PILOT Fall 2015

UNIVERSIT Y OF NORTHWESTERN – ST. PAUL

The Power of Relationship SEEING PEOPLE AS GOD’S BELOVED

FALL 2015

UNIVERSIT Y OF NORTHWES TERN – S T. PAUL

Cover: Untitled (detail)

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Rachel Korhonen ’16 (BA–Art; BA–Biblical Studies) painted Untitled (oil on canvas) in May 2015 and says, “The relationship between the painted figure and the viewer is key to this piece. In the figure’s locked gaze one finds both a yearning for intimacy and a yearning to be seen.”

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See the uncropped image on page 33.

DEPARTMENTS 4 FROM THE PRESIDENT 4 NORTHWESTERN NEWS 9 FACULTY HIGHLIGHTS 28 ALUMNI NEWS & FEATURES

10 The Power of Relationship Our relationships can be uplifting, life-saving, frustrating, problematic… often all at the same time! Dr. Megan Brown helps students decipher the behavior of others and themselves.

14 To Cuba and Back Twin Cities musicians with the Minnesota Orchestra traveled to Havana on a historic trip that forged friendships and opened avenues of artistic exchange.

18 Color Blind Sunsets and Rainbows Instead of putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, why not look through their eyes? Two artists collaborated on artwork that explored color blindness.

22 Welcome to the World of Digital Humanities In the digital age, academics are using technological tools to advance scholarship. See what several Northwestern faculty are creating.

24 Torah Scroll Opens Door to Biblical Past Students at Northwestern now have access to a historic Torah scroll for study and reflection.

26 What’s So Beautiful About Recovery? Our preconceptions can keep us from seeing the true stories behind addiction. Dave Kjonaas’ story is about the transformative power of God’s unchanging love.

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18 PILOT is published by the Office of Marketing & Communications University of Northwestern – St. Paul 3003 Snelling Avenue North St. Paul, MN 55113-1598 651-631-5166, unwsp.edu/pilot Letters and comments may be sent to pilot@unwsp.edu.

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DIGITAL HUM

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PILOT STAFF Managing Editor Marita Meinerts Albinson, M.A. Editor Shelly Barsuhn Graphic Design BARSUHN, Inc. Photography Josh Stokes Contributing Writers Amy Elizabeth Awasom, Shelly Barsuhn, Cayla (Yund ’14) Blucker, Megan Brown, John Easterling, Nancy Zugschwert University Marketing Team Marita Meinerts Albinson, Amy Elizabeth Awasom, Joan Ayotte, Colleen Bemis ’05, Cayla (Yund ’14) Blucker, Drew Elrick ’12, Tess O’Connor, Eric Olson, Tammy Worrell ’04, Nancy Zugschwert Student University Marketing Staff Benjamin Hait ’16, Sophia Perry ’18 Abby Phillips ’17 UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION President Alan S. Cureton, Ph.D. Sr. V.P. for Academic Affairs Janet B. Sommers, Ph.D. V.P. for Student Life & Athletics Matt Hill ’89, Ed.D. V.P. for Enrollment Management Mike Moroney Chief Information Officer David Richert, MBA V.P. for Business/CFO Douglas R. Schroeder, CPA Associate V.P. of Human Resources Timothy A. Rich, PHR NORTHWESTERN MEDIA FM 98.5/AM 900 KTIS Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN FM 101.9/AM 1090 KNWS Waterloo, IA FM 97.9/AM 1200 KFNW Fargo, ND FM 96.5/AM 1270 KNWC Sioux Falls, SD FM 102.5/AM 1190 WNWC Madison, WI FM 97.3 KDNW/FM 90.5 KDNI Duluth, MN FM 107.1/FM 96.1 KNWI Des Moines, IA FM 88.5 KJNW Kansas City, MO University of Northwestern – St. Paul does not discriminate with regard to national origin, race, color, age, sex or disability.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN FALL 2015 PILOT

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from

The President

I’m still basking in the excitement of

welcoming our newest students to

Northwestern this fall—the parade of

cars, cheering upperclassmen, and the

joyful hauling of boxes, clothing, bedding and posters to their rooms. There is nothing like it (even if some of the parents looked forlorn)!

It’s a scene that has been played out on our campus since UNW’s early days. Just a few weeks ago at Homecoming, we hosted a dinner for those alumni celebrating 50+ years away from their college experience. Their memories are of the campus at Loring Park in Minneapolis, but—from 1950 to 1965—they, too, experienced what freshmen in 2015 felt: the strangeness of life away from home and the joy of newfound freedom. I can picture our alumni hanging out in their dorms, laughing with new friends.

What makes this launching time so special?

Relationships are Relationships, of course! Decades after their college experience, UNW Eagles still talk about one powerful way the professors and staff who believed in them, God transforms valued them for who they were and invested us. When we in them. Christ modeled that kind of relational learn about and care. Through the parable of the Good Samaritan, He asked His followers to imagine know others— themselves extending hands-on friendship, especially even to those who were shunned and hated. people who are Now, that’s life-changing relationship. unlike us—we This issue of Pilot is about the ways genuine experience the relationships help people—and the kingdom of God—flourish. For instance, four professors heart of Christ. in our music department traveled to Cuba with the Minnesota Orchestra and experienced the sweetness of relationship with Cuban musicians (page 14). Art professors collaborated to paint images through the eyes of a color blind friend—a way of experiencing the world from a different perspective (page 18). And an alum who works with at-risk youth at Urban Ventures describes how individuals who love God can speak into the lives of hurting young people (page 20).

Wherever it occurs, healthy relationship is transformative. May we be hungry to be with—and for—the people God brings into our lives.

Alan S. Cureton, Ph.D. President University of Northwestern – St. Paul 4

PILOT FALL 2015 UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN

news

Emily Herlinger

Katelyn Lee

STELLAR STUDENTS: FULBRI

Graham Warnken

Maria Olson

Freshmen and their families arriving on campus during the 2015 move-in day were greeted by an understated team of admissions ambassadors.

Do we have excitement? Oh yes, we do!

Emily Herlinger ’15 received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant for travel abroad in the 2015–2016 academic year. She currently lives and works in Silistra, Bulgaria, as an English teaching assistant at a high school, the first American ETA to work there. Outside of her part-time job, she is involved in the community and learning the language. See her blog, storiesfromsilistra.blogspot.com, for photos and news.

Katelyn Lee ’14 received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant to travel to Bulgaria to teach. During her 10-month assignment she is working as an English teaching assistant in a high school—Saint Konstantin-Cyril the Philosopher School for European Languages—and living in Ruse. She teaches American culture and English conversation and coaches the English speech and debate team. She enjoys being involved in a local church.

GHT GRANTS + OXFORD AWARD + LEADERSHIP AWARD Graham Warnken ’17 won a de Jager prize from the SCIO (Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford) program for students who display particular excellence in their academic work over the term. The award was given in recognition of Warnken’s British Studies essays on the history of Robin Hood, Mary Wollstonecraft’s sexuality and its impact on her work, and the stylistic evolution of Virginia Woolf’s novels.

Maria Olson ’16 was awarded Northwestern’s Presidents’ Student Leadership Award through Minnesota Campus Compact. This award recognizes her as a student who “models a deep commitment to civic responsibility and leadership, evidenced by initiative, innovative and collaborative approaches to addressing public issues, effective community building, and integration of civic engagement into the college experience.” Olson has dreams of teaching English as a second language in China long-term.

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news

THE GOOD LIFE IN GREAT BOOKS Karen Swallow Prior, Ph.D.—professor, author and lover of books—came to Northwestern on September 22 at the request of the English department and invited a deeper understanding of literature.

She shared a story from the beginning of her teaching career. Her students wondered—out loud—why they had to read certain kinds of literature. To explicitly integrate the Christian worldview into the study of literature and to help the doubting students understand, she created a list: “10 Reasons Christians Should Study Literature.”

During her UNW presentation, Swallow Prior shared several of her points with the audience: • Language is a gift of God. • Language is a reflection of God’s very nature and image in us.

• Using language was the first work God assigned to humankind (naming the animals).

• Aesthetic goodness (the beautiful) can teach us about moral goodness (the good) and intellectual goodness (the true).

Chair of the Department of English & Literature Helen Aling, Ph.D.,

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summed up the essence and importance of the author’s message: “Karen Swallow Prior reminded us that the skill of reading and of creating literature separates us from animals. Human creativity is one aspect of our being created in the image of God as well. Too often we so focus on career preparation in college that we lose sight of the development of our humanity through study of literature. Through reading, we can vicariously experience cultures unlike our own and examine ideas different from ours.”

The big ideas unearthed during Swallow Prior’s visit inspired listeners to a new commitment to reading.

She details the story of her personal passion for great books in Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me. She is professor of English at Liberty University and a contributing writer for Christianity Today, Think Christian and The Atlantic.

Biology Course Spurs Research

In her class “Microbes and Society,” Joanna Klein, Ph.D., professor of biology, involves her students in the work of researching bacteria for an important purpose. UNW students participate in Small World Initiative, an effort begun

by Yale University that crowdsources scientific data from students around the globe in the search for new antibiotics.

A dire situation Due to years of misuse and overuse, existing antibiotics are losing their ability to work against an accelerating number of drug-resistant bacteria. At the same time, the number of new antibiotics being created and approved is shrinking. Pharmaceutical companies aren’t developing new antibiotics because it’s not profitable.

Meanwhile, two million Americans contract illnesses from bacteria every year; 23,000 die because the bacteria are resistant to current antibiotics. The World Health Organization estimates that if nothing is done between now and 2050, antimicrobial resistance could result in 300 million premature deaths and cause the greatest medical challenge of the 21st century.

Filling a critical need Students in the “Microbes and Society” class are contributing to the research needed to develop new drugs. They spend the semester collecting bacteria samples in soil and studying them to see if they contain novel antibiotic properties. During the spring 2015 semester, students collected samples from 11 locations and screened 500 bacterial isolates. Of those isolates, 17 inhibited growth of other microbes and 9 were studied further. The research was then uploaded to Small World Initiatives’ database.

“It is exciting to be part of this academic effort to create a safer world,” said Klein.

“Northwestern students are doing solid research and contributing to the important field of antibiotic development.”

Learn more at smallworldinitiative.org.

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news Men’s Lacrosse Comes to UNW

BIG THEMES IN LITTLE RED

PHOTO: TWIN CITIES HEADSHOTS

Perrault changed “The Grandmother’s Story” to “Little Red Riding Hood” in 1697 and altered details to moralize that well-bred young ladies shouldn’t talk to strangers. But is that all this tale can teach us?

Dawson Ehlke ’17 and Marisa Jacobus ’16 Before Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm wrote their versions, the story of the girl who matches wits with a wolf was an oral tale passed down through generations across Europe. Its staying power testified to the intrigue of its plot, but also to its universal themes and archetypal characters.

Scholar Jack Zipes wrote that fairy tales “serve a meaningful social function…. The worlds projected by the best of our fairy tales reveal the gaps between truth and falsehood in our immediate society.”

This depth of possibility is one reason the theatre department commissioned award-winning playwright Max Bush to write a fairy tale adaptation of “Little Red Riding Hood” for UNW. The play was produced and presented September 24–26 in Maranatha Hall.

Bush worked with students in a collaborative process that required them to flex as he added or scratched lines even during the run of the production. Through song, dance and swashbuckling movement, the play uncovered the depth of meaning in a not-so-simple story.

Fairy tales are more than entertaining stories. They connect us with ancient people and the human experience.

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Northwestern recently announced the addition of its 20th varsity sport—men’s lacrosse—for the 2016–2017 school year.

“The interest in the sport in our region has soared in recent years,” said Matt Hill, Ed.D., vice president for Student Life & Athletics. Not only is lacrosse growing in Minnesota, it is the fastest-growing NCAA sport.

The 18-week season, consisting of up to 17 official contests, will begin in the spring of 2017.

UNW is in its first year of women’s lacrosse, with its official season starting this spring.

faculty highlights

Mixing Histories: Heather Nameth Bren

Heather Nameth Bren, MFA (Art), created a body of utilitarian and sculptural works that pairs Egyptian faience (a self-glazing ceramic clay) and 16th–17th century Dutch Delft imagery. She explores the contrast between sanctioned Egyptian art—so controlled that the region produced the same kind of artwork for 3,000 years—and the free-form art appropriated from China by Dutch pirates. Bren was recently elected to the Northern Clay Center board where she also serves on the exhibition committee. In February, her work will appear in a juried group exhibition sponsored by ArtAxis.org.

Jennifer Hunter: Reimagining

an Ancient Tale

Jennifer Hunter, MFA (Theatre), secured a commission for playwright Max Bush to write a fairy tale adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood for the UNW stage. She directed 12 cast members plus crew to develop this original work. The production was staged in Maranatha Hall in late September. A special matinee performance brought more than 350 elementary students to campus. Two responders from Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival viewed the production and recommended it to play at the Region V festival coming in January.

Hunter has worked with Max Bush on five other fairy tale adaptations.

Bridging Science and Humanities: Brad Sickler

Brad Sickler, Ph.D. (Philosophy), spent four weeks in Oxford, England, as a visiting scholar in science and religion with SCIO (Scholarship & Christianity in Oxford). He took part in the project “Oxford Interdisciplinary Seminars in Science and Religion: Bridging the Two Cultures of Science and the Humanities.” The session brought together 25 scholars who work in science and religion from a wide variety of academic disciplines, including philosophy, psychology, sociology, biology, chemistry, theology and more. Sickler will return to Oxford University in summer 2016 for another four-week session. He is currently working on a project on divine action and the laws of nature.

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The Power of Relationship

The Power of Relationship

By Shelly Barsuhn Kerri is so shocked she asks her husband to repeat himself.

“I said, ‘Why do I have to go to the grocery store?’” It’s a perfectly reasonable question. He is baffled by her anger. Why is she asking him to stop on his way home from work—go out of his way—for items she forgot? That’s her job. Tim grew up in a family where his mom did all the cooking, shopping and household chores.

Kerri is aghast. What is wrong with Tim? In her family, all chores and responsibilities were divided among family members. “Let me remind you,” she says, “of everything I’ve handled since we got married: the laundry, the cleaning, the shopping and working full time!”

Tim cannot understand why his happy-go-lucky wife is upset. When he arrives home later, without the items she asked him to pick up, Kerri storms out of the house and doesn’t return until late that night.

It’s how we’re designed and wired.” She begins the course with biblical foundations: • We are made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27) • We are fallen (Romans 3:10–18) • We are forgiven (Romans 5:1–2; 1 John 1:9) Brown emphasizes that people are God’s beloved children and encourages her students to study 1 John and then see how the fuller picture of this truth is reflected throughout the entire Bible.

The students study relationships in Scripture and consider what principles are at play, good and bad. “It’s a reminder that relationships have been dysfunctional since the Fall,” said Brown, “but we can strive for healthy relationships in the midst of our fallenness.”

Megan Brown, Ph.D, assistant professor of Christian Ministries, presents the case study and asks her students for their responses. “What is going on here? What social and personality styles are at play in this newlyweds’ marriage? If you were counseling Kerri and Tim what would you do?”

Understanding ourselves

Benefits for all Through “Relationships,” a Christian Ministries course, Brown is helping students get a solid footing on a big life skill: how to have healthy relationships. As the class’s reputation spreads, “Relationships” fills with ministry majors, for whom the class was designed, but also with students from a dozen or more other majors. Clearly, the subject matter has crossdiscipline appeal—and power.

Created for relationships Students’ interest doesn’t surprise Brown. “At the core,” she said, “God designed us to be relational, to have a relationship with God and each other.

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Brown helps students exegete their own and others’ behavior. She asks them to turn the spotlight on their own relationships. Many times, she says, destructive behaviors and thinking arise from our earliest experiences. “At home, we see how our family handles situations,” noted Brown. “We watch parents and siblings to see how they respond to circumstances, how they show affection or deal with disappointment. Then we use those same tools in our own relationships.” Someone who grows up hearing family members shout to settle differences may learn that’s how disputes are handled.

Unlearning those habits can be difficult, but Brown’s goal is to help students begin to develop healthier relationships and take that knowledge forward.

“Wherever God sends you, you can use these things,” said Brown.

The class means taking some uncomfortable journeys into students’ own self-concepts through spiritual reflections and analysis. They consider their social styles—Driver? Analytical? Amiable? Expressive? Most of us are blissfully unaware of who we are at the heart.

Why are relationships so difficult? Why are they so important? This Christian Ministries course walks students through their current practices and helps them discover how personality and upbringing impact their relationships—for better or worse. Dr. Megan Brown wants students to gain the insight and awareness needed to improve their own interpersonal connections and impact their future careers.

The purpose of this class is more than intellectual attainment. It is meant to help students develop a better understanding of what it takes to interact well with others. “That’s my hope and goal for them.”

One couple’s discovery Jake Wood ’16 and Alli (Simmons) Wood ’16 took the class while they were still engaged, wanting to learn more about healthy interactions before their June wedding.

Through the “get to know yourself” tests in class, Alli “learned how different Jake and I are, not just because we grew up in different homes, but because we have different personalities.” She likes detailed plans. He likes spontaneity. She is always late. He is on time. They are small things that could develop into big things. “Just knowing those differences has helped us out in the long run,” she said. The class changed “the way we resolve conflict, the way that we strive to serve each other, and the way that we talk about one another with others.”

Better relationships, better world The class covers communication techniques, relationship-based theories, relationship roles, and a host of other topics relevant to emerging adults and relationships in general. “Each semester,” said Brown, “I am reminded how integral relationships are to our lives and how they are so tightly woven into the fabric of our being.”

The research findings continue to hold true. Relationships are the most important aspect of our sense of place and belonging.

“If we had better principles in understanding one other,” stated Brown, “our culture would function better.”

A Little Homework Students in the “Relationships” class investigate the significance of touch in Scripture. What can we learn from these incidents?

The man with leprosy – Mark 1:40–42 The healing of a deaf man – Mark 7:31–35 Jesus blesses the children – Mark 10:13–16 Jesus anointed at Bethany – Matthew 26:6–13 Judas’ kiss – Luke 22:47–53 The woman who comes to Jesus for healing in Mark 5:24–34 is like all of us. We all need healing. She must have worn many “masks.”

We all have masks we wear in relationships from time to time and need to take them off.

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The Power of Relationship

HEALTHY PRACTICES, HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

By Megan Brown

Humans long for healthier relationships, which often seem frustratingly out of reach. The good news: We can reframe how we communicate, view and understand others and ourselves.

Developing healthy relationships requires time, intentionality and practice. Here are a few essential points.

Appreciate that you are a child of God and recognize that others are too: Remembering that we are all created in the image of God reminds us to look for an aspect of the Holy in each person we encounter. We are fallen…and forgiven. Being forgiven by God reminds us to forgive others.

Do the homework: This can be illuminating. Studying personality, social styles, love styles and relationship-based theories can inform us how to communicate and function within complex human relationships.

Educating ourselves helps us learn why family members, friends, significant others and coworkers do what they do—and why we do what we do.

Develop healthy communication techniques: Humans are inept at communicating effectively and it’s affecting our relationships. Developing a few simple communication skills can make a huge difference. For ideas, check out Relationships: How to Make Bad Relationships Better and Good Relationships

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Great (Les Parrott and Leslie Parrott) or An Essential Guide to Interpersonal Communication: Building Great Relationships with Faith, Skill, and Virtue in the Age of Social Media (D.M. Badzinski and Q.J. Schultze). Healthy communication is at the root of healthy relationships.

Deal with your “stuff” and break the cycle: We all have dysfunction in our lives. Reflecting on and addressing our personal baggage can be very helpful in moving our relationships toward sustainability.

Professional counseling is a great setting to hash out some of these things. A trusted mentor or friend can also help sort out some of our relationship shortcomings and help us make healthy changes.

Baggage is often learned from key figures in our lives. We can begin making healthy choices instead of relying on what we learned through observation as we grew up.

Understand that not all relationships last: Sometimes the healthy choice is to let a relationship go. Whether the dissolution of a relationship is due to a life-stage change, location change, lifestyle change, or unhealthy aspects, it’s good to admit that some relationships cannot stand the test of time and need to be evaluated.

We can all refresh our relationships and move toward healthier practices. This is just a beginning.

Megan Brown, Ph.D., assistant professor of Christian Ministries, is also the assistant to the executive administrator of the Society of Professors in Christian Education (SPCE). She has spent over ten years serving in various ministry contexts.

Outside of academic teaching, she enjoys conducting research and has completed research related to emerging adulthood, teaching and research methodologies, and women in academia and ministry. She and her husband Christoph reside in Fridley, Minnesota, with their young son Josiah and dog Mo.

SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE OF FRIENDSHIP Spanish education majors (pictured, clockwise) Katrina Balzer ’15, Molly Barry ’15, Halie Brunkow ’15, and Morgan Huber ’15, use language to know others more deeply.

Their professor, Kimberly Cronen, M.A., instructor of Spanish, who encourages them to reach out, said, “It has been a privilege to watch the epic journey towards Spanish proficiency bring them closer to one another. I’ve glimpsed them learning and growing in their relationship with God through a second language and culture. It’s such a beautiful process to witness!”

In addition to experiencing life in Spain during a semester abroad and some of them living together in UNW Spanish Language housing, the women conducted an after-school tutoring program at Emmet D. Williams Elementary School in Roseville, Minnesota, last October–December. The principal specifically requested the assistance of UNW students to bridge the achievement gap. Huber and Barry taught math; Brunkow and Balzer worked with literacy.

“Learning a language,” Balzer said, “opens your eyes to different cultures and shows you that God is not a oneculture God.” Brunkow, who works as a waitress and talks to the Spanish-speaking restaurant cooks, said, “When people know that you speak their language, they open up to you, and you become an advocate for people who are vulnerable.”

All four women have been involved in volunteer opportunities, using Spanish to know and care for people.

“When I came to faith, I saw that how you do business is as important as what you achieve.”

“When people know that you speak their language, they open up to you, and you become an advocate for people who are vulnerable.”

BEYOND TRANSACTIONAL BUSINESS Business has always been complicated by people.

So John Donaldson, MBA, assistant professor of business, teaches his “Sales and Sales Management” students the importance of building relationships with clients and customers. In business, he said, “We all want to talk right away, but we learn a lot when we are effective at asking questions.”

Donaldson’s students gain experience by role-playing business situations and recording them for class evaluation: What things went well? What felt uncomfortable? What interactions fell flat?

It’s not only about growing sales and achieving a business agenda, but about “checking your heart and putting others first. If this is for worldly gain, it won’t end up well.”

The principle has wide-reaching value. Whether in direct sales or ministry, understanding where someone is coming from will “help students do great things,” said Donaldson. “Whatever we’re called to do, it’s about developing a relationship, which takes time and sacrifice.”

Sharing business strategies that are entwined with his faith is what Donaldson loves about teaching at Northwestern. “I wasn’t a believer early in my career, and the more I gained the emptier I felt. When I came to faith, I saw that how you do business is as important as what you achieve.”

It all comes back to people.

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The Power of Relationship

CUBA

TO and

BACK

How do individuals from countries as disparate as the U.S. and Cuba begin again to connect? One way is through music. Last May, members of the Minnesota Orchestra and Cuban musicians had a poignant and brief dialogue through music—and it was a conversation that changed everyone involved.

When bassoonist Cheryl Kelley, Ph.D., professor of music, took off on the Minnesota Orchestra’s much-publicized trip to Cuba last May, she became part of a historic tour. Closed to American travelers for decades, Cuba’s restoration to diplomatic relations by the U.S. opened the door for what the StarTribune called “symphonic diplomacy.”

A dream In Kelley’s memory, the five-day tour “seemed like a vivid, fast-motion dream.”

Her first impression was of heat—and humidity, denser than any Minnesota August. Intertwined were colors—the classic ’50s cars in turquoise and pink; the scent of the butterfly flower, la Mariposa; the faint fragrance of cigars; and the bustle of the Malecón (an avenue along the coast that is a major thoroughfare for the people). And of course, music.

“We were treated to a short concert the evening we arrived, by the chamber choir Coro Entrevoces,” she said. She was struck by the singers’ passion for their music—and her instant connection with them as musicians.

Rehearsals, master classes and friendship Between a flurry of rehearsals and sightseeing, members of the orchestra conducted master classes with students at the Instituto Superior de Arte who were hungry to learn. The Cuban students “hung on every word” from the visiting musicians. Their instruments were poor quality, they had little in the way of equipment (reeds or tools), and they had little music. But their love of music was intense. Each rehearsal brought the musicians forward with more questions.

Sharing classics The first concert presented in the National Theater of Cuba on Friday, May 15, was the exact program played by what was then called the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra during the 1929 and 1930 tours, the last time the orchestra had performed in Cuba. The program included several

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works by Beethoven: Egmont Overture; Fantasy in C Minor for Piano, Chorus, and Orchestra (Choral Fantasy); and Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major (Eroica).

A second concert on Saturday, May 16, included music from West Side Story, selections from Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev) and performances of the Cuban and U.S. national anthems. “Performing the anthems was very emotional for me,” said Kelley. Many in the audience shed tears.

The whirlwind journey ended with a trip back to the Havana airport where orchestra members left on one of only four flights listed as departures— three for Miami and one for Minnesota. It was a sobering reminder of the harsh Cuban existence brightened by the presence of music.

Mended relationships Humans value music. It speaks to them. Kelley says, “It’s a lightning rod to the emotions. It can get in there deep, while other things might take more time. If I tell someone I’m a musician, they’re immediately telling me about a musical experience they’ve had,” she said.

The Cuba trip mended some of the deep wounds between Minnesota Orchestra musicians and the board which had occurred during the 16-month contract dispute and lockout of 2013–2014. It also changed how Kelley thinks about teaching. “Watching the Havana students made me think about how to inspire our [Northwestern] students,” she said.

Dr. Cheryl Kelley was one of four Northwestern faculty to travel to Cuba: Roger Frisch, M.M., artist-inresidence and adjunct instructor of music (violin), is associate concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra; Sachiya Isomura, M.M., (cello) is also a member of the Minnesota Orchestra.

Matt Wilson, adjunct instructor of music (French horn) and Dr. Kelley have performed and toured with the Minnesota Orchestra.

PHOTOS: ELIJI IKEDA UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN FALL 2015 PILOT

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The Power of Relationship

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Things I Learned By Befriending Somali Refugees

“People will want to serve you.” As the recipient of many cups of tea, Tindall advises volunteers to expect to be served even though they think they are doing the serving.

“Questions are okay.” Ask questions, including about Islam. Look for commonalities. “Even though Christians have a different set of beliefs,” Tindall said, “there are similarities.” He might say, “Christians do that too; we pray.’” Having knowledge of their homeland and culture helps. People “love to talk about their country. They miss the peaceful times.”

“They welcome help.” Tindall has learned to be flexible. Offering the children tutoring is an excellent inroad, but if someone in the family needs assistance studying for a citizenship test, the volunteers dive in. “That’s a good way to love someone and welcome them to your community.”

“Every family is different.” Just like with American families, there are enormous differences from family to family. Some are strict, others are more relaxed. Tindall deals with a measure of goofiness. Kids are kids and they would sometimes rather bounce off the walls than study. “They want to play, laugh, have fun, learn and have opportunities”—like American children.

“You’ll enjoy yourself more than you expected.” Tindall said, “I’ve found they’re fun people to spend time with. Even if I weren’t tutoring, I would totally want to go and hang out.” He admires his friends’ close-knit community and their hard work as they seek to make a life here.

Sam Tindall ’16 is a multicultural mentor and volunteer with the student-led ministry Way in the Wilderness (sharing the truth of Christ by creating relationships with people of other faiths). Along with a small group of fellow Northwestern students, he tutors children and visits with mostly Somali families in an apartment complex near campus and around the metro area. Here are a few things he’s learned.

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Taking the first step opens up the world. “It’s a simple matter of asking God what He would require of you,” said Tindall. “Then take those baby steps of faith. There’s not a magic blueprint. God gives us a measure of compassion and interest to see other people where they’re coming from and put ourselves in their shoes.”

Garry Morgan, D.Miss., director of Global Initiatives, professor of intercultural studies, notes, “Because of globalization, a lot of the world has come to us. There are still needs overseas, but the work no longer has to be limited to a handful of people we can afford to send to far-off places. There’s no need to raise support or switch vocations. We can do similar types of ministry in our backyards.” He encourages individuals and churches who wish to welcome refugees to connect with a resettlement agency such as Arrive Ministries to help with practical needs and build relationships. For more information visit arriveministries.org.

THE SCRIMPER’S GUIDE TO GOING PLACES

By John Easterling

Do you have the bug to travel but a limited budget?

Say no to tour busses – Don’t just go on commercial tours, as good as they are. Ask yourself, “Could I study maps, search the Internet for things to do and places to stay and save myself that $4,000 for an 8-day tour?”

Hobnob with the locals – Move out on your own, walk, get lost and meet people. These unofficial tour guides may be happy to converse with you over a pot of tea or a bottle of soda.

Prepare for trouble – Make sure you have the shots, pills and precautions needed for the region. I always pack cold/sinus remedies, aspirin and Band-Aids. Buy good travel insurance and review your own medical insurance to see how it works overseas. It might cover 80 percent of costs with you paying 20 percent, but often you pay up front and then get reimbursed.

Eat up – Try the food! Move beyond your comfort zone. Ask the locals for recommendations and buy the less-expensive delicacies offered by street vendors. (Don’t miss out on the delicious breads sold on the street in Old Jerusalem. It is so good, just from the oven.) But I like my beverages boiled (hot tea, coffee) or from a sealed bottle.

Prepare to minister – Attend church and try to join the worship, even singing in English if you know the song. You might even connect with fellow believers who might have sympathy for the stranger in their midst. Look for ways to serve others, even in small ways. I’ve donated blood in Malaysia, Taiwan and Singapore in churches sponsoring blood drives.

Enjoy the ride – It’s a joy to arrive at your destination, but the trip getting there is a part of the experience. Make every effort to extend your trip by including those travel days as part of the adventure.

Embrace imperfection – To save dollars, can you handle a hotel that isn’t the finest? The easiest, most glitch-free trips are not the ones that leave the most lasting memories; the not-so-perfect ones always teach us more!

John Easterling, D.Miss., D.Min., professor of intercultural studies, comes by his love of travel naturally. In his youth, his father—an employee of Western Airlines—took the family around the country on standby passes to visit relatives. These days Easterling leads UNW students to many different locations. Next year, he’ll accompany students to China, Thailand, Japan and Hawaii.

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The Power of Relationship

COLOR BLIND SUNSETS

Deuteranopia (40” x 60”), inkjet

S

unsets and rainbows are the subjects in a series of fascinating works by two Northwestern art professors. Instead of saturated purples, blues, reds and oranges, these images are composed of a limited palette of tonal and muted colors. There’s something off about these images, and it’s mesmerizing.

Heather Nameth Bren, MFA, associate professor of art and design, and Rick Love, MFA, assistant professor of art and design, riff on the theme of color blindness, showing how sunsets and rainbows appear to people who lack the ability to see certain hues.

Other eyes, another world The series began as an empathetic response and a curious one after a colleague of Bren’s mentioned that he was color blind. Bren said, “I want to see your sunset.” So the collaboration is about seeing the world through other people’s eyes. “People understand that it will be different,” said Love

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at the time, “but we won’t know until we make it.”

The artists did their research. They studied total and partial color blindness and looked at the variations under those categories, whether redgreen color blindness or blue-yellow: protanopia, deuteranopia, tritanopia, protanomaly, deuteranomaly, tritanomaly, achromatopsia....

In the studio They began their experiments with handmade rainbow arcs cut on a router, paint-mixing and screen-printing. They produced large-scale prints, up to 40” x 60”. They tried making color blind rainbows by shining light through water. Love’s background in color theory kicked into gear and he began concocting complex, scientific mixes of color in Photoshop, imageediting software. Eventually they put together assemblages of stoneware, carpet, spray paint, found objects, screen-printing and plants. They found

AND RAINBOWS

By Shelly Barsuhn

Tritanopia (30” x 40”), relief print the beauty in these new representations and color combinations. (A 3Dprinted ceramic rainbow appears in this magazine’s table of contents.)

All about relationship The collection, they said, brings forward the theme of relationship.

According to Bren, relationship is “a large part of the conversation in the arts today. Art goes in cycles, and it’s a psychological age.”

Although “politically correct” is sometimes seen as a pejorative term, Bren said it’s really an effort to see from someone else’s perspective.

“Sometimes that process is uneven and awkward, but it’s an important conversation because how we relate to others is based on perception.”

Love agreed. “We’re not all seeing the same things,” he said. “Our individual perceptions are limited.” Understanding others’ points of view can help us avoid conflict.

Expanded outlook The two-year experience was “an amazing awakening in my artistic life as well as my spiritual life,” said Love. “As an artist of faith, I need to listen and be less judgmental.” The collaboration made him more curious and less likely to jump to conclusions.

Bren and Love made art about something they hadn’t experienced but wanted to understand. In the end, they found something even richer. “The whole body of work,” said Bren, “is about finding God’s wisdom about relationship.”

See more color blind works on the artists’ web pages: ricklove.com and heathernamethbren.com.

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The Power of Relationship

BUILDING TRUST ONE YOUNG PERSON AT A TIME

Asked his official title at Urban Ventures in Minneapolis, the former football player and Northwestern graduate (2013), laughed. He’s Young Life Associate Valentine Awasom, but that hardly describes his diverse range of activities at the nonprofit organization. He hangs out with junior high school students, cheers for them, picks them up for lunch and plays basketball—all under the tutelage of his supervisor, Eric Chavoustie. “It doesn’t look like work,” he admits of the job he loves. His true purpose is to build relationships.

It’s not always easy. For youth damaged by traumatic life experiences, trust is not something that comes naturally anymore. Many have grown up in homes where no respect has been given to them and they are not inclined to give respect back.

But Awasom is resolute. “They are used to people coming in and out of their lives,” he said, which is why he has to be with them.

their church’s youth program, inviting him to have home-cooked dinners and taking him to movies.

“Don’t try to take it all on,” he says with a smile. “Just take on one youth.”

He remembers a guy who was in college when he first got connected with Urban Ventures. He informally “adopted” a middle school student in the program. “He just loved this kid. He would drive over and bring this kid to church with him. When he got married a few years ago, the kid’s dad was in jail, and they brought the student into their home. The young man now attends a private school. The couple goes to his football games and school conferences.” Awasom paused. “It inspires me. My wife and I want to do that. It may mean getting uncomfortable to see God work.”

A new opportunity Urban Ventures is working to set up a club night for youth. “We’ll need a lot of volunteers,” said Awasom. “I can’t spend time with all of them.

Overcoming the short-term missions mentality We need one adult investing time with one kid.” He promised plenty of Awasom has seen well-intentioned people try to make a difference by guidance and training. coming out to the city to volunteer for a short while. The gesture is a start, but For those who are intimidated by such a challenge, Awasom said, “A he sees its limitations. “‘We’re going on a one-week mission trip—Yay!’ But lot of people are afraid. They don’t want people to see their mess. I am young people don’t open up in one week. If we really want learning to be okay with that. I’m going to make mistakes. to make an impact in ministry, it’s almost like we have to I just want kids to know that I love them. Every person Valentine Awasom die to ourselves.” He wants to see the Church rise up and wants to know that they are valuable.” invests something adopt children—not literally, but by doing life together.

For more information about volunteer opportunities at valuable in the young He encourages families to partner with Urban Ventures Urban Ventures, see urbanventures.org. and include a child in their lives—bringing the student to people he meets: time.

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The Power of Relationship

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF DIGITAL HUMANITIES Try dropping the term digital humanities at your next dinner party and see what happens.

Chances are, anyone who perks up is an educated geek who has been gleefully watching digital humanities unfold over the past 10–15 years. Let’s be honest: it’s an obscure term but one that has a home in academic circles, including Northwestern, especially in the liberal arts.

Boiling hot humanities “This is something that is hot right now,” said Jeremy Kolwinska, D.M.A., dean of the College of Arts & Humanities.

Scholars and researchers are using digital formats to compile and exchange information. But digital humanities is not easy to define because it encompasses wildly diverse activity. It’s where the digital realm intersects with humanities’ concerns.

A few examples for fun Still muddy? Maybe you need to experience digital humanities yourself.

Jonathan Den Hartog, Ph.D., associate professor of history, is one of the Northwestern professors 22

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who waded happily into the hightech waters. His blog, Historical Conversations, is where he unveils research in early American history, religion in U.S. history and the intersection of religion with politics.

Imagine being a hungry art historian and stumbling across arthistoryproject.com by artist Rick Love, MFA, assistant professor of art and design, and Reed Enger ’09. “Our vision is for a fun and easy way to explore art history through high-quality images, and entertaining and academically sound biographies, essays and criticism. We want to seduce the people who think art history is boring, and replace expensive art history texts in classrooms around the world with a free, beautiful, interconnected experience.”

Or Bardfilm. Keith Jones, Ph.D., professor of English, keeps a microblog that “comments on films, plays, and other matters related to Shakespeare.” He’s an expert with a niche and a sense of humor.

Whether in a blog, website, Twitter or other platform, students

and academics are participating in conversations, doing research and sharing findings—in short, advancing scholarship.

What about Northwestern?

“At Northwestern, we’re asking questions,” said Den Hartog.

“How can we be in conversation with modern technology and each other? What does this mean for students? We’re doing our best to expose them to contemporary technology firmly grounded in solid learning and the Christian outlook that we have in class.”

He anticipates more students creating digital projects rather than traditional term papers.

Next time someone mentions digitial humanities at a reception or dinner, pipe up, “Oh, I’ve heard of that.” Enjoy the questioning looks on people’s faces as they turn your direction and listen to you praise Northwestern’s efforts.

A SONG OF SURVIVAL

By Amy Elizabeth Awasom

Nathaniel Garty ’16 survived a brutal civil war, a near execution and life in a refugee camp before he finally made his way to the U.S. After hearing a sermon about “not dying with the potential inside of you,” he decided to study again and was accepted into Northwestern’s Focus Adult Undergraduate program.

Nathaniel Garty’s journey began in a small Liberian village. He lived there until, at age eight, his parents sent him to his uncle, John Kou, in Monrovia for an education they never possessed.

By the time Garty graduated and began teaching in the 1980s, Liberia’s capital was tremoring under a century of ethnic tension and oppression. Garty and his nation were plunged into the brutal darkness of civil war.

Betrayal “On August 24, 1990, rebel forces landed in Monrovia,” Garty remembered. “It was on the same day that two fighters entered my house. They were taking me to execute me.”

Garty was Sapo, ethnically close

to Krahn—the tribe targeted by the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) of Gio and Mano tribesman under warlord Charles Taylor. A young boy had led the soldiers to Garty’s home in the West Point slum just outside the capital—the boy Garty had been helping and feeding for months, until ethnic loyalties were drawn that day. One partnership betrayed him; another would save Garty’s life.

Advocacy Garty had befriended a Gio man in the slum and defended him many times in years past when Krahn were scouring for Gio rebels.

That Friday evening, the man came quickly and made his defense to the executioners.

“Krahn have been in power for

the past 10 years,” said Garty’s friend. “This man graduated from the University of Liberia with a degree in agriculture in 1982. If he were a Krahn, do you think he would be living in West Point in this house?”

The rebels paused a long time, looking at the squalor he lived in while their knives dripped human blood. Then they relented.

“Go. If you live for the rest of your life, it is because of this man.”

An estimated 250,000 were killed during the civil war.

receive his visa. He arrived in the U.S. in 2004.

As he finishes his Ministries degree at Northwestern, he is preparing to make the most of each day of his life.

“One day I am going to die and they’re going to be singing my song. This is my story. I want what God has placed in me—for people to know about that. What I learned with all the struggle that I went through—let people hear where I come from and how God led me and what He wanted to do.”

Ministry Escaping to a refugee camp in Ghana, Garty met Christ—and his wife. Once Lisa and Garty decided to marry, it took two years and some miraculous connections to UNIVERSITY OF NORTHWESTERN FALL 2015 PILOT

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TORAH SCROLL

By Nancy Zugschwert

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ith access to Bibles on smartphones, tablets and computers, and multiple paper copies on our bookshelves, the early tradition of written Scripture is an intangible concept for most modern believers. Christians don’t often see original parchments or scrolls to develop a treasuring sensibility for God’s Word. Still, once in a while, we stumble across a window open to the past.

A precious spiritual heirloom An authentic Jewish Torah scroll—transcribed one letter at a time—was given to University of Northwestern and dedicated during chapel on September 23. The scroll was a gift from Ken and Barbara Larson, who were present at the dedication ceremony in Maranatha Hall. The Torah scroll is one of 13 Torahs the Larsons have donated in the past yearand-a-half to seminaries across the country, including Wheaton, Bethel, Veritas, Trinity and Southwestern Baptist, among others. It is 89.3feet long, made of animal skins sewn together.

It came from a family collection in Israel and likely dates to around A.D. 1750.

Torah refers to “the law”—the first five books written by Moses that are part of Hebrew Scripture and the Holy Bible (noted in English as Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Studying the Torah helps us understand the Old Testament and should help us better understand the New Testament too.

Hear, read and study At the dedication ceremony, Scholar-inResidence and Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Languages Michael Wise, Ph.D., read the first chapter of Genesis in Hebrew directly from the scroll. Professor of Old Testament Studies Boyd Seevers, Ph.D., translated the

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OPENS DOOR TO BIBLICAL PAST

Through a gift to the university, students will have an opportunity to study an ancient Torah scroll.

Barbara and Ken Larson

Hebrew into English for the audience. The room remained quiet in awe as students, faculty, staff and guests realized the connection between the words on the scroll and the familiar Bible passage.

Providing access to study an actual Torah scroll blends historical, cultural and spiritual significance. As people view the scroll they will be witnesses of meticulous text that took a year to transcribe.

Ed Glenny, Ph.D., Th.D., professor of New Testament studies and Greek, noted, “Perhaps more than anything the reader of such texts receives the impression that the scribes who copied [them] and the people who used them loved the Word of God and were devoted to it.”

President Alan Cureton, Ph.D., is delighted about the opportunity the scroll will provide for students and faculty. “The Scriptures are central to our mission at Northwestern,” Cureton said. “Having this text to study will serve as a powerful reminder of a love and devotion to the Word of God that transcends time and history.”

Ancient language, future students The Department of Biblical & Theological Studies offers Hebrew every other year. Faculty members are thrilled to receive a donation like this that fits with what UNW is already doing.

The next Hebrew class will be offered in the 2016–17 academic year.

“This Torah scroll will be a great tool for use in our classes at UNW,” Glenny said. “It will allow us to take students to an original language text so they can touch it and see for themselves what was involved in the Word of God being preserved for us today.”

The Torah scroll donated by the Larsons is on display in a custom-built enclosure in the Berntsen Library for research and study. The scroll may be viewed by reservation by contacting the library.

In Nazareth Hall, students, staff and others had a chance to view the Torah scroll—given by Ken and Barbara Larson—up close.

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What’s So Beautiful About Recovery?

The Power of Relationship

By Amy Elizabeth Awasom

Our lives grow layers, branches and leaves. Underground, our roots multiply, thicken and deepen in the soil where we began. For the most part, humans see lives as they appear aboveground—foliage, height, health or decline, leaning and carriage. We forget the roots, and how perilous the soil beneath humanity is as a whole.

Dave Kjonaas ’12 (Focus Adult Undergraduate program) learned to dig beneath the surface of his own life while studying Christian counseling at Northwestern. Through the painful but healing activity of returning to memories of trauma and picturing Jesus there transcending the scene, Kjonaas confronted memories of his home as a child: beatings to bloodshed and a steady flood of worthlessness spoken over him and his two brothers.

Roots of pain His first high on drugs made him feel “amazing—free—in a new world.”

Freeze-frame that moment: a high school boy with relief on his face, disconnected from the terror of physical trauma and the pain of a crushed self-worth.

Press play. Aboveground, move through the years to see a checked-out, drugged-up punk with steely eyes. An addict who used marijuana, cocaine, meth and more. He dealt drugs. Had multiple DWIs. A car accident. Jail time. More jail time. “I was just living to die.”

Rethinking addiction Some professionals are moving beyond the study of genetic connections to addiction to focus on one central question to the addicts they help: “Why the pain?” They see a link between drug abuse and trauma. Often that trauma includes childhood abuse.

Kjonaas remembers the unrelenting thoughts in his head during his time of dependency. “You are innately damaged. You are defective. There’s nothing you can possibly do about it.” That’s what the addict feels like inside. “I had to do anything to get away from myself.”

Embraced by Christ What about us? Jesus challenges our distinctions. “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone” (John 8:7b).

Jesus calls those who compare lives to sincere humility. We have our own stories of pain and dark decisions that have grown in that soil. We are not without trauma—or guilt. But Jesus, the Root of David, astounded the world with His open invitation to be replanted into the family of God. Kjonaas accepted that invitation during his last first night in jail after reading “you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32) scrawled on the wall. For the first time, he

knew Jesus was offering him relief and rich soil in which to grow a new life after years of trauma.

A life recovered Eleven years later, Kjonaas is undeniably among the “oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord” (Isaiah 61:3b). He replaced trips to jail with multiple ministry trips to Haiti.

He works weekly with a recovery group of

people who have struggled with addiction, recognizing that this is spiritual food for him.

They need him; he needs them. He is the dad of two children and a graduate of University of Northwestern.

There is beauty in this life story, in the restoration of one man’s belief that he is God’s beloved.

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alumni

EAGLE THROUGH THE YEARS

FOR LIFE

Ted Sibley ’02

1930s After publishing Hannah Tebben’s photograph and dubbing her “Northwestern’s oldest alum,” we heard about another longtime alum, Margaret (Erickson ’34) Holm, who is 103 years old!

She married her classmate, Arthur Slaikeu ’36, served on the American Baptist Board of Missions and traveled extensively around the world. After her husband passed away, she married Reuben Holm (now deceased).

Congratulations to another wonderful, long-lived alum.

Holm

1960s Correction: DuWayne Lee ’60 writes that he graduated from Northwestern in 1960 not 1940 as reported in Spring 2015 Pilot alumni news. “I was 28 years old when I graduated which would make me 103 years old. By God’s grace I may reach that ripe old age but for now I am only 83.”

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1980s Isabel Terneus (CCC-Quito ’09) and Paul Buckles ’84 were married in Quito, Ecuador on July 4, 2014.

1990s

Major: Biology Career: Emergency medicine physician Hometown: Plymouth, MN Current home: Kansas City, MO Family: Wife: Erin (Black ’04); Children: Lucas (7), Benjamin (5), Trent (5) and Sam (4) A foundation for success From his time at Northwestern, Ted Sibley remembers making friends on the football team, Dr. Paul Helseth’s teaching on Christian thought, learning what it meant to combine faith and science, and of course, meeting his wife Erin. “The professors at Northwestern taught a critical thinking component with a Christian perspective—finding facts, data and logical reasoning to support both science and faith.” Sibley carried those skills with him when he transferred to the Universtiy of Minnesota to begin his journey to becoming a physician. “The foundation I got at Northwestern really helped me thrive in a secular school,” said Sibley.

Sibley is an emergency medicine physician at Truman Medical Centers and an associate clinical professor at University of Missouri – Kansas City.

He has also served as the medical director of Medical Ministry International, Amazon Division.

Making an impact During a 2001 trip with a group from Northwestern to Ensenada, a coastal city in Mexico, Sibley’s eyes were opened to the medical needs of the poor. He researched other international medical trips and went to Belize soon afterward. Sibley and Erin have carried their passion for advocacy and international mission into their home, adopting Lucas and Sam from Colombia and Benjamin and Trent from Ethiopia. Their heart for family advocacy has also led them to be involved with Safe Families for Children Kansas City, a program that provides housing for homeless children while parents learn job skills and find housing.

John C. and Tanya Marie (Anderson ’95) Pinkerman welcomed Nathan Cooper on March 12, 2015. He joins his big sister Maria.

Paul ’96 and Debbie (Gatzke ’96) Wiggins enjoy living in Colorado with their two children, Emily and Brian. Debbie’s life has become very full with her Girl Scouts volunteer work. She is her daughter’s troop leader and cookie manager and is the director of a Girl Scout Day Camp. She is also involved in her service unit team and leads trainings for new day camp directors.

2000s Laura Westrum ’01 and Jason Hobbs were married on June 27, 2015.

Elizabeth Millicent Baltus ’03 and Barry Miller were married on May 9, 2015. They reside in West Des Moines, IA. Nathan David and Heather Sue (Smith ’03) Eide welcomed their third son, Iver Paul, on March 13, 2014. He joined his big brothers, Gavin and Levi.

(left to right) Craig Buckles ’80, Julia Roberts ’13, Laurie (Buckles ’84) Roberts, Paul Buckles ’84, Isabel Terneus (CCC-Quito ’09) de Buckles, Anna Buckles Williams, Matthew Williams

Jason and Laura (Westrum ’01) Hobbs

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Greg ’05 and Lori Johnson welcomed Chase Walker on January 22, 2015. He joins Carter.

The Dillons

Jennifer Wollen ’05 and Jason Dillon were married on May 31, 2015. Jennifer is currently employed as the art director for Focus on the Family’s Adventures in Odyssey Clubhouse magazine.

Luke Rasmussen ’06 has been working at Old Republic Title for over two years in the Policy Production department. He is engaged to Elizabeth and the couple is planning a May 2016 wedding.

Alex Drury ’08 and Sarah Marie (Sansing ’08) Johnson welcomed Liam Alexander on October 4, 2015.

EDUCATION CHANGES LIVES A master’s degree from Northwestern will open doors of opportunity through convenient programs that fit your life, your budget and your learning style. But the best value is learning in the framework of a Christian worldview that combines faith and knowledge.

One of Northwestern’s MBA students, Kwasi Twumasi, is building an orphanage in his native Ghana that will provide education and shelter for up to 50 children, reaching out especially to those suffering from disease or disability or who are affected by HIV/AIDS. He’s pursuing his dreams and making a difference.

You can make a difference, too. Learn more at unwsp.edu/gradstudies.

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EAGLE Mrs. Bonita Ericksen, wife of Dr. Donald Ericksen, president of Northwestern from 1985 to 1997, chatted with Mrs. Dorothy Berntson during the Homecoming Legacy Brunch.

FOR LIFE Norma (Clipper ’48) Rogers Major: Missions Career: Missions, Serving in Missions (SIM) Hometown: Lake Benton, MN Current Home: Sebring, FL Family: Husband: William A. Rogers; Children: Deborah (Spahr) Jorgenson, Gordon Spahr ’81, Mary Ann (Spahr) Eich From farm to mission field Coming to Northwestern was just what “this little farm girl needed,” said Norma (Clipper) Rogers. Though the coursework was challenging, “Northwestern made me more world-conscious through chapel speakers and ‘country of your choice’ prayer meetings.” Africa, especially, was always on her mind.

Upon graduation with a degree in missions, Rogers spent a month candidating at the Sudan Interior Mission headquarters in New York, later being accepted into service in Ethiopia. “I was overjoyed to be where I knew God wanted me to be.”

For 42 years, Rogers served as a missionary in Ethiopia. While in Durami, she taught elementary school-age kids and Bible, led men’s and women’s Bible school, and cared for visitors in the community. During the Ethiopian revolution that began in 1974, her responsibilities shifted to working at the mission school compound in Addis Ababa. “I thank God for many good friendships among the beautiful people of Ethiopia,” Rogers said.

Soaring high Turning 90 years old has not slowed her down. Each week, she volunteers with two after-school clubs for 150 children. Twice a month, she visits the local jail to help with the Sunday morning service. She enjoys trying new things—for instance, zip lining at Camp Lebanon. “The Lord is so good to give me health and vitality for sharing the Gospel,” said Rogers. “I’ll keep soaring high for as long as He gives me strength.”

Jon ’02 and Stacy ’03 Anderstrom brought their family to the Homecoming 5K run.

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2010s

Jacob Samuel Olson

Hannah Rivard ’12 is in training to become a police officer in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

She has been there for about nine months and “so far it has been one of the hardest but best experiences in my life. I also still have my own businesses in helping students win college scholarships, in horse training and in acting/modeling.”

The Northwestern community offers condolences to the family and friends of Dale Lewis ’83 who passed away on June 11, 2015.

Britta Paulson ’13 is teaching third grade in Goodman, WI. Erin Wankerl ’13 joined Hope Station foster home in Chengdu, China as the full-time assistant director. Hope Station was cofounded by Rebekah Wilder ’11.

Sam ’14 and Bethany (Maupin ’14) Olson welcomed Jacob Samuel Olson on May 25, 2015.

Haley Hultgren ’14 and Nathan Thannum ’14 were married on March 7, 2015.

Fans cheered for the Eagles during Football Frenzy 2015.

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IN MEMORY

Don’t miss out on UNW news or events!

Update your alumni profile at unwsp.edu/alumni. (Choose “Stay Connected” then “Update Your Profile”.) If you include your email you’ll receive our monthly Alumni E-news in addition to Pilot. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.

ALUMNI AUTHORS David Houvenagle ’85, Ph.D, LCSW

Clinician’s Guide to Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Practice (Springer Publishing Company, 2015)

Jackie Lea Sommers ’03

Truest (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2015)

CHILDREN OF ALUMNI ATTEND UNW FOR LESS Alumni remember the friendly atmosphere of their alma mater, the Christ-centered teaching that made a difference for life and the professors who truly cared. So it’s an extra bonus when their children come to Northwestern and receive the Legacy Discount of $1,500 off their tuition per year.

Go, Eagles!

Encourage your high school student to attend an upcoming visit event and apply for admission. Visit unwsp.edu/visit for more details.

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HOMECOMING PUNCTUATED BY DRUMMING, RUNNING AND FUN The Eagles football team was greeted on Homecoming day October 3 by a stadium of fans, the UNW cheer squad and the percussive cadences of the now official Northwestern Drum Line.

After the 2014 debut of an ad hoc drum line assembled by Admission Counselor Luke Widbin ’11, the Athletics and Music & Theatre departments collaborated to create and fund the drum line program.

Whether it was the drums, the fans or the display of disciplined football on the field, the team’s 57-7 victory over Iowa Wesleyan was impressive.

The Homecoming game also saw the introduction of a new school fight song, written by Tim Sawyer, director of choral activities, and Kirk Talley, head football coach.

Collaboration between Talley and Sawyer is nothing new—the two have been friends since shortly after Talley arrived on campus—but writing a song together was novel territory. They landed on fresh lyrics to the tune of the fight song for Miami University of Ohio.

Additional Homecoming highlights included a first-ever Homecoming 5K run, a comedy night, legacy events for campus alumni who attended Northwestern when it was in downtown Minneapolis, a parent gathering, and several decade reunion gatherings. The 5K run and comedy night also raised money for One Day’s Wages, a ministry supporting sustainable relief in developing regions.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALUMNI HONOREES Alumni honorees for 2015 were Dalynn Hoch ’94 who received the Distinguished Alumni Award, Professors Charles and Helen Aling who received the Buckles-Hanna Service Award, and the members of the entire 1992 wrestling team who received Athletic Hall of Fame honors.

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