The Augustana: Spring 2020

AUGUSTANA SPRING 2020 • VOLUME 10 • ISSUE 2

THE

Graduate Programs Set Standard For Future AU ALUM FEATURE:

Dr. Kightlinger’s Universal Lessons in Health Care

VIKING BOLD: The Journey To 2030 THE MAGAZINE FOR ALUMNI, PARENTS AND FRIENDS OF AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY

COMMENCEMENT

2020 WATCH FOR DETAILS SOON!

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WELCOME TO THE latest edition of The Augustana. At the time this publication was going to print, our families, workplaces and communities were all making adjustments and adapting to disrupted environments in the midst of great uncertainty around public health and the economy. As part of the Augustana family, you’re in my thoughts and prayers as you navigate these new challenges affecting our lives and help care for loved ones.

Augustana, a special place for so many, has made adjustments to campus operations in order to protect the health and safety of our students, colleagues and community, guided not only by the recommendations of infectious disease experts but also by our core values. We are putting the best of the liberal arts to work as we think critically, collaborate and transition, while blending the energy of life-long learners with the gift of technology – allowing our faculty and students to teach and learn in ways both expected and unexpected.

Augustana continues to have many things to celebrate despite the disappointment associated with canceled or postponed

events this spring semester. For example, we’ve added a Master’s of Business Administration program to our course offerings, and we are excited that eighteen students will take part in this program in the fall of 2020. Our MBA degree is distinct and focused on leadership development, thereby fulfilling both a need and an expectation among the business community in Sioux Falls and beyond when it comes to high quality and exceedingly well-prepared graduates from Augustana. You can read more about the program on page 4.

Another cause for celebration is our career outcomes report for 2019 graduates. We were pleased to announce 99 percent of our graduates found jobs in their chosen field.

And, 94 percent of those graduates applying to graduate and professional programs were accepted. This continues Augustana’s history of graduate success: the five-year average is an impressive 98 percent.

Moreover, our students, faculty members and alumni continue to make us proud with the breakthrough research they’re conducting and advancing in a variety of different settings. In this issue, you’ll

read about the success of the university’s genetic counseling program that began in 2014 in collaboration with Sanford Health/Sanford Imagenetics. We talk with Augustana alumnus and current trustee, Dr. Gene Hoyme, who started it all, on page 11. We also sat down with former South Dakota State Epidemiologist, Dr. Lon Kightlinger ’77, to learn more about the work he’s doing in Madagascar, as part of the Peace Corps, and how his time at Augustana set him up for a successful career in healthcare and public policy.

Lastly, I’m thrilled to share with you that in December 2019, after a 10-month campuswide strategic planning process, the Augustana Board of Trustees endorsed the university’s long-term strategic plan and we embarked on Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030. This plan lays the foundation for Augustana to enhance its standing as a top-ranked regional university and elevate its national profile. We’re working hard during this first phase of the plan and you can read more about the goals on page 20.

We are inspired by the promise of the future that lies ahead even amidst the stark realities and distress of today. As we walk alongside our 2020 graduates in the months ahead and help to ensure their continued success in an economy that is unstable now but that will recover and get stronger, we are finding more ways to celebrate these special graduates this spring, next fall and next year.

On behalf of the entire Augustana community, thank you for your ongoing commitment to Augustana and our mission. We are so very grateful. Please be safe and well, and may God bless you and your family each and every day.

Warmest Regards,

Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, President

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FEATURES

THE AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, president Nikki Troxclair, vice president of strategic communications & marketing EDITOR Greta Stewart, director of creative services and editorial strategist CONTRIBUTORS John Andrews Andy Johnston Elizabeth Duffy Kiera Ball Ryan Hilgeman Jill Wilson

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Off to strong start; sets standard for future.

An epidemiologist’s unusual retirement.

GENETIC COUNSELING GRADUATE PROGRAM

FROM THE RIVER TO THE RAINFOREST

DESIGNER Steve Ruml Sustainability is important to Augustana University. The pages within The Augustana are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper.

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

Send correspondence, name changes and address corrections to: The Augustana Magazine 2001 S. Summit Ave. Sioux Falls, SD 57197 or via email at alumni@augie.edu.

OUR MISSION

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The Journey to 2030.

The retirement of Rev. Dr. Paul Rohde.

VIKING BOLD

A NEW CALLING

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

CONTENTS

SPRING 2020

4 Augustana’s new Master of Business Administration 8 ACS Award Winners 18 Challenges and Opportunites of COVID-19 22 Viking Athletics 28 The Journey Scholars Program 30 Faculty Promotions 31 New Staff 32 Class Notes 2

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Augustana aspires to become one of America’s premier church-related universities.

OUR VALUES Central to the Augustana experience are five core values. The community lives them and honors them, and they infuse the academic curriculum as well as student life: Christian, Liberal Arts, Excellence, Community & Service.

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Augustana is an affirmative action, Title IX, equal opportunity institution. ©Augustana University 2020

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"We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly."

- 1 Thessalonians 1:2

IT’S A GREAT DAY TO

BE A VIKING! THANK YOU FOR BEING

VIKING BOLD The Augustana community will always be our greatest asset. Thank you to our Viking family for your care, encouragement, gifts, and prayers.

Together, we continue to navigate uncharted waters, lead with innovation and creativity to solve complex problems, serve one another and our neighbors, and invest in bold futures.

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Madden Pikula

RIGOROUS AND RELEVANT

Augustana’s new Master of Business Administration program seeks to fill industry needs while elevating the university. | BY JOHN ANDREWS

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year ago, Madden Pikula’s plans seemed pretty straight-forward.

The junior fitness management major had designs on someday opening his own dental practice. He figured he’d graduate from Augustana University and then enroll in dental school.

But that all changed in November 2019. After years of intense study and

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gathering input from university alums and business leaders in Sioux Falls and beyond, Augustana announced the addition of a new Master of Business Administration degree to its graduate education portfolio.

The program’s first cohort of 18 students is set to begin in the fall of 2020, and Pikula hopes to be part of that inaugural group. “I think a lot of dentists would

say that you learn some business in dental school, but as far as opening a practice and really understanding what’s going on, that probably would have gone over my head,” Pikula says. “When the MBA finally got announced I was ecstatic because it really matches up perfectly for me.”

Augie will offer two versions of the MBA. The 4+1 option for current undergraduate students will allow the completion of both an undergraduate and graduate degree in five years. The two-year program for working professionals, set to begin in the summer of 2021, will include a mix of online and classroom instruction.

Both options will feature a leadership academy, in which students are paired with business mentors.

Talk of an MBA goes back nearly two decades, but really gained steam following a 2016 feasibility study that examined curriculum offerings throughout the entire business program. The result was a strategic plan that called for the addition of several new majors as well as serious research into the development of an MBA program.

The numbers suggest that students holding an MBA will be in high demand in coming years. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s hiring trends report for 2018, recruiters say the need for applicants with an MBA will increase by 7 percent in the next year.

To verify their findings, business faculty in 2019 reached out to 7,000 Augustana alums who graduated between 1970 and 2015. Those with MBAs were asked what they liked about their program and those without explained what they would want. “The end result was they thought that Augie should develop an MBA but it needs to be the quality that Augie is known for, that it shouldn’t infringe on the quality of the undergraduate education and that it should have an emphasis in a couple of areas. The most requested of the emphasis areas was leadership,” says Dr. Jaciel Keltgen, an associate professor of business administration.

Keltgen led efforts to devise a curriculum that earned approval from the full faculty.

The 4+1 option is open to juniors, and it’s not restricted to just business majors.

“It’s designed to welcome students of any major as long as they’ve completed three prerequisite courses,” Keltgen says. “We’re a liberal arts university, so we believe students prepared in the liberal arts understand problems, generate solutions, communicate effectively and strengthen communities.

Then if they choose, they can take that intellectual curiosity into an MBA program.

Our MBA alums will add a lot of value to any organization.”

Professionals interested in the two-year program will need a GMAT score, a short essay, two letters of recommendation,

a 3.0 GPA and must complete the prerequisite courses.

Perhaps the most unique aspect is the leadership academy, open to students enrolled in both options. “They are matched with a mentor — somebody who has the leadership position that they are interested in, or the industry or even the specific business — so the student becomes a fellow,” Keltgen says. “Mentors are experienced businesspeople in the community; Sioux Falls is rich with a variety of really exciting and progressive businesses. That mentor will contribute to the student’s understanding and application of specific ideas, and the student fellow will certainly contribute to the mentor’s updated approach to business practices.”

As an example of the collaborative relationship fostered within the leadership academy, a class during the final semester — Creating and Executing Strategy — the mentor and student will work together to analyze and solve a problem confronting the mentor’s business or industry. “It’s another way for students to give back to the community and to feel confident that they have the skills and abilities to solve complex business problems and contribute to organizations,” Keltgen says.

The MBA program is an exciting addition to the university’s graduate program offerings, the expansion of which is a focus of Augustana’s 10-year strategic plan, Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030. The plan also has among its goals

Sydney Capers, Chloe Bartels and Hunter Lipinski THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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expanding the performing and visual arts; growing enrollment and enhancing diversity among students, faculty and staff; establishing colleges, schools, new programs and new majors in the liberal arts tradition; transitioning to a Division I intercollegiate athletics conference; and investing in physical campus improvements, including an expanded and renovated student union and new student housing.

“This program will elevate Augie

by virtue of its rigor and its relational approach to teaching and learning,” says Dr. Colin Irvine, Augustana’s executive vice president and provost. “As is the case with all Augustana academic programs, this one will challenge students to think deeply and differently. It will push them to pose and pursue timely and important questions, and it will require them to work alongside classmates and even colleagues to understand long-standing principles of best business practices as well as emerging

trends and innovations. It will do these things while at once drawing upon our core values and, in particular, our commitment to excellence and to community.”

Keltgen is confident the new program will produce the same quality of professionals that the business community in Sioux Falls and beyond has come to expect from Augustana.

“Alums are proud of their degree and of Augustana, and employers are, too,” Keltgen says. “One thing we heard consistently in our surveys was, ‘Please maintain the level of respect that we have due to the fact that we graduated from Augustana, or the success we enjoy as a business because we employ Augustana graduates. Be sure that the MBA program is different than competitors’ offerings and that you inject rigor and relevance.’

“This program must be relevant for students, and we’ve considered every course objective and every outcome.

It’s going to carry on and enhance AU’s reputation for excellence.”

Dr. Jaciel Keltgren, associate professor of business administration, works with Chloe Bartels ’21, a business administration, government and international affairs major.

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LEAVING A LEGACY can touch the lives of countless others and create a lasting memory.

If you are considering a legacy through giving, contact us today at development@augie.edu or 605.274.5521 to LEARN HOW WE CAN HELP. Visit AUGIEGIVING.ORG to get started.

CONSIDER YOUR LEGACY. AND PROTECT THOSE YOU LOVE WHILE DOING SO.

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GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Athletic Training (M.S.) Education (M.Ed.) Genetic Counseling (M.S.) Master of Business Administration (MBA) Professional Accountancy (M.P.A.) Special Education (M.Ed.) Sports Administration & Leadership (M.A.) AUGIE.EDU/GRADUATE

ACS AWARD WINNERS

DEDICATE TIME, RESOURCES TO FIGHTING DISEASE | BY ANDY JOHNSTON

M

arie Anderson, Madalyn Heiling and Kali Ryan made the most of their long hours in the lab last summer. They joked and laughed and injected free and easy conversation into the tedious testing and experimentation at Augustana University’s Froiland Science Complex.

And along the way they contributed to ongoing anti-cancer research and put together an award-winning presentation.

“Spending a day doing organic chemistry, although to many that might not seem like a whole lot of fun, it was a total blast with those girls,” said Ryan, a junior biology major.

“The research itself was fun, and the environment was totally fun.”

The trio created a presentation, which Anderson, a senior majoring in biochemistry, presented at the Sioux Valley American Chemical Society Symposium Poster Competition in Sioux Falls last year. The poster — titled “Synthesis of Glucosinolates via the Nitronate Pathway” — and Anderson’s expert grasp of the research and ability to describe the work to judges, helped Augustana win the event for the second consecutive year.

The victory came with a travel stipend that Anderson, Heiling and Ryan planned to use

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Kali Ryan, Madalyn Heiling, and Marie Anderson use thin-layer chromatography to analyze the progress of a synthetic transformation.

to attend the ACS National Meeting & Expo in Philadelphia in March.

“Part of the reason they did so well at the symposium is that they worked so well as a team,” said Dr. Jared Mays, an associate professor of bio- and medicinal chemistry at Augustana and faculty adviser of the research group. “The three of these students did such a great job working together, being able to strengthen each other’s weaknesses, to build it up to a sum that’s much greater than the parts.”

Another Augustana student, MaKenna Koble, a junior chemistry major, finished third at the Sioux Valley competition, but then won the Midwest Regional Meeting in Wichita, Kansas, in October. She also planned to present her poster — “A Computational Study of Anthraquinone Fluorescent Chemosensors” — at the national meeting. She said she received $400 for her third-place finish and a plaque for winning the Midwest competition.

MaKenna Koble adjusts the alignment mirrors of the Erbium laser spectrometer in Augustana’s optics lab.

MaKenna Koble “At these symposiums, it’s not only your research that wins you first, second, third, it’s how you present,” said Dr. Andrew Strandjord, an assistant professor of chemistry who has taught Koble. “So that’s a big part of it, because people come up to you and they talk to you and you have to explain your research to them. Her personality and her excitement about it

really is a positive influence on her getting those awards. She’s very excited about what she does.”

Anderson was the only returning member from the team that attended last year’s national symposium. Heiling, a junior biology major, and Ryan joined her for the summer research project to continue and expand work that Mays has overseen since 2009.

She quickly trained Ryan and Heiling, who said, “It was kind of like a full jump into the pool after that.” They developed into a tight, functional team that learned to

play to each other’s strengths.

“We all get along really well and just kind of work together naturally,” Anderson said.

“If someone is working on one part, the other person is ready to assist with that and the other person is setting up for the next part. Working together is really seamless.

They did come to me for help on new experiments and such, but it didn’t slow us down at all. We got through a lot of work (last) summer.”

As part of the competition, she needed to plainly communicate their research and explain their poster to judges and THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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Working in a fume hood, Marie uses a needle and syringe to measure solvent for addition to a reaction under reflux.

Kali Ryan, Dr. Jared Mays, Marie Anderson, Madalyn Heiling

MaKenna Koble injects a chemical sample into the Size Exclusion Chromatography apparatus in Augustana’s instrument lab. other attendees.

“When you have a poster like this, you never know what questions you’re going to get from a walk-up audience,” Mays said. “They really need to be able to think on the fly. This group of students, in particular, has done a very good job of being able to do that and be able to understand the project well enough, respond to questions, commentary, and truly engage the attender.”

Koble has enjoyed chemistry since high school and thought one time about teaching the subject. But she said she was inspired by her Augustana professors to immerse herself in the subject. She worked on her research last summer at 10

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the University of South Dakota in her hometown of Vermillion.

She presented her research on the detection of heavy metals affecting the environment in Sioux City, where she finished third. The experience helped propel her to a first-place finish in Wichita.

“Because I had the opportunity to present my work once before, when I presented at the Midwest Regional Meeting, I was a lot more comfortable presenting it,” Koble said.

Dr. Andrew Klose, an assistant professor of physical chemistry at Augustana and one of Koble’s professors, said Koble is a natural, not only in her research, but also in front of people.

Madalyn attaches a round-bottomed flask to a rotary evaporator.

“Her outgoing and bubbly personality, coupled with her motivation and drive is quite a unique pairing,” he said. “It’s really fantastic to work with students like that, who have that outgoing nature and drive and intuition and aptitude for things, all rolled into one.”

In fact, presenting their posters to groups of strangers allows the students’ personalities to shine, especially after spending so much time in their labs.

“I really don’t mind it at all,” Heiling said. “I think it’s really fun to explain something that you know so much about to people who have no clue what it is. It’s a fun challenge to get people to understand.

It comes pretty naturally.”

Q

uinn Stein admittedly was nervous when the first eight students in the Augustana-Sanford Genetic Counseling Graduate Program took their board exams in August of 2018.

He knew they had the capacity and intelligence to excel, but as the initial group from the young program, he thought: “Did we teach them the right things?”

No worries. They all passed.

“That was a good feeling when they passed their boards — and when they did well on their boards — to have that feedback that, yeah, we are on the right track for what we’re needing to teach them,” said Stein, the program’s director.

That streak has continued. All of the program’s 16 graduates have passed the boards and had been hired by the time they graduated, program coordinator Amy Littel said.

That success marks a strong start for the program that began in 2014 and welcomed its first students two years later.

“We have great plans for it. It’s sort of the seed of what will hopefully become a much greater genetics presence in the

GENETIC COUNSELING GRADUATE PROGRAM Off to strong start; sets standard for future. | BY ANDY JOHNSTON

Jada Boyd, graduate student THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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Quinn Stein is the director of Augustana-Sanford’s Genetic Counseling Graduate Program.

Dr. Gene Hoyme is an Augustana grad who serves as an adviser in genetics and genomic medicine at Sanford Health.

upper Midwest,” said Dr. Gene Hoyme, an Augustana grad who serves as an adviser in genetics and genomic medicine at Sanford Health. “But so far, it’s been very successful, and I think all of us involved are proud of that.”

The impetus for the creation of the genetic counseling program at Augustana came from a $125 million gift from businessman T. Denny Sanford to start Sanford Imagenetics at Sanford Health, which is based in Sioux Falls. Startup funding for the program was included in Sanford’s gift, and Hoyme asked that Augustana serve as home for the program.

That was a natural fit, he said.

“Sanford Health would never have partnered with Augustana to develop these programs in genetics and genomics if there hadn’t already been this longstanding history of excellence in the sciences (at Augustana),” said Hoyme, 12

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who also is the program’s co-medical director. “It’s been mutually beneficial for both parties. And I think we all hope that continues.”

The Augustana-Sanford Genetic Counseling Graduate Program (ASGCGP) is the first graduate program at Augustana with full-time, on-campus students. It not only serves as a model for future graduate programs, its graduates — who receive a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling — fill a critical need in the rapidly expanding field of genetic counseling.

Eight students were accepted in each of the first two classes (2016-18 and 2017-19).

That number increased to 10 for each of the next two classes, meaning 10 students are in their first year at Augustana and 10 second-year students are evenly split between Sioux Falls and San Diego, where a partnership with the University of California, San Diego helps provide

critical clinical training.

“Hopefully, as new programs are being designed and implemented, the work that has been done by the genetic counseling program, and in response to it, will serve as an example, a pathway and resource for these programs at Augustana,” Littel said.

Genetic counselors meet with patients to discuss medical history, family history and ask about specific concerns and goals. They go over test options and help guide patients through the decision making process.

Those who work in prenatal clinics meet with pregnant women and women who want to become pregnant. “(We) look at potential risks to their pregnancy, either based on a family history or something that looks like it’s inherited or something that might come up during the pregnancy, whether that be a risk for Down syndrome or some

other ultrasound finding that made us concerned,” said Taylor Berninger, the program’s assistant director in San Diego.

She sees patients at UC San Diego Health and instructs the Augustana students who are spending their second year there. Despite the two-hour time difference, technology allows Berninger to teach students in both San Diego and Sioux Falls at the same time.

But that sometimes means setting an extra early alarm. The Diversity in Genetic Counseling class began at 7:30 a.m. Pacific time during Augustana’s Interim Term (or J-Term), which takes place in January, and Berninger was on-site at 6 a.m. for the program’s accreditation last fall.

“We had to get going that early to allow the site visitors to see everything they needed to in Sioux Falls,” she said.

Berninger said she spends about 60 percent

of her time with the students, either in the classroom or assisting with their clinical rotations, and the rest with patients at UC San Diego Health. Continuing their work with patients helps Berninger and Becca Loman, the assistant program director in Sioux Falls, remain relevant in their field and apply those lessons to the classroom.

“When I’m in my classes teaching, so much of what the students have found to be helpful, and what I find to be helpful, is using real-life scenarios,” Loman said. “I think I do a lot better job in my teaching role because I’m still in my clinic role.”

Several genetic counseling graduates have remained in Sioux Falls to work with Sanford Health or Avera Health, but others have filled positions across the country, including California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, North Dakota and Wisconsin.

“You get to know them so well over the years and you want them to succeed,”

Loman said. “And so, it’s like that prideful, not necessarily at the level of appearance, but like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so happy that they’re doing well, that they are functioning at their highest level and able to be successful in this job that they’re so excited about.’ ” Demand for Augustana’s genetic counseling program remains high, thanks to its early success and standing as one of only 47 accredited genetic counseling programs in the nation — and the only one in the Dakotas — according to the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling.

There were about 150 applications for next fall’s class, Littel said. That number was cut to about 40-50, and of that group, only 10 students will be accepted.

“It’s good for Augustana. It’s been good for the Dakotas and it’s also been good for Southern California,” Hoyme said. “So it’s been a win, win all around.”

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from the

RIVER to the

RAINFOREST An Epidemiologist’s Unusual Retirement

| BY ELIZABETH DUFFY

O

ff the eastern coast of Africa, across the Mozambique Channel, Madagascar is Earth’s fourth largest island.

On its eastern bank, nestled in a broad valley that once housed a magnificent rainforest, lies the village of Moramanga. Its rural landscape is subtly interrupted by the national highway-a two-lane road leading travelers around hairpin turns down to the serene coast of the Indian Ocean to the East.

Village families call greetings to each other as they step out from their modest homes. With no plumbing, no internet, and little indoor living space, life is lived in the open under the tropical sun. While the winter season brings temperatures down to 50 degrees in the evenings, this agricultural region produces fresh fruit year-round. Woven through the villages of Madagascar are American Peace Corps volunteers, living and working alongside their Malagasy neighbors.

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history there (including the birth of his son, Andrew, also an AU graduate), Dr. Kightlinger wanted to live somewhere new.

“I thought I would go to Mongolia,” he said.

But when he began talking to Peace Corps recruiters, it made the most sense to come back to Madagascar. “Old geezers have a hard time learning new languages,” he jokes.

Dr. Kightlinger joined a group of mostly recent college graduates, just as he had been when he first came to Madagascar.

Lon’s Peace Corps site and his outhouses.

The well is nearby where he must collect water for drinking, cooking, and bathing.

“Half of what Peace Corps does is cultural,” says Dr. Lon Kightlinger ‘77, who received his undergraduate degrees in biology and chemistry. “They want American people rubbing shoulders with local people in Madagascar and in all other countries they serve.” The volunteers live with the local population, sharing in the local cuisine and customs, as well as the local diseases, including the Bubonic Plague and a recent measles outbreak that killed almost 1,000 children.

PAST WORK IN MADAGASCAR It is summer in Madagascar, a far cry from the snow-covered bluffs of Pierre that Dr. Lon Kightlinger called home for the past 20 years as South Dakota’s State

Women travel far distances to come to the health center to be educated about proper childcare.

Epidemiologist. And yet, the ex-rainforests of Madagascar are familiar to him also. He finds the Malagasy language has come back to him more easily than he thought it would, given he first learned it in his 20s.

Shortly after graduation from Augustana, Dr. Kightlinger ventured to Madagascar for what he thought would be a couple of years working for the Malagasy Lutheran Church’s health network. He stayed for 20 years, five of them with the Ranomafana Project, now a large national park. In the late 1990s, Dr. Kightlinger was part of an innovative collaboration between the Lutheran Church and the Muslim Kingdoms of North Madagascar to address public health concerns.

Dr. Kightlinger never planned to live in Madagascar again. Although he had

A WINDING PATH TO PUBLIC HEALTH After graduating from high school in Selby, Dr. Kightlinger was drafted into the U.S. Army, where he served as a medic. “I was more serious, more grown up I think because of that. I was more purposeful. I had experienced a lot and been in a more diverse community.”

Augustana was the perfect fit for his ambitions. After exploring eastern Africa on a J-term excursion, Dr. Kightlinger wanted to return to Tanzania or Kenya after graduation, but instead found an opportunity in Madagascar, where he decided to go into public health.

“I worked in a rural hospital where people were very, very poor,” he recalls.

“Their kids were full of worms, malaria, malnourished. They’d come in and get fixed up a little bit, then come back in three months with worms again. There was no prevention,” he says. “It made me so sad because kids were living with a belly full of worms, all these parasites draining their vitality from them for things that were so preventable.”

It was 1978 when smallpox was declared eradicated from the world. “It was a very clear call - we can conquer these diseases. When I started my career, polio was still ravaging the world, especially here in Madagascar. It didn’t make sense to me that we were spending so much money on the curative and the rehabilitative end of it when we should have been working on the prevention THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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Through Kightlinger’s efforts, this water tower now supplies running water to the maternity clinic.

end of it. To me, you didn’t have to get malaria. You didn’t have to get polio.”

Dr. Kightlinger, who earned his Master of Science in public health (MSPH) from Tulane University and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina, hopes other science-minded students see the value of going into public health. “Everyone wants to go to medical school,” he says. “People don’t realize there’s also public health.

That’s where the action is. There are so many big opportunities. It’s so diverse.”

UNIVERSAL LESSONS IN HEALTH Throughout his 20 years in Pierre, Dr. Kightlinger made significant contributions to public health, particularly in the fight against West Nile. He understood mosquitoes from his past work with malaria. As a result of his efforts, over 200 South Dakota communities now have their own mosquito control programs.

Another focus for his time as state epidemiologist was improving South Dakota’s infant mortality rate, which has carried over into his work in Madagascar.

“The lessons I learned in South Dakota are very much applicable. These aren’t just South Dakota things or United States things, these are universal things.”

While the problems are universal, differences in culture create unique challenges. “In South Dakota, we had a lot of SIDS deaths with babies sleeping on their tummies or being rolled over by their parents. [Safe sleep] is a message I brought to Madagascar. That’s a message that hasn’t penetrated at all because everybody sleeps with their baby when they’re very young.”

At the health center, he educates mothers and pregnant women about proper childcare, including breastfeeding, vaccinations, and general hygiene. He even led the charge to update the maternity ward, including bringing running water to the clinic with funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

One message that resonates well with 16

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One by one, bricks baked from the red earth of Madagascar create a new Lutheran Church, funded largely by South Dakota donors.

Lon’s kitchen, bisected by a clothesline, where he cooks on a double-burner stove. the Malagasy people is the benefit of breastfeeding. “Breastfeeding is the universal pastime,” Dr. Kightlinger muses. “There is no shyness about breastfeeding. We could learn a lot from the people of Madagascar just on that kind of thing.”

That is not the only lesson Americans could learn from the Malagasy. “In the United States, we go home, we close the door, we watch TV or turn on the computer,” he says. “People here [in Madagascar] know how to live their life. Here it’s friendship and community and family and relationships.

People actually live their lives where you can see it.” Houses are small, (Dr. Kightlinger’s is only 100 square feet), and used mostly for sleeping. “People sit out in front. You raise your kids in front of your house. It’s more human over here. It’s not machine operated.”

REFLECTING ON A SUCCESSFUL CAREER Dr. Kightlinger looks forward to returning to Pierre when his Peace Corps tenure is complete this spring. “I’m a prairie person. I was born on the prairie, and other than my Madagascar years, it’s been South Dakota.

I love the horizons, I love the sky, and the stars. Everyday it’s a beautiful sunset.” But don’t expect to find him home every day. He still intends to travel as much as he can.

When Dr. Kightlinger reflects on his career in public health, he sees a greater hand at work.

“I really feel there is a call from God in it.

You can write down on a piece of paper what are the pros and cons of it – no electricity, malaria, plague. You really can’t come to an intellectual choice,” he says. “It’s more from the heart, and you have the peace of God

with you that despite everything, you just have this peace about it.”

Dr. Kightlinger encourages current Augustana students to consider vocation over career. “You don’t just go into your education to get a job in whatever the hot field is. You have to find it within yourself to take on these challenges,” he says. “You need vocation because you’re not in it for the money or the prestige. You are in it because you really want to serve people.”

And if you are not sure what your vocation is yet, don’t wait around. “Jump in. Don’t spend a lot of time trying to find yourself.

Get busy. You really have got to see a few things before you can find your vocation and your vocation can find you. As university grads, you are among the lucky ones who have that privilege.”

THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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UNEXPECTED CHALLENGES & OPPORTUNITIES COVID-19 Adjusts Academics at Augustana University | BY GRETA STEWART

A

ugustana University took on an unexpected challenge in the spring of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic is unlike any we’ve seen in the past. The campus administrators, staff and faculty quickly came together and formed a risk-assessment team in a matter of hours to protect everyone on our beloved campus and to start thinking about the future of academics.

At the time of print, there were no cases on campus. On March 13, the decision was made to extend Augustana’s spring break. However, as the Department of Health continued to monitor the global outbreak, and more cases were discovered in the region, the risk-assessment team and administrators soon made the bold

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decision to announce the campus would be embracing online learning through the end of the semester.

To control the spread of the virus and to limit contact with others, the campus also made the decision to default most campus operations to virtual meetings and working remotely. Only approved students who applied to remain on campus had access to essential campus services.

This decision posed a great challenge to academics; one that administration saw as an opportunity. Guided by our mission and core values, the campus community came together and acted in the best interests of the students, faculty, and staff.

“The risk-assessment team was meeting regularly to monitor the spread of

COVID-19,” says Colin Irvine, Ph.D., provost and executive vice president. “One of the suggestions was to create contingency plans for what happens when South Dakota, Sioux Falls, and our campus has their first case of COVID-19 confirmed. The announcement that South Dakota and Sioux Falls had positive cases came on the same day. We immediately began to discuss how instruction should occur.”

Jay Kahl, Ph.D., assistant vice provost for assessment and academic excellence at Augustana University adds, “At the same time, we were monitoring what was occurring at other regional institutions. We felt, and still feel, that extending our spring break and moving to modified instruction until the end of the semester would allow

us to make more informed decisions about the safety of our students and broader community. We are, in all of our decision-making, doing our informed and compassionate best to evaluate the nearterm risks and the long-term implications of our choices.”

And when it came to really sitting down and thinking more about how to educate online, Drs. Irvine and Kahl stepped up to the challenge. “It really changed the way we had been doing the majority of our education,” Kahl says. “COVID-19 has presented our faculty members with the opportunity to examine both how they are teaching and what the most crucial objectives are within their classes. For example, we would never assume that a biology lecture and an art studio class would be identical in their approach. To assume that modifying our instruction to include online experiences would mean these experiences would be the same would also be a fallacy.”

Irvine agrees. “As faculty members survey the number of instructional technological options we have, they also have to examine what the most crucial objectives are of the experience. As one faculty member recently stated, we need to focus on what we don’t want students to miss, as that is the most crucial element

of these experiences. This speaks to a move away from coverage of material as the guiding principle toward a focus on learning outcomes. That being said, this question about how this situation is changing the ways we teach begs an essentially important and very much related question, ‘how has COVID-19 NOT changed the way we’re educating?’ We are not, as noted, seeking a one-size-fits-all approach to instruction or adaptation. Nor are we abandoning the most central and unwavering element of our instruction at Augie, which is a relational approach to teaching and learning. Now, more than ever, we are committed to connecting through concepts, questions, problems, ideas, and shared concerns with our students to the outcomes and the related content.

The extent to which we can accomplish this will be the measure of our success in maintaining our mission,” he says.

Something both Drs. Kahl and Irvine are especially proud of is the faculty and student response. “Overall, the responses I have heard from faculty have been inspirational,” says Kahl. “The faculty are concerned with the safety of our students and the community as a whole. Both parties have had a number of questions and we are trying to be deliberate in prioritizing our responses to each constituent. That can be hard, and we want to be sensitive to the anxiety of the unknown.” Irvine adds, “Having a group such as the riskassessment team meet daily has allowed us to ensure we are timely with our messaging and making decisions with as much information as we can gather.”

It was this type of approach that really speaks to the mission and values of Augustana. “The pandemic has given us the chance to truly gather around our sense of community,” says Irvine. “This value states ‘by caring for one another and our environments.’ We deeply care for our community and want to ensure a safe learning environment for our students, faculty, and staff. At the same time, we

need to assure our constituents that they have permission to speak up about their fears and that sometimes this means taking care of themselves and their loved ones. Augustana is seen as a leader in the community, and that is reflected in our dedication to our community.”

While Drs. Irvine and Kahl admit this is unchartered waters for Augustana, they know they’re not alone. However, there’s one thing that remains constant.

THE PANDEMIC HAS GIVEN US THE CHANCE TO TRULY GATHER AROUND OUR SENSE OF COMMUNITY.” - COLIN IRVINE, PH.D. PROVOST AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

“Our whole goal is to care for the whole person and care for the community,” says Kahl. “This deep sense of care is informed in all we do by a willingness to work together and to listen. And we will continue to listen to our students, faculty, and staff as changes and adjustments become necessary. We agree that the uncertain causes anxiety, and we simply need feedback from our constituents to make this transition as easy as possible.”

It’s that feedback that administration is looking forward to. “We will be a better institution as a result of this,” says Irvine.

“The analogy I have been using is that we have just agreed to run a marathon on short notice. We may be wearing the wrong shoes, need to change our diet, and need to find a place to train. However, the best way to prepare is to just start running and then modify as needed. We are jogging now and know we have a long road ahead of us. With everyone chippingin as they have done, we will emerge a better institution at listening to each other and adapting to the unexpected.”

THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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VIKING

BOLD T H E J O U R N E Y T O 2030

| BY GRETA STEWART

A

ugustana University announced in early December 2019 that its Board of Trustees voted unanimously to approve a new strategic plan – Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030. The strategic plan lays the foundation for Augustana to enhance its standing as a top-ranked regional university and elevate its national profile amidst extraordinary change in higher education.

“As a liberal arts university that bears witness to the transformational power of education, Augustana, over the next decade, will develop and deliver new and bold academic offerings to more students, amplify excellence through the arts and athletics, enhance intercultural awareness and understanding, and adapt the physical campus and IT infrastructure to inspire and support future generations of Augustana students and the broader community,” says Augustana President Stephanie Herseth

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THIS IS A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY BECAUSE OF THE MAGNITUDE OF CHANGE IN HIGHER EDUCATION.” - STEPHANIE HERSETH SANDLIN AUGUSTANA PRESIDENT

Sandlin. “This is a pivotal moment in the history of the university because of the magnitude of change in higher education.”

And six months into the Viking Bold journey, efforts to transform the university are well underway. Significant enhancements across four areas —academics; enrollment and strategic scholarships; athletics; physical campus and innovative technology — have been identified and will be carried out in

Phase 1 of the strategic plan over the next three years. Action teams have been formed and began working in February 2020, and target completion dates have been identified.

“The Augustana community is energized to succeed,” says Chief Strategy Officer & Executive Vice President Dr. Pam Homan ’81.

“The established timelines are aggressive and will require each of us to focus and be bold in our efforts - however, these traits reside at the core of who we are as Augustana Vikings who aspire, drive, adapt and succeed!”

To enable the university to remain nimble and adjust to the ever-evolving landscape of higher education, the strategic plan comprises three phases and will be funded through the university’s largest, most comprehensive campaign to date. Augustana will evaluate its progress after each phase while adding and realigning resources to achieve the main goals. “This first phase will provide the opportunity to modify, adjust, excel and model all that is to come for Augustana University,” says Homan.

“Our alumni and friends should see Viking Bold as an opportunity to be at the forefront of innovative change in the historic transformation of Augustana from the small college on the prairie to a nationally recognized university.”

President Herseth Sandlin adds, “For 160 years, Augustana has been providing students an education of enduring worth and preparing leaders and visionaries who influence every aspect of society. New academic programs and real-world research, learning and service opportunities will equip and empower an entirely new generation of leaders, entrepreneurs, scientists and educators to impact their workplaces and strengthen the communities they call home.

Many of our graduates choose to live, work and raise families here in Sioux Falls, and Viking Bold reflects how Augustana and the city will continue to grow together.”

The next page shows highlights from the overall goals, target completion dates, and what we can expect from each of the four focus areas over the next three years.

2019-2022

ACADEMICS

OVERALL GOALS: Establish new academic structures and centers that sustain excellence, facilitate growth, and cultivate innovative and impactful teaching, learning, and research in order to provide an education of enduring worth; establish new academic programs grounded in the liberal arts that challenge the intellect while responding to the needs and interests of students. These programs will grow enrollment, diversify revenue and address workforce priorities of the local community and region.

• Organize into a College of Arts & Sciences (Jan. 2021) • Establish a School of Education - Implement Augustana Master’s of Business Administration program (August 2020) - Implement Doctorate of Physical Therapy (August 2020) - Implement Master’s of Science in Nursing (September 2021) - Implement Doctor of Nursing Practice (August 2023) • Establish a School of Music (August 2020)

ENROLLMENT & STRATEGIC SCHOLARSHIPS

OVERALL GOALS: Enroll 3,000+ undergraduate and graduate students and provide a welcoming and inclusive environment as different backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking encourage learning, acceptance and service; make Augustana’s education more affordable and accessible for more students with innovative scholarship partnerships among alumni and regional organizations while adapting the university business model and operations to ensure financial sustainability.

• Implement a student recruitment plan (July 2020) • Renew & re-envision programs that engage middle and high school students (April 2020) • Establish creative scholarship opportunities as well as endowed scholarships (July 2022)

• Establish a Center for Interdisciplinary Programs within the College of Arts & Sciences (August 2020) • Develop Medical Humanities program (August 2020) • Develop Environmental Studies program (August 2021) • Develop programs associated with intercultural studies (August 2022)

ATHLETICS

PHYSICAL CAMPUS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)

OVERALL GOALS: Transform the physical campus to include new and enhanced facilities that serve the educational, spiritual and holistic needs of Augustana’s students, faculty and staff, and inspire others in the community who utilize our campus; transform Augustana into a dynamic digital campus through emerging technologies, excellent connectivity, and best practices in cyber security that serve student learning, enable innovative teaching and research, and support the university’s business processes and overall mission.

• Establish criteria for decision making, setting priorities, and resource allocation to implement a holistic Campus Master Plan (March 2020) • Designate physical spaces across campus, including a multicultural center for activities and dialogue focused on diversity, equity and inclusion (July 2022) • Establish sustainability plan, landscape master plan, campus heritage plan, and historic preservation management plan (March 2020)

To learn more about Viking Bold: The Journey to 2030, and to see the latest updates, visit augie.edu/VikingBold.

OVERALL GOALS: Recruit and retain exceptional student-athletes to maintain academic and athletic excellence and enhance their collegiate experience through academic and wellness support, community engagement, and service opportunities; transition to NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics by December 2020 to provide student-athletes the opportunity to compete at a higher level, elevate the profile of the university, and inspire Sioux Falls to enthusiastically embrace Augustana University as the hometown team by serving the community and integrating our mission with its needs.

• Seek and receive invitation to Division I multi-sport conference (December 2020) • Design and build new softball/baseball complex (September 2021) • Enhance Student Success Center services for student-athletes; have upgrades in place for first DI transition year (June 2021) • Create athletic administration internships and programming for female and diverse student-athletes (April 2020) • Review and revise sports team travel policies and procedures (June 2020-June 2021) • Centralize and coordinate student-athlete health care and performance training (July 2022) • Expand oversight and contact for student-athlete mental health care (June 2021) • Define Division I championship culture; integrate into athletics’ policy and procedure statements (June 2021) THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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VIKING ATHLETICS

Former Student-Athlete Earns Prestigious Honors

KIRBY HORA

RECEIVES TOP 10 NCAA AWARD | BY RYAN HILGEMAN

K

irby Hora, a December 2018 graduate of Augustana University, became the first Viking studentathlete to earn the prestigious Today’s Top 10 Award from the NCAA. The Sioux Falls, South Dakota native was given the award at the Honors Celebration on Jan. 20th as part of the annual NCAA Convention. The award recognizes former student-athletes for their successes on the field, in the classroom and in the community. There are more than 460,000 NCAA student-athletes that compete in 24 sports every year. Only 10 earn the distinction of Today’s Top 10.

“My initial reaction was shock and awe,” Hora, who was part of the Viking football

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team, said. “It is definitely not something I feel I have earned or deserved. If anything, this is a testament to my teammates, my coaches and my institution. So, this award is for Augustana football, not just me.”

Hora, a four-time All-NSIC selection, concluded his playing career in 2018, ranking second in Augustana history with 411 tackles. He is a D2football.com AllAmerica selection and earned four allregion accolades.

Following the conclusion of the 2018 season, he was named the recipient of the Google Cloud Academic All-America of the Year award for Division II. The biology major earned the distinction for his play on the turf and also for his 4.0 GPA in biology.

Over his career as a linebacker, Hora competed in 44 contests, totaled 209 solo tackles, tallied 202 assisted tackles, snagged two interceptions and forced five fumbles.

As a junior, he led the NSIC with 129 tackles and finished fifth in all of Division II with 11.7 tackles per game.

Though his accolades on and off the field are nearly unmatched, he doesn’t allow that to define him.

“X’s and O’s, A’s or B’s, those don’t define me and they don’t define anybody,” Hora said. “But, if you have the relationships you foster, and you care and you’re intimate with people, people are going to give themselves to you just as much as you give to them.

“I’m honored of what I was able to accomplish here at Augustana and that has allowed me to get where I am, and I know it’s going to propel me to where I am going.”

Though his athletic ability carried him to his numerous awards, head football coach Jerry Olszewski was impressed by something else.

“It has been a tremendous honor to be a part of the amazing career of Kirby,” Olszewski said. “This award embodies the entirety of his achievements. Though his ability allowed him to be a four-year starter, multiyear captain, all-conference, all-region and all-American athlete, it is his leadership that was even more impressive.”

“Kirby is one of the most incredible young men that I have ever been blessed to share growth experiences with. Though this award is a humbling honor, I believe Kirby is very deserving as he prides his life service on the very qualities that the NCAA Today’s Top 10 Award stands for and represents.”

Hora has volunteered for several years with Habitat for Humanity, Necessities for Neighbors and Kids Against Hunger. He has also made his mark at Augustana as chair of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

When asked about his time at Augustana, Hora talked about the prevailing culture at Augustana and the Augie Advantage.

“It’s truly unfathomable what the Augustana standard represents. I truly believe it’s because of the foundation of what this school and athletics provides student-athletes to holistically make them better and prepare them for the future.”

“The [Augie Advantage] is something you don’t fully grasp until you’re immersed into what the culture really is and it comes down to relationships.

Augie challenges you to step out of your zone and connect with people that you would not normally connect with, and athletics does that too. Every day, you’re challenged to become better in some sort of aspect in your life, otherwise you’re going to be stagnant and the water is going to get still. But if you’re always moving, you’re always improving, you’re always striving for something a little bit more.”

Hora continually lived his career striving for more. He earned the NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, given to student-athletes who excel academically and athletically, while completing their final year of intercollegiate competition. He also earned Augustana’s Dr. Jeffrey Behrens Sport Medicine scholarship, presented to Augustana sports medicine students who demonstrate excellence in academic integrity, work ethic, acceptance of responsibility, willingness to help others and their commitment to athletic training.

As his academic and athletic career was concluding, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference honored Hora with the Dr. William Britton Scholar-Athlete Award for Academic Excellence, the highest academic honor in the NSIC. “I am incredibly blessed by God, and by my family and friends – anything I’ve ever accomplished is solely not by me,” Hora added. “It’s by Him with a higher power. It’s by my friends who have stood by me and got me through some tough times. It’s been by my mom and dad who sacrificed everything for me.”

“It’s a whole collaboration and I am so blessed and lucky to be where I am today. I am ready and excited about what the future holds.”

Hora is currently attending The University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine.

THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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VIKING ATHLETICS

AUGUSTANA STUDENT ATHLETES REFUEL WITH PERFORMANCE STATION AND DIETITIAN | BY RYAN HILGEMAN

A

ugustana athletics entered a new era in 2019 when it opened a performance fueling station inside the Elmen Center on the Augustana campus. Part of a department vision of enhancing the student-athlete experience, the area is open to student-athletes to assist in post-workout recovery for all 19 Viking athletic programs.

As an added step in student-athlete wellbeing, Augustana has also partnered with the Sanford Sports Science Institute to have sports dietitian Lizzie Kasparek, MS, RD, CSSD, LN, provide education to the over 400 Viking student-athletes.

“This shows our commitment to our current and future student-athletes,” athletic director Josh Morton said. “This is an important step to help our studentathletes develop as athletes and we also want to give them nutrition education that sets them up for the rest of their lives.”

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The defending national champion Augustana softball team has taken great use of both the fueling station and picking the brain of Kasparek as a sport that plays doubleheaders and needs to refuel between contests.

“We [the softball team] have utilized her (Kasparek) so much,” senior Kara McDougall said. “She’s really helped us with what we should be eating during and between games. She just helps us with healthy snacks and what is going to fuel our bodies the best.”

Not having a fueling station over her first two years on campus, McDougall has had a change in her daily routine both in workouts and everyday college life.

“It’s changed my routine in lifting,” McDougall said. “After lifting, I wouldn’t eat anything or drink chocolate milk. It’s nice and convenient to refuel our bodies.

“Andy Stocks, our strength and

conditioning coach, tells us we need to have three meals a day along with three snacks a day. Having the fueling station available to us where we can get the snacks is helping fuel our bodies, build muscle faster and also in recovery.”

McDougall had two classes this past fall in the Elmen Center and was able to go to the fueling station in-between classes.

As far as nutrition in general, McDougall pointed back to Kasparek and the benefits she has on Viking student-athletes.

“It’s super helpful for all the athletes at Augustana to talk about nutrition,” McDougall added. “You can do research on your own, but you just don’t know what is going to benefit you. It’s just helpful to go to Lizzie and talk about nutrition.”

The performance fueling station, in partnership with Dean Foods, is stocked with chocolate milk and other high-protein snacks along with fruits.

5.15.2020 AUGIE.EDU/GIVINGDAY

#GIVELIKEAVIKING

AUGIE.EDU/SCHOLARSHIPS

A blessing for Dr. Paul Rohde was held on Wednesday, Dec. 4, with a celebration that included the campus congregants laying hands on him to send him off.

| BY JILL WILSON

A NEW CALLING A

fter more than 18 years of serving as Augustana University’s campus pastor, Rev. Dr. Paul Rohde says he has other callings — his aging mother, four grandchildren, more spiritual directing and a part-time calling at Springdale Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls.

“Some people describe campus ministry as a sprint. It’s fast. It’s just fast and I’m a jogger. And I’ve struggled with that since the beginning,” says Rohde laughing.

And Rohde has been sprinting for a long time.

After majoring in German and obtaining his master’s degree in speech in college, Rohde joined the Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota.

He interned at a church in Oak Park, Illinois, and later served at congregations in Lake Preston, Sioux

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I COULD NEVER REMEMBER A TIME IN MY LIFE THAT I WASN’T THINKING ABOUT BEING A PASTOR.” - PASTOR PAUL ROHDE CAMPUS MINISTRY

Falls and New Ulm, Minnesota.

While the Webster native had previously preached and taught some classes at Augustana, in 2001 Rohde says he got the call to come back and has been here ever since.

Rohde says, “When I came, my daughter was a junior in high school and another daughter was a freshman in high school — so college kids were really very much like my own kids. And that was true for a long time.”

The husband and father of three says that’s one of the things he’ll miss the most — the people, the students — observing their confidence, their sense of self and ownership in what they believe. He says the students are at a pivotal point in their lives and that’s the center of their work.

“I will miss seeing how students change.

Students change a lot. Mostly, that’s really fun to watch. I mean, sometimes the changes are painful, things they go through,” says Rohde. “In ministry of any age, you’ve got to meet people where they are and help them understand what feeds that, understand how that’s incomplete, understand what yearning is still there and speak to them.”

Rohde says he’s most proud of the number of students he’s nurtured for ministry.

“I’m very proud of what our students do and privileged to have been a part of

that,” says Rohde.

But as much as the students and staff have changed, Rohde says some things haven’t. “… rigorous academics and a deeply caring community. Those are the things that everybody says and I think faith speaks to both of those and our vision is to see that both of those (are) grounded in faith and lived out faithfully.”

The vitality of the campus ministry also hasn’t changed says Rohde. When they started services of blessings around five years ago, he says it helped stir a sense of coming to chapel to receive something, rather than showing up as an expectation or demand.

According to Rohde, “One of the things that I think we’re seeing increasingly is that Augustana becomes a church for a lot of people who work here and Pastor Ann and I are their pastors.”

He says it’s much more than a job and indicative of the community on campus.

When asked about the campus ministry in his absence, Rohde says it will be just fine. He says he has a lot of confidence in his colleague, Campus Pastor Rev. Ann Rosendale, who was named administrative campus pastor in early February. “She is admired for her authenticity and compassion in service to students and the campus community,” says President Stephanie Herseth Sandlin. “She listens and collaborates in a way that makes room for everyone. She guides and assists countless students of multiple faith traditions, advocates for students in crisis, actively participates in vocational discernment and service learning alongside students, and cultivates trusting relationships.” Pr. Ann ’04, attained her Master of Arts in

youth ministries and Master of Divinity degrees from Princeton Theological Seminary in 2008 and has served campus ministry at Augustana since 2012. She served at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Davenport, Iowa, and Peace Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls prior to becoming campus pastor. Among other lifelong learning experiences to date, Pr. Ann was a Thrivent/LECNA Fellow in 2016 and completed diversity advocacy training and certification at AU in 2019.

Rohde’s last day at Augustana was January 31, but Rohde says he and his wife, Susan, will always be a part of the Augustana community.

A blessing for Rohde was held on Wednesday, Dec. 4, with a celebration that included the campus congregants laying hands on him to send him off with gratitude and Godspeed.

THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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EMPOWERING

STUDENTS Journey Scholars Program Supports, Promotes Integration

| BY GRETA STEWART

A

ugustana University has a long-standing tradition of not only educating tomorrow’s future leaders but empowering and building the future leaders of our community. The Journey Scholars program, which launched in the fall of 2019, is a new avenue for students that are helping continue that Augustana tradition.

“Every student needs a little encouragement,” says Mark Blackburn, dean of students at Augustana. “This program goes the extra mile to support and empower students of color as they navigate a historically white institution throughout their first year at Augustana.”

The program defines Journey Scholars as students who have a strong desire and determination to be successful in their university careers. Those who are interested in fully engaging with their peers and the campus community, and are willing to help Augustana continue to shape a campus climate that welcomes, supports, and affirms all students.

“This program gives students the motivation they need to flourish as a student, resulting in maximized potential,” Blackburn says. “It’s about integration, not just inclusivity.”

Students need to apply for the program as it allows only 30 to participate each year. Once admitted, scholars in the program attend an orientation that occurs before the start of Augustana’s Welcome Week, allowing students to move in, get settled, and start connecting with other Journey Scholars before the majority of students arrive on campus. “Peer mentors are there to help navigate, as are administrators, faculty, and other peers,” says Blackburn. “This initiative will unveil greatness to our campus. It’s a chance to continue building exceptional leaders at an institution like ours.”

Blackburn says this program gives the students a chance to feel connected and feel like they belong. “This program speaks volumes of where we are and where we need to go as demographics change in higher education and recruitment.”

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AS A RESULT OF PARTICIPATING IN THE JOURNEY SCHOLARS PROGRAM, STUDENTS WILL: • Enhance and apply skills that demonstrate initiative and responsibility for their educational experience.

• Identify and regularly engage with peer and professional mentors of color.

• Develop, communicate, and actualize a personal plan of study.

• Actively engage with their cohorts, the university, and the Sioux Falls community.

Blackburn says other program highlights include ongoing academic and career coaching and a one-to-one connection with a peer mentor. “We need these Journey scholars to change the narrative of their generation. It gives them a voice and gives them tools to develop new concepts and ideas, and then they can go back to their communities and make an immediate impact later in life.”

To learn more about the Journey Scholars program, visit augie.edu/journey.

A BOLD FUTURE IN JOB PLACEMENT CLASS OF 2019 OUTCOMES REPORT

99% TOP 5 OF 2019 GRADS ARE EMPLOYED IN THEIR MAJOR OR CHOSEN FIELD

OCCUPATION CLASSIFICATIONS OF 2019 AU GRADS:

• HEALTH CARE & TECHNICAL • EDUCATION, TRAINING & LIBRARY OCCUP. • BUSINESS & FINANCIAL • SALES AND RELATED OCCUPATIONS • COMMUNITY, SOCIAL SERVICES & PROTECTIVE SERVICES

46,785 98%

$

MEDIAN SALARY REPORTED BY 2019 AUGUSTANA UNIVERSITY GRADS

OF 2019 GRADS PARTICIPATED IN ENGAGED LEARNING: INTERNSHIPS, CLINICALS, STUDENT TEACHING, STUDY ABROAD, VOLUNTEERISM AND MORE THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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FACULTY PROMOTIONS DR. ANDREW ALTON Dr. Andrew Alton has been promoted to professor. Dr. Alton has been a leader on campus, most notably as chair of the physics department. He has led the department in their successful application for the Award for Improving Undergraduate Physics Education from The American Physical Society. As a service to the community beyond campus, Alton has quietly made a decade-long habit of science outreach to local middle schools and high schools.

Most importantly, Alton has exhibited dedication to teaching Augustana students, and to careful evaluation of the effectiveness of his teaching.

DR. DAN GERLING Dr. Dan Gerling has been promoted to associate professor and has been granted tenure. He began his Augustana career in the fall of 2013. Dr. Gerling has also served as director of the Augustana Writing Center over the past six years, which has seen a steady growth in the number of tutors and clients working there. His skill as a teacher in that and in other courses garnered him the ASA Professor of the Year award.

DR. JACIEL KELTGEN Dr. Jaciel Keltgen has been promoted to associate professor and has been granted tenure. She has been a valued member of the business administration department since 1997, and has served as an assistant professor since 1999. She teaches a variety of popular marketing-related courses, and her students engage in real-world marketing opportunities with local businesses and non-profit organizations. Her research focuses on job satisfaction among physicians; social media and marketing; and generational patterns in the workplace. Notably, Dr. Keltgen recently spearheaded the mission to design and gain approval for Augustana’s Master of Business Administration program.

DR. LINDSAY TWA Dr. Lindsay Twa has been promoted to professor. She began her Augustana career in the fall of 2006 as an instructor and director of the Eide/Dalrymple Gallery. Since then, Dr. Twa has moved from instructor to assistant professor to associate professor and department chair (and, for a semester, interim division chair), all while retaining the time-consuming job of curating, scheduling, designing installations and fundraising for the gallery. As department chair, she has been instrumental in creating a BFA program that puts Augustana at the same level as other programs in the region.

DR. CHRISTOPHER UNGER Dr. Christopher Unger has been promoted to associate professor and has been granted tenure. He began his Augustana career in the fall of 2015 after two years directing bands at the University of British Columbia.

Since he arrived at Augustana, he has been responsible for a growth in the numbers and the energy for band at Augustana as well as serving as the assistant director of the Augustana Summer Music Camp. He has traveled to serve as a guest conductor for university bands in Illinois and Nevada, as well as at the Eastman School of Music, where he obtained his Ph.D. Dr. Unger also brings that work with secondary school students to campus in his role as assistant director of the Augustana Summer Music Camp.

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NEW STAFF FRANCESCA (CHECKA) LEINWALL Francesca (Checka) Leinwall, violence prevention coordinator, is responsible for educating the campus community on preventing domestic and dating violence, stalking, and sexual assault. She has served as the chief student affairs officer at three institutions. Checka earned a BA in English from Western Maryland College, an M.Ed. in counselor education from The Pennsylvania State University, and a Ph.D. in higher education administration with a focus on student affairs and a minor in law from the University of Virginia.

ANDREA MILLER Andrea Miller, director of facility services, graduated from South Dakota State University with a degree in mechanical engineering, and minors in mathematics and military history. She served in the military as a signal officer working with satellite communication and division-level operations. She holds her masters in information technology/project management and an MBA from the University of Maryland Global Campus.

EMILY PUNT Emily Punt, director of athletics annual giving, comes to Augustana from First Dakota National Bank where she served as a marketing coordinator. She graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a minor in sports business.

PAUL RASMUSSEN, ‘03 Paul Rasmussen, ’03, director of development for the Twin Cities, has over 15 years of fundraising and nonprofit management experience. He comes to Augustana after working in development roles with Fox Advancement and Greater Twin Cities United Way in Minneapolis, Emory University in Atlanta, and Sanford Health and Lutherans Outdoors in Sioux Falls. He holds a bachelor of arts from Augustana University and an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business.

LIZ SOUKUP, ‘10 Liz Soukup, ’10 employment specialist, completed majors in psychology and business administration and received her master’s in public administration with an emphasis in human resources from the University of South Dakota.

JILL WILSON Jill Wilson, public relations strategist, holds her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and political science, with a minor in English from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Jill comes to Augustana with more than 12 years of communications and journalism experience having served as a television reporter at the local NBC affiliate, KDLTTV, in Sioux Falls and in Lincoln, Nebraska, and working with local organizations in the areas of social media and public relations.

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CLASS NOTES

CLASS NOTES

Visit augie.edu/alumni for updates, news, events and photos.

ALUMNI: SHARE YOUR NEWS WITH US

Visit augie.edu/classnotes and log in to share your news via our online directory.

Listed on the following pages are news and notes about your fellow alumni.

You can also stay in touch with us on social media: Facebook: Augustana (SD) Alumni | Twitter: @AugieAlumni

THE 2010s CLASS OF 2019 Sarah House married Austin Spilde on June 29, 2019.

Larissa Simoncello earned her master’s degree in Global Affairs and Management at Thunderbird School of Global Management in 2019. She is employed with Deutsche Bank as an anti-financial crime officer.

of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2016 and will receive a Master of Arts in teaching in 2020 from the University of St. Thomas. He is currently employed as the music director at Westwood Lutheran Church in Minneapolis.

Adam Beyer and Hana Metoxen were married on Dec. 31, 2019.

Yolanda (Clark) Dirnberger is working parttime as a violin/viola teacher at Cambiare Strings.

Evan Pierce and wife, Jasmine, welcomed a daughter, Elena, in May 2019. Evan has accepted a new opportunity with Apple at their corporate headquarters. He and his family have relocated to San Jose, Calif.

Cheyenne Chontos and Jef Thormodsgard were married on August 2, 2019.

Shelby Duffield and Matthew Anderson ’14 were married on May 25, 2019.

Riley Steenstra and Karl Lund ’15 were married on Feb. 23, 2019.

Katelyn Graber is pursuing her Ph.D. in biological sciences at South Dakota State University.

Ellen Ferry and Andrew Eckhardt were married on July 27, 2019.

Kevin Wickland and Berit Henriksen ’13 were married on July 6, 2019, in Duluth, Minn.

Laura Klatz married Max Robinson on Dec. 16, 2018.

CLASS OF 2013

Karl Lund and Riley Steenstra ’14 were married on Feb. 23, 2019.

Daniel Fry is employed as the manager of loyalty and marketing analytics with Alaska Airlines.

CLASS OF 2018

Luke Hurley is attending the University of South Dakota School of Medicine and will complete his degree in 2022.

Dalton Lehnen and Lauren Brownrigg were married on Nov. 9, 2019.

Kami Miller married Zach Wessels on Aug. 24, 2019.

Riley Nordquist is working in communications at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, S.D. Alison Rollag is the lead behavioral health tech at Avera Behavioral Health in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 2017 Alyssa (Hendrickson) Gors and Derek Gors were married on June 10, 2017. They welcomed a son, Aiden Roger, in September 2018. Alyssa is working as a registered nurse at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

Emily Heinz married Justin Zillgitt on March 16, 2018.

Roberto Luces and Allison Warne were married on July 21, 2018.

Kendra Morgan married Chris Abts on Sept.

21, 2019, in Mitchell, S.D. Kendra earned her master’s degree in speech-language pathology at the University of South Dakota in 2019 and accepted a job as a speech-language pathologist at Avera Therapy in Mitchell.

CLASS OF 2016 Thomas Elness and Haley Hoium were married on July 27, 2019.

Miriam Hanson is attending Trinity Lutheran Seminary and will graduate in 2021 with her Master of Divinity degree.

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CLASS OF 2015

Dustin Pederson married T.J. Mead on Nov. 24, 2018.

Ali Ramsley is a meeting and event planner for Nexstar Network, headquartered in downtown St. Paul, Minn. She resides in St. Paul and spends most of her time with her goldendoodle, Peach.

CLASS OF 2014 Matthew Anderson and Shelby Duffield ’15 were married on May 25, 2019.

Michelle Braun married David Baker on Nov. 2, 2019. Michelle earned her M.A. in educational leadership in 2018 at Concordia University, Saint Paul and is currently employed as an elementary school teacher.

Katie Donlan studied emerging models in conservation and education as well as spiritual connections to nature in Thailand during the summer of 2019. She is a teacher at Hastings Middle School, lives in Apple Valley, Minn., and is a graduate student in Miami University’s Global Field Program.

Berit Henriksen and Kevin Wickland ’14 were married on July 6, 2019, in Duluth, Minn.

Grace Johnson married James Martin on July 20, 2019, in Sioux Falls.

Megan Johnson married Alex Knust on June 1, 2019.

CLASS OF 2012 Anthony Cullen is attending Augsburg University working on his Master of Business Administration and expects to graduate in 2020.

Jacqueline (Mayasich) Haan and husband, John, welcomed a second daughter, Matilda Jean, in September 2019.

Her proud big sister, Eleanor Joan, turned 2 on Halloween.

Brian Knight and Kelsey Wolter ’11 were married on Sept. 14, 2019. Brian is the president/owner of Bullseye Media, LLC.

Jesse Fonkert is the new executive director for Sioux Falls Area Development, representing the Lincoln and Minnehaha County Economic Development Associations.

Leah (Roghair) Postma and husband, Ryan, welcomed their first baby, Lydia Rose, in May 2019. Leah is an accountant for Lloyd Companies in Sioux Falls.

Kirsten Nyberg married Caleb Palkert on Aug. 10, 2019.

Sawyer Vanden Heuvel is pursuing a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary (St. Paul, Minn.) and is a candidate for Word & Sacrament Ministry in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

Andrew Paulson and Rachel Hurley ’11 were married on April 21, 2018. Andrew received his master’s degree in music at the University

CLASS NOTES

CLASS OF 2011 Matthew Braithwaite and wife, Caitlin (Polgreen) Braithwaite ’10, competed in the 2019 Boston Marathon and had very impressive performances. Matthew finished 54th and Caitlin finished 3,116th out of 26,737 runners.

Matt Haar is the director of individual giving at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

Rachel Hurley and Andrew Paulson ’14 were married on April 21, 2018. Rachel is attending the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Rochester, Minn., and plans to graduate in 2020 with an M.D. and a Ph.D. Bethany Jochim graduated from Kansas State University with a Ph.D. in atomic and molecular physics in July 2019.

Rachel (Gerber) Meyer and husband, Paul, welcomed a daughter, Thea Rae, in January 2020.

Kayla (Meyerhoff) State and husband, Eric, welcomed a daughter, Jensyn Hadley, in September 2018.

Robin (Bennett) Tyler and husband, Brad, welcomed a son, James David, in July 2019.

Robin is a teacher with the Tri-Valley School District.

Adam Walsh and wife, Jennifer, welcomed their second child, a son, Colton Lee, in May 2019.

Kelsey Wolter and Brian Knight ’12 were married on Sept. 14, 2019. Kelsey is a partner in Bullseye Media LLC and is working as the director of communications.

THE 2000s CLASS OF 2009 Heather Barthelman married Nate Coombs on Sept. 21, 2019, in Sioux Falls.

Heather graduated with a Master of Education from the University of Sioux Falls on May 19, 2019, and began teaching French at Lincoln High School in Sioux Falls in August 2019.

Jennifer (Madden) Bechtold and husband, Baron, welcomed a son, Elijah James, in November 2019.

Daniel Day completed his Ph.D. in computational biology at MIT in 2015 and is currently employed with Facebook as a data scientist.

Laura (Nary) Eubank earned her Master of Education in educational administration at Concordia University in 2015. Laura began working as the principal at Veribest ISD in Veribest, Texas, in 2018.

Bailey (Landa) Fossum and husband, Erik, welcomed a daughter, Skylar Adalyn, in December 2019.

Jessica (Maske) Kingsborough is the associate pastor at Southwood Lutheran Church in Lincoln, Neb. Justine (Lueth) Murtha began working as the community engagement director at Habitat for Humanity in October 2019.

Jessica (Vogelaar) Olcott and husband, Creighton, welcomed a daughter, Charlotte, in July 2018.

CLASS OF 2010

CLASS OF 2008

Caitlin (Polgreen) Braithwaite and husband, Matthew Braithwaite ’11, competed in the 2019 Boston Marathon and had very impressive performances. Matthew finished 54th and Caitlin finished 3,116th out of 26,737 runners.

Kelly Goertzen married Dean Honebrink on June 1, 2019.

Adam Norenberg and Kayla (Graber) Norenberg ’10 welcomed a daughter, Gracie Mae, in January 2019.

Jonna Brost married Matt Meehan on Aug. 10, 2019.

CLASS OF 2007

Kayla (Graber) Norenberg and Adam Norenberg ’08 welcomed a daughter, Gracie Mae, in January 2019.

Jessica (Cooper) Graumann and Aaron Graumann ’06 welcomed their third daughter, Josephine, in January 2017.

Dan Morrison and wife, Jordan, welcomed a daughter, Peyton, in 2018.

Andrew Hodny and wife, Anne Borgendale, welcomed a son, Julian, in April 2017.

Meredith (Lind) Stevens and husband, Blake, welcomed their first child, Alexander Lee, in July 2019. Meredith completed her M.Ed. in educational leadership-principal in 2019 at the University of Sioux Falls.

Heidi (Reinders) Martinez and husband, Mario, welcomed their fourth child, Lucas Cruz, in August 2019. Lucas joins big brothers Mario Jr (19) and Ezekiel (2), and big sister Michelle (17).

Lauren Ostermiller began working as a scenic artist at TAIT in Lititz, Pa., in 2017.

Emily (Nielsen) Wiederich and husband, Dave, welcomed a daughter, Ella, in June 2019.

CLASS OF 2006 Lacey (Horkey) Dixon, husband Brian, and big brother, Drake, welcomed baby boy, Dylan Max, in September 2019. Lacey is employed as the associate vice president of mission advancement at the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids in Michigan.

Aaron Graumann and Jessica (Cooper) Graumann ’07 welcomed their third daughter, Josephine, in January 2017.

Landon Karr passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 13, 2019.

Livia (Fisher) Nelson and husband, Josh, welcomed a daughter, Lucille Shea, in December 2018. She joins two brothers, Jett and Judge.

Becky (Fischer) Seavey is now serving as the chief financial officer at Mayo Employees Federal Credit Union in Rochester, Minn.

Rebecca (Lund) Sheridan is the pastor at Faith Lutheran Church and School in Syosset, N.Y.

CLASS OF 2005 Holly (Sturzenbecher) Ahlers graduated in May 2019 with a master’s degree in nursing.

She is a psychiatric nurse practitioner with Southeastern Behavioral Health. She and husband, Jon, have one son, Evan.

Patricia Akhavan Smith is the director at Left Field Labs in Culver City, Calif.

CLASS OF 2004 Shane Wuebben married Yannick Laroche on June 29, 2019. Shane is employed with the Harrisburg School District as the fine arts director.

Lindsey (Hibma) Wyatt and husband, Reuben, welcomed a son, Simeon Grant, in April 2019.

CLASS OF 2002 Stephanie (Dorcey) Schreurs, 60, of Larchwood, Iowa, passed away on August 13, 2019, at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls after succumbing to injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident she suffered while on duty in Lyon County, Iowa.

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CLASS NOTES

Kate (Knudson) Wolters has been appointed by U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to serve as both Director of the Office of Interparliamentary Affairs and Chief of Protocol for the United States House of Representatives.

CLASS OF 2000 Paul Hassebroek is the principal at Six Four Asset Management, LLC.

Production) Ahead Award last spring by the U.S. Manufacturing Institute. Wendy is married to Todd Koster ’87.

CLASS OF 1987 Steven Tasler, 55, of Eagan, Minn., died peacefully on Feb. 8, 2020, at Our Lady of Peace Hospice in St. Paul, Minn., after a very short battle with esophageal cancer.

CLASS OF 1985

Brenda (Novotny) Evans is working as an activities assistant with the Life Care Center of Casper in Casper, Wyo. Richard Krull retired from the Department of the Air Force and United States Air Force on Oct. 31, 2019. He had over 40 years of service to the U.S. Government. He is a Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran. Richard has two sons: Dane (30 years old), who lives in Indiana, and Lars (27 years old) who lives in North Carolina.

CLASS OF 1999

CLASS OF 1984

Kris Swedin is the director of continuing education at Santa Fe Community College. She is also working on her MA in higher education adult learning through the University of South Dakota and expects to graduate in 2021.

Lisa (Janssen) Abbas, 43, of Sioux Falls, died on Aug. 17, 2019, at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center in Sioux Falls.

Cheri Roesler is the treasury and logistics manager at Toastmasters International in Englewood, Colo.

Jon Harry Sympson passed away peacefully in his home on Feb. 5, 2020, after battling colorectal cancer.

CLASS OF 1996

CLASS OF 1983

CLASS OF 1978

Julie Mattson is employed with Advarra, IRB in Seattle, Wash.

Michelle (Hobert) Jorissen retired after 34 years of service with South Washington County Schools in Cottage Grove, Minn. She and her husband have moved to their retirement home on Lake Viola in Webster, Wis., where she substitute teaches.

Jay Vogt, of Pierre, S.D., director of the South Dakota State Historical Society, has shared with Augustana that President Donald J. Trump has announced his intent to appoint Jay as an expert member of the President’s Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP).

James Lang retired in 2015 and now lives outside of Snowflake, Ariz.

CLASS OF 1977

CLASS OF 1982

Raymond Garza, 70, died on Nov. 13, 2019, at Ava’s House in Sioux Falls.

THE 1990s

CLASS OF 1995 Ervin Mirzayants, of Sioux Falls, passed away on June 11, 2019, after suffering a medical emergency at work.

CLASS OF 1993 Tim Nelson is working as a UNIX/Linux System Administrator II at Linebarger and Associates in San Antonio, Texas.

CLASS OF 1992 Gregory Trumbull, 61, of Sioux Falls, died on Oct. 28, 2019, at the Veteran’s Administration Regional Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

THE 1980s CLASS OF 1989 Kevin Koett is the new Dean of Students at Rowan University in N.J. He cited his participation in student affairs as well as being a resident advisor at Augustana University as the reason he chose his career path.

Ty Thompson married Brant McManigle on July 6, 2019.

CLASS OF 1988 Wendy (Johnson) Koster, general manager of Diversified Plastics, Inc. in Missoula, Mont., was awarded the Women in Manufacturing STEP (Science, Technology, Engineering and 34

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Joy Gonnerman married Wayne Gallipo on July 5, 2019.

Tamara (Faulstich) Eppens has been employed with Johnson & Johnson as a premium practice specialist since November 2014. She earned her Master of Public Communication at Weber State University in 2014.

Peggy (McCauley) Uthe, 64, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Primghar, Iowa, passed away on Jan. 28, 2020, at the Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1981

Dave Eitland is currently working with Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center, Vancouver, Wash., as development director. He is building a base of support for a 100-acre natural area that teaches young scientists.

Michelle (Lang) Johnston, of Miles City, Mont., passed away on Oct. 7, 2019, at St. Vincent Hospital in Billings, Mont.

Elizabeth (Petersen) Mendelson, 66, passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on Oct. 20, 2019.

CLASS OF 1980 Borghild (Djuvstad) Sande died on Jan. 13, 2020.

CLASS OF 1976

CLASS OF 1975 Nancy Kessler, 66, died on July 30, 2019, at the Audubon County Memorial Hospital in Audubon, Iowa.

CLASS OF 1974

THE 1970s CLASS OF 1979 Stephen Brody, of Rockaway Beach, Mo., passed away on Nov. 30, 2019, with his loved ones by his side while in hospice care.

Beverly (Christensen) Hutchinson is a retired music director/teacher.

CLASS OF 1972 Nancy (Heckert) Anderson, 69, of Lincoln, Neb., passed away on Aug. 2, 2019.

CLASS NOTES

Beverly “Bev” (Henryson) Miller, 70, passed away of a cardiac event on Oct. 24, 2019.

Grant Millis passed away peacefully at home in Sioux Falls on Feb. 8, 2020, after a long illness.

Sheridan Lee Natwick died on Aug. 24, 2017.

Richard “Dick” Wareham, 78, of Sioux Falls, died at his home on July 31, 2019.

Barbara (Wyant-Deeringer) Wyatt, 91, passed away on Aug. 30, 2019, at Peaceful Pines in Rapid City, S.D.

CLASS OF 1967 Paul Branum, 87, passed away Dec. 1, 2019, after a fall at his home in Miles City, Mont.

Sharon (Wolff) Peterson, 75, of Germantown Hills, Ill., died on June 22, 2019, at Lutheran Hillside Village after a seven-month battle with pancreatic cancer.

CLASS OF 1964

Charlene (Berg) Fersdahl, 73, of rural Renner, S.D., died on Sept. 1, 2019, at the West Ridge Care Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Patricia (Mennenga) Finnell, 76, of Sherman, Ill., formerly of Roodhouse, Ill., died on Oct. 1, 2019, at The Villas Senior Care Community.

John Lee, 74, of Davenport, Iowa, passed away on Sept. 29, 2019, at Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House with his loving family by his side.

Charles Harrison, 84, of Eau Claire, Wis., passed away on July 20, 2019, at Heatherwood Assisted Living.

JoAnn (Hook) Kolsrud, 71, passed away on Dec. 23, 2019, at home with her family by her side.

Sheldon Songstad, 81, passed away on Dec. 13, 2019, in his home at Buffalo Ridge after a long battle with cancer.

Lester Josephson, 77, passed away on Jan. 1, 2020, in Tucson, Ariz.

David G. Larson, 69, died on Oct. 9, 2019, of a rare lung disease.

CLASS OF 1966

Russell Prince Jr., 75, of Sturgis, S.D., died on Sept. 23, 2019.

Barbara (Broughton) Mays, 75, of Maple Grove, Minn., passed away suddenly on Dec. 2, 2019.

CLASS OF 1971 Steven Hatlestad, 70, died from natural causes on Dec. 7, 2019, at his home near Garretson.

Lynn Klungseth, 70, of Sioux Falls, formerly of Bryant, S.D., died July 17, 2019, at his home.

Francis “Bud” Schneider, M.A. at Augie, 84, died peacefully and unexpectedly at his home in Yankton, S.D., on Oct. 14, 2019.

Geraldine “Gerry” Wulff, 84, of Sioux Falls, died on Sept. 1, 2019, at her Dow Rummel Village residence.

David E. Peterson, 77, of Northwood, Iowa, passed away peacefully on Aug. 11, 2019, at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minn.

Arnie Stenseth, 82, of Sioux Falls, died on Feb. 7, 2020, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1970

CLASS OF 1965

James “Jim” Egge, 71, died peacefully at his home in Sioux Falls on Oct. 17, 2019.

Kenneth Myrabo passed away on Dec. 8, 2019.

James Mohrmann retired after 49 years working in education in multiple states.

Marjorie (Olson) Peik, 96, of Penney Farms, Fla., passed away on Nov. 12, 2019, at her home in Penney Farms Retirement Community.

THE 1960s CLASS OF 1969 Gini (McGrew) Blunden is retired from nursing.

Donald Oyan is the retired owner of Hogen’s Hardware Co. Christian Stjernholm retired as a cardiologist after being employed with Pueblo Cardiology Associates since 1980.

CLASS OF 1968 Douglas Domeyer, 73, passed away on Sept.

20, 2019, at his home in Sioux Falls.

Gary Glaser passed away on Dec. 9, 2018.

Edward Sessler, 80, died on Oct. 19, 2019, in Fort Collins, Colo.

Clifford “Skip” Lantz, 77, died Dec. 10, 2019, at his home in Rapid City, S.D., with his wife, Rita, by his side.

Roland “Rollie” Larson, 77, passed away peacefully on Oct. 26, 2019, from complications associated with Lewy Bodies Dementia disease.

Jean (Gubbrud) Nelson, 77, of Alcester, S.D., passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Dec. 24, 2019, at Ava’s House in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1963 Andy Austrums, 80, of Minneapolis, died on Dec. 1, 2019, at N.C. Little Hospice in Edina, Minn.

Arnie Stenseth ’66 died Friday, February 7, 2020 at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls following a short illness.

Stenseth was 82. Arnie was born in Tyler, Minn., but the family moved to Sioux Falls, shortly after that. His mother, Ruth Sorlie, taught German at Augustana and he grew up in Sioux Falls, starting kindergarten at Mark Twain Elementary in 1942. He graduated from Washington High School in 1956. Arnie started college at Augustana and then joined the Marine Corps Reserve. Finding the latter more interesting, he joined the Army in 1957 and was in Army Intelligence. He returned to Augustana in 1960 and graduated with a BA in theatre and acting.

He met Connie Herseth at Augustana, and they were married in 1963. From that marriage, he has two daughters--Calli Brick (Kevin) and Mari Lingle (Darrell). His children grew up in Pierre, while he served as the Bicentennial Director for the State of South Dakota, in the mid-70s. Calli has two children—Seth and Shannon—and Mari has two children—Brooks and Madeline.

Acting was his passion, his dream, and he acted on both screen and stage. On stage, he was primarily a Shakespearean actor, and in Sioux Falls, he acted primarily with the Community Playhouse and was the director in 1971. He was a member of SAG/AFTRA for actors in stage and film.

Memorials are suggested in Arnie’s honor to go to his mother’s scholarship fund: “Ruth Sorlie Stenseth Endowed Scholarship” at Augustana University.

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CLASS NOTES

Evelyn (Ostraat) Wierenga, 95, formerly of Sioux Falls, passed away in her home in Charlottesville, Va., on Jan. 8, 2020, with family by her side.

CLASS OF 1962 James R. Anderson, 80, of Underwood, Minn., formerly of Sioux Falls and Fairmont, Minn., passed away on Sept. 2, 2019.

Willard “Tuffy” Bishop, 79, passed away on Dec. 27, 2019, after a brief illness.

Elva (Powell) Brudvig, 103, of Sioux Falls, died on Jan. 17, 2020, at Dow Rummel Village.

Gordon Erickson, 80, of Sioux Falls, passed away Oct. 13, 2019, at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.

Kathryn (Stoneall) Hibbert, 78, of Watertown, S.D., passed away on June 27, 2019, at her residence.

Philip “Phil” Miedema, 79, died on Nov. 21, 2019, at Ava’s House.

Ertis Osterberg, 86, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Feb. 17, 2020, at Dougherty Hospice in Sioux Falls.

David Vollmer passed away on July 8, 2019, in Omaha, Neb. Marvin Widmann, 88, died on Oct. 13, 2019, in Mitchell, S.D.

CLASS OF 1961 Glen Jamtgaard, 81, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Sept. 11, 2019.

Dagmar (Rettedal) Oldfield passed away under hospice care in her apartment in Peoria, Ariz., on Dec. 29, 2019.

Richard “Dick” Olsen, 83, died on July 19, 2019.

Robert “Butch” Peterson passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar, Minn., on Jan. 14, 2020.

Darwin Twedt, 80, passed away on Dec. 27, 2019, with his family at his bedside at Methodist Hospital Medical Center in Texas.

CLASS OF 1960 Marilyn (Miller) Manthe, 82, of Edgerton, Mo., passed away on Nov. 6, 2019.

Dwayne Ollerich, 84, of Leawood, Kan., passed away on April 21, 2019, at Menorah Hospital from an upper GI bleed and Alzheimer’s disease.

Barbara (Nelson) Simmons passed away on Jan. 31, 2020, surrounded by loved ones at her home in Ovilla, Texas.

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THE 1950s CLASS OF 1959 Delores Berkness, 82, of Lakefield, Minn., passed away on Feb. 7, 2020, at the Good Samaritan Society in Windom, Minn.

Joan (Jacobson) Domke, 82, of Huron, S.D., passed away on Nov. 18, 2019, at the Huron Regional Medical Center, surrounded by her family.

Janice (Stene) Erkes, 82, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Dec. 13, 2019, at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls.

John Hillgren, 82, of Sioux Falls, died on Aug. 25, 2019, at Touchmark at All Saints in Sioux Falls due to complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

Kathleen (Bloomquist) Johnson passed away peacefully in her sleep on Sept. 20, 2019, at Temperance Lake Ridge in Sherburn, Minn.

David Larson, 82, of Madison, S.D., formerly of Nunda, S.D., passed away on Dec. 1, 2019, at Heritage Senior Living in Madison.

Betty (Jansen) Popkes, 90, of Brookings, S.D., formerly of George, Iowa, died on Nov. 4, 2019, at the Brookings Health System.

Eleanor (Andersen) Simonsen, 82, died peacefully on Feb. 11, 2020, at Whispering Heights in Rock Valley, Iowa.

Thomas Trautman, 81, of Sioux Falls, died on Sept. 26, 2019.

Ernest Tyler, Jr., 90, passed away on Jan. 25, 2020, at his residence in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1958 Carol (Larson) Arnold, 83, died on Feb. 6, 2020, after 11 months battling brain cancer.

Gerald “Jerry” Bruget, 83, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Oct. 15, 2019, surrounded by his family at Select Specialty Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Gerald Ihrke, 82, of Le Mars, Iowa, passed away on Dec. 23, 2019, at the Good Samaritan Society in Le Mars.

CLASS OF 1957 Kenneth W. Anderson, 85 of Sioux Falls, passed away on Sept. 10, 2019, at Sanford Hospice Centennial Cottage in Sioux Falls.

Connie (Lien) Eitreim, of Minnetonka, Minn., died on Sept. 15, 2019.

Arden “Flip” Fjellanger, 84, of Sioux Falls, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Sept. 28, 2019, at Sanford USD Medical Center in Sioux Falls.

Lyle Fogelman passed away on Oct. 26, 2019, in Bloomington, Minn.

Ruben Keller, 88, of Sioux Falls, died on Feb. 16, 2020, at the Good Samaritan Center in Scotland, S.D. Dean Mann was recently honored by the South Dakota High School Activities Association for his many years of officiating high school track, basketball, and football.

Dean received the newly inaugurated “50Year Officiating Award.” Dean officiated athletics for 63 years.

CLASS OF 1956 Franklin Calsbeek, 87, of Grand Rapids, Mich., died on Aug. 14, 2019.

Mary (Quam) Hatlestad, 85, of Watertown, S.D., passed away on Dec. 7, 2019, at the Jenkins Living Center under hospice care.

George Johnson recently published a book titled; “Silence Is Not the Answer”.

Donna (Lems) Whitcomb, 84, lifetime educator, died on Nov. 20, 2019, at Luther Manor in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1955 Emanuel Glanzer passed away on Oct. 30, 2019, surrounded by his family.

ElDean Kohrs, 85, died on Sept. 14, 2019, in Ellsworth, Kan. Ramona Mueller, 86, passed away on Aug. 1, 2019, at the Good Samaritan Society of Tyndall in S.D. Ruth (Kittelson) Roe, 86, of Hazel, S.D., passed away on Jan. 9, 2020, at her daughter’s home.

LuAnn (Halvorson) Smith, 85, of Milbank, S.D., died on June 10, 2019, at Milbank Care and Rehabilitation Center.

Marilyn (Johnson) Trisch, 88, of Onalaska, Wis., passed away on Oct. 21, 2019, at Onalaska Care Center.

CLASS OF 1954 Richard “Dick” Ageton, 83, of Sioux Falls, died on Jan. 5, 2020, at the Avera Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.

Lois (Graff) Ahrendt, 86, passed away on Nov. 21, 2019, at her home with family by her side.

CLASS NOTES

Norman Ahrendt, 88, of Park Rapids, Minn., formerly of Hackensack, Minn., died peacefully on March 7, 2019, at the Heritage Cottages in Park Rapids with his loved ones at his side.

Marjorie (Harms) Buseman, 86, passed away at Ava’s House on Sept. 28, 2019.

Ernest Gilbertson passed away on Dec. 22, 2019.

Arliss (Nelson) Gortmaker, 89, of Monroe, S.D., died on Oct. 6, 2019, at Sanford USD Medical Center.

Marlee (Gefke) Grebin, 88, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Jan. 24, 2020, after a wonderful day spent with her family.

Darold Guttormson, 87, died on Jan. 25, 2020.

Carolyn (Hanson) Holck died on Oct. 4, 2019, due to complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

Valley Friendship Village in Tempe, Ariz.

A. Arlene (Peterson) Erickson, 98, died on Nov. 19, 2019, at Bethany Home in Brandon, S.D. Muriel (Brewick) Jamison, 89, passed away on Sept. 29, 2019, at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls.

Jeanette (Payson) Larsen, of Sioux Falls, passed away on July 31, 2019, at Ava’s Hospice House in Sioux Falls.

Darold “Pete” Petersen, 96, died on Oct. 25, 2019.

Bonnadell “Bonnie” (Greguson) Severson, 89, of Lindstrom, Minn., died on Aug. 6, 2019, at Unity Hospital in Minneapolis.

Audrey (Eid) Skeie, 90, passed away on Oct. 9, 2019, at Harmony River Living Center in Hutchinson, Minn.

Ruth (Olson) Mickelson, 87, passed away on Oct. 18, 2019, in Storm Lake, Iowa.

Louise (Amonson) Smith, 89, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Sept. 8, 2019, at Ava’s Hospice House in Sioux Falls.

Alverdo Sando died peacefully in his home in Denison, Iowa, on October 28, 2019.

Vernelle (Molstad) Swanson passed away on August 6, 2019, at The Neighborhoods in Brookings, S.D.

Anna (Lounsbery) Sproul, 87, of Sioux Falls, died on Dec. 30, 2019, at Prince of Peace in Sioux Falls.

Bennard Wiese died on Oct. 2, 2019, in Sioux Falls.

CLASS OF 1953 Lloyd Einarson, 88 of Fergus Falls, Minn., died on Sept. 8, 2019, at Sanford Health in Fargo, N.D.

CLASS OF 1951 Marie (Johanneson) Connell, 90, of Yankton, S.D., died on June 20, 2019, at Avera Sister James Care Center in Yankton.

Betty (Burney) Reynolds, 90, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Dec. 4, 2019, at Bethany Lutheran Home.

CLASS OF 1950

Robert “Bob” Foster, 89, passed away on June 20, 2019, at Briarwood Health Care Center in Iowa City.

L’Nora (Bowden) Bylander, 99, passed away on July 24, 2019, at Pioneer Memorial Hospital in Viborg, S.D.

Ruth (Fischer) Herron, 89, passed away on Jan. 28, 2020, at Fountain Springs Health Care in Rapid City, S.D.

Eunice (Eide) Hovland, 91, of Sioux Falls, died on Nov.29, 2019, at her home in Sioux Falls.

Paul Hohman died on Nov. 18, 2019, from pancreatic cancer at Dougherty Hospice Cottage.

Howard Hovland, 95, of Sioux Falls, died on Feb. 18, 2020, at his home at Grand Living at Lake Lorraine.

Shirley (Kroeger) Ullom, of Sioux Falls, died on Jan. 14, 2020, at Dow Rummel Village in Sioux Falls.

Fern (Frisvold) Johnson, 91, passed away on Feb. 9, 2020.

CLASS OF 1952 Dorothy (Vick) Budgett, 89, of Mesa, Ariz., died on Aug. 12, 2019, in Hospice of the

Robert Paul Larson, 92, died peacefully in his sleep on Jan. 11, 2020, in Sioux Falls.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The class notes sent directly to Augustana University come directly from alums and/or family members. The editor does not edit submissions outside of grammar and spelling, which may not reflect the editorial style guide of the university.

THE 1940s CLASS OF 1949 Carol (Tuntland) Olson, 92, died on Nov. 19, 2019, at Good Samaritan Society Sioux Falls Village.

Mary (Ode) Stoller, 91, passed away peacefully on Aug. 10, 2019, at the Cottage in Detroit Lakes, Minn.

M. Patricia (Walter) Troutman, 93, formerly of Dumas, Texas, passed away on April 13, 2016.

Dagny (Austin) Vanvig, 92, of Bemidji, Minn., died on Sept. 3, 2019, at the Good Samaritan Society in Blackduck, Minn.

CLASS OF 1948 Ruth (Dybvig) Bliss, of Burnsville, Minn., formerly of Sioux Falls, died peacefully on Oct. 7, 2019.

Lillian (Bunday) DeBoer, 93, of Bruce, S.D., passed away on Sept. 28, 2019, at AvantaraArlington.

Esther (Berghuis) Doughty, 94, passed away at her home in Tucson, Arizona, on May 21, 2019, with her daughters by her side.

Esther (Johnstad) Knutson, 93, of Vermillion, S.D., passed away on July 3, 2019, at Sanford Vermillion Care Center.

Arlo (Hoogeveen) Weerheim, 92, of Rock Rapids, Iowa, died on July 26, 2019, at Lyon Specialty Care in Rock Rapids.

CLASS OF 1947 Margaret “Marnee” (Cogley) Bell passed away peacefully at Vienna Village in Pfafftown, N.C., on Dec. 2, 2019.

Rachel (Tanck) Conkling, 94, of Flandreau, S.D., passed away on Nov. 26, 2019, at Avera Heart Hospital in Sioux Falls.

Opal (Bersagel) Fedde, 94, of Louisville, Ky., died on Nov. 21, 2019.

Ruth (Mellinger) Tyler, 94, passed away on Aug. 29, 2019, at Oakview Terrace Care Center in Freeman, S.D.

CLASS OF 1944 Dorothy (Elmen) Bahnson passed away on Nov. 26, 2019.

CLASS OF 1942 Annice (Williams) Sharpe, 98, of Sioux Falls, passed away on Jan. 31, 2020, at Sanford Centennial Hospice Cottage.

THE AUGUSTANA / SPRING 2020

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