foot-5 senior to exchange game plans for lesson plans.

at Augustana and two appearances in NCAA Division II Central Region championship games.

“If it’s a game, at practice, or a board game, Cody is very competitive and that’s what has made him so successful thus far,” said Chad Hetterman, who played alongside Schilling for four years and is now a graduate assistant with the Augustana men’s basketball program.

Not as well chronicled was Schilling’s term as Ellsworth’s senior class president.

He also participated in choir and snapped photos for the yearbook. “It’s a small school, so you get involved,” he said.

Subconsciously, the idea of becoming a teacher may have taken root his senior

Hetterman said. “His attitude towards kids and his ability to relate with them will be perfect. He has been a role model for a lot of kids at Ellsworth and Augustana while playing basketball and he will make as big an impact as a teacher.”

Billeter agrees. “Cody has all the tools to be a terrific teacher. He has worked the Augustana basketball camps for four years and does a remarkable job with kids of all ages. He is a very good communicator and a terrific role model.”

Arriving at Augustana in the fall of 2008, Schilling was undecided on a major. The answer came a few months later when he chose an education class for J-Term, a time of curricular exploration

“I want to be the kind of teacher that motivates kids to want to be in school.

I want to be a constant in their lives.”

– Cody Schilling, Class of 2012

Finding an opening to the hoop gives way to opening minds.

“My goal is to teach and coach,” said Schilling, an elementary education major.

“I would like to coach at a high school and teach at an elementary school. Right now my teaching emphasis is on grades three through six. I want to be the kind of teacher that motivates kids to want to be in school. I want to be a constant in their lives.”

Another option is obtaining a graduate assistantship, earning a master’s degree, and coaching/teaching at the college level. “The hardest decision Cody will have is whether he wants to teach and coach at the elementary/high school level or college. Either way, somebody will miss out on a very good teacher,” said Billeter.

Schilling’s athletic gifts have been on display for all to see. He is known throughout Minnesota as the ringleader of Ellsworth’s back-to-back state high school basketball championships (2007 and 2008). He attracted mega media attention during his assault on the state scoring record. He has been a key contributor to four straight winning seasons

year when Molly Gort was his anatomy, biology, and chemistry teacher. Molly is married to his older brother, Curt, and is now an elementary school principal.

In the model classroom located in Augustana’s Madsen Center, Schilling has learned to put education theory into practice. He bought into the Education Department’s philosophy of creating classrooms and schools exemplifying all four values of the Circle of Courage – belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity.

“It (the Circle of Courage) has provided a most wonderful context for education faculty to prepare teacher candidates to go out into classrooms and create environments where all students can learn.” said Dr. Sharon Andrews, assessment coordinator for the Education Department and former Department Chairperson.

Schilling will spend the 2012 fall semester student teaching in the Harrisburg (SD) School District and in Ellsworth. The disparity in enrollments and cultural diversity will provide valuable training.

“Cody will be an awesome teacher,”

The AUGUSTANA

and enrichment for students.

“The course really caught my interest,” Schilling said. “What’s so great about Augustana is the professors are so good at preparing students. They always make time for you.”

To Augustana Professor Matt Johnson, Schilling will be a valuable asset to the school offering him a classroom.

“We need male role models in elementary education,” Johnson said. “He possesses many qualities that make him a good person and he will make an excellent teacher. I’ve witnessed Cody around my children as well as other children and it is very noticeable that he is comfortable in his interactions with them. The way he conducts himself on the basketball court and the judgments he makes speaks volumes as to how he will manage a classroom. I have no doubt he will inspire kids to do great things.”

Perhaps he will teach kids how to successfully execute the fade away jump shot that tormented opponents and led to high school and college scoring records.

25

NAVY & GOLD

When Kelly Kougl’s father, Don, passed away just before the NCAA National Cross Country Championships, the heartbroken senior had to make a decision.

To run. Or, not to run.

With her Dad’s spirit inspiring her, she ran the race of her life.

RUNNING

Spirit

WITH .

Kell

her y and

Don dad,

D

on Kougl was a constant among the crowds of screaming fans and cheering parents who roam the grass along winding cross country courses in the fall and fill the stands at track meets in the spring. His white hair often covered by a baseball cap, Kougl never yelled. Instead, he watched the races in a thoughtful silence, proudly observing his daughter, Kelly, a business administration major, and the other runners round the course. In his hand, he always held a stopwatch.

He was always there.

Afterwards, from his home in Cheyenne, Wyo., he clipped newspaper articles recording the scores of each race and sent them to Kelly at her college mailbox.

So, in November, when her dad passed away at 72 following a grueling 16-month battle with bone cancer just days before Augustana was set to compete in the NCAA Championships in Spokane, Wash., one thought kept coming to mind.

At the race of her lifetime, her dad wouldn’t be there, watching.

As it turned out, Don Kougl was there – in spirit. Odds are he ran alongside Kelly for all 6,000 meters. As she meandered through the course in frigid temperatures, her toes numb, her spikes crunching atop three inches of fresh snow, his last words to her echoed inside Kelly’s head.

“I’m so proud of you.”

They crossed the finish line together – Kelly and her Dad’s spirit – placing 29th in the nation with a time of 22 minutes, 8.40 seconds.

Tough Decisions After his diagnosis in July 2010, Don Kougl, a former emergency room physician, tried to remain strong for his family. While doctors predicted he’d have nine to 12 months to live, Kelly remembers that her dad never complained.

Whenever someone asked him how he was feeling, he always turned the conversation around to another topic.

“My dad was like a dad to so many people,” Kelly, 21, remembers. “Everyone always came to him with questions – needing advice, needing mentorship. He was willing to talk to anyone.

He was so genuine about helping people. He showed us how to get through the pain of losing him just by being himself.”

Following attempts at chemotherapy, Don’s cancer began to advance in mid-2011. At that time, Kelly, along with her dad and her mom, Maureen, began talking with Tracy Hellman, Augustana’s head track and cross country coach, about the “what-ifs.”

“I made a point to go home as often as I could. Toward the end, I went home every other weekend.”

Remembering their close relationship, Kelly says her dad’s goal was to make it to the end of the semester. She says he didn’t spend his last days sharing important life-long lessons or inspiring reflections. Rather, their conversations were filled with talk of current events, the goings-on of college life and expressions of love.

“Everything I needed to learn, he’d already taught me,” Kelly says.

The Saturday before Nationals, Kelly spoke with her dad by phone. It would turn out to be their last conversation.

“At that point, he was confused; he was hard to understand. He said congratulations. He said, ‘I’m so proud of you,’” she remembers.

He died later that day.

Following the news of his death, Kelly’s teammates surrounded her to offer support and to listen.

The next morning, she went for a run with

Head Coach Tracy Hellman holds the national trophy following the race in Spokane, Wash., while members of the team look on. fellow teammate Kyle Blakeslee, her best friend on the team.

With a heavy heart, she questioned what to do next.

“I knew he would’ve done anything to be in Spokane. I knew he would’ve wanted me to go. As we ran, Kyle and I talked. We knew we wanted to finish the season together.”

Kelly returned to Cheyenne for her dad’s funeral, which was held on the Thursday before Nationals. At that point, she was still undecided as to whether or not she would compete with her team in Washington.

As she weighed the decision, she stayed in touch with her teammates.

“If I’m coming, we better not suck,” she told them.

Nationals After talking it over with her mom, Kelly made the decision to meet up with the team in Denver on Thursday evening and travel with them on to Spokane.

Going, she says, proved to be a good distraction.

On Saturday morning, with a fresh coat of snow on the ground, the Augustana runners gathered on the course of the Plantes Ferry Athletic Complex and pinned green ribbons to their jerseys, in honor of Don’s favorite color. With the race about to start, Kelly joined runners from across the nation at the starting line, unsure of what would happen next.

She had no idea she was about to run the race of her life. Her 29th place finish earned her AllAmerica honors and helped secure Augustana’s first-ever national cross country championship and the College’s second-ever national title, following the Augustana softball team’s national crown in 1991.

“I ran out of my mind. I certainly never thought I’d be an All-American. I thought about him throughout the entire race. When I felt tired, I’d hear him say ‘I’m so proud of you.’ I just wanted to make him proud.”

“Kelly’s performance was truly remarkable,” said Hellman. “She was never out of the top 30 the whole race, and really had the mental perserverance to hold her position late in the race when she was starting to fatigue. To place in the top 30 is a legitimate performance from a top runner.”

When it was over, her mom was waiting for her at the finish line.

“I gave her a hug and we both started crying.

At that point, all the emotions came out. I had to kind of hide the emotions during the week beThe AUGUSTANA

cause it would’ve been too draining. It all came out after I crossed the finish line.”

“To win nationals as a team was huge. We’ve been talking about getting a trophy since I was a freshman. We knew this had to be the year. We were shooting for top three. To win as a team, it was unreal. The best part was I had seven other people to share those amazing feelings with.”

To win, Augustana netted just 75 points, beating runner-up Western State (Colo.) by four points.

Junior Leah Hansen (Moorhead, Minn.) led the Vikings across the finish line, nabbing 12th place in 21:40.40. Sophomore Runa Falch (Steinkjer, Norway) finished directly behind Hansen in 21:42.40, followed by sophomore Kristin Brondbo (Steinkjer, Norway), who took 15th in 21:47.90; and junior Kyle Blakeslee (Cannon Falls, Minn.), who finished 18th in 21:53.30. ““This year will certainly go down as one of the most special I have ever had in my coaching career,” Hellman said. “This group of young ladies were truly a “Team.” They are not only great runners, but great individuals. We had to overcome so much adversity this year, and to still finish on top makes it even more special.

The feeling I had when I first found out we had won the title is a feeling that I will never forget.

It was a feeling of extreme joy and pride in everyone involved with our program. I thought of all our alumni and everyone who had been at Augie before, and how special this title was for everyone. It was truly a great day to be a Viking!”

Looking Ahead Today, Kelly admits she is still working through the emotions of the past few months.

“The reality is two of the most influential things in my life happened in the same week,” she said.

Looking ahead to graduation in May, Kelly is weighing her options. Her dream job, she says, would be in healthcare administration with an emphasis on marketing. Graduate school is also under consideration.

Whatever the future holds, she says, running will always be a part of her life, as will the memories of her final cross country race.

“You get to know your teammates really well by running together each day. My teammates were there with me since day one of the diagnosis. They all know my parents. As we ran that race, they were experiencing some of the same feelings I was. So, to experience a national win together – well, that was really special.”

27

Dr. Julie Ashworth came to Augustana after spending 25 years teaching in elementary school classrooms.

As she teaches tomorrow’s teachers, she stresses social justice, advocacy and inclusion.

She is an ...

AGENT FOR CHANGE

H

is name was Colton.

As a third grader, his life should’ve been all about Matchbox cars, Transformers, shooting hoops and collecting baseball

cards.

But it wasn’t.

At home, he suffered horrific abuse and gruesome neglect. In school, he acted out his aggressions in class and on the playground.

He had few friends. He was labeled a troublemaker; a problem kid. He was a nobody, and he knew it.

His future seemed bleak until partway through the year when he began to connect with his teacher. She took the time to ask him questions, learned about his interests, listened to his dreams and, somehow, made him believe in himself – made him believe he was the best kid in the class.

“He could do anything, be anything,” she told him.

His teacher’s name was Mrs. Ashworth.

After time, he told her the heart-wrenching details about his home life. She listened quietly, her heart beating loudly. She could make it better, she told him.

And she did. She notified Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) officials who, after investigating Colton’s situation, removed him from the hell he was enduring and placed him in a safer environment.

She came to visit him on weekends and even invited him to her home to share meals

students. I asked him to share some of his journey with them.”

“To me – that’s what it’s all about,” Ashworth says of Colton. “Teaching is an incredible opportunity and it’s an incredible responsibility.

But, if you can change one life – just one – to that degree, and get to witness that; well, that’s what it’s all about.”

A Way of Life Ashworth grew up as one of eight kids in a small town in rural South Dakota, endlessly playing “school” with her neighbors.

“I knew I wanted to work with kids who came from limited resources because I’ve always felt that all kids should be included.

I’ve always felt in my very being that we all belonged together.”

She majored in elementary education at Augustana, specializing in deaf and special education. After graduation, she spent 25 years working in various elementary schools in the Sioux Falls school district, including Garfield, Lowell, Cleveland and Hawthorne, a school where today more than 97 percent of students live in poverty.

In 1992, she was named the Sioux Falls School District’s Teacher of the Year. The following year, she was named South Dakota Teacher of the Year. In 2009, she received the Augustana Student Association (ASA) Professor of the Year Award and the Vernon and Mildred Niebuhr Faculty Excellence Award.

Her success in the classroom happened,

you’ll ever have. But it also gives back to you emotionally, spiritually, mentally. You have to really love being with students and love who you are when you’re with students. I can’t imagine a boring moment,” Ashworth said.

Change Agent Ashworth came to Augustana in 2001, at the urging of then Education Department Chair, Dr. Bob Kiner.

“I really felt called to preparing future teachers. I felt that if I was really going to affect change in education, I had to do it at this level. Today, I teach the methodology classes – how to teach. The bottom line is, teaching is relational. If you care deeply about a student over a sustained time they will learn from you.

I absolutely believe that for teachers, knowledge of students is equally as important as knowledge of subject.”

Despite the still-challenged economy which, in many states, including South Dakota, resulted in decreased K-12 education budgets in 2011, education continues to be a sought-after major among Augustana students.

For Fall 2011, 312 undergraduate students were declared as education majors. Among those, 85 were specializing in elementary education, 54 in secondary education and 54 in all grades.

Ashworth says a key asset of Augustana’s Education Department is that all of its professors have extensive K-12 backgrounds and are still involved with schools in the Sioux Falls

“I believe teaching is the most important vocation there is in terms of affecting and changing the future.”

– Dr. Julie Ashworth, Class of 1975 with her family.

Then, one gray afternoon in December, his grandmother came to visit him. She told him she was taking him away. He would live with her from now on.

He never saw Mrs. Ashworth again. But he never forgot her.

This fall, more than a decade had passed since Dr. Julie Ashworth, class of 1975, a former Sioux Falls elementary school teacher and now an assistant professor of Education at Augustana, had met Colton in her classroom at Hawthorne Elementary.

Despite the passing of time, she hadn’t forgotten him, either. She even kept his photo and a letter he’d written about her in a frame in her office.

She often wondered where he was. What was he doing? Who had he become? Would she ever see him again?

Turns out, she would.

“This fall, I’m sitting here working in my office. There’s a knock at the door. This kid – Colton, now age 18 – walks in, holding a piece of paper,” Ashworth says, smiling.

“I had to find you and had to show you,” Colton told her, waving the paper. “I graduated from high school. I got my diploma.”

“After leaving Sioux Falls, he’d lived in eight different states and had gone to 13 different schools. But this kid made it through,” Ashworth says. “I hugged him and told him how proud I was of him. Then I got so excited I took him down to my class to meet my

Ashworth says, because she looks at teaching not as a job, but as a way of life.

“I believe teaching is the most important vocation there is in terms of affecting and changing the future,” she says. “Teaching is a calling.

It’s a way of life. Many people think it’s mostly instruction but teaching is so much more than that. It’s advising and guiding and coaching and modeling and inspiring and teaching.

Teachers need to know their content but, they need to know how to teach that content.”

According to a recent study conducted by researchers from Harvard and Columbia, she’s right.

The study, entitled “The Long Term Impacts of Teachers,” explored the impact quality teachers had on students, both immediately and over the course of their lifetimes.

“We find that students assigned to higher Value-Added (VA) teachers are more successful in many dimensions. They are more likely to attend college, earn higher salaries, live in better neighborhoods, and save more for retirement. They are also less likely to have children as teenagers. Our study shows that great teachers create great value … it is clear that improving the quality of teaching – whether using value-added or other tools – is likely to have large economic and social returns,” the study said.

Ashworth knows the challenges and rewards of her calling.

“Teaching is the most emotionally, spiritually, mentally and physically challenging job

The AUGUSTANA

School District. Today, Ashworth still goes to Hawthorne twice a week to observe changing classroom dynamics firsthand and spends countless hours mentoring new teachers.

In addition to teaching tomorrow’s teachers, she says a big part of her job is helping students discern whether teaching is right for them. And, to help students find their “stance” as a teacher.

“The reality is, you teach who you are. I’m teaching as a daughter, as a wife, as a grandparent, as an actress, as a mother of a child with disabilities. Your stance is always changing and always emerging.”

A self-proclaimed crusader of social justice, Ashworth calls it her mission – and that of her department – to teach teachers how to carry out social justice in their classrooms.

Key to that mission is the “Circle of Courage” framework the department uses. It consists of four elements teachers need to implement in their classrooms to help students succeed: • Belonging: Humans have a need to feel valued, important and safe. Every student needs to know that they belong.

• Independence: Every student needs to feel that that they have autonomy; that they can make good decisions and follow through on their actions.

• Mastery: Students need to feel like they are competent in their abilities and also feel they can seek more knowledge and skills in CONTINUED: Page 36

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ALUMNI NEWS A Message from the Alumni Association President

Recognize the Work of Others My fellow alumni, Voltaire, the prolific French writer and philosopher, once wrote about the idea of “appreciation,” calling it “a wonderful thing.” Appreciation, he said, makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Covenant Awards, which recognize current students who embody Augustana’s five shared core values: Christian, Liberal Arts, Excellence, Community and Service. To celebrate, Augustana will hold a week-long series of events called Verdier 2012. In Norwegian, Verdier translates as “values; the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or community.” It’s these values that have guided Augustana since 1860.

The Alumni Association has its own awards intended to show appreciation of our alumni, their accomplishments and contributions to the world. The Alumni Achievement Awards are presented each year to alumni who have made outstanding contributions to their fields of endeavor, their communities and/or their churches. The recipients must be graduates of Augustana College, excel in their careers and exemplify one of the values of the College. The Horizon Award is given to recognize alumni who have graduated within the last 15 years, excel in their careers and exemplify one of the values of the College.

I encourage you to take some time to consider nominating your former classmates for their achievements so we can, as Voltaire said, lift up and share in the excellence of their work.

Nominations for both awards will be received by the Award Committee until Sunday, April 1. Nomination forms are available online.

Visit www.augielink.com/alumni-achievement-awards.

We’re looking forward to hearing from you. As always, Go Augie Go! Corey Halstenson Class of 1996

and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or community.”

As Augustana alumni, we invite you to return to campus during the week of April 16-20 to participate in Verdier 2012 events. One core value will be celebrated each day during the week.

We’ll also kick off “Augustana Acts,” an interactive map depicting acts of service by our students, faculty and alumni all over the world.

Visit www.augie.edu/verdier for more details.

To make a memorial gift, please send a personal check to the Development Office, 3rd Floor, Administration Building, 2001 S. Summit Ave., Sioux Falls, S.D., 57197. Please note the fund you are supporting.

Or, make a gift online, at www.augielink.com/donate (Enter the gift amount in the “Other” field and just below, type in the name of the fund you are supporting).

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Visit www.augielink.com for daily updates and photos.

THE

2000s

CLASS OF 2011 Nate Baumann has signed to play professional baseball with the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League.

Drew Heithoff has signed to play professional baseball with the Schaumburg Boomers of the Frontier League.

Jessica (Palank) Hendricks is working as a college planning specialist at Education Quest Foundation in Omaha, Neb. Jorgen Lervick is working as an energy legal assistant in the Washington, D.C., office of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom.

Anna Isaacson and Thomas Lynch ‘08 were married on June 25, 2011. She is a master’s student at the University of Iowa studying religion.

Katie Kuefler is the training coordinator at CHR Solutions.

Kelsey O’Fallon and Justin Hanson were married on July 23, 2011. Kelsey is a physical therapy student at Creighton University in Omaha.

Tonya Olson is working at the Mikkelsen Library at Augustana as the acquisitions assistant.

Natalie Ronning is working as a lab technician at Cornell University.

Bret Severtson has signed to play professional baseball with the St. Paul Saints of the American Association.

Verdier 2012 to Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Augustana’s Covenant Award April 16-20 In April, Augustana will mark the 10th anniversary of the Covenant Award, the honor recognizing students who exemplify the College’s five core values: Christian, Liberal Arts, Excellence, Community and Service.

The College will celebrate this milestone occasion during Verdier 2012, a week-long celebration of the morals and ethics that have guided Augustana since 1860.

In Norwegian, the translation for “Verdier” is “values; the moral principles

Class Notes

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Dirk Tedmon is an analyst in the Office of Presidential Correspondence at the White House.

CLASS OF 2010 Laura Biggins is a middle school and high school social studies teacher at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf in Providence, R.I. Megan Hasche is the administrative and communications assistant at the Lutheran Music Program, a non-profit in Minneapolis that runs a national, four-week summer music camp for high school students.

Meredith Lind is an elementary special education teacher in the Sioux Falls School District.

Joy (Lussenden) married Adam Broin on August 20th, 2011 in Sioux Falls. They now live in California.

Beth (Kunze) Schwanz is an affiliate administrator for the South Dakota Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Augustana Presents Grammy Nominated Sara Bareilles April 22 Augustana will present an acoustic concert by Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter Sara Bareilles at 7 p.m. on Sunday, April 22, at the Washington Pavilion.

Tickets for “An Evening with Sara Bareilles” are $30 and are available at www.augie.edu/sara.

Bareilles hit the mainstream in 2007 with her hit single “Love Song,” which soared to No. 1 on the Billboard Pop 100 chart and sold more than 3 million copies. Her current album, “Kaleidoscope Heart,” debuted at No. 1 in the U.S. in late 2010. Within a month, the album’s first single, “King of Anything,” was the No. 2 song on AOL Radio and reached as high as No. 4 on Billboard’s Adult Pop Songs top 100 chart.

In a review of “Kaleidoscope Heart,” the Los Angeles Times wrote “…Bareilles takes a semi-confessional approach, her warm alto and hard-working piano arrangements strongly suggest conversation; she incorporates the stops and starts of casual speech into her singing. Whether speaking truth to a boor in the hit “King of Anything” or revving up her own slightly damaged engines in “Bluebird” or “Uncharted,” Bareilles keeps her mood hopeful, structuring her songs as well-paced ascents toward choruses meant to be sung with abandon. “Wish I were pretty, wish I were brave,” she murmurs at the start of “Let the Rain.” Her voice rises in intervals, and by the time the chorus takes over, the key and the mood has changed. The singersongwriter’s background in university show choirs serves her well

CLASS OF 2009 Emily Braith ‘09 and Jessie Moen ‘08 were married on August 20, 2011 and reside in Golden Valley, Minn.

Alicia Coggins married Eric Boe on August 13, 2011. Alicia is an administrative assistant at YMCA of Rapid City. They live in Rapid City, S.D. Jackie (Leach) Glade was married to Lance Glade on June 19, 2010. The couple now resides in Moville, Iowa.

Paula Lemar is the editor of the Winnebago Voice newspaper in Winnebago, Minn.

Sean McCain is a production stage manager at Hoi Polloi in New York City.

here, as she finds strength in complex vocal arrangements and the sorts of dramatic set-ups that have reminded us … that the very act of raising our voices can be a hugely liberating act.”

In late 2011, Bareilles served as a celebrity judge for the third season of NBC’s musical talent show, “The Sing-Off,” alongside Ben Folds and Shawn Stockman of Boyz II Men. She has toured with Maroon 5 and Sugarland; performed on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “30 Rock” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” In 2009, she was invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to perform at the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Alison Jensen is a behavior analyst for the Minnesota Autism Center in Woodbury, Minn.

Brianna Jones married Corey Isaak of Moorhead, Minn., on June 18, 2011. Brianna teaches English at Park Christian School in Moorhead.

Writer/Director Andrew Kightlinger has released a trailer for his newest movie “Dust of War” which was filmed in South Dakota.

“Dust of War” is currently awaiting a release for sometime this year.

Erin Kohles is a recruiter at Midcontinent Communications in Sioux Falls.

Marcella (Dowie) Slater was the featured artist of the month for November at the Lakeside Artisans Cooperative gallery in Oswego, N.Y.

Thomas Lynch and Anna Isaacson ‘11 were married on June 25, 2011. She is a master’s student at the University of Iowa studying religion.

Regan Tekavec is the assistant athletic director at Concordia University, St. Paul.

Alyssa Nance is playing Gretel in Opera Omaha’s production of “Hansel and Gretel”.

CLASS OF 2008 Lindsey (Schultz) Booth created a lesson plan called Booth’s Bucks to teach fiscal responsibility to her 4th and 5th graders at St. Paul’s Lutheran School in Prior Lake, Minn.

Brian Westerhuis started medical school at the University of South Dakota in the fall of 2011.

Thomas Ellingworth is employed at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage Headquarters as a financial analyst III in West Des Moines, Iowa.

CJ Cash finished his second year as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer in July 2011. He started his first year in the master’s of social work program at the University of Iowa in August 2011. He recently started working as a shelter coordinator at a Shelter House in Iowa City, Iowa.

CLASS OF 2007 Jeremy Aylward has left the public accounting industry after five years with Eide Bailly and now works for Sanford Health as an accountant.

Megan DeNeui is the project analyst at US Bank in Sioux Falls.

Tiffany Eichstadt is the resource development director at Good Samaritan Society.

Matthew Kruse was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacrament in the ELCA on Jan. The AUGUSTANA

14, 2012. He has been called to serve Redeemer Lutheran Church in Rio, Wis., where he resides.

Danielle Ryan married Paul Scroeder ‘05 on Oct. 15, 2011. She is attending SDSU to earn her doctorate of nursing practice degree.

They live in Sioux Falls.

Joey Ryan and his group Joey Ryan & The Inks’ record “Dennis Lane” was the No. 1 Minnesota release in 2011.

Emily (Nielsen) Wiederich and her husband, Dave, welcomed a son, Colin David, on Aug. 13, 2011.

Jess Winter is an education resources development intern at the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project.

CLASS OF 2006 Lauren (Schrag) Anema received her M.B.A. from the University of South Dakota in 2009.

She married Trevor Anema in Sioux Falls on Aug. 11, 2007. Lauren is one of six grant recipients for the 2011 Technology Accelerator program sponsored by N2Tec Institute.

Allison (Girtz) and Dan Antoine ‘05 welcomed daughter Amara Antoine on Sept. 6, 2011.

Kyle Fricke received his M.B.A. from the University of South Dakota in May 2009. He is currently a senior auditor with the Sanford Health Plan and owns his own business as a consultant in the insurance field. He lives in Sioux Falls.

Annmarie Kowalczyk is a novice with the religious order Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity. She is currently in Holman, 31

N.M., until next July 2012 after which she will be sent out to a mission location.

Andrew Krueger married Kelly Hansen on Sept. 30, 2011. Andrew is a teacher at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls.

Emily (Vadner) Lemmon and husband, Jon, welcomed their first son Caleb Jonathan on Nov. 30, 2012. They live in San Diego, Calif.

Ryan Pokorney married Tanya Aman on June 12, 2011. Ryan is an orthopedic surgery resident at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Carly LaCroix graduated with her Ph.D. in Basic Biomedical Science from the University of South Dakota in May 2011. She started medical school in July, 2011 at Rocky Vista University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Parker, Colo.

ministration at Seattle University in December 2010. In August 2011, Aric started a new position through the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center coordinating research on HIV testing. He was also appointed to the City of Seattle LGBT Commission.

Brooke (Andersen) Schubert has become a licensed architect in the state of Colorado, after completing an extensive internship and taking a series of seven architectural registration exams.

Dominick Washington recently accepted an appointment as director of communications for the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago.

THE

Heather and Adam Smith welcomed their new daughter, Annika Rae, on Oct. 4, 2011

Erin Toft married Jonathan Castle on Sept. 3, 2011. The couple lives in Valley Springs, S.D. Erin is a floor coordinator at the Washington Pavilion Science Center and gallery manager at Rug & Relic.

CLASS OF 2003 Jessica Dowden married Matthew Ashton on Aug. 6, 2011, in Sioux Falls. She is currently the human resources/payroll manager for Central Farmers Cooperative in Marion, S.D.

Jennifer (Giannonatti) Toscana is a cost engineer at Bechtel Oil, Gas & Chemicals in Houston, Texas.

Erick Jensen and Kim (Karli) Jensen ‘03 welcomed their son, Ronan Enemark, on Aug. 28, 2011.

Calvin and Sara (Homan) Wiebelhaus welcomed their son, Kolten Nicholas, on March 11, 2011.

CLASS OF 2002 Charles Garman and his wife Kristina welcomed their second child, Dylan Charles, on Nov. 6, 2011. Charles is currently employed as the recoupment counsel for Fidelity National Title Group.

CLASS OF 2005 Jill Adams earned a master’s in social work from the University of Denver in 2009. She is the bilingual victim and family advocate for a child advocacy center. She lives in Arvada, Colo.

1990s

CLASS OF 1999 Erika Anderson and Eric Klawiter ‘00 welcomed twins Freya Violet and Sylvie Jane on Dec. 2, 2011.

Andrea (Harens) Joos and husband, Christopher, welcomed Kellen Christopher and Nolan Roberts on May 11, 2011.

Jamie (Friese) Strasser and husband, Cory, welcomed Jaci Lou on Dec.7, 2011.

CLASS OF 1998 On Dec. 17, 2011, Linda Knutson earned her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from UNLV in Las Vegas, Nev. CLASS OF 1997 Cecilie Lone and Paul Skoglund welcomed son Matteo Lone Skoglund on July 1, 2011.

Tricia Halling is an associate attorney for the capital markets group of Latham & Watkins LLP in London, England.

Michelle Spence is the vice president of public policy for the American Medical Group Association.

Dan Antoine and Allison (Girtz) ‘05 welcomed their daughter, Amara Antoine, on Sept. 6, 2011.

Helen Henkin married Jeffrey Kluck on Sept.

3, 2011. They live in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1996 Wendy (Strehlow) Gustafson and husband, J.D., welcomed Calvin James on June 14, 2011

Kayla (Bickett) Eitreim is the president of Junior Achievement of South Dakota.

Creighton Howe is the human resources director at Crow Creek Tribal Schools.

Brian Fox married Miranda Bolen ‘09 on Oct. 8, 2011. The couple lives in Sioux Falls.

Dale and Heather (Fite) Van Zee welcomed their daughter, Jetta Van Zee, on July 6, 2011.

Paul Schroeder married Danielle Ryan ‘07 on Oct. 15, 2011. Paul works in information technology at Avera Health. They live in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 2001 Heidi (Koerner) McKean graduated from the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship program at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in 2011.

She now works at the Avera Cancer Center in Sioux Falls.

Katie (Keiserman) Van Groll and husband, Jeremy Van Groll, welcomed their second son, Allen Louis, on Nov. 29, 2011.

Stacia Wagner married Drew Walters on July 23, 2011. They live in Olathe, Kan., where Stacia is a seventh grade communication arts teacher.

CLASS OF 2004 After completing her Master of Science in nursing degree in August, Kim Brake accepted a position at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., at St. Mary’s Hospital as a discharge planning nurse specialist.

Emily Drommerhausen married Jaret Sievers on Dec. 31, 2011. They live in Sioux Falls. Emily is the director of college events at Augustana.

April (Nelson) and Dave Hokanson welcomed son, Connor David, on Oct. 18, 2011.

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Nate Reyelts and his wife, Kellie, welcomed their son Collin Michael on Nov. 10, 2011.

Mark Scharnberg married Angel Paulson on Oct. 30, 2011. They live in Sioux Falls. Mark has earned an M.B.A. from USD and is the vice president of revenue for the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society.

CLASS OF 2000 Melanie (Krumvieda) Keegan and Matt Keegan welcomed son, Beckett Matthew, on Oct. 17, 2011.

Eric Klawiter and Erika Anderson ‘99 welcomed twins Freya Violet and Sylvie Jane on Dec. 2, 2011.

Aric Lane completed his master’s in public adThe AUGUSTANA

CLASS OF 1994 Lisa (Egsgaard) Sellman has published her first children’s book entitled “The Legend of the Wolves of Gunflint Lake.”

CLASS OF 1993 Kyle Pederson has written a new solo piano album of classic Christmas hymns entitled “12.25”.

Caryn Riswold, an associate professor of religion at Illinois College, has been elected to a four-year term on the Lilly Fellows Program National Network Board.

CLASS OF 1992 Amy (Andrican) Frantzen, an exceptional needs specialist/early childhood through young adulthood teacher at Brandon Valley School District in South Dakota, achieved National Board Certification in 2011.

Joedy Poppe and wife Patti (Berg) ‘90 welcomed daughter Maren in March 2011.

CLASS OF 1991 Elaine (Victor) Baer, 81, died on Sept. 22, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1990 Patti (Berg) and husband Joedy Poppe ‘92 welcomed daughter Maren in March 2011.

CLASS OF 1989 Dr. Clark Scovel, a Tennessee anesthesiologist and avid rock and mineral THE collector, has generously donated a rare mineral collection to the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology’s Museum of Geology.

Becky (Eiesland) Pittenger was named the New Librarian of the Year by the South Dakota Library Association.

1980s

CLASS OF 1980 Matthew Moen was named to the South Dakota Humanities Council Board of Directors.

CLASS OF 1988 David Jahner has received the 2011 Florence Steiner Award for Leadership in Foreign Language Education, K-12, which is sponsored by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL).

Lee Schoenbeck is a new outdoors columnist for South Dakota Magazine.

CLASS OF 1987 Kevin Anderson, 50, died in a plane crash on Dec. 9, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1986 Mark Isackson was awarded a Service to Music Award by the South Dakota Music Education Association in October 2011.

Dan Iseminger is the director of special operations for Sioux Steel Company in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1985 Lois (Van Dam) Martin has joined Ceridian Corporation as Executive Vice President & CFO. Radiation oncologist Dr. Daniel Petereit of the Regional Cancer Care Institute in Rapid City, S.D., was inducted as a Fellow by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

Daniel Stegen, 49, died on Sept. 15, 2011, in Strawberry Point, Iowa.

CLASS OF 1984 Kristin Sims was one of 11 nurse executives from the U.S. invited by the American Organization of Nurse Executives to visit Cuba and build relations between nurse leaders from both countries.

CLASS OF 1982 Rev. Greg Johnson is an innovation team member at the Good Samaritan Society in Sioux Falls.

Harold Patchin, 55, died on Sept. 20, 2011, in Fargo, N.D. Craig Pfeifle has been appointed as a circuit judge to South Dakota’s Seventh Circuit Court.

Kay Wohlhuter was promoted to full professor. She is in her 14th year of teaching mathematics at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.

CLASS OF 1981 Dr. Pamela Homan, superintendent of the Sioux Falls School District, was elected to the Augustana Board of Trustees in December 2011.

Denise (Malewicki) Nelson was one of 50 area artists who took part in the juried art exhibit on guardian angels in the Prairie Center on the Avera Campus.

CLASS OF 1979 Dr. Paul Bahnson was named one of THE the Top 100 Most Influential People in Accounting by Accounting Today.

He is a professor of accountancy at Boise State University College of Business and Economics.

1970s

Kim (Voigt) Brenden, 54, died on Nov. 1, 2011 in Sioux Falls.

Lori Forman is a professor at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii.

CLASS OF 1970 Dale Allen Pommer earned a black belt in Wado Ryu Karate on Nov. 22, 2011, after passing the Wado Ryu Federation Test, an arduous Bushido Dojo test, and sparring with 10 other black belts. He started karate at age 57. He has also released a new country CD entitled “Twelve Steps From a Six-Pack.”

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1960s

CLASS OF 1969 Barbara (Ersland) Thomas and her husband Ron celebrated their 40th anniversary in Moore, S.C.

Orlin Kompelien married Marilyn Chaplin of Canby, Minn., on Nov. 5, 2011. Marilyn owns a beauty salon in Canby and Orlin is retired.

Gary Rosemore retired from the wine and import beer business the end of January 2012.

Gregory White, 64, died on Dec. 21, 2011, in Pierre, S.D.

Rick Skatula was selected as Wyoming’s 2012 National Distinguished Principal.

CLASS OF 1968 John Eggers, 65, died on Sept. 20, 2011, in Gettysburg, S.D.

CLASS OF 1977 Paul Van Ningen, 56, died on Jan. 1, 2012, in Bismarck, N.D.

CLASS OF 1967 Gerald Goettsch, 65, passed away on Nov. 18, 2011, in Davenport, Iowa.

Kim Olson Voth, 54 died on Sept. 22, 2009, in Alexandria, Va.

CLASS OF 1966 Fredrick Koehn, 67, passed away on Oct. 19, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1976 Lori Johnson, R.N., received board certification in psychiatric/mental health nursing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

CLASS OF 1975 Eric Tweet has worked at Sanford hospital 35 years.

CLASS OF 1974 Natalie Plueger, 59, died on Dec. 13, 2011, in Rock Valley, Iowa.

CLASS OF 1973 Mark Ekeland will be inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame on April 14, 2012.

Gayle Unruh Kerslake, 70, died on Sept. 29, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Gretchen (Johnson) Tweet retired from the Sioux Falls Public Schools on May 18, 2011, after teaching for 26 years. She is currently volunteering at her church, school, and the Washington Pavilion.

CLASS OF 1972 Hardy Rogness, 63, died on Aug. 29, 2011, in Fargo, N.D. CLASS OF 1971 Rev. Darcy Jensen died on Dec. 20, 2011, in Fresno, Calif.

Scott Thompson, 61, died on April 21, 2011, in Bloomington, Minn.

The AUGUSTANA

Carol Nygaard, 67, passed away on Sept. 22, 2011, in Watertown, S.D. CLASS OF 1965 Becky (Skalland) Brakke and Ron Brakke ‘63 celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in Dallas, Texas.

Dr. John Diebold, 68, passed away on Jan. 11, 2012, in Louisville, Ky. Clive Rosengren has written a novel “Murder Unscripted.” He lives on the West Coast.

CLASS OF 1964 Rev. Les Svendsen retired as the senior pastor of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls. He served in ministry for 43 years.

CLASS OF 1963 Ron Brakke and Becky (Skalland) Brakke ’65 celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary in Dallas, Texas.

Harris Gorder, 78, died Sept. 11, 2011, in Barrington, Ill. Lois (Everist) Harder, 85, died on Dec. 6, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Ted Kessinger was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Ind., in honor of his career at Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kan. He began his career as an assistant football coach at Augustana.

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CLASS OF 1961 Ronald Charlson, 72, died on Sept. 22, 2011, in Le Mars, Iowa.

Carl Grupp’s artwork was featured in an exhibit at the Eastbank Art Gallery.

Rose (Lundin) Sandberg, 93, died on Dec. 17, 2011, in Crooks, S.D. Ray Skoglund ’59 and Ardell (Stavnes) Skoglund celebrated their 50th anniversary in August 2011.

Gene Sundem died on Nov. 16, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Beverly (Andersen) Wiskur, 79, died on July 4, 2011, in San Diego, Calif.

CLASS OF 1953 Hazel (Fletchall) Johannsen, 80, passed away on Sept. 9, 2011, in Madison, S.D. Betty Lou (Chamberlain) Viberg, 81, passed away on Nov. 21, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1946 Clarice (Kirkvold) Bruns, 87, died on Nov. 26, 2011, in Hendricks, Minn.

Robert O’Conner, 90, died on Oct. 12, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Betty (Fusfield) Speier, 88, died on Dec. 29, 2011, in Naples, Fla. CLASS OF 1944 Bergliot (Halvorson) Benzon, 88, died on Aug. 21, 2011, in Fort Collins, Colo.

CLASS OF 1943 Charles Claussen, 90, died on Nov. 13, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

passed away on Jan. 25, 2012, in Minneapolis, Minn.

CLASS OF 1938 Estrid (Franzen) Lindquist, 95, died on Dec. 12, 2011, in Milbank, S.D. Maynard Lintvedt, 97, died on Oct. 7, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1937 Lee Kittelson, 96, died on Sept.

20, 2011, in Beresford, S.D. CLASS OF 1936 Victor Distad, 96, died on May 3, 2011, in San Diego, Calif.

CLASS OF 1960 Rodney Bailey, 72, died on Nov. 14, 2011, in Gilroy, Calif.

CLASS OF 1952 Warren Hanson, 81, died on May 6, 2011, in North Fort Myers, Fla.

Jerald Stormo, 78, died on Oct. 31, 2011, in Creswell, Ore.

Richard Pierson, 81, passed away on May 3, 2011, in Saginaw, Mich.

CLASS OF 1942 Kathryn (Knutson) Henning died on Sept. 19, 2011, in Shakopee, Minn.

CLASS OF 1959 Wallace Abraham, 75, THE died on Nov. 24, 2011, in Mesa, Ariz.

CLASS OF 1951 Marion (Bringle) Degelau, 81, died on April 3, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1941 Ruth (Binggeli) Clegg, 92, died on April 27, 2011, in Manhattan, Kan.

Glen Digerness, 82, died on Oct. 26, 2011, in Mitchell, S.D.

Doris (Larson) Nesthus, 91, passed away on Jan. 3, 2012, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1934 Beatrice (Johnson) Dohney celebrated her 100th birthday on Jan. 24, 2012.

Berniece (Guinther) Prestbo, 97, died on June 23, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Fern (Elofson) James, 99, died on June 19, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Aivind (A.R.) Sellevold, 92, died on Aug. 11, 2011, in Slayton, Minn.

Maurice Kochenderfer celebrated his 100th birthday on Jan. 12, 2012.

1950s

Arnold Domke, 74, died on Nov. 18, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Ray Skoglund and Ardell (Stavnes) Skoglund ’61 celebrated their 50th anniversary in August 2011.

Constance “Connie” (Tofte) Skovlund, 74, died on Dec. 16, 2011, in Brookings, S.D. Hale Swanson, 75, passed away on Dec. 25, 2011, in Miles City, Mont.

CLASS OF 1958 Betty (Sundheim) Pawlowski, 76, passed away on July 3, 2011, in Casper, Wyo. Grace (Woelber) Sohl, 74, died on Sept. 8, 2011, in Sioux City, Iowa.

CLASS OF 1957 Paul Natwick, 76, died on Nov. 20, 2011, in San Jose, Calif.

CLASS OF 1956 Barbara (Zimmerman) Nelson, 78, died on Dec. 22, 2011, in Salisbury, Md. CLASS OF 1955 William Goebel, 78, passed away on Dec. 11, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Philip Severson, 77, died on Sep. 21, 2011, in Rapid City, S.D. CLASS OF 1954 Rev. Luther Flugstad, 83, passed died April 7, 2010, in Adair, Iowa.

Maren (Strand) Grams, 73, died on Sept. 22, 2011, in Eau Claire, Wis. Melvin Smook, 83, died on Dec. 28, 2011, in Luverne, Minn.

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Lila (Strand) Kessinger, 82, died on Jan. 1, 2012, in Sioux Falls.

Elton Kirstein, 90, passed away on Dec. 31, 2011, in Wichita, Kan. Claryce (Tollefson) Stormo died on Oct. 26, 2011.

CLASS OF 1940 Aileen (McDonald) Braley, 94 passed away on May 24, 2011, in Silver Springs, Fla.

James Wang, 84, died on Aug. 17, 2011, in Ann Arbor, Mich.

CLASS OF 1950 Fred Burch, 88, died on June 7, 2011, in Bartlesville, Okla.

Keith Guse, 93, passed away on Aug. 22, 2011, in Brandon, S.D.

Willard “Bill” Dahle, 85, died on Nov. 12, 2011, in Mukwonago, Wisc.

Rodney Dodge, 94, died on Dec. 2, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

John Helgerson, 94, died on Dec. 7, 2011, in Edina, Minn.

THE

Margaret (Allan) Reep, 91, passed away on Jan. 14, 2011, in Los Alimitos, Calif.

1930s

Raymond Harms, 85, died on May 5, 2010, in Clear Lake, Iowa.

Warren Kemp, 90, passed away on Jan. 6, 2012, in Sioux Falls.

Kenneth Powell, 88, passed away on Sept. 22, 2011, in Brandon, S.D.

CLASS OF 1939 Vivian (Bergstrom) Lindquist, 94, died on Dec. 7, 2011, in Ripon, Wisc.

Mildred (Gullickson) Starr, 94,

Wallace “Gunnar” Bernards, 85, passed away on Jan. THE 22, 2012, in Brooklyn Center, Minn.

1940s

CLASS OF 1949 Elva (Johnson) Kull, 85, died on Dec. 18, 2011.

CLASS OF 1948 Gordon Keeton, 90, passed away on Aug. 26, 2011, in Mitchell, S.D. CLASS OF 1947 Randolph Peterson, 94, died on Oct. 28, 2011, in Sioux Falls.

Loretta (Howe) Smith, 96, passed away on Jan. 14, 2012, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1935 Vera Masters, 98, died on June 19, 2011, in Aberdeen, S.D.

IN MEMORIAM Delores Stroh, 81, died Oct. 27, 2011, in Sioux Falls. Stroh worked for Augustana for 10 years before retiring in 1997.

Marion Froiland, 89, died Dec. 8, 2011, in Sioux Falls. Marion was the wife of Dr. Sven Froiland, professor emeritus of Biology, and an active member of the Center for Western Studies, the Golden Vikings and the Augustana Library Associates.

Dr. James F. Krier, D.V.M., 82, died on Jan. 25, 2012, in Omaha, Neb. Krier served 12 years on the Augustana College Board of Trustees.

Printed Alumni Directory in the Works Augustana College has partnered with Harris Connect to prepare a printed alumni directory that will be available for purchase.

This spring and early summer, you will receive communications asking you to call Harris Connect to update your information to

The AUGUSTANA

ensure accuracy in the directory. We are very excited to be able to offer this publication to our alumni, and hope you will take the time to verify your information.

We look forward to the final product being delivered this fall.

TALK FROM THE HUDDLE

Art Exhibit, Dakota Conference Examines Wounded Knee, 1973 and 1890 “Interpretations of Wounded Knee 1973 and 1890,” an exhibit commemorating the 40th anniversary of the occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 will be on display in the Madsen/Nelson/Elmen Galleries of the Center for Western Studies’ Fantle Building through May 26.

On Dec. 29, 1890, Miniconjou Lakota chief Spotted Elk (Big Foot) and some 300 of his followers were gunned down on the banks of Wounded Knee Creek. Eighty-three years later, 200 Oglala Lakota seized and occupied the town of Wounded Knee, S.D., for 71 days.

“Interpretations of Wounded Knee 1973 and 1890” is a one-time art show intended to recognize the impact of these two events in Northern Plains, Indian and American history.

Works by 24 artists are on display including: Kevin Bierbaum, Sioux Falls; Randall Blaze, Buffalo Gap, S.D.; Stuart Brings Plenty, Sioux Falls; Lynn Burnette, Sr., Loveland, Colo.; Gerald Cournoyer, Kyle S.D.; Russell Cournoyer, Sioux Falls; Rodger Ellingson, Sioux Falls; Jerry Fogg, Sioux Falls; Chris Francis, Madison, S.D.; Sharon Gray, Vermillion, S.D.; Bonnie HalseyDutton, Spearfish, S.D.; Terry Hecker, Lakeside, Calif.; Emil Her Many Horses, Washington, D.C.; Del Iron Cloud, Rapid City, S.D.; Glenn Krupka, Sioux Falls; Dennis Linn, Rapid City; Leah Maltbie, Hay Springs, Neb.; Alan Montgomery, Madison; Donald F. Montileaux, Rapid City; Kevin Pouirer, Scenic, S.D.; Bruce Preheim, Vermillion, S.D.; Arthur Short Bull, Estes Park, Colo.; Margaret Sisley, Rapid City; and Asher Srednas, Sioux Falls .

The exhibit coincides with the 2012 Dakota Conference, the focus of which is Wounded Knee 1973, the 1890 massacre and other aspects of Northern Plains Indian history and culture. The Dakota Conference is set for April 27-28. Preliminary session speakers include Kevin McKiernan and Stew Magnuson.

McKiernan covered the 1973 Wounded Knee occupation for National Public Radio. He was the only reporter in the occupied village during the last six weeks of the confrontation. He later co-produced “The Spirit of Crazy Horse” for PBS’“Frontline.” He is currently working on a new documentary called “Line in the Sand,” a “then and now” story that focuses on the legacy of the occupation.

McKiernan’s career as a journalist and filmmaker has taken him to some of the world’s most troubled regions, from Nicaragua to Iraq, from West Africa to Afghanistan. His work, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, has been published by Time, Newsweek and The New York Times; and appeared on ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS. Magnuson is the author of “The Death of Raymond Yellow Thunder.”

After covering racial unrest in the remote northwest corner of his home

“December 1890” by Donald F. Montileaux

state of Nebraska in 1999, Magnuson, a journalist, returned four years later to consider the border towns’ peoples, their paths, and the forces that separate them. Examining Raymond Yellow Thunder’s death at the hands of four white men in 1972, Magnuson looks deep into the past that gave rise to the tragedy. Situating long-ranging repercussions within 130 years of context, he also recounts the largely forgotten struggles of American Indian Movement activist Bob Yellow Bird and tells the story of Whiteclay, Nebraska, the controversial border hamlet that continues to sell millions of cans of beer per year to the “dry” reservation. Within this microcosm of cultural conflict, Magnuson explores the odds against the community’s power to transcend misunderstanding, alcoholism, prejudice, and violence.

A native of Omaha and a graduate of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Magnuson has traveled or lived in 45 countries, including the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, where he served in the Peace Corps, and Peshawar, Pakistan, where he worked with Afghan refugees in the late 1980s. He lives in Arlington, Va. The Center for Western Studies is located in the Fantle Building at 2121 S. Summit Ave., Sioux Falls. Hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. - 2p.m. on Saturdays. Admission is free.

For more information, please visit www.augie.edu/cws.

First-Ever Augustana Academic Festival to Celebrate Scholarship The first-ever Augustana Academic Festival, a celebration of scholarship and academic achievement, will be held on campus April 14-28.

“We wanted to bring together a number of events, including the Augustana Symposium and the Dakota Conference, to showcase the excellent work being done by our students here,” said Dr. Jeffrey Miller, director of the Civitas honors program, which is helping sponsor the Festival. “It’s an opportunity for the college community to recognize and celebrate the creativity and hard work that goes on in the classrooms, labs and studios at Augustana.”

The festival will feature a number of guest speakers and events, including: Brian Turner, an American poet and Army veteran, will read and discuss poetry as a prelude to the festival at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 11, in Kresge Recital Hall Turner’s debut collection, “Here, Bullet,” a harrowing, first-person account of the Iraq war, won the 2005 Beatrice Hawley Award, the New York Times’“Editor’s Choice” selection, and the 2007 Poets Prize, among others.

Dr. James McWilliams, associate professor of history at Texas State University, San Marcos, and author of “Just Food: Where Locavores Get It Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly,” will present a discussion related to Hunger and Poverty, Augustana’s International Theme for the 2011-12 academic year, at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, in the Gilbert Science Center auditorium. A contributor to The Atlantic on current agricultural practices in America, McWilliams has focused his research on early American and environmental history.

Students will take on faculty members in the Student-Faculty Quiz Bowl at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 17, in the Back Alley.

A Gallery Reception for the “Augustana Senior Art Show,” on display in the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery, will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 20. Later that evening, the 2012 Covenant Awards will be presented as part of Verdier 2012, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.

Dr. Randy Moore, professor of biology at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, will serve The AUGUSTANA

as the featured speaker for the Augustana Symposium, beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 21, in the Madsen Center. A prodigious author of more than 300 papers, books and publications, Moore’s recent work has focused on the evolution-creationism debate.

Dr. Joel Johnson, associate professor of Government and International Affairs, will present the film “High Noon” as part of the Faculty Film Festival beginning at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 23, in Humanities 123.

Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society, will host “Shakespeare’s Birthday Party” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, in a venue to be determined.

The 44th annual Dakota Conference will feature presentations on “Wounded Knee 1973: Forty Years Later,” April 27-28 in the Center for Western Studies.

Readings from the newest edition of Venture, the Augustana literary magazine, will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 29, in the Siverson Lounge in Morrison Commons.

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HOMAN:

Students gathered with a festive Ole the Viking to light the Augustana Christmas Tree outside Morrison Commons on Nov. 30.

Christmas Giving Program Collects 1,150 Gifts for People in Need Augustana collected 1,150 gifts for area children, families and individuals in need through its Christmas Giving Program.

“On behalf of Augustana, thank you to our students, faculty and staff, alumni and community members for their generous support of the Christmas Giving Program,” said Billy Thomas, director of Volunteer Programs for Augustana. “We surpassed our goal of 1,000 gifts and we’re excited to help provide happy Christmas memories for people in need right

here in Sioux Falls.”

Augustana students wrapped each of the collected gifts during Semester Shutdown, an event celebrating the end of the fall semester, held on Wednesday, Dec. 14, in the Morrison Commons.

The gifts were presented to local nonprofits, including the Children’s Inn, Children’s Home Society, Heartland House, Lutheran Social Services, and the Boys and Girls Club of the Sioux Empire, in late December.

cont’d. from pg. 13

is a heated one. Following the economic crisis, the state decreased aid to K-12 education by 6.6 percent in 2011. Earlier this year, Gov. Dennis Daugaard proposed sweeping reforms to K-12 education that includes a merit pay system and the elimination of teacher tenure. In an effort to emphasize the importance of the natural sciences, Daugaard has also proposed annual bonuses for teachers who specialize in math and science.

Public reaction to Daugaard’s proposal has been mixed and many in the state’s education community have been critical, saying the reforms won’t fix student performance and could instead, create undue competition among teachers who should be working on the same team, toward a common goal.

“Indeed, times are changing,” Homan says. “But, there seems to be a mindset that one size fits all and that’s not true.”

“There are solutions being offered for problems that just don’t necessarily exist in our school district. Right now, we need 99 elementary school teachers over the next three years. We need seven math teachers and 12 science teachers over the same period.”

The bottom line, she says, is that public education shouldn’t be looked at as an expense.

“It’s a sad day in our society

ASHWORTH: a safe environment. An example is a child named Rudy, a former elementary student of Ashworth’s from Guatemala who struggled academically and socially but was a gifted artist. Ashworth named him the classroom’s “artist in residence” and encouraged him to create artwork on behalf of the class whenever possible. It became the thing he was known for – the thing he was good at.

• Generosity: Every student should have the opportunities to feel like they have something to give in the classroom, that their presence contributes, and that they are empathetic towards others and want to help others.

While Ashworth argues that teachers are instrumental to a student’s success, she says the classroom environment they create is also key. To illustrate that point, she creates a different theme in the department’s model classroom each year.

This fall, she introduced the “Diversilatte Cafe,” a coffee-shop36

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when a free, appropriate education is viewed as an expense rather than an investment. Public education lies at the core of our democracy.”

The Future Looking back, Homan reflects fondly on her time at Augustana.

“For me, it was about the Augustana Community as a whole – the people, the beliefs, the support system, the climate, culture – it all came together for me. I felt a part of it. It was a community that surrounded me with the support, the resources, the challenges and the expectations to develop myself into a better person and to prepare me for a profession I’d commit my heart and soul to.”

Looking ahead, Homan says she is passionately committed to serving the Sioux Falls School District.

“Every part of me lives and breathes this school district. I see myself continuously serving here and being a relentless advocate for each child of this district so they can have the best future – so they can become contributing, great people in this world.”

Homan will be the featured speaker at the Augustana Thought Leader Forum at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Visit www.augie.edu/thoughtleader for more details.

cont’d. from pg. 29 themed design complete with a “special of the day” chalkboard, diner-style tables and chairs, and coffee cups – all of which she says encourages courageous conversations about diversity and the quest for social justice.

“The physical environment is so important – it keeps students’ curiosity high; keeps them engaged and excited about learning.

Be the Advocate For Ashworth, the chance to spend every day in the classroom, nurturing and guiding the teachers of tomorrow, is a gift. It is, in her opinion, a chance to change the world, one person at a time.

“There isn’t a day where I can’t wait to get here. They’ll be dragging me out of here when I’m 80,” she says, laughing.

“I always tell my students: ‘Be every student’s advocate. Go out there and be change agents.’ In the big picture, that’s no small task. There are obstacles – I never sugar-coat those – but the rewards are beyond measure.”

Simple Ways to Give

Help Augustana Ensure a Legacy for Future Generations 1 Write 1.

W it a check h k or give i online. li These Th are simple i l and d common ways tto make k a gift. Donations of cash are tax deductible if you itemize in the year of contribution.

2. Remember Augustana in your will and leave a percentage of your estate.

3. Name Augustana as a beneficiary on a life insurance policy, your bank accounts, or certificate-of-deposit (CD). Rather than cancel a life insurance policy you no longer need, you can name Augustana as the beneficiary, or simply donate the policy outright.

4. Leave a portion of your retirement plan. Your most efficient estate planning option may be leaving a portion of your retirement plan to Augustana because tax laws often subject these assets to taxes upon death. At the same time, you can pass more tax-favored assets to your family.

For more information on how to make a contribution or to explore ways to leave a lasting legacy for future generations, visit www.augie.edu/giving, contact either Jon Henkes, VP for Development, (jon.henkes@augie.edu or 605.274.5521) or your financial advisor.

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2001 SOUTH SUMMIT AVENUE SIOUX FALLS, SOUTH DAKOTA 57197

Spring Events JOIN US THIS SPRING AT AUGUSTANA

Through April 14: Art Exhibit: “Alice Leora Briggs: Near Impunity,” Eide/ Dalrymple Gallery.

Through May 26: Art Exhibit: “Interpretations of Wounded Knee 1973 and 1890,” Center for Western Studies.

March 11: Augustana Orchestra with Sabina Thatcher, principal violist for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, 3 p.m., Washington Pavilion.

March 16: The 26th annual Augustana Athletic Club Auction, 6 p.m., Sioux Falls Ramkota Exhibit Hall. For tickets, contact the Athletic Club Office at 605.274.5420 or online at goaugie.com/auction. The Athletic Club Online Auction runs from March 6-16. Access the website at goaugie. com/auction. Bid early and often to win great packages!

March 29: “2012 and Beyond: The Challenges of Governance in an Age of Globalization, Hyperpartisanship, and Mistrust,” Augustana Thought Leader Forum featuring Dr. Joel Johnson, associate professor of government and international affairs, 11:30 a.m., CJ Callaway’s Event Center.

April 1: John Rutter’s “Prayer of the Children” with The Augustana Choir and Angelus (Women’s Choir), 7:30 p.m., Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.

April 3: Northlander’s Jazz and All-City Middle School Jazz Bands in concert, 7:30 p.m., Kresge Recital Hall.

April 12: The Augustana Band with Scott Shelsta, principal trombonist for the U.S. Army Band, 7:30 p.m., Washington Pavilion.

April 14: The Collegiate Chorale in concert, 3 p.m., Chapel of Reconciliation.

April 14-28: Augustana Academic Festival, on campus.

April 16-20: Verdier 2012, a week-long celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Covenant Award. Details at www.augie.edu/verdier April 18: Percussion Ensemble concert, 7:30 p.m., Kresge Recital Hall.

April 19-May 19: Art Exhibit: “Senior Art Show,” Eide/Dalrymple Gallery.

April 19-21: Opera Theatre, 7:30 p.m., Kresge Recital Hall.

April 22: Augustana presents Sara Bareilles in concert, 7 p.m., Washington Pavilion.

April 26-28; May 3-5: Theatre: “Our Town,” 7:30 p.m.; 2:30 p.m., Edith Mortenson Center Theatre.

April 26: Spring Soiree, benefiting Augustana female student-athletes, 6 p.m., Minnehaha Country Club.

April 28: Viking 5K Fun Run & Walk, benefiting Augustana female student-athletes, 7 a.m., Elmen Center.

April 27-28: 44th Annual Dakota Conference, “Wounded Knee 1973: 40 Years Later,” Center for Western Studies.

May 1: Northlander’s Jazz Ensemble in concert, 7:30 p.m., Kresge Recital Hall.

May 6: Spring Choral Concert, 3 p.m., Our Savior’s Lutheran Church.

May 8: Concerto-Aria concert, 7:30 p.m., Washington Pavilion.

May 10: College-Community Band concert, 7:30 p.m., Elmen Center May 12: Augustana Faculty String Quartet in concert, 7:30 p.m., Kresge.

May 18-19: Commencement Weekend (www.augie.edu/commencement) • Thursday, May 17: President’s Social: A Reception for Seniors • Friday, May 18: Reception for Civitas Graduates Nurse Pinning Ceremony Senior Celebration 2012 • Saturday, May 19: Baccalaureate: 10 a.m., Elmen Center Brunch: 11 a.m., Morrison Commons Commencement: 2 p.m., Sioux Falls Arena June 8: 20th annual Augustana/Sam Milanovich Golf Tournament, Noon shotgun start, Willow Run Golf Course in Sioux Falls. For more information and to register, contact the Athletic Club Office at 605.274.5420.

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