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Ruth Johnson ’74 recaps Chemistry Alumni Summit
On July 12, chemistry alumni spanning more than a half century of graduating classes, met on the Augsburg campus. They renewed friendships and swapped stories with favorite chemistry faculty including emeriti Arlin Gyberg and John Holum and current chemistry department chair Dr. Sandra Olmsted ’69. They toured Science Hall with outstanding science faculty and learned first-hand of impressive research by Augsburg science students in chemistry, biology and physics.
Following the tour the group gathered in the Marshall Room to learn from a distinguished faculty panel representing the Center for Science Business and Religion (CSBR) related disciplines: Drs. Vivian Feng ( chemistry) Benjamin Stottrup (physics) Matthew Beckman (biology), Dale Pederson ’70 (biology chair), Jeanne Boeh (economics), and Phil Quanbeck (religion).
The faculty articulated what a CSBR would mean for Augsburg student learning, laboratory and research experience. A lively conversation about teaching at the interface of science, business and religion ensued. Chemistry alumni joined in sharing their own experiences of Augsburg’s rich legacy over several decades. Specifically the intellectual freedom to explore all these ways of understanding the world where our Lutheran heritage is a real but not required foundation.
There was a strong sense from alumni that a CSBR would serve to enhance these continued curricular and co-curricular conversations which have always been at the heart of Augsburg’s tradition.
Ruth Johnson ’74, MD
College adds high-demand track to doctoral nursing program beginning fall 2013
The Augsburg College Nursing Department added an innovative, accredited and high-demand track to its Doctor of Nursing Practice to respond to the evolving needs of nurses, communities, and the medical industry. The new forward-looking track, DNP – Family Nurse Practitioner, is geared toward preparing students who already hold their bachelor of science in nursing to apply for certification as FNPs through the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The College launched in 2009 the DNP – Transcultural Nursing Leadership program. That program readies nurses who hold a master’s degree in nursing for advanced transcultural nursing in community life and integrates holistic practice modalities that uphold and improve human potential across care settings and care systems. Read more at www.augsburg.edu/dnp-fnp.
Alumni Association Welcomes 479 New Alumni at June Commencement
The Augsburg College summer commencement ceremony was held June 23 and was an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our 479 graduate students and undergraduates in the Weekend and Evening College and Rochester programs. June Commencement featured Nancy Cantor, Chancellor and President of Syracuse University, 
who received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters during the ceremony.
Augsburg Athletics Celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the A-Club Golf Tournament
A total of 148 golfers showed their support for Augsburg College Athletics at the 50th annual Clair Strommen/A-Club Golf Tournament, held on June 24 at the Oak Glen Golf Course in Stillwater, Minn. Thirty groups of golfers filled the course for the tournament, and later enjoyed a social, dinner and raffle in the clubhouse.
Winners from the tournament were:
Gold Division — Dan Pearson, John Benson, Steve Pearson, Mike Armstrong (61, -11)
Silver Division — Tom Hofflander, Mike Hofflander, John Hofflander, Rick Lyrek (61, -11)
Bronze Division — Aaron Griess, Matt Knoepfle, Chris Brown, Chris Johnson (56, -16)
Platinum Division — Dean Holmes, John Bodin, Bob Herman, Wes Bodin (66, -6)
Mixed Division — Brad Olson, Bart Davidson, Jim Thomson, Joan Thomson (63, -9)
Women’s Division — Donna McLean, Lisa Hawks, Janet Blake, Cheryl Martin (80, +8)
Hole prizes went to: Jon Bryant, Dale Hendrickson, Anne Moore, Joe Thorvig and Meg (Schmidt) Sawyer.
The tournament is one of several held by Augsburg Athletics and individual sports teams during the summer months. For more information, go to athletics.augsburg.edu and select the “Support Auggies with summer golf!” story on the main athletic page.
Photo gallery:http://athletics.augsburg.edu/photo_gallery.aspx?gallery=357
Augsburg Concert Band and Jazz Tour Turkey
It was a long journey – approximately 29 hours from our 4:30 a.m. wake up call in Bodrum Tuesday morning to our 1:45 a.m. arrival back at Augsburg College on Wednesday. AND no lost luggage, instruments or equipment – What a wonderful performance tour to Turkey! Read the tour blog here.
David “DJ” Hamm ’08 Joins Alumni and Constituent Relations Staff
Augsburg College Alumni Association welcomes David “DJ” Hamm ’08, Psychology, as the new Volunteer and Alumni Engagement Manager within the office of Alumni and Constituent Relations. David comes to Augsburg with a unique background in event 
planning, social media communications, and philanthropy.
“Civic engagement and service learning is a major part of the Augsburg experience,” says David. “As Auggies, ‘we are called’ to serve the community beyond Augsburg as I did in 2008 as an AmeriCorps VISTA. I want to build upon the tradition of giving back by creating meaningful opportunities for alumni, current students and local residents which instill pride and strengthen our collective community.”
David currently lives in Minnetonka with his wife, Emily Crook ’07. David can be reached at 612-330-1329 or hammd@augsburg.edu.
Education Department Receives New State Funding for East African Teacher Preparation
Augsburg College will receive nearly $400,000 in new state funding over the next two years to launch a new East African teacher preparation program. The new Augsburg EAST initiative (East African Students to Teachers) will provide scholarships, academic support and service learning opportunities for East African students who are education majors at Augsburg College at our Minneapolis and Rochester locations.
The number of East African students in K-12 public schools is growing in many communities throughout the state. School systems are challenged to meet the needs of these students, many of whom are the first in their family to receive education in the United States. Augsburg’s strong relationships with the Somali and East African community and its successful record of educating East African education majors, both in Minneapolis and at our Rochester location, make it uniquely qualified to lead this initiative.
This new funding is strong recognition of Augsburg’s excellence in preparing teachers. Since 2004, five Augsburg teacher-education graduates have received the prestigious Milken Award, a national award which provides public recognition and financial awards to elementary and secondary education professionals who further excellence in education. Only 30 Milken Awards are given annually across the nation. In 2009, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation awarded the college more than $400,000 in support of its teacher preparation programming. Augsburg was one of only four Minnesota colleges receiving these grants funds. In addition, Augsburg is one of six private colleges in the Twin Cities collaborating to improve teacher education, made possible by major funding from the Bush Foundation.
In April and May many alumni contacted state legislators to urge their support for this funding which made a very real and positive difference.
Alumni Association Welcomes 400 Members from the Class of 2013
More than 400 students participated in the Commencement ceremony at Augsburg College in May 2013. These newly minted graduates join the the Alumni Association which now includes over 28,000 former students.
This year’s graduation ceremony included a speech by former chairman and chief executive officer of Medtronic Bill George who is the author of four best-selling books: 7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis, True North, Finding Your True North, and Authentic Leadership and (with co-author Doug Baker) True North Groups.
Representative Jim Ramstad was a Republican member of the Minnesota State Senate from 1981 to 1990 before entering the U.S. Congress. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 2009. He considers ending discrimination against those suffering from mental health and addiction problems a major part of his legacy, and worked under both Republican and Democratic majorities to pass a Mental Health Parity Bill, which was signed into law in December, 2008.
Both Bill George and Jim Ramstad received honorary degrees.
Augsburg Student Research Program Grows to 65 Participants
A distinctive feature of an Augsburg education is our focus on linking classroom theory with off-campus learning experiences. Augsburg College is one of the few colleges or universities in the United States that intentionally includes an experiential element in our general education program required of all students.
For example, Austin Wagner is a self described “nerdy” student researcher excited about finding the beauty in mathematics.
This summer 51 student researchers will be gaining hands-on experience while working side-by-side with faculty on-campus this summer. In addition, 14 students will be conducting research off-campus this summer including:
Katherine Aleman, Psychology, Research Intern at the Mayo Clinic
Elianna Bier, Physics, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Eric Bowman (McNair Scholar), Biology & Chemistry, University of Nebraska
Emma Capman, Physics, University of Maryland Robotics Center
Haley Diem, Environmental Studies, Field Research in Tanzania on Sustainable Agriculture
Kirubel Gezehegn, Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University and MIT
Ben Grant, Physics, Colorado School of Mines National Renewable Energy Lab
Anna Herauf, Biology & Chemistry, NDSU Program for Research on the Prairies
Dan Kornbaum, Physics, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Geospace Sciences REU at the University of Michigan.
Marie-Aimee Ntawkulityayo, International Relations, Research in Belgium on Ethnic Identity and Conflict in the Kivu Region of Eastern Congo
Promise Okeke, Biology, Johns Hopkins University, Malaria Research
Casey Powell, Biology, University of Minnesota Plant Pathology Lab
Ryan Sullivan, Computational Philosophy, Carnegie-Mellon University Summer Workshop on Cognitive Science and Epistemology
Ashley Waters (McNair), Chemistry, Chemistry Research Fellow at the University of Minnesota